Historically, Litquake hasn’t been prefaced by actual earthquakes, but this year seems set on keeping us on our toes.
Coming to San Francisco and the East Bay October 9th through 25th, the Bay Area’s long-running, beloved literary festival begins with a can’t-miss opening night party and ends with the famous (some might say infamous) Mission District Lit Crawl, with more than 50 overlapping events over four hours.
Here are some of the events that caught our eye this year at Litquake:
(Not So) Guilty Pleasures: Litquake’s Opening Night
Reading is so good for you; you should never be embarrassed by what you’re reading. That said, if you’re deep into edge-printed romantasy or turning backwards for some Sweet Valley High comfort reading, why not have some fun celebrating the books you aren’t discussing at cocktail parties? Submit your deepest, darkest literary indulgences when you buy your ticket, and comedy icon Natasha Muse will perform a custom set based on your answers. Enjoy food, drinks, and grooves from DJ Lead Teddy. // 7pm Thursday, October 9th, at Hawthorn SF Nightclub and Lounge, 46 Geary St. (Union Square), more info and tickets ($50 adv/door) at sched.co
A full house at a 2024 Litquake event(Kara Swisher)
Gilded Rage – Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley: Jacob Silverman
In Gilded Rage, New York Times bestselling author and financial reporter Jacob Silverman leads an investigation into the radicalization of Silicon Valley, tracing the promise of political influence, the enticements of deregulation, and the lure of technofascism. Silverman’s partner in this conversation is Alex Hanna, director of research at the Distributed AI Research Institute and co-author of The AI Con.// 7pm Sunday, October 12th, at Gray Area/Grand Theater, 2665 Mission St. (Mission), tickets ($10 adv/$15 door) at sched.co
Introducing The Approach
A new guerrilla newspaper meets literary magazine meets organizing pamphlet, The Approach will exist only in print and include voices of culture workers and thinkers on how to navigate our current world. Contributors to the first issue joining the launch event, co-presented with City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, will include Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Alexis Madrigal, Lauren Markham, Rebecca Solnit, Omar El Akkad, and R.O. Kwon. // 7pm Wednesday, October 15th, at City Lights, 261 Columbus Ave. (North Beach), free ($10-15 suggested donation) with info at sched.co
Bodies in the Ether: Fantasies of Flesh, City, and Magic
Hosted by Baruch Porras-Hernandez, this literary salon, co-presented and livestreamed by KQED Live, features authors sharing from new, unpublished works exploring identity, desire, and the cities we inhabit through the lens of speculative fiction, fantasy, queer futures, and urban magic. Brittany Newell, author of the highly recommended SF-based novel Soft Core, curated the line-up and will read along with Brontez Purnell, Eric Sneathen, and others. // 7pm Thursday, October 16th, at KQED, 2601 Mariposa St. (Mission-Potrero), more info and tickets ($25) at sched.co
The audience at a 2024 Litquake event(Courtesy of Litquake)
The Enduring Wild: A Journey into California’s Public Lands
Outdoor enthusiast Josh Jackson will be in conversation with KALW’s Marissa Ortega-Welch about his road trip spanning thousands of miles across the Golden State to seek out every parcel of public wilderness. Over mountains, across prairies, and through sagebrush, Jackson tells of the Indigenous people who have called them home for millennia, and of the grassroots organizers and political champions who have rallied to uphold the radical mandate to protect them. // 7pm Friday, October 17th, at KALW, 220 Montgomery St. (FiDi), free ($10-15 suggested donation) with info at sched.co
Litquake Secret Garden: A Trio of Events
Spend the afternoon in San Francisco Botanical Garden’s Fragrance Garden at this series exploring nature and community with musical interludes. Topics include Our Farmworking Hands Helped Harvest the Feast with The Commons; Fire on the Mountain: Survival and Community in California’s Fire Country; and Poppy State: Commune with California. // Three events from 1:15-4:45pm Saturday, October 18th, at 1199 9th Ave. (Inner Sunset), limited seating, BYO chair or blanket; free with SFBG admission, no RSVP required; info at gggp.org
The Tortured Poets: An Ode to Taylor Swift
Dust off your friendship bracelets (and your dancing shoes) for this tribute to Swift’s impact on culture and our local poets. Contributors to the recent anthology Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift—including Kim Addonizio, J. Jennifer Espinoza, Christian Gullette, Jane Hirshfield, Dean Rader, and Tess Taylor—will share their poems. Editor Kristie Daugherty will emcee for the evening. // 7:30pm Tuesday, October 21st, at Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St. (Mission), more info and tickets ($15 adv/$20 door) at sched.co
The infamous Litcrawl, which includes 50 literary events in four hours, ends Litquake. (Tommy Lau)
Something Unpredictable: Relive the 1990s with Bay Area Cartoonists
Four cartoonists—Briana Loewinsohn, Julia Wertz, Thien Pham, and Janelle Hessig—whose recent works recall being ‘90s teens in the Bay Area, will share their work and discuss the evolution of cartooning and culture over the past thirty years. Hosted by Justin Hall from California College of the Arts. // 7pm Friday, October 24th, at Mrs. Dalloway’s, 2904 College Ave. (Berkeley), free ($10-15 suggested donation) with info at sched.co
