PORTIA ELAN – HOMEBOUND

JCCSF and Litquake present an evening with author Portia Elan celebrating her debut, Homebound—a sweeping, imaginative story that moves from 1980s America into a far-flung future, exploring grief, connection, and the enduring human search for belonging.

It’s 1983, and Becks can’t wait to get the hell out of Cincinnati. Nineteen years old, blasting her Walkman, she’s still reeling from the death of her beloved uncle—the one person who truly understood her. Before he died, he left her something unfinished: a half-built game they had been creating together. Determined to complete it, Becks sets out on what she believes will be a small, personal act of remembrance.

But what Becks creates will ripple far beyond her own life—shaping the paths of a brilliant scientist, a sentient automaton, and a weathered sea captain centuries in the future. Their lives, and their search for connection, become entwined with a mysterious traveler moving through space on an enigmatic mission.

Portia Elan studied history at Stanford University and earned an MFA from the University of Victoria, British Columbia. After years working as a teacher and public librarian, she returned to California, where she now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wife and an abundance of cats. Homebound is her first novel.

Our community partners are Litquake and Green Apple Books

Questions? Email [email protected]

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Host or Publisher Jewish Community Center of San Francisco