Community Calendar

We had a lot of fun with this topic in November. So once again, at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, January 13th, the Ventura County Interfaith Community will explore what three faiths have to say about the animal kingdom. Join us at Alma Via Senior Living Center (2500 N Ponderosa Dr, Camarillo, CA 93010) and discover how the Jewish community, Muslims, and Hindus view their relationship to animals. Speakers will take questions from the audience.

Admission is free, and all are welcome. Please invite friends and family for what promises to be a fascinating evening.

Across the nation, the boundaries of free speech are being tested. From challenges facing journalism, higher education, and peaceful protest to debates over academic freedom and viewpoint diveristy, questions about the First Amendment are taking on new urgency. How can we make sense of these shifts and protect the core freedoms that systain a democratic society?

This luncheon, sponsored by American Association of University Women Interbranch Council (Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, and Simi Valley, will feature a panel of faculty and students from The Colleges of Law in Ventura and Santa Barbara that will discuss the topic. Led by Dean and Chief Academic Officer, Brandy Price, JD, the panel will address these questions and more.

Tickets are $40 for buffet Italian lunch and program. Register by January 12th to ensure your spot.

Simi Valley author Faline Kissick celebrates the release of My Redeemer and Me, a faith-centered memoir about healing from childhood trauma and finding peace in God’s presence. Guest host Julieann Hartman (Healing Journeys Today). Books available on site, with signing and light refreshments to follow. Content note: discussion of childhood trauma and may reference abuse. Recommended for mature audiences. RSVP at facebook.com/falinekissick

Bestselling author and Grammy-nominated musician Michelle Zauner (Japanese Breakfast) shares the moving story behind her memoir Crying in H Mart, a powerful meditation on family, food, identity and loss. Through lyrical prose and emotional honesty, Zauner explores her Korean-American heritage and her mother’s enduring influence, evoking the tastes and textures that shape memory.

The UCSB Reads 2026 book selection is Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. Zauner's debut book spent 60 weeks on The New York Times hardcover non-fiction bestseller list and received a 2022 American Book Award and the 2021 Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir & Autobiography. It was also named a top book of the year by numerous publications, including TIME, The Atlantic, and Entertainment Weekly.

Michelle Zauner is a young Korean-American musician, singer, songwriter, director, and author. She is the lead vocalist of acclaimed indie pop band Japanese Breakfast. The band’s third album, Jubilee (2021), charted on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 56, and was nominated for two Grammy Awards – for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album. TIME magazine named Zauner one of the 100 most influential people of 2022.