This April, the Golden Braid Books Community Book Club is reading Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. We have lots of copies in stock, so come on by and get yours today! Keep in touch with us throughout the month on our Instagram and Facebook pages, and then we’ll convene here at the Braid for our book club meeting to talk about the book, meet some new folks, and share some insights and mutual love of reading. About the Book: Ray Bradbury's moving recollection of a vanished golden era remains one of his most enchanting novels. Dandelion Wine stands out in the Bradbury literary canon as the author's most deeply personal work, a semi-autobiographical recollection of a magical small-town summer in 1928. Twelve-year-old Douglas Spaulding knows Green Town, Illinois, is as vast and deep as the whole wide world that lies beyond the city limits. It is a pair of brand-new tennis shoes, the first harvest of dandelions for Grandfather's renowned intoxicant, the distant clang of the trolley's bell on a hazy afternoon. It is yesteryear and tomorrow blended into an unforgettable always. But as young Douglas is about to discover, summer can be more than the repetition of established rituals whose mystical power holds time at bay. It can be a best friend moving away, a human time machine who can transport you back to the Civil War, or a sideshow automaton able to glimpse the bittersweet future. Come and savor Ray Bradbury's priceless distillation of all that is eternal about boyhood and summer. https://www.goldenbraidslc.com/events/april-book-club-dandelion-wine

David Pace’s exhilarating new collect-ion, American Trinity, fashions a new set of mythologies from the material of Mormon America—tales of doubters and believers, angels and heretics, the sacred and the profane. With wisdom and humor, these ambitious stories use the particularities of LDS culture and history as a lens to examine the most profound, universal elements of human life—producing a collection that speaks powerfully to Mormons and non-Mormons alike. –Shawn Vestal, author of Daredevils and God-forsaken Idaho Twelve stories that span the Mormon Corridor—a geographical as well as, now, globally psychic space inhabited by America's most "successful" indigenous religion. At times rendered through life's daily grind (politics, marriage, acquiring an STD... and too many parking tickets), other times through the supernatural and fabulist (angels and personified names of the dead ripped from the real-life Utah mountain vault filled with genealogical records), these are Latter-day Saints who see things “Mormonly” (with apologies to “New Englandly” Emily Dickinson) both driven and riven by their frenetic and sacralized sense of community, their orthodoxy, their doubts and their awkward (often futile) rebellions to comical, poignant, sometimes harrowing ends. Please join us in welcoming author David Pace to The Printed Garden on Friday night, April 26th to read from, answer questions about, and sign copies of his new book, American Trinity. This event is free and open to the public, and will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Bomba Marilé invites you to join us in honoring how our stories are told through song and oral tradition at this event entitled "Storytelling Through Song". Thanks to the WESTAF, SLC ACE, Salt Lake County Zoo Arts and Parks, Walmart, and to the Sorenson Unity Center, we are able to bring you a full day of workshops, discussions, and live music free all day long and open to all in the community. Join us on Saturday April 27th from 10am-7pm at the Sorenson Unity Center.

We will be highlighting bomba from Loiza. We are honored to have visiting bomba educator and historian Marcos Peñaloza Pica all the way from Loiza Puerto Rico. Schedule: 10-11:30am Percussion workshop of bomba rhythms from Loiza 12-1:30 pm Workshop on Bomba Songs from Loiza 3pm-5pm Panel discussion on Storytelling Through Song Panelists include: Marcos Peñaloza Pica (Puerto Rico) Leah Gishie (Diné) Carl Moore (Hopi) Chitra Kaayva (India) Moderator Noemi Hernandez (Mexico) 5:30- 7pm Live Bomba Music and Dance

Tickets are now on sale! https://www.24tix.com/event/3831253529?fbclid=IwAR1K4gnm_IUxlRvz2FomYHLLhPhLefqj4WwUrsIyERWnkGkgvagrSn7wRRA_aem_AcVgOt_YXJSYrYPpJ5yC3Ld89G7dn34N9De8D0Knikn_JYic32HuHSgeW-O_qgZaep9D4D7HHh9Vy7EAv0Ao8Ghd The Brave and Brilliant event is April 27th at 7 pm, doors open at 6:30 pm. 🌟 Brace yourselves for an engaging evening of bravery and brilliance!" 💡 Join us for an event with TEDxSaltLakeCity where we're serving up a menagerie of daring ideas and activities. 💬 Engage in lively discussions that'll make your neurons dance and your perspectives pop. Plus, a special message from none other than Governor Cox himself! 🎩 Get ready to amplify your thinking and elevate your evening. 🚀 See you there, trailblazers!

Garbage Bag Girl: an unforgettable story of hope and resiliency. A book reading, signing, & interactive community event with Celeste L. Edmunds, Author and International Executive Director of The Christmas Box. Garbage Bag Girl is Celeste Edmund's story of being raised by addicted parents and, at a young age, learning to survive and protect her siblings from rapists and drug dealers. Eventually, the state separated their family, and Celeste was adopted alone into a dysfunctional, fractured home where a sadistic and manipulating mother treated her as an unwanted outsider. Contemplating taking her abuser's life, Celeste eventually ran away, finding shelter wherever she could, until a compassionate woman stepped in to give her home and love. About Celeste L. Edmunds: Christmas Box House Executive Director Celeste Edmunds understands what the children she serves at The Christmas Box Houses are going through. She went through it herself. Her biological parents were addicts, and her childhood was an ongoing cycle of police calls, fighting, and physical, sexual, and mental abuse. At age 7, Celeste was taken from her home and placed into a child welfare system, where moving every few months to a new environment became normal. By age sixteen, she had lived in more than 30 cities. Celeste views her childhood as a difficult but essential growing experience. There were terrible things, but there were also caring people along the way who did what they could to protect and nurture her. She was author Richard Paul Evans’ assistant when he founded The Christmas Box International. She quickly became an integral part of its creation, helping to build and refine the original shelters for a decade before taking a new position in Corporate America. Working in the corporate world gave her valuable knowledge of a different kind, with experience in marketing (receiving Marketer of the Year by Utah Business Magazine), public relations, community giving, and team management. Combining her nonprofit and corporate experience, Celeste is uniquely fit to guide The Christmas Box International. Celeste is passionate about making a difference in the lives of youth and the child welfare system so that others may not have to go through the same experiences she had. The Christmas Box International celebrates 28 years of defending more than 155,000 children. That is enough to fill Madison Square Garden more than seven and a half times. Celeste believes that The Christmas Box International is more than a place–it is a concept where community, government, and nonprofits come together to bring the resources to children that they need. As a child who grew up in the system, Celeste understands the importance of providing these youth the opportunity for a better life by providing them with safety, dignity, and hope. Her goal is to give these beautiful children everything she wished for as a child, including hope for a better future. Celeste released her book this fall titled Garbage Bag Girl. She hopes to bring more awareness to the issues that face children in the child welfare system and help them know that they deserve a childhood and are worthy of safety and love. https://www.goldenbraidslc.com/events/garbage-bag-girl-an-author-event-with-celeste-l-edmunds

Free film screening followed by live Q&A with Palestinians in Hebron via Zoom, featuring: Tamrika Khvtisiashvili, former Assistant Professor at Palestine Polytechnic University, Hamed Qawasmeh with the Hebron International Resource Network, and Dr. Mohammad Tamimi, Director of the Language & Translation Center at Palestine Polytechnic University. "The Occupation Lab uncovers the ways in which a single neighborhood in Hebron fuels the entire Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If you would like to know more about Palestinians in the West Bank and their life under occupation, come to this free event. This is a safe space for all to gather and learn. For more information about Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land, please visit our webpage: ujphl.org

Gearn is a storytelling evening where individuals come together to share their stories and experiences. Themes and storytellers are chosen in advance. From personal anecdotes to life lessons, each storyteller adds their unique voice to the evening, creating a tapestry of diverse experiences and perspectives. Our theme for May is CHILDHOOD. Find info and tickets on Instagram at "gearnstorytelling"

Join Courtney to celebrate what’s sprouting for you this spring. We’ll explore the early summer call toward expression, and activate our senses to commune with nature and explore harmonizing diet, lifestyle, and movement with the season. Finally, the beat of the drum will drop you into a renewing Shamanic journey. Please bring pen and paper for the complete integrative experience. Chairs will be provided, but feel free to bring a blanket, eye cover, or cushion if you’d prefer to relax into the journey experience. About Courtney: Courtney Lasker is a certified Ayurvedic Health Coach and Shamanic Reiki Master Teacher. Courtney weaves her experience and training as an intuitive guide and energy healer with practical Ayurvedic wellness to provide profound and sustained healing support. Courtney offers healing circles, tea ceremonies, and private sessions. You can find out more about Courtney and her offerings on her website: www.courtneylasker.com https://www.goldenbraidslc.com/events/cultivating-spring-ayurveda-seasonal-circle

Wendy Davis's campaign was a long shot-the seated Republican who represented Utah's House District 45 was so popular that even her own party doubted a Democrat could win. But Wendy knew her community, and she knew they were ready for change. Despite her party's predictions, she knew she wouldn't lose in a landslide. She might even win. In 2019, she was ready to prove herself in an earnest, grass-roots campaign. She couldn't have predicted what would come next. From a global pandemic that shuttered offices and cancelled in-person events to overblown media stories and back-handed maneuvers from her own party, Davis faced one of the most challenging campaigns in Utah history. Through it all, she would prove that she was much more than an underdog. She was a fighter. A raw look behind-the-scenes of US electoral politics, The Fight You Don't See recounts Wendy Davis's bid to represent Utah's House District 45, documenting the hidden battles she faced before-and long after-Election Day. Join us in welcoming Wendy Davis to The Printed Garden to discuss and answer questions about her new book, her political career, and Utah politics. This event will begin at 7:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

This May, the Golden Braid Books Community Book Club is reading When Women Were Birds by Terry Tempest Williams. We have lots of copies in stock, so come on by and get yours today! Keep in touch with us throughout the month on our Instagram and Facebook pages, and then we’ll convene here at the Braid for our book club meeting to talk about the book, meet some new folks, and share some insights and mutual love of reading. About the Book: "I am leaving you all my journals, but you must promise me you won't look at them until after I'm gone." This is what Terry Tempest Williams's mother, the matriarch of a large Mormon clan in northern Utah, told her a week before she died. It was a shock to Williams to discover that her mother had kept journals. But not as much of a shock as it was to discover that the three shelves of journals were all blank. In fifty-four short chapters, Williams recounts memories of her mother, ponders her own faith, and contemplates the notion of absence and presence art and in our world. When Women Were Birds is a carefully crafted kaleidoscope that keeps turning around the question: What does it mean to have a voice? https://www.goldenbraidslc.com/events/may-book-club-when-women-were-birds