In a country she chose for ‘its landscapes and lax visa-extension policies’, Mary is a tour guide at a remote lodge in the Amazon. There she meets Héctor, who sneaks into her hammock late at night or leaves tiny gifts at her door, tempting her to stay longer than she’d planned.

But then she begins to see fires on uninhabited land, hear gunshots, cross suspicious strangers in the dead of night. She doesn’t know if it’s the start of another undeclared civil war or simply retribution on the lodge owner, whose husband had fought with the rebels before disappearing for a decade. When he reappears, Mary is suddenly forced to confront the reality of her situation and decide where her loyalties lie.

In this stunning first novella, City in the River, City in the Forest, by Melanie Westerberg, we are swept up in an exotic world, its familiar cruelty saturated with beauty. Finally, we are left only with a lingering taste of the moments in our own lives when we were forced to choose between joy and restraint, myth and logic.

Melanie Westerberg's short stories and poems have appeared in Torpedo (Australia), RozRazil (Czech Republic), Third Coast (USA) and Mid-American Review (USA). Her story ‘Watermark’ was also included in the Best New American Voices 2006 anthology (USA, Harcourt Books), edited by Jane Smiley. She lives in Austin, Texas.
 

Patricia Austin, professional psychic, will be reading Tarot Cards, Palms and sharing other divination tools for BookWoman's clientele as a benefit for BookWoman. Recommended donation is $1 a minute. Pat gives positive and constructive information. Call (472-2785) to get on the list, or take your chances and just drop by!

Told with humour and drama, Dr. Ruth Simkin's memoir The Jagged Years of Ruthie J. is a powerful reading experience that will inspire all who struggle with illness, adversity or sexual identity. Winnipeg 1963. Eighteen-year-old psychology student Ruthie J. is the bane of her traditional Jewish family. Briefly married, she drinks, swears, has casual sex and mixes with questionable characters. She also argues incessantly with her father. When a bizarre car accident lands her in court, the confused teen is sent for testing and diagnosed with epilepsy then considered a mental illness. Against her wishes, Ruthie's family admits her to a posh Maryland mental hospital, Chestnut Lodge, of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden notoriety. Put in the care of a sadistic psychiatrist who threatens to have her committed for life, the spunky adolescent finds herself at the mercy of an insane institution. Through the friendship and love of her fellow patients and the subsequent help of a remarkable therapist, Ruthie J. frees herself, discovers her true sexual orientation and perseveres in her dream to become a physician. 

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Dr. Ruth Simkin practiced family medicine for several decades and subsequently became a specialist in palliative care. She has studied in Canada, the US, Israel, China, England and Russia. She is the author of medical articles on women's health as well as Like an Orange on a Seder Plate, a feminist Passover Haggadah. Retired from medicine, she now lives and writes in Victoria, BC where she shares a home with her animal companion Reenie. Simkin is a skilled public speaker who gives voice to the experience of both ex-mental patient and physician, offering hope to those who, like Ruthie J., find themselves in unthinkable circumstances. She currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia. For more information, please visit www.RuthSimkin.ca

Bob Mud (McMahon), is an Australian artist, musician and poet strongly oriented towards environmental arts. His name is Mud because he paints in mud, including the world's longest painting - mud on newspaper. Published author, and exhibition sculptor, his "Environmental Dreamtime" music was distributed worldwide by Larrikin Records.

Wonder Woman, in her disguse as Special Agent Diana Prie of the Department of Metahuman Affairs, is assigned to captuer herself. But how can she accomplish this without revealing her secret identity? This graphic novel has cool, edgy art. Come join us for the discussion!

With She-Smoke: A Backyard Barbecue Book, (Seal Press/ June 2009/ $16.95) author, Julie Reinhardt, takes the mystery out of BBQ. With plenty of hilarious stories from the author’s life, Reinhardt brings to the table her experience as a barbecue restaurant owner (Smokin’ Pete’s BBQ in Seattle), caterer and event planner, and a sanctioned barbecue judge for the Kansas City Barbeque Society, to give step-by-step instructions on a variety of barbecue topics.

From buying local, sustainable meats, to building the perfect slow and low fire, and smoking a holiday barbecue feast, She-Smoke also includes a host of delicious recipes aimed to teach women technique, with more in-depth instruction than that of a conventional cookbook. Women will learn the elusive history of ’cue, the difference between true barbecue and grilling, and all about the world of barbecue competition. Featuring interviews with other “smokin’” women and stories about Reinhardt’s family, She-Smoke brings women into the greater community of barbecue.

Julie Reinhardt, owner of Smokin’ Pete’s BBQ, a Seattle joint, is passionate about the slow smoke of barbecue and understands the difference between 'cuein' and grillin'. Born into an extensive Southern family, Reinhardt is ready to talk pork butt with the most macho grillmaster. She plans and caters big events, and teaches smoking and grilling classes for women. Reinhardt lives with her husband, son, and daughter, in Seattle, Washington. Read Julie’s blog at http://shesmoke.blogspot.com/

18th Annual Austin International Poetry Festival, April 15-18th:

BookWoman's Featured Poets:

Satori Ananda 
Tara Betts  
Claire Vogel Camargo     
Joyce Collins     
Lynne Dale
Carol Denson 
Christina Lovin     
Jos Mason-Mazzu     
Paul Richmond    
Seidah Williams

Since its founding in 1992, this four-day, citywide, all-inclusive annual celebration of poets and poetry has grown to become the largest non-juried poetry festival in the U.S. Join BookWoman as we celebrate the poems of women from Austin and beyond.

IPF includes 30 live local readings, 10 poetry workshops, 10 open-mics, 8 youth/teen poetry events, 5 music and poetry events, two anthology competitions and complete readings, two poetry slams, two featured poet presentations, a movie premiere, a poetry all-nighter and a poetry symposium!

AIPF is the "work of heART" of volunteer-based local non-profit Austin Poets International, Inc. This year, API is excited to present 28 International, National, Regional and Local Featured Poets reading alongside over 250 Registered Poets at 20 local venues across Austin. And the best part is, it's free and open to the public. Visit their web site at www.aipf.org.

Come experience a free, healing seminar.  Elizabeth will share about her journey of forgiveness and healing through the photography and poetry of her new book, Moving Toward Grace.  Find out the techniques she uses in her practice.  Experience a live, 1-on-1 session with a real volunteer to see the change in front of your eyes.

Lebanese-American writer, actress, and entrepreneur Nadia Sahari has written a highly revealing memoir entitled BREAKAWAY: HOW I SURVIVED ABUSE. She dramatically details her eighteen years of abuse, including sexual molestation by her grandfather, frequent severe beatings from her strict father and then from her alcoholic first husband, rape, kidnapping, family abandonment, and several
attempts on her life. The book explains how she overcame the fear and shame that kept her imprisoned in intolerable conditions and how she broke away from abuse and adjusted psychologically to personal freedom.

“Because there is so much abuse of women and children, I wrote this book to show what I went through and what I did to survive and get out of it,” Sahari explains. “I wanted to give my readers hope, encouragement, and inspiration to make the right choices that can save their lives and those of their children.

“When I endured abuse, I had no one to turn to, but today there are many groups people can go to for help. I list contact information for twenty-six of them in my book, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800/799-SAFE. I also emphasize that forgiving your abuser, whether they ask for it or not, is crucial to setting yourself free. There’s no reason to stay in an abusive situation. You have friends, neighbors, and others who can help you, so you can break the silence that imprisons you.”

Join leading professionals in a variety of fields to learn about how you can uncover new opportunities, overcome gender discrimination and take your career to the next level.  Bring an article of new or like-new women's business clothing to donate to Dress for Success and receive a free bag of gourmet popcorn from Cornucopia!

Panelists:
Mindy Montford, 299th District Court Judge candidate
Pamela Haunschild, Management department chair at McCombs School of Business
Valerie Hausladen, president of The Edge Group and author of "Professional Destiny"
Nadia Elhaj, co-founder and co-owner of Cornucopia

Moderated by April Boland, local writer and editor-in-chief of Della Donna: a webzine for women