Events

Relative Strangers by Margaret Hermes, who lives in St. Louis, was the winner of the 2011 Doris Balkin Award for writing by a woman. In the words of contest judge Jill McCorkle, "So many of these characters are strangers within their own families and their own lives… Change, loss, alienation, it's all here. But so is humor and compassion and a fresh spin on the way people deal with the most vulnerable aspects of life."

Renegade thinkers Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha debunk almost everything we "know" about sex, weaving together convergent, frequently overlooked evidence from anthropology, archeaology, primatology, anatomy, and psychosexuality to show how far from human nature monogamy really is.

Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, SSE CEO & Chairman Elliott shares how she conceived and managed her business in a field with exponential change and international competition, offering leading-edge solutions and insights into how small start-ups can grow and compete. Business networking & light morning refreshments. ADMISSION $5 – FREE with Series PLUS Tickets

Moving back through the 1940s, through air raids, blacked-out streets, illicit partying, and sexual adventure, to end with its beginning in 1941, The Night Watch tells the story of four Londoners whose lives connect in tragedy, stunning surprise and exquisite turns, only to change irreversibly the the shadow of a grand historical event.

The distinguished British man of letters J. R. Ackerley hardly thought of himself as a dog lover when, well into middle age, he came into possession of a German shepherd. To his surprise, she turned out to be the love of his life, the "ideal friend" he had been searching for in vain for years.

This is a unique opportunity to meet Lynne Rossetto Kasper, join her in a discussion about her newest book, The Splendid Table's How to Eat Weekends, and learn the philosophy and adventure behind weekend eating. The evening begins with a catered reception, followed by a discussion and Q&A session, and concludes with the book signing. Books will be available for purchase at the event or in advance through Left Bank Books. Tickets are $35 per person and can be purchased at http://www.stlpublicradio.org/lrkfriday/. 

The event is SOLD OUT, but you can order signed copies of the featured book below. Please place orders by noon on Friday, February 24. 

As much a rumination on the state of literature as a technical manual for aspiring writers, Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction contains thoughtful analysis, humorous one-liners, and plenty of brushfires that continue burning long after the book is closed.

Moveable Type is the system of printing that uses moveable pieces of type--individual letters, numbers, characters--to reporduce the elements of a document. Today, moveable type is associated with the heart of letterpress printing. It is also a project involving a 1982 Chevy step van an da few thousand pounds of lead, wood, iron, and love. Stop by our CWE store the afternoon of February 26 and this truck should be parked out from and doing demos.

Ali Reynolds investigates two shocking cases of victims brutally left for dead in New York Times best-selling J.A. Jance's latest mystery-thriller. When Ali's classmate from the Arizona Police Academy is gunned down and left to die, suspected of falling in with the drug trade escalating across the border, and an unidentified young woman is presumed to be an illegal border crosser, Ali becomes determined to seek justice and safety for both victims.

With a wisdom far beyond his years, Colm has come to terms with his probable fate, but he does have one special wish. He wants to meet his father who abandoned his beloved mother, a devout Christian, before Colm was born. But the quest to find the dying boy's missing parent soon becomes a powerful journey of emotional discovery--a test of belief and an anxious search for proof of heaven.

Hayat Shah was captivated by Mina long before he met her: his mother's beautiful, brilliant, and soulfully devout friend is a family legend. When he learns that Mina is leaving Pakistan to live with the Shahs in America, Hayat is thrilled. Hayat's father is less enthusiastic. He left the fundamentalist world behind with reason. What no one expects is that when Mina shows Hayat the beauty and power of the Quaran, it will utterly transform the boy.

Parenting has never been a walk in the park, but we face challenges like nothing our parents ever dealt with. Whenever we unconsciously fall back on the same things our parents said and did a genearation ago, parent-child releationships may suffer. Dr. Annie Fox enthusiastically shares what she knows about parenting in a down-to-earth, non-judgmental way--with lots of compassion, humor, and practical steps for making changes.

The world according to David Ives is a very odd place, an dhis plays constitute a virtual stress test of the English language--and of the audience's capacity for disorientation and delight.

Andrew Preston examines the role of religion in American foreign policy from the earliest days through the end of the Cold War, revealing the influence religion has had on the way Americans and their leaders have understood their place in the world. Preston is a University Lecturer in History and a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge University.

St. Louis native Lucy Ferriss, described as "a masterful storyteller" by New York Times best-selling author Wally Lamb, returns with her sixth novel, The Lost Daughter. As a teenager Brooke O'Connor made a decision that resulted in the loss of a child, the loss of her high school sweetheart, and the loss of her own innocence. When circumstances force Brooke to confront her past, she believes she may have found a way to heal old wounds.

Historian Julie Winch uses her sweeping, multigenerational story of the unforgettable Clamorgans to chronicle how one family navigated race in America from the 1780s through the 1950s. The result is a window on a remarkable family that by early twentieth century variously claimed to be black, Creole, French, Spanish, Brazilian, Jewish, and white.

King Peggy chronicles the astonishing journey of an American secretary who suddenly finds herself king to a town of 7,000 souls on Ghana's central coast, half a world away. Upon arriving for her crowning ceremony in beautiful Otuam, she discovers the dire reality: there's no running water, no doctor, no high school, and many of the village elders are stealing the town's funds. Peggielene Bartels--King Peggy--transforms the Otuam and herself. 

Feminist icon Gloria Feldt pulls no punches in this new book, which argues that the most confounding problem facing women today isn't that doors of opportunity aren't open, but that not enough women are walking through them. From the boardroom to the bedroom, public office to personal relationships, she asserts that nobody is keeping women from parity--except themselves. Join Left Bank Books and Planned Parenthood for this special event.

On the surface, the Woman's Exchange of St. Louis is an exquisite gift shop with an adjacent tearoom. But the volunteers who run it have had enough grit to keep the place going through two World Wars, a Great Depression, several recessions, and the start of a new DIY movement. Sample the radical changes they have made over the years in this new book by former St. Louis Magazine editor Jeannette Batz Cooperman.

"Iron Man" Cal Ripken, Jr., who played twenty-one seasons as a shortstop and third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, returns with a book sure to be a grand slam for all readers. In Super-Sized Slugger, the second installment in his All-Star series, Cody Parker is the new kid in school. He's overweight, scared, and a big target for brutal teasing, but he loves baseball and plays third base like a dream.

Book Signing Guidelines

• Cal Ripken will speak for about 15 minutes before signing books. 
• Cal will sign for a maximum of two hours. Arrive early to secure an early group signing number.
• Cal will sign books only (no memorabilia).
• Cal will take posed pictures with fans as time allows.
• Books for signing are available in advance or at the event from Left Bank Books. You can also pre-order signed copies.  

Kate Chopin's bronze likeness will join Tennessee Williams and T.S. Eliot at the intersection of Euclid and McPherson avenues. This 2pm public dedication is free and open to the public. Help support the Writer's Corner Project, meet members of the Chopin family, and learn more about Kate Chopin at a special event following the public unveiling as the CWE Association hosts a French wine and hors d'oeuvres reception at 3pm at Herbie's. Tickets are available at www.thecwe.org.