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Petaluma, CA 94952

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We believe in lifelong learning as a path towards opportunity and fulfillment. As individuals increase their literacy and basic skills they are able to secure better jobs, manage their personal lives, advocate for themselves, enhance their parenting skills, and contribute more to their community. In short, they improve the quality of their lives and communities.

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Time to Reskill: Developing a National Action Plan to Improve the Foundation Skills of U.S. Adults

Mar

4:30 AM04:30

SRJC

Time to Reskill: Developing a National Action Plan to Improve the Foundation Skills of U.S. Adults

Friday, March 7, 2014
4:30 AM 6:30 AM 04:30 06:30
SRJC, Petaluma: Carole L. Ellis Auditorium (map)
Google Calendar ICS

Literacyworks invites you join Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, and Santa Rosa Junior College's President Frank Chong to begin a local conversation about our national foundational skills crisis.

This North Bay forum will gather input for national action plan to improve the foundation skills of U.S. adults and lay the groundwork for building greater economic vitality and shared prosperity in the North Bay. As a local stakeholder we need your input and experience to be heard by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor.

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Literacyworks Lectures 2019

The Literacyworks Lecture series is a collaboration with Copperfield’s Books to bring nationally recognized authors to the North Bay. Most importantly, it is a fundraiser for the Literacyworks Center and our other programs.

Congresswoman JACKIE SPEIER

Monday, January 7, 2019 - 7:00pm Copperfield’s Books Petaluma Store 140 Kentucky Street Petaluma

Featured Book: Undaunted: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back

From the formative nightmare that radically molded her perspective and instincts to the devastating personal and professional challenges that would follow, Undaunted reveals the perseverance of a determined force in American politics. Deeply rooted in Jackie’s experiences as a widow, a mother, a congresswoman, and a fighter, hers is a story of true resilience, one that will inspire other women to draw strength from adversity in order to do what is right—no matter the challenges ahead.

Free Tickets at: https://www.copperfieldsbooks.com/event/literacyworks-copperfields-books-presents-jackie-speier

DAVE EGGERS & MOKHTAR ALKHANSHALI IN CONVERSATION

Sunday, January 13, 2019 3:00-4:30 PM Petaluma Veterans Memorial Hall 1094 Petaluma Blvd S, Petaluma
Dave Eggers’ new book The Monk of Mokha is a true story that weaves together the history of coffee, the struggles of everyday Yemenis living through civil war, and the courageous journey of a young man, Mokhtar Alkhanshali, following the most American of dreams.

Dave Eggers is a writer, editor, and publisher. He wrote the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Eggers is the founder of McSweeney's, a literary journal, a co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia and the human rights nonprofit Voice of Witness, and the founder of ScholarMatch, a program that matches donors with students needing funds for college tuition.

Purchase Tickets: https://www.copperfieldsbooks.com/event/literacyworks-and-copperfield’s-books-present-dave-eggers-mokhtar-alkhanshali-conversation

CHERRIE MORAGA

Friday, April 26, 2019 Copperfield's in Santa Rosa (Montgomery Village) 775 Village Court, Santa Rosa
Cherríe L. Moraga is a writer and an activist. A cofounder of Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, Moraga co-edited the highly influential volume This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color in 1981. A former Artist-in-Residence at Stanford, Moraga was recently appointed a professor in the Department of English at UC-Santa Barbara, where, with her artistic partner Celia Herrera Rodriguez, she will institute Las Maestras Center for Chicana and Indigenous Thought and Art Practice. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Theatre Playwriting Fellowship Award and a Rockefeller Fellowship for Literature.

FREE TICKETS AT: https://www.copperfieldsbooks.com/event/literacyworks-copperfields-books-present-cherrie-moraga

DAVID BROOKS

Thursday, May 2, 2019 Copperfield’s in Petaluma, 140 Kentucky Street, Petaluma
David Brooks became an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times in September 2003. His column appears every Tuesday and Friday. He is currently a commentator on “PBS NewsHour,” NPR’s “All Things Considered” and NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He is the author of “Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There” and “On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense.” In March 2011 he came out with his third book, “The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement,” which was a No. 1 New York Times best seller. Mr. Brooks also teaches at Yale University, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

PURCHASE TICKETS: https://www.copperfieldsbooks.com/event/literacyworks-presents-breakfast-david-brooks

ROGER MCNAMEE

May 10, 2019, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Copperfield’s Books Petaluma Store 140 Kentucky Street Petaluma
McNamee’s book Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe is The New York Times bestseller about a noted tech venture capitalist, early mentor to Mark Zuckerberg, and Facebook investor, who wakes up to the serious damage Facebook is doing to our society - and sets out to try to stop it.

He has been a Silicon Valley investor for 35 years. His most recent fund, Elevation, included U2’s Bono as a co-founder. He holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Roger plays bass and guitar in the bands Moonalice and Doobie Decibel System. He has served as a technical advisor for seasons two through five of HBO’s “Silicon Valley” series and was also responsible for raising the money that created the Wikimedia Foundation.

Jose Antonio Vargas

November 9, 2019 at 7PM: Copperfield’s Books Petaluma

Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen

This is not a book about the politics of immigration. This book is not about immigration at all. This book is about homelessness, not in a traditional sense, but in the unsettled, unmoored psychological state that undocumented immigrants like myself find ourselves in. This book is about lying and being forced to lie to get by; about passing as an American and as a contributing citizen; about families, keeping them together, and having to make new ones when you can’t. This book is about constantly hiding from the government and, in the process, hiding from ourselves. This book is about what it means to not have a home.

After 25 years of living illegally in a country that does not consider me one of its own, this book is the closest thing I have to freedom.

Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and Tony-nominated producer. A leading voice for the human rights of immigrants, he founded the non-profit media and culture organization Define American, named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company. His best-selling memoir, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, was published by HarperCollins in 2018. Most recently, he co-produced Heidi Schreck’s acclaimed Broadway play What the Constitution Means to Me, which was nominated for two 2019 Tony awards, including “Best Play.”

Among accolades he has received are the Freedom to Write Award from PEN Center USA and honorary degrees from Emerson College, Colby College, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Passionate about the role of arts in society and promoting equity in education, he serves on the advisory board of TheDream.US, a scholarship fund for undocumented immigrant students.

A product of the San Francisco Bay Area, he is a proud graduate of San Francisco State University (’04), where he was named Alumnus of the Year in 2012, and Mountain View High School (’00). An elementary school named after Vargas opened in his hometown of Mountain View, California in August 2019.We are anticipating additional speakers throughout the year.

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Literacyworks Lectures 2018

Literacyworks and Copperfield’s Books Presents

Steven Pinker

Monday, March 12, 2018, Copperfield’s Petaluma store
Steven Pinker is a Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. Steven Pinker is an experimental psychologist who conducts research in visual cognition, psycholinguistics, and social relations and writes for publications such as the New York Times, Time and The Atlantic. His current book is “Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress".

Leland Faust

Sunday March 18, 2018, Carole Ellis L. Auditorium, Petaluma SRJC campus, 4:00-5:30PM
Leland Faust founded CSI Capital Management. He was chief investment officer from 1978 through 2011. Since 1978 he and his firm have represented over one hundred NFL, NBA and MLB all stars, as well as many Grammy and Academy award winners. Leland Faust will be speaking on his book, “A Capitalist’s Lament: How Wall Street is Fleecing You and Ruining America.

Robert Reich in Conversation with Lynn Woolsey

Sunday April 8, 2018, Petaluma Veterans Memorial Hall, 4:00-5:30 PM 1094 Petaluma Blvd South, Petaluma
Robert Bernard Reich is an American political commentator, professor, and author. He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton. He was Secretary of Labor from 1993 to 1997. His new book, “The Common Good,” is focused on why we must restore the idea of the common good to the center of our economics and politics. Congresswoman Lynn C. Woolsey is a former U.S. Representative for California's 6th congressional district serving Marin County and Sonoma County from 1993 to 2013. The district she represented included all of Marin County and most of Sonoma County.

Greg Sarris

Sunday May 6, 2018, Copperfield’s Books (Petaluma store), 4:00PM
Greg Sarris is an author, screenwriter, producer, scholar, professor and Tribal Chairman of the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria. His most recent book, which will be featured at the lecture, is “How a Mountain Was Made: Stories.”

Daniel Ellsberg in Conversation with Peter Coyote

Sunday June 10, 2018, Petaluma Veterans Memorial Hall,
1094 Petaluma Blvd South 4:00-5:30 PM
Daniel Ellsberg is an American activist and former United States military analyst who, while employed by the RAND Corporation, precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret Pentagon study of U.S. government decision-making in relation to the Vietnam War, to The New York Times and other newspapers. His new book, “The Doomsday Machine,” is an eyewitness expose of the dangers of America’s top secret, seventy-year-long nuclear policy that continues to this day. Peter Coyote is an accomplished actor, author, director, screenwriter and Emmy award narrator.

Isabel Allende in Conversation with Michael Krasny

Sunday July 1, 2018 , Carole Ellis L. Auditorium, Petaluma SRJC campus 4:00-5:30 PM
Chilean author Isabel Allende won worldwide acclaim when her bestselling first novel, "The House of the Spirits", was published in 1982. She has since written 22 more works. Allende’s books, all written in her native Spanish, have been translated into 35 languages and have sold nearly 70 million copies. Michael Krasny is the host of KQED’s “Forum” program as well as a renowned author and educator.

Although this event is free, there is limited space available. Attendees must RSVP prior to the event and bring a printed or electronic copy of their ticket to attend. Seating is general admission, and will be available on a first come, first served basis for all ticket holders. Doors will open at 3pm. **SOLD OUT**

Congresswoman Barbara Lee in Conversation with Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey

Sunday December 16, 2018 Carole L. Ellis Auditorium 680 Sonoma Mountain Parkway, Petaluma, CA 94952
2:45-4:00 PM

Congresswoman Barbara Lee was born in El Paso, TX. As a single mother raising two sons, she attended Mills College and received public assistance while building a better life for her family. Congresswoman Lee received her Masters of Social Work from the University of California, Berkeley. As a small business owner in the East Bay, Congresswoman Lee worked with people from all walks of life. In 1998, she was elected to serve California’s 9th congressional district (now the 13th) in a special election. She has long advocated for legislative action to end poverty. Her autobiography is Renegade for Peace and Justice: A Memoir of Political and Personal Courage.

Congresswoman Lynn C. Woolsey is a former U.S. Representative for California's 6th congressional district serving Marin County and Sonoma County from 1993 to 2013. Lynn focused on issues facing children, families, and education during her 20-year career in the U.S. House of Representatives.

$30.00 general admission. Buy tickets for Congresswoman Barbara Lee in Conversation with Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey

Literacyworks Lectures 2016-2017

Peter Coyote

Date: Sunday, October 2, 2016
Time: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Place: Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus ( Carole L. Ellis Auditorium)

Peter Coyote is an accomplished actor (in over 120 films), author (two memoirs “Sleeping Where I Fall” and “The Rainman’s Third Cure”), director, screenwriter and Emmy award narrator of 17 audiobooks and over 175 documentaries. He continues to lend his rich voice to narrations for commercials and documentaries and often donates his voice to films that support issues close to his heart.

Brian Fishman

Date:        Sunday, June 11, 2017
Time:       3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Place:      Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus (Ellis Auditorium)

Brian is a counterterrorism expert, a Fellow with the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point, a former adjunct professor in Georgetown's School of Foreign Service and Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. He is the author of the definitive history of the Islamic State: The Master Plan: ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Jihadi Strategy for Final Victory. He was the Foreign Affairs/Defense Legislative Assistant for Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey. He grew up in Penngrove, CA and graduated from Petaluma High School.

Michael Krasny

When: Sunday, August 20, 2017
Time: 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus (Ellis Auditorium)
Dr. Michael Krasny, PhD is host of the award-winning KQED FORUM, a program discussing news and public affairs, current events culture, health, business and technology. He has published a great deal of fiction, literary criticism and political commentary. A professor of English at San Francisco State University, he has been visiting Professor at the University of San Francisco, Adjunct Professor at University of California San Francisco and taught in Continuing Education at Stanford University, as well as being an Associate of the San Francisco Urban Institute. He lives in Marin County.

Ambassador Theodore “Ted” Eliot, Jr.

When: Sunday, December 3, 2017
Time: 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus (Ellis Auditorium)

Theodore “Ted” Eliot Jr. (ret.) was in conversation with Dr. Donna Brasset-Shearer, a cultural anthropologist with a background in international relations, discussing Trump’s World: U.S. Foreign Policy Under the Current Administration, US foreign policy in Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea. Ambassador Eliot is a retired Foreign Service officer who served in the American embassy in Iran and headed the Iran Desk in the Department of State 1963-69, and was Executive Secretary of the Department 1969-73, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan 1973-78 and Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University 1978-85, before moving to Sonoma.

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