In a time when words are increasingly going electronic, what does it mean to print a paper book? As a writer, I admit to preferring the weight and texture of a three-dimensional book to an e-book. I already spend way more time on the computer than I'd like, and having literature in my hand allows me to focus and spend time with words instead of flicking back and forth between windows on a screen, multitasking and never really going deep with anything.

My sense is that the ephemeral e-book, while convenient for some, is still something that's pretty inaccessible to people without the money and the means to buy a device to read it on. Besides, there's something about the intagibility of an e-book, the fact that it's just an organized collection of sparks somewhere, that gives it less meaning for me. And, you have to buy e-books as if they were new everytime -- I'd rather find a dog-eared used book for a buck.

In my personal collection, my favorite book is one that has passed through several hands and shows evidence of its use. Notes have been written in the margins and back. The pages are worn. It has a leather cover. I know that others have pored over its words, thought about them, wrestled with them, found meaning and inspiration in them. I feel like I'm in a conversation with the author and the previous owner, both deceased.

As a writer, this feeling of having a book in my hand, especially one that has published my words in it, is extremely valuable. There's affirmation and legitimacy in it. Feel the texture of the pages and cover. Look, it even has an ISBN number. I can show my friends and family, pass it on to my children.

Clearly, there's a place and use for e-books. You reach different audiences in different ways. But when you're first getting started as a writer, I think there's something special about a paper book.

In the last couple months, I've collected stories and poems from our workshop participants, and edited them with the help of a great team of volunteers who are all also local writers. I've choosen a layout and basic visual elements, and worked with a team of volunteer photographers to capture images of Oakland for the interior. As a graphic designer and writer, it's very satisfying to have full control over a book all the way down to the typeface.

This anthology will showcase over 34 new and emerging writers from 20 Oakland Word workshops from between Feb and April 2010. Save the date for our book release, tentatively scheduled for the evening of July 8 at the Main Library.