Laguna Beach Writer to Discuss Love of Sea

Free-lance writer Joan Weiss Hollenbeck’s love affair with the ocean began when she was 2.

Now, more than 40 years later, she has collected her writings about the sea in a book, “Sea Scapes, in Kairos Time,” which she describes as a mosaic of poetry, personal experiences, travel articles and reprint magazine articles.

The book (Peppertree Publishing; $14.95) includes writings on topics that range from a grunion run in Huntington Beach to the dory fishing fleet in Newport Beach to boogie boarding in Laguna.

The Laguna Beach writer, who lives where she “can hear the waves sighing every night,” will discuss her love affair with the ocean at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Newport Beach Public Library at Newport Center, 832 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach.

*

Comic Strip. Ya’akov Kirschen, internationally known political cartoonist for the Jerusalem Post, will sign his recently completed cartoon book for the Jewish National Fund, “Trees . . . The Green Testament,” from 1 to 4 p.m. today at Ben Yehuda Street store, 4382 Katella Ave., Los Alamitos. He’ll also sign from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Golden Dreidle in Triangle Square, 1835 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa.

The Brooklyn-born Kirschen moved to Israel in 1971 and quickly began his pun-ridden Israeli comic strip “Dry Bones.”

Kirschen also will speak at 8 p.m. Friday at University Synagogue, 4915 Alton Parkway, Irvine. His topic: “Israeli Life as a Comic Strip.” For more information, call the Jewish National Fund at (714) 558-8733.

*

Book Signings. Peter Abrahams (“Lights Out”) will sign at 6 p.m. Friday at Book Carnival, 348 S. Tustin Ave., Orange. . . . Abigail Padgett (“Straw Girl”) will sign from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Green Door Mystery Bookstore, 31781 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. . . . Evan McCallam (“Horus Saves”) will sign from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Fahrenheit 451 Books, 540 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. . . . Chris Curry (“Panic”) will sign at 2 p.m. Saturday at Bookstar, 975 E. Birch St., Brea. . . . Mary Andrews, Catherine Spear, Rita McMahon Mitzner, Francisco Ortega and Gary Lee Tomlinson (“Five Orange County Poets”) will sign from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Waldenbooks in the Mall of Orange, 2294 Orange Mall, Orange. Also at Waldenbooks: Michael Polak (“Confident Collector”) will sign from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.

*

PEN Reading. Marcia Cohee, Angela McEwan, Veronica Miranda, Lydia Velez-Roman and Mitsuye Yamada will read at the PEN Orange County meeting from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Bear Street Cafe in the Crystal Court, 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa. For more information, call (714) 751-2233.

*

Crime Sisters. Lt. Patrick Gildea, SWAT team commander for the Huntington Beach Police Department, will speak at the Orange County Sisters in Crime meeting at 3 p.m. Sunday at the University Park branch of the Orange County Public Library, 4512 Sandburg Way, Irvine. For more information, call (714) 376-0244.

*

Author Talk. Nancy Taylor Rosenberg (“Interest of Justice”) is guest speaker at “Women’s Voices,” a Jewish Federation of Orange County Women’s Division fund-raising luncheon, at 11 a.m. Monday at the Irvine Marriott, 18000 Von Karman Ave. Cost: $40 for the luncheon and a minimum commitment of $100 to the Jewish Federation’s Campaign for HOPE. For more information, call (714) 259-0655.

*

Round Table. Bernice Kert (“Abby Aldrich Rockefeller”), Valerie Martin (“The Great Divorce”), Patrick McGilligan (“Jack’s Life”) and Cass Warner Sperling (“Hollywood Be Thy Name”) will discuss their books at the Round Table West literary luncheon at noon March 24 at the Balboa Bay Club, 1221 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. Cost: $30. For reservations, call (213) 256-7977.

*

Mystery Writing. Orange County mystery writer Patricia McFall will conduct a workshop, “Writing Your First Mystery or Suspense Novel,” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 26 in a private residence. Fee: $75. Class size is limited. For more information, call (714) 897-9907.