Author Event: Real Emergency by Joanna Sokol

Bookshop Benicia will host author and veteran paramedic Joanna Sokol for an author talk and discussion on Thursday, January 29 at 6:00 PM, celebrating the release of her essay collection, A Real Emergency: Stories From the Ambulance.

In A Real Emergency, Sokol draws on fifteen years of experience in emergency street medicine to offer a deeply human portrait of life on a 911 ambulance. Through a series of raw, reflective essays, she explores the quiet moments, the dark humor, the grief, and the compassion that define modern emergency medical work—along with the growing reality that ambulances often serve as a safety net for problems society has failed to solve elsewhere.

Sokol’s career took her from the Nevada desert to Santa Cruz and San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. Along the way, she documented her experiences in notebooks, on scraps of paper, and even on EKG printouts—recording patient stories, moments of unexpected tenderness, and the emotional toll of working within a strained healthcare system. The result is a collection that is introspective, richly layered, and ultimately hopeful.

Joanna Sokol has worked on a 911 ambulance for over a decade and previously served as a ski patroller, wilderness EMT, and medical standby at large-scale events. She holds a degree in Biological Sciences from UC Santa Cruz and received an award for Clinical Excellence during her time with the San Francisco Fire Department, where she also served on the Street Crisis Response Team. Her writing has appeared in Reader’s Digest, Hazlitt, and Epoca, and she received a Sidney Award in 2019.

The event will include a reading, conversation, audience Q&A, and book signing. Admission is free and open to the public.

Event Details:
What: Author Talk & Signing with Joanna Sokol
When: Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Where: Bookshop Benicia, 636 First Street, Benicia, CA
Admission: Free

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