Events

Join us for LESLIE KIRK CAMPBELL reading from her new short story collection, The Man With Eight Pairs of Legs, winner of the 2020 Mary McCarthy Prize for Fiction. Her appearance at Mrs. Dalloway's will also include conversation with author Keenan Norris (right).

To register for this event, you must sign up on Eventbrite or come to the store in person.

The Man with Eight Pairs of Legs, from publisher Sarabande Books , is about the ways our bodies are marked by memory, often literally, and the risky decisions we make when pushed to the extreme. This collection is a study in compassion and in passion, a must-read for our times.

"[A] remarkable collection—every story a deep dive well worth taking." —San Francisco Chronicle

"In these eight stories, Campbell spins tales of isolation that range from the desperate to the profound, and her clear prose cuts through the trepidation her characters often feel. A meaningful and utterly devastating collection that cements Campbell as a leading short story writer." —"16 Upcoming Books From Indie Presses You’ll Love," Buzzfeed

“History and memory crosscut through The Man with Eight Pairs of Legs in a gorgeous weave. These are marvelous, stirring stories, sometimes sexy, sometimes harrowing, somehow both timeless and timely. Campbell writes with great depth, patience, wisdom, and beauty.” —Anthony Doerr, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for All the Light We Cannot See

LESLIE KIRK CAMPBELL'S short fiction has appeared in Ploughshares Solos and won awards at Arts & Letters, Southern Indiana Review, Briar Cliff Review and The Thomas Wolfe Review. The author of Journey into Motherhood, Leslie is the mother of two grown sons and teaches at Ripe Fruit Writing, a creative writing program she founded in San Francisco.

KEENAN NORRIS'S latest novel is The Confession of Copeland Cane. Keenan teaches American literature and creative writing at San Jose State. His essay “One Coyote” won a 2021 Folio: Eddie Award and his debut novel Brother and the Dancer won the 2012 James D. Houston Award. 

Due to ongoing COVID concerns and customer safety considerations, we will be limiting the number of attendees at our in-store events. To that end, please note the following and thank you for your understanding.

THIS EVENT is free but pre-registration is required. Registration ends at 4pm on July 6th.

DUE TO SPACE limitations, we may not be able to accommodate every person at an event, so early registration is encouraged.

WE ARE NOT ABLE to accommodate any walk-ins that evening.

WE ASK that attendees arrive no later than 6:45pm for the event.

PROOF OF up-to-date vaccination and boosting will be required at the door, as will masking for attendees during the event.

BECAUSE SEATING is limited, please register only if you plan to attend.

Join us on Thursday, July 28 at 7pm for an in-store appearance by authors Richard J. Nevle and Steven Nightingale, who will read from their new collection of essays and poetry, The Paradise Notebooks: 90 Miles Across the Sierra Nevada. 

To attend, please register at Eventbrite or at the store. 

About the Book

Over the course of 21 paris of short essays, Nevle (left) and Nightingale (right) contemplate the natural phenomena found in the Sierra Nevada. From granite to aspen, to fire, to a rare, endemic species of butterfly, these essay pairs explore the natural history and mystical wonder of each wild element with a balanced and captivating touch. From granite to aspen, to fire, to a rare, endemic species of butterfly, these essay pairs explore the natural history and mystical wonder of each wild element with a balanced and captivating touch. In a time of rapid environmental degradation, The Paradise Notebooks offers a way forward—a whole-minded, learned, loving attention to place that rekindles our joyful relationship with the living world.