Steven Gilbar, Founder & Second Vice
President
Steven Gilbar’s passion for literature has informed most of
his life choices. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, attended the
University of Michigan (BA), and Wayne State University (JD). He moved to
California in 1970, where he became a Senior Managing Editor of Matthew Bender
Co., the Times-Mirror law book publishing company. He settled in Santa Barbara
in 1978 where he continues to practice law and produce books, starting with The
Book Book in 1981. This was
followed by several others about literature and reading, including Good
Books: A Book Lover’s Companion; The Open Door: When Writers First Learned to
Read; and Reading in Bed: Personal
Essays on the Glories of Reading. He has also edited three anthologies of
works about Santa Barbara: Tales of Santa
Barbara; Red Tiles, Blue Skies: More Tales of Santa Barbara; and Santa
Barbara Stories. Among his other books is Natural
State: A Literary Anthology of California Nature Writing published this year
by the University of California Press. In 1995 he founded Speaking of Stories, a
professional theater company that reads classic and contemporary short stories
before a live audience. In 1998, he applied for and received the 501(c) (3)
non-profit status for Speaking of Stories, and is excited about the
opportunities for outreach for which this provides.
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