Bookworks' April features include the likely combo of jazz and poetry; a cocktail hour with Amy Stewart, and famed memoirist Augusten Burroughs. Throughout April, Bookworks sponsors events for poetry lovers, gardeners, and for families, in the store and off-site.
April is National Jazz Month and National Poetry Month. In April, Bookworks partners with New Mexico Jazz Workshop players to bring first-rate music to the store with "Jazz & Poetry." Zenobia Cronkerite, Grammy award-winning singer and Development Director for the Jazz Workshop, brings in musicians to accompany poets Mary Oishi on April 2 and Barbara Rockman on April 30. The April 30th event is part of a fundraiser with Flying Star, where both businesses will donate proceeds from store sales from 5-9pm to the New Mexico Jazz Workshop.
In addition to Jazz & Poetry, Bookworks celebrates National Poetry Month in April, with readings with national and local poets: Jon Gosslee presents 12: Sonnets for the Zodiac, Jimmy Baca reads from Lucia Poems, University of Arizona Press authors dg opick and Jennifer Foerster read their debut collections, CNM professor and poet Felicia Caton presents Say That, Albuquerque Poet Laureate Hakim Bellamy launches Swear, and Tanaya Winder and Cassandra Lopez issue the second volume of their indigenous women's literary journal As/Us.
If you've got plants (and happy hour) on your mind, Friday, April 19, at 7pm, Bookworks welcomes back to Albuquerque best-selling author and journalist Amy Stewart for a cocktail party at ArtBar to toast her new book, The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Great Drinks. Stewart, a writer for the New York Times and Washington Post, offers a sweet, old-fashioned letter-press style tome that is one part recipe book, one part natural history of intoxicating plants. The Drunken Botanist explores "the twin alchemical processes of fermentation and distillation, from which wine, beer and spirits issue forth" and details the plants, mixers, and garnishes that compose our favorite alcoholic beverages.
On April 29, UNM Creative Writing and Bookworks host at UNM the acclaimed and controversial memoirist Augusten Burroughs, author of the bestseller, Running with Scissors. Burroughs will talk about his self-help satire, This is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. As the title suggests, Burroughs flips the self-help genre on its head. Each chapter in This is How is a "How to" told in the writer's trademark sardonic style, including "How to Make Yourself Uncomfortable and Why You Should" and "How to Identify Love by Knowing What It's Not."
Spiritual approaches to self discovery are also a focus of April events. Franciscan scholar Richard Rohr talks about his new book, Immortal Diamond, and Rachel Neumann, editor to renowned Buddhist thinker Thich Nhat Hanh, presents her memoir, Not Quite Nirvana. Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr,, the son of revered Toltec philosopher Don Miguel Ruiz, signs copies of his book The Five Levels of Attachment at a meet-and-greet at Bookworks on April 30, 12-1pm.
April's family friendly events are also plentiful and include Brian Switek's My Beloved Brontosaurus talk at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, Saturday morning author events at the store, and free Kite Fest, Dia de Los Ninos, and Magic Treehouse events at the Albuquerque Balloon Museum. The Magic Treehouse event April 23 brings Jack and Annie to the balloon museum to act out scenes from Mary Pope Osbourn's beloved Magic Treehouse Series and for a stamping of the two new books in the series, Stallion by Starlight and Horse Heroes.
APRIL EVENTS
Monday, April 1 at 5:30pm: Vamos a Leer Book Club. Vamos a Leer book club is open to educators and the general public, especially those interested in dynamic Hispanic young adult literature. This month's reading selection is Journey of Dreams by Marge Pellegrino.
Tuesday, April 2 at 10:30 am: Story Time! Special Story Time featuring Caldecott Award winners through the years. Please nominate your favorite by sending an email to Children's Book Specialist, Connie Griffin @ kids@bkwrks.com. Free and open to the public.
Tuesday, April 2 at 7 pm: Jazz & Poetry. New Mexico Jazz Workshop musicians accompany Albuquerque poet Mary Oishi, author of Spirit Birds They Told Me.
Wednesday, April 3 at 7 pm: Jon Gosslee, 12: Sonnets for the Zodiac. John Gosslee, editor of Fjords Review, stops in Albuquerque on a two-week, coast-to-coast tour. 12 presents sonnets for each of the twelve signs of the Western Zodiac in French, Spanish and English. Gosslee extensively researched the nature of each sign.
Thursday, April 4 at 10:30 am: Story Time! Celebrate Elephants. Connie reads from David McKee's Elmer series of children's books about elephants. For more information, contact Connie Griffin, Children's Specialist, at kids@bkwrks.com.
Thursday, April 4 at 7 pm: Jimmy Santiago Baca, Lucia Poems. Award-winning New Mexico poet Jimmy Santiago Baca reads from his Sunstone Press collection, The Lucia Poems, book two of four books in Baca's series, Breaking Bread With The Darkness. Lucia Poems are poems about Baca's daughter, Lucia, where he speaks to her with redemption and courage that enabled him connect with her as a father after a troubled past.
Saturday, April 6 at 10:30 am: Emmett "Shkeme" Garcia, Sister Rabbit's Tricks. Popular Albuquerque performer and storyteller, Shkeme Garcia (Santa Ana Pueblo) presents a fun fable about a naughty rabbit whose jokes sometime go too far. For info, contact Kat MacGilvray, UNM Press, at katm@unm.edu.
Saturday, April 6 at 3 pm: Univ. of Arizona Press Sun Tracks Series feature: dg opick, author of corpse whale and Jennifer Foerster, author of Leaving Tulsa. In corpse whale,Santa Fe poet dg opick melds traditional and contemporary narratives from her unique angle as a 21st century Inuit. Foerster, in her first collection, weaves together a mythic and geographic journey of a woman's coming of age in a dislocated time. Leaving Tulsa travels from Oklahoma to The Edges of the American continent through landscapes stark and lush, ancient and apocalyptic.
Sunday, April 7 at 3 pm: Franciscan scholar Richard Rohr, Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Selves. Immortal Diamond (taken from a line in a Gerard Manley Hopkins poem) explores the deepest questions of identity, spirituality, and meaning in Richard Rohr's inimitable style. Rohr, a Franciscan scholar and the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation, explores how each of us discerns between our True Self, who we are "objectively in God," and our False Self, "the self we manufacture and adopt to find our identity in the world."
Tuesday, April 9 at 7 pm: Rachel Neumann, Not Quite Nirvana. In Not Quite Nirvana, Neumann shares her journey from cynical, fast-talking New Yorker to the personal editor of a world-renowned Zen teacher. Along the way she moves west, turns forty, has two children, and slowly and reluctantly absorbs mindfulness practice. Through illuminating stories about difficult relationships, death, vanity, aging, sex, and friendship, Neumann discovers key mindfulness practices and offers guidance for anyone interested in creating a safety net of joy.
Wednesday, April 10 at 7pm: Bookworks Book Club meets. April's selection is On the Rocks by Corrales author Sue Hallgarth, who will visit the book club. The book club and talk with Ms. Hallgarth is free and open to the public. All interested readers are encouraged to join.
Thursday, April 11 at 10:30 am: Story Time! The Gruffalo. Connie reads The Gruffalo. For more information, contact Connie Griffin, Children's Specialist, at kids@bkwrks.com.
Thursday, April 11 at 7pm: Jim McClure, Don Jose, An American Soldier's Courage and Faith in Japanese Captivity. In 1941 the Japanese invaded the Philippines with overwhelming force and forced the surrender of American troops at Bataan and Corregidor. This is the story of an American soldier, Corporal Joseph O. Quintero, who survived as a P.O.W. and became a hero in the prison camp where he cared for his fellow P.O.W.s as medic "Don Jose."
Friday, April 12 at 7pm: Frosty Hesson, Making Mavericks. Frosty is a Santa Cruz surf legend and one of the first to ride colossal, 80-foot waves at the surf spot "Mavericks," but he is most beloved as a mentor and a teacher. In his refreshing memoir, Frosty talks about how the challenges he faced in youth taught him his principles: work hard, set goals, and "enjoy."
Saturday, April 13 at 10:30 am:David Shapiro, Terra Tempo: The Four Corners of Time. Graphic Novel Extravaganza with David Shapiro of Craigmore Creations. Families and kids are invited to this free event. For information, email kids@bkwrks.com.
Saturday, April 13 at 2 pm:Music by Sage Harrington from her album Maybe. Sage Harrington is an indie folk singer and musician in Albuquerque. Free.
Saturday, April 13 at 3pm: Ellen Zachos, Backyard Foraging. Foraged food is surprising in its flavor, unusual texture, fresh color, and nutritional value. As more people become familiar with the idea of finding food in the woods, lakeside, or on their favorite hiking trail, they begin to notice the world around them in a new way. Now it's time to discover the many surprisingly edible plants found in backyards, lawns, and parks.In addition to offering tips on safety, harvesting etiquette, and other topics, Backyard Foraging includesdetailed profiles of 65 edible plants, weeds, and mushrooms. Author Ellen Zachos leads foraging walks and teaches at the New York Botanical Garden. She has written numerous gardening books and contributed to publications includingHorticulture and Better Homes & Gardens.
Sunday, April 14 at 3pm: Gary Herron, Duke City Diamonds. Rio Rancho Observer editor Gary Herron, the official Isotopes Pacific Coast League scorer since 1983, releases his new baseball history of our city, the "definitive depiction of baseball in Albuquerque since 1915."
Monday, April 15 at 7pm: Metaphysical Monday. Bonnie Buckner, Dream Yourself into Being. Dream expert and author Dr. Bonnie Buckner of Los Angeles talks about "opening" dreams and will open a dream of an audience member in this fun, collaborative dream workshop.
Tuesday, April 16 at 7pm: Modern Buddhism Book Talk. Kadampa Buddhist monk, Kelsang Jangchub, will talk about the work of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Meditation Master and Author of Modern Buddhism. Event is free and open to the public.
Wednesday, April 17 at 7pm: Felicia Caton Garcia, Say That. Caton Garcia, a professor at CNM, offers poems that "layer sound and image to offer a tangible point of access into her work. Poems about love, loss memory, and the hidden lives of the book's speakers and characters are the interwoven themes of her work, full of narrative power and metaphor.
Wednesday, April 17 at 7:30 pm: Anthony Bourdain, Guts & Glory Tour, Kiva Auditorium at the Albuquerque Convention Center.Innovation Entertainment brings celebrity chef, author, and raconteur Anthony Bourdain to the Duke City on his first North American Tour. His Guts & Glory Tour follows up Bourdain's Emmy Award-winning No Reservations tour. In what promises to be a memorable evening, Bourdain will entertain his guests with tall tales of cooking and eating. A signing follows with Mr. Bourdain, sponsored by Bookworks with copies of his books, including Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly and A Cook's Tour, available for sale and autographing. Tickets are $25-165 and available from Ticketmaster: www.ticketmaster.com
Thursday, April 18: Poem in Your Pocket Day. April 18 is "Poem in Your Pocket Day." Come in to Bookworks with a poem in your pocket-yours or someone else's writing-for a 15% discount on purchases. Leave your poem on our bulletin board outside if you wish.
Thursday, April 18 at 10:30 am: Story Time! Quack Quack! Connie reads books about ducks and geese to celebrate spring. For information, email kids@bkwrks.com.
Thursday, April 18 at 7 pm: Irene Blea, Suzanna. Dr. Blea, a native New Mexican with a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Colorado-Boulder, has written a novel, Suzanna, and has another in progress in a trilogy of novels emphasizing Hispano women in the Southwest. Blea is a scholar on Southwest race relations and has traveled internationally to speak, read poetry, teach, and research. Two of her textbooks are considered classics in her field. In May 2009 she was recognized by LULAC of New Mexico for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement.
Friday, April 19 at 7 pm: Amy Stewart, The Drunken Botanist. ArtBar, 119 Gold Ave SW, downtown Albuquerque. Event is free and open to the public, however VIP ticket holders get priority seating. VIP tickets are the cost of the book ($19.95+tax) available at Bookworks or online at https://www.bkwrks.com/amy-stewart. Each VIP ticket gets you one copy of The Drunken Botanist when it is released March 19 and a sip-and-sign with Amy Stewart April 19. (More info page 1.) For more information about the book or to interview Amy Stewart, contact Kelly Bowen at Algonquin Books: kelly@algonquinbooks.com.
Saturday, April 20 at 3 pm: Aimee and David Thurlo read from their new murder mystery, A Time of Change. This new work from the husband and wife writing duo is a perfect example of the Thurlos's ability to combine passion with tension as they introduce readers to Josephine Buck and other employees at a New Mexico trading post. When The Outpost's owner dies, Josephine, a young Navajo woman, is shocked to discover that Tom Stuart, whom she thought of as a surrogate father, has left her the business.
Saturday, April 20 at 3 pm: Brian Switek, My Beloved Brontosaurus, at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, 1801 Mountain Road NW. Dinosaurs, with their awe- inspiring size, terrifying claws and teeth, and otherworldly abilities, occupy a sacred place in our childhoods. They loom over museum halls, thunder through movies, and are a fundamental part of our collective imagination. In My Beloved Brontosaurus, dinosaur fanatic Brian Switek enriches the childlike sense of wonder these amazing creatures instill in us. Investigating the latest discoveries in paleontology, he breathes new life into old bones.
Saturday, April 20: Kite Fest for families at Balloon Fiesta Field. For more information, please email kids@bkwrks.com
Sunday, April 21 from 1-4 pm: Children's Book Fair and Dia de los Niños event for Alta Mira Family Services at Balloon Fiesta Museum, with musicians, readings, and crafts. Free. For more information, email kids@bkwrks.com
Sunday, April 21 at 3 pm: Laurence Cole, The Smiles of the World and America's Great Southwest. Laurence Cole is a Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chief of Women's Health Research at the UNM School of Medicine, titles more meaningful after Cole's debilitating stroke in 1976, where British medical authorities declared him mentally unfit to practice medicine. His books document his work as a photographer between medical careers, where he traveled the world documenting children's smiles and recently, the Southwest.
Tuesday, April 23 at 4 pm: Magic Tree House "Passport to Adventure" Tour at Balloon Fiesta Museum, 9201 Balloon Museum Dr NE. Live performance and book stamping by Magic Tree House actors for the featured books, Magic Tree House #49 Stallions by Starlight and Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #27: Horse Heroes. Bookworks will host the Albuquerque stop of this national tour, sponsored by Random House Children's Books, that brings Jack and Annie, characters from Mary Pope Osborne's beloved Magic Tree House series, live and in-person to meet their fans. For more information, email kids@bkwrks.com
Tuesday, April 23 at 7pm: World Book Night party for givers. World Book Night givers meet at Bookworks for a reception with snacks.
Wednesday, April 24 at 7 pm: Hakim Bellamy, Swear. Albuquerque Poet Laureate Hakim Bellamy launches his debut collection of poems on politics, work, and art, Swear (West End). More information about the author is at hakimbe.com. Contact: amanda@westendpress.org.
Thursday, April 25 at 10:30 am: Story Time! Goldilocks Visits.Join us for a bowl of just right porridge as we read different takes on the classic Goldilocks story, including Mo Willems new Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs. For more information, email kids@bkwrks.com.
Thursday, April 25 at 7pm: Wenonah Hauter, Foodopoly. Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, also runs an organic family farm in Northern Virginia that provides healthy vegetables to 500+ D.C.-area families as part of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Despite being one of the nation's leading healthy food advocates, Hauter believes that the local food movement is not enough to solve America's food crisis. In Foodopoly, she takes on the real culprit: consolidation and corporate control of food production, which prevents farmers from raising healthy crops and limits peoples' grocery choices. Hauter illustrates how solving this crisis requires a structural shift and grassroots movement to reshape our food system from seed to table-a change that is about politics, not just personal choice.
Saturday, April 27 at 10:30 am: Uma Krishnaswami, The Girl of the Wish Garden: A Thumbelina Story. New Mexico authorKrishnaswami reads from her latest children's book. For more information, email kids@bkwrks.com.
Saturday, April 27 at 3 pm: Steve Brewer, Pandora's Box. Newspaperman and prolific novelist Steve Brewer joins us in the store to talk about his new mystery.
Sunday, April 28 at 3 pm:Tanaya Winder and Cassandra Lopez, As/Us. Writer-editors Winder and Lopez launch the second issue of their literary journal of writing from indigenous women, As/Us, at Bookworks with contributors reading from their work and the new issue available for sale and signing.
Monday, April 29 at 7 pm: Augusten Burroughs, This is How. University of New Mexico campus, Dane Smith Hall Room 125. Sponsored by the UNM Creative Writing Department. Free and open to the public. (More info page 1.)
Tuesday, April 30 from 12-1 pm: Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. signs copies of his new book The Five Levels of Attachment at Bookworks.
Tuesday, April 30 at 7 pm: New Mexico Jazz Workshop players join Santa Fe poet Barbara Rockman for a musical interpretation of her work in Sting and Nest. From 5-9 pm, a portion of sales from Bookworks and Flying Star will be donated to the New Mexico Jazz Workshop.
LOOKING AHEAD--MAY & JUNE
Saturday, May 4 at 3pm: Rudolfo Anaya signs copies of his new book, The Old Man's Love Story. "There was an old man who dwelt in the land of New Mexico, and he lost his wife," begins Anaya's bittersweet novella. The nameless narrator, a writer, shares his most intimate thoughts about his wife, their life together, and her death. But just as death is inseparable from life, his wife seems still to be with him. Her memory and words permeate his days. In The Old Man's Love Story, master storyteller Rudolfo Anaya crafts the tale of a lifelong love that ultimately transcends death. For more information, please contact Sandy See, OU Press, ssee@ou.edu.
Mother's Day Weekend, May 10 & 11, 9a-5p and May 12, 9a-4p
SOUTHWEST BOOK FIESTA
More info at http://www.swbookfiesta.com
The first Southwest Book Fiesta will be in the Southeast Hall of Albuquerque Convention Center on Mother's Day weekend, May 10-12, 2013. The Fiesta features a trade show of booths and tables and a main stage of featured authors including David Morrell, Deborah Madison, T.J. English, Margaret Coel, and Margaret Wrinkle among others. In the breakout rooms, there will be three rooms devoted to presentations by authors and publishers: Author Readings, Publishing Seminars, and Writing Seminars.
Sunday, June 9, 7pm: Bookworks Presents Khaled Hosseini for his new novel And the Mountains Echoed. The evening will include a conversation with the author, a book signing, and festive Afghani food and performance. Tickets are $31 and are available for purchase at Bookworks or on our website at www.bkwrks.com/ticket/bookworks-presents-khaled-hosseini and include a copy of the book and admit one to the event at the KiMo Theater, 423 Central Ave NW, downtown Albuquerque.
Videos