Silent Water (& Dream Books) Productions
Honoring the Difficult & Divine
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Our Mission
We will bring some of the most dynamic writers, artists and activists from diverse backgrounds to uplift books/art and spark change. The Diversity Project is a creative outlet dedicated to female and Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) voices, and a consulting agency supporting stores and venues looking to incorporate diverse representation to their customers and communities. The primary goal of The Diversity Project is to use various media platforms and promotional pieces to elevate unique BIPOC and female issues and stories.
Our Focus
Topical issues and relevant books will be presented by writers, other artists and agents of change. For too long BIPOC and women have been marginalized in the literary and activist circles, but recently their stories have become more appreciated and sought after. Now more than ever as the world is facing unique challenges and changing drastically on several levels, people need the healing aspect(?) of diverse and inclusive communities. As such, SWP will creatively and effectively connect the writers/artists with the targeted audiences and merchants.
Our Values
Educate I Entertain I Engage I Inspire
Honoring the Difficult & Divine
_____________________________________________________
______________________________________________
___________________
Our Mission
We will bring some of the most dynamic writers, artists and activists from diverse backgrounds to uplift books/art and spark change. The Diversity Project is a creative outlet dedicated to female and Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) voices, and a consulting agency supporting stores and venues looking to incorporate diverse representation to their customers and communities. The primary goal of The Diversity Project is to use various media platforms and promotional pieces to elevate unique BIPOC and female issues and stories.
Our Focus
Topical issues and relevant books will be presented by writers, other artists and agents of change. For too long BIPOC and women have been marginalized in the literary and activist circles, but recently their stories have become more appreciated and sought after. Now more than ever as the world is facing unique challenges and changing drastically on several levels, people need the healing aspect(?) of diverse and inclusive communities. As such, SWP will creatively and effectively connect the writers/artists with the targeted audiences and merchants.
Our Values
Educate I Entertain I Engage I Inspire
At SWP, we curate, promote and moderate live and lively topical interviews and other type of events with authors, artists and activists. We do so by using various media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook and other virtual outlets. Be it for our own SWP events or on behalf of our clients, we provide full service curation. From more simple one-on-one discussions, book promotions and launches, to complex special panel events, we bring all the necessary elements together. Whether virtually or in-person; whether intimate or larger functions, it all matters to us, and these presentations allow us and our clients to engage our audience.
Series Curator/Moderator
PAULA FARMER is a buyer and event host/moderator for Book Passage bookstores, having overseen hundreds of author events during her tenure there. In recent years, she’s been known for curating special panel events such as “Race in America” and “Immigration in America.” Additionally, she was selected to chair the Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee for the California Independent Booksellers Association (2019- present). Paula was recently (2021) selected by the American Booksellers Association (ABA) to be on their Diversity Equity & Inclusion committee board. Her background is as a news journalist/producer for outlets such as CBS Radio, ABC Radio, and a film and theater reviewer for the Detroit Metro Times, and Culture Vulture online arts magazine. After growing up in Detroit, and spending several years in New York, she now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area where in addition to holding positions at Book Passage, she continues work as a freelance journalist and website writer. For more information on Paula go HERE.
____________________
UPCOMING EVENTS
_____________
SPECIAL AUTHOR INTERVIEW EVENTS FOR Book Passage and other clients
Upcoming Client Events of Note
Native Heritage Tribute Event - Book Passage - Throughout November(and the year), we should all celebrate those of indigenous heritage, embrace the cultures they embody and educate the public about tribal communities. For its part, Book Passage is honoring the history and culture of Indigenous Peoples in the way we do best … with a special author/book-related event! This tribute event will be in two parts. First we will feature thoughtful commemorative written pieces from Native authors, poets and book industry professionals. Their essays and poems can be accessed NOW on this dedicated Book Passage website page HERE. Then on November 18 at 5:30pm PST, we will have a online event with some of those participants presenting their writings, as well as a brief live discussion about the importance of the designation of the month, and/or how problematic it and Thanksgiving may actually be. We'll also offer up a few suggestions for books by Native authors- past and present.
Join the Book Passage live virtual discussion Thursday, Nov. 18 at 5:30 PT - HERE
Brittany Barnett- Brittany's riveting memoir is at once a coming-of-age story and a powerful evocation of what it takes to bring hope and justice to a system built to resist them both. Brittany K. Barnett was only a law student when she came across the case that would change her life forever — that of Sharanda Jones, single mother, business owner, and, like Brittany, Black daughter of the rural South. A victim of America's devastating war on drugs, Sharanda had been torn away from her young daughter and was serving a life sentence without parole — for a first-time drug offense. In Sharanda, Brittany saw haunting echoes of her own life, as the daughter of a formerly incarcerated mother. As she studied this case, a system came into focus in which widespread racial injustice forms the core of America's addiction to incarceration. Brittany set to work to gain her freedom.
Join the Book Passage live (virtual) event - Thursday, Sept. 16 at 5:30 PT / 8:30 ET (later at the Book Passage YouTube page). Register (free) HERE
Valarie Kaur - See No Stranger is an urgent manifesto and a dramatic memoir of awakening, this is the story of revolutionary love. Kaur takes readers through her own riveting journey—as a brown girl growing up in California farmland finding her place in the world; as a young adult galvanized by the murders of Sikhs after 9/11; as a law student fighting injustices in American prisons and on Guantánamo Bay; as an activist working with communities recovering from xenophobic attacks; and as a woman trying to heal from her own experiences with police violence and sexual assault. Drawing from the wisdom of sages, scientists, and activists, Kaur reclaims love as an active, public, and revolutionary force that creates new possibilities for ourselves, our communities, and our world. See No Stranger helps us imagine new ways of being with each other—and with ourselves—so that together we can begin to build the world we want to see. Kaur is a civil rights activist, lawyer, filmmaker, innovator, and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project. She has won national acclaim for her story-based advocacy, helping to win policy change on issues ranging from hate crimes to digital freedom. Her speeches have reached millions worldwide and inspired a movement to reclaim love as a force for justice. She is a proud daughter of Sikh farmers in California.
Join the live (virtual) event at Book Passage - Wednesday, Sept. 22 @ 1:00pm PST - GO HERE to register (free)
Archived Client Events of Note
IMMIGRATION in AMERICA 2021 - We have a new administration and seemingly a whole new set of issues regarding immigration. While the Biden administration is acting on a number of fronts to reverse Trump-era restrictions on immigration, they are also incurring other obstacles of their own. Among those items is the pressure to do more for asylum-seekers and migrants, increased hate crimes against Asian-Americans, and how to help Afghan refugees in the U.S. Delving into these and other issues will be a powerful panel of authors and agents of change, and curated/moderated by DEI specialist, Paula Farmer. Book Passage invites you to listen to the discussion and be part of the solution.
GO HERE to access this event in the Book Passage YouTube archives
_____________________________________
Speaking Of ..." series - Paula Farmer on Instagram Live in conversation
@paulawritesreviews
Upcoming IG Interviews -
Speaking Of ... coming together across the political divide. There is a national collaboration of 400+ organizations working across the political divide. It is called "Listen First Project." The Listen First Project organizes a week of dialogue across the political divide. As part of this week there are 2 different engagements: "America Talks" and "National Week of Conversation." In her own neck of the woods in the San Francisco Bay Area, writer and leadership trainer, Maria Ramos-Chertok is involved in these projects to promote peaceful political dialogue. She'll tell me how this all came about, its progress, and how more of us can do our part.
Join the discussion - Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 @ 4:00pm PST / 7:00pm EST.
Speaking Of ... the gift of books for the holidays and all year round! In this annual program, I host a book industry professional to discuss books that make great gifts and my "Best Of" fiction and nonfiction list of the year. Today, my guest is Jhonna Belfer, a self-proclaimed book nerd and the owner/manager of Bel Canto bookstore in Riverside, CA.
Join the discussion - Wednesday, Dec. 15 @ 4:00pm PST/ 7:00 EST.
Jhoanna's Gift Book List & Fav Books 2021
These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Bibliophile: Diverse Spines by Jamise Harper and Jane Mount
Our Stories Carried Us Here by Green Card Voices
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Hunting by Stars by Cheri Dimaline
The Sum of Us by Heather McGee
Archived interviews in IGTV @paulawritesreviews
Speaking Of ... Fresh, creative voices in the world of literary fiction, and beautiful and visceral stories featuring South East Asian characters. Shruti Swamy is the winner of two O. Henry Awards, Shruti Swamy's work has appeared in The Paris Review, the Kenyon Review Online, Prairie Schooner, and elsewhere. In 2012, she was Vassar College's 50th W.K. Rose Fellow, and has been awarded residencies at the Millay Colony for the Arts, Blue Mountain Center, and Hedgebrook.
She is a Kundiman fiction fellow, a 2017 – 2018 Steinbeck Fellow at San Jose State University, and a recipient of a 2018 grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation. Her book A House Is a Body was shortlisted for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection, and her novel The Archer is one of the best novels of 2021 (definitely one of the most beautiful covers!)
Past IG Live events include the dynamic speakers and topics below. You can access the recorded versions of ALL the interviews, which started in September 2020, on the Instagram page @paulawritesreviews. Just click on the IGTV icon on the homepage.
Kim Shuck - Speaking Of ... Native Heritage Month and art and poetry that celebrates that. Kim Shuck, the seventh poet laureate of San Francisco, is a fifth-generation resident of the city. She’s also a community activist, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and an accomplished visual artist whose beadwork has been exhibited across the U.S. The author of seven collections of poems, including 2019’s Deer Trails, Shuck is known for spare, accessible lines that reference nature and, often, San Francisco’s indigenous roots.
OSCAR LOPEZ - Speaking Of ... fine art as cultural connection and activism. Oscar Lopez is a visual artist born and raised in Mexico City, where he first came into contact of the art world in the Graffiti urban art scene. After immigrating to the USA to San Francisco, Bay area, he studied at Foothill College where he became inspired to turn his artistic endeavors to fine art. He went on to study at the Academy Art University. Since living in America, he has focused on trying to understand our complex society through a Mexican immigrant’s lens. “I use a critical eye to engage with the globalization, imperialism, and capitalism that affect every corner of the two nations that share my soul.”
Carolina de Robertis - Speaking Of ... writing, educating and activism from a Latinx immigrant perspective. A writer of Uruguayan origins, Carolina De Robertis is the author of the award-winning novels The President and the Frog, Cantoras, The Gods of Tango, and the international bestseller The Invisible Mountain. Her books have been translated into seventeen languages. De Robertis is also an award-winning translator of Latin American and Spanish literature, and editor of the anthology Radical Hope: Letters of Love and Dissent in Dangerous Times. In 2017, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts named De Robertis on its 100 List of “people, organizations, and movements that are shaping the future of culture.” She also teaches at San Francisco State University.
Zoe Elton - Speaking Of ... one of the most prestigious film festivals in the U.S., and bridging the gender gap in the film industry. Zoe Elton is the Director of Programming for the Mill Valley Film Festival in Northern California and Founder of the festival's Mind the Gap initiative. Launched in 2015, Mind the Gap is an initiative dedicated to achieving gender equity in the film industry. The same year, the California Film Institute (CFI) began expanding the Mind the Gap initiative across the entire organization in order to provide an inclusive platform to showcase female-forward contributions in all aspects of the film industry, celebrate the dynamic achievements of women in film, and empower future filmmakers. Since its inception, Mind the Gap has embraced the intersectionality of its filmmakers and conversations within the fight for gender equity and the importance of intersectional perspectives and gender’s indisociable connections to other identity traits has become a cornerstone of the platform’s focus.
Nya Jade- Speaking Of ... making your mark in the YA/Fantasy book market-while developing your own music style and raising a young family. Nya Jade is the Ghanaian-born author of bestsellers THE YEAR OF FOUR and THE BLOOD OF KINGS. Readers have come to love Nya's Young Adult Urban Fantasy novels for their edge-of-your-seat suspense, diverse cast, and a rich, elaborate world building. Nya has a B.A. in Economics and an M.A. in Sociology from Stanford University. Prior to writing novels, Nya spent several years as an award-winning singer-songwriter. Her debut album My Denial won critical favor for its refreshing blend of rock, soul, and pop elements, and immediately landed on VH1's Top 20 Albums listWe'll talk about it all ... and maybe get a song or two out of her.
Join the discussion on IG - Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 4:00 PM/ 7:00 ET
Mehran Khodabandeh & Irene Kao - Speaking Of ... The gubernatorial recall election in California and what it means for Democratic party. There is a lot at stake in the recall election on Sept. 14, not just the political career of Gavin Newsom. According to the LA Times, the recall is powered by a partisan, Republican coalition of national Republicans, anti-vaxxers, QAnon conspiracy theorists, anti-immigrant activists and Trump supporters. They want to overturn Governor Newsom’s election, and their victory could threaten California’s efforts to fight COVID-19.
Mehran Khodabandeh is the Senior Strategist for the CA Working Families Party. For the past year and a half has been focused on working with CA leaders from throughout the state on designing the party of their dreams that roots power with local leaders in making electoral decisions and setting priorities. Prior to joining WFP, Mehran founded a consulting firm focused on electing candidates to various levels of public office. Mehran’s career has always focused on representation; electing progressive candidates and educating donors as to the importance of a unified approach on candidate investments. Throughout his campaign work he understood the need for BIPOC donor involvement and cultivation in the political arena.
Irene Kao - will also be joining this interview - Irene joined Courage California, in 2020, as the first woman of color to lead the organization. She brings more than twenty years of experience working with and advocating for low-income communities of color, including in immigrant and refugee support services, public housing, early childhood education, media, philanthropy and politics.
Join the discussion & ROCK THE VOTE - Wednesday, Sept. 8 @ 4:00 PST/ 7:00 EST
Milton Diaz - Speaking Of ... LatinX stories and voices in the arts - Milton Diaz is a New York-based writer and director who has put forth several short films, including his latest, Evergreen. The film chronicles the history of and characters that made up a legendary video store that was located in the heart of the West Village. Evergreen was recently selected for the HBO/NY Latino Film Festival slated for September 2021. When Milton isn't making movies, he's a highly sought after DJ by night, an employee at Pfizer by day, and a proud dad of two 24-7. I'll be talking to Milton about his creative roots and his latest film project that has landed him at the prestigious NY Latino Film Fest for the second time.
Join the discussion - Wednesday, August 25 @ 4:00 PST/7:00 EST.
Leslie Acoca - Speaking Of ... the over incarceration of teen girls - Acclaimed psychologist and researcher Leslie Acoca, Yale graduate, and winner of the Dalai Lama Hero of Compassion Award for her work getting health and trauma care to thousands of incarcerated girls, delivers intimate and moving portraits of girls locked up in both the United States Juvenile Justice System and in ICE facilities. Deeply inspired by the girls and young women she meets, and appalled by the medical neglect they suffer, Acoca also provides a prescription for finally ending the detention of girls and making them healthier along the way. Leslie is in the midst of completing a nonfiction book on this very subject called Pink Shackles. Look for its release early in 2022.
Join the discussion - Wednesday, August 11 @ 4:00 PST/ 7:00 ES
And many more archived events @paulawritesreviews IGTV
EVENT NOTES FROM OUR GUEST
MERCHANDISE
Are you tired of seeing the same ol' faces on book totes? They are often dead and monochromatic, and usually men. Not here. With the "Mixed Bag" selection we are featuring diversity and contemporary, along with some classic figures. The project is in early days, with varying stages of production. As soon as the inventory increases, you will be alerted and encouraged to buy for yourself, for friends, family and fellow book lovers.
Series Curator/Moderator
PAULA FARMER is a buyer and event host/moderator for Book Passage bookstores, having overseen hundreds of author events during her tenure there. In recent years, she’s been known for curating special panel events such as “Race in America” and “Immigration in America.” Additionally, she was selected to chair the Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee for the California Independent Booksellers Association (2019- present). Paula was recently (2021) selected by the American Booksellers Association (ABA) to be on their Diversity Equity & Inclusion committee board. Her background is as a news journalist/producer for outlets such as CBS Radio, ABC Radio, and a film and theater reviewer for the Detroit Metro Times, and Culture Vulture online arts magazine. After growing up in Detroit, and spending several years in New York, she now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area where in addition to holding positions at Book Passage, she continues work as a freelance journalist and website writer. For more information on Paula go HERE.
____________________
UPCOMING EVENTS
_____________
SPECIAL AUTHOR INTERVIEW EVENTS FOR Book Passage and other clients
Upcoming Client Events of Note
Native Heritage Tribute Event - Book Passage - Throughout November(and the year), we should all celebrate those of indigenous heritage, embrace the cultures they embody and educate the public about tribal communities. For its part, Book Passage is honoring the history and culture of Indigenous Peoples in the way we do best … with a special author/book-related event! This tribute event will be in two parts. First we will feature thoughtful commemorative written pieces from Native authors, poets and book industry professionals. Their essays and poems can be accessed NOW on this dedicated Book Passage website page HERE. Then on November 18 at 5:30pm PST, we will have a online event with some of those participants presenting their writings, as well as a brief live discussion about the importance of the designation of the month, and/or how problematic it and Thanksgiving may actually be. We'll also offer up a few suggestions for books by Native authors- past and present.
Join the Book Passage live virtual discussion Thursday, Nov. 18 at 5:30 PT - HERE
Brittany Barnett- Brittany's riveting memoir is at once a coming-of-age story and a powerful evocation of what it takes to bring hope and justice to a system built to resist them both. Brittany K. Barnett was only a law student when she came across the case that would change her life forever — that of Sharanda Jones, single mother, business owner, and, like Brittany, Black daughter of the rural South. A victim of America's devastating war on drugs, Sharanda had been torn away from her young daughter and was serving a life sentence without parole — for a first-time drug offense. In Sharanda, Brittany saw haunting echoes of her own life, as the daughter of a formerly incarcerated mother. As she studied this case, a system came into focus in which widespread racial injustice forms the core of America's addiction to incarceration. Brittany set to work to gain her freedom.
Join the Book Passage live (virtual) event - Thursday, Sept. 16 at 5:30 PT / 8:30 ET (later at the Book Passage YouTube page). Register (free) HERE
Valarie Kaur - See No Stranger is an urgent manifesto and a dramatic memoir of awakening, this is the story of revolutionary love. Kaur takes readers through her own riveting journey—as a brown girl growing up in California farmland finding her place in the world; as a young adult galvanized by the murders of Sikhs after 9/11; as a law student fighting injustices in American prisons and on Guantánamo Bay; as an activist working with communities recovering from xenophobic attacks; and as a woman trying to heal from her own experiences with police violence and sexual assault. Drawing from the wisdom of sages, scientists, and activists, Kaur reclaims love as an active, public, and revolutionary force that creates new possibilities for ourselves, our communities, and our world. See No Stranger helps us imagine new ways of being with each other—and with ourselves—so that together we can begin to build the world we want to see. Kaur is a civil rights activist, lawyer, filmmaker, innovator, and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project. She has won national acclaim for her story-based advocacy, helping to win policy change on issues ranging from hate crimes to digital freedom. Her speeches have reached millions worldwide and inspired a movement to reclaim love as a force for justice. She is a proud daughter of Sikh farmers in California.
Join the live (virtual) event at Book Passage - Wednesday, Sept. 22 @ 1:00pm PST - GO HERE to register (free)
Archived Client Events of Note
IMMIGRATION in AMERICA 2021 - We have a new administration and seemingly a whole new set of issues regarding immigration. While the Biden administration is acting on a number of fronts to reverse Trump-era restrictions on immigration, they are also incurring other obstacles of their own. Among those items is the pressure to do more for asylum-seekers and migrants, increased hate crimes against Asian-Americans, and how to help Afghan refugees in the U.S. Delving into these and other issues will be a powerful panel of authors and agents of change, and curated/moderated by DEI specialist, Paula Farmer. Book Passage invites you to listen to the discussion and be part of the solution.
GO HERE to access this event in the Book Passage YouTube archives
_____________________________________
Speaking Of ..." series - Paula Farmer on Instagram Live in conversation
@paulawritesreviews
Upcoming IG Interviews -
Speaking Of ... coming together across the political divide. There is a national collaboration of 400+ organizations working across the political divide. It is called "Listen First Project." The Listen First Project organizes a week of dialogue across the political divide. As part of this week there are 2 different engagements: "America Talks" and "National Week of Conversation." In her own neck of the woods in the San Francisco Bay Area, writer and leadership trainer, Maria Ramos-Chertok is involved in these projects to promote peaceful political dialogue. She'll tell me how this all came about, its progress, and how more of us can do our part.
Join the discussion - Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 @ 4:00pm PST / 7:00pm EST.
Speaking Of ... the gift of books for the holidays and all year round! In this annual program, I host a book industry professional to discuss books that make great gifts and my "Best Of" fiction and nonfiction list of the year. Today, my guest is Jhonna Belfer, a self-proclaimed book nerd and the owner/manager of Bel Canto bookstore in Riverside, CA.
Join the discussion - Wednesday, Dec. 15 @ 4:00pm PST/ 7:00 EST.
Jhoanna's Gift Book List & Fav Books 2021
These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Bibliophile: Diverse Spines by Jamise Harper and Jane Mount
Our Stories Carried Us Here by Green Card Voices
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Hunting by Stars by Cheri Dimaline
The Sum of Us by Heather McGee
Archived interviews in IGTV @paulawritesreviews
Speaking Of ... Fresh, creative voices in the world of literary fiction, and beautiful and visceral stories featuring South East Asian characters. Shruti Swamy is the winner of two O. Henry Awards, Shruti Swamy's work has appeared in The Paris Review, the Kenyon Review Online, Prairie Schooner, and elsewhere. In 2012, she was Vassar College's 50th W.K. Rose Fellow, and has been awarded residencies at the Millay Colony for the Arts, Blue Mountain Center, and Hedgebrook.
She is a Kundiman fiction fellow, a 2017 – 2018 Steinbeck Fellow at San Jose State University, and a recipient of a 2018 grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation. Her book A House Is a Body was shortlisted for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection, and her novel The Archer is one of the best novels of 2021 (definitely one of the most beautiful covers!)
Past IG Live events include the dynamic speakers and topics below. You can access the recorded versions of ALL the interviews, which started in September 2020, on the Instagram page @paulawritesreviews. Just click on the IGTV icon on the homepage.
Kim Shuck - Speaking Of ... Native Heritage Month and art and poetry that celebrates that. Kim Shuck, the seventh poet laureate of San Francisco, is a fifth-generation resident of the city. She’s also a community activist, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and an accomplished visual artist whose beadwork has been exhibited across the U.S. The author of seven collections of poems, including 2019’s Deer Trails, Shuck is known for spare, accessible lines that reference nature and, often, San Francisco’s indigenous roots.
OSCAR LOPEZ - Speaking Of ... fine art as cultural connection and activism. Oscar Lopez is a visual artist born and raised in Mexico City, where he first came into contact of the art world in the Graffiti urban art scene. After immigrating to the USA to San Francisco, Bay area, he studied at Foothill College where he became inspired to turn his artistic endeavors to fine art. He went on to study at the Academy Art University. Since living in America, he has focused on trying to understand our complex society through a Mexican immigrant’s lens. “I use a critical eye to engage with the globalization, imperialism, and capitalism that affect every corner of the two nations that share my soul.”
Carolina de Robertis - Speaking Of ... writing, educating and activism from a Latinx immigrant perspective. A writer of Uruguayan origins, Carolina De Robertis is the author of the award-winning novels The President and the Frog, Cantoras, The Gods of Tango, and the international bestseller The Invisible Mountain. Her books have been translated into seventeen languages. De Robertis is also an award-winning translator of Latin American and Spanish literature, and editor of the anthology Radical Hope: Letters of Love and Dissent in Dangerous Times. In 2017, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts named De Robertis on its 100 List of “people, organizations, and movements that are shaping the future of culture.” She also teaches at San Francisco State University.
Zoe Elton - Speaking Of ... one of the most prestigious film festivals in the U.S., and bridging the gender gap in the film industry. Zoe Elton is the Director of Programming for the Mill Valley Film Festival in Northern California and Founder of the festival's Mind the Gap initiative. Launched in 2015, Mind the Gap is an initiative dedicated to achieving gender equity in the film industry. The same year, the California Film Institute (CFI) began expanding the Mind the Gap initiative across the entire organization in order to provide an inclusive platform to showcase female-forward contributions in all aspects of the film industry, celebrate the dynamic achievements of women in film, and empower future filmmakers. Since its inception, Mind the Gap has embraced the intersectionality of its filmmakers and conversations within the fight for gender equity and the importance of intersectional perspectives and gender’s indisociable connections to other identity traits has become a cornerstone of the platform’s focus.
Nya Jade- Speaking Of ... making your mark in the YA/Fantasy book market-while developing your own music style and raising a young family. Nya Jade is the Ghanaian-born author of bestsellers THE YEAR OF FOUR and THE BLOOD OF KINGS. Readers have come to love Nya's Young Adult Urban Fantasy novels for their edge-of-your-seat suspense, diverse cast, and a rich, elaborate world building. Nya has a B.A. in Economics and an M.A. in Sociology from Stanford University. Prior to writing novels, Nya spent several years as an award-winning singer-songwriter. Her debut album My Denial won critical favor for its refreshing blend of rock, soul, and pop elements, and immediately landed on VH1's Top 20 Albums listWe'll talk about it all ... and maybe get a song or two out of her.
Join the discussion on IG - Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 4:00 PM/ 7:00 ET
Mehran Khodabandeh & Irene Kao - Speaking Of ... The gubernatorial recall election in California and what it means for Democratic party. There is a lot at stake in the recall election on Sept. 14, not just the political career of Gavin Newsom. According to the LA Times, the recall is powered by a partisan, Republican coalition of national Republicans, anti-vaxxers, QAnon conspiracy theorists, anti-immigrant activists and Trump supporters. They want to overturn Governor Newsom’s election, and their victory could threaten California’s efforts to fight COVID-19.
Mehran Khodabandeh is the Senior Strategist for the CA Working Families Party. For the past year and a half has been focused on working with CA leaders from throughout the state on designing the party of their dreams that roots power with local leaders in making electoral decisions and setting priorities. Prior to joining WFP, Mehran founded a consulting firm focused on electing candidates to various levels of public office. Mehran’s career has always focused on representation; electing progressive candidates and educating donors as to the importance of a unified approach on candidate investments. Throughout his campaign work he understood the need for BIPOC donor involvement and cultivation in the political arena.
Irene Kao - will also be joining this interview - Irene joined Courage California, in 2020, as the first woman of color to lead the organization. She brings more than twenty years of experience working with and advocating for low-income communities of color, including in immigrant and refugee support services, public housing, early childhood education, media, philanthropy and politics.
Join the discussion & ROCK THE VOTE - Wednesday, Sept. 8 @ 4:00 PST/ 7:00 EST
Milton Diaz - Speaking Of ... LatinX stories and voices in the arts - Milton Diaz is a New York-based writer and director who has put forth several short films, including his latest, Evergreen. The film chronicles the history of and characters that made up a legendary video store that was located in the heart of the West Village. Evergreen was recently selected for the HBO/NY Latino Film Festival slated for September 2021. When Milton isn't making movies, he's a highly sought after DJ by night, an employee at Pfizer by day, and a proud dad of two 24-7. I'll be talking to Milton about his creative roots and his latest film project that has landed him at the prestigious NY Latino Film Fest for the second time.
Join the discussion - Wednesday, August 25 @ 4:00 PST/7:00 EST.
Leslie Acoca - Speaking Of ... the over incarceration of teen girls - Acclaimed psychologist and researcher Leslie Acoca, Yale graduate, and winner of the Dalai Lama Hero of Compassion Award for her work getting health and trauma care to thousands of incarcerated girls, delivers intimate and moving portraits of girls locked up in both the United States Juvenile Justice System and in ICE facilities. Deeply inspired by the girls and young women she meets, and appalled by the medical neglect they suffer, Acoca also provides a prescription for finally ending the detention of girls and making them healthier along the way. Leslie is in the midst of completing a nonfiction book on this very subject called Pink Shackles. Look for its release early in 2022.
Join the discussion - Wednesday, August 11 @ 4:00 PST/ 7:00 ES
And many more archived events @paulawritesreviews IGTV
EVENT NOTES FROM OUR GUEST
MERCHANDISE
Are you tired of seeing the same ol' faces on book totes? They are often dead and monochromatic, and usually men. Not here. With the "Mixed Bag" selection we are featuring diversity and contemporary, along with some classic figures. The project is in early days, with varying stages of production. As soon as the inventory increases, you will be alerted and encouraged to buy for yourself, for friends, family and fellow book lovers.
