Hi.
I'm Shanna Farrell, a historian in the Oral History Center at UC Berkeley. I specialize in contemporary cocktail history and am the project lead for "West Coast Cocktails: An Oral History."
Now, I'm turning this work into a book and focusing on the Bay Area. The Bay doesn't always get the credit they deserve for the contributions they've made to cocktail culture over the past 30 years. I'm hoping to change that with this book (title TBD).
The Book.
The book will be a narrative history of the distillers, bartenders, bar owners, and writers who made the Bay Area one of the strongest bar communities in the country. It will feature the men and women who helped shaped contemporary cocktail culture.
The book will be out in summer 2017, and I couldn't be more excited to share it with all of you.
The Ask.
The world isn't perfect and publishing is tough. I didn't receive an advance or a budget for the artwork. This story wouldn't be complete without compelling visuals, and I've commissioned original photography to help bring the book's words to life.
Contributions to this campaign will help off-set the costs of the photography, like artist time, backdrops, and other supplies. By supporting this campaign, you'll be helping to tell the story of Bay Area cocktails by giving the book beautiful photographs to support its narrative-rich content.
The Need.
I'm working with three very talented and generous people, including Nando-Alvarez Perez, Jon Santer, and Vaughan Glidden. Nando and Jon are taking photographs and Vaughan is doing prop styling, a very necessary component to a good photo.
They are all working on this project for well below their normal rates, and I couldn't be more grateful. However, I'd like to pay them as much as possible.
The $5,500 that I'm hoping to raise will go to:
- Paying for artist time
- Paying for supplies used in photographs like backdrops and fresh ingredients
- None of the money raised will go to me - all of the money raised goes directly to the artists
The Good Stuff.
What you get:
- A signed copy of the book (only available for pre-sale right here and now)
- Post-card packs featuring photos from the book (another pre-sale)
- Enlarged photographs from the book
- Entry to our party at Hamlet in San Francisco
- An open bar at one of our book release parties in summer 2017
- Shout outs galore
The Impact.
While I've written for publications like PUNCH, Edible East Bay, Distilled Voices, and The Oral History Review, this will be the first opportunity for me to elaborate about the depth and value of the Bay Area in the cocktail revival.
Your contribution will allow me to illustrate these stories visually with photographs made specifically for this book. And, you'll get to hold this story in your hand next summer.
Help Other Than Money.
If you can't contribute financially, no sweat. You can help in other ways!
- Spread the word on social media using the Indiegogo share tools
- Tell anyone you think may be interested!
THANK YOU!