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3 APRIL 2024 — wednesday

• City Arts and Lectures welcomes journalist and podcast host, Shereen Marisol Meraji, in conversation with cultural critic, Hanif Abdurraqib, to discuss his new book, There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension, Sydney Goldstein Theater, 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, $49, 7:30 pm PDT (For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.cityarts.net/event/hanif-abdurraqib-2)
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• City Lights celebrates No.23 in their Spotlight Poetry Series, Isthmus to Abya Yala, by the former Milwaukee Poet Laureate Roberto Harrison, the title refers to the American continent, Abya Yala or "land of vital blood," a Pre-Columbian term of the Guna people which signifies the idea of a decolonized "New World" by indigenous groups,
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• Join Allie Rigby and Katie Marie Nealon for a free, public poetry reading for National Poetry Month; Allie Rigby reads from her debut book of poetry, Moonscape for a Child, followed by an Open Mic and possible letterpress demo; a fellow poet and printer, Katie Marie Nealon will also share her collaborations, and speak to the possibilities of poetry and letterpress; North Bay Letterpress Arts, 925-D Gravenstein Highway S, Sebastopol, free, 7:00-8:00 pm PDT (For more information and to RSVP, visit: www.northbayletterpressarts.org/upcoming-events-1/moriarty-herron)
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4 APRIL 2024 — thursday

• Sonoma State University English and Creative Writing Departments and Zaum magazine present the Sonoma State Community Writers Festival, including workshops, readings, exhibitors, and panels scheduled in both ballroom and classroom environments, Poetry Flash, Manic D Press, and many other exhibitors will be in attendance; The first readings from 4:00-4:50 pm will feature writers from the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference (Pamela Bordisso, antmen pimentel mendoza, Rashaan Meneses, Virgie Tovar, Ebony Haight, Frej Barty, Eliana Yoneda), Alexander Valley Room; an eBook and Chapbook event (Judith Day, Ed Mycue, Mary Holman Tuteur), Bennett Valley Room; Bilingual reading from the work of German poet Matt Sessner, Sonoma Valley Room; The next readings from 5:00-5:50 pm will be Sixteen Rivers Press poets, (Matthew M. Monte, Rosa Lane, Christina Lloyd, Murray Silverstein, Alice Templeton, Terry Ehret), Sonoma Valley Room; Feather Press writers read (Jennifer Barone, Cassandra Dallett, Ingrid Keir, Kalechi Ubozoh), Bennett Valley Room; Bay Area Queer Writers read (Liz Faraim, Wayne Goodman, Richard May, R.L. Merrill), Alexander Valley Room; and Wet Cement Press writers read (Thoreau Lovell, Michelle Murphy), Russian River Valley Room; The next readings from 6:00-6:50 pm will be Peter Kline, Brittany Perham, and Randall Mann read, Stevenson 1301; Reed Magazine writers read (Sophie Aust, Allegra Balbuena, Ian Meadows, Dylan Mueller, Ryan Steel), Bennett Valley Room; Jambu Press writers read (Virgina Barrett, Bobby Coleman), Alexander Valley Room; Blue Light Press poets (Diane Frank, Emilie Lygren, Prartho Sereno, Mark Tate, Ellery Akers, Steve Trenam), Sonoma Valley Room; and South Asian American writers read (Amna Ali, Moazzam Sheikh), Russian River Valley Room; the last readings are 7:00 to 7:50 pm and include Erotic Poetry (Michael Foulk, Yume Kim, Loria Mendoza, Christine No, Noah Sanders), Stevenson 1301; SFSU Creative Writing Program writers (Laird Harrison, Elodie Townsend, Evan Burkin, Michaela Chairez, Christopher Jones), Russian River Valley Room; WTAW Press & Betty writers (Anita Felicelli, Michelle Cruz Gonzales, Lillian Howan, Joanna Choi Kalbus, Julian Mithra, Marianne Villanueva, Olga Zilberbourg), Sonoma Valley Room; Bazaar Writers Salon (Kim Addonizio, Kirstin Valdez Quade, Kathleen Winter), Alexander Valley Room; Dominican MFA Students and Alumni (Brennen Belogorsky, Bonnie Carasso, Deidre Cavazzi, Caitlin Howery, Matthew Kline, Meg Neville, Dave Seter, Nichole Turnbloom), Bennett Valley Room; and Napa Valley Writers Conference Staff (Andrea Bewick, Iris Jamahl Dunkle, Caroline Goodwin, Angela Pneuman), Stevenson 1201; Sonoma State University, 1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, free, 4:00 pm-9:00 pm PDT (For more information and the full schedule of participants, visit english.sonoma.edu/community-writers-festival)
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• Lunch Poems, UC Berkeley's noontime reading series, presents poet Brandon Shimoda, The Grave on the Wall, recipient of the PEN Open Book Award, Morrison Library inside Doe Library, 101 Library Ct., University of California campus, Berkeley, free, 12:10-12:50 pm PDT (More information here: www.lib.berkeley.edu/visit/lunch-poems)
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• Mechanics' Institute presents a special reading in celebration of National Poetry Month, featuring California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick, Scar and Flower, finalist for the 2020 Northern California Book Award, San Francisco Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin, Blood On The Fog, and Oakland's inaugural Poet Laureate Ayodele Nzinga, Incandescent, Mechanic's Institute, 57 Post Street, San Francisco, $5 members, $15 nonmembers, 6:30 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.milibrary.org/events/events-activities)
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• Sonoma State University's English Department and Zaum Literary Magazine present the Sonoma Community Writers Festival, a community-based series of readings, panel discussions, and workshops, featuring featuring keynote speakers, poets Sam Sax, Pig: Poems, Hieu Minh Nguyen, Not Here, and over forty Bay Area independent literary organizations at a table bazaar to exhibit their services and publications, exhibitors will include Poetry Flash and Manic D Press, come celebrate with a gathering of writers from all disciplines and find numerous opportunities to strengthen your own writing, Sonoma State University Student Center, 1801 E. Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, free, 4:00-9:00 pm PDT (More information here: english.sonoma.edu/community-writers-festival)
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• Townsend Center for the Humanities presents poet and novelist Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, named one of the top ten books of 2019 by the Washington Post, reading from his new collection of poems, Time Is a Mother, in conversation with educator and author Cathy Park Hong, Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography, see website for ticketing information, BAMPFA, 2155 Center Street, Berkeley, 5:00 pm PDT (More information here: townsendcenter.berkeley.edu/events/ocean-vuong-writer)
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5 APRIL 2024 — friday

• Fresno State University's Chicanx Writers and Artists Association presents a reading, Q&A, and book signing with poet Cynthia Guardado, Cenizas, Kremen Education Building, 5005 North Maple Avenue, Fresno, free, 6:30 pm-8:00pm PDT (For more information, visit: calendar.fresnostate.edu/index.php?eID=2262)
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• Beyond Baroque presents novelist Myriam J.A. Chancy, What Storm, What Thunder, named a "Best Book of 2021" by NPR and awarded an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation, reading from her new book, Village Weavers, in conversation with short story author Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, What We Fed to the Manticore, followed by an audience Q&A, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, free, 8:00 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: www.beyondbaroque.org)
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• Zibby's Bookshop and Harvardwood presents Vietnamese-American multihyphenate storyteller Susan Lieu in conversation with author Jeff Yang for the launch of Susan Lieu's new memoir, The Manicurist's Daughter, featuring moderated conversation, Q&A, and a book signing follows, Zibby's Bookshop, 1113 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, 6:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.susanlieu.me/events)
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6 APRIL 2024 — saturday

• Fourth Saturdays presents the annual Garden of Verses Poetry Festival, a reading celebrating nature- and garden-themed poetry, featuring local poets Maria J. Andrade, Patricia Scruggs, Penelope Moffet, Andrea Carter Brown, Lavinia Blossom, Alice Pero, James Coats, and others, hosted by Karen Greenbaum-Maya, Lucia Galloway-Dick, and George Hammons, Oak Arbor at California Botanic Garden, 1500 N. College Avenue, Claremont, free, 11:00 am-3:00 pm PDT (More information here: www.calbg.org/event/a-garden-of-verses-poetry-festival-2024)
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• Beyond Baroque presents "Occult Experiments: Queer Transdisciplinary Poetics," a reading featuring Shelley Marlow, The Wind Blew Through Like A Chorus of Ghosts, Brooke Palmieri, Bargain Witch, forthcoming in Autumn 2025, Noel Alumit, Music Heard in Hi-Fi and Other Stories, and K. Bradford, in conversation with poet and scholar Ramón García, The Chronicles, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, free, 7:00-9:00 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: www.beyondbaroque.org)
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• Join photographer Chris Felver and San Francisco Poet Laureate emerita Kim Shuck, Pick a Garnet to Sleep in, for "Poetic Razzmatazz," an afternoon of poetry, photography, and film, in conjunction with Christopher Felver's show, "Whole Shebang," featuring photographs of celebrated writers, artists, and musicians; the exhibition is open to the public until April 14; Sausalito Center for the Arts, 750 Bridgeway, Sausalito, $10 suggested donation, 2:00-6:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.sausalitocenterforthearts.org/photos-films-paintings)
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7 APRIL 2024 — sunday

• The San Francisco Public Library presents an afternoon of queer Filipinx poetry, featuring antmen pimentel mendoza, My Boyfriend Apocalypse, Christian Aldana, The Water We Swim In, and Keana Aguila Labra, founder of Sampaguitas Press, author of Mohilak, San Francisco Main Library, James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, free, 2:00-3:30 pm PDT (More information here: sfpl.org/events/2024/04/07/performance-bakla-afternoon-queer-filipinx-poets)
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• Poetry Flash presents a reading by Janée J. Baugher, Seattle poet and author of The Ekphrastic Writer: Creating Art-Influenced Poetry, Fiction and Nonfiction, and Rebecca Foust, Only, Marin County Poet Laureate emerita, 2727 California Street, Berkeley, refreshments, free, 3:00 pm PDT (poetryflash.org).
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• Join North Bay Letterpress for a reading in celebration of National Poetry Month with poets Laura Moriarty, Which Walks, Elizabeth Herron, In the Cities of Sleep, Sonoma County Poet Laureate, and youth poet Athena Ryan; North Bay Letterpress Arts, 925-D Gravenstein Highway S, Sebastopol, free, 5:00-6:30 pm PDT (For more information and to RSVP, visit: www.northbayletterpressarts.org/upcoming-events-1/moriarty-herron)
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• Bazaar Writers Salon poetry reading features Armen Davoudian, The Palace of Forty PillarsSadness of the Apex Predator and Ghost Dogs, Roxi Power, The Songs That Objects Would Sing, and Dashaun Washington, 2023-2025 Wallace Stegner Fellow, Bazaar Café, 5927 California Street, San Francisco, free, 6:00 to 8:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: bazaarcafe.com)
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8 APRIL 2024 — monday

• Palestinian-American poet Fady Joudah reads from his new collection, […], come for an evening of poetry and stand in solidarity with Palestine, Maude Fife Room, 315 Wheeler Hall, University of California campus, Berkeley, free, 6:00 pm PDT
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• Green Apple Books will be joined by the Institute of American Indian Arts for a special reading with students, alumni, and faculty; featured readers include Tracy Abeyta, poet Jennifer Elise Foerster, The Maybe-Bird, Ibe Liebenberg, and Deborah Jackson Taffa, Whiskey Tender: a Memoir; Green Apple Books,1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.greenapplebooks.com/event/9th-ave-evening-iaia)
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• City Lights and The MIT Press celebrate the publication of Susannah Fox's new nonfiction book, Rebel Health: A Field Guide to the Patient-Led Revolution in Medical Care, exploring the next wave of health innovation and its ties to patient-led revolution,
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• The Library Foundation of Los Angeles and the Getty Research Institute sponsor a viewing of the eclipse accompanied by a live spoken word performance by Alyesha Wise, Carnival: A Book of Poetry; Arroyo Seco Regional Branch Library, 6145 North Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, free, 11:00 am PDT (For more information, visit: www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/poetry-park-solar-eclipse)
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• Library Foundation of Los Angeles presents award-winning novelist Tommy Orange, There There, finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and winner of the American Book Award, reading from and discussing his new book, Wandering Stars, in conversation with Sterlin Harjo, filmmaker and showrunner for Reservation Dogs, co-sponsored by Skylight Books, at Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth Street, Los Angeles, free, 7:00 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: lfla.org/event/wandering-stars)
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• Rivertown Poets presents a reading featuring Nellie Wong, winner of the PEN Oakland Reginald Lockett Lifetime Achievement Award, and author of Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, with Vincent Kobelt, Pinch of Salt, followed by an open mic, three-minutes per reader, online via Zoom, free, 6:15 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: www.facebook.com/groups/1341594256501837)
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9 APRIL 2024 — tuesday

• Cobalt Poets presents a reading with featured poet CP Maze, followed by an open mic, online via Zoom, free, 7:30 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/calendar.html)
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• City Lights celebrates the publication of Deborah Taffa's Whiskey Tender: A Memoir; Taffa will be in conversation with award-winning poet, scholar, and critic Dean Rader, discussing the formation of her personal identity as a mixed-indigenous woman, born on the California Yuma reservation and raised in Navajo territory, City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, free, 7:00 to 9:00 pm PDT (More information: citylights.com/events/deborah-taffa)
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10 APRIL 2024 — wednesday

• Green Apple Books presents a celebration of novelist A.H. Kim's new novel, Relative Strangers with novelist Dominic Lim, All the Right Notes, Green Apple Books, 1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.greenapplebooks.com/event/9th-ave-ah-kim-dominic-lim)
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• Beyond Baroque presents a reading with featured poets Tayi Tibble, Rangikura, and Harryette Mullen, Open Leaves / poems from earth, book signing and light refreshments will follow the reading, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, free, 8:00-9:30 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: www.beyondbaroque.org)
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• The Holloway Series presents a reading by Harlem poet LaTasha Nevada Diggs, Village, Maude Fife Room, 315 Wheeler Hall, Berkeley, free, 5:30 pm PDT (For more information, visit: events.berkeley.edu/english/event/236178-holloway-poetry-series-latasha-nevada-diggs)
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• The Thousand Oaks Library and the Ventura County Poetry Project jointly present a poetry open mic, held every second Wednesday of the month, featuring readings with local poets and special guests, come share your work and listen to others, hosted by Ron Fullerton, Newbury Park Library Meeting Room, 2331 Borchard Road, Newbury, free, 6:00-7:30 pm PST (Register to attend: libcal.tolibrary.org/event/10554134?f=h)
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• Books Inc. Berkeley presents writer and activist Summer Brenner reading from and discussing her new memoir, Dust; Books Inc., 1491 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.booksinc.net/event/summer-brenner-books-inc-berkeley)
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11 APRIL 2024 — thursday

• San Francisco Public Library presents Poem Jam, a monthly reading hosted by San Francisco Poet Laureate emerita Kim Shuck, What Unseen Thing Blows Wishes Across My Surface?, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Poetry Flash, featuring Joyce Jenkins, Editor and Director of Poetry Flash, Joy Road; Associate Editor Richard Silberg, Deconstruction of the Blues; Contributing Editor Lee Rossi, Say Anything; and poet MK Chavez, Dear Animal, Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room A, Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, free, 6:00-7:30 pm PDT (More information here: sfpl.org/events/2024/04/11/performance-kim-shucks-poem-jam-celebrates-poetry-flash)
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• Medicine for Nightmares presents poet Saretta Morgan, celebrating her debut collection, Alt-Nature, joined in a reading by Ingrid Rojas Contreras, The Man Who Could Move Clouds, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Tonya Foster, A Swarm of Bees in High Court; and Wendy Trevino, Brazilian no es una raza, Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, free, 7:00-9:00 pm PDT (More information here: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
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• The Poetry Center presents a reading and conversation with poets Priscilla Wathington, Mazza Writer-in-Residence, and author of Paper and Stick, and Sam Sax, Pig, The Poetry Center, Humanities 512, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, free, 2:00-3:15 pm PDT (More information here: poetry.sfsu.edu)
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12 APRIL 2024 — friday

• Beyond Baroque presents an evening of Latin American poetics, with works in translation in English and Spanish, featuring Frank Báez, The End of the World Came to My Neighborhood, Margarita Pintado Burgos, Ojo en Celo / Eye in Heat, winner of the Ambroggio Award, Gloria Enedina Alvarez, and Carlo Acevedo, Fortuna del día, followed by a Q&A moderated by poet and translator Anthony Seidman, as well as a book signing, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 680 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, free, 7:00-9:00 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: www.beyondbaroque.org)
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• The Book of Light Poetry Series, a reading series that celebrates the spirit and soul of the poetry of Lucille Clifton, featuring California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick, Scar and Flower, reading from new and selected poems, Books Inc., 1344 Parks Street, Alameda, free, 6:00 pm PDT (More information here: www.booksinc.net/event/lee-herrick-books-inc-scar-and-flower)
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• The Book of Light Poetry Series, a reading series that celebrates the spirit and soul of the poetry of Lucille Clifton, featuring California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick, Scar and Flower, reading from new and selected poems, Books Inc., 1344 Parks Street, Alameda, free, 6:00 pm PDT (More information here: www.booksinc.net/event/lee-herrick-books-inc-scar-and-flower)
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13 APRIL 2024 — saturday

• Beyond Baroque will award the winner of the Linda J. Albertano Poetry Fellowship In honor of the late poet and performance artist Linda J. Albertano at "To the Pacific"; event will feature readings from Frank Lutz, Brendan Constantine, Dementia, My Darling, and members of the Nearly Fatal Women performance-troupe Laurel Ann Bogen, Psychosis in the Produce Department: New and Selected Poems, and Suzanne Lummis, Poetry Mystique, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, free, 2:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/to-the-pacific-introducing-the-inaugural-linda-j-albertano-poetry-fellow-tickets-876286114357)
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• LitCrawl Sebastopol presents an evening with Alka Joshi, author of the Jaipur Trilogy The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, and The Perfumist of Paris, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol, 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm PDT, $25 (For tickets, visit: engage.sebarts.org/event/an-evening-with-alka-joshi/e560463)
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• Sacramento Poetry Alliance presents a reading with featured poets Luisa Giuilianetti, Agrodolce, and Iris Jamahl Dunkle, West : Fire : Archive, followed by an open mic, Sacramento Poetry Alliance, 1169 Perkins Way, Sacramento, free, 4:00 pm PDT (More information here: www.sacramentopoetryalliance.com)
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• Presented by the Nevada County Arts Council, the 8th annual Sierra Poetry Festival's mainstage event will feature some of the most exciting local and national poets and performers, it is the highlight of a month-long festival, taking place in venues across Nevada County; acclaimed poet Jane Hirshfield, The Asking: New and Selected Poems, will kick off the day, with poet and essayist Ross Gay, winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, and Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, featured at the closing; Poetry Flash will exhibit at the Poetry Place Bookfair, The Center for the Arts, 314 W. Main Street, Grass Valley, 9:00 am-5:00 pm PDT (www.sierrapoetryfestival.org)
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• RichOak Events, in partnership with Medicine for Nightmares, presents the Day Dreamer's Poetry Showcase, a monthly spoken word event that highlights voices often overlooked or silenced, featuring artist and poet Ciera Jevae, Unto Ivy's Rib, Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, free, 4:00-7:00 pm PDT (More information here: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
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• City Arts and Lectures welcomes novelist Anne Lamott in conversation with San Francisco Chronicle columnist Barbara Lane to discuss Lamott's twentieth book, Somehow: Thoughts on Love, Sydney Goldstein Theater, 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, $49, 7:30 pm PDT (For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.cityarts.net/event/anne-lamott)
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• Sebastopol Center for the Arts presents Lit Crawl Sebastopol, a four-hour literary festival featuring many readings and authors throughout downtown Sebastopol, concluding with an evening reading by bestselling novelist Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist, The Perfumist of Paris, longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol, $25, 6:30 pm PDT (More information here: www.sebarts.org/litcrawl)
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• City Lights in conjunction with the Gallery Wendi Norris and Reaktion Books present a discussion between Amy Lyford, Exquisite Dreams: The Art and Life of Dorothea Tanning, and writer, educator, and art historian Jennifer L. Shaw; using new archival sources and analyses of Tanning's work, Lyford provides the first full account of Dorothea Tanning's surrealist art, sculptures, abstract paintings and films, Gallery Wendi Norris, 436 Jackson Street, San Francisco, free, 1:00 to 2:00 pm PDT (More information: citylights.com/events/amy-lyford-with-jennifer-l-shaw)
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• Valley Contemporary Poets (VCP) So Cal Poets hosts the First Annual Northeast L.A. Poetry Fest, featured poets include Alice Pero, Thawed Stars, Poet Laureate of Sunland/Tujunga; Clem Tsang; Nicelle Davis, The Walled Wife; Shahe Mankerian, History of Forgetfulness; Pam Ward, BETWEEN GOOD MEN & NO MAN AT ALL; and Rhys Langston, Los Angeles College Prep Academy, 625 Coleman Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 11:00 am-5:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: nelapoetryfest.weebly.com; full schedule of poets at nelapoetryfest.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/7/8/11782863/2024_nela_poetry_fest_schedule_final5_4-5-24__1_.pdf)
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• Litquake presents "Grace Notes: Poetry at Grace Cathedral," curated and hosted by poets D.A. Powell,Useless Landscape, or A Guide for Boys, and Preeti Vangani,Mother Tongue Apologize, four celebrated poets (Brenda Hillman,In a Few Minutes Before Later, Cathy Park Hong,Minor Feelings, Dong Li,The Orange Tree, and Brian Tierney,Rise and Float) will read their work, Grace Cathedral, 1100 California Street, San Francisco, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.litquake.org/upcoming-events.html)
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• Lit Crawl Sebastopol presents a reading with Rivertown Poets, featuring Monica Volker, Words to Live By, Shawna Swetech, Terry Ehret, Plagios / Plagiarisms, Volume Two, Nancy Dougherty, Heaven is in Truckee, Claire Drucker, The Life You Gave Me, Jodie Hottel, Out of the Ashes, and Renée Owen, This One Life, sponsored by Sebastopol Center for the Arts, at Milk & Honey, 123 N. Main Street, Sebastopol, free, 2:00-3:00 pm PDT (More information here: litcrawlsebastopol2024.sched.com/event/1b4GR/rivertown-poets)
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14 APRIL 2024 — sunday

• This two-day workshop, "Building a Story: Plot," is led by novelist Nina Schuyler, Afterword; each session of the course covers a different plot structure, the first session, April 14, will cover causation plot; the second session, April 21, will cover braided or episodic plot, discrete events not connected causally but loosely by imagery, theme, or something else, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, $125, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.bookpassage.com/event/nina-schuyler-building-story-plot)
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• A Memorial and Celebration for the late Bay Area poet and performance artist G.P. Skratz (1948-2024) will be a time to share reminiscences, read Skratz's poems, sing his songs, or to perform or read your own works in his honor; all presentations should be five-minutes or under, light refreshments and potluck; if you wish to participate in the potluck, let the organizers know what dish you are bringing to share and provide serving utensils, beer and wine provided; the organizers are working on a Zoom hook-up so those unable to attend in person may participate, street parking or in the parking lot across the street, Rhythmix, 2513 Blanding Avenue, Alameda, 2:00-4:00 pm PDT (Please rsvp and state whether you will be attending in person or via Zoom: bobdavis@ccsf.edu and summerbrenner@gmail.com)
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• The Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at SFSU and Diaspora Arts Connection present a reading from new work in honor of National Poetry Month, with featured poets Saba Keramati, Self-Mythology, and Armen Davoudian, The Palace of Forty Pillars, Persian Center, 2029 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, free, 3:00-5:00 pm PDT
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• San Francisco Public Library presents "Roots and Resonance," a reading by two South Asian diasporic poets, Monica Mody, Wild Fin, and Sophia Naz, Bark Archipelago, Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room A, Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, free, 1:00-2:30 pm PDT (More information here: sfpl.org/events/2024/04/14/performance-roots-and-resonance-poetry-reading-monica-mody-and-sophia-naz)
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• Valley Contemporary Poets (VCP) So Cal Poets is hosting the First Annual Northeast L.A. Poetry Fest, featured poets include Raffi Wartanian, traci kato-kiriyama, Navigating With(out) Instruments, Matt Sedillo, city on the second floor, Frankie Tan, a jungle refuses to give up, Angelina Saenz, Edgecliff, and Juan Cardenas, The Beat of an Immigrant Chicano, Los Angeles College Prep Academy, 625 Coleman Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 11:00 am-5:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: nelapoetryfest.weebly.com; full schedule of poets at nelapoetryfest.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/7/8/11782863/2024_nela_poetry_fest_schedule_final5_4-5-24__1_.pdf)
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• DIESEL, A Bookstore in Brentwood, welcomes Paul Cummins for a reading from and discussion about his most recent book of poetry, A Family of Stars and Mud, Diesel Brentwood, 225 26th Street, Suite 33, Santa Monica, free, 3:00 pm PDT (For more information and to reserve a seat, visit: www.dieselbookstore.com/event/Paul-Cummins-Author-signing)
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• This workshop, "Writing Picture Books: The Rules (and How to Break Them)," led by children's book author Monica Wesolowska, Leo + Lea, offers a brief history of picture book writing, thoughts on the publishing world today, craft elements including characterization, point of view, and plot, with writing exercises to practice what you learn, and a chance to share your work, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, $115, 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.bookpassage.com/event/writing-picture-books-monica-wesolowska)
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• Sebastopol Center for the Arts presents "Being Brave," a poetry workshop led by Elizabeth Herron, 2022-2024 Sonoma County Poet Laureate and author of In the Cities of Sleep, attendees will take simple suggestions and brief writing prompts to connect with the heart and create empowering poetry, Little Red Hen Dining Room at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol, suggested donation $10-$20, 1:00-3:00 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: www.sebarts.org/classeslectures/p/being-brave-wiriting-workshop-with-elizabeth-herron-2024)
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15 APRIL 2024 — monday

• Green Apple Books welcomes novelist Michael Ondaatje, in celebration of his new book of poetry, A Year of Last Things: Poems, Green Apple Books, 1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm PDT, $30 (For tickets, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/michael-ondaatje-a-year-of-last-things-tickets-848841827757?aff=ebdssbdestsearch)
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16 APRIL 2024 — tuesday

• City Lights presents fiction writer Elwin Cotman reading from his collection Weird Black Girls: Stories; the seven speculative fiction short stories in this collection explore the anxieties of living while Black, City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, free, 7:00 to 8:00 pm PDT (For more information: citylights.com/events/elwin-cotman)
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17 APRIL 2024 — wednesday

• Join the Arts Research Center in celebrating the first chapbook publications of Poetry & the Senses Fellows Marisa Lin, Dream Elevator, and Cianga, Congo, seen from the heavens, reading followed by book signing, The Arts Research Center, University of California campus, Berkeley, Hearst Field Annex, D23, Berkeley, free, 5:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: arts.berkeley.edu/4-18-24-chapbook-launch-poetry-reading-featuring-marisa-lin-and-cianga)
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• Medicine for Nightmares presents The Last Supper Party, a monthly spoken word and music series curated by Kimi Sugioka, featuring Ryan Nanako, I Am Minor, Lia Le-Nguyen, and Katherine Park, followed by an open mic, Medicine for Nightmares, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, free, 7:00-9:00 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
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• The Holloway Series presents a reading by poet Tim Wood, Otherwise Known as Home, Maude Fife Room, 315 Wheeler Hall, Berkeley, free, 5:30 pm PDT (For more information, visit: events.berkeley.edu/english/event/237723-holloway-poetry-series-tim-wood)
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• WeHo Reads presents a poetry spa in celebration of National Poetry Month, featured poets include Terry Wolverton, Season of Eclipse, hosting the Poemaroma spa station; musician and griot A. K. Toney, RENT poet Brian Sonia-Wallace, Maze Mouth, will host the Poetry Bath spa station; pride poets Timothy Nang and Jose Rios host the Lotus Poetry spa station and Poetry Bingo spa station, and West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Jen Cheng, Braided Spaces, will host the Feng Shui Poetry spa station; The ARC - Respite Deck, West Hollywood Aquatic and Recreation Center (ARC), 8750 El Tovar Place, West Hollywood, free, 6:00 pm PDT (For more information and to reserve a seat, visit: www.weho.org/community/arts-and-culture/literary-arts/weho-reads)
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18 APRIL 2024 — thursday

• City Lights presents award-winning author Ana Raquel Miniana as she discusses her new book,In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States; this work of narrative history follows the lives of four migrants: a Central American asylum seeker, a Cuban exile, a European war bride, and a Chinese refugee, as they leave their home countries and make a life for themselves in America, City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, free, 7:00 to 9:00 pm PDT (For more information: citylights.com/events/ana-raquel-minian)
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• DIESEL, A Bookstore in Brentwood, welcomes Jennifer Croft, Homesick, with TV writer, memoirist and librettist Sarah LaBrie, for a discussion about Croft's new book, The Extinction of Irena Rey, Diesel Brentwood, 225 26th Street, Suite 33, Santa Monica, free, 6:30 pm PDT (For more information and to reserve a seat, visit: www.dieselbookstore.com/event/Jennifer-Croft-Sarah-LaBrie-Author-signing)
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• The Loft Hour invites UC Berkeley faculty to riff on their work over lunch, an informal conversation moderated by an ARC-affiliated faculty member, the April program features Cathy Park Hong, Minor Feelings, and Timmia DeRoy, 10,000: A One-Woman New Play Development, in conversation with Abigail De Kosnik, Minority Piracy, The Arts Research Center, University of California campus, Berkeley, Hearst Field Annex, D23, Berkeley, free, Noon-1:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: arts.berkeley.edu/the-loft-hour-cathy-park-hong-timmia-hearn-deroy)
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• Center for Literary Arts presents Leila Mottley reading from her latest books, Nightcrawling, a novel, winner of the Northern California Book Award, and Poems for Reckoning Day, Hammer Theatre, 101 Paseo De San Antonio, San Jose, free, 7:00 pm PDT (Reserve tickets: hammertheatre.vbotickets.com)
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• Green Apple Books presents a celebration of Lissa Soep's philosophical memoir, Other People's Words: Friendship, Loss, and the Conversations That Never End, a meditation on how, even after death, an individual's speech can live on in their loved ones; she will be joined by Chris Colin, Off: The Day the Internet Died: A Bedtime Fantasy, Green Apple Books, 1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.greenapplebooks.com/event/9th-ave-lissa-soep)
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• Copperfield's Books welcomes fiction writer and poet Michael Ondaatje in celebration of his new book of poetry, A Year of Last Things: Poems, Copperfield's Books, 140 Kentucky Street, Petaluma, 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm PDT (For tickets, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/michael-ondaatje-tickets-824379038897?aff=ebdssbdestsearch)
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• San Francisco Public Library presents Morton Paley, Emeritus Professor English at University of California, Berkeley, discussing William Blake's illustrated Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room A, Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, free, 6:00-7:30 pm PDT (More information here: sfpl.org/events/2024/04/14/performance-roots-and-resonance-poetry-reading-monica-mody-and-sophia-naz)
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• Medicine for Nightmares presents Speaking Axolotl, a monthly Latinx/Chicanx reading series every third Thursday of the month, hosted by poet Josiah Luis Alderete, Baby Axolotls & Old Pochos, featuring Xavi Burgos and Elvira Prieto, Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, free, 7:00-9:00 pm PDT (More information here: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
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19 APRIL 2024 — friday

• Green Apple Books presents a celebration of poet George Albon's new collection, The Built World, with poets Avery Burns, In the Margins, and Dennis Phillips, Mappa Mundi, Green Apple Books,1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.greenapplebooks.com/event/9th-ave-george-albon-avery-burns-and-dennis-phillips)
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• City Arts and Lectures welcomes young adult fiction novelist Leigh Bardugo, author of the Shadow and BoneNinth House series, Sydney Goldstein Theater, 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, $36, 7:30 pm PDT (For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.cityarts.net/event/leigh-bardugo)
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• Los Angeles Times Festival of Books presents the 44th annual LA Times Book Prizes, University of Southern California campus, Bovard Auditorium, 3551 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, limited public tickets are available, $20/VIP $75, 7:00 pm PDT (Tickets: events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/bookprizes)
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• The Poetry Center presents the Tripwire Cross-Cultural Poetics Series, featuring poet and filmmaker Safaa Fathy, who will showcase her work in both poetry and film, as well as engage in conversation with the audience; Fathy is the author of Where Not to Be Born and Revolution Goes Through Walls, both recently translated from Arabic to English, Artists Television Access, 992 Valencia Street, San Francisco, free, 7:00-9:00 pm PDT (More information here: poetry.sfsu.edu)
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20 APRIL 2024 — saturday

• Medicine for Nightmares presents Ajay Singh Chaudhary, political theorist and executive director of the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, discussing his new book, The Exhausted of the Earth: Politics in a Burning World, in conversation with Daniel Aldana Cohen, A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal, Medicine for Nightmare Bookstore, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, free, 7:30-9:30 pm PDT (More information here: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
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• Beyond Baroque presents a day of poetry and performances; featuring Joan E. Bauer, Fig Season; Lee Boek, "Skitoz"; actor/playwright Gregory Bell; Bj Cotton-Jeffords; musician Mary Lou Newmark; poet Anika Paris; Susan Suntree, Dear Traveler; ReRe Duce; musician Steff James; poet Gloria Vando, Marco Polo Mother & Son, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, Los Angeles, free, 2:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/earth-day-cabaret-tickets-881067234817?aff=oddtdtcreator)
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• In celebration of National Poetry Month, Los Angeles Public Library holds a poetry contest and reading featuring California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick, Scar and Flower, and Los Angeles Youth Laureate Sierra Leone Anderson; Pico Union students in grades K-12 are eligible for the contest; Pico Union Branch Library, 1030 South Alvarado Street, Los Angeles, free, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/pico-union-library-poetry-event)
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• LA Times Festival of Books in partnership with Skylight Books presents a special Ideas Exchange event with RuPaul in celebration of the release of his memoir, The House of Hidden Meanings, University of Southern Callifornia campus, Bovard Auditorium, 3551 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, $35-$75, 12:30 pm PDT (To purchase tickets, visit: www.tixr.com/groups/latimesfob/events/festival-of-books-rupaul-ideas-exchange-94506)
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• The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, hosted by the University of Southern California, is the largest free book festival in the Northern Hemisphere; this year's indoor and outdoor events will include over 200 conversations and performances, over 500 authors, with book signings, cooking demos, poetry readings, bilingual programming and more; POETRY STAGE SCHEDULE: 10:00 am: Lynne Thompson, Blue on a Blue Palette; 10:20 am: Maggie Milner, Couplets: A Love Story; 10:40 am: Simon Shieh, Master: Poems; 11:00 am: K. Iver, Short Film Starring My Beloved's Red Bronco; 11:20 am: Dean Rader, Before the Borderless: Dialogues with the Art of Cy Twombly; 11:40 am: Hala Alyan, The Moon That Turns You Back; Noon: Shelley Wong, As She Appears; 12:30 pm: LA Times Book Prize Poetry Finalist Roundtable, with K. Iver, Airea D. Matthews, Maggie Millner, Jenny Molberg, Simon Shieh, and one more; 1:00 pm: Sarah Maclay, Nightfall Marginalia; 1:20 pm: Derrick Brown, Love Ends in a Tandem Kayak; 1:40 pm: Jenny Molberg, The Court of No Record: Poems; 2:00 pm: Airea D. Matthews Bread and Circus: Poems; 2:20 pm: Kristina Marie Darling, Daylight Has Already Come: Selected Poems; 2:40 pm: Katie Farris, Standing in the Forest of Being Alive; 3:00 pm: Lynn Emanuel, Transcript of the Disappearance, Exact and Diminishing; 3:20 pm: A. Van Jordan, When I Waked, I Cried To Dream Again; 3:40 pm: Sam Sax, Pig; 4:00 pm: Paisley Rekdal, West: A Translation; 4:20 pm: Mag Gabbert, SEX DEPRESSION ANIMALS; 4:40 pm: Marsha de la O, Creature; 5:00 pm: Katherine Coles, Ghost Apples; 5:20 pm: Timothy Donnelly, Chariot; 5:40 pm: Poetry performance with Elena Secota and musicians Daniel Manoiu and Danny Moynahan; Poetry Flash (Booth 901), San Francisco's Manic D Press, and LA's Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center will be among more than 300 exhibitors at the outdoor event, University of Southern California, 3551 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, general admission is free, the festival will also feature ticketed events with authors and celebrities, outdoor programming doesn't require a ticket, 10:00 pm to 6:00 pm PDT (For more information and to view the schedule of participants, visit: events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/schedule)
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• This workshop, "Less is More! Writing Micro Fiction," taught by flash fiction writer and children's book author Britta Stromeyer Esmail, will teach you how to compact narratives, refine prose, hone editing skills, and help you find literary journals that accept flash fiction, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, $80, 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.bookpassage.com/event/less-more-writing-micro-fiction-britta-stromeyer-esmail)
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21 APRIL 2024 — sunday

• Alta (1942-2024), legendary Berkeley poet, prose writer, and publisher, passed on March 10; she is best known as the founder of the feminist press Shameless Hussy Press and editor of the Shameless Hussy Review; her 1980 collection The Shameless Hussy won the American Book Award in 1981; her memorial will take place at the Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, Noon PDT
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• This two-day workshop, "Building a Story: Plot," is led by author Nina Schuyler, Afterword ; each session of the course will cover a different plot structure; the first session, April 14, will cover causation plot; the second session, April 21, will cover braided or episodic plot, discrete events not connected causally but loosely by imagery, theme, or something else, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, $125, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.bookpassage.com/event/nina-schuyler-building-story-plot)
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• The San Francisco Public Library presents a screening of two documentaries about renowned Beat poets Diane Di Prima and Allen Ginsberg, The Poetry Deal: A Portrait of Poet Diane Di Prima and The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg, Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room A, Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, free, 1:00-3:15 pm PDT (More information here: sfpl.org/events/2024/04/21/film-poetry-deal-life-and-times-allen-ginsberg)
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• DIESEL, A Bookstore in Del Mar, welcomes children's book author Henry Herz, I Am Smoke, for a reading of his book, I Am Gravity, Diesel Del Mar, 12843 East Camino Real, Suite 104, San Diego, free, 3:00 pm PDT (For more information and to reserve a seat, visit: www.dieselbookstore.com/event/Henry-Herz-I-Am-Gravity-Author-signing)
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• The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, hosted by the University of Southern California, is the largest free book festival in the Northern Hemisphere; this year's indoor and outdoor events will include over 200 conversations and performances, over 500 authors, with book signings, cooking demos, poetry readings, bilingual programming and more; POETRY STAGE SCHEDULE: 10:00 am: Victoria Chang, WITH MY BACK TO THE WORLD: Poems; 10:20 am: Kazim Ali, Sukun: New and Selected Poems; 10:40 am: Oliver de la Paz, THE DIASPORA SONNETS; 11:00 am: Tess Taylor, Leaning Toward the Light: Poems for Gardens & the Hands That Tend Them; 11:20 am: Cyrus Cassells, Is There Room for Another Horse on Your Horse Ranch?; 11:40 am: Jacqui Germain, Bittering the Wound; Noon: Megan Fernandes, I Do Everything I'm Told; 12:30 pm: Kaveh Akbar and Anahid Nersessian in conversation; 1:00 pm: Elizabeth Metzger, Lying In; 1:20 pm: Jubi Arriola-Headley, Bound: poems; 1:40 pm: Tennison S. Black, Survival Strategies; 2:00 pm: Lisa B. (Lisa Bernstein), God in Her Ruffled Dress; 2:20 pm: Diego Báez, Yaguareté White; 2:40 pm: Susan Rich, Blue Atlas; 3:00 pm: Saretta Morgan, Alt-Nature; 3:20 pm: Hélène Cardona, The Abduction; 3:40 pm: Mandy Kahn, Holy Doors; 4:00 pm: Jeremy Ra, Another Way of Loving Death; 4:20 pm: Jack Grapes, The Naked Eye; 4:40 pm: Poetry performance by Sofía Aguilar of WriteGirl; Poetry Flash (Booth 901), San Francisco's Manic D Press, and LA's Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center will be among more than 300 exhibitors at the outdoor event, University of Southern California, 3551 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, general admission is free, the festival will also feature ticketed events with authors and celebrities, outdoor programming doesn't require a ticket, 10:00 pm to 6:00 pm PDT (For more information and to view the schedule of participants, visit: events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/schedule)
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• DIESEL, A Bookstore in Brentwood, welcomes children's book author and illustrator Esme Shapiro and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Daniel Kaufman to discuss their children's book Roy Is Not a Dog; Diesel Brentwood, 225 26th Street, Suite 33, Santa Monica, free, 3:00 pm PDT (For more information and to reserve a seat, visit: www.dieselbookstore.com/event/Esme-Shapiro-Daniel-Kaufman-Author-signing)
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• Cecilia Woloch & Friends present "Poetry on Zoom: The Poet as Wanderer/The Wanderer as Poet," celebrating new releases from Suzanne Allen and Maria Z. Caponi, An Accidental Pilgrim: A Memoir in Prose and Verse, online, free, Noon PDT, 100 person limit (To register, visit: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvduurrDIuHNdxIxsXsEzVs-tJX6pSajQ3?utm_source=emailoctopus&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=April%202024%20Newsletter#/registration)
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22 APRIL 2024 — monday

• Medicine for Nightmares presents a reading with four California poets, Karla Brundage, Swallowing Watermelons, Ashia Ajani, Heirloom, Kevin Dublin, Eulogy, and Arthur Kayzakian, The Book of Redacted Paintings, winner of the inaugural Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series, Medicine for Nightmare Bookstore, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, free, 3:30-5:30 pm PDT (More information here: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
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• Fresno State University's Armenian Studies Program and Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing present "Armenian Memory, Writing Across the Borders: A Reading and Talk," with Pulitzer-prize winning poet Peter Balakian, Black Dog of Fate and Ozone Journal, book signing follows, Alice Peters Auditorium, 5245 North Backer Avenue, Fresno, free, 6:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: calendar.fresnostate.edu/index.php?eID=2288)
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23 APRIL 2024 — tuesday

• Cobalt Poets an all open reading, for all poets to come and share their work or just listen to others, free, online via Zoom, 7:30 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/calendar.html)
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• City Lights and Wave Books present a reading by CA Conrad and Lisa Jarnot in celebration of Conrad's new book of poetry, Listen to the Golden Boomerang Return and Jarnot's new collection of autobiographical essays, Four Lectures, that examines what it means to be a woman in a male-centered experimental tradition, to have white privilege, and to write poetry, online via Zoom, free, 6:00 to 8:00 pm PDT (To register, visit Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.com/e/ca-conrad-and-lisa-jarnot-tickets-776956687367?aff=oddtdtcreator)
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• Green Apple Books presents a celebration of poet Giovanna Lomanto's new collection, driver's seat echo with Paolo Bicchieri, Familial Animals, Kevin Dublin, Eulogy, and Christine No, Whatever Love Means, Green Apple Books, 1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.greenapplebooks.com/event/9th-ave-giovanna-lomanto-paolo-bicchieri-kevin-dublin-christine-no)
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• The Marin Community Foundation, Marin Poetry Center, Mill Valley Library, and Urban Word NYC join together to inaugurate Marin's first Youth Poet Laureate and Poet Laureate Ambassador, featured readings of original work by former Poet Ambassadors Naomi Ko and Cade Palmer; current Marin Poet Laureate Francesca Bell, Bright Stain; Marin Poet Laureate emerita Prartho Sereno, Indian Rope Trick; and youth poets representing high schools throughout the Bay Area; Creekside Room, Mark Taper Auditorium, Mill Valley Public Library, 375 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley, free, 6:30 to 8:00 pm PDT (For more information and to register, visit: millvalleylibrary.libcal.com/event/11359520)
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24 APRIL 2024 — wednesday

• Point Reyes Books presents iconic novelist Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, celebrating her latest book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, Red Barn, 75 Bear Valley Road, Point Reyes Station, $40, each ticket comes with a copy of the book, 7:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.ptreyesbooks.com/events)
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• The Los Angeles Public Library and the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles are pleased to present "Ekphrasis," an evening with poet Gabriele Tinti presenting his ekphrastic poetry series with a talk on this form of writing; special guests to include actors Robert Davi, Joe Mantegna, and Jamie McShane, Getty Head Curator Kenneth Lapatin, and LACMA educator Chelo Montoya; Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 West 5th Street, Los Angeles, free, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/ekphrasis)
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• City Lights, ALTA Journal, and Heyday Books celebrate the publication of Greg Sarris's new short story collection, The Forgetters, and the paperback release of his memoir in essays, Becoming Story: A Journey Among Seasons, Places, Trees, and Ancestors, City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, free, 7:00 to 9:00 pm PDT (For more information: https://citylights.com/events/greg-sarris-in-conversation-with-blaise-zerega)
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25 APRIL 2024 — thursday

• The Writing Forward Reading Series at Santa Clara University presents a Poetry Reading & Conversation with Daniel B. Summerhill, Divine, Divine, Divine and Mausoleum of Flowers; James Cagney, Black Steel Magnolias In The Hour of Chaos Theory, and Martian: The Saint Of Loneliness, Cave Canem Fellow and PEN Oakland Award-winner; and Ashia Ajani, storyteller and environmental educator, We Bleed Like Mango and Heirloom, sponsored by the Santa Clara Review and Santa Clara University Creative Writing/ English Department, Saint Clare Room, Santa Clara University Library, Third Floor, Santa Clara University campus, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, free and open to the public, 6:00-7:30 pm PDT (For more information, contact: santaclarareview@gmail.com)
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• The Marin Poetry Center's Poetry Reading Series presents Tshaka Campbell, MUTED WHISPERS, 2022-23 Santa Clara County Poet Laureate and winner of two Grand Slam Champion titles, with acclaimed poet Dorianne Laux, Life On Earth, in celebration of National Poetry Month, Mill Valley Public Library, 375 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley, free, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm PDT (To attend, register here: millvalleylibrary.libcal.com/event/11738225; for more information: marinpoetrycenter.org)
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• The Booksmith presents Gerri Lewis reading from her new novel, The Last Word, The Booksmith, 1727 Haight Street, San Francisco, free, 6:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.booksmith.com/event/gerri-lewis; direct questions by email to: tickets@booksmith.com)
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• The Poetry Center, in conjunction with TurkxTaylor Initiative, presents "Trans Temporal Resistances," writers and artists deconstruct trans archives and architecture through text and movement, featuring performances by three local writers, Tatiana Luboviski-Acosta, Rowan Powell, and Mason J., co-curated by Emji Saint Spero and Leila Weefur, Tenderloin Museum, 398 Eddy Street, San Francisco, free, 7:00-8:30 pm PDT (More information here: poetry.sfsu.edu)
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• San Francisco Public Library presents a reading by Bay Area poets Dena Rod, Scattered Arils, Taneesh Kaur, Thawing: A Poetic Memoir, and Tony Aldarondo, reading from new work, hosted by San Francisco Poet Laureate emerita Kim Shuck, What Unseen Thing Blows Wishes Across My Surface?, Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room A, Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, free, 6:00-7:30 pm PDT (More information here: sfpl.org/events/2024/04/25/performance-new-poetry-books-bay-area-poets-read-recent-publications)
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• Writers Read Ukiah presents Haiku Night, featuring a presentation and reading of haikus and other short forms of poetry, followed by an open mic reading, six-minutes per reader, emceed by Michael Riedell, Grace Hudson Museum, 431 South Main Street, Ukiah, $5 suggested donation, 7:00 pm PDT (Email: innisfreeriedell@gmail.com for more information)
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• Green Apple Books presents a celebration of poet José Vadi's new collection, Chipped: Writing from a Skateboarder's Lens, with "This Old Ledge" host, Ted Barrow, Green Apple Books, 1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.greenapplebooks.com/event/9th-ave-jos%C3%A9-vadi-ted-barrow)
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26 APRIL 2024 — friday

• City Arts and Lectures welcomes Catherine Lacey, Biography of X, Pew, The Answers, Nobody Is Ever Missing, and journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Chloé Cooper Jones discussing Jones's new memoir, Easy Beauty; Sydney Goldstein Theater, 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, $39, 7:30 pm PDT (For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.cityarts.net/event/chloe-cooper-jones)
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• The Book of Light Poetry Series, a reading series that celebrates the spirit and soul of the poetry of Lucille Clifton, featuring Jackson Holbert, winner of the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize and author Winter Stranger, Books Inc., 1344 Parks Street, Alameda, free, 6:00 pm PDT (More information here: www.booksinc.net/event/jackson-holbert-books-inc-alameda)
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27 APRIL 2024 — saturday

• This workshop, "Writing Historical Fiction," taught by historical novelists Siobhan Curham, The Storyteller of Auschwitz, and Linda Joy Myers, The Forger of Marseille, covers the key elements of writing historical fiction including idea, research, character, and plot, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, $105, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.bookpassage.com/event/writing-historical-fiction)
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• Fourth Saturdays presents a reading with featured poets Jodie Hollander, Nocturne, and Veronica Michalowski, One: Family of Poetry, free, Claremont Helen Renwick Library, 208 N. Harvard Avenue, Claremont, free, 2:00 pm PDT (More information here: www.facebook.com/fourthsaturdayspoetry)
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• The International Poetry Film Festival will feature nearly forty experimental, narrative, documentary, and animated poem-based film screenings from around the world; The Wanda Coleman Theater, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, $30,1:00-6:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: poetryfilmfestival.org)
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• "Lines From Within: Poetry From the Inside Out," is a generative poetry workshop and craft laboratory with Dr. Mary-Alice Daniel,Mass for Shut-Ins and A Coastline Is an Immeasurable Thing, attendees create a signature style in their writing, find their comfort zone, nurture originality, defeat writer's block, and help to develop an individual writing practice, Orvene S. Carpenter Community Center, Ray D. Prueter Library, 510 Park Avenue, Port Hueneme, free,1:00-3:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.vencolibrary.org/library-events/lines-within-poetry-inside-out-dr-mary-alice-daniel-0427241300)
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• In celebration of National Poetry Month, PoemDome 19, the 19th annual Poems In-Front-Of-The Dome, an open mic with no mic poetry event, will be held across from San Francisco City Hall; featured guests include "Diamond" Dave Whitaker, poet and radio host Global Val Ibarra, poets Charlie Getter, Richard Ivanhoe, Dan Brady, and Jorge Molina, "Poetry Circle in the Town Square," City Hall Plaza, the park between City Hall and San Francisco Public Library, Civic Center Plaza, San Francisco, free, all ages, 2:00-4:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.poemdome.net)
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• Sonoma Valley Authors Festival presents "Authors on the Plaza" featuring authors David Grann, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, Colm Tóibín,The Magician, and Amy Tan,The Joy Luck Club, Sonoma Plaza, 453 First Street East, Sonoma, free, registration required, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: svauthorsfest.org/authors-on-the-plaza)
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• City Lights, Morbid Curiosity, and Strange Attractor Press present an afternoon in appreciation of the life and work of Mel Gordon, in celebration of the posthumous publication of his Cabarets of Death: Death, Dance and Dining in Early Twentieth-Century Paris, a documentation of three cabaret-restaurants in the Montmartre district of Paris from 1892 until 1954, moderated by Joanna Ebenstein and Peter Maravelis, with Maer Ben-Yisreal, Ati Citron, J. Hoberman, La Pustra, Mark Pilkington, Jill Tracy, Christina Ward, and others, online via Zoom, free, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm PDT (To register, visit Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/voluptuous-life-a-tribute-to-the-life-and-work-of-mel-gordon-tickets-810502062487?aff=oddtdtcreator)
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28 APRIL 2024 — sunday

• Litquake and Litcamp present, "How They Did It: High-Stakes Memoir," a conversation with five intrepid authors of recent memoir including Eddie Ahn Advocate: A Graphic Memoir of Family, Community, and the Fight for Environmental Justice, Sylvia Brownrigg,The Whole Staggering Mystery: A Story of Fathers Lost and Found, Margaret Juhae Lee,Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History, Susan Lieu,The Manicurist's Daughter, and Carvell Wallace,The Sixth Man, Another Word for Love; the event will be moderated by author Rachel Howard, The Risk of Us, Page Street Co-Working Space, 297 Page Street, San Francisco, free, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.litquake.org/upcoming-events.html)
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• San Francisco Public Library presents a reading featuring contributors to the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, including Nicole Henares, Karen Melander-Magoon, Phyllis Klein, Cesar Love, Ed Mycue, Antoinette Vella Payne, Rafael Pineda, Dan Richman, Alice Rogoff, John Rowe, Eva Helene Stern, and Nellie Wong, Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room A, Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, free, 4:00-5:00 pm PDT (More information here: sfpl.org/events/2024/04/28/performance-poetry-preserves-44-years-vital-verse)
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• Wet Cement Press celebrates the publication of poet Michelle Murphy's new release, Disheveled Histories, and Thoreau Lovell's new novel, Marco Polo Mother & Son, both writers will read, Live Worms Gallery, 1345 Grant Avenue, San Francisco, free, 4:00-6:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.wetcementpress.com)
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• Medicine for Nightmares presents the Odd Verse Reading Series, a poetry reading and open mic that amplifies underrepresented voices, in a safe space for discourse, community solidarity, and collective action for social justice, Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, free, donations welcome, 4:30-7:00 pm PDT (More information here: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
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• Poetry Flash presents a reading by Dan Alter, My Little Book of Exiles, and Cintia Santana, The Disordered Alphabet, 2727 California Street, a cooperative art space, Berkeley, refreshments, free, 3:00 pm PDT (poetryflash.org).
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29 APRIL 2024 — monday

• Mechanic's Institute presents "No Poetry No Peace," a reading celebrating human poetic expression, hosted by award-winning multidisciplinary writer Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte, featuring poets Aileen Cassinetto, Lisa DeVuono, Poems from the Playground of Risk, Benjamin Gucciardi, West Portal, Lucille Lang Day, Becoming an Ancestor, O'Cyrus, Sacred, and Noah Warren, The Complete Stories, Mechanics' Institute, 57 Post Street, San Francisco, free for members, $10 nonmembers, 6:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.milibrary.org/events/events-activities)
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• City Arts and Lectures welcomes historian Doris Kearns Goodwin as she discusses her new book, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, a historical biography inspired by notes, journals, and letters by Goodwin's late husband, Sydney Goldstein Theater, 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, $49, 7:30 pm PDT (For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.cityarts.net/event/doris-kearns-goodwin-3)
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30 APRIL 2024 — tuesday

• A celebration for the launch of prizewinning anthropologist Angela Garcia's moving work of narrative nonfiction, The Way That Leads Among the Lost: Life, Death, and Hope in Mexico City's Anexos, based on over a decade of research, Garcia's book examines the anexos, community-based recovery houses serving people struggling with addiction in Mexico City, City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, free, 7:00 to 9:00 pm PDT (For more information: citylights.com/events/angela-garcia)
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• Green Apple Books presents a celebration of novelist Sylvia Brownrigg's new memoir, The Whole Staggering Mystery, with novelist Anne Raeff, Only the River, Green Apple Books, 1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.greenapplebooks.com/event/9th-ave-sylvia-brownrigg-anne-raeff)
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• Cobalt Poets presents a reading with featured poet Ray Jane, Black Like That, followed by an open mic, online via Zoom, free, 7:30 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/calendar.html)
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• Skylight Books presents poet Callie Siskel, celebrating her debut collection, Two Minds, joined in a reading by poets L.A. Johnson, Little Climates, and Armen Davoudian, The Palace of Forty Pillars, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 7:00 pm PDT (More information here: www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-callie-siskel-presents-two-minds-w-la-johnson-armen-davoudian)
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• The Booksmith presents Sasha Vasilyuk in celebration of her new novel, Your Presence Is Mandatory, The Booksmith, 1727 Haight Street, San Francisco, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.booksmith.com/event/sasha-vasilyuk; direct questions by email to: tickets@booksmith.com)
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