Dear California

California native David Kipen has worked as the San Francisco Chronicle's book editor/critic, Director of Literature at the NEA, and, lately, L.A. Times critic at large and founder-director of the Libros Schmibros Lending Library. Previous books include Dear Los Angeles and four reissued WPA Guides. His California-set historical paranoid conspiracy thriller, The Anniversarist, is forthcoming. Really.

"Is California a place of hopes or of despair? In Dear California, the voices of the famous-a snarky Cecil Beaton, a funny Albert Einstein-and long forgotten cleverly play off each other, with observations on the weather, water, the San Francisco/Los Angeles rivalry, and all things that make the state both loveable and maddening. Start at page one, choose your birthday, open at random-however you approach this book, you will find wonderful surprises." -Lisa See, author of The Island of Sea Women "Dear California will cement David Kipen's reputation as a literary treasure of the West. With a series of intimate, spontaneous, and surprising moments, this collection revels in the many crazy and magical turns the Golden State has taken in its history." -Hector Tobar, author of Deep Down Dark and Our Migrant Souls "I always wanted to write a love letter to California, the state that, in many ways, saved my life and gave me a second chance. But David Kipen did it for me. And for many others. This is a wonderful book that digs deep into our souls and reflects, little by little, the magic of the Golden State. Pick a page, or a date, and be surprised or shocked. Just like California has done to millions." -Jorge Ramos, author and anchor, Univision News "What a serious and fun book. With the incisive wit and words of many, Dear California captures the ethos of a place of mind and geography that never stops reaching for the brass ring. Despite an always fraught future, Californians push forward and overcome. David Kipen has captured the essence of that right here." -Michael Connelly, author of Desert Star "I am enjoying, even relishing, the treasure trove David Kipen has so ably assembled." -Michael Krasny, author of Let There Be Laughter: A Treasury of Great Jewish Humor and What It All Means "Books to browse at bedtime don't come any more entertaining than this one. For each day of the year, Kipen-a former director of literature at the National Endowment for the Arts and an eminent writer and critic-has unearthed amusing, shrewd or touching observations from a wide variety of California visitors and natives" -Michael Dirda, Washington Post