Category: Festival Schedule

LitCrawl, Phase 1: Saturday, Oct. 17

Phase 1: 6-7 pm

Lit Crawl launches Phase 1 with readings from local lit orgs, reading series, and indie publishers; themes of food, transgressive lit, spirituality, and online writing; Bomb magazine’s BOMB-aoke!; and our annual Clarion Alley madness!

Access a printable Litquake 2009 Crawl Map.


Clarion Alley, Between 17th & 18th, Mission & Valencia

Dirty in the Alley: Literature from the Gutter Up

(Sign up for Phase 2 Open Mic in Phase 1!)

Amanda Coggin, Stefan De La Garza, Cynthia Gentry, D. R. Haney, Diane Karagienakos, Andre Perry, Jen Siraganian,  Tony DuShane

Four Barrel Coffee, 375 Valencia

Kearny Street Workshop: I Left My Heart In…?

Musings on east/west dichotomies, bi-coastal travels, and the meaning of place.
Samantha Chanse, Khoi Nguyen, Brynn Saito, Nina Sharma, Alice Wu

Artzone 461 Gallery, 461 Valencia

Three Rooms Press

Peter Carlaftes, Joie Cook, Kat Georges, Karen Hildebrand, Dominique Lowell, Jane Ormerod

The LAB, 2948 16th

SFist and SF Appeal Present: Collisions on the Information Superhighway

It’s a two-way street. As opposed to writing for print, online writing is a medium of instant gratification- and immediate pillory. Join some of San Francisco’s freshest online voices as they grapple with the joys and heartaches of being ‘out there’ in the interwebs without a net.

Brock Keeling, Eve Batey, Katie Ann, Matt Baume, Christine Borden, Phil Bronstein, Ramona Emerson, Tag Savage

Forest Books, 3080 16th

The Way to Happiness: Spirituality in Challenging Times

Byron Belitsos, Matthew Fox, Brenda Knight, Nina Lesowitz, Kamla K. Kapur

Ti Couz, 3108 16th

Cherry Bleeds

Cherry Bleeds Presents No F**king Regrets: A loving embrace of our DNA’s inner reptile and transcendent transgression.

Melissa Hansen, Missy Church-Barrow, MK Chavez, Aimee De Long, William Taylor Jr., Daphne Gottlieb

Dalva (21+), 3121 16th

Instant City Magazine

Jamey Genna, Ana Maria Ventura, Gravity Goldberg, Sherilyn Connelly, Suzanne Kleid, Jim Nelson

Adobe Books, 3166 16th

Manic D Press

Thea Hillman, Jon Longhi, Tarin Towers, Jennifer Blowdryer, James Tracy, Eric Spitznagel, Jennifer Joseph

Double Dutch (21+), 3192 16th

Rebel Reading Series

Jason Myers, Karen Finlay, Dan Strachota, Stephanie Pullen

Elixir (21+), 3200 16th

Babylon Salon Spotlight Reading

Spotlighting readers from Babylon Salon, a quarterly reading series that brings together established authors, emerging writers, a featured literary journal and an author from its pages.

Jay C. Barmann, Kerry Donoghue, Nick Krieger, Anna Leahy, Ann K. Ryles

Creativity Explored, 3245 16th

Threepenny Review

Kathryn Crim, T. J. Clark, Louis B. Jones, Elizabeth Tallent, Tony Tulathimutte, Anne Wagner, Dean Young

Muddy Waters, 521 Valencia @ 16th

Mission Street Poets

Readings from a group of poets and performers who meet on the corner of 16th & Mission.

Charlie Getter, J. Brandon Løburg, m.g. martin, Jonathan Siegel, Amber Bouman, Guinevere Q, Peck The Town Crier (aka Chris Peck), Stellar Cassidy

Casanova (21+), 527 Valencia

San Francisco Writers’ Grotto: Psycho Babble from The Grotto

Oddballs, whack jobs, and loony ideas. The San Francisco Writers’ Grotto celebrates deviating from the norm.

Allison Hoover Bartlett, Elizabeth Bernstein, Po Bronson, Chris Colin, Janis Cooke Newman, Julia Scheeres, Ethan Watters

Mission Street Food, 2234 Mission St.  (Lung Shan Restaurant)
Note changed venue—no longer at Bar Tartine!

Meatpaper

Marissa Guggiana, Heather Smith, Chris Ying

Root Division, 3175 17th

Root Division: Quaking in the Roots

Root Division, an arts and arts education non-profit in the Mission that provides subsidized studio space to working artists, is proud to host a night of fiction, performance, and creative wizardry by four Bay Area writers.

Mateo Hoke, Miranda Mellis, Eric E. Olson, Christopher Lura, Christopher Cook

18 Reasons, 593 Guerrero

Edible San Francisco

Bruce Cole (emcee), Susan Coss (curator), Molly Watson, Novella Carpenter, Andy Griffin, Jeannette Ferrary

The Dark Room, 2263 Mission

Bomb Magazine Presents: BOMB-AOKE!

Re-enact BOMB’s classic interviews (available at BOMBsite.com) in a karaoke-style format! Act out Jonathan Safran Foer interviewing Jeffrey Eugenides. Or pretend to be Willem Defoe interviewing Frances McDormand! Best performance wins a free vintage issue of BOMB worth lots of dough. Special surprise guests writers!

Judges: Brian McMullen, Laura Howard, Paul W. Morris

Paxton Gate Kids, 766 Valencia

Paxton Gate Kids Presents: Edward Gorey Story Hour

Surprise readers will share classic Edward Gorey stories, like The Blue Aspic or The Remembered Visit.

*Bring your kids!

on to Phase 2
skip to Phase 3

LitCrawl, Phase 2: Saturday, Oct. 17

Phase 2: 7:15-8:15 pm

Phase 2 features Clarion Alley antics, reading series and indie publishers; social publishing with Scribd; behind-bars writing from HarperOne; voices from the Middle East, South Asia, and Afghanistan; zombies, smut, Jewish and Latino lit, 826 Valencia, a beekeeping store, and much more!

Access a printable Litquake 2009 Crawl Map.


Clarion Alley between 17th & 18th, Mission & Valencia

Clarion Alley: An Even Dirtier Open Mic

Break out that story that’s never been read. Disclose that secret your Grandma should never hear. To get your five minutes of fame, stop by Clarion Alley during Phase I and drop your name in the pickle jar. Just make sure to come back at Phase II to see if your name is called to do your best rendition of “Come on down!” (Extra time may be give to those sporting the strapless velour jumpsuit.)

Open Mic with emcee Tony DuShane.

Upstairs at the Elbo Room, 647 Valencia // 21 + over

Get Lit with Scribd

Hear debut authors chosen from the popular social publishing website read at Litquake!

Judges: April Eberhardt, Bridget Kinsella, Kemble Scott, Tammy Nam
Emcee: Joe Quirk

Downstairs at the Elbo Room, 647 Valencia // 21 + over

Bang Out Reading Series

Bang Out Reading Series is a quarterly event that prompts writers to “bang out” poems, stories and essays, presenting work that is dangerously spontaneous.  Emceed by Amick Boone and Kevin Hobson. Readers include Toni MirosevichRosemary Griggs, Meg Day, Susanna Kittredge, and Joe Cervelin.

Sub/Mission Art Space, 2183 Mission

Emerging & Established Latino Writers

Some have been writing for decades and some for just a few years . . . but all have something to say! Join poets, playwrights, and short story writers at the Sub-Mission Gallery.

Lorna Dee Cervantes, Alejandro Murguía, Jose Vadi, John Olivares, Emily Wilson, Marisela Trevino Orta

The Corner, 2199 Mission

Zeek Magazine: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture

Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture (zeek.net) presents a brace of self-identified (and fabulously talented) Jewish poets and novelists who grapple with the question of identity in their work.

Joan Gelfand, Yosefa Raz, Harriet Rohmer, Dan Bellm, Daniel Y. Harris, Jo Ellen Green Kaiser

Self Edge, 714 Valencia

From the Fishouse

A showcase of poets featured on From the Fishouse, a free on-line audio archive that features emerging poets reading their own poems and translations.

Paul Welch, Charles Flowers, Xochiqueztal Candelaria, Lee Herrick, Helen Wickes

Women’s Building, Audre Lorde Room, 3543 18th

Good Vibrations & The Center for Sex & Culture Smuttify Lit Crawl!

With good smut, that is… literate, diverse, interesting, hot, moving, erotic.

Blake C. Aarens, Jen Cross, Thomas S. Roche, Simon Sheppard, Carol Queen, Dusty Horn

Women’s Building, Room A, 3543 18th

Counterpoint Press

Come join Counterpoint authors Susan Dunlap (Civil Twilight: A Darcy Lott Mystery) and Nancy Spiller (Entertaining Disasters: A Novel (with Recipes)) in the Women’s Building.

Susan Dunlap, Nancy Spiller

The Beauty Bar, 2299 Mission // 21 + over

San Jose Center for Literary Arts: Bay Area & Beyond

A showcase for literary artists from around the region, The Center for Literary Arts hosts outreach and free readings by major authors and emerging writers.

Pam Houston, Nick Taylor, Rebecca Black, Shawna Yang Ryan, Daughters of Yam (Opal Palmer Adisa and devorah major), Andrew Foster Altschul (host)

Bollyhood Café, 3372 19th

East of Here:   Stories from “Dangerous” Lands

Authors from the Middle East, South Asia, and Afghanistan shed light on the clash of cultures, religions, and societies, both here and there.

Curator:  Soumeya Bendimerad
Shilpa Agarwal, Elmaz Abinader, Tamim Ansary, Rabih Alameddine, Manjula Menon, Shanthi Sekaran

Bruno’s, 2389 Mission // 21 + over

HarperOne Presents: That Bird Has My Wings

HarperOne brings together an array of local writers, artists, and activists—including Don Lattin (former religion reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle)—to celebrate the publication of San Quentin death row inmate Jarvis Jay Masters’ That Bird Has My Wings. The powerful story of Masters’ childhood leading up to his conviction, and his subsequent spiritual transformation while behind bars, this memoir has been endorsed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said: “His memoir is a plea for reform, for a common humanity, and I share his hope that this moving story will redouble our efforts to make sure that every child matters.” Drink tickets will be given away during the event and 10 copies of That Bird Has My Wings will be raffled.

826 Valencia

826 Valencia Presents… Young Voices

Come out to support local student authors from the renowned 826 Valencia Writing Center and 826 Quarterly.

City Arts Gallery, 828 Valencia

Eleven Eleven & Fourteen Hills Press

For Eleven Eleven: Jessica Breheny, Alison Doernberg, Steve Gilmartin
For Fourteen Hills: Jenny Pritchett, D.W. Lichtenberg, Jill Tidman

Amnesia, 853 Valencia // 21 + over

Opium Live!

Opium Live is a literary and artistic interview series that features 10-question interviews with today’s most innovative and exciting authors and artists.

Jonathon Keats, Alan Black

Borderlands Books, 866 Valencia

Zombie-Fest! Tales of Urban Fantasy

Bring your morbid curiosity and check out tales of urban fantasy and zombies!

John Levitt, Seanan McGuire, Loren Rhoads

Modern Times, 888 Valencia

Hot Off the Presses: Fresh New Fiction

Some bright lights of new fiction will bend your ears with wicked prose!

Josh Bazell, Lee Konstantinou, Victor Martinez, Todd Shimoda, Holly Shumas, K.M. Soehnlein, Christina Sunley, Wendy Tokunaga

Dog Eared Books, 900 Valencia

Babble-On Reading Series

Babble-On, a reading series for the zany, quixotic, erratic, and sublime, takes place the last Thursday of every month at Dog Eared Books.

Jan Richman, Sarah Fran Wisby, Maria DeLorenzo, Justin Jones

Encantada Gallery, 904 Valencia

Cutting-Edge Latino Writers

Irete Lazo, Kathleen de Azevedo, Maria Espinosa, Ananda Esteva, Paul S. Flores, José Antonio Galloso

Mission Comics & Art, 3520 20th, Suite B

WritersCorps

WritersCorps hires published writers to teach creative writing to
youth. Hear these writers read from the new City Lights anthology:
Days I Moved Through Ordinary Sounds: The Teachers of WritersCorps in Poetry and Prose.
Neelanjana Banerjee, Richard D’Elia, Aracely Gonzalez, Myron Michael Hardy, Cindy Je, Carrie Leilam Love, Milta Ortiz

Her Majesty’s Secret Beekeeper, 3520 20th

East-Meets-West “Be”-In: Faculty & Friends of the Writing, Consciousness and Creative Inquiry MFA Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS)

Randall Babtkis, Ching-In Chen, Stephen Kessler, Genny Lim, Sarah Stone

back to Phase 1
on to Phase 3

LitCrawl, Phase 3: Saturday, Oct. 17

Phase 3: 8:30-9:30 pm

Phase 3 presents publication-curated readings from Ping-Pong, Re/SEARCH, Narrative, Canteen, Tin House, The Believer, & McSweeney’s, S.F. Chronicle, and Watchword Press/Farallon Review; themed fun with Heyday Books, The Rumpus, Philippine-American lit, travel authors, haiku and poetry; comedy group Kasper Hauser, and even more!

Access a printable Litquake 2009 Crawl Map.


Between 17th & 18th, Mission & Valencia

Clarion Alley: In the Dirty Crevices with Kasper Hauser

Kasper Hauser will transform Clarion Alley into a different kind of alley: an alley of ideas, of the mind, an alley of fast-paced live comedy and dynamic book readings, an alley of getting to know your body.

Gravel & Gold, 3266 21st

Ping-Pong!

Gravel & Gold and the Henry Miller Library invite you to a reading from the Ping-Pong journal of art and literature.

James Maughn, Dan Linehan, Kimberly Jean Smith, Charlie Anders, Maria Garcia Teutsch

Ritual Roasters, 1026 Valencia

Narrative Magazine Presents: The Seven Deadly Sins

Narrative Magazine joins Litquake with six great authors whose work has helped narrativemagazine.com become the gold standard of online literary magazines.

Tom Barbash, Carol Edgarian, Melanie Gideon, Charlie Haas, Kara Levy, Matthew Zapruder

The Marsh Mock Café, 1062 Valencia

Inside Storytime Hustlers

InsideStorytime HUSTLERS features sex-worker literati, some from Soft Skull’s anthology Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, Rent Boys: Professionals Writing on Life, Love, Money and Sex.

David Henry Sterry, R.J. Martin, Diana Morgaine, Juliet November, Juliana Piccillo

The Marsh Upstairs, 1062 Valencia

Small Press Distribution Presents New Lit Generation

Trade a poem for a free book at SPD’s Poetry Trading Post! SPD makes literature by independent publishers widely available, and encourages young people to read and write with classes, events, and by putting books into their hands. Find books, New Lit poems, and much more at spdbooks.org.

Barbara Jane Reyes, Cedar Sigo, Kaya Oakes, Kiala Givehand, Alexandra Tremblay-McGaw, Ashley Redfield, Kaila Wilkey

Laszlo Bar, 2526 Mission // 21 + over

Re/SEARCH

James Charles Gatewood and V. Vale will present an audio-visual presentation encompassing the best-selling Modern Primitives book, with graphic illustrations. Charles will read a recent short story.

Doc’s Clock, 2575 Mission // 21 + over

SF Chronicle Presents…

Mark Morford, Joe Garofoli, Leah Garchik, Don Asmussen

The Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd // 21 + over

The Rumpus Presents…

John Wesley Harding, Vendela Vida, Bucky Sinister, Kevin SmoklerMichelle Richmond,
Stephen Elliott (host)

Revolution Café, 3248 22nd

Canteen Presents…Overflowing with Inspiration

Canteen is the literature and arts magazine that reveals more about creativity. Experience  five of the contributors to our fourth issue—novelists and poets who let it spill into the night.

Helena Echlin, Keith Ekiss, Andrew Sean Greer, Heather Kirn, Peter Orner

Latin American Club, 3286 22nd // 21 + over

The Believer Magazine and McSweeney’s Present…

The Believer magazine and McSweeney’s present poets Troy Jollimore, Joshua Clover,  and Rae Armantrout.

Fabric8 Gallery, 3318 22nd

PAWA & Arkipelago Bookstore Present: Of History & Myths — Writings from Philippine-American Authors

PAWA (Philippine American Writers and Artists) encourages the creation of literature and arts among its members. For information about their latest anthology, Field of Mirrors, and their Author Workshop and Reading series, log on to pawainc.com.

Emcee and curator Karen Llagas
Luis H. Francia, Aimee Suzara, Rona Fernandez, Jenesha “Jinky” de Rivera, Eileen Tabios, Benito M. Vergara, Jr.

Lone Palm, 3394 22nd // 21 + over

Tin House Presents…

An evening with four Tin House authors, with a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Thai restaurant featured in Katie Crouch’s story, “But First, Let Me Tell You What We Ate.”

Lucy Corin, Katie Crouch, CJ Evans, D. A. Powell

The Liberties, 998 Guerrero // 21 + over

Glamorous in Retrospect

Travel writers share insights, adventures, and mishaps from around the world.

Pamela Alma Bass, Carl and Karl (aka Geoff Bolt and Michael O’Brien), Francesca De Stefano, Natalie Galli, Don George, Jeff Greenwald, Larry Habegger, Laurie McAndish King

Cafe QueTal, 1005 Guerrero

The International Poetry Library of San Francisco

The International Poetry Library of San Francisco, a non-profit library for working poets and poetry enthusiasts, provides online and on-site poetry resources to browse, rent, or purchase.

Bruce Smith, Karen Carissimo, Rebecca Foust, Leticia Hernández, Jules Gibbs, Tomás Riley

Artillery Gallery, 2751 Mission

As You Like It: Imaginations without Limit

Emily Mitchell, Joshua Mohr, mimi lok, Warren Hinckle, Scott Keneally

Cafe La Boheme, 3318 24th (across from BART)

Sounds Like Crazy

God and physics, ghosts in Russia, bar mitzvahs in Appalachia, five people living in a house inside a head— one crazy event moderated by a shrink.

Marty Castleberg, Yanina Gotsulsky, Paul R. Linde, M.D., Shana Mahaffey, Ransom Stephens, Ph.D., Barry Willdorf

Muddy Waters, 1304 Valencia @ 24th

Write to Fight: Heyday Books Presents California Rabble Rousers

Emcee: Kate Brumage, Patricia Wakida, Elaine Elinson, Stan Yogi, Nesta Rovina, Jeannine Gendar, Mike Miller

Mission Pie, 2901 Mission

Watchword Press & Farallon Review Present…

West Coast Litmags serve up literature, music, and theater.

Britta Austin, Chris Straffolino, Maw Shein Win, Lewis Buzbee, Laurie Doyle,
James Hass

Receiver Gallery, 1415 Valencia

Lit Up Writers!

Brittny Bottorff, Laurie Frater, Kelly Kelly, Jennifer Lou, Mike Shur

Anthony’s Cookies, 1417 Valencia

Haiku Poets of Northern California

The Bay Area figures prominently in the history of American haiku. The Haiku Poets of Northern California (HPNC) was formed in 1989 to further the writing, study, and appreciation of English-language haiku and related genres.

Susan Antolin, Fay Aoyagi, Garry Gay, David Grayson, Carolyn Hall, Ebba Story

back to Phase 1
back to Phase 2

Litquake Schedule: Friday, Oct. 9

Litquake and Kepler’s whet your literary appetite with Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, live and in person at the Kepler’s store in Menlo Park. The festival then launches with Black, White, and Read: Litquake’s Book Ball at the Herbst Theatre, our only-in-SF mashup of recession elegance, literary hijinks and smarty-pants schmooze!



6:30 pm

Berkeley Breathed, author of Flawed Dogs: The Novel: The Shocking Raid on Westminster

Litquake and Kepler’s co-present Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, and the release of his first illustrated novel.

Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; (650) 324-4321 Admission: free
8 pm

Black, White, and Read: Litquake’s Book Ball

Litquake kicks off its ten-year anniversary with our first-ever opening night Book Ball, a mashup of Truman Capote’s legendary Black and White ball and a list of only-in-SF ingredients: recession elegance, literary hijinks and smarty-pants schmooze. Mingle with authors, extend your pinky with a cocktail or down our limited edition Litquake beer, all while enjoying arias from Bay Area Bach, grooving with the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars Combo and taking in a world premiere performance of an original musical tribute to Litquake. DJ dancing to follow. Note our tenth anniversary rollback ticket pricing! Attire: Fabulous and mysterious* * Optional cloaking device: party masks of famous authors will be available at the door — or be who you want to be and concoct one of your own!

Green Room (above Herbst Theatre), 401 Van Ness Avenue at McAllister Street, San Francisco; (415) 392-4400 Admission: $19.99 includes one drink & nibbles; available at www.brownpapertickets.com

Litquake Schedule: Saturday, Oct. 10

The SF Main Library’s Koret Auditorium hosts Litquake’s traditional “Off the Richter Scale” reading series from 11 am to 6 pm, with each hour devoted to a different literary style and genre. Evening events range from musicians and music writers, to sci-fi authors of color, and queer fiction read out loud in a barbershop!



11 am- 5 pm

Off the Richter Scale

Writers who will shake up your literary world! A whirlwind reading tour through a vast array of literary styles and genres, from nonfiction to science fiction to poetry, memoir and visual works. Book sales and signing to follow.

San Francisco Main Library, Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco
(415) 557-4595
Admission: free
11 am-12 noon

The Way Things Were: Biography and History

Dan Dion, David Helvarg, Gary M. Pomerantz, Kirsten T. Saxton, Linda Himelstein, T.J. Stiles

[Gallery not found]

12 noon-1 pm

As I Recall It: Memoir

Andy Raskin, Canyon Sam, Genine Lentine, Holly Payne, Sophia Raday, Steven Winn

[Gallery not found]

1-2 pm

A Different Way of Seeing Things: Poetry

Diane di Prima, Alexandra Teague, Brian Teare, Camille T. DungyLisa Gluskin Stonestreet, Paul Corman-Roberts

2-3 pm

In Other Worlds: Science Fiction & Fantasy

David P. Murphy, John Shirley, Peter S. Beagle, S.G. Browne

[Gallery not found]

3-4pm

Visualize This: Graphic & Illustrated Works

Annice Jacoby, Ben Fong-Torres, Camille Picott, Ivory Madison, the Stanford Graphic Novel Project

4-5 pm

May You Live in Interesting Times: Just the Way Things Are

Geoffrey Nunberg, Jane Vandenburgh, Jess Walter, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, Wagner James Au

[Gallery not found]

6-8 pm

Chaos Is a Friend of Mine

Authors and musicians spew forth on the topic of music. With Sam Barry, Alan Black, David Comfort, Jon Ginoli, Linda Robertson, RU Sirius, Denise Sullivan, and Richie Unterberger. Emceed by Litquake co-founder Jack Boulware. Book sales and signing to follow.

Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk Street, San Francisco; (415) 923-0923
Admission: $5 at the door
21 and over
7 pm

Color Me SF:
The Science Fiction Worlds of Octavia Butler & Carl Brandon

Join us for a panel on Octavia Butler, one of science fiction’s preeminent authors of color. Readings, audience Q&A, and discussion of the Carl Brandon Society, “dedicated to addressing the representation of people of color in the fantastical genres.” Moderator: author Terry Bisson. Cash bar to benefit the Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Note: 7 pm is the correct starting time.

Variety Preview Room Theatre, 582 Market Street, First Floor, San Francisco
(415)572-1015
Admission: $5 at the door
8 pm

Be Afraid! Evil Queens, Menacing Dykes, and Secret Gay Agendas

From lurid pulp novels to YouTube sermons, America’s fear of the gay menace still runs strong. They could be your neighbors or your children’s teachers. They could be lurking in your locker rooms and your foxholes, moving, one step at a time, closer to world domination. Are these just crazy conspiracies, or is there something real to fear about the shadowy queens and dykes forced to skulk on the edges of society? Readings by Marcus Ewert, Justin Chin, Aaron Shurin, Justin Hall, Monica Nolan, and Meliza Bañales.

Joe’s Barbershop, 2150 Market Street, San Francisco
(415) 255-9096
Admission: $5 at the door

Litquake Schedule: Sunday, Oct. 11

Sunday afternoon at the Koret, our “Shaken and Stirred: Litquake in Conversation” presents hour-long panel discussions that highlight the cutting-edge subjects of literary life, from genre writing, to science, books to film, and the value of the essay. British author Roz Savage is at Books Inc., our customized Literary North Beach Walking Tour begins at 5 p.m., and the evening continues with the exclusive Bay Area premiere of the 2008 documentary film One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur, and festival favorite Barely Published Authors at the Make-Out Room.



12:30 pm-4:30 pm

Shaken and Stirred: Litquake in Conversation

An afternoon of invigorating panel discussions that highlight the cutting-edge subjects of literary life. Book sales and signing to follow.

San Francisco Main Library, Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco
(415) 557-4595
Admission: free
12:30-1:25 pm

Genre Writing: Literary Ghetto or Publishing Opportunity?

It’s no secret that the mainstream book business doesn’t consider fiction like thrillers, romances, and mysteries “literary.” And yet these types of novels are not only extremely popular, they’re often easier for writers to sell to agents and publishers. Some of the Bay Area’s top genre authors will talk about this dilemma and about how strong protagonists, good writing, and great storytelling don’t have to be limited to “literary” fiction. Moderator: Pamela Feinsilber. With Jessica Barksdale Inclan, Laurie R. King Christi Phillips.

1:30-2:25 pm

Outside the Lab: Meshing Science with the Real World

Science writers and journalists explore the humane and ecological sides of scientific inquiry. Moderator: David Ewing Duncan. With Peter Laufer, Susan Freinkel, Douglas Carlton Abrams.

2:30-3:25 pm

The Value of the Essay in the 21st Century

The essay is a powerful tool for students, scholars, educators and anyone else who wants to persuade and communicate effectively. In a time when anyone’s thoughts can be published almost instantaneously on the web, appreciating the power and understanding the elements of an incisive essay is more pertinent then ever. Presented in conjunction with Stanford Humanities Center. Moderator: Robert Harrison. With Dan Edelstein, Andrea Lunsford, Nicholas Jenkins.

3:30-4:25 pm

Beyond the Book: Adapting Writing for Other Media

What happens when a book attracts interest from other media and vice versa? Two Bay Area writing teams discuss the process of adaptation, and the inherent differences between the printed word and a story told for the screen. Moderator: Oscar Villalon. With Keith and Kent Zimmerman, Logan and Noah Miller.

3 pm

Roz Savage, author of Rowing the Atlantic: Lessons Learned on the Open Ocean

Litquake and Books Inc. welcome British author Roz Savage, who is also an ocean rower, amateur runner, environmental advocate, and motivational speaker.

Books Inc. in the Marina, 2251 Chestnut Street, San Francisco
(415) 931-3633
Admission: free
5 pm

Literary North Beach Walking Tour

You know Kerouac and Ginsberg, but how about Rexroth and Watts? Get acquainted with the literary lights on this ramble through North Beach (approximately 60-90 minutes in length).

Start at the Beat Museum, 540 Broadway, San Francisco
Admission: free
7 pm

Barely Published Authors

Readings by the Bay Area’s best up-and-coming masters of prose. With Katie Burke, Joshua Citrak, Andrew Dugas, Luke Heyerman, Robert McLaughlin, Shana McLean Moore, Peg Alford Pursell, Matt Stewart. Emceed by Ransom Stephens.

[Gallery not found]

Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd Street, San Francisco; (415) 647-2888
Admission: free
21 and Over
7:30 pm

One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur

Exclusive Bay Area premiere of the 2008 documentary film One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur, an evocative account of Jack Kerouac’s soul-searching retreat to a rustic cabin in the fog-banked canyons of Big Sur. Directed by Curt Worden. Featuring Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Michael McClure, Tom Waits, S.E. Hinton, Patti Smith, Amber Tamblyn, Jay Farrar, Jack Hirschman, and more.

Barrel House, 80 Tehama Street, San Francisco
Admission: $15
Tickets available in advance at Brown Paper Tickets
21 and over

Litquake Schedule: Monday, Oct. 12

The SF Foundation Center hosts our annual industry panel discussions on how to get your first book published, and sage advice from first-time authors. You may need to clone yourself to guarantee seeing all the evening events, from punk rock storytelling at Broadway Studios, to “Poets in the Pews” at Grace Cathedral, and staged readings of new works by local playwrights!


3-5 pm

Getting Your First Book Published: A Publishing Industry Roundtable FULL

Hear insiders’ accounts of the publishing process. Learn everything from why your query letter may not be working, to how Web 2.0 might play a role in your publishing plans. Bring your questions.

Moderator: Foundation Center director Janet Camarena. With HarperOne V.P. associate publisher Claudia Riemer Boutote, literary agent April Eberhardt, Scribd.com content and marketing manager Kathleen Fitzgerald, Numina Press Editor-in-Chief Yanina Gotsulsky, literary agent Ted Weinstein.

Foundation Center, 312 Sutter Street, San Francisco; (415) 397-0902
5:30-7:30 pm

Being Discovered: First-Time Authors Reveal All FULL

Learn from a panel of newly published, first-time writers about all that was involved in making their dream of writing a reality. Topics covered will include: finding the time and discipline to regularly write, identifying potential publishers, getting noticed by literary professionals, dealing with rejection, and publicizing your book. The authors will also talk about the literary communities they belong to, and how these played a role in the journey to publication.

Moderator: Kemble Scott. With Allison Hoover Bartlett, Seth Harwood, Linda Himelstein, Kathryn Ma, Shana Mahaffey.

Foundation Center, 312 Sutter Street, San Francisco; (415) 397-0902
7:30 pm

Poets in the Pews

Celebrate Columbus Day with some of the country’s most riveting and electric young poets, in the intimate vaulted chapel of Nob Hill’s Grace Cathedral. A rare assembly of spirited, passionate, and powerfully contemplative voices. All donations benefit Poetry Flash, the West Coast’s premiere poetry review and event calendar. With Brendan Constantine, Jericho Brown, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, C. Dale Young, Ilya Kaminsky.

[Gallery not found]

Grace Cathedral, 1100 California Street, San Francisco
(415) 749-6300
Admission: $5 suggested donation, no one will be turned away
8 pm

Journey to the End of the Bay: Punk Rockers Spill Their Guts

Litquake and Porchlight Storytelling collaborate for true tales of punk-rock anarchy and excess, launching the new book Gimme Something Better: The Profound, Progressive, and Occasionally Pointless History of Bay Area Punk from Dead Kennedys to Green Day, by Jack Boulware and Silke Tudor. Book sales and signing to follow.

Hosted by Beth Lisick and Arline Klatte. Storytellers include Lynn Breedlove (Tribe 8), Anna Joy Springer (Sister Spit, Cypher in the Snow), Bucky Sinister (Gilman spoken-word), Oran Canfield (the Farm), Rozz Rezabek (Negative Trend), Jesse Luscious (Blatz, the Gr’ups), John Geek (Fleshies, Triclops!), Chicken John (Circus Redickuless), Kareim McKnight (Barrington/Cloyne), Johnny Strike (Crime), and Hank Rank (Crime). Live music by the Avengers’ Penelope Houston and her band.

Broadway Studios (formerly the On Broadway), 435 Broadway, San Francisco
(415) 291-0333
Admission: $15 General, $30 includes dinner at 6pm; advance tickets to be available at brownpapertickets.com
8 pm

The Play-Makers

New playwrights and supporting organizations talk about how to get started as a playwright in the Bay Area. Staged readings of short plays by local writers, followed by panel discussion on the art,  craft, and business of making plays. With playwrights Eugenie ChanAaron Loeb, and Geetha Reddy. In conjunction with Playwright’s  Foundation, PlayGround, and SF Playhouse.

SF Playhouse, 533 Sutter Street, San Francisco
Admission: $5-$10 sliding scale

Litquake Schedule: Tuesday, Oct. 13

Many bookstore events to choose from, with bestselling authors like Mary Roach, Thad Carhart, and Project Runway’s Christian Siriano. Mechanic’s Institute hosts a panel discussion “Where the Mind Meets the Brain,” One City One Book author Doug Dorst chats with Adam Johnson at the SF Main Library, the National Book Critics panel discusses literary translation at City Lights Bookstore, and S.F Cinematheque co-presents a multimedia workshop and analysis of James Joyce at Delancy Street Screening Room.



12 noon Q&A, 7pm reading

Mary Roach, author of Stiff, Spook, and Bonk

Join New York Times bestselling author Mary Roach as she reads from and discusses her three books, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, and Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex. Presented in conjunction with the Center for Literary Arts.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, Room 225-229, 150 E. San Fernando Street, San Jose
(408) 808-2000
Admission: free
3:30 pm

Christian Siriano, author of Fierce Style: How to Be Your Most Fabulous Self

Co-presented by Book Passage and Litquake.

Book Passage, Ferry Building, San Fransico
Admission: free
6-7 pm

Where the Mind Meets the Brain

A philosopher, a neurologist, a psychologist and a noetic scientist walk into a library where they meet a novelist. The novelist asks the first question that comes to mind: What is the relationship between the physical body and the sentient spirit? Things get out of hand when he follows up with: What is awareness? Moderator: Joe Quirk. With Robert Burton, Paul Ekman, Alva Noe, Marilyn Mandala Schlitz.

Mechanics Institute Library, 57 Post Street, San Francisco
Admission: $12 to the public; free to Mechanics Institute Members and Litquake Bestsellers
Available at the door; reservations may be made in advance at (415)393-0100 or rsvp@milibrary.org
6 pm

One City One Book’s Doug Dorst in conversation with Adam Johnson

Join us for an insightful and most likely hilarious discussion between Doug Dorst, author of this year’s One City One Book selection Alive in Necropolis, and author/Stanford University lecturer Adam Johnson. FoolsFURY Theater Company will open the evening with a staged reading of an excerpt from Necropolis. Audience questions and booksigning to follow, with book sales by Book Bay. Presented in conjunction with One City One Book.

San Francisco Main Library, Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco
(415) 557-4277
Admission: free
7 pm

Collapsing Borders:
Reading Global Culture Through Literary Translation

In conjunction with Litquake, the National Book Critics Circle presents a panel discussion on how literature-in-translation explores global socio-political currents and what the role of the translator is in a world of rapidly crumbling borders. With NBCC board members Oscar Villalon and Jennifer Reese, The Quarterly Conversation editor Scott Esposito, Virginia Quarterly Review blogger Michael Lukas, and award-winning translator Katherine Silver.

City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco
(415) 362-8193
Admission: free
7:30 pm

Thad Carhart, author of Across the Endless River

Co-presented by Kepler’s Books and Litquake

Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
(650) 324-4321
Admission: free
7:30 pm

Dreaming Awake:
How James Joyce Invented Experimental Cinema and Disguised It as a Book

Paramedia-ecologist Gerry Fialka’s challenging interactive workshop probes how Joyce’s 1939 meta-narrative book/epic collage Finnegans Wake (and Marshall McLuhan’s Menippean satirized translation) presaged experimental and political activist cinema. Includes ultra-rare film clips from Mary Ellen Bute’s Passages from Finnegans Wake and Hollis Frampton’s Gloria!, and Joyce reading by author/humorist Merle Kessler. Co-presented by S.F. Cinematheque.

Delancey Street Screening Room, 600 Embarcadero Street, San Francisco
(415) 957-9800
Admission: $10  SF Cinematheque members, $15 non-members
Tickets at Brown Paper Tickets

Litquake Schedule: Wednesday, Oct. 14

Elementary schools and children’s authors once again invade the SF Main Library for the first day of Kidquake, local bookstores host visiting authors Kathleen Kent, Linda Gordon, and award-winning chef John Besh, and Amy Tan receives Litquake’s Barbary Coast Award in a star-studded tribute at Herbst Theatre!



10 am-12 noon

Kidquake, Elementary School Program FULL

Join twelve Bay Area children’s authors, illustrators, poets, and workshop leaders for a morning of readings, discussion, and special workshops designed to help fuel the imagination of kids from kindergarten to 5th grade.

Grades K-2 authors: Jorge Tetl Argueta, Diana Cohn, Thacher Hurd, Laura Joy Rennert, Rachel Rodríguez
Grades 3-5 authors: Cynthia Chin-Lee, Dave Keane, M. Sarah Klise, Scott Morse

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San Francisco Main Library’s Koret Auditorum and Latino Rooms, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco
6 pm

John Besh, author of My New Orleans: The Cookbook

Omnivore Books on Food, 3885A Cesar Chavez Street (at Church), San Francisco
(415) 282-4712
Admission: free
7–9:30 pm

Fred Rosenbaum discusses Cosmopolitans: A Social and Cultural History of the Jews and the San Francisco Bay Area. FULL

The Magnes Museum presents Fred Rosenbaum, author of the newly released Cosmopolitans: A Social and Cultural History of the Jews of the San Francisco Bay Area, and curator of the exhibit Jews of the Fillmore. He will discuss the city’s largest and most vibrant Jewish neighborhood. In its heyday between the wars, the Fillmore was a bastion of Orthodox, socialists, Zionists, and Yiddishists. But it was also an entertainment Mecca for the entire city.

Jazz Heritage Center, 1330 Fillmore Street, San Francisco
(415) 346-0961
7 pm

Kathleen Kent, author of The Heretics Daughter

Books Inc. in Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness, San Francisco; (415) 776-1111
Admission: free
7:30 pm

Linda Gordon, author of Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits

Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
(650) 856-0978
Admission: free
8 pm

Litquake’s Barbary Coast Award:
An Evening Honoring Amy Tan

Litquake’s third annual Barbary Coast Award for contribution to the Bay Area literary community is presented to Amy Tan, international bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter’s Daughter, and member of the all-author band Rock Bottom Remainders. Join us for this highly entertaining tribute-roast with special guests Rabih Alameddine, Sam Barry, mezzo-soprano Zheng Cao, Ben Fong-Torres, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Andrew Sean Greer, Michael Krasny, Roger McGuinn, Elaine Petrocelli, Armistead Maupin, and, of course, Amy Tan. Music by Los Train Wreck. Book sales and signing to follow.

Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue at McAllister Street, San Francisco
(415) 392-4400
Admission: $25 general, $75 includes post-event reception
Tickets will be available from City Box Office

Litquake Schedule: Thursday, Oct. 15

Day two of Kidquake at the library presents more authors and workshops for middle school kids, and bookstore evening events feature bestselling writers Sarah Vowell, James Ellroy, and Tracy Kidder. If that’s not enough, the Supperclub hosts readings in bed from the country’s foremost erotica authors, the Contemporary Jewish Museum hosts authors and artists exploring the works of Maurice Sendak, original short stories will celebrate Charles Darwin at Varnish Fine Art, local noir authors help expose San Francisco’s sinister underbelly at a secret location, and the Literary Death Match spills author blood at the Verdi Club!



10 am-12:15 pm

Kidquake, Middle School Program FULL

Join seven Bay Area authors, illustrators, poets and workshop leaders for a morning of readings, discussion, and special workshops designed to excite the imaginations of middle school kids in grades 6 through 8.
Grades 6-8 authors: Lewis Buzbee, Hillary Homzie, Wendy Lichtman, Elizabeth Partridge, Zilpha Keatley Snyder

San Francisco Main Library’s Koret Auditorum and Latino Rooms, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco
5-8 pm

Readings in Bed: A Sensuous Night at supperclub

Put on your nighties and join us at supperclub where the country’s foremost erotica authors will tell us spicy bedtime stories — from actual beds. Authors Violet Blue, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Stephen Elliott, Geoff Knight and Carol Queen will read excerpts from their books and answer your hottest questions. Moderated by David Henry Sterry, editor of the new anthology Hos, Hookers, Call-Girls, and Rent Boys.

supperclub, 657 Harrison Street, San Francisco
(415) 348-0900
Admission: $10 suggested donation at the door
21 and over
6-8 pm

Maurice Sendak: A Wild Imagination

In conjunction with the Contemporary Jewish Museum’s exhibit There’s a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak, Litquake presents Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket (An Unfortunate Series of Events), Lisa Brown (The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story), Thatcher Hurd (Bad Frogs), Elisa Klevin (The Paper Princess) and artist/writer/art critic Jonathan Keats (The Book of the Unknown) as they explore the odd privilege of writing for and about children of all ages. With pictures, some video, and probably an accordion.

Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission Street, San Francisco
(415) 655-7800
Admission: free with museum admission, $5 after 5 pm
7 pm

Original Shorts: Survival of the Fittest

Each year Litquake asks authors to create and share short original stories on a common theme. This year, in conjunction with the citywide Evolve 2009 celebration of the life and work of Charles Darwin, Kathryn Ma, Lori Ostlund, Cornelia Nixon, Sylvia Brownrigg, Russell Hill, and Chelsea Martin will write and read on the theme “Survival of the Fittest.” Co-sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Varnish Fine Art, 77 Natoma Street, San Francisco (note changed venue)
(415) 222-6131
Admission: free
21 and over
7:30 pm

Sarah Vowell, author of The Wordy Shipmates

Co-presented by The Booksmith and Litquake

The Booksmith, 1644 Haight Street, San Francisco
(415) 863-8688
Admission: free
7:30 pm

James Ellroy, author of Blood’s a Rover

Co-presented by Books Inc.  and Litquake

Books Inc. in the Castro, 2275 Market Street, San Francisco
(415) 864-6777
Admission: free
7:30 pm

Tracy Kidder, author of Strength in What Remains

Co-presented by Kepler’s Books and Litquake

Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
(650) 324-4321
Admission: free
7 pm

Subterranean SF: Hard-Boiled Writing with an Edge

An evening of readings exposing San Francisco’s sinister underbelly. Join a darkly inspired roster of literary and crime fiction masters as they delve into the shadowy realms of mayhem, murder, and much more. Hosted by San Francisco Noir 1 & 2 editor Peter Maravelis. With Robert Mailer Anderson, Cara Black, Craig Clevenger, David Corbett, Don Herron, Peter Plate, Dominic Stansberry.

Admission: free*
21 and over
* Note: this event takes place at an undisclosed location. Seating is limited and by invitation only. Please check back at litquake.org for tickets, map, and navigation instructions.
9 pm sharp (doors open at 7:30 pm)

Literary Death Match

Since launching in SF in July 2007, the Literary Death Match has spanned the globe—London, Paris, Beijing—but no question, the most epic episodes of the series have happened at Litquake. Join us for the third Litquake LDM: SF, Ep. 22, as we bring together a cast like never before, with an uber-talented trio of judges: actress/poet Amber Tamblyn, artist extraordinaire Paul Madonna and SF Chronicle cultural scribe David Wiegand, who will pass judgment on a downright stellar literary lineup featuring Tod Goldberg (Other Resort Cities), Frances Dinkelspiel (Towers of Gold), Lynka Adams (A Skeleton at the Feast), and James Nestor (Get High Now (Without Drugs)).

Verdi Club, 2424 Mariposa Street, San Francisco
(415) 861-9199
Admission: $15 at the door
21 and over