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.
George Saunders (Tenth of December)
Thursday, February 7, 6 pm, at Book Passage SF (1 Ferry Building)
Being the subject of a major profile titled "George Saunders Has Written the Best Book You'll Read This Year" just as said book comes out is a tall order for any writer, but if anyone can handle the mantle ably, it's Saunders, the quick-witted author of In Persuasion Nation, CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, and other iconic collections of stories that probe the hypocrisies of modern life without neglecting to find the sweetness in human relationships. His newest collection takes an even more emotional turn, exploring issues like cancer and PTSD, but doesn't sacrifice his trademark humor and inventiveness.
StoryFarm
Saturday, February 9, 7 pm, at Intersection for the Arts (925 Mission St., #109)
A collaboration between Peg Alford Pursell of Why There Are Words and Graham Gremore of LitUp Writers, StoryFarm is a new monthly series of readings celebrating creative nonfiction, and also plans to offer workshops and writing salons for those interested in exploring the genre. To kick off their first reading, they've secured an outstanding lineup of authors, including Mary Roach (Packing For Mars), Mother Jones journalist Mac McClelland, Nancy Mullane (Life After Murder), Peter Orner (Love and Shame and Love), Lavinia Spalding (editor of the Best Women's Travel Writing series), and Tamim Ansary (Games Without Rules). Admission is $15, or $40 for those who'd like to attend a pre-show wine and cheese reception.
Dave Barry (Insane City)
Friday, February 8, 7 pm, at the JCCSF (3200 California St.)
Saturday, February 9, 4 pm, at Book Passage Corte Madera (51 Tamal Vista Blvd.)
Long-running humorist/columnist Barry has sidelined for many years as an author of comic suspense novels like Lunatics, Tricky Business, and Big Trouble, which was turned into a film. His latest is of a piece with those works, following a groom and his group of idiotic best friends on the eve of his wedding who become embroiled with Russian gangsters, a Haitian refugee, angry strippers, and a host of other wacky Floridians in a quest to survive and make it to the altar. Tickets to Barry's JCCSF appearance are $20 for members and $25 for the general public; premium tickets are $40 and $45, and include a signed copy of the book. His Book Passage appearance is free.
Women's Voices
Saturday, February 9, 6 pm, at Books Inc. Opera Plaza (601 Van Ness Ave.)
Sunday, February 10, 7 pm, at Book Passage Corte Madera (51 Tamal Vista Blvd.)
This tour of literary women features Pam Houston (Contents May Have Shifted), Zoe Fitzgerald Carter (Imperfect Endings), Mara Purl (Where the Heart Lives), Victoria Zackheim (Exit Laughing), Barbara Graham (Eye of My Heart), and Allison Bartlett (The Man Who Loved Books Too Much). Each woman will read from their fiction or nonfiction, creating a kaleidoscopic portrait of women's lives and interests in the modern literary scene.
