Between the Lines: Local Authors on Display
Since establishing the “reading and writing” focus of this column three years ago, I’ve featured more than a dozen of San Diego’s local authors. It’s been a rewarding experience for me and I hope for readers as well. I’m constantly amazed at the wealth of talent we have in our community, and I’ve barely scratched the surface.
During the month of February, we all have the opportunity to embrace this local treasure en masse as the Central Library features San Diego County writers in the 48th year of the Local Author Exhibit. This popular and long-running annual event calls attention to and provides exposure for the intellectual and creative accomplishments of writers in the region.
This year’s exhibit was opened to San Diego County residents who published a book in 2013. It will include approximately 400 titles from almost as many authors and co-authors. The display will reflect the diversity of the publishing world, featuring a variety of genres: fiction and poetry, biography and memoir, business and history and more; and representing small and independent presses as well as commercial publishers, academic and trade house publishing, work that is self-published, and e-books.
A few of this year’s featured authors and titles are:
“A Far Piece To Canaan” by Sam Halpern, the legendary father of Justin Halpern, author of the New York Times bestseller “Sh*t My Dad Says.”
“My Bargain With God: The Story of Holocaust Survivor Lou Dunst.”
Ten-year-old Amal Shah’s “What’s Your Future?” Shah has been submitting books since he was six. He created and wrote the Lama Bear stories with his mother, Yasmin Shah.
“Off My Rocker: One Man’s Tasty, Twisted, Star-Studded Quest for Everlasting Music” by Kenny Weissberg, who helped establish the long-running outdoor pop concert series at Humphreys By the Bay.
Zohreh Ghahremani’s second novel, “The Moon Daughter.” Her previous book, “Sky of Red Poppies” was exhibited in 2011 and was a One Book One San Diego selection in 2012. Ghahremani raves about the Central Library and its programs for writers: “To showcase my first novel at the library’s local author exhibit has probably been the most positive step in my career. I think the support of our library, long before they even knew me, helped pave the road for my career.”
The event has grown steadily over the years. Exhibit assistant Rachel Esguerra has seen an increase from about 250 titles just since 2007 when she first became involved. E-book entries have also grown from just a handful a few years ago to almost 60 this year. An online gallery, serving as a permanent reference, has augmented the exhibition since 2010. The exhibit is just one of the components of the library’s Local Author Program. Special events for authors include book discussions, writing workshops and author talks, where writers can interact directly with readers.
This year’s featured books will be on display for the entire month in the lobby of the new downtown Central Library at 820 E Street, after which they will be reviewed for inclusion in the library’s collection. If you haven’t yet paid a visit to this fabulous new facility, now’s the time.
Category: Events, Local News
