Michael Shapiro's
2009 Events

Aug 12-15, 2010, Book Passage Travel Writers Conference, Corte Madera, Calif.
Michael Shapiro will serve on panels and sign copies of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration and Guatemala: A Journey Through the Land of the Maya. Among the other faculty at this seminar are Isabel Allende, Tim Cahill, Robert Holmes, Rolf Potts and John Flinn. The conference, now in its 17th year, has led many attendees to write for major publications. For details, see the Book Passage site or call (800) 999-7909.

Sept. 30, 2010, Squaw Valley Writers series, Tahoe City, Calif.
Michael Shapiro will discuss and sign copies of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration and Guatemala: A Journey Through the Land of the Maya. Details coming soon.

October 22-24, 2010, The Sun Magazine readers conference
Shapiro will give a workshop in "The Art of the Interview" at Esalen on the Big Sur coast. The workshop is part of a larger seminar hosted by The Sun. Details to follow soon, see The Sun.

*Prior* events and media appearances

Aug 13-16, 2009, Book Passage Travel Writers Conference, Corte Madera, Calif.
Michael Shapiro will serve on panels and sign copies of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration. Among the other faculty at this seminar are Isabel Allende, Tim Cahill, Robert Holmes, Rolf Potts and John Flinn. The conference, now in its 17th year, has led many attendees to write for major publications. For details, see the Book Passage site or call (800) 999-7909.

Weds, Mar. 11, 2009, 6 to 7pm Santa Rosa Library, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Michael Shapiro hosts a conversation about the craft of writing and how to imbue "A Sense of Place" into travel writing. Questions are encouraged. To illustrate, I'll use examples from several of the writers I interview for my book, including Isabel Allende, Pico Iyer, Frances Mayes (who's also a poet), Bill Bryson, Paul Theroux and others. The library is at Third and E streets in Santa Rosa. For more details, see Santa Rosa Library's site.

Mar. 14, 2009, 6 to 10pm Authors on the Move, Hyatt hotel, Sacramento, Calif.
Michael Shapiro joins 40 authors in a benefit dinner for the Sacramento Public Libary Foundation at the Hyatt, 1209 L St, Sacto. $200 per person. For more details and registration, see the Library's site.

Michael Shapiro's
2008 Events

Saturday, Nov. 8, 7pm, Book Passage, Corte Madera, Calif.
Kraig Lieb and Michael Shapiro celebrate the publication of Guatemala: A Journey Through the Land of the Maya. Lieb, a photographer for Lonely Planet, will show slides illuminating the land, traditions and celebrations of the Maya in Guatemala. Shapiro, who wrote the text for this pictorial book, will address questions about traveling to Guatemala and the best places to see there. Saturday, Nov. 8, 7pm at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, Calif. 415-927-0960 or 800-999-7909 (toll free). Free.

Mar. 3, 2008, 7 to 9pm Literary Arts Council, Sebastopol, Calif.
Michael Shapiro presents a workshop entitled, "A Sense of Place" discussing how to imbue this essential element into travel writing, fiction, even investigative journalism. The interactive course, in which questions are encouraged, will discuss how to use all five senses, dialogue, scenes, and more. To illustrate, I'll use examples from several of the writers I interview for my book, including Isabel Allende, Pico Iyer, Frances Mayes (who's also a poet), Bill Bryson, Paul Theroux and others. The course will be held in downtown Sebastopol, $15. For more details and registration, see the Literary Arts Guild site.

Aug 14-17, 2008, Book Passage Travel Writers Conference, Corte Madera, Calif.
Michael Shapiro will serve on panels and sign copies of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration. Among the other faculty at this seminar are Isabel Allende, Don George, Robert Holmes, Simon Winchester and John Flinn. The conference, now in its 17th year, has led many attendees to write for major publications. For details, see the Book Passage site or call (800) 999-7909.

2007 appearances

Sat. Oct. 27, 2007, Writing class, 10am-4pm, Book Passage, Corte Madera, Calif.
"Breaking into the Big Time" is the subject of this intensive class with Michael Shapiro. Getting published in top magazines and newspapers is simply a matter of persistence, savvy strategies, and developing writing skills. Shapiro has had travel features and news stories published in National Geographic Traveler, Islands magazine, the Washington Post, NY Times and SF Chronicle. In this course, Shapiro shows how to pitch, produce and polish expertly crafted stories, and how to place them in leading publications. Part of the course will trace Shapiro’s National Geographic Traveler cover story on Jan Morris’s Wales from the query letter to traveling for research to writing the story. Though the course focuses on travel writing, Shapiro will also discuss strategies for writing and selling news and feature stories. The course should be valuable for all writers aspiring to get more of their work published. Cost is $95. For more information or to sign up, contact Book Passage at (800) 999-7909.

Saturday, Oct. 13, 2007, 8pm: LitQuake Pub Crawl, San Francisco
Michael Shapiro joins a panel of San Francisco Chronicle writers at the annual LitQuake event at 12 Galaxies, 2565 Mission St. in SF's Mission District. Appearing with Shapiro are Chronicle staffers Jon Carroll, Heidi Benson, Mark Morford and Don Asmussen. For more info, see the LitQuake weeklong festival page. Click the following link for a schedule of LitCrawl events starting at 6pm.

Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007, 3pm to 4pm: Sonoma County Book Festival, Santa Rosa
Michael Shapiro moderates a panel discussing "The Essence of Travel Writing" at the Sonoma County Book Fair in the Sonoma County Library, at 3rd and E streets in downtown Santa Rosa. The panel includes: legendary adventure writer Tim Cahill, Around the Bloc author Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Travelers' Tales editor Larry Habegger, and Es Cuba author Lea Aschkenas. For more info, see the schedule at the book festival site.

2006 appearances

Jan 5-8, 2006, Key West Literary Seminar: The Literature of Adventure, Key West, Fla.
Michael Shapiro will moderate panels at this highly regarded gathering of the scribes. Among the writers appearing are Barry Lopez, Tim Cahill, Pico Iyer, Peter Matthiessen, Gretel Ehrlich, Tony Horwitz and Kira Salak. Michael will also sign copies of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration. For details, see the Key West Lit site.

Sat. Feb 4, 2006, 10am-4pm, Book Passage, Corte Madera "Making a Living as a Freelance Writer" will be the subject of this intensive class with Michael Shapiro. A contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post and National Geographic Traveler, Shapiro will discuss strategies and techniques for earning a living from one's writing. Topics include finding your niche, developing professional relationships with editors, targeting potential markets (publications), and self-syndication. $95. For more information or to sign up, contact Book Passage at 800 999-7909.

Weds. March 15, 2006, 6:45pm, Responsible Tourism panel, San Francisco
Responsible Travel and the Media will be the theme of this Partners in Responsible Tourism dinner and discussion. The panel includes John Flinn of the SF Chronicle; Michael Shapiro, author of A Sense of Place; and Michael McColl of Ethical Traveler. Among the topics: "How is responsible travel perceived by the general media?" The event begins at 6:45pm, with dinner at 7pm followed by the panel. Cost is $27 and includes a two-course dinner and coffee at Cafe deStigl, 1 Union Street (Union and Front Streets; across from Pier 17), San Francisco. RSVP Noe by email: noe@utravelsfo.com.

2005 Appearances

Weds. Jan 5, 5:30pm, Wild Writing Women's Salon, San Francisco
Michael Shapiro will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and discuss the craft of interviewing. In A Sense of Place, Shapiro interviews Bill Bryson, Jan Morris, Paul Theroux and Isabel Allende, among many others. 5:30 to 7pm at the Monticello Inn, 127 Ellis St., San Francisco, Wild Writing Women's Salon (415) 392-8800. Free.

Thursday, Jan. 6, 6 pm, The Commonwealth Club, San Francisco Michael Shapiro addresses this prestigious club on the topic of place. The conversation will focus on how the world's leading travel writers approach the places they write about and the places they call home. Tickets: $22 members, $29 general, includes buffet dinner and wine. The Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St. at Second St., San Francisco. 6pm to about 8:15pm. Info: 415 597-6700.

Thursday, Jan. 27, 7:30 pm, Capitola Book Cafe, Santa Cruz
Michael Shapiro will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his interviews with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. 7:30 p.m. Capitola Book Cafe 1475 41st Avenue, Capitola. Tel: 831-462-4415. Free.

Saturday Jan. 29, 2005, 11am, Los Angeles Times Travel Show
Michael Shapiro will moderate a panel discussing Budget Travel at the annual LA Times travel show at the Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. For details, see the show's site. At 3:30pm Michael will introduce Euro-travel expert Rick Steves at Rick's hourlong session and on Sunday afternoon Michael will introduce consumer travel expert Peter Greenberg.

Sunday March 6, 2005, 1pm, New York Times Travel Show
Michael Shapiro will moderate a panel discussing travel in Latin America at the annual New York Times Travel Show at the Javits Convention Center near Penn Station. After the panel discussion, Michael will sign copies of A Sense of Place at the Longitude Books booth. For details, see the show's site.

Monday, March 14, 7pm, The Canvas Gallery, San Francisco
Michael Shapiro joins three other members of Left Coast Writers at this reading. He'll read The Longest Day an essay selected for the just-released The Best Travelers' Tales 2005. He'll also share a brief excerpt from A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration. The Canvas Gallery, 1200 9th Avenue at Irving, San Francisco. 415-504-0060.

Thursday March 24, 2005, 7pm, Book Passage, Corte Madera
Michael Shapiro joins Larry Habegger and other contributors to The Best Travelers' Tales 2005. Michael will read The Longest Day selected by Travelers' Tales as one of the best travel stories of the year. The essay first appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on Father's Day, 2004. Michael will also sign copies of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration. For details, see the Book Passage site.

Monday, April 25, 7:30pm, Black Oak Books, Berkeley -- with Pico Iyer
Pico Iyer, author of Sun After Dark, joins Michael Shapiro for a conversation about the writer's life and traveling in a post-September-11 world. Iyer is the author of groundbreaking travel books including The Global Soul, The Lady and the Monk, and Video Night in Kathmandu. Shapiro is the author of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration. a collection of interviews with the world's leading travel writers, including Bill Bryson, Paul Theroux, Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and, of course, Pico Iyer. 7:30pm at Black Oak Books, 1491 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley. (510)486-0698. Free.

Wednesday, April 27, 7pm, Copperfield's Montgomery Village, Santa Rosa -- with Pico Iyer
Pico Iyer, author of Sun After Dark, joins Michael Shapiro for a conversation about the writer's life and traveling in a post-September-11 world. Iyer is the author of groundbreaking travel books including The Global Soul, The Lady and the Monk, and Video Night in Kathmandu. Shapiro is the author of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration. a collection of interviews with the world's leading travel writers, including Bill Bryson, Paul Theroux, Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and, of course, Pico Iyer. 7pm at Copperfield's Books, 2316 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa. (707) 578-8938. Free.

Sunday, May 15, 3pm, Chaucer's Books, Santa Barbara -- with Pico Iyer
Pico Iyer, author of Sun After Dark, joins Michael Shapiro for a conversation about the writer's life and traveling in a post-September-11 world. Iyer is the author of groundbreaking travel books including The Global Soul, The Lady and the Monk, and Video Night in Kathmandu. Shapiro is the author of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration, a collection of interviews with the world's leading travel writers, including Bill Bryson, Paul Theroux, Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and, of course, Pico Iyer. 3pm at Chaucer's Books in Loreto Plaza, 3321 State Street, Santa Barbara. Tel: (805) 682-6787. Free.

Monday, May 16, 9:40-10am, These Days, KPBS-FM 89.5, San Diego
Michael Shapiro is interviewed about his travels for A Sense of Place by Tom Fudge, host of the morning interview show These Days.

Monday, May 16, 7pm, The Book Works, Del Mar, Calif.
Michael Shapiro continues his Southern California tour in the San Diego area with a discussion of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his interviews with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. 7pm. The Book Works Flower Hill Mall, 2670 Via de la Valle, Del Mar. Tel: 858 755-3735. Free.

Tuesday, May 17, 7pm, California Map & Travel, Santa Monica, Calif.
Michael Shapiro returns to the LA-area to discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his interviews with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. 7pm. California Map & Travel 3312 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, (310) 396-6277. Free.

Thursday, May 19, 7pm, North Light Books, Cotati, Ca.
Guitarist and storyteller Kirk Keeler joins author Michael Shapiro at this special event in Cotati. Keeler will play heartfelt songs from his new CD, From the Underground. Shapiro will share stories from his two-year journey that resulted in his collection of interviews with the world's leading travel writers, A Sense of Place. Keeler and Shapiro will take turns at the mic and will end the evening by discussing the craft of writing, for the page and for a song. They'll also discuss common threads in their work, such as how the loss of their fathers (who both died recently) affected their creative processes. Please join us for this unique evening of story and song in Cotati (in Oliver's shopping center, north of Petaluma, south of Santa Rosa). 7pm. 550 E. Cotati Ave., Cotati, (707) 792-4300.

Aug 18-21, 2005, Book Passage Travel Writers Conference, Corte Madera, Calif.
Michael Shapiro will serve on panels discussing making a living as a freelance travel writer, creating a successful web site, and using the Internet for travel planning. He'll also sign copies of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration. Among the other faculty at this seminar are Tim Cahill, Isabel Allende, and John Flinn. The conference, now in its 14th year, has led many attendees to write for major publications. For details, see the Book Passage site.

Sept 21, 2005, Society of American Travel Writers, Las Vegas
Michael Shapiro will lead a seminar about the craft of interviewing, based on the techniques he employed in his award-winning book, A Sense of Place. Michael will also sign copies of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration. For details, see the SATW site. Note: this session is open only to those attending SATW's annual convention.

Sat. Oct. 15, 5 pm. Litquake Pub Crawl, San Francisco
Join Michael Shapiro and dozens of notable authors, including Amy Tan, Dave Eggers, and Robert Hass at Litquake, a celebration of literature. Shapiro will appear with Linda Watanabe McFerrin and Jeff Greenwald in a session entitled "Local Writing Groups: A Literary Support System," 5pm at Forest Books, 3080 16th St., (near Valencia) San Francisco. For more info, see the Litquake site.

Fall Tour 2004

Wednesday, August 11, 2004: A Sense of Place, San Francisco launch party featuring Jan Morris, Isabel Allende and Tim Cahill
Join Jan Morris, Isabel Allende, Tim Cahill and Jeff Greenwald in celebrating the publication of Michael Shapiro's A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration. Shapiro will moderate a panel discussion with these renown authors, discussing their greatest travel discoveries, how travel has shaped their lives, and and how they've developed the skills and discipline to succeed as writers. Wednesday, August 11, 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. at the Pan Pacific Hotel, 500 Post St., San Francisco. Tickets are $30 and benefit City Lights' literacy program. Included is a dessert reception with sparkling beverages when authors will be on hand to sign copies of A Sense of Place. Update: A sold-out, standing room only crowd of 150 people attended. This event was filmed by CSPAN's BookTV and aired Sept 4.

Sunday, August 15, 4pm, Book Passage, Corte Madera, Calif.
Join Tim Cahill and Jeff Greenwald to celebrate the publication of Michael's Shapiro's A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration. Shapiro will moderate a panel with these adventurous writers, discussing their greatest travel discoveries, how travel has shaped their lives, and and how they've developed the skills and discipline to succeed as writers. Sunday, August 15, 4 p.m. at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera. Free. Update: An audience of 180 people attended and Book Passage sold 142 copies of A Sense of Place the first week it was onsale!

Thursday, Sept. 9: Get Lost Books, San Francisco
Michael Shapiro will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his interviews with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. 7 p.m. 1825 Market St., San Francisco. (415) 437-0529

Saturday, Sept. 18: Sonoma County Book Fair, Santa Rosa
Michael Shapiro will join a panel discussing "Pleasures of Place" at the Sonoma County Book Fair near Courthouse Square, downtown Santa Rosa. The event will be at the Literary Arts Guild Booth, Mendocino and Fourth streets from 10 to 11 a.m. Among the other authors appearing at the fair: Ayelet Waldman, Chitra Divakaruni, Khaled Hosseini, Michael Parenti and Jonah Raskin. For more info, see the book fair's site.

Tuesday, Sept. 21, 7:30pm, Easy Going, Berkeley
Join popular travel writer Brad Newsham in conversation with Michael Shapiro, the author of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Discuss Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration. Shapiro and Newsham will discuss their greatest travel discoveries, how travel has shaped their lives, and and how they've developed the skills and discipline to succeed as writers. Newsham is the author of Take Me With You and All the Right Places. Tuesday, Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Books, 1385 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley. For more information, call 510 843-3533. Free.

Thursday, Sept. 30, 6pm, Mechanics Library, San Francisco
Michael Shapiro will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his interviews with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. Mechanics Institute Library, 57 Post St., San Francisco. (415) 393-0101 or www.milibrary.org.

Sunday, Oct. 10, Noon, Adventures in Travel, San Mateo Fairgrounds -- with Jeff Greenwald
Michael Shapiro will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration. Jeff Greenwald, author of The Size of the World and several other travel narratives, will join Shapiro for a conversation about writing about adventure and travel. Sunday, October 10 at noon, 25th Ave at Delaware St. For details see the adventure expo site.

Friday, Oct. 15, 6 pm. Litquake Pub Crawl, San Francisco
Join Michael Shapiro and dozens of other notable authors, including Amy Tan, Dave Eggers, Tobias Wolff and Maxine Hong Kingston at Litquake, a celebration of literature. Shapiro will appear with Larry Habegger and other Travelers' Tales and Lonely Planet authors, 6 p.m. at Abandoned Planet bookstore, 518 Valencia at 16th St., San Francisco. For more info, see the Litquake site.

Monday, Oct. 18, 7pm. The Half King, New York
Join Michael Shapiro at Sebastian Junger's literary pub and restaurant near Chelsea. Michael will will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his interviews with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. The Half King, 505 W. 23rd St. at Tenth Ave., New York City. 212 462-4300. Free.

Thurs. Oct. 21, 6pm. Coliseum Books with Arthur Frommer, New York City
Join legendary travel-guide writer Arthur Frommer in conversation with Michael Shapiro, author of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Discuss Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration. Shapiro and Frommer will discuss their greatest travel discoveries, how travel has shaped their lives, and and how they've developed the skills and discipline to succeed as writers. Frommer is the author of Europe on $5 a Day and founding editor of Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel magazine. Coliseum Books, 11 W. 42nd St., New York City. For more information, call (212) 803-5890. Free.

Tuesday, Oct. 26, 7pm. Olsson's Books, Arlington, Va.
Michael Shapiro will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his interviews with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. Olsson's Books, 2111 Wilson Blvd., Arlington (Courthouse).

Thursday, Nov. 4, 7:30pm. Elliott Bay Book Company, with Rick Steves, Seattle
Join Euro-travel expert Rick Steves in conversation with Michael Shapiro, author of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Discuss Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration. Shapiro and Steves will discuss their greatest travel discoveries, how travel has shaped their lives, and and how they've developed the skills and discipline to succeed as writers. Steves is the host of the PBS-TV series "Rick Steves Europe" and author of Europe Through the Back Door and more than a dozen other European travel guides. 101 South Main St., Seattle, (800) 962-5311. Free.

Friday, Nov. 5, 6pm. Ravenna Third Place, Seattle
Michael Shapiro will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his interviews with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. Ravenna Third Place 6504 20th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115. Tel. 206 525-2347.

Saturday, Nov. 6, 7:30pm, Twenty-Third Avenue Books, Portland
Michael Shapiro will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his interviews with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. Twenty-Third Avenue Books 1015 NW 23rd Ave, Portland.

Thursday, Nov. 11, 8:35 to 9 a.m. KPFA RADIO, FM 94.1
Michael Shapiro will join travel host Pamela Michael on KPFA's Morning Show. Pamela plans to interview Michael about the craft of writing, how he prepared to interview legendary travel writers, and the meaning of place in the modern world. If you don't live in the Bay Area, you can listen on KPFA's site.

Thursday, Nov. 11, 7pm, Books Inc. Burlingame, Calif.
Michael Shapiro will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his interviews with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. 7 p.m. at Books Inc., 1375 Burlingame Ave., 650-685-4911.

Monday Nov. 15, 7pm, Distant Lands, Pasadena
Michael Shapiro will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his interviews with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. 7 p.m. at Distant Lands bookstore, 56 S.Raymond Ave., Pasadena. (626) 449-3220. Free.

Wednesday Dec. 1, 7pm, Copperfield's Books, Sebastopol
Michael Shapiro will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his interviews with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. Copperfield's Books, 138 N. Main St., Sebastopol. (707) 823-2618. Free.

Thursday, Dec. 2, 7:30 pm, Books Inc. Mountain View, Calif.
Michael Shapiro will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his conversations with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. Books Inc., 301 Castro St., Mountain View. Tel. (650) 428-1234. Free.

Monday Dec. 6, 7pm, Left Coast Writers at Book Passage, Corte Madera, Calif.
Michael Shapiro will present a workshop about the craft of interviewing and discuss his book A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration. This workshop is open only to members of the Left Coast Writers salon. You can sign up at the door. 7pm at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista, Corte Madera. For more information, call 415.927.0960 or 800.999.7909; or visit Left Coast Writers or Book Passage.

Tuesday Dec. 14, 7:30 pm, Belvedere-Tiburon Library
Michael Shapiro will discuss A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration and play audio clips of his interviews with 18 of the world's leading travel writers. Hear segments of interviews with Jan Morris, Peter Matthiessen, Frances Mayes and Isabel Allende, among others. 7:30 p.m. 1501 Tiburon Blvd., Tiburon, CA. Info: 415-789-2665, x227. Free.