Beloved children’s book characters Elephant & Piggie will be visiting the Castro Valley Library on Saturday, November 9 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Don’t miss this opportunity to have your child’s photo taken with Elephant and Piggie, join in the raffle to win book prizes, make themed crafts and celebrate all things Elephant and Piggie!

The Castro Valley Library is a branch of the Alameda County Library system. The library is located at 3600 Norbridge Avenue and is wheelchair accessible. The library will provide an ASL interpreter for any event with at least seven working days’ notice. Please call 510-667-7900 or TTY 888-663-0660 or email castrovalley@aclibrary.org.

Join Silicon Valley author Kyla Zhao for an in-person reading and discussion of her new novel, Valley Verified.
The event is free and open to all!

Ms. Zhao writes novels starring women of color in the workplace. Her first book, The Fraud Squad, was a buzz pick by Good Morning America, a #1 new release in Asian-American literature on Kindle, and featured by media outlets such as Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan and Buzzfeed. Ms. Zhao was selected by Forbes for its 30 Under 30 list and Tatler as a Leader of Tomorrow. Valley Verified was published in January of 2024.

A native Singaporean, Ms. Zhao moved to California to attend Stanford University, graduating in 2021. She’s still trying to understand why Californians adore hiking and Patagonia fleeces so much.

A book sale and signing hosted by Books on B bookstore follows the event! Free parking is available next to the library. For more information please call (510) 293-7173.

Valley Verified: An Afternoon with Author Kyla Zhao
Saturday, March 9th, 2024 at 3:00 p.m.
Hayward Public Library, Downtown Branch
888 C Street @Mission, Hayward, CA 94541

Ava Homa, Kurdish-Iranian author of the book Daughters of Smoke and Fire, will discuss, and read from, her award-winning book as part of Hayward Public Library’s Many Voices series. This free event will take place at the Weekes branch at 27300 Patric Avenue, in Hayward, on Saturday, December 2nd, from 1 – 2:30 PM. All are welcome!

Listen to Ava Homa in conversation with literary critic and author, Jennifer Carson, as she talks about growing up in Iran, her journey to becoming the first female Kurdish author published in English, and some of the challenges facing both women and Kurds in the Middle East.

Ava Homa is an award-winning novelist, a journalist, an activist, and a writing instructor at California State University, Monterey Bay. Her groundbreaking novel, Daughters of Smoke and Fire, received the 2020 Silver Nautilus Award, was a finalist for the 2022 William Saroyan International Writing Prize, and has earned recognition as a selection in Roxane Gay's prestigious book club, Literati. Homa’s collection of short stories, Echoes from the Other Land, was a nominee for the 2011 Frank O’Connor Short Story Prize. Homa's writings have appeared in media like the Globe and Mail, BBC, Literary Hub, and Literary Review of Canada. She was also recently awarded the 2023 California Arts Council Fellowship. Homa Ava will sign copies of her book at the end of the program and copies of the book will also be available for purchase at the event.

Jennifer Carson is a novelist, essayist, and book critic. Her work has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, Barnes & Noble Review, Science, Six Hens Journal and Los Angeles Times. She is also the founder of the literary organization To the Lighthouse.

Registration is encouraged, but not required. In case of a full house, preference will be given to those who have registered in advance. To register for this event or to find out more about it, go to: bit.ly/HPLHoma

The Weekes Branch Library is also hosting a book discussion group about Daughters of Smoke And Fire on Saturday November 18th from 2:00 – 3:00 PM. For more information, contact the Branch Manager at Melesha.Owen@hayward-ca.gov or (510) 293-5214

“My Boyfriend’s Back,” “Please Mr. Postman,” “Lollipop” and hundreds of other Doo-wop songs filled the airwaves during the fifties and sixties. Who were these artists that introduced us to these iconic songs?  Poet and author Emily Liebowitz is visiting her Castro Valley childhood home this month promoting her new book, But Will You Love Me Tomorrow? An Oral History of the ‘60s Girl Groups. People Magazine just chose her book as one of the “Must-Read Books” for Fall of 2023. Liebowitz and her co-author Laura Flam will be at the Castro Valley Library (3600 Norbridge Avenue), September 23 at 2:00 to discuss their book and talk about this special time in American musical history. 

But Will You Love Me Tomorrow? features over 300 hours of new interviews, with over 100 artists. Some of the women of the many girl groups featured in this book went on to achieve stardom in their own right. Some had successful careers behind the scenes in the music industry. Most returned to quiet lives beyond the public eye, some empowered, some broken. But all have amazing stories to tell about their experiences and insight to share about the music industry. 

Liebowitz and Flam chronicle harrowing tales of young black singers touring in the Jim Crow South as well as beautiful stories of female friendship and fierce feuds. The girl groups share insider stories about some of the era’s biggest stars including Sam Cooke, Smokey Robinson, Cher and The Beatles as well as fun facts about specific girl groups like “the no-hit Supremes.” 

But Will You Love Me Tomorrow is Liebowitz’s first non-fiction book.  Her first two published works were poetry:  National Park and a Chap Book, In Any Map. Liebowitz grew up in Castro Valley attending Strobridge Elementary School and then the Athenian School for middle school and high school in Danville. She majored in literature and creative writing at UC Santa Cruz and received her MFA with an emphasis in poetry at the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Iowa. 

Liebowitz describes her childhood as “book-heavy.” Her mother, Ninh Wick of Castro Valley read to her constantly and her grandmother recited poetry. Emily readily admits to liking poetry because the books were smaller and the stories shorter. Liebowitz says that poetry gives her a language to express what she sees in the world. “Poetry speaks to the unspeakable.” Liebowitz and Flam make a good duo as they approach writing with a different eye. 

Gwen Miller, a pilates and yoga integrated therapist, just came out with a book, Safe Movement for All Spines, in May, and this event will be a celebration of its release. Significantly, Books on B is super excited to be hosting Gwen, who was born and raised in Hayward and is the daughter of Nancy Schluntz, who was a well-loved member of the community as the director of FESCO and a volunteer for Sulphur Creek Nature Center.