Meet the Authors of 2010-2011

Brad Herzog

August 27, 2010
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Join us as we launch Brad Herzog’s new book, turn left at the trojan horse, A Would-Be Hero’s American Odyssey. The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a public reception with the author, cash bar and some nibbles. At 7:00 p.m. join us in the Salinas Room for a discussion of the book and its meaning, the author’s process and a digital presentation. Book-singing and Q&A to follow the talk. The author will also be signing his other book States of Mind. All books must be purchased at the National Steinbeck Center to be signed.

turn left at the trojan horse is a cross-country version of the ancient Greek epics and a search for the heroic ideal, as the author treks toward a college reunion in Ithaca, NY. It is a memoir exploring the parameters of a heroic existence – by delving into lives and lessons off the beaten path, by examining universal truths embedded in ancient myths and through a fair bit of self-evaluation.

States of Mind, which one reviewer claimed “will stand with Travels with Charley as a rare road-trip book to endure,” is a search for virtue in America’s nooks and crannies – from Faith, SD and Hope, MS to Pride, AL and Joy, IL.

Brad Herzog lives in Pacific Grove with his wife and their two sons. He has written hundreds of national magazine articles (on topics ranging from civil rights to sports car racing), a series of children’s books and three acclaimed American travel memoirs in which he examines the big picture while traveling through some of the tiniest dots on the map. His latest book is turn left at the trojan horse.

G.M. Weger

September 3, 2010
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Join us as we celebrate local author G.M. Weger’s award winning book, East Garrison, A Novel. The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a public reception with the author, cash bar and some nibbles. At 7:00 p.m. join us in the Salinas Room for a discussion of the book and its meaning, the author’s process and a digital presentation. Book-signing and Q&A to follow the talk. All books must be purchased at the National Steinbeck Center to be signed.

East Garrison asks, "What happens when the soldiers depart and leave the predators behind?" This fictional story unfolds on 28,000 acres of sand, scrub oak, and dilapidated buildings - remains of what once had been one of the largest army training facilities in the U.S. East Garrison interweaves the history of Ford Ord with the tales of four unique individuals caught in a dangerous life-altering situation in a long abandoned section of the fort, known as East Garrison.

Californian native G. M. Weger has served the state she loves and the parks she's grown up to respect by immersing herself in rural environment and exploring her surroundings. For over 14 years she has been an editor with the Department of Defense, and she writes an on-going column for the Californian Writers Club. G.M. Weger has published numeriou short stories and is currently working on her second novel, a true tale about a local family tragedy in the mid-1800s. Her first novel, East Garrison, won the National Indie Excellence Award 2010 for the best regional fiction. She lives with her husband and two children in Salinas. 

Kathryn Otoshi

September 24, 2010
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Join us as we launch Award Winning Children’s Author Kathryn Otoshi’s new book, Zero. The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a public reception with the author, cash bar and some nibbles. At 7:00 p.m. join us in the Salinas Room for a discussion of the book and its meaning, the author’s process and a digital presentation. Book-signing and Q&A to follow the talk. The author will also be signing her other books One, Simon & the Sock Monster, What Emily Saw and Marcello the Movie Mouse. All books must be purchased at the National Steinbeck Center to be signed.

Zero, the follow up to One is about a big round number, Zero. When she looks at herself, she just sees a hole right through her center. She admires the other numbers who can count. She wants to count too, but wonders how can a number worth nothing become something? Thus begins the story of Zero's search to find value in herself and in others.

Kathryn Otoshi is the founder of KO Kids Books and an author/illustrator living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her award-winning books include What Emily Saw, Simon & the Sock Monster, and Marcello the Movie Mouse. Her anti-bullying book One, winner of 10 awards, including the E.B. White Read Aloud Honor and the Teacher’s Choice Award, explores acceptance, tolerance and the power of one voice. Her new book Zero, the follow up to One, is a number/counting book that addresses body types, self esteem, and finding inner value in ourselves and in others.

Renette Torres

October 1, 2010
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Join us as we celebrate local author Renette Torres’ first book, Ya Wanna Watch, I'll Let Ya. The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a public reception with the author, cash bar and some nibbles. At 7:00 p.m. join us in the Salinas Room for a discussion of the book and its meaning, the author’s process and a digital presentation. Book-signing and Q&A to follow the talk. All books must be purchased at the National Steinbeck Center to be signed.

Ya Wanna Watch, I’ll Let Ya is a story about a comical, colorful female who by a fluke was hurled into her own innovative watch & clock business, in a time when a woman’s place was in the home. She tells how she became a successful entrepreneur. How she competed and survived in an industry totally dominated by men! Zany sales tales. You’ll travel along with her on this inspiring, hilarious journey around the globe. You will laugh while you learn. The reader can hear her talking. So funny and upbeat, you won’t put it down till the end.

Renette Torres coming out of a 20 year retirement, is an 81 year old highly energetic kid. After her husband of 56 years passed away, she needed to exercise her brain. Golfing 4-5 times a week, shopping, lunching & playing bridge with friends was not enough for her. Such a fabulous, fascinating life, why not sit down at the computer and capture it on screen. She did just that, writing her own autobiography about becoming a successful business entrepreneur. This woman has always had a flair for innovative selling. After writing, self publishing. marketing & promoting her own book. She's even getting her own press. "You wonder after all these years", Renette said " Do I still have it?" I'll let you answer that.

Shailja Patel

October 29, 2010
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Join us as we celebrate internationally acclaimed poet, Shailja Patel and her first book Migritude. The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a public reception with the author, cash bar and some nibbles. At 7:00 p.m. join us in the Salinas Room for a discussion of the book and its meaning, the author’s process and a special presentation. Book-signing and Q&A to follow the talk. All books must be purchased at the National Steinbeck Center to be signed.

Migritude, the US debut of internationally acclaimed poet and performance artist Shailja Patel, dodges categories and confounds expectations. Part poetic memoir, part political history, part performance tour-de-force, Migritude weaves together family history, reportage, and monologues of violence, colonization, and love, to create an achingly beautiful portrait of women’s lives and migrant journeys undertaken under the boot print of Empire.

Shailja Patel is a Kenyan poet, playwright and theatre artist, who was trained as a political economist, accountant, and yoga teacher. Her one-woman show, Migritude toured globally to critical acclaim, and closed the Nairobi World Social Forum. Her poems have been translated into 12 languages, and won awards on 3 continents. Honours include a Ford Foundation Commission, Sundance Theatre Fellowship, African Guest Writer Fellowship at Sweden's Nordic Africa Institute, Tallberg Forum Poet-in-Residence, Creation Fund Award (US National Performance Network), Fanny-Ann Eddy Poetry Award, Voices of Our Nations Poetry Award, Lambda Slam Championship, and the Outwrite Poetry Prize.

Lois Robin

November 5, 2010
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Join us as we celebrate local author Lois Robin’s new book, Mamita’s House, A True Tale of Tortilla Flat. The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a public reception with the author, cash bar and some nibbles. At 7:00 p.m. join us in the Salinas Room for a discussion of the book and its meaning, the author’s process and a digital presentation. Book-signing and Q&A to follow the talk. All books must be purchased at the National Steinbeck Center to be signed.

Mamita’s House is about an extended California Indian Family that lived during the depression years in a neighborhood in Carmel, California called Tortilla Flat. It was to this neighborhood that John Steinbeck came to learn about the life of the paisanos. While Steinbeck used characters from Tortilla Flat in his book of that name, he told a different story from the equally compelling true one. The true one focuses on Mamita as a family heroine with the strength and fire to bring her family through tumultuous times. This account brings the reader an insight into the experience of Californian Indian as they moved from tribal life to the urban life they enjoy today. The book also supplies one more piece of the puzzle of what made Steinbeck’s literature contribute to the history of the Monterey Bay. Recent photographs connect today’s descendants with those who lived in and around Mamita’s House at the turn of the last century.

For the last twenty five years Lois Robin M.A. has photographed and written about California Indian cultures creating related videos, CD’s and exhibits. She has presented papers or displays at multiple Californian Indian conferences. She is also an environmental activist focusing on the preservation of rivers, wildlife and native plants. Lois has a special affinity for the Monterey Bay where she lives – its history, landscape and ancient and recent cultures. A Steinbeck enthusiast, she recently devoted a year to rereading his books and those of his biographers.

Greg Mortenson

November 15, 2010
7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Join us for New York Times best-selling author Greg Mortenson as he talks about his books, Stones into Schools and Three Cups of Tea and his work to promote education and peace. At 7:00 p.m. join us in the Salinas Room for a discussion of the book and its meaning, the author’s process and a digital presentation. Book-signing and Q&A to follow the talk. All books must be purchased at the National Steinbeck Center to be signed.

This event will be held at the Steinbeck Institute of Arts and Culture at 940 N. Main Street, Salinas, CA 93901.

To purchase tickets and advanced copies of Greg Mortenson's books (Three Cups of Tea, Stones for Schools and Listen to the Wind) please call 831.775.4721. Tickets are $5.00 for members or $10.00 for non-members. Discounts available for student and book club groups.

Stones into Schools: From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Three Cups Of Tea, Greg Mortenson has met with heads of state, top military officials, and leading politicians, all of whom seek his advice and insight. Three Cups of Tea continues to be a phenomenal success with a committed and eager audience, but it’s incomplete—Stones into Schools is the next chapter.

Greg Mortenson is the recipient of Pakistan’s highest civil award (The Star of Pakistan) for his sixteen years of work to promote education and peace. The cofounder of the Central Asia Institute—which now boasts 131 schools educating 58,000 students, 40,000 of whom are girls—and Pennies for Peace, he lives in Montana with his family.

Murlie Hanson

December 12, 2010
1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Join us for local author Murlie Hanson's new book The Christmas Tooth Fairy. Join us at 1:30 p.m. for a special reading of The Christmas Tooth Fairy by the author followed by a discussion of the book and its meaning, the author’s process and a digital presentation. Book-signing and Q&A to follow the talk. All books must be purchased at the National Steinbeck Center to be signed.

The Christmas Tooth Fairy: In a rare television interview, the tiny Tooth Fairy reveals the secrets of her work and the magical poetry that helps her to do her job. She answers what every child wonders: why do some kids get more money for their teeth, why is the tooth still there sometimes, what does the Tooth Fairy do with all the teeth. Then she tells what happened one Christmas when she was grounded by a wing torn inside the room of a very messy child – when Santa Claus gave a helping hand and made a very special wish come true.

Murlie Hanson enjoys writing poetry and short stories and was recognized by Wyoming Writers, Inc. She has lived in Norway, Bolivia, and across the U.S.A. She was a Fulbright Scholar, a reporter, a columnist, and wrote a legal rights handbook for the disabled. She practices law in California where she resides with her husband.