Readers' Advisory Meets Dewey Decimal
October 2004
Fiction thrillers and mystery capers don't have a lock on all readers who walk through our doors. Many a library user would prefer a great recommendation on a nonfiction title. Think about all the travel narratives, personal memoir, and true crime titles that keep the Dewey aisles hopping. How about Under the Tuscan Sun or Into Thin Air?
With that in mind, the Collection Development Round Table and California Center for the Book, in cooperation with Heyday Books (a project of the Heyday Institute) is proud to offer the 4th in their California Writers Panel Series: This Land is Our Land-Nonfiction Authors Talk About California, on Sunday, November 14th, 1:30 pm, at the CLA Conference. Join our stellar panel as they read from their latest works, using slides to enhance the presentations. Well-known memoirist Mas Masumoto will read and comment on Letters to the Valley: A Harvest of Memories. Best known for Epitaph for a Peach, Masumoto's works bring out the essence of the San Joaquin Valley. David Carle's works on California's water-supply (Water and the California Dream, e.g.) clearly illustrate why we're still talking about Hetch Hetchy, Mulholland and the Owens Valley. Moving into the arts, editor and English professor Terry Beers will discuss his newest: Gunfight at Mussel Slough: Evolution of a Western Myth. Beers explores the sometimes tenuous connection between history and tale, including not only Frank Norris' The Octopus, but a fascinating blend of editorial cartoons, photographs, and song lyrics as well. Finally, Frank LaPena brings together a gorgeous blend of painting and narrative on his specialty, traditional California Indian dance in his most recent title, Dream Songs and Ceremony. Mary Niles-Maack, UCLA Professor and Director of the Forum for Book Studies at the California Center for the Book, will moderate the session.
If solely relying upon LCSH (Farmers-California, Land tenure-California, Wintu Indians, Water-supply-California, etc.) you might miss these fascinating, critically important works about California. Truly, there is "something for everyone" at this panel. See you there! Book signing to follow the presentation.