a b o u t h e y d a y
Our Mission
Heyday is an independent, nonprofit publisher founded in 1974 in Berkeley, California. We are a diverse community of writers and readers, activists and thinkers. Heyday promotes civic engagement and social justice, celebrates nature’s beauty, supports California Indian cultural renewal, and explores the state’s rich history, culture, and influence. Heyday works to realize the California dream of equity and enfranchisement.
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Heyday’s History
Heyday was founded by Malcolm Margolin in 1974 when he wrote, typeset, designed, and distributed The East Bay Out, a quirky, personal, affectionate guide to the natural history of the hills and bayshore around Berkeley and Oakland. Out of this modest first effort a major California cultural enterprise has taken shape. Heyday publishes around twenty books a year, founded two successful magazines—News from Native California and Bay Nature—and has taken a lead role in dozens of prominent public education programs throughout the state.
From the start, Heyday has worked in partnership with many of California’s leading cultural organizations. We have produced distinguished books together with the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley; the California Historical Society; the California State Library; the Los Angeles Times; Santa Clara University; Sierra College Press; Save the Redwoods League; Yosemite Conservancy; and many others.
In 2016, Margolin retired from Heyday. The organization is now co-led by Steve Wasserman and Gayle Wattawa. In 2018, Heyday began national distribution for our books with Publishers Group West (an Ingram brand), one of the country’s leading distributors. As we approach our second half century of publishing, we invite you to learn more about Heyday and become part of our community.
Our Team
Board of Directors
Steve Wax, Chair
Managing Partner
The Cooke Wax Partnership
Sebastopol, CA
Tina Jones Williams, Vice Chair
Author Storyteller Folklorist
Former Human Resources Executive, Intel
San Jose, Berkeley, Livermore
Whitney Green, Treasurer
Former Senior Vice President of Physical Production
Walt Disney Pictures
Santa Monica, CA
Don Franzen
Entertainment Attorney
The Law Offices of Funsten & Franzen
Beverly Hills, CA
Bruce Goldsmith
Author, Screenwriter, and Playwright
Past President, PEN USA
Los Angeles, CA
Catherine Kanner
Owner
Catherine Kanner Design & Illustration
Los Angeles, CA
Zachary Karabell
President
River Twice Research
New York, NY
Brian Kenny
Director of Collections and Archives & Technology Manager
Hearst Western Properties at Hearst Corporation
San Francisco, CA
Marty Price
Former Teacher, Oakland and Berkeley Unified School Districts
Former Vice Principal, Oakland Technical High School
Oakland, CA
John Ptak
Film Producer
Former Talent Agent
Los Angeles, CA
Kevin Rivette
Managing Partner
Founder and Partner of Sherpa Technology Group
Portola Valley, CA
Deborah L. Sanchez
Superior Court Judge
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles, CA
Rose Soza War Soldier
Assistant Professor, Native American Studies and Ethnic Studies
California State University, Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
Megan Vered
Author
Writing Workshop Facilitator
San Rafael, CA
V. R. Ferose
Senior Vice President, SAP Academy for Engineering
Founder, India Inclusion Foundation
Author
Saratoga, CA
Guy Lampard, Chair Emeritus
Advisory Council
Susan D. Anderson
Lindsie Bear
Miranda Bergman
Nesbit Crutchfield
Frances Dinkelspiel
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Dave Eggers
Philip Kan Gotanda
Juan Felipe Herrera
Carol Blue Hitchens
Maxine Hong Kingston
Praveen Madan
Benjamin Madley
Kimberly Cox Marshall
Pablo Menendez
Innosanto Nagara
Viet Thanh Nguyen
Emiko Omori
Renée Richard
Greg Sarris
Jeffrey Henson Scales
Anola Small
John Tateishi
Lewis Watts
