Below are the various Literary Salons our attendees were able to participate in this past October 25th and 26th in San Jose. New to book group expo? Take a look at the sorts of topics and conversations we have! Just as your own book club or reading group is varied, so is book group expo!

" It felt like heaven to be there, amidst readers who actually read and talk about books and are passionate about ideas."

Author, Deborah Copaken Kogan ("Shutterbabe," "Between Here and April")

All Abroad!

Living and Writing Elsewhere

Instead of coming to America, these authors left America, taking the pioneering spirit with them. They came back with stories to delight, entertain, and enlighten us.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Brian Copeland Performance

The award-winning author of NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN: My Life As An Outsider gives us a taste of his one man show of the same name, the longest running solo show in San Francisco history.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Come Together

Self-Discovery Through Friendship

Friendships that profoundly and immeasurably alter us and our lives.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

Regrets and Reinventions

All was great and wonderful until…

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Foodies

Writers Eat, Eaters Write

Mouth-watering fiction. How do these writers use food as a metaphor for other issues?

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Get Shorty

The Power and Pleasure of Short Prose

Who says short prose is not for book groups? A single story or a single essay can launch a thousand thoughts and discussions.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Go Tell It On The Mountain

An Inspirational Celebration Sponsored by HarperOne

Gospel music from Sharon D. Henderson and Friends, a light breakfast, and a diverse group of inspirational authors with messages of optimism, faith, and hope.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Historical Friction

Characters in Conflict

How does historical fiction help us understand what is happening in our world today?

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Makin' Whoopie

Let Us Count The Ways

Sex, of course. On various planes.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Making a Difference

Any Way You Can

These authors take philanthropy and innovation to new levels -- intellectually and sociologically. And they do it in a way that all readers can enjoy and understand.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Managing Your Mother

Or Is She Managing You?

Characters who are burdened by the choices their mothers have made.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Now That You're Gone

Grief Seeks Solace

How are we touched by the death of a loved one? What does grief do to us? How can literature help us?

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Reduced Shakespeare Company Performance

How many ways can Shakespeare be played? Well, this way will be the funniest you've ever seen.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Secrets of the Suburbs

This Is Not The Life I Ordered

Trees, birds, flowers, grass -- Ah! The perfect place to raise a family! Uh...not so fast.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Ten Days and Counting!

Elections, Past and Future

The nature of democracy, it's possibilities, and the hilariousness of people who strive for it.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

The American Life (and Death)

How We Have Lived

America and Americans are ever-changing. But how can we know where we're going if we don't know where we've been and who has come before us?

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

The Liar's Club

Let Me Tell You a Story

The art of masterful storytelling -- how is it done? what is it's power? Persuading the reader to willingly follow you anywhere and believe anything you say.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Wedlocked

The Intimacies and Intricacies of Marriage

Three novels that test their characters' commitments to marriage.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Where There's A Will…

Shakespeare in the 21st Century

Shakespeare still influences writers and readers, even as he becomes more challenging to understand. No worries. Learn about King Lear by comparing him to Robert Mondavi. Find out about the Bard's extravagantly-plotted murders through the deeds of a modern killer, and search for a 400-year-old lost manuscript.

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Which Witch is Which

Covens and Other Cliques

What are the lessons we can learn from our historically malevolent attitude toward witchcraft? Can this attitude of fear, ignorance, and a thirst for control be found in our societies today?

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Woman, Be Wise

Strong Writing, Strong Women

How strong are our characters compared to ourselves? Do we write what we hope to be or what we really are? And how can strong female characters inspire us to be stronger?

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.

Write or Wrong

The Unreliable Narrator Defines Virtue

One person's morality is another person's evil. How do we know our principles are virtuous? And how can we be so sure that people who seem evil are that different from us?

Participating Authors:

*Thanks for being patient! These are large audio files and will take up to 4 minutes to download.