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19 OCTOBER 2024 — saturday
- Litquake in collaboration with KQED Fest presents "The Rise of the Book Ban & the Freedom to Read," a discussion on book banning with San Francisco City Librarian Michael Lambert, Becka Robbins from Books Not Bans, Authors Against Book Bans member Maggie Tokuda-Hall, and Maia Kobabe, award-winning author of Genderqueer, in recent years the most banned book in the U.S., The Commons at KQED, 2601 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, free, 4:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/the-rise-of-the-book-ban-the-freedom-to-read-tickets-1001455409087?aff=ebdsoporgprofile)
- Beyond Baroque presents "California Dreaming? Writing the Golden State: The New Literary Terrain," a discussion from the contributors to Writing the Golden State: The New Literary Terrain of California, Ramón Garcia, Cassandra Lane, David Helps, Kenji Liu, and Carribean Fragoza will read excerpts from their essays, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/california-dreaming-writing-the-golden-state-the-new-literary-terrain-tickets-1024539012767?aff=oddtdtcreator)
- The Ina Coolbrith Circle welcomes poet Louise Moises for a reading from her first chapbook, Peace Is a Pelican, Virtual on Zoom, free, 2:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.coolpoetry.org/meetings.html)
- Litquake presents "Poetry World Series," an improvisational poetry challenge where audience members have an opportunity to give award-winning poets freestyle topics, featuring poets Armen Davoudian, Luiza Flynn-Goodlett, Cindy Ok, Joseph Rios, Mimi Tempestt, and Dashaun Washington, Daniel Handler returns as emcee, Andrew Sean Greer, and Brynn Saito will score, The Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd Street, San Francisco, $17-$20, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-world-series-litquake-edition-tickets-1004310789607?aff=ebdsoporgprofile)
20 OCTOBER 2024 — sunday
- "Writing Toward the Light" online workshop will be led by author Maggie Smith, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, and poet Danusha Laméris, Bonfire Opera, four Sundays in October (October 6, 13, 20, and 27); Workshop sessions will include a craft discussion, a Q&A period, and an in-class writing session, Virtual on Zoom, $250, 4:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.danushalameris.com/offers/xFozUZVF/checkout)
- Sixteen Rivers Press Fall Benefit and 25th Anniversary Celebration features a poetry reading by Dorianne Laux, Life on Earth: Poems and Finger Exercises for Poets, craft essays, and Joseph Millar, Shine and Dark Harvest: New and Selected Poems, 2001-2020, wine, hors d'oeuvres, and a silent auction, Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda, Berkeley, free, Donations encouraged, 2:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/sixteen-rivers-press-fall-benefit-and-25th-anniversary-celebration-tickets-1016910766477)
- Litquake in collaboration with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival presents "Out Loud: A Celebration of Queer Poetics," a reading featuring queer poets MK Chavez, Hilary Cruz Mejia, Jessica Ke'mani Hairston, Syd Staiti, Yeva Johnson, and Evelyn Donji, Esplanade, Yerba Buena Gardens, 700 Mission Street, San Francisco, free, Noon PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/out-loud-a-celebration-of-queer-poetics-tickets-1001461507327?aff=ebdsoporgprofile)
- Village Well Books presents a celebration of What Books Press's Fall lineup, featuring a panel with readings by Holaday Mason, Cameron Walker, Paul Lieber, Kevin Allardice, and David Quiroz, Village Well Books and Coffee, 9900 Culver Blvd. #1b, Culver City, free, 4:30 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/what-books-press-fall-2024-launch-tickets-1030174428447?aff=oddtdtcreator)
- Beyond Baroque welcomes poet Jose Oseguer, The Milk of Your Blood, for the L.A. book launch of his second full-length poetry collection, And This House is Only a Nest, featuring performances in the Wanda Coleman Theater by poets Elizabeth Metzger, The Spirit Papers, Charles Jensen, Instructions Between Takeoff and Landing, Tamara Miller, and jimmy vega; Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, free, 8:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/la-book-launch-and-this-house-is-only-a-nest-by-jose-oseguera-tickets-964096658057?aff=oddtdtcreator)
21 OCTOBER 2024 — monday
- The City of El Cerrito presents a drop-in poetry circle with El Cerrito Poet Laureate Tess Taylor, Rift Zone, Hana Gardens Senior Center, 10870 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.el-cerrito.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=9395)
- City Lights Bookstore, as part of the Litquake Festival, welcomes Jonathan Lethem to discuss his new book, Cellophane Bricks: A Life in Visual Culture, in conversation with fiction writer Rita Bullwinkel, Headshot, City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, also online via Zoom, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: citylights.com/events/jonathan-lethem-in-conversation-with-rita-bullwinkel)
22 OCTOBER 2024 — tuesday
- City Lights Bookstore, as part of the the Litquake Festival, welcomes Josh Mohr to discuss his new novel, Saint the Terrifying, joined by his band Slummy, The Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd Street (near Mission), San Francisco, $12-$15, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: citylights.com/events/launch-party-josh-mohr-with-slummy)
23 OCTOBER 2024 — wednesday
- Graywolf Press presents a literary salon featuring an introduction by poet Dana Gioia, Interrogations at noon, followed by a reading and conversation with Maggie Nelson, Like Love: Essays and Conversations, Solmaz Sharif, Customs, Graywolf director and publisher Carmen Giménez, and Graywolf editorial director Ethan Nosowsky; All attendees will receive a custom tote bag; Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, The Store House, 2 Marina Blvd, Landmark Building C, San Francisco, starting at $50, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: graywolfpress.salsalabs.org/50thanniversarysalonsanfrancisco/index.html)
- Linden Tree Books welcomes Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin to discuss their new Middle Grade historical adventure, The Bletchley Riddle, presented off site at Rinconada Library, 1213 Newell Road, Palo Alto, free, 6:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.lindentreebooks.com/events-calendar)
- City Arts and Lectures presents Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between The World & Me, to discuss his new essay collection, The Message, Sydney Goldstein Theater, 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, tickets start at $54, 7:30 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.cityarts.net/event/ta-nehisi-coates-4)
24 OCTOBER 2024 — thursday
- City Lights and and Litquake as part of Litquake 2024 present Forrest Gander reading from Mojave Ghost: Poetry, and Jane Hirshfield reading from The Asking, Virtual, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/forrest-gander-with-jane-hirshfield-tickets-1001288880997?aff=ebdsoporgprofile)
- Beyond Baroque presents a Halloween special from their "Skulls and Stairs" reading series featuring poet Adam Stutz celebrating two new books out from White Stag Press, Sham Tapestry and COMPUNCTIONS + THEFTS, former Ventura County Youth Poet Laureate Genesis Perez, and Beyond Baroque intern, multimedia artist, and writer Nicholas Wilder Forman, live musical performance by The Martian Sunset keyboardist Ryan Madariaga aka Celestial Cyclops, costumes encouraged, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, free, 7:30 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/skulls-stairs-adam-stutz-nick-forman-genesis-perez-celestial-cyclops-tickets-1048931491327)
25 OCTOBER 2024 — friday
- "Creepy Crawly Soil Critters," a Halloween performance that combines poetry, storytelling, and performance with ecology, featuring poets Linda Ravenswood, Bernadette McComish, Christina Cha, Brian Sonia Wallace, and Tom Laichas, nonfiction author and poet Diana Dinerman, musician Rusty Perez, educator Mick Lorusso, ecologist Lynn Fang, and Planet Earth Observatory's Team, the Typewriter poet will be available to commission poems, Patagonia, 47 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, $10-$20, free entry with themed costume, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/creepy-crawly-soil-critters-a-poetic-halloween-performance-tickets-1028822605107?aff=ebdssbdestsearch)
- Point Reyes Books welcomes Obi Kaufmann to discuss his newest book, The State of Fire: Why California Burns, with watercolor maps and paintings, Red Barn Classroom, 75 Bear Valley Road, Point Reyes Station, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.ptreyesbooks.com/state-of-fire-kaufmann)
26 OCTOBER 2024 — saturday
- Fourth Saturdays: Poetry at the Claremont Library presents Lory Bedikian, Jagadakeer: Apology to the Body, and Anna Leahy, If in Some Cataclysm, Claremont Library, 208 North Harvard Avenue, Claremont, free, 2:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/fourthsaturdayspoetry)
- Christian Georgescu's multimedia production House of The Highest and Most Pious (HOTHAMP) "depicts a prosperity preacher's search for meaning as he contends with modern life amid late stage Capitalism", Featuring spoken word performance from S.A. Griffin, Rich Ferguson, Kathleen Florence, and Christine Jordan, 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/house-of-the-highest-and-most-pious-tickets-962479872207?aff=ebdsoporgprofile)
- City Lights Bookstore presents "Making Democracy Real: Encouraging an Active Citizenry," a discussion about a citizen's duty of political engagement with Martha S. Jones, David Daley, Paul Pierson, Eric Schickler, Amanda Becker, and Erin Geiger Smith, Virtual on Zoom, free, 11:00 am PDT (For more information, visit: citylights.com/events/making-democracy-real-encouraging-an-active-citizenry)
- Litquake presents its annual literary pub crawl "Lit Crawl," with literary events all day and 250+ featured authors, multiple locations, San Francisco, free, 2:45 pm PDT; the last event takes place at 9:00 pm PDT (For more information and the full schedule of events, visit: www.litquake.org/litcrawl)
- In celebration of his debut poetry collection, Motherlands, Weijia Pan reads with poet Dare Williams and writer/artist Sara Ellen Fowler, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/motherlands-weijia-pan-dare-williams-sara-ellen-fowler-tickets-1039328598817)
27 OCTOBER 2024 — sunday
- Village Poets welcomes Lory Bedikian, Jagadakeer: Apology to the Body, and Mary E. Torregrossa, My Zocalo Heart, for a poetry reading followed by an open mic, refreshments, The Bolton Hall Museum, 10110 Commerce Avenue, Tujunga, free, 4:30 pm PDT (For more information, visit: villagepoets.blogspot.com/2024/09/village-poets-presents-lory-bedikian.html)
- Small Press Traffic and the Belladonna* School for Feminist Practice and Poetics presents "Reading and Writing through Hoa Nguyen", a four session (October 27, November 10, November 24, and December 8) workshop centered around discussion of Nguyen's work and generative writing exercises, Hosted by author Zoe Tuck, Bedroom Vowel, Virtual on Zoom, $80-200, 1:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.smallpresstraffic.org/event/reading-and-writing-through-hoa-nguyen)
- This house concert will feature the Ursonate, an experimental sound poem composed by the German Dada artist and poet Kurt Schwitters in 1924, and phonetic poetry by Antonin Artaud, Hugo Ball, Raoul Hausmann, and Theo van Dousburg, as well as works composed by Jaap Blonk, held at a private residence in Berkeley, admission $40 via Venmo @harry-bernstein, 5:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.jaapblonk.com/Pages/ontour.html, or email, harry@fullplatemedia.com)
- "Writing Toward the Light" online workshop will be led by author Maggie Smith, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, and poet Danusha Laméris, Bonfire Opera, four Sundays in October (October 6, 13, 20, and 27); Workshop sessions will include a craft discussion, a Q&A period, and an in-class writing session, Virtual on Zoom, $250, 4:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.danushalameris.com/offers/xFozUZVF/checkout)
- Poet William O'Daly reads from his book, The New Gods, with poet and publisher Bob Stanley, accompanied by bassist Terry Cobb, followed by an open mic, Chateau Davell Winery, 3020 Vista Tierra Drive, Camino, free, 4:00 pm PDT (For directions, visit: chateaudavell.com)
- Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center presents the Dos Rios State Park Nature Poetry Walk, a two-and-a-half mile poetry walk featuring special guest poet Salvatore Salerno, Dos Rios State Park, 3559 Shiloh Road, Modesto, 9:00 am PDT (For more information, visit: www.mostpoetry.org/event/dos-rios-state-park-nature-poetry-walk)
- In celebration of her new poetry collection, Father Elegies, poet Stella Hayes reads from her new book and engages in conversation about its meaning, Village Well Books and Coffee, 9900 Culver Blvd. #1b, Culver City, free, 4:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-book-launch-with-stella-hayes-tickets-1042314951077?aff=ebdssbdestsearch)
28 OCTOBER 2024 — monday
29 OCTOBER 2024 — tuesday
- In celebration of his memoir, Roman Year fiction author André Aciman, Call Me By Your Name, will be in conversation with novelist Michael David Lukas, Books on the Park on 9th Avenue, 1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, also on YouTube, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: greenapplebooks.com/event/2024-10-29/9th-ave-andre-aciman-michael-david-lukas)
- City Lights Bookstore presents "The Dopamine Variety Show," a celebration of the queer literary organization, DOPAMINE, Books and Printed Matter, and the publication of The Sluts Anthology, edited by Michelle Tea, and fiction writer Clement Goldberg's new book, New Mistakes, featuring reading and discussion from Vera Blossom, Clement Goldberg, Brooke Palmieri, Naz Riahi, Shawn Stewart Ruff, and L Scully, hosted by Michelle Tea, Virtual on Zoom, free, 6:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: citylights.com/events/the-dopamine-variety-show)
- Hammer Museum welcomes Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Forrest Gander for a reading from his anticipated collection, Mojave Ghost, Hammer Museum; 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, free, 7:30 pm PDT (For more information, visit: hammer.ucla.edu/programs-events/2024/poetry-forrest-gander)
30 OCTOBER 2024 — wednesday
- Grace Feuerverger, Oasis of Dreams, reads from her memoir, Winter Light: The Memoir of a Child of Holocaust Survivors, book signing follows, Books Inc. Berkeley, 1491 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For directions, visit: booksinc.net/event/2024-10-30/grace-feuerverger-books-inc-berkeley)
- In celebration of her new poetry collection, Estelle Meaning Star, Sarah Rosenthal reads with poets Nathalie Khankan, Hazel White, and Maw Shein Win, Books on the Park on 9th Avenue, 1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, also on YouTube, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: greenapplebooks.com/event/2024-10-30/9th-ave-sarah-rosenthal-nathalie-khankan-hazel-white-and-maw-shein-win)
- Lyrics and Dirges is a monthly reading series featuring a mix of prominent, emerging and beginning poets and writers, hosted and curated by East Bay poets MK Chavez and Sharon Coleman, Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.pegasusbookstore.com/ld-oct24)
- Poetry at the Claremont Library presents 2024 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award winner Paisley Rekdal, Nightingale, for a special Wednesday evening poetry reading, Claremont Library, 208 North Harvard Avenue, Claremont, free, 6:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/fourthsaturdayspoetry)
- Poetry reading by poet and classical guitarist Steven Rood, Music from Behind a Stone Wall, introduced by Richard Silberg with a brief reading of his own, homemade cookies will be served, sponsored by Temple Sinai's Fine Arts Committee on Culture and Community, Temple Sinai chapel, 2808 Summit, at 28th Street between Webster and Summit, enter at gate in parking lot, Oakland, free, 7:00 pm PDT
- City Lights Bookstore welcomes Eleni Stecopoulos to discuss her new book of essays, Dreaming in the Fault Zone: A Poetics of Healing, in conversation with Miranda Mellis, Demystifications, City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, and online via Zoom, free, 6:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: citylights.com/events/eleni-stecopoulos)
- Los Angeles reporter Rosanna Xia will be discussing her new environmental nonfiction book, California Against the Sea, with Tyrone Jue, Director of San Francisco Environment, Environmental Center Exhibit Space, Fifth Floor, San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, free, 6:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: sfpl.org/events/2024/10/30/author-rosanna-xia-conversation-tyrone-jue)
31 OCTOBER 2024 — thursday
- Writers Read Ukiah monthly poetry reading series takes place on the last Thursday of the month, their Halloween special welcomes the "Voice of Sonoma Valley's Poet on the Beat," Lin Marie Vincent reading from Sky Fishing and haiku in honor of the Ukiahhaiku Festival, an hour-long open mic session follows the featured reading, six-minutes maximum time for each reader, Grace Hudson Museum, 431 South Main Street, Ukiah, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information, visit: www.gracehudsonmuseum.org/new-events/2024/10/31/writers-read-ukiahs-literary-salon)
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