The Bay Area Book Festival-one of the world's premier celebrations of writers, readers and the written word-has announced its full complement of presenters, programs and activities.
A free car show and preview of the 28th annual California Mille will happen on Nob Hill on April 15.
BY PAUL DUCLOS
Published: April, 2018
The Bay Area Book Festival—one of the world’s premier celebrations of writers, readers and the written word—has announced its full complement of presenters, programs and activities. The schedule is available at www.baybookfest.org, with tickets on sale now.
Nearly 500 authors and exhibitors—from the Bay Area, nation and world and from across the spectrum of genres, traditions and inspirations—will come together with tens of thousands of book enthusiasts for the fourth annual Bay Area Book Festival April 28 and 29 in downtown Berkeley.
The festival celebrates two days of presentations, panels, keynotes, films, performances, participatory activities, exhibits and a lively outdoor fair. The literary program will satisfy fans across many interests, from science fiction, history, mysteries, memoir, poetry, food writing, children’s literature and more, with special programs this year on women, Native American storytelling and youth literature—all within overall themes of the power of books to create a better world. Literary sessions take place in venues throughout the downtown area and on outdoor stages.
Outdoor venues, including the San Francisco Chronicle Stage, are free. All indoor programs can be accessed through priority tickets at $10 per session to guarantee seating (ticket holders must arrive 10 minutes before session start time). The other option is a general admission wristband, which allows access to all sessions all weekend for only $15, with wristband holders entering sessions on a first-come, first-served basis after priority ticketholders are let in.
Classic Car Show Comes to Nob Hill
Some 70 classic cars that could have qualified for the Mille Miglia, Italy’s most-famous open road race, will motor to San Francisco’s Nob Hill on April 15 for a free car show and preview of the 28th annual California Mille.
Ancient Alfa Romeos, pristine Porches and magnificent Mercedes-Benzes will take their places next to Jaguars, Ferraris, Bentleys and other classics on Mason Street, closed to traffic between Sacramento and California Streets.
The public is invited to see the cars and meet the drivers from 16 states, South America and Europe from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on April 15. At 1:30 p.m., California Mille co-directors David and Howard Swig will greet the fans and recall the history of the Mille Miglia (“thousand mile”) that ran from 1927 to 1957.
On Monday, April 16, at 8:30 a.m. the Italian flag will be waved outside the departure arch at Mason and California Streets, officially starting the four-day, 1,000-mile tour (not a race) of northern California time capsule towns and little-known backroads.
The California Mille was founded in 1991 as an annual event and was originally recognized by the Mille Miglia organization in Brescia. Like the Mille Miglia, the California event is held each spring, starting on the last Sunday in April.
For more information, visit californiamille.com.
Follow Paul Duclos’ Cultural Currents online with his blog at:www.duclosculturalcurrents.com
