It’s kind of perfect that three books about finding connections and one’s sense of belonging have been selected for next year’s Silicon Valley Reads, a program that’s all about creating community through reading.
San Jose Library Director Jill Bourne, who is one of the program’s three co-chairs, said this year’s theme, “Bridges to Belonging,” is very timely for Santa Clara County residents.
“With so many in our community feeling isolated, the job of the San Jose Public Library system is to be an active connector and a safe place where everyone can find their sense of belonging,” she said.
The three selections for the program are “Mainline Mama,” a memoir by Keeonna Harris; “Unlikely Animals,” a novel by Annie Hartnett; and “The Power of Bridging,” a nonfiction work by John A. Powell. Those works will be complemented with four companion books for younger readers of varying grade levels.
Silicon Valley Reads kicks off Jan. 15 with a free event at De Anza College in Cupertino, where I’ll moderate a conversation among the three authors. That’ll be followed by more than 100 free events throughout the county, with author talks, workshops and other programming with the goal of sparking conversations about the books and about the theme. And, of course, a lot of those conversations will start at the most local level — book clubs.
You can start reading the books now, and so you’re ready when the schedule of events is posted in early January at www.siliconvalleyreads.org.
PLATTERS ON POST STREET: The resurgence in popularity of vinyl records over the past few years has been nothing short of remarkable. Don’t take my word for it; just head out Sunday to downtown San Jose for the Post Street Record Faire, which will bring together more than a dozen vendors who will have some 10,000 records for sale, along with CDs, DVDs and cassette tapes to satisfy all your physical media needs.
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Of course, if there are records, there’s going to be DJs. AudioTechnica and the South Bay Association of Deejays, which are producing the event, have invited some of the Bay Area’s top vinyl-spinners, including 7evenB, Bernard Mixx, Eddie House, Chale Brown and Richard Torres, to perform on five stages.
“This is the perfect opportunity for music lovers to shop for records while being entertained at the same time,” co-producer Joel Wyrick said. “We couldn’t get all these DJs on any other day but Sunday.”
The Post Street Record Faire runs from noon to 5 p.m. on Post Street between First and Market streets. It’s free to attend, but early-bird collectors can pay $5 to get in at 11 a.m.
‘WICKED’ COSTUMES: It was so much fun to see everyone who dressed up in costumes for Symphony San Jose’s “Symphonic Spooktacular” last year, and I have a feeling there’ll be even more participants for this weekend’s concerts. The gregarious Peter Jaffe is returning to conduct this performance, and he, the orchestra members and Executive Artistic Director Robert Massey all got into the costume bit as much as the audience.
With this year’s “Bewitching Broadway” theme, featuring music from shows including “Wicked,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” the potential is there for a lot of fun costumes. Performances are Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m., and tickets are available at symphonysanjose.org.
Conductor Peter Jaffe wears a Dracula cape to lead Symphony San Jose for the “Symphonic Spooktacular,” a program of Halloween-themed music, at California Theatre in San Jose on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
