Just in time for Fathers' Day--and for fathers in waiting--comes a childbirth book that wisely and compassionately addresses the role of man in the transformative process of birth.

Only a few generations ago, men were left to pace the waiting room anxiously while their children were born.  Times have changed, but many men are still at a loss when it comes to their part in the culmination of the process that they usually helped start!  This book offers men

• a clear understanding of their role in labor and birth
• simple concepts, tips, and tools to be a confident birth partner
• understanding of how to care for a laboring woman 

Written by a doula with 25 years of experience, Fathers At Birth will help each man develop the insight and skills he needs to be a companion who makes a difference. 

Writers' Dojo editor Kerry Cohen reads from Loose Girl, a memoir of promiscuity now in paperback. Entertainment Weekly said, "Cohen's brutal honesty about her relentless request for companionship is refreshingly relatable." Loose Girl
is Kerry Cohen's captivating memoir about her descent into promiscuity
and how she gradually found her way toward real intimacy.

Receive a 15% Dojo discount when you purchase Kerry's book at the reading!

Science fiction essayist Paul T. Riddell isn't the
first to compare magazine writing to public masturbation, but he's the
first to practice what he preached and quite writing.  Before he did, he
and cohort Edgar Harris (former sports editor of Science Fiction Age)
spent thirteen years covering such diverse subjects as assistance to
beginning writers ("I want to hunt down the idiot who came up with that
'writers make $37.50 an hour' story and let Whitley Strieber's aliens
make him/her squeal like a pig") to Harlan Ellison's cybernetic history
and how Canada formally apologized to the UN for the TV series Lexx.
Put down the Edmond Scientific catalog, grab a UNIT recruiting flyer,
and find out why Ellen Datlow referred to Riddell as ." . .unfailingly
incendiary."

Riddell is now a dealer in carnivorous plants--click here to learn more.

Barbara Bentley was swept off her feet when she met the handsome, well-spoken retired naval officer.  He proved to be a psychopathic con man who tried to murder Barbara and left her with finances as broken as her heart.  Then, from behind bars, he laid claim to alimony and half of Barbara's retirement fund!  Barbara's memoir, A Dance With the Devil, is a story not only of victimhood, but of victory--of fighting back both in her own life and in California's legal system, winning changes in the law that protect abused women from their convicted mates.

Lessons learned are lessons to be shared.  Through personal experience Bentley shows that inspiration is culled from mayhem, hope shines through darkness, and strength emerges with belief in one’s journey.  The book offers readers profound insight into
•    how a psychopath reeks havoc without conscience or remorse
•    how a psychopath targets women who are intelligent and financially stable
•    how the covert use of verbal and financial abuse sets up a “crazy-making” pattern
•    why trust must be earned in a new relationship and not given unconditionally
•    how understanding one’s self is the key to happiness
•    how one person can make a difference to themselves, family, friends, and society

Barbara Bentley will sign and answer questions about A Dance With the Devil during this casual lunchtime signing.

Knitters and crocheters: celebrate your independence and the DIY spirit at our Scarf Party!  Meet fellow needlecrafters, and enter to win a skein of luscious Boise Karabella cashmere yarn!

Bring remnant yarns to swap, mix, and match to create simple projects with lots of fun stripes.  We'll have bins to sort yarns by fiber content.   Our Yarnawhile knit/crochet instructor, Stephanie Magee, will be on hand to answer questions and troubleshoot projects--so bring your troubles with you.  All Crafts books will be 20% off during the party, and we'll draw for a free skein of deliciously soft, lofty Boise Karabella cashmere yarn.  Yum! 

Part history, part road trip, and part biography, this is the true
story of a remarkable group of men whose obsession with Bigfoot turned
the giant hominid into an American icon. Award-winning journalist
Michael McLeod tells of Bigfoot's rise to tabloid stardom in a
fast-paced account that begins with his own journey to investigate a
famous 1967 film clip of a Bigfoot in a California forest. McLeod
proceeds to uncover a trail of clues reaching from the late nineteenth
century, when a few ambitious, imaginative naturalists and explorers
synthesized historical and indigenous folklore with Darwinian ideas and
speculated that a proto-hominid "missing link" might still be alive in
remote areas. That speculation would eventually inspire a colorful cast
of loggers, hunters, con artists, and businessmen in the twentieth
century to create the modern myth of Bigfoot, all of them angling for a
piece of a monster that the media and the public still can't get enough
of. Told through vividly narrated interviews and anecdotes, Anatomy of a Beast offers a unique perspective on the deep roots of counterfactual thinking—and how obsession and myth are created out of it.

We're especially pleased about this event because in its former incarnation as Paperbacks Plus, our building used to host the meetings of the Western Bigfoot Society.  It's a nod to our history that we hope will be enjoyed by skeptics and believers alike. 

Celebrate the opening of the new St. Johns Farmer's Market with a berry-themed storytime evoking all the fun and flavor of summer!  Featured stories include Bruce Degen's rollicking rhyming Jamberry and Blueberries for Sal, the classic favorite by Robert McCloskey.  Afterward, stay with us for an open singalong hour with Mark & Scott.

Do you love to sing old-time and folk favorites?  Join us for an open sing in the DIY spirit--our own voices, with musical support from Mark & Scott.  Funny songs, work songs, kids' songs, and spirituals are all fair game.  We use the tried-and-true Rise Up Singing songbook as our guide--a reference copy is on hand in the store for guests to use.  We will sing each week during the 12-week run of the St. Johns Farmer's Market.

Curated by poet Dan Raphael, the Market Day Poetry Series is a collaboration between St. Johns Booksellers and the Arts Committee of the St. Johns Farmers' Market.

Today's reading includes:

Laura Winter, author of the new bilingual collection of Northwest desert poems, coming here to be alone

Maryrose Larkin. whose work uses various formats, from calendar to alphabet

to poetry books

Dan Raphael, who performs throughout the Northwest reading from books like

Breath Test and Showing Light a Good Time

While Japanese and American forces fight mercilessly for control of
the Philippines in 1945, two men, a Japanese infantry officer and an
American P-51 fighter pilot, meet in a fearsome battle that leaves the
Japanese officer dead. Half a century later, the fighter pilot’s son,
author Frederick E. LaCroix, inherits the officer’s bloodied,
Kanji-inscribed Imperial battle flag, which was given to the father as
a memento of his victory. The flag, coupled with his father’s wartime
correspondence, propels LaCroix on a six year journey across eastern
Asia to find the dead officer’s family and return the flag.

The Sky Rained Heroes details the emotional true stories of
two soldiers from vastly different cultures, their families, and the
diverse paths that led them to their fatal meeting. Drawing from their
actual wartime experiences, the book is a unique and powerful narrative
that brings the dramatic events of World War II to life and honors
those who fought so bravely.

Join us to hear stories commemorating the first lunar landing, on 20 July 1969.  Storytime is followed by an open singalong at 11:00 am, or you can browse the brand new St. Johns Farmers' Market just 50 feet from the bookstore!

Celebrate independence, abundance, and the DIY spirit wth an inspiring cooking demo!  Julie Richardson will present recipes and techniques from her new book, Rustic Fruit Desserts (coauthored by chef Cory Schreiber).  Filled with luscious recipes for simple classics like buckles and crisps, this beautifully illustrated book begs readers to do it yourselves with the Willamette Valley's wondrous variety of delicious fruits.  Take a midday break from browsing the St. Johns Farmer's Market (just 50 feet from the bookstore) to enjoy the cool indoors and gather inspiration for using all that beautiful fruit you just bought!

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Julie Richardson grew up enjoying the flavors that defined the changing seasons of her Vermont childhood.  Her lively small-batch bakery, Baker & Spice, evolved from her involvement in the Portland and Hillsdale farmers' markets.  She lives in Portland.