CALM Celebrates Year 24

Who among us could speak ill of children and books? Both lay claim to places of honor in many of our lives, and both play an integral part in next Saturday’s 24th annual Celebrity Authors’ Luncheon. Child Abuse Listening & Mediation (CALM), Santa Barbara County’s only nonprofit foundation tasked with treating child abuse and family violence, as well as preventing its outbreak in the first place, brings a set of celeb scribes to town every year for signings, live interviews, and tasty comestibles. CALM has pursued their mission for 40 years now, and all ticket proceeds and a percentage of books sold go to help them do it for another 40.

This year, four women headline the program. Elizabeth Berg, former nurse and current prolific author of novels, short stories, and nonfiction, will talk about her newest release, the mother-daughter tale Home Safe, which is rumored to be quite a tonal break from the rest of her literary catalogue. Carol Leifer, comedian and television writer for the likes of Seinfeld and The Larry Sanders Show, will discuss her memoir, When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win. Bestselling thriller-smith Sandra Brown and The Friday Night Knitting Club author Kate Jacobs will be interviewed as well, with an even longer roster of writers present for signings. Adobe home authority Michael Byrne, The Double Energy Diet designers Judi and Shari Zucker, satirical culinary novelist Nancy Spiller, and area humorist Ernie Witham are just a few who have already signed on. Jack Canfield, whose name is recognized by all who have ever opened one of those Chicken Soup books, will preside as master of ceremonies for the event.

The 24th annual CALM Celebrity Authors’ Luncheon takes place Saturday, March 27, at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort (633 E Cabrillo Blvd.) at 10 a.m. The RSVP cutoff is Tuesday, March 23, though some tickets may be made available closer to the date. For details, call 682-3925 or visit calm4kids.org.