Kathi Kamen Goldmark is known for many of her accomplishments in the book business—for being the media escort who founded the Rock Bottom Remainders, an author and radio producer; but among the San Francisco Bay Area literati she is perhaps best known as the person most likely to show up and support other writers. Last Saturday the Bay Area literati got to return the favor and came out to celebrate the Woman’s National Book Association’s presentation to Goldmark of its biennial award honoring a woman who has made “extraordinary contributions to promoting literacy, freedom of expression, a love of reading or women’s careers in the world of books.”

Special guest and fellow band-mate Amy Tan observed in her remarks about Goldmark that she thought this year’s WNBA award recipient fit all the criteria in the many roles she plays in the world of books. Capturing Goldmark’s exuberant energy, Tan shared with the crowd gathered at the Century Club in San Francisco the experience of how Goldmark started most of her phone conversations with “Hey, do you wanna … ” Tan said the blank could be filled in with suggestions as varied as to go to someone’s poetry reading to starting a rock band with authors.

“Kathi figured out a way to make books and reading fun,” said Joan Gelfand, WNBA president. The WNBA was founded in 1917 and has nine chapters nationwide. Past recipients of the biennial honor of an individual woman in the world of letters include: Eleanor Roosevelt, Pearl S. Buck, Blanche Knopf, Barbara Bush, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Pat Schroeder.

The WNBA chose to honor Goldmark specifically for her work founding The Rock Bottom Remainders—which has raised almost $2 million dollars for literacy charities since 1992—but the organization also noted Goldmark’s other achievements in the world of books.

When Goldmark took the podium, she was characteristically gracious and funny. She shared how Norman Mailer was her second client as an escort. “I lost him in Chinatown,” said Goldmark. “Imagine having to make that call to Random House?” As for her writing, Goldmark credits the band’s encouragement and the equivalent of a graduate writing program she gleaned from years of driving around some of the best authors in the world.

In addition to her books, Goldmark has contributed essays to several titles, and writes an advice column with Sam Barry called “The Author Enablers” for BookPage, which they are in the process of turning into a book. Goldmark is one of the organizers of San Jose’s annual Book Group Expo, and is also the producer of the weekly live radio program West Coast Live and still performs regularly with her band Train Wreck.

With all of that going on it’s a wonder how Goldmark manages to make it to everybody else’s book events, but somehow she does. All the authors on hand to watch Goldmark receive the WNBA Award told PW they were there because they know how much it means to look up at a reading and spot the glowing smile of the red head sitting in the back of the room. Goldmark not only shines in the spotlight, but by sharing it.