Each week, we offer a roundup of the best literary events in the city. All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Want to submit an upcoming event for consideration? Go here.
Deb Perelman (The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook)
Sunday, November 4, 2-3 pm, at Omnivore Books (3885a Cesar Chavez St.)
A powerhouse combination of outstanding recipe adaptations, luscious photography, and gentle humor has made Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen arguably the most popular cooking blog out there, and after six years of blogging, her first cookbook has finally arrived. The book's 100+ recipes play to Perelman's strengths, from reimagined comfort food to decadent desserts. Admission to Perelman's appearance is free, but tiny Omnivore Books will likely be overpowered, so get there early.
The Stranger vs. The Believer
Thursday, November 1, 6 pm, at the Make-Out Room (3225 22nd St.)
The Stranger, the Seattle alt-weekly best known for spawning the sassy wisdom of sexpert Dan Savage and film critic Lindy West, has recently released a book, How to Be a Person, that offers advice for college students as they embark on the first chapter of their adult lives. For this special reading, West and co-authors Bethany Jean Clement and Christopher Frizzelle are making the trip down the coast to read stories of their youth opposite The Believer's Brian McMullen, Laura Howard, and Daniel Levin Becker. Buy a copy of the book on-site from the Booksmith, and they'll stand you to a drink or two.
Tom Wolfe (Back to Blood)
Thursday, November 1, 7:30 pm, at Herbst Theatre (401 Van Ness Ave.)
Wolfe (The Bonfire of the Vanities, The Right Stuff) is known for his pioneering New Journalism work, but in recent years, he's turned exclusively to fiction. After stumbling in 2004 with the critically lambasted I Am Charlotte Simmons, Wolfe has received plaudits for his latest novel, which follows a group of people in Miami ranging from the mayor, the police chief, and a young journalist to a sex-addiction psychologist and a pair of Haitian siblings. Tickets are $22-27, and available here.
Alison Owings (Indian Voices)
Thursday, November 1, 7 pm, at Book Passage Corte Madera (51 Tamal Vista Blvd.)
Owings is known for compiling rich oral histories of often voiceless groups, from America's waitresses to women who lived through the German build-up to World War II. For her latest work, she traveled across the country interviewing Native Americans about the challenges they face and the ignorance often expressed about their culture by non-Natives, who frequently don't realize that they're just as technologically connected and stewed in American pop culture as those who don't live on a reservation.
