Story is the Thing

Looking to discover your new favorite author? Join us for the return of the our signature reading series, Story is the Thing, to hear five stellar Bay Area fiction authors read from their latest titles. Plus, take 20% off the list price of any of the featured titles, either at checkout on Eventbrite or at the Kepler’s register.

Our guests are Rita Bullwinkel with the Booker Prize-longlisted Headshot; Yangsze Choo reading from her new novel The Fox Wife; Anita Felicelli with her latest book of short stories, How We Know Our Time Travelers; Cary Groner, reading from his post-apocalyptic road trip novel The Way; and debut novelist Rajesh C. Oza introducing Double Play.

The Program

6:00 - Reception with the authors
7:00 - Readings, discussion, and Q&A

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The Lineup

Rita Bullwinkel
Rita Bullwinkel is the author of Headshot and Belly Up, a story collection that won the Believer Book Award. She is a 2022 recipient of a Whiting Award, the editor of McSweeney’s Quarterly, a contributing editor at Noon, the creator of Oral Florist, and a Picador Guest Professor of Literature at Leipzig University in Germany, where she teaches courses on creating writing, zines, and the use of invented and foreign languages as tools for world building.

Yangsze Choo
Yangsze Choo is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ghost Bride (now a Netflix original series); The Night Tiger, a Reese’s Book Club Pick, and a Big Jubilee Read selection for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee; and The Fox Wife. She lives in California with her family and loves to eat and read (often at the same time). The Fox Wife and all previous novels would not have been possible without large quantities of dark chocolate.

Anita Felicelli

Anita Felicelli is the author of the novel Chimerica and the award-winning short story collection Love Songs for a Lost Continent. Her essays and criticism have appeared in the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, and the New York Times (Modern Love). Anita is the editor of Alta Journal’s California Book Club. From 2021 to 2024, she served on the board of the National Book Critics Circle. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. How We Know Our Time Travelers is her latest book of short stories.

Cary Groner
Cary Groner’s debut novel, Exiles, was published by Spiegel & Grau (at Random House) in 2011 and was named one of the best books of the year by the Chicago Tribune. His short stories have won numerous awards and have appeared in Glimmer Train, American Fiction, Mississippi Review, Salamander, Sycamore Review, and Southern California Review, among other places. His new book, The Way, is the propulsive story of a battle-scarred survivor on a desperate, post-apocalyptic road trip.

Rajesh C. Oza
Dr. Rajesh C. Oza has contributed to Living in America and written Globalization, Diaspora, and Work Transformation; Satyalogue // Truthtalk; and P.S., Papa’s Stories. He writes columns and book reviews for India Currents and Khabar Magazine. His novel Double Play is inspired by his daughter’s experience with Northwestern University’s Innocence Project.

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COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS: We strongly encourage attendees to wear masks at our events, although they will NOT be required. We will have masks available for attendees who want them. Do NOT attend the event if you, or any member of your family, have any respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, runny nose, and/or sore throat), or have had a significant exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. We have virtual options available, or we can refund your ticket(s).

Host or Publisher Kepler's Literary Foundation