Join us on June 3rd for a free writing workshop, reading and open mic!
First at 4:24 to 6pm author Kathleen Alcala leads the workshop: Memoir in the Context of History
Then 6:15pm to 8:14pm Kathleen, Mercedes Lawry and other poets who have work in the Raven Chronicles' Anthology This Light Called Darkness will be reading followed by an Open Mic. (more details on our readers soon!) Save the date!!!! June 3rd!!!!

See the Facebook Event Page Here!
BookTree Bookstore, 609 Market St, Kirkland 98033

Kathleen Alcala's book: THE FLOWER IN THE SKULL
Spanning 130 years, The Flower in the Skull opens in the 1870s with Concha, an Ópata Indian woman who has fled to Tucson, where she works as a housekeeper and clings to memories of her old way of life. Her daughter, Rosa, feels the trauma of Concha’s loss but struggles to understand her mother’s culture. The story jumps forward to 1990s Los Angeles, where Shelly, a young Chicana woman, digs through historical archives in search of information about the Ópata people.

Inspired by the author’s research into her own family history, The Flower in the Skull illuminates the importance of a connection to ancestors—a connection that survives colonial violence and generational trauma.

BIOS
Kathleen Alcalá was born in Compton, California, to Mexican parents, and grew up in San Bernardino. She has a degree in linguistics from Stanford University, an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Washington, and an MFA from the University of New Orleans. A graduate of the Clarion West Science Fiction and Fantasy program, her work embraces both traditional and innovative storytelling techniques. She is the author of six books that include a collection of stories, three novels, a book of essays, and The Deepest Roots: Finding Food and Community on a Pacific Northwest Island, from the University of Washington Press (2016).