Join us for a reading by Eirinie Caron, author of The Dead are Gods, followed by a community ritual for those we've loved and lost.
Location: We will email you directions the night before the event. Plan on traveling to Bodega Bay. There is some free parking and a day lot that costs $10, so have cash on you in the event the free spaces are taken.
Time: You must arrive by 6:30pm to meet with The Guide. The Guide will lead you to the secret location, there is no other way to find it. The Guide will lead the group through the portal and across the plains. The Guide has been asked to leave at 6:30pm and will not accommodate stragglers.
Terrain/Journey: Upon meeting The Guide, we ask that participants refrain from non-essential talking. Anticipate a mostly flat 15 minute leisurely meander. Bring a flashlight for the return journey. There are no public restrooms, but many places to squat. We ask participants not to take or leave anything while on the journey except experiences. Please no smoking, glass bottles, and consider sensible shoes and dress for the coast.
Documentation: Please leave your phones and cameras turned off for the duration of the journey, the reading, and the ritual. If you would like to bring a sketch pad or notebook, please do. Books & Barns is committed to the art of attention and being here, now, and working with first person memory.
Community: We adore the kindness and inclusivity that takes place during these events. Because we are engaging with grief work during this event, we ask that participants be especially aware that some folks may want to wander alone, and others may appreciate a kind smile. We know it will work out. You will be able to identify The Guide and The Guide's helpers should any needs arise (for instance, if you need someone to guard a bush while you squat). Just know that there will be a lot of space, and that this has always been an anti-social social experiment.
Seating: Bring a camping chair or blanket.
The Guide: Is not of this world. It will be a good time.
The Ritual: Pencils and paper will be provided to write down memories for a community altar. But only if you want.
The Author: Eirinie Carson is a Black British writer living in California. She is a mother of two children and sits on the board of The Writers Grotto in San Francisco. Her work has appeared in LitHub, Mother Magazine, The Notre Dame Review, Mortal Mag, Electric Literature, The Sonora Review and others. She was the NEA Distinguished Fellow at the Hambidge Center, and she and her work have been supported by Mesa Refuge, Hedgebrook and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Eirinie contributes to her local paper, The Argus Courier, via a column, Eirinie Asks. Eirinie's first book, The Dead Are Gods (Melville House, 2023), was critically acclaimed by Oprah Daily, Nylon Magazine, Shondaland and The Washington Post as well as winning a Zibby Award. It was also named one of Kirkus Review's Best Books of 2023. Eirinie’s first book of fiction, a maternal gothic novel called Bloodfire, Baby, sold at auction to Lashanda Anakwah at Dutton.