On Thursday, August 20th at 7pm, Vanessa Diffenbaugh (author of the New York Times bestseller The Language of Flowers) will visit MPC and discuss her new book We Never Asked For Wings. We hope that you’ll be able to join us for what is sure to be a fascinating evening.
About We Never Asked For Wings
It was Vanessa’s time at college that inspired We Never Asked For Wings. While students enjoyed the safe world of university living, children less than one mile away in East Palo Alto were victims of poverty and violence, she explained. Deeply affected by the juxtaposition of the two communities, Vanessa helped run anafter-school art program after graduation in East Palo Alto. She worked closely with children (a few of which she’s still in contact with today) and families, experiencing first-hand the intense isolation suffered by the people who lived there. “This happens all over the country and all over the world—extreme poverty jutted right up against extreme wealth,” she said. Compelled to address these issues in her writing, We Never Asked For Wings was born.
At the heart of this story is Letty Espinosa, a young woman learning how to be a mother to her two children, 15-year-old Alex and 6-year-old Luna. Struggling to make ends meet and longing to give her family a better life, Letty devises a plan to help them escape their dangerous Bay Area neighborhood. But it’s one wrong move that could jeopardize everything she’s worked so hard for—and threaten any hope of a better future for her family. (source: Random House)
About Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Vanessa was born in San Francisco and raised in Chico, California. After graduating from Stanford University, she worked in the non-profit sector, teaching art and technology to youth in low-income communities. Following the success of her debut novel, The Language of Flowers, she co-founded Camellia Network, a non-profit whose mission is to connect every youth aging out of foster care to the critical resources, opportunities, and support they need to thrive in adulthood. She currently lives in Monterey, CA, with her husband and four children. (source: Random House)
Please contact the church main office with questions. Hope to see you there!
Author photo credit: Randy Tunnell Photography
All are welcome at the table! Join us this Sunday, March 1st, for Communion. Celebration will be at 10:00 am in the sanctuary.
On Tuesday, July 7th at 7pm, award-winning author Carolina De Robertis will visit MPC and discuss her new book The Gods of Tango. We hope that you’ll be able to join us for what is sure to be a fascinating evening — and not just because the event will feature a performance by expert tango dancers!
Carolina De Robertis is the internationally bestselling author of The Gods of Tango, Perla, and The Invisible Mountain, which was a Best Book of 2009 according to the San Francisco Chronicle, O, The Oprah Magazine, and BookList. She is the recipient of Italy’s Rhegium Julii Prize and a 2012 fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her work has been translated into sixteen languages. Her writings and literary translations have appeared in Zoetrope: Allstory, Granta, The Virginia Quarterly Review, and elsewhere. She is also the translator of Alejandro Zambra’s Bonsai, which was just made into a feature film, and Roberto Ampuero’s The Neruda Case.(source: 
We welcome you to this week’s services as we observe the action-packed and tumultuous days leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. On Palm Sunday, March 29th, the children lead us in a joyful procession waving palms and ribbons, as we remember the triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
On Tuesday, April 21st at 7pm, join authors Gayle Forman (“If I Stay”) and Jay Asher (“Thirteen Reasons Why”) for a special event. “We Are Here: A Benefit to Raise Hope and Awareness for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Promotion”, is sure to be an inspiring evening, and not to be missed.
