Heyday at Fifty: Selected Writings from Five Decades of Independent California Publishing

"Confluence is a big part of California, and Heyday has been the glorious secret center of confluence for many years, the place where art and literature and Native lore and environmental history all converge." —Rebecca Solnit

Since its founding in 1974, Heyday—an independent nonprofit based in Berkeley—has published more than 500 books that have shaped California's deepest, most abiding sense of itself. Heyday now gathers three dozen highlights drawn from half a century of distinguished publishing, featuring writing by the likes of Deborah A. Miranda, Gary Snyder, Jane Smiley, Linda Ronstadt, John Muir Laws, Obi Kaufmann, and founder Malcolm Margolin. Taken together, these pieces embody Heyday's guiding ethos: to celebrate the natural wonders of the Golden State, to explore California's vibrant arts and history, to amplify the voices of the West's Indigenous peoples, and to foster civic engagement and social justice. Edited by Emmerich Anklam, and featuring an introduction by publisher Steve Wasserman and general manager Gayle Wattawa, Heyday at Fifty serves as a testament to Heyday's preeminent place in California letters.