Join us online for a thrilling conversation with Rebecca F. Kuang (R.F. Kuang) as she chats with us about her New York Times bestselling novel, Yellowface. Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media.

In Yellowface, Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks. So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. 

White lies, dark humor, and deadly consequences await within the pages of Yellowface. Register to join the conversation! For upcoming author talks, visit https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/upcoming.

SCPL's Virtual Author Talks are made possible by the Friends of the Capitola Library.

Join us for an afternoon of poetry and musings with local author and documentary filmmaker Marigold Fine. In her new memoir, Double Rainbow: Collected Poems & Memoir Musings, Marigold tells of a Chicago childhood in the 1950's, an iconic move west seeking spiritual life in the natural world, and the creation of a career as a video producer/documentary filmmaker. She brings readers along like old friends on her world travels, sketches endearing portraits of ancestors, shares her love of nature, and leads us down the winding paths of evolving and aging. Readers will laugh at our shared human foibles and appreciate our communal grief and joy.

Marigold brings her writing friends for brief readings of their works as well. Carolyn Davis Rudolph is co-owner of the local restaurant, Charlie Hong Kong. She is a food activist who believes in feeding the community healthy, organic food, and supporting local farmers. Judy Phillips is a long-time Santa Cruz resident, and a gifted writer and storyteller.

Copies of Marigold's book will be available for purchase and signing. Light refreshments will be provided. Registration is recommended to assist us in planning refreshments.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Chicago, Marigold Fine received a degree in Journalism & Communications from the University of Illinois and has been a copywriter, scriptwriter, and freelance writer. She spent 17 years in New Mexico immersed in motherhood, jewelry making, the counterculture, and spiritual community. Marigold has called Santa Cruz home since 1987.

Founding Full Circle Video Productions, she had a long career as a video producer and documentary filmmaker. She lives with her husband Jim Stanford, writes, and performs locally with NextStage Theater.

Mars and its secrets have fascinated and mystified humans since ancient times. Due to its vivid color and visibility, geologic kinship with Earth, and potential as our best hope for settlement, Mars embodies everything that inspires us about space and exploration. For the Love of Mars surveys the red planet's place in the human imagination, beginning with ancient astrologers and skywatchers and ending in our present moment of exploration and virtual engagement.

You’re invited to come learn alongside Matt Shindell, National Air and Space Museum curator, as he introduces viewers to historical figures across eras and around the world who have made sense of this mysterious planet.

For more information and to register, visit https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/51650. 

For upcoming author talks, visit https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/upcoming.

About the Author: Matthew Shindell, Ph.D., is a historian of science with a background in science studies. He is Curator of Earth and Planetary Science at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. He is responsible for the Museum’s collection of spacecraft, instruments, and other artifacts related to the exploration and study of our Earth and solar system. He co-hosts the Museum’s podcast, AirSpace. He curated the Museum’s permanent exhibition, Exploring the Planets, and is leading a curatorial team developing the exhibition Futures in Space. Shindell is the author of For the Love of Mars: A Human History of the Red Planet (2023) and The Life and Science of Harold C. Urey (2019), coauthor of Spaceships (2023), Our Future in Space (2023), and Discerning Experts (2019), and co-editor of Smithsonian American Women (2019).  

SCPL's Virtual Author Talks are made possible by the Friends of the Capitola Library.

As the CEO and Founder of Miracle Messages, Kevin leads a transformative 501(c)3 nonprofit, Miracle Messages, an organization committed to helping individuals experiencing homelessness rebuild their social support systems and financial security. This mission is achieved through innovative programs such as family reunifications, a phone buddy initiative, and pioneering basic income pilots. His new book, When We Walk By is both a thorough analysis of America’s homelessness crisis and a research-based, solutions-focused guide to ending it.

Join us for an introduction to the book, Kevin's work, and a panel discussion on solutions-based homeless services. Chris Benner, UCSC Professor and Director of the Institute for Social Transformation, along with folks with lived experience of being unhoused will participate in the discussion.

Kevin's dedication to this cause stems from a deeply personal experience with his late uncle, Mark, who battled schizophrenia and lived on-and-off the streets for three decades. Tragically, Mark passed away in Santa Cruz, CA, at the age of 50. This connection has fueled Kevin's commitment to reshaping the narrative around homelessness and fostering empathy and understanding.

In a significant development, Miracle Messages has expanded its reach to Santa Cruz, partnering with local nonprofits to extend its impact. Kevin's attachment to Santa Cruz, where his uncle spent a substantial part of his life, adds a profound dimension to our efforts in the region.

Light refreshments will be provided. Please register to help us plan our refreshments.

Madeline Aliah (she/her) is a transfem teen--poet, writer, and orator. She holds a seat on the Santa Cruz Queer Trans Youth Council and speaks regularly to educators about the importance of an inclusive school culture.

Madeline Aliah’s debut chapbook tracks her inner journey from boy to woman. In three movements, she shows us the early bewilderment of a boy at odds with his body, the budding consciousness of finding a community, and the bittersweet labor of bringing herself into being. Through poems, at times slight and girlish, at times heavy with social fatigue, she speaks of her experience with unflinching honesty. These poems consider the bodily experience of gender dysphoria and the guilt and grief over accusations of gender abandonment and appropriation. Her poems touch on Queer history as well as the weaponization of identity, but most of all, they sing a young person’s deepest desire to feel free despite the risks and against all odds.