At Fresno City College this spring: Amy Tan, February 12; Adriel Luis, April 16; David Mas Masumoto, April 18

There are some outstanding literary events at and around Fresno City College this spring. Mark your calendars now. The first three events listed are at Fresno City College. Tell a friend. Get a ride. Enjoy.

Monday, February 12, Noon, Main Gym. Free and open to the public. Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club and Saving Fish from Drowning, among others. This appearance is co-sponsored by the Fresno County Library, which is hosting a variety of events throughout February and March as part of the “Big Read.” For information about the 24 hour read-a-thon (of which I am a part) and the various book discussion groups (I am hosting four of them---at the Woodward Park Library, Barnes and Noble, the Gillis Branch Library, and the Talking Book Library for the Blind). For dates and times, visit the Fresno County Library.

Monday, April 16, 11:00 a.m., Student Lounge: Adriel Luis, author of How to Make Juice and part of the acclaimed spoken word quartet, Ill-Literacy. Luis has appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, he is the 2005 Bay Area Poetry Slam Champion, and has shared the stage with poets and musicians such as Lauryn Hill, Beastie Boys, Saul Williams, Death Cab for Cutie, Violent Femmes, Mos Def, and KRS-One.

Wednesday, April 18, 11:00 a.m., Student Lounge: David Mas Masumoto, organic peach and grape farmer and the author of Letters to the Valley, A Harvest of Memories, published by Heyday Books, 2004. His previous books include Four Seasons in Five Senses, Things Worth Savoring (2003, W.W. Norton), Harvest Son, Planting Roots in American Soil (1998, W.W. Norton) and Epitaph For A Peach: Four Seasons on My Family Farm (1995, HarperCollins). Masumoto is currently a columnist for The Fresno Bee and has written for USA Today and the Los Angeles Times.

Also, don't miss--poets appearing at the Fresno Art Museum, 7 pm all dates:

Philip Levine --- February 1, 2007
Bob Hicock - --March 1, 2007

Lee Herrick, along with Bryan Medina, Deanna Pierro, Devoya Mayo, Tim Skeen and others---April 23, 2007. More details on this reading to follow soon.