by John Byrne Barry
On Wednesday, May 20, 7 pm, I’ll be giving my “Sausalito Houseboat Wars: What Really Happened” talk for Marin History Museum. It will be at the First Presbyterian Church, Fifth & E Streets, San Rafael. Tickets are $20. Get them here.
In the late 1970s, the “houseboat wars” erupt in Sausalito on the site of Marinship, the abandoned World War II shipyard. Hippies and squatters are living free and easy on houseboats in a ramshackle shantytown, but public officials and developers set out to evict them and build new docks to attract more affluent residents. The counterculture is in full flower, and the houseboaters resist eviction with street theater, civil disobedience, monkeywrenching, and more. All in front of TV cameras.
Join me for a colorful retelling of those turbulent times, including excerpts from houseboat residents and journalists, photographs by Bruce Forrester and Pirkle Jones, and video clips of TV news reports from the waterfront. I’ll also read an excerpt or two from Pirates of Sausalito: Houseboat Wars Murder Mystery, which is fiction, but based on those true events. As Larry Clinton, former president of the Sausalito Historical Society, said, “If it didn’t happen exactly this way, it could have.”
(One example: In my novel, the houseboaters steer a barge into the harbor and sink it in front of a pile driver, preventing construction of a new dock. I took some creative liberties with the narrative, but the event did happen in real life.)
When I launched my book in May 2024, I reached out to a librarian at the Mill Valley Library about hosting a talk, and she connected me to the Mill Valley Historical Society. They wanted me to talk more about the history my book is based on than the book itself. I was wary — I never promised historical accuracy in my book, and now I had to distinguish what really happened from what I imagined.
But the librarians knew what they were doing. Enough people registered for the May 1 event, we had to move from the basement meeting room to the main reading room — and it’s unlikely that many people would have come if I were talking only about my book. To prep for the talk, I plunged back into the research, and fortunately, the real history is as full of drama and colorful characters as my novel. The talk went wonderfully and I’ve delivered this talk about ten times now.
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P.S. You can learn more about Pirates of Sausalito and my writing and publishing journey in this recent BAIPA “Indie Authors Tell All” podcast/video interview.
Check out the other interviews, with Susan Hirsch, Judy Baker, Becky Parker Geist, and Mike Van Horn.
P.S.S. Pirates of Sausalito is also available as an audiobook, narrated by Becky Parker Geist and me — she did the women’s voice, I did the men’s — and available at AMPlify Audiobooks. (Enter the coupon code “pirates” to get the audiobook for $10.
Author
One of my favorite things about BAIPA is its culture of generosity, the willingness — even eagerness — to share what we have each learned in the process of bringing stories to life. We provide educational programs, networking, marketing opportunities, encouragement, and information on industry vendors and services. And lots of one-on-one advice and mentoring.
We welcome all who have an interest in making connections within the world of independent publishing and learning more about how to publish and sell their work successfully. Together we are raising the standard of independent publishing and helping our members thrive.
Do join us!
—Becky Parker Geist, BAIPA Board of Directors, President
Quick Resources
Current BAIPA members do not need to register for our monthly meetings. The night before the meetings, they will receive the Zoom info. For workshop registration, currently, members get in free for all workshops and will receive the Zoom info the night before the meetings, as well as in the confirmation email.