Booksmith is thrilled to welcome back Paul Madonna for the launch of You Know Exactly, the third and final collection of All Over Coffee. Join us for a very special, first-ever private release party at the Alembic and a conversation with Paul. Paul will be joined in conversation by Booksmith’s events manager and director of Quiet Lightning, Evan Karp.

PLEASE NOTE: This event is SOLD OUT. We may have additional tickets available at the door, and if so those will be released at 7:15pm on a first-come, first-served basis, with walk-ups having no guarantee of admission. If you would like a signed, personalized copy of You Know Exactly order here (and/or for any of Paul's other books, here) and we will hold them for pickup at the shop or send them directly to you.

Please note:

• This is a free, ticketed party at Alembic (1725 Haight St). Because we are limiting capacity to keep our staff, authors and guests safe, we cannot guarantee admission for free tickets. If you want to be sure you can get in, check out with a Ticket with Book. All tickets are available here.
• Safety: ID and proof of full vaccination, including booster, will be required at the door. Masks will be required throughout the conversation portion of the event, capacity will be limited to allow indoor distancing, and we'll have extra ventilation in place. 
• Alembic's door will open at 6pm for full service, and drinks will be available for purchase throughout the event. Our party will be held in the Alembic bar and the bookshop's Fiction gallery.
• We are happy to offer *signed* copies of You Know Exactly: order a Ticket with Book bundle if you'd like to pick up a signed copy at the event, or order here if you just want a signed copy.
• If we feel it is not safe to gather, as the event gets closer, we will pivot to a virtual event and your registration will remain valid.
• Questions? Write [email protected].

About the book

You Know Exactly is the third and final volume of the popular series All Over Coffee. The follow-up to the 2011 Northern California Book Award winner and best-selling collection Everything is its own reward, this long-awaited collection presents some of the most beloved and never before collected pieces from the series. Originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, this timeless work includes collaborations with over a dozen collaborators, including three Pulitzer Prize-winning authors.

You Know Exactly is now available in a gorgeous, full-color hardcover edition which includes a four-page foldout. You Know Exactly melds art, story, and travel in a voice distinctly its own. Included with Madonna’s lush and profound solo works are original collaborations with award-winning writers such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Cheryl Strayed, Andrew Sean Greer, Robert Olen Butler, Kristen Tracy, Daniel Handler (otherwise known as Lemony Snicket), and many others.

In You Know Exactly, artist and writer Paul Madonna pairs taut pieces of flash fiction with exquisitely rendered cityscapes to create poignant, thought-provoking works of art. A master of his craft, Madonna has organized this third and final collection by creative themes, offering short and insightful essays chronicling his process of both this work and the entirety of the series’ run. Each page of this rich collection offers something unique: short stories, fleeting thoughts, and one-liners woven within pen and ink drawings which travel from San Francisco to New York, Paris to Tokyo. The effect coalesces into a mesmerizing work that you’ll want to return to again and again.

You Know Exactly is a must have book for fans of All Over Coffee and Paul Madonna, and is an excellent gift for lovers of art, fiction, and travel.

About the authors

Paul Madonna is an award-winning artist and writer whose unique blend of drawing and storytelling has been heralded as an “all new art form.” He is the creator of the series All Over Coffee, which ran in the San Francisco Chronicle for twelve years, and the author of six books, including Everything is its own reward, which won the 2011 NCBA Award for best book, and the Emit Hopper Mystery Series. Paul’s work ranges from novels to cartoons to large-scale public murals and can be found internationally in print as well as in galleries and museums, including the Oakland Museum of California, the William Blake Association in France, and the San Francisco International Airport. Paul was a founding editor for therumpus.net, has taught drawing at the University of San Francisco, and frequently lectures on creative practice. He holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and was the first (ever!) Art Intern at MAD magazine.

Evan Karp is the events manager for Booksmith and Berkeley Arts & Letters and the founding director of San Francisco-based literary nonprofit Quiet Lightning.

Please note:

• This is a free, ticketed party at Alembic (1725 Haight St). Because we are limiting capacity to keep our staff, authors and guests safe, we cannot guarantee admission for free tickets. If you want to be sure you can get in, check out with a Ticket with Book. All tickets are available here.
• Safety: ID and proof of full vaccination, including booster, will be required at the door. Masks will be required throughout the conversation portion of the event, capacity will be limited to allow indoor distancing, and we'll have extra ventilation in place. 
• Alembic's door will open at 6pm for full service, and drinks will be available for purchase throughout the event. Our party will be held in the Alembic bar and the bookshop's Fiction gallery.
• We are happy to offer *signed* copies of You Know Exactly: order a Ticket with Book bundle if you'd like to pick up a signed copy at the event, or order here if you just want a signed copy.
• If we feel it is not safe to gather, as the event gets closer, we will pivot to a virtual event and your registration will remain valid.
• Questions? Write [email protected].