Marianne Villanueva and Chitra Divakaruni Read Tonight
I first came across Villanueva's work when I was interning at the great small women's press Calyx Books [1] in Corvallis, Oregon a hundred years ago. I remember being so excited to find Ginseng and Other Tales from Manila [2] in the shelves and being moved by the stories of Filipino men and women living under a military dictatorship. Her most recent collection is called Mayor of the Roses [3].
Also, Villanueva will read with Nona Caspers, whose book Heavier Than Air [4] is not to be missed. In case you can't make it tonight, the two will be reading again on April 9th at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. I highly reccomend both authors, and stay tuned for an interview with Villanueva in the next few weeks. In the meantime, check out her great third-person blog here [5].
Also, Chitra Divakaruni -- (full disclosure: my auntie) -- will be in town for a slew of readings and media for her new book Palace of Illusions [6]. The novel retells the epic Mahabharatha from the point of view of Panchaali -- commonly known as Draupadi -- a princess who was famous for marrying the five Pandava brothers. (It's like Big Love, ancient Hindu style.) Here's a piece [7] in the Houston Chronicle about her and the book.
Divakaruni will be reading tonight (March 4th) at Kepler's Books in Menlo Park (1010 El Camino Real Menlo Park, CA 94025) at 7:30 p.m., also during lunchtime on Wednesday (12:30 PM) at Mechanics’ Institute Library in San Francisco (57 Post Street); and Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the Sunnyvale Public Library (665 W. Olive Avenue Sunnyvale , CA 94086).