Young writers from two local academic advancement programs, Next Generation Scholars and the 10,000 Degrees program, present new work at this bring-your-own picnic lunch, under the spreading tree on the library lawn. FREE
Co-presented by the Women’s National Book Association
Celebrate National Reading Group Month with authors Alice Anderson, Donia Bijan, Sylvia Brownrigg, Martha Conway, and Achy Obejas as they discuss their sources and inspiration with host Anita Amirrezvani. FREE
Listen to some of the Bay Area's best and brightest poets (Kazumi Chin, Jack Marshall, Brittany Perham, Shabnam Piryaei, Lisa Rosenburg, José Vadi, Shawn Wen) read from their latest publications, which tackle subjects from marginalization and mimes to parenthood and physics. Signing to follow. FREE
Co-presented by Napa Bookmine, St. Clair Brown Winery, Hang Time Press
Come for the books and stay for the wine at this brand-new book series held in late afternoon during the Napa Valley harvest. Hear author Heather Young read and in conversation with Lori Lyn Narlock. Afterward, Angela Pneuman and Malena Watrous discuss their latest works over a glass of wine at the Napa Bookmine bookstore. Book sales, and wine and cheese reception to follow. FREE
3 pm
Wine and Words
Heather Young reads from The Lost Girls and discusses its remote lakeside location, the dark secrets that haunt it and the “lost girls” who populate it. In conversation with Lori Narlock.
4 pm
Old World Whine
Andy Demsky (Unleash Your Inner Tudor by Henry VIII) shares his experience developing a book that grew out of his humorous twitter account for Henry VIII that has reached more than 70,000 followers.
4:30 pm
Writing to Work
Angela Pneuman (Lay it on My Heart, Home Remedies) and Malena Watrous (If You Follow Me, Sparked) read from their books and discuss how their daytime jobs teaching writing, running a writers’ conference, reviewing books, and so much more inspires and impacts the stories they tell.
5:30 pm
Reception for readers and writers
TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR!
Literary Death Match returns to Litquake for a rip-roaring opening weekend of literary dazzlement. Part literary event, part comedy show, part game show, Literary Death Match brings together four of today’s finest writers to compete in an edge-of-your-seat read-off critiqued by three celebrity judges, and concluded by a slapstick showdown to decide the ultimate champion. Featuring Molly Giles, Luna Malbroux, Jane Smiley, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, and Irene Tu. Hosted by Adrian Todd Zuniga. Produced by Matthew DeCoster. Doors at 6:30 pm. $15 adv / $20 door
Co-presented by CCA MFA in Writing Program
Rich girl, street punk, lost girl, icon, scholar, stripper, victim, and media-whore: The late Kathy Acker’s legend and writings are wrapped in mythologies, created mostly by Acker herself. In the new, fully-authorized biography After Kathy Acker, described by Maggie Nelson as "setting the bar for what will surely be a new era of critical and biographical reckoning,” author Chris Kraus (I Love Dick) approaches her subject both as a writer and as a member of the artistic communities from which Acker emerged. In conversation with Dodie Bellamy. Book sales and signing to follow. (Photo of Kathy Acker by Kathy Brew.) $15 adv / $20 door
Ivy Anderson and Devon Angus, authors of the California Historical Society Book Award-winning Alice: Memoirs of a Barbary Coast Prostitute, walk and talk you through the vice districts of 20th century San Francisco, just before closure of the infamous Barbary Coast. Enjoy discussions of S.F. history, politics, and geography framed around the story of "Alice Smith," a sex worker whose memoir electrified the city during its serialized publication in 1913. FREE
Tour begins at the historic San Francisco Bulletin office at 814 Mission St. (behind the Westfield Mall), and ends at City Lights Books in North Beach, for a reception with light refreshments. Walk should last two hours total, and includes no significant hills or staircases. Comfortable shoes and layered clothing are highly recommended. Content of the talk may not be appropriate for small children.
Some are born to volunteer, some volunteer to heal their own wounds, and some have volunteering thrust upon them by life circumstances. Dr. Charles Garfield, founder of the internationally-recognized Shanti Project and author of Life’s Last Gift, artfully weaves together impassioned first-person accounts with insightful commentary on the skills to be learned from each volunteer experience. Tonight he discusses his work with monologuist, author, and hospice worker Josh Kornbluth. FREE
In the tradition of Calvino’s Italian Folktales, Greg Sarris (Grand Avenue) turns his attention to his ancestral homeland, Northern California's Sonoma Mountain. In the 16 interconnected stories of How a Mountain Was Made, the twin crows Question Woman and Answer Woman take us through a world inspired by traditional Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo creation tales. In conversation with Heyday Books publisher Steve Wasserman. $10 adv / door
Co-presented by DogEared Books Castro
Internet cult phenomenon. Tae Kwon Do Grandmaster. The D.H. Lawrence of absurdist, gay erotica. Buckle up, buckaroos! We’ll be celebrating the good doctor with dramatic readings of Tinglers from writer/comedians Wonder Dave, Baruch Parras-Hernandes, Allison Mick, Irene Tu, Jesús U. BettaWork, Natasha Muse, and Marcus Ewert. With titles like, “Space Raptor Butt Invasion” and “Pounded in the Butt by the Sentient Manifestation of My Own Climate Change Denial,” you'll leave knowing one thing: Love is Real. $7 adv / $10 door
A diverse set of writers (Faith Adiele, Vanessa Hua, Chad Koch, and Kaitlin Solimine) discuss the pressing question of cultural appropriation, and how it influences their willingness to write outside the confines of their experience and background. Moderated by Maisha Z. Johnson. $10 adv / door
On the 50th anniversary of this classic work of New Journalism, Word for Word's Off the Page stages their reading of Joan Didion’s controversial and complex portrait of the Haight-Ashbury, directed by Delia MacDougall. Market Street Kiosk Poster Series artists Deborah Aschheim, Kate Haug, and Sarah Hotchkiss then present their work on the Summer of Love's history and zeitgeist. Discussion with artists and director to follow. FREE with suggested donation
In these villainous times, the Bay Area’s long-running Porchlight storytelling series returns with "hero"-themed tales from Owen Egerton, Laleh Khadivi, Cleve Jones, Amber Tamblyn, Carvell Wallace, and Norman Zelaya. Co-hosted by Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick. Music by Marc Capelle. Doors at 7 pm for Typewriter Rodeo, direct from Austin TX, where poets write poems on the spot, about any topic you suggest. Show at 8 pm. $20 adv / $25 door
Co-presented by Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
The final event in our summer series at Yerba Buena! Enjoy line breaks during your lunch break, as some of the Bay Area’s best poets and musicians share their work in the great outdoors. Curated by Brynn Saito, and featuring Lee Herrick, Raina J. León, Sara Mumolo, Derrick Carr, and ContainHer (April Natalie Gee). FREE
In what has become a Litquake tradition, hallowed North Beach watering hole Vesuvio Café opens its doors for an edgy and entertaining evening reading. This year, we feature contributors to Golden State 2017: Best New Writing from California (Outpost19). Don't miss this rare opportunity to see authors from throughout the state perform new work in their natural habitat. Special guest Charlie Jane Anders. Emceed by Alia Volz. FREE
The wildly popular yet pseudonymous Italian author known as Elena Ferrante is best known for her four-volume Neapolitan Novels series, which follows two girls from Naples who attempt to create lives for themselves within a violent and stultifying culture. Named one of Time magazine's most influential people of 2016, Ferrante now sees her books increasingly adapted for film and television. Writer and Professor of Comparative Literature Sara Marinelli speaks on Ferrante’s narrative world and cultural relevance. Bring your own lunch. FREE
If the revolution starts at home, it starts with storytelling. In this challenging political climate, how do writers, editors and illustrators strive to create narratives of inclusion, activism and community? This panel discussion for grownups integrates raising children and building community with art and children’s literature. Kids are welcome! Hosted by Made-in-Oakland’s Chapter 510 & Dept. of Make Believe. FREE
Each year, publishers are increasingly committed to releasing visual books. Art gets to the essence of the subject in a different way than words, and visual works can often be just as rewarding, and stimulating. Authors Marissa Moss, Bridget Quinn, and Renate Stendhal discuss (and project) their newest releases. FREE
Co-presented by the Consulate General of the Netherlands
A stellar group of nonfiction writers discuss their recent works set in Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. With Mateo Hoke, Andrew Lam, and Jaap Scholten. Moderated by author and KQED book columnist Ingrid Rojas Contreras. Includes hosted wine bar. $15 adv / door
Co-presented by Museum of the African Diaspora
Supported in part by Poets and Writers
The recent anthology Of Poetry and Protest gives voice to the current conversation about race in America as it has coalesced in protest against police killings of African American boys and men, and serves as an excellent introduction to African American poetry. Tonight’s readings feature contributors Sonia Sanchez, C.S. Giscombe, devorah major, Al Young, and editor Michael Warr. Program includes a wine reception beginning at 6pm. Come early and purchase the book! $10 general / $5 students/seniors / MoAD members
Set within a contemporary black community in Southern California, Brit Bennett’s mesmerizing first novel The Mothers is an emotionally perceptive story about love, ambition, a big secret—and the things that ultimately haunt us most. Hear Bennett read from and discuss this extraordinary debut, named Best Book of 2016 by Entertainment Weekly, Vogue, and NPR. FREE
Logic is a new magazine devoted to technology and society. Tonight, its editors and contributors host a panel on Silicon Valley's political aspirations in the age of Trump. Since the election, the tech industry has been flexing its political muscle. How is it adapting to the new landscape? How is it interacting with the new Administration—and how is the new Administration using tech's tools to pursue its agenda? We'll discuss topics ranging from Zuckerberg's semi-presidential tour to the role of data analysis in "vetting" and deportations to social media, hate speech, and fake news. Hosted by Logic founding editor Ben Tarnoff. FREE
Co-presented by The Contemporary Jewish Museum and KlezCalifornia
Eddy Portnoy discusses his just-released book Bad Rabbi: And Other Strange but True Stories from the Yiddish Press. This irreverent, unvarnished, and frequently hilarious compendium chronicles a seamy underbelly of pre-WWII drunks, thieves, murderers, wrestlers, poets, and beauty queens whose misadventures were immortalized in print. Book sales and signing to follow. In conjunction with The Contemporary Jewish Museum’s exhibition The 613 by Archie Rand. FREE with Museum admission
A cinephile’s dream: the chance to follow legendary director Woody Allen throughout the creation of a film–from inception to premiere–and to enjoy his reflections on some of the finest artists in the history of cinema.
Eric Lax has been with Woody Allen almost every step of the way. He chronicled Allen’s transformation from stand-up comedian to filmmaker in On Being Funny (1975). His international best seller, Woody Allen: A Biography (1991), was a portrait of a director hitting his stride. Conversations with Woody Allen comprised interviews that illustrated Allen’s evolution from 1971 to 2008. Now, Lax invites us onto the set–and even further behind the scenes–of Allen’s Irrational Man, which was released in 2015, and starred Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone. $10 general public / FREE for Library members
More info: events@milibrary.org
http://bit.ly/2xcwvRF
Five East Bay authors read from their newly published books in this after-hours event at Oakland’s Main Library. Enjoy a glass of wine, make new friends, and hear from Aya de Leon, Meredith Jaeger, Elizabeth Rosner, Shanthi Sekaran, and Arisa White. FREE
“Queer is a word that suggests there's an alternative, ideal or normal behavior in the world. But the truth is we're all queer in some fashion, whether it’s our outward or our inner lives, humans are all unique and therefore variant from some suggested mean.” —D.A. Powell
In November 2016, Poets & Writers named Foglifter as “One Of Nine Journals You Need To Read.” Born out of the need for a San Francisco Queer journal that emphasizes transgressive, intersectional, marginal, and cross-genre writing, Foglifter boasts an editorial staff composed primarily of Lambda Literary Fellows and S.F. State Creative Writing graduates. Tonight, hear readings from hosts and Foglifter contributors Randall Mann and Baruch Porras-Hernandez, and more authors from the newest issue. FREE
Nature, money, work, care, food, energy, and lives: these are the seven things that have made our world and will shape its future. In making these things cheap, modern commerce has transformed, governed, and devastated Earth. In A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things, Raj Patel and Jason W. Moore present a new approach to analyzing today’s planetary emergencies. Bringing the latest ecological research together with histories of colonialism, indigenous struggles, slave revolts, and other rebellions and uprisings, Patel and Moore demonstrate that throughout history, crises have always prompted fresh strategies to make the world cheap and safe for capitalism. At a time of crisis in all seven cheap things, innovative and systemic thinking is urgently required. This book proposes a radical new way of understanding—and reclaiming—the planet in the turbulent twenty-first century. FREE
If you cannot attend the event, but would like to reserve a signed copy of A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things, order the book with this link and fill out the special requests field. RSVP is appreciated, but not required.
Co-presented by Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund
Each week over a million and a half listeners tune into the podcast WTF with Marc Maron to hear Marc and a guest do something remarkable: talk. The best of those interviews has now been collected in the new collection Waiting for the Punch, a hilarious, honest, and powerful running narrative of the world’s most recognizable names working through the problems, doubts, joys, triumphs, and failures we all experience. Think of it as an everyman’s guide to life, except with Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, and Amy Schumer. Featuring WTF host Marc Maron, in conversation with WTF producer Brendan McDonald. Book sales and signing to follow. $30 adv / $35 door
You may know Gene Yang for his award-winning graphic novels, but in January 2016, the Library of Congress, Children’s Book Council, and Every Child A Reader appointed Gene the fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Today, he invites you to take the Reading Without Walls Challenge! Inspired by his official platform, the challenge encourages every kid—every reader, really—to explore the world through books of diverse voices, genres, and formats. Book sales and signing to follow. FREE
