Local Authors Will Read at Saturday’s Book Fair

Conversations on Teaching: 20^th Century Teachers Talk with 21^st Century Teachers.

A full time resident of San Miguel, he has two manuscripts in process. One,Teaching Reincarnation in Kazakhstan, the story of his teaching English to Soviet children in four schools, in three cities. The other Conversations on Teaching: 20^th Century Teachers Talk With 21^st Century Teachers.

11:15 BARBARA HAYES DEEHAN

To Find the Way of Love

Barbara will be reading from her late husband’s book, To Find the Way of Love. Oliver Deehan was a navy fighter pilot, sailor, skiier, built hospitals, and was CEO of Stanford Hospital at 32.

His book was the winner of four awards, including one for World Peace. It traces our development from the Big Bang, what went wrong and why and what we as individuals can do about it. It got 5 star reviews, with one critic saying “an impressive foray into the inner workings of modern civilization-and how it might yet be saved from itself.”

11:30 CLIFF DURAND

Moving Beyond Capitalism

This book of essays, edited by Cliff, speaks to the widespread quest for concrete alternative ways forward ‘beyond capitalism’ in the face of the prevailing corporatocracy and a capitalist system in crisis.

A seminal collection of critical studies, it draws on academic and activist voices from the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and Argentina, and from a variety of theoretical-political perspectives – Marxism, anarchism, feminism, and Zapatismo.

Cliff is active in the local Global Justice Center here in San Miguel.

11:45 CATHERINE MARENGHI

Glad Farm

A native of Massachusetts, the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, Catherine Marenghi writes with a profound sense of place and a deep fascination with the power of family bonds.

She holds an M.A., B.A. summa cum laude in English from Tufts University and now resides permanently in San Miguel de Allende.

Glad Farm is a powerful memoir of poverty, loss, and resilience, and is frequently compared to The Glass Castle. Raised in a primitive one-room farmhouse with no indoor plumbing, the author was propelled forward by the love and support of her large family. She fulfills her ambition to buy her family their first decent home.

But the past will not be put to rest so easily. Catherine unravels a web of long-buried family secrets, including a remarkable story her parents never shared: the gladiolus farm that was once their dream. At once lyrical and raw, unflinching in its detail, Glad Farm is an iconic American story of renewal and reinvention, and the mythic power of a house to define our destiny.

Former President Jimmy Carter has called the book “inspiring.” Half the proceeds of Glad Farm will be donated to Habitat for Humanity.

12:00 AGNES OLIVE

Spirit of the Earth, An Artist’s Retrospective

Agnes Olive is a professional artist and an author of two books, Letters from Pakistan and her most recent Spirit of the Earth, An Artist’s Retrospective.

12:15 JOSEPH TOONE

Secrets of San Miguel de Allende: Christmas

Joseph is San Miguel’s expert on the indigenous and Spanish roots to our modern traditions. He is Amazon’s bestselling author of the San Miguel de Allende Secrets book series and TripAdvisor’s top ranked tour guide, explaining why San Miguel is truly the heart of Mexico.

In his book, Christmas, Joseph unwraps the gift of San Miguel de Allende’s unique Christmas traditions that are an extraordinary mixture of an ancestral pagan past and the Catholic faith. These are the secrets behind what we do to celebrate the holidays.

12:30 JAN BAROSS

Cuba

Jan is an award winning novelist (Jose Builds a Woman), filmmaker and artist.

She will read from her coloring book on Cuba which is also an illustrated travel book. The book was inspired from living with a Cuban family for a month, and illustrates the hardships and joys of Cuba.

12:45 MARGARET NASH

Artful Assertiveness Skills for Women

Margaret is a life-coach, writer, workshop leader, dog lover, aging brat, and hippie at heart, living and working in San Miguel de Allende.

Her book, Artful Assertiveness Skills for Women, will give you ready-made sentences to use, body language tips, and teach you how to exude an energy that makes people sit up, listen, and treat you with respect. Learning just a few assertiveness techniques will transform your life. That’s a promise!

1:00 ELLEN AKERMAN

Buddy’s Story

This fictional memoir is based on the life of Bernard Akerman, the author’s uncle, who was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1920. Buddy lived in a time before cerebral palsy was understood and the handicapped were locked away, an embarrassment and burden to their families. Buddy is finally given a voice to tell the story of his life.

His niece, Ellen, finds her voice, no longer silenced by the family taboo of not talking about what has always been an ache in her heart.

1:15 SHER DAVIDSON

Under the Salvadoran Sun

Under the Salvadoran Sun is about one woman’s courageous journey to follow her truth. The mature love story is set in Latin America, and encompasses the issue of immigration.

1:30 CYNTHIA CLAUS

Cynthia published her first book, An Orchid Sari: The Personal Diary of an American Mom in 1960s India, this past June. Her next book, a memoir in short stories, should come out in the first part of 2018.

In 1968, Cynthia and her husband Suresh, accompanied by their two-year-old son, traveled to India to present themselves to Suresh’s relatives for the first time.

In An Orchid Sari, Cynthia draws from the story faithfully captured in her personal diary, telling all that she experiences and her honest reactions to it. From impossible toilet situations to mysterious family relationships; from snake-charmers to fire-breathers; from soul-crushing bureaucracy to fouled-up reservations; and from beggars with matted hair to the Taj Mahal, Cynthia takes us on her adventure while gamely keeping her son entertained and out of danger in a society that is like nothing she could have imagined.

1:45 HONORA SIMON

Here, in the Morning

Honora will read from her book of poems, which offers thought-provoking questions and concerns about awareness and the realm of nature.

2:00 JEAN GERBER

Traveling Without Reservations

Jean and Michael Gerber did what most of us can only dream of; they sold their house, quit their jobs, and set off without reservations to travel the world and embrace the unknown. For two years, they crisscrossed Europe and the Middle East.

Traveling Without Reservations …The kids grew up, the dog died, we took off is an enchanting read, fueled not only by Jean Gerber’s irrepressible and irreverent humor, but also by her extraordinary ability to connect with and celebrate the many faces of human nature. Her account of their travels is earthy, joyful, sometimes poignant, and always hilarious.

Jean moved to San Miguel in 2002 and served for several years as Executive Director of Casita Linda, a non-profit organization that builds homes for families living in extreme poverty. An equestrian, devout yoga practitioner, and member of the San Miguel Literary Sala, Jean continues to live without reservations.

2:15 MARGARET PAUL

Conversations with Artists in San Miguel de Allende

Margaret Paul has been dividing her time between beautiful Victoria, British Columbia and bonita San Miguel for fourteen years. Six years ago she interviewed a number of the artists who had been living in San Miguel for many years and she assembled their conversations in her book Conversations with Artists in San Miguel de Allende.

2:30 NORA COHEN

Alfalfa’s Glasses | Los Anteojos de Alfalfa

Nora is an emeritus professor of Education at Oregon State University. Her research focuses on creativity, talent development, children’s interests, and coping. In retirement, Nora spends winters in San Miguel, where she volunteers with several non-profit organizations and writes bilingual children’s books to support these organizations. The illustrators are talented teens who are mentored (and paid) to create the wonderful images that bring her stories to life. She has 15 books on Amazon and another 10 in progress.

Alfalfa’s Glasses (Los Anteojos de Alfalfa), illustrated by Justin Bouchard (age 17), is a story about a little horse who is having difficulties in school with reading and writing. Getting glasses solves that problem, but bullying makes her life miserable. She gets help from a great stallion, Sylvester.

2:45 LINDA SONNA

Tortillas & Peanut Butter: True Confessions of an American Mom Turned Mexican

Laugh and learn as psychologist and author Dr. Linda Sonna reads from Tortillas & Peanut Butter: True Confessions of an American Mom Turned Mexican. The book, about her zany contraband mom, is an Amazon Top-10 bestseller and Multicultural Nonfiction finalist for the 2017 National Indie Excellence Award.

During this reading Linda will give 5 tips on Mexican etiquette that even most long-term expats don’t know.