Hirahara to Speak at San Mateo Public Library

Naomi Hirahara (J.K. YAMAMOTO/Rafu Shimpo)

SAN MATEO — In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Naomi Hirahara will speak on “The Mystery of a Japanese American Gardener in Both Verse and Film” on Tuesday, May 3, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Oak Room of the San Mateo Main Library, 55 W. 3rd Ave. in San Mateo.

The Edgar Award-winning author will read from her sixth Mas Arai mystery, “Sayonara Slam,” which is set in the world of baseball. The other books in the series are “Summer of the Big Bachi,” “Gasa-Gasa Girl,” “Snakeskin Shamisen,” “Blood Hina,” and “Strawberry Yellow.” Hirahara has also written two books in the Officer Ellie Rush mystery series, “Murder on Bamboo Lane” and “Grave on Grand Avenue.”

There will also be a screening of “Mamo’s Weeds,” a short movie she wrote for the Japanese American National Museum’s exhibition “Landscaping America.” Hirahara’s nonfiction books include “Green Makers: Japanese American Gardeners in Southern California.”

A signing and book sale will follow the program.

Admission and parking are free. For more information on the event, call (650) 522-7802 opr visit www.smplibrary.org. For more information on the author, visit www.naomihirahara.com.

Sponsored by College of San Mateo Library, CSM Asian Pacific American Film Festival, Asian American Curriculum Project, Self-Help for the Elderly, San Mateo Public Library, Asian Library Advisory Committee, San Mateo Japanese American Community Center, and San Mateo Public Library Foundation.