Love, Murder and Taxi Dancers in the Stingaree District, 1935

Marivi Soliven is bringing her new novel, Taxi Dancer, to the San Diego Central Public Library on Tuesday, October 6, for a reading and book signing. The evening is built around the book, which Soliven describes as being based on a true story set in San Diego's historic downtown Stingaree District. It draws on the city's Depression-era taxi dance halls, those places where you paid for a dance by the song, and the whole thing is rooted in the city's own past.

The night starts with live music. The Zzymzzy Quartet, billed as San Diego swing masters, plays Prohibition-era hot swing from 5:30 to 6:30 PM, so there's a full hour of music before the talk begins. After that, Soliven presents Taxi Dancer in conversation with Lee Ann Kim, and she'll be signing copies throughout the evening. Period attire is encouraged, so if you've got something that fits the era, this is a good night to wear it.

The whole thing runs from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at the library, 330 Park Blvd, and it's free. Between the live swing and the talk, it's a long stretch of an evening, so you might want to arrive early for the music. It's for ages 18 and over.