Click on any date to see the full range of events for that day.
- Friday, October 1
- Saturday, October 2
- Sunday, October 3
- Monday, October 4
- Tuesday, October 5
- Wednesday, October 6
- Thursday, October 7
- Friday, October 8
- Saturday, October 9
FRIDAY, October 1
Night of the Living Read: Litquake’s Opening Night Cocktail Party, 5-9 pm. 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna St., San Francisco. Free. No host bar, 21 and over.
SATURDAY, October 2
Off the Richter Scale Readings, noon-4 pm. Note new location: Variety Preview Room Theatre, 582 Market Street, First Floor, San Francisco. Free
- Poetry, noon-1 pm: Cheryl Dumesnil, Aja Couchois Duncan, Miriam Bird Greenberg, Melissa Stein, Lyzette Wanzer, and Genine Lentine (moderator)
- Illustrated Works: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words, More or Less, 1-2 pm: Lisa Brown, Eric Drooker, The Stanford Graphic Novel Project, and Belle Yang
- Mystery Hour, 2-3 pm: Rhys Bowen, Barry Eisler, Reece Hirsch, and Sophie Littlefield
- Dad Lit, 3-4 pm: Terry Bisson, Tanya Egan Gibson, Jeff Gillenkirk, Jeremy Adam Smith, and Ransom Stephens
Terry McMillan honored by Marcus Books, 5-8 pm. Black Repertory Theater, 3201 Adeline, Berkeley.
Constantly Risking Absurdity: Lawrence Ferlinghetti and City Lights. Litquake’s Barbary Coast Award 2010, 8 pm. Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco. Admission:$25.00 in advance/$30.00
at door; VIP $100.00
Robert Mailer Anderson, Justin Chin, Eric Drooker, Steve Earle, Daphne Gottlieb, Juan Felipe Herrera, Jack Hirschman, Chinaka Hodge, Michael Horowitz, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, James Kass, Elaine Katzenberger, Lenny Kaye, Beth Lisick, devorah major, Michael McClure, Ishmael Reed, Winona Ryder, Robert Scheer, Marcus Shelby, Patti Smith, Michelle Tea, Tiny a.k.a. Lisa Gray-Garcia, and Paul Yamazaki
SUNDAY, October 3
Off the Richter Scale Readings, Day 2, noon-4 pm. Note new location: Variety Preview Room Theatre, 582 Market Street, First Floor, San Francisco. Free.
- Women Authoring Change, noon-1 pm. Faith Adiele, Eugenie Chan, Carolina De Robertis, Elana Dykewomon, Elaine Elinson, and Amy Wheeler (moderator)
- AltPub, 1-2 pm. Marta Acosta, Kathleen Fitzgerald (moderator), Lian Gouw, Luke James, Hyla Molander, Peter Plate, and Matt Stewart
- The Golden Gate and Beyond, 2-3 pm. Gabrielle Burton, David Chu, Scott James, Jonathan Kiefer, and Merla Zellerbach
- Literature in Translation, 3-4 pm. Kareem James Abu-Zeid, Scott Esposito (Moderator), Chana Kronfeld, and Eric Selland
Lit Flicks: Litquake’s Literary Film Festival, 1-9 pm. Embarcadero Cinema Center, 1 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco. Co-presented by SF360.org. Sponsored by the generosity of Margaret and Will Hearst. Admission: $10 for each screening.
- Dante’s Inferno, 1 pm. Directed by Sean Meredith, 78 min, 2007
- Red Poet, 2:30 pm. SAN FRANCISCO PREMIERE. Directed by Matthew Furey, 55 min, 2009. Conversation with Matthew Furey and Jack Hirschman to follow, with reading by Hirschman. Moderated by Michael Fox of SF360.org.
- Ghost World, 4:30 pm. Directed by Terry Zwigoff, 111 min., 2001.
- The Practice of the Wild, 7 pm. Directed by John J. Healey, 53 min., 2009. A conversation to follow between Wild producer Will Hearst and Gary Snyder’s longtime friend and publisher, Jack Shoemaker of Counterpoint Press. Moderated by Robert Avila of SF360.org.
Literary North Beach Walking Tour, 5:30-6:30 pm. Starts at The Beat Museum, 540 Broadway, San Francisco. Free.
The Literary Tour Stops Here, 7 pm. Focus Gallery, 1534 Grant Avenue, San Francisco. Free.
Phil Bronstein, Will Durst, Ben Fong-Torres, Alan Kaufman, Ellen Sussman, and Jody Weiner
The CLA All-Stars: 25 Years of San Jose’s Center for Literary Arts, 6:30 pm (VIP wine reception at 5:30 pm). California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco Admission: $25 VIP wine reception, $10 general, $5 for California Historical Society members, and San Jose Center for Literary Arts members.
Kim Addonizio, Daniel Alarcón, Andrew Altschul, Andrew Sean Greer, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Mary Roach
Enviro-Lit Panel: The Sustainable Solution to the Economy, 6:30 pm. Park Chalet, 1000 Great Highway, San Francisco. Admission: $5-$10 donation to Litquake entitles you to order from the restaurant’s low-price happy hour menu all night long!
Felicity Barringer (moderator), Rosalind Creasy, Duane Elgin, David B. Goldstein, and Susan Leal
Barely Published Authors, 7 pm. The Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd Street, San Francisco. Free. 21 and over.
Jeremy Hatch, Mimi Lok, Caitlin Myer, Andre Perry, Paul Spinrad, Ian Tuttle, Alia Volz, and Olga Zilberbourg
The Lit Show: Songs by Literary Lions, 8 pm. Oddball Film and Video, 275 Capp St., San Francisco. Admission: $10. 21 and over
Brad Kay and Suzy Williams
MONDAY, October 4
New Writers Night: Authors Reveal All & How to Navigate the New World of Publishing, 3-6:30 pm. Co-production with the Foundation Center. Foundation Center, 312 Sutter Street, 2nd floor World Affairs Council Auditorium, San Francisco. Free; advance registration required. Please register for each panel separately.
- Authors Reveal All! 3-4:30 pm. Register online. Elaine Beale, Jason Headley, Joanna Smith Rakoff, Vanitha Sankaran, Shanthi Sekaran, and Michael Sledge
- How to Navigate the New World of Publishing, 5-6:30 pm. Register online. Eileen Gittins, Jay A. Hartman, Brenda Knight , Ethan Nosowsky, and Amy Rennert
Words and Waves: An Evening of Surf Lit, 6:30 pm. Park Chalet, 1000 Great Highway, San Francisco. Admission: $5-10 donation entitles you to order off the Happy Hour menu all night!
Krista Comer and Elizabeth Pepin, Doug Dorst, Daniel Duane, Thomas Farber, Steven Kotler, emcee Mark Massara, Michael Scott Moore, and Matt Warshaw
Original Shorts: Bottoms Up, 7 pm. Heart Wine Bar, 1270 Valencia Street, San Francisco. Free. 21 and over.
Dodie Bellamy, Elizabeth Bernstein, Joshua Braff, Anne Finger, Shanthi Sekaran, Namwali Serpell, and James Warner
Litquake in the Bookstore: Tao Lin at The Booksmith. 7:30 pm. The Booksmith, 1644 Haight Street, San Francisco. Free.
TUESDAY, October 5
Kidquake, 10 am-noon. FULL. San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium and Latino Rooms, Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco. Grades K-2 only.
- Assembly, 10-11 am: Jon Agee, Lisa Brown, Maya Christina Gonzalez, Laura Regan, and Belle Yang
- Workshops, 10-10:45 am: Peter Lilenthal, and Dawn Marie Knopf
- Assembly, 11:15 am-12:15 pm: Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Nadia Krilanovich, Amy Novesky, and Deborah Underwood
- Workshops, 11:15-noon: Jon Agee and Laura Regan
Lit & Lunch: Carolina De Robertis on translating the contemporary Chilean novella, Bonsai, noon. Presented by The Center for the Art of Translation. 11 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna St., San Francisco. Free.
Litquake in the Bookstore: Lan Samantha Chang at Book Passage, 6 pm. Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco. Free.
Virtual Reality: The Effect of Fiction on Your Mind, 6:30-7:30 pm. Mechanics Institute Library, 57 Post St., San Francisco. Admission: $12 general public, Free to members of Mechanics Institute
Robert Burton, Elaine Petrocelli, Michelle Richmond, Blakey Vermeule, and Mark Vonnegut
McSweeney’s Fall Harvest, 7 pm: Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street, San Francisco. Free.
Hilton Als, Adam Levin, Peter Orner, and Darin Strauss
Feast of Words: A Storytelling Potluck, 7 pm (Open mic signup begins at 6:30 pm). Presented by SOMArts Cultural Center. SOMArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan St., San Francisco. Admission: $10 suggested donation, Free with potluck dish.
Darren J. de Leon, Lex Leifheit, and Irina Zadov
Litquake in the Bookstore: Nick Bilton at The Booksmith, 7:30 pm. The Booksmith, 1644 Haight Street, San Francisco. Free; Preferred seating voucher with Booksmith purchase of I Live in the Future, beginning September 14 and while supplies last.
Litquake and Porchlight: Tales of Hollywood Hell, 8 pm. Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. Admission: $12 in advance, $15 at the door
Jack Boulware, Exene Cervenka, Joyce Maynard, Martin Cruz Smith, Jill Soloway, Michael Tolkin, and Kristen Tracy
WEDNESDAY, October 6
Kidquake,10 am-noon. FULL. San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium and Latino Rooms, Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco. Grades 6-8 only.
- Assembly, 10-11 am: N. H. Senzai, Jon Voelkel, Pamela Craik Voelkel, and three students from the Creative Writing Department at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (SOTA)
- Workshops, 11:15 am-noon: D. Scot Miller and students from the Creative Writing program at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts
The Art of Narrative Nonfiction, 6 pm. San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium. Main Branch, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco. Free.
Tamim Ansary, Frances Dinkelspiel, Richard Rhodes, and T.J. Stiles
Lan Samantha Chang: A Litquake South Bay Event, 6 pm. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, Rm. 225-229, 150 E. San Fernando St., San Jose. Co-sponsored by the Center for Literary Arts.
Lit on the Lake—Celebrating East Bay Writers, 6 pm. Lake Chalet, Gondola Room, 1520 Lakeside Drive, Oakland. Admission: $5-$10 donation to Litquake entitles you to order from the restaurant’s low-price happy hour menu all night long!
Melanie Abrams, Elaine Beale, Lucy Jane Bledsoe, Jacqueline Luckett, Lisa Braver Moss, and Kristin McCloy
The RADAR Reading Series: Litquake Edition! 6 pm. San Francisco Public Library’s Latino Reading Room, Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco. Free.
Chinaka Hodge, Tao Lin, Sara Marcus, and Beth Pickens
Flight of Poets, 7 pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm). Hotel Rex, 562 Sutter Street, San Francisco. Tickets available only at the door: $15 includes wine flight of six tastes. 21 and over.
Camille T. Dungy, Robin Ekiss, Paul Hoover, Ada Limón, Zachary Mason,Christopher Sawyer, and Matthew Siegel
SF in SF presents The Maltese Omelette: A Radio Play, 7 pm. Variety Preview Room Theatre, 582 Market Street, First Floor, San Francisco. Free.
Peter S. Beagle, Cara Black, Lori Leigh Gieleghem, Michael Kurland, Pat and Richard Lupoff, Gregory Tiede
Civilization on Six Legs: The Complex Societies of Ants and Honeybees, 7 pm. California Academy of Sciences, Morrison Planetarium, 55 Music Concourse Dr., San Francisco, Admission: $15 adults, $12 seniors and Academy members.
Mark W. Moffett and Dr. Thomas D. Seeley
Litquake in the Bookstore: James Howard Kunstler at Books Inc. Berkeley, 7 pm. Books Inc., 1760 Fourth St., Berkeley. Free.
Litquake in the Bookstore: Lorin Stein with Oscar Villalon at City Lights, 7 pm. City Lights Books, 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco. Free.
Litquake in the Bookstore: Stina Katchadourian at Kepler’s, 7 pm. Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. Free.
Bawdy Storytelling, 8 pm (Doors open at 7 pm). The Blue Macaw, 2565 Mission Street, San Francisco. Admission: $10 at door only.
Tim Barsky, Stephen Elliott, Johnny Funcheap, Joe Klocek, Joe Kukura, and Morgan
LDM100: San Francisco Celebrates the 100th Literary Death Match, 7 pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm). Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco. Admission: $10 in advance or $15 at the door.
Readers: Jason Bayani, David Corbett, Kari Kiernan, and Joel Selvin
Judges: W. Kamau Bell, Mark Fiore, and Jane Smiley
The Funny Side of Sex: Kristen Schaal and Friends,8 pm. Cobbs Comedy Club, 915 Columbus Ave., San Francisco. Co-sponsored by Chronicle Books. Tickets are $15.
Scott Jacobson, Ted Travelstead, Kristen Schaal, Michael Kupperman.
THURSDAY, October 7
Kidquake, 10 am-noon. FULL. San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium and Latino Rooms, Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco. Grades 3-5 only.
- Assembly, 10-11 am: Mac Barnett, Brandi Dougherty, Jennifer L. Holm, and Douglas Rees
- Workshops, 11:15 am-noon: Mac Barnett and Gwen Minor
Litquake Bites, noon-1 pm. Book Passage joins forces with Litquake for presentations and tastings (including Cowgirl Creamery). Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco. Free.
Sarah Billingsley, Gordon Edgar, Steve Sando, and Amy Treadwell
The Booksmith Bookswap: Litquake Edition, 6:30-9:30 pm. The Booksmith, 1644 Haight St., San Francisco. Admission: $25 advance only.
Holly Payne, K.M. Soehnlein, and Oscar Villalon
Poets 11 2010 Showcase, 7 pm. Readers Café, Fort Mason Center, Building C, San Francisco. Free.
Litquake in the Bookstore: Thaddeus Russell at City Lights, 7 pm.City Lights, 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco. Free.
Spiritual Journeys at Marin Osher JCC, 7:30 pm. Osher Marin JCC, 200 N. San Pedro Rd., San Rafael. Admission: $12 for members of Litquake and Osher Marin JCC, $15 general public.
Sylvia Boorstein, Don Lattin, Michael Krasny, and Dani Shapiro
Feminine Wiles, 7 pm. Noe Valley Recreational Center, 295 Day St., San Francisco. Free.
Elif Batuman, Marisa Crawford, Katie Crouch, Thaisa Frank, Joyce Maynard, Kaya Oakes, and Shawna Yang Ryan
Stories on Stage, 7:30 pm. Berkeley Repertory Theater, Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. Admission: $22.50 in advance; $25 at the door.
Daniel Alarcón, Daniel Handler, and Yiyun Li
FRIDAY, October 8
Jonathan Lethem on Chronic City,11 am-12:30 pm. Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street, San Francisco. Admission: $20 general public, $17 JCC members, $10 students.
TeenCrawl, 1-7 pm. Various locations.
- Published Teen Authors Panel, 1-3 pm: San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium, Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco. Admission: Free for school groups—teachers must sign their classes up in advance.
- Writing Workshops, 3-5 pm: San Francisco Public Library’s Teen Center, Main Branch, 100 Larkin St., 3rd Floor, San Francisco. Free. Taught by rganizations working with Bay Area youth to encourage their literary pursuits, including WritersCorps, Streetside Stories, and contributors from the recently published 826 Valencia Young Authors’ Book Project, We the Dreamers.
- Not Your Mother’s Book Club, 5-7 pm: Books Inc. Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. Free.
Kristen Tracy, Cameron Tuttle, Katie Williams
Life, Death, Love, Lies…and Cupcakes: Litquake’s All-Memoir Women’s Night, 6:30 pm (Doors open at 6 pm). Hotel Monaco, Paris Ballroom, 501 Geary St., San Francisco. Admission: $5-10 donations requested. No host bar. 21 and over.
Zoe FitzGerald Carter, Katherine Ellison, Laura Fraser, Frances Lefkowitz, Meredith Maran, Kate Moses, and Joan Ryan
It’s All Over But the Crying: A Night of Authors on Sports, 7 pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm). Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk Street, San Francisco. Admission: $10 in advance.
Alan Black, Howard Bryant, Dan Epstein, Dan Fost, David Henry Sterry, Jason Turbow, and Michael Zagaris
Litquake in the Bikestore: David V. Herlihy at Public Bikes, 7 pm. Public Bikes, 123 South Park Avenue, San Francisco. Free
Litquake in the Bookstore: Steve Roby and Brad Schreiber at Book Passage, Corte Madera, 7 pm. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera. Free
The Expert’s Mind: Across Bodies, 7:30 pm. LGBT Center, Andrew Spencer Ceremonial Room. 1800 Market St., San Francisco. Admission: $10-20.
Richard McCann and Neil Theise, M.D.
SATURDAY, October 9
The Infamous, Indefatigable Lit Crawl!!!! 6-9:30 pm
Various venues along the Valencia Street Corridor in San Francisco’s sunny Mission District. Three phases: