I’m feeling more grateful than ever to have resettled in the Sierra foothills after hosting the January 21st Yuba Lit, which drew upwards of 60 local literature lovers to hear poet Indigo Moor, novelist Josh Weil, and emerging memoirist Cris Mulvey. I think it’s safe to say the readers held the room entranced; quiet “oohs” and “aahs” could be heard throughout the readings at the most rhythmic lines and arresting images. We had our fun, too, mingling during intermission with local Sierra Starr and Szabo wines, holding a contest for “most romantic” title to be found among the used books sold by our host venue, The Open Book (the winner: The Agony and the Ecstasy!). And we raised more than $250 for the Bear Yuba Land Trust.
Some unsolicited audience feedback:
“Another stunning night.”
“I have been attending the bimonthly readings sponsored by Yuba Lit and have been very impressed by high caliber work, the diverse readers, and your delightful introductions.”
“I’ve just come home from the reading on Thursday night and want quickly to thank you for your powers of organizing and bringing into being a memorable evening of nourishment expressed in the hard work (and humor!) of writers we may not otherwise have come to know. It was a fabulous selection, the proverbial feast.”
March and May Yuba Lits are already in the works:
Thursday, March 17th, 7 p.m.
Nayomi Munaweera, Bay Area-based author of the acclaimed novel Island of a Thousand Mirrors, and the about-to-be-released novel What Lies Between Us, set in Sri Lanka and San Francisco
Dmitri Keriotis, Grass Valley resident and author of The Quiet Time, a collection of stories
Emerging Nevada City fiction writer Ben Preston
Thursday, May 19th, 7 p.m.
Jordan Fisher Smith, Nevada City author of Nature Noir: A Park Ranger’s Patrol in the Sierra, and his new book, Engineering Eden: The True Story of a Violent Death, a Trial, and the Fight over Controlling Nature
Ernest J. Finney, award-winning author of seven books of fiction, most recently Elevation: 6,040, set in Sierra and Nevada Counties in the 1980s
Julie Valin, beloved Nevada City poet, editor, teacher and publisher, author of The Distance Between
Yuba Lit is seeking volunteers, and we could use donations to cover the expense of flyers and venue rental. We’d love to bring more supporters into the Yuba Lit fold! Contact me at rachel (dot) howard (at) gmail (dot) com if you’re interested.
Great thanks to our host venue The Open Book and its generous owner, Nory Fussell, to Harmony Books proprietress Stacey Colin, to Amy Rutten, Mary Wade, to our Yuba Lit bartenders John Parent and Niel Locke, and the Yuba Lit DJ Todd Wahowske, and greatest thanks to our awe-inspiring readers, Cris Mulvey, Josh Weil, and Indigo Moor, for reconnecting us with the full powers of language.
The Yuba Lit website is www.yubalit.org.
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