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1 MAY 2015 — friday

• No events listed for this date. Find out how to submit your event listing.

2 MAY 2015 — saturday

• No events listed for this date. Find out how to submit your event listing.

3 MAY 2015 — sunday

CENTRAL:
• 34th Annual Northern California Book Awards, Northern California authors are honored in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Translation, and Children's Literature with brief readings and remarks; presentation of the Fred Cody Lifetime Achievement Award to poet and translator Willis Barnstone; NCBR Recognition Award; presented by the Northern California Book Reviewers, Poetry Flash, Center for the Art of Translation, San Francisco Public Library and Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, PEN West, Women's National Book Association-SF Chapter, and Mechanics' Institute, public reception with book signing follows, Koret Auditorium, San Francisco Main Public Library, 100 Larkin, enter at Grove, SF, free, awards ceremony 1:00, reception 2:30 (510/525-5476, NCBR@poetryflash.org, poetryflash.org)
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4 MAY 2015 — monday

• No events listed for this date. Find out how to submit your event listing.

5 MAY 2015 — tuesday

• No events listed for this date. Find out how to submit your event listing.

6 MAY 2015 — wednesday

• No events listed for this date. Find out how to submit your event listing.

7 MAY 2015 — thursday

CENTRAL:
• Poetry Flash presents a poetry reading by Stephen Kessler and Mong-Lan, request ASL interpreters one week in advance from editor@poetryflash.org, wheelchair accessible, Moe's Books, 2476 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, 7:30 (510/849-2087, www.moesbooks.com)
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• Story Hour in the Library presents their annual student reading, with readings from student award-winners of prose prizes, with interns and faculty, Morrison Library, Doe Library, University of California, Berkeley, 5:00-6:00 (storyhour.berkeley.edu)
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8 MAY 2015 — friday

CENTRAL:
• Release party for the 45th annual edition of the Berkeley Poetry Review, featuring readings by Rusty Morrison, Leora Fridman, David Alejandro Hernandez, Claire Marie Stancek, and Aura Maru, contributors to the issue, reception follows, Moe's Books, 2476 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, 7:30
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9 MAY 2015 — saturday

• No events listed for this date. Find out how to submit your event listing.

10 MAY 2015 — sunday

CENTRAL:
• The Liminal Art Salon presents a reading and performance by Cheja, Nefeli Caffé, 1854 Euclid Avenue, Berkeley, north of UC Berkeley campus, free but a one-drink or one-plate minimum is requested, 7:00 (Caffé: 510/841-6374)
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11 MAY 2015 — monday

• No events listed for this date. Find out how to submit your event listing.

12 MAY 2015 — tuesday

CENTRAL:
• Keith P. Feldman discusses his new book, A Shadow over Palestine: The Imperial Life of Race in America, City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, 7:00 (415/362-8193, www.citylights.com)
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• Carey Perloff, Artistic Director of the American Conservatory Theater, in conversation with Ralph Lewin about her new book, Beautiful Chaos: A Life in the Theater, The Mechanics Institute, 57 Post Street, San Francisco, $15, 6:00 (www.milibrary.org)
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13 MAY 2015 — wednesday

CENTRAL:
• Celebrated chefs Tanya Holland (Brown Sugar Kitchen: New-Style, Down-Home Recipes from Sweet West Oakland, owner of Oakland restaurants Brown Sugar Kitchen and B-Side Bakery), and visiting chef Nancy Vienneau, Third Thursday Community Potluck Cookbook, discuss their work and provide tasty snacks, Pegagus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, 7:30 (510/649-1320, www.pegasusbookstore.com)
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• Emily Schultz celebrates her new novel The Blondes, City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, 7:00 (415/362-8193, www.citylights.com)
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14 MAY 2015 — thursday

CENTRAL:
• Spoken Word Happy Hour with Allie Marini Betts featuring B. Deep and Cassandra Dallett in a multi-chapbook launch celebration, The Octopus Literary Salon, 2101 Webster Street #170, Oakland, 7:00 (510/388-1043, oaklandoctopus.org/)
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NORTH:
• Why There Are Words series presents a collaboration reading with Joyland, a literary magazine that selects stories regionally, featuring readers Kara Levy, San Francisco editor of Joyland; novelist Zöe Ferraris, City of Veils; novelist Ruth Galm, Into the Valley; hosted by Peg Alford Pusell, every second Thursday of the month, Studio 33, 333 Caledonia Street, Sausalito, $10, doors open 7:00, reading 7:15 (415/331-8272, whytherearewords.com)
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15 MAY 2015 — friday

CENTRAL:
• Historian Harvey L. Smith discusses his new book of photographs, Berkeley and the New Deal, Moe's Books, 2476 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, 7:30 (www.moesbooks.com)
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16 MAY 2015 — saturday

CENTRAL:
• The SFSU Poetry Center and the Flor y Canto Festival present an evening with world-renowned Nicaraguan poet Ernesto Cardenal, in celebration of his ninetieth birthday and his life of poetry and activism, his reading in Spanish will be accompainied by an English translation, Brava Theater, 2781 24th Street, San Francisco, $20/$12 students and seniors, ticket includes festival closing night reception, 7:30 (sfsu.edu/~poetry, www.brava.org)
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• The 13th annual Berkeley Poetry Festival presents a day of readings, featured poets include Avotcja, Al Young, Maw Shein Win, Mg Roberts, Gabriel Cortez, Lauren Traetto, Sarah Kobrinsky, Joseph Rios, Youssef Alaoui-Fdili, Joyce E. Young, James Cagney, A. Razor, Elmaz Abinader; lifetime achievement award presented to poet and retired educator Rafael Jesús González; Milvia Street journal readers include Brad Penner, Lark Omura, Katherine Gallagher, Paul Elias Taylor, hosted by Baruch Porras-Hernandez, Berkeley City College Auditorium, 2050 Center Street, Berkeley, free, 11:00 a.m.-5:00 ( www.facebook.com/pages/Berkeley-Poetry-Festival/155792814582187)
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• Alta Solano Lit Out Loud monthly series presents a reading by co-publisher of Omnidawn, poet Rusty Morrison, and Gillian Hamel, open mic precedes the featured readers, hosted by Jannie Dresser, Folk & Fine Art Gallery, 1861-A Solano Avenue, Berkeley, $5-$10 sliding scale, 7:30-9:00 (janniedres@att.net, www.folkandfineart.com)
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17 MAY 2015 — sunday

CENTRAL:
• Carey Perloff, Artistic Director of the American Conservatory Theater, in conversation with Lori Starr about her new book, Beautiful Chaos: A Life in the Theater, Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission Street, San Francisco, free, 4:00 (www.thecjm.org)
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18 MAY 2015 — monday

CENTRAL:
• POETS! series presents Patti Trimble reading her work with musician and hand-made instrument builder Peter Whitehead, her new CD is In the Middle of the Night of the Road of My Life I Found Myself in a Tangled Wood, hosted by Jerry Ferraz, open mic follows, Bird & Beckett Books and Records, 653 Chenery Street, San Francisco, 7:00 (415/586-3733, www.birdbeckett.com)
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19 MAY 2015 — tuesday

CENTRAL:
• "False Starts," a poetry reading by Brandon Brown and Jocelyn Saidenberg, The Lab, 2948 16th Street, San Francisco, 7:00 (wwwfacebook.com/events/1598727350413042)
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• Sit Down Theater presents a discussion and reading of classic poetry and plays, San Francisco Library, North Beach branch, 850 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, 6:00 (sfpl.org)
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20 MAY 2015 — wednesday

CENTRAL:
• Lyrics & Dirges monthly reading series presents writer and VONA alum Lourdes Figueroa, artist, filmmaker, and prose writer Wilfred Galila, fiction writer Tantra Bensko, poet Tamila Walker, and writer, filmmaker, and technologist Jeff Von Ward, each of whom represents a different voice of the multi-cultural writing community of the Bay Area, hosted by Sharon Coleman, Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, 7:30 (www.pegasusbookstore.com)
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• Murmations Reading Series presents poets Nico Peck and Tiff Dressen, hosted by Avery Burns, Bird & Beckett Books and Records, 653 Chenery Street, San Francisco, 7:00 (415/586-3733, www.birdbeckett.com)
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SOUTH:
• M.P. Colley reads from her latest addition to the June Lyons mystery series, Flame Out, including a conversation between the author and fellow mystery writer Terry Shames, A Deadly Affair at Bobtail Ride: A Samuel Craddock Mystery, Books Inc., 301 Castro Street, Mountain View, 7:00 (www.booksinc.net)
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• Books Inc. and the Belmont Library present two-time finalist for the PEN Center USA Award in Fiction Laird Hunt celebrating the paperback release of his novel Neverhome, Belmont Library, 1110 Alameda De Las Pulgas, Belmont, noon (www.booksinc.net)
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• Stanford University Arts and Humanities professor Alexander Nemerov reads from his book about the personal and artistic relationships between his photographer aunt, Diane Arbus, and Pulitzer-Prize-winning poet uncle, Howard Nemerov, Books Inc., 74 Town and Country Village, Palo Alto, 7:00 (www.booksinc.net)
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EAST:
• Kate Schatz and Miriam Klein Stahl present their book written for children about the rebels, trailblazers, and visionairies who shaped our history; bring a t-shirt for sillk-screening, Rakestraw Books, 3 Railroad Avenue, Danville, reservations strongly encouraged, 5:00 (rakestraw_books@yahoo.com)
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21 MAY 2015 — thursday

CENTRAL:
• Poetry reading by Chana Bloch, Swimming in the Rain, New and Selected Poems, 1980-2015 and Ellen Bass, Like a Beggar, poet Dan Bellm is master of ceremonies, Jewish Community Center East Bay, 1414 Walnut Street, Berkeley, $10/$8 JCC East Bay members, seniors, students, 7:30 (www.jcceastbay.org/events/2015/05/21/artsculture/poetry-reading-chana-bloch-and-ellen-bass)
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• Thursday at Readers Poetry Series presents Charles Curtis Blackwell and Chun Yu, hosted by Jack Hirschman, Readers Bookstore, Fort Mason, Building C, South End, Fort Mason Center, off Marina Blvd. at Buchanan Street, San Francisco, 6:30 (415/771-1076, www.friendssfpl.org/?Events)
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• Jillian Lauren reads from her memoir, Everything You Ever Wanted, with an onstage conversation between the author and Lambda Literary Award-nominated writer Elizabeth Stark Powers, Books Inc., 227 Market Street, San Francisco, 7:00 (www.booksinc.net)
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• East Bay book launch for poet David Meltzer's Two-Way Mirror: A Poetry Notebook re-release, his classic book on poetics, La Commune worker-owned café and bookstore, 4799 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, 7:00-9:00 (www.lacommuneoakland.com)
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• Comedian Greg Proops reads from his collection of knowledge that can make anyone sound smart, The Smartest Book in the World, the literary manifestation of his award-winning podcast "The Smartest Man in the World," McRoskey Mattress Factory, Third Floor, 1687 Market Street, San Francisco, 7:00 (www.citylights.com)
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• Poetry Flash presents Lisa Sewell and Emily Wolahan, request ASL interpreters one week in advance from editor@poetryflash.org, wheelchair accessible, Moe's Books, 2476 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, 7:30 (510/849-2087, www.moesbooks.com)
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• A reading and discussion by Stacy Wakefield The Sunshine Crust Baking Factory, a novel, with Ash Thayer presenting her new book of related photographs, Kill City, both books delve into the artists' experiences of squatting to maintain a roof over their heads in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and the Lower East Side, Diesel, A Bookstore, 5433 College Avenue, Oakland, 6:30 (www.dieselbookstore.com)
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NORTH:
• Marin Poetry Center presents St. Louis poet Richard Newman, editor of River Styx, and Lee Rossi, wheelchair samurai,
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• A science fiction reading and book signing with Neal Stephenson, whose new book Seveneves takes place as the world's nations plan to move the human race from Earth, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd, Corte Madera, tickets $40, register online, includes signed book, 7:00 (www.bookpassage.com)
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• Poets and artists Claudia Chapline and Patti Trimble in conversation on environmentalism, image, and art, bring your lunch and join the conversation, in conjunction with "Connections," an art exhibition of women environmental artists coinciding with the Geography of Hope Conference, Point Reyes Seashore Headquarters, 10021 Coastal Highway 1, Olema, 11:30 a.m. (415/663-9000, artcontemporarymarin.blogspot.com)
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SOUTH:
• Poetry Center San José's Poetry Readings at the Willow Glen Library present featured reader Nancy Fowler, open mic follows, Willow Glen Library, 1157 Minnesota Avenue, San Jose, 7:00 (408/808-3045, www.pcsj.org/calendar.html)
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22 MAY 2015 — friday

NORTH:
• Off the Page presents Jodi Picoult and her daughter and co-writer, Samantha Van Leer, and their YA novel Off the Page, in which characters from real life and those from fiction switch places, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd, Corte Madera, tickets $25/$30 admits one parent with one child, includes signed book, 6:00 (www.bookpassage.com)
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23 MAY 2015 — saturday

CENTRAL:
• Celebrated mystery authors Terry Shames, Cara Black, and Catriona McPherson read at Pegasus Books, 1855 Solano Avenue, 7:30 (510/649-1320, www.pegasusbookstore.com)
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NORTH:
• The North Bay launch of Ed Coletti's new poetry collection, The Problem with Breathing, poets Katherine Hastings and David Beckman also read, SoCoCoffee, 1015 4th Street, Santa Rosa, 5:00-7:00 (SoCoCoffee: 707/527-6434, edcoletti@sbcglobal.net)
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24 MAY 2015 — sunday

CENTRAL:
• Release party and poetry reading by Latif Harris for his new collection, Barter Within the Bark of Trees, accompanied by Phil Deal, special guests, wine and snacks, The Emerald Tablet, 80 Fresno Street, North Beach, San Francisco, $5, no one turned away for lack of funds, proceeds go to the venue, 2:00 (415/500-2323, emtab.org)
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• Poetry Flash presents a reading by Richard Newman and Lee Rossi, request ASL interpreters one week in advance from editor@poetryflash.org, wheelchair accessible, Diesel, A Bookstore, 5433 College Avenue, Oakland, 3:00 (510/653-9965, dieselbookstore.com)
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• Poetry reading by Alexandra Teague, The Wise and Foolish Builders, open mic follows, Bird & Beckett Books and Records, 653 Chenery Street, San Francisco, 2:00 (415/586-3733, www.birdbeckett.com)
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25 MAY 2015 — monday

• No events listed for this date. Find out how to submit your event listing.

26 MAY 2015 — tuesday

CENTRAL:
• Happy Hour Stories, a reading of food writing, presents Manuela Aronofsky reading the work of Anya Von Bremzen, Elizabeth Freeman reading Ruth Reichl, and Lilah Hinde reading Dezso Kosztolany, Pegasus Books on Solano, 1855 Solano Avenue, Berkeley, 7:30 (510/649-1320, www.pegasusbookstore.com)
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• Litquake and Green Apple Books present "The Epicenter," the San Francisco launch of Peter Coyote's memoir, The Rainman's Third Cure: An Irregular Education, featuring a conversation between the author/actor and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Phil Bronstein, Viracocha, 998 Valencia Street, San Francisco, $15-$25 donation, 7:00 (www.litquake.org)
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27 MAY 2015 — wednesday

CENTRAL:
• Open Mic with Cipher on Taboo Topics, with HipHop, spoken word, beats and drums, poets, hosted by Freedom Hour Radio, La Commune worker-owned café and bookstore, 4799 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, doors open 6:00, writing workshop 6:30, podcast 7:00 (www.lacommuneoakland.com)
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NORTH:
• Get Lit monthly reading series presents a poetry reading featuring Lori Horvitz, Phyllis Oscar, and Michelle Wing, open mic follows, Corkscrew Wine Bar, 100 Petaluma Blvd. North #103, Petaluma, 7:00 (www.facebook.com/events/1557577454505576/)
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• The Larkspur Book Club Pioneers discuss The Children Act, by Ian McEwan, a novel about the relationships between people, faith, and the law, Diesel, A Bookstore, 2419 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur, 7:00 ( www.dieselbookstore.com)
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28 MAY 2015 — thursday

CENTRAL:
• Poetry Flash presents an installment of the Marin Poetry Center’s Traveling Show featuring poets Barbara Swift Brauer, Rafaella Del Bourgo, Connie Post, Ann Robinson, and Jeanne Wagner, co-hosted by Rose Black and Richard Silberg, request ASL interpreters one week in advance from editor@poetryflash.org, wheelchair accessible, Moe's Books, 2476 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, 7:30 (510/849-2087, www.moesbooks.com)
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• Thursday at Readers Poetry Series presents Alina Smiotanko and Colin O'Leary, hosted by Jack Hirschman, Readers Bookstore, Fort Mason, Building C, South End, Fort Mason Center, off Marina Blvd. at Buchanan Street, San Francisco, 6:30 (415/771-1076, www.friendssfpl.org/?Events)
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EAST:
• Literary Lectures: Art and Poetry presents fabulist fiction writer Doug Rice, his most recent book is also a collection of his photographs, An Erotics of Seeing: The Force of Photography As Philosophy's Broken Sentence, Sacramento Poetry Center, 1719 25th Street, Sacramento, 7:00 (www.sacramentopoetrycenter.com)
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29 MAY 2015 — friday

CENTRAL:
• Ashlee Vance presents Elon Musk: Tasla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, an exploration of the Tony Stark-ness and innovative potential of Silicon Valley's Elon Musk, Book Passage, Ferry Building, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco, 6:00 (www.bookpassage.com)
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• Oatmeal Magazine presents "Breakfast for Dinner," a monthly open reading of anything and everything, Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, 7:30 (www.pegasusbookstore.com)
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• Friday Nights Conversation series with poet and translator Benjamin Paloff and critic, writer, and editor Scott Esposito, Two Lines Press, discussing the task of translation and Benjamin Paloff's new English rendering of Richard Weiner's novel The Game for Real, translated from the Czech, Diesel, A Bookstore, 5433 College Avenue, Oakland, free, 7:30 (www.dieselbookstore.com)
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• Nomadic Press presents a poetry reading with Maw Shein Win, winner of the Arkadii Dragomoshchenko Prize for Innovative Poetry, and Tim Donnelly, music by Five-Legged Mule, Nomadic Press, 2926 Foothill Blvd. #1, Oakland, 7:00 (www.facebook.com/events/828598510567440/)
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30 MAY 2015 — saturday

• No events listed for this date. Find out how to submit your event listing.

31 MAY 2015 — sunday

CENTRAL:
• Oakland Book Festival celebrates poetry, literature, and the City of Oakland with ninety writers, forty events; readings and conversations with Ben Fong-Torres and Derk Richardson in conversation, novelist Edwidge Danticat and László Jakab Orsós in conversation, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K. Smith and poet Matthew Zapruder in conversation, poetry readings by Will Alexander, Greg Mahrer, Alissa Quart, Tennessee Reed, and Matthew Zapruder, fiction readings by Adam Johnson and Jenny Offill, plus a memoir reading by Rod Campbell, Zac Unger, and Novella Carpenter, Gone Feral: Tracking My Dad Through the Wild; panels include "In Favor of Cities," with Vikram Chandra, Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty, Leo Hollis, Gary Kamiya; "Radical Lives, Radical Cities: Oakland and Beyond," with Elaine Brown, Astra Taylor; "Writing and War," with Mark Danner, Anthony Marra, and novelist Nayomi Munaweera, Island of a Thousand Mirrors, "History and Fiction" with Molly Antolopl, Jane Ciabattari, Maria Hummel, Michael McGriff, Josh Tyree; "The Reshaping of Voice and Vision: The Possible Paths of American Literature," presented by ZYZZYVA, Paul Beatty, Vanessa Hua, Héctor Tobar, Oscar Villalon; "Bay Area Literary History," presented by LitQuake, features Kim Bancroft, The Heyday of Malcolm Margolin: The Damn Good Times of a Fiercely Independent Publisher, Jerry Cimino, The Beat Museum, Benjamin Griffin, Steve Lavoie; "MultiCulturalism or Political Correctness?" presented by The Before Columbus Foundation, with Lorna Dee Cervantes, Justin Desmangles, David Meltzer, Gundars Strads, Armond White, Shawn Wong; "Literary Magazines: A New Golden Age?" with Roger D. Hodge (Oxford American), Clara Jeffery (Mother Jones), David Rose (Lapham's Quarterly); "The Manhattanization of the Oakland Literary Scene: Tokenism or Diversity? presented by PEN Oakland, with Judy Juanita, Tennessee Reed, Tony R. Rodriguez, Floyd Salas, Al Young, and "Writing Sex," with Melanie Abrams, Leslie C. Bell, Tracy Clark-Flory, Maria Dahvana Headley; more readings include "Fightin' Words: Oakland Out Loud," presented by PEN Oakland, with Judy Juanita, Lucille Lang Day, Genny Lim, Ruben Llamas, Claire Ortalda, and Floyd Salas; Rick Prelinger and Alex Cruse present "Lost Landscapes of Oakland"; music by HipHop4Change, Oakland Youth Chorus, and Oakland School for Arts; exhibits by local publishers, including Poetry Flash, Manic D Press, and Aunt Lute Books, Oakland City Hall and Frank Ogawa Plaza, downtown Oakland, free, 11:00 a.m.-6:00 (www.oaklandbookfestival.org)
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• Poetry reading by Latif Harris, Barter Within the Bark of Trees, open mic follows, Bird & Beckett Books and Records, 653 Chenery Street, San Francisco, 2:00 (415/586-3733, www.birdbeckett.com)
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• Litquake and Green Apple Books present "The Epicenter," the San Francisco launch of comedian Bruce McCulloch's memoir, Let's Start a Riot: How a Young Drunk Punk Became a Hollywood Dad, featuring a conversation between the author and music journalist, singer, songwriter, and author Paul Myers, A Wizard, A True Star: Todd Rundgren In The Studio, Viracocha, 998 Valencia Street, San Francisco, $10-$20 donation, 7:00 (www.litquake.org)
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• Oakland Book Festival features Kate Schatz and illustrator Miriam Klein Stahl present Rad American Women A-Z, their book of famous and unsung American heroines for grades 3-8, Children's Area also sponsored by Fairyland, MOCHA, and the Oakland Public Library, at Oakland City Hall and Frank Ogawa Plaza, downtown Oakland, free, 3:00 (www.oaklandbookfestival.org)
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NORTH:
• Jamie Tworkowski, If You Feel Too Much, reads about helping a friend through her struggle with addiction and depression, his writing inspired an international movement of suicide and depression awareness, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, 7:00 (www.bookpassage.com)
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