Berkeley & Oakland Trip

I'm back from my whirlwind trip to Berkeley/Oakland/San Francisco with Bad Indians!

First stop:  California Historical Society.

Heyday's annual fundraiser was held at California Historical Society in San Francisco.  Here, CHS executive director Anthea Marie Hartig and Heyday Berkeley Roundhouse director Lindsie Bear join forces!  photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

 

The audience prepares for speeches, my reading, and the auction! 
photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

Did I mention the donated catering?  YUM.  
 photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

L Frank entertaining her fans. 
photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

Lillian Fleer, awesome Heyday events co-ordinator.

photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

Our baby.  photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

Jeanine Gendar, my meticulous and generous editor! photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

Very sorry to say I've forgotten the names of these two; I'll ask!  photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

Me and my buds: L Frank, Kim Shuck, Beverly Slapin.  photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

Signing books afterwards; happy as a clam at high tide, as we used to say up around Seattle. 
photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

I was so happy to see Kathleen Smith there - she's the artist whose painting, "August Night," is the cover of my first book of poetry, Indian Cartography.
photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

Lindsie Bear introduced me with her great spirit.  photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

Joanne Campbell, Graton Rancheria Miwok, giving the blessing in her language.  photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

I had a great time reading from the intro to Bad Indians, and the poem "Teheyapami Achiska."
photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

L. Frank (artist, writer, cultural preservationist) and Kimberly Shuck (poet and artist) - lucky me, to have such distinguished friends. photo: D. Miranda

Awesome Heyday staff Diane Lee and Gayle Wattawa - both amazing women who worked on Bad Indians, and who have gorgeous samples of their work laid out! 
photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

Malcolm Margolin: my publisher.  The man behind the dream. 
photo: Yuliya Goldshteyn

The next day, my friend and host Beverly took me to San Francisco City College for a class taught by Jean Ishibashi ("Ish").  What a view from this campus!

Beverly and me.  A special thanks to Beverly for giving me her spare room, feeding me, & driving me everywhere.

Me and Ish - an incredible woman.  Her students are blessed.

And the next night, we were at Eastwind Books in Berkeley - and my sister, Louise Miranda Ramirez, surprised me!  What a trooper.  She read the blessing from the front of the book, a prayer she wrote just for these stories.

Then I talked a bit about the construction of the book...

Told the "Yes, Virginia..." story!

And signed books...(Louise made me the beautiful turtle necklace)

My Eastwind Books gang!  L to R:  Harvey (husband of bookstore owner Bea), Louise, Ernie Ramirez, me, Keiko, Ellen, Brian, Beverly, and in front, bookstore owner Bea.  The best team ever!

And after a beautiful dinner at Platanos, we all said goodbye and went our separate ways.  Thank you, dear friends, for a being there for me and for sharing Bad Indians with the world.