About the event
Lights, camera, cocktail attire! This December, Book Society is turning into a 1930s movie palace for one glittering night, and you're on the guest list.
Our guest of honor is Daniel Henning, the New York Times bestselling audiobook narrator behind more than 300 audiobooks, including TJ Klune's beloved The House in the Cerulean Sea and its sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. A three-time Audie Award finalist, an East Bay child actor turned theater founder, and now a publisher, Daniel has spent a career giving voice to other people's stories. Lately, he's been rescuing one from oblivion.
That story is Queer People, Carroll and Garrett Graham's 1930 satire of early Hollywood: a madcap, gin-soaked romp through the studios, starlets and spectacularly bad behavior of the Jazz Age, written by two insiders who knew exactly where the bodies were buried. Then the book slipped out of print for the better part of a century. But now it's back as the very first release from Daniel's new press, Starshells of Madness.
So we're throwing it the premiere it deserves. Arrive on the red carpet with a glass of bubbly, strike a pose for the paparazzi, and trade a little studio gossip before the house lights dim. Then Daniel will take the mic for a live, radio-style conversation about his career in the booth and how a lost novel became a publishing house, plus a dramatic reading where a few lucky guests may find themselves cast in a scene. We'll close the night by crowning the evening's best dressed stars, with plenty of time to mingle, sip and get your books signed.
The dress code is Old Hollywood glamour: think tuxedos and gowns, feathers and fur stoles, sequins, satin, finger waves and a well-placed cigarette holder (unlit, darling). Go full screen siren or just add a little sparkle. Either way, you'll be in excellent company.
Get your ticket here! booksociety.social/event-details/old-hollywood-holiday-gala-with-daniel-henning
Your ticket includes a welcome glass of something celebratory (NA option available), wine pours by a special guest winemaker, and festive bites.