August 22, 2024: Erik Larson: The Start of the Civil War

KPFA - Bookwaves/Artwaves

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky.

Links to assorted local theater & book venues

Erik Larson, “The Demon of Unrest,” 2024

​​Erik Larson, author of “The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded at Book Passage Bookstre on May 31, 2024.

Erik Larson is the author of several bestsellers of non-fiction narrative, including The Devil in the White City, The Splendid and the Vile, and In The Garden of Beasts.

His latest book concerns the days and months preceding the start of the Civil War, focusing on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, along with what life was like in the antebellum South at the time, the march to war, the election of Abraham Lincoln, and the various triggers that led to the Civil War.

In this interview he discusses how he came to write the book, some of the more interesting facts about the time of the Civil War, and how he became an author of these best-sellling narratives.

Photos: Richard Wolinsky.

Complete Interview.

Book Interview/Events and Theatre Links

Note: Shows may unexpectedly close early or be postponed due to actors’ positive COVID tests. Check the venue for closures, ticket refunds, and vaccination and mask requirements before arrival. Dates are in-theater performances unless otherwise noted. Some venues operate Tuesday – Sunday; others Wednesday or Thursday through Sunday. All times Pacific Time. Closing dates are sometimes extended.

Book Stores
Bay Area Book Festival See website for highlights from the 10th Annual Bay Area Book Festival, June 1-2, 2024.
Book Passage. Monthly Calendar. Mix of on-line and in-store events.
Books Inc. Mix of on-line and in-store events.
The Booksmith. Monthly Event Calendar.
BookShop West Portal. Monthly Event Calendar.
Center for Literary Arts, San Jose. See website for Book Club guests in upcoming months.
Green Apple Books. Events calendar.
Kepler’s Books On-line Refresh the Page program listings.

Live Theater Companies
Actors Ensemble of Berkeley. The Imaginary Invalid. Free Moliere in the Park, August 24 – Sept. 8. John Hinkel Park Amphitheatre. See website for specific days and times, and for staged readings at LaVal’s Subterranean Theater.
Actor’s Reading Collective (ARC). Outside the Box, July 1 – August 26. summer reading series. See website for dates.
African American Art & Culture Complex. See website for calendar.
Alter Theatre. See website for upcoming productions.
American Conservatory Theatre Noel Coward’s Private Lives, September 12 – October 6, Toni Rembe Theatre.
Aurora Theatre Fallen Angels by Noel Coward, October 19 – November 17. Eureka Day staged reading to celebrate Broadway debut, September 23, 2024.
Awesome Theatre Company. Por La Noche (By Night), October 11 – 26, 2024. See website for information.
Berkeley Rep. Mexodus, September 13 – October 20, Peet’s Theatre.
Berkeley Shakespeare Company. See website for upcoming shows.
Boxcar Theatre. New Years Eve at the Speakeasy, Jan. 1, 2025. Magic Man, Jan 3 – June 2, Palace Theatre.
Brava Theatre Center: New Roots Theatre Festival, November 14-17. See calendar for current and upcoming productions.
BroadwaySF: Wicked, August 28 -October 13, Orpheum. See website for events at the Orpheum, Curran and Golden Gate.
Broadway San Jose: Disney’s Frozen, August 21 – September 1.
California Shakespeare Theatre (Cal Shakes). As You Like it, September 12 – 29.
Center Rep: Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring September 8 -29. Lesher Center for the Arts.
Central Works The Contest by Gary Graves, Oct. 19 – Nov. 17.
Cinnabar Theatre. Oklahoma! Sept 13 – 29, Warren Theatre, Sonoma State University.
Club Fugazi. Dear San Francisco ongoing. Check website for Music Mondays listings.
Contra Costa Civic Theatre In Repertory: Hamlet and Rosencranz and Gildenstern Are Dead, September 7 – 22.
Curran Theater: See website for special events..
Custom Made Theatre. In hibernation.
Cutting Ball Theatre. See website for information and notice of a final production.
42^nd Street Moon. Laurie Roldan benefit for 42nd Street Moon, August 25, 3 pm.
Golden Thread 11 Reflections: San Francisco, October 4-5, Brava Theatre Center. See website for other events.
Hillbarn Theatre: Wait Until Dark, October 17 – November 3.
Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body by Lisa B. Thompson, directed by Margo Hall. September 19 – October 6, 2024. Fort Mason.
Lower Bottom Playaz See website for upcoming productions.
Magic Theatre. Richard II by William Shakespeare, August 21 – September 8. See website for other events.
Marin Theatre Company Yaga by by Kat Sandler, October 10 – November 3, 2024.
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts Upcoming Events Page.
New Conservatory Theatre Center (NCTC) Ride the Cyclone by Jacob Richmond & Brooke Maxwell, September 20 – October 20.
Oakland Theater Project. Angels in America, Parts I & II, September 27 – October 26, Marin Shakespeare Company, San Rafael.
Odd Salon: Upcoming events in San Francisco & New York, and streaming.
Pear Theater. The Black Experience Festival, August 9 – 25.
Presidio Theatre. See website for complete schedule of events and performances.
Ray of Light: Legally Blonde, September 7-29, 2024, Victoria Theatre. See website for Spotlight Cabaret Series at Feinstein’s at the Nikko.
San Francisco Playhouse. Evita, June 27-September 7. 2024.
SFBATCO. Ten Year Turn-Up, September 20, Verdi Club, SF. See website for upcoming streaming and in- theater shows.
San Jose Stage Company: See website for upcoming schedule.
Shotgun Players. Collective Rage by Jen Silverman. July 20 – August 24. Extended.
South Bay Musical Theatre: No, No Nanette, Sept 28 – Oct. 19. Saratoga Civic Theater.
Stagebridge: See website for events and productions. Storytime every 4th Saturday.
The Breath Project. Streaming archive.
The Marsh: Calendar listings for Berkeley, San Francisco and Marshstream.
Theatre Lunatico See website for upcoming productions.
Theatre Rhino Fallin written and directed by John Fisher, August 29 – September 15. Streaming: Essential Services Project, conceived and performed by John Fisher, all weekly performances now available on demand.
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. New Works Festival, August 9-18, Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto. King James by Rajiv Joseph, October 9 – November 3, 2024.
Word for Word. See website for upcoming productions.

Misc. Listings:
BAM/PFA: On View calendar for BAM/PFA.
Berkeley Symphony: See website for listings.
Chamber Music San Francisco: Calendar, 2023 Season.
Dance Mission Theatre. On stage events calendar.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Calendar listings and upcoming shows.
San Francisco Opera. Calendar listings.
San Francisco Symphony. Calendar listings.

Filmed Live Musicals: Searchable database of all filmed live musicals, podcast, blog.

If you’d like to add your bookstore or theater venue to this list, please write [e-mail]

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