An epic family read, Kirk Lombard's The Shadow Stream

Kirk Lombard brings a river tale to Local Economy in Oakland

Friday evening in Oakland, Local Economy hosts author Kirk Lombard for a family reading of The Shadow Stream. It runs from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, which is a nice window for kids, parents, and anyone who likes a story with fish, trouble, and a little weird animal wisdom.

Lombard is a fun mix of things. He is an author, angler, sustainable fishmonger, tuba player, and someone who has worked inside the juvenile rehabilitation system. His earlier book, Sea Forager’s Guide to the Northern California Coast, put Bay Area tide pools and fishing spots into words with a lot of care.

This new story follows Gabriel, called G, as he finds his way to the Shongunk River through his dying uncle. The river is messy, full of trash, full of life, and full of creatures with opinions. Then a developer plans to dam it. G and the animals have to act before the water stops moving.

Local Economy should be a good fit for this kind of gathering. The space has that Oakland neighborhood feel, casual and close, the kind of room where a reading can feel more like sitting in on a story than attending a formal talk.

Go if you want a low key Friday plan with the family, or if you like books that mix humor, nature, and real stakes without talking down to younger readers. The animals sound vexed, the river sounds alive, and Lombard seems like the right person to read it out loud.

When: Friday, November 6, 2026, 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Where: Local Economy, Oakland, California
Event info: PlanetZoop event page

Kirk Lombard is an author, angler, sustainable fishmonger and tuba player who worked inside the juvenile rehabilitation system. His first book, the award-winning Sea Forager’s Guide to the Northern California Coast, was described as “poetry” for fish by NPR.
Now he’s back with a throwback to family-reads-of-yore, this epic follows a troubled boy and a host of hilariously vexed animals who must save a river before it’s dammed, so they can save themselves.
Gabriel (“G” for short) is wasting away in the Abiddon County Juvenile Center when he’s introduced to the Shongunk River by his dying uncle. The river valley — trash-heaped but chock-full of mysteries and fish — wins G over. But, as G has learned, good things can’t last. The Shongunk is scheduled to be dammed by a local developer. In a matter of days, it will cease flowing, and all of the talkative creatures who live in the river valley will be as homeless as G.
Just as G decides it’s no time to accept his fate, so too do the animals. To inspire an uprising, a young trout is nominated to make a fateful journey up the river; a raccoon swears a violent oath against humans; and a newly sober buck leads his skittish flock out of harm’s way. Together with G, they show there is power in all of us, even the smallest minnow.
An event for the whole family on a Friday evening.