Novelists, poets, musicians, chefs, and drag artists from near and far are gathering to present their best and brightest at more than 80 Litquake Literary Festival events this month.
Literary stars like bestselling authors Hernan Diaz, Marlon James, Min Jin Lee, Walter Mosley, Claudia Rankine, and Kim Stanley Robinson will be mixing it up with Bay Area writers and communities at venues throughout San Francisco and the East Bay.
Don’t miss these seven epic literary events:
(Courtesy of Litquake)
Litquake’s Opening Night Bash: Booksellers Ball
The Litquake community comes together to celebrate San Francisco’s independent bookstores at the former home of the legendary Paper Doll, an underground LGBTQ supper club active from 1941 to 1969. With an open bar from beverage sponsors Griffo Distillery and Saintsbury Winery, tunes from BFF.FM DJ Lead Teddy, and a literature-themed drag performance from Carlota Di Carlo, this will no doubt be a bookishly good time. Tickets are $50/person or $75/person to sponsor a bookseller or librarian. // Thursday, October 8th at 7pm; 524 Union St. (North Beach), tickets and info at litquake.org
Olivie Blake: Dreamland
Loosely inspired by the 1947 Black Dahlia murder, Dreamland is a dark and moody Hollywood fable about fame, ambition, and the price some people are willing to pay to achieve both. Bestselling novelist Olivie Blake, the author of Girl Dinner, will be in conversation with Kristina Ten, whose work Blake selected for the latest Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy anthology. Pay what you can to reserve a seat. // Friday, October 9th at 7pm; Gilman Brewing, 912 Gilman St. (Berkeley), tickets and info at liquake.org
Poetry World Series: Litquake Edition
A classic Litquake event, PWS pits two teams of award-winning poets—including Bhion Achimba, Rhoni Blankenhorn, Safia Elhillo, Prageeta Sharma, Angel Dominguez, and Ben Gucciardi—against one another in a poetry battle based on topics pitched to by the audience. The winning team takes the series title. Emcee Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) brings the emcee humor and charm. Book sales and signing will follow the final inning. Tickets are $15/person in advance or $20 at the door. This event is 21+. // Saturday, October 10th at 7pm; Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St. (Mission), get tickets and info at litquake.org
Artificial Intimacy: Sherry Turkle and AI
In her latest book Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines, Sherry Turkle explores the seductive and beguiling nature of chatbots presented as “perfect” companions. The psychologist, who has spent decades studying how digital technologies isolate us from one another, will be in conversation with New Yorker cartoonist Amy Kurzweil, whose graphic novel Artificial: A Love Story suggests an alternate path in which AI could be used to support and deepen real-world relationships. Co-presented with Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; free. // Wednesday, October 21st at 6:30pm; YBCA Screening Room, 701 Mission St., (SoMa), info at litquake.org
(Courtesy of Litquake)
Lights, Camera, Action: Porchlight Storytelling on the Big Screen
Some of the Bay Area’s finest writers and comedians—including Litquake co-founder Jack Boulware, Mukethe Kawinzi, Ali Liebegott, Allison Mick, TK Moyer, and sam sax—join this special cinematic edition of the long-running Porchlight storytelling series. Tales of the silver screen will take the stage with charming co-hosting by Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick and music by Marc Capelle. Tickets are $20/person in advance, $25/person at the door. // Thursday, October 22nd at 7:30pm; Vogue Theater, 3290 Sacramento St. (Presidio Heights), get tickets and info at litquake.org
Walter Mosley: Hanging and Burning
Walter Mosley, one of America’s most celebrated and beloved authors, will be in conversation with Carvell Wallace about his Joe King Oliver series at this author event co-presented with San Francisco Public Library. In Hanging and Burning, the fourth novel in the series, a dying gangster’s plea sends Joe King Oliver on a quest for a missing woman, unraveling a dark and violent family history along the way. Tickets are free with a suggested donation of $10 to $15; $33 for a signed book. // Friday, October 23rd at 6:30pm; SFPL Main Library, Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin St. (Civic Center), get tickets and info at litquake.org
Lit Crawl SF
Lit Crawl, Litquake’s infamously delightful finale, is a four-hour, multi-phase adventure bringing together authors and lit fans in and around the Mission District—the world’s largest free pop-up literary event. Pro tip: Don’t miss Dramatic Readings of Not-So-Dramatic Local Stories with the Editors of 7x7 at Ritual Coffee Roasters at 6:30pm. Try not to laugh as we bring you 25 years of poor predictions, ridiculous recommendations, and fizzled sensations from the archives. // Saturday, October 24th from 5pm to 9pm, download map and schedule at litquake.org
(Courtesy of Litquake)
