Meet A Gorilla At Book Passage

Get some tips and training to spark that budding writing career during the 6th annual Book Passage Children’s Writers & Illustrators Conference.

The seminar meets Thursday through Sunday in the Corte Madera bookstore. The conference will cover all aspects of writing and illustrating for children — from developing ideas to honing skills to finding a publisher. Participants will work closely with professional writers and illustrators, as well as with agents, editors, and publishers.

Husband and wife authors Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant meet the public Friday at 7 p.m. to talk about their recent books. Applegate is author of The One and Only Ivan, which is based on the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, the Shopping Mall Gorilla. Grant is the author of  a near-future story of a war for control of the human mind.

This event is part of the conference. It is open to the public, though priority seating is reserved for conference participants.

The conference is designed to meet the differing needs of those who create for different age groups. Participants will choose an area of emphasis for the morning sessions, such as writing for picture books, early readers, young adult books or illustration, and then work with a teacher in a workshop setting.

In the afternoon, participants choose from panels of common interest, such as working with editors, working with agents, marketing and promotion. There will be many opportunities for faculty and participants to talk and exchange ideas in classes, lunches, and at evening events.

Visit the Book Passage website to register and for more information on the conference.

Here are a few other things to do this week:

• The latest group showing at Gallery Bergelli continues through July 4. The exhibition includes new works by gallery artists Bryn Craig, Ruperto Cadiz, James Leonard, Greg Martin, Greg Ragland, Daniel Tousignant and Tim Weldon. Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.

• Get fit with a regular low-impact aerobics class offered through the Larkspur Recreation Department. This is a professional, complete program from warm-up, aerobic and toning, through stretch and relaxation. For questions, or to register, call Cindy Leroux at (415) 454-6801. Please register for these classes directly with the instructor. The cost is $40.

• If you're not full of ballpark food from the Giants game, take a moment to enjoy the Mobile Gourmet food trucks at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. The food trucks are at the terminal five afternoons a week.