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ABOUT THIS EVENT
PRODUCED BY WILDBOUND LITERARY PR:
On April 19th at 7pm PT, join naturalist and author Obi Kaufmann for a celebration of his latest field atlas, The Coasts of California. In this special livestream event, Obi will peel back the curtain on his process, then screen a sneak peek of a new film about his work produced by Wildbound and directed by award-winning filmmaker Alice Gu (The Donut King).
Obi’s signature field atlases have created a genre of their own. Blending science writing, hand-drawn maps, lyrical prose, and Kaufmann’s trail paintings, these reference guides invite the reader to travel—vicariously and literally—through California’s wildlands.
Each book is a physical culmination of work that has been years in the making, with a thousand little decisions along the way. Have you ever wondered why Obi’s field atlases have that distinctive flexibound cover? Or why his books come in a relatively small format?
For the first time in his five-year career with Heyday, Obi will invite his editor, Emmerich Anklam, and his designer, Ashley Ingram, to join him in a live discussion tracing the journey from idea to manuscript to finished book. Together, the three will provide rare insight into the constraints and the creative synergies of the publishing process.
Next, Obi will be joined by filmmaker Alice Gu (The Donut King, Really Good Rejects) for a sneak peek of her short film, Walk with Obi: Coasts. The film includes Obi touring the coast with surfer/filmmaker, Chris Malloy, and renowned journalist, Jamie Brisick. After the film screening, Alice and Obi will discuss how they translated Obi’s latest book to film, and what inspired their decisions along the way.
To close out the evening, Obi will invite the audience for a live Q&A. This is a rare opportunity to engage with the bestselling author, his venerated publishing team, and a world-class filmmaker as they take us behind the scenes of Obi's literary and visual universe.
This event will feature introductory remarks by special guest Rosanna Xia, environment reporter for the Los Angeles Times.
A live Q&A with attendees will follow the event.
FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T MAKE THE LIVE EVENT: If you can't make the live program at 7pm, you can still join the event and replay it anytime - but you need to register now!
REGISTER TO WATCH THIS EVENT
Choose a registration option below! You can purchase a general admission ticket to this special live stream event OR purchase a book option below to receive Obi’s book(s) plus general admission into the event.
Includes admission to the live event and replay access.
Please select an entry fee below (suggested $25).
This two book bundle includes Obi Kaufmann's The Coasts of California and The State of Water, plus general admission to the live event and film premiere.
This bundle includes Obi Kaufmann's The Coasts of California plus general admission to the live event and film premiere.
This two book bundle includes Obi Kaufmann's The Coasts of California and The Forests of California, plus general admission to the live event and film premiere.
MORE ABOUT OBI
Obi Kaufmann
is a conservationist, artist, and author of the #1 San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller The California Field Atlas. His newest book, The Coasts of California, explores the rhythms of the tides, the lives of sea creatures, the shifting of rocks and sand, and the special habitats found where the land meets the ocean. From the artist-adventurer behind The Forests of California and The California Field Atlas, this shoreline odyssey traces the California Coastal Trail in exquisite watercolors and pure poetic reverie, fusing science and art throughout. A treasure for any coast-lover, this book is a time capsule of enduring and endangered places, a geographic epic bursting with color.
Connect with Obi at coyoteandthunder.com.
MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Rosanna Xia
Rosanna Xia is an environment reporter for the Los Angeles Times, where she specializes in stories about the coast and ocean. Her reporting connects science and policy and has led to new laws and regulations. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020 for explanatory reporting, and her work has been featured in the Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology.
Emmerich Anklam
Emmerich Anklam is managing editor at Heyday. He has been on the Heyday staff since 2015 and has edited three of Obi Kaufmann's books: The Coasts of California, The Forests of California, and The State of Water.
Ashley Ingram
Ashley Ingram was on the Heyday staff as their Senior Designer from 2013-2022. She co-designed five of Obi's books: The California Field Atlas, The Forests of California, The Coasts of California, The State of Water, and The California Field Atlas Deluxe Edition. She is currently the Senior Production Manager at Berrett-Koehler.
MORE ABOUT THE FILM
Walk with Obi - Director
Alice Gu launched her successful cinematography career initially as a still photographer. She soon realized that she could develop her creative vision further in moving images and began pursuing a career in the motion picture world. Her style ranges from raw grit to elegant beauty.
As a Director of Photography, she has worked with world-renowned directors such as Werner Herzog, Stacy Peralta, Rory Kennedy, and Daniel Junge. When Alice is not shooting, she can be found surfing, snowboarding, and traveling the world in pursuit of art and waves.
Alice’s directorial debut The Donut King won multiple awards and was widely released in 2020 and her latest work Really Good Rejects premiered at SXSW in March 2022.
Walk with Obi - Guest Appearance
The oldest of the three brothers and the director of The Fisherman’s Son (Mountainfilm 2015), as well as a number of highly regarded surf films, Chris Malloy’s life is a blend of tradition, conservation and creativity. He is a professional surfer, filmmaker, writer, designer and ambassador for Patagonia with dozens of first [wave] descents throughout Polynesia, Indonesia, Antarctica, Europe and South America. Malloy is also a rare breed of surfer-rancher, the kind who gets up at the crack of last night to move cattle before he tackles the waves. Home base for Malloy is a working ranch in California, where he lives close to the land with his wife and kids.
Walk with Obi - Guest Appearance
Jamie Brisick’s books include Dazzling Blue: Short Nonfiction, Becoming Westerly: Surf Champion Peter Drouyn’s Transformation into Westerly Windina, We Approach Our Martinis With Such High Expectations, Have Board, Will Travel: The Definitive History of Surf, Skate, and Snow, and The Eighties at Echo Beach. His writings have appeared in The New Yorker, The Surfer’s Journal, and The New York Times. In 2008 he was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship.
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR PARTNERS
NOTE ON BOOK SALES: In order to fulfill book orders, we will share your name, email, and shipping address with our bookstore partner. Your billing information will remain private. Please note that we can only ship within the United States. Books will be mailed following the event.
Email events@wildboundlive.com with any questions.