The Edge of Maybe is a wonderful portrait of East Bay culture that examines what happens when outsiders pierce the tenuous bubbles of lifestyle and family, with characters who lose and find themselves but always remain human. Ericka Lutz, in this debut novel, captures the nexus of one of the most diverse places in the U.S. with viscerally mesmerizing characters and a realistic optimism for the future.

Like the dog above, clearly, I could not put this book down. What happens when a progressive Oakland family is bombarded by the unhealthy, uneducated, long-lost desert rat children of an old encounter?

Listen to Lutz read an excerpt from the book; to a short interview; and watch the book trailers here.

Instead of a traditional book release party, Lutz has organized an impressively interdisciplinary roster of friends to help her celebrate. We’re talking storytellers, solo performers, poets, fiction writers, singer/songwriters, and musicians, including Kay DeMartini and Joe Loya, Bruce Pachtman and Tom Sway, Ira Marlowe, Elizabeth Bernstein, Clara Bellino, Alison Luterman, and others.

The event will take place at Stage Werx (the old Intersection for the Arts building) this Wednesday, Feb 29th at 7pm. You can get tickets here.

Ericka will also be reading at The Booksmith on March 13th at 7:30. That event is free.