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Saturday, October 10
 

11:00am PDT

From Punchlines to Gut Punches: Weaponizing Wit With Humor and Satire
Saturday October 10, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
447 Minna
Buy Tickets/RSVP
Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)

Sponsored by Yerba Buena Partnership

Humor is one of a writer’s best tools, and an oft-underutilized one at that. More than just a hook to get their attention, a well-timed joke can break down a reader’s defenses faster than almost anything else on the page. Want to sharpen your wit-wielding skills? Join Claire Oshetsky, Rebecca Handler, Scott Meyer, and Malik Robinson as they unpack their secrets of how humor can raise the stakes, heighten the drama, and make both tragic and comedic moments hit twice as hard. Moderated by Yuliya Patsay. 
Moderators
avatar for Yuliya Patsay

Yuliya Patsay

Yuliya (it rhymes with Goo-lia) Patsay is a writer and performer navigating American life with Soviet programming (oy to the vey!). She is the author of the memoir Until the Last Pickle and creator of the Substack 'Buckle Up Bubelah'. When she’s avoiding writing (ahem), you can find her telling true-ish stories to live audiences or producing sketch comedy her babushka finds hilarious (and a little concerning... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Malik Robinson

Malik Robinson

Malik Robinson is morally outraged. He's written sketch comedy for Killing My Lobster, improvised short form games with All Out Comedy Theater and performed stand up in various showcases. Posterior chain stretches occupy much of his free time. 
avatar for Claire Oshetsky

Claire Oshetsky

Claire Oshetsky is the author of the novels EVIL GENIUS (February 2026) POOR DEER (January 2024) and CHOUETTE (November 2021), all from Ecco. Claire lives in Santa Cruz, California.
avatar for Rebecca Handler

Rebecca Handler

Rebecca Handler’s debut novel, Edie Richter is Not Alone, received a Kirkus Starred Review and was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Her short stories have been published and awarded in several anthologies. Her second novel, In the Round, will be publishe... Read More →
avatar for Scott Meyer

Scott Meyer

Scott Meyer is the co-owner and director of Endgames Improv in The Mission District, shaping the theater's creative vision since 2013. Trained at Endgames, iO Chicago, Second City, and UCB, he has spent 13 years performing in the long-running improv show "Your F'd Up Relationship" and recent... Read More →
Saturday October 10, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
447 Minna 447 Minna St, San Francisco
  Writers Weekend, Pay What You Can

12:30pm PDT

Beyond the Isms: Crafting Stories that Spark Real-World Activism
Saturday October 10, 2026 12:30pm - 1:30pm PDT
447 Minna
Buy Tickets/RSVP
Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)

Sponsored by Yerba Buena Partnership

When the world's on fire, storytelling can act as first-responder to community hearts and minds, inspiring real-world activism that drives social change. From our expert authors, you’ll learn how to shine a light on things that matter and craft narratives that build genuine empathy, explore cultural and social responsibility, and maybe, just maybe, motivate readers to act. Join panelists Jilanne Hoffmann, Khan Wong, Safia Elhillo, and Savala Nolan for tips spanning genres across poetry, longform essays, children’s books, and speculative fiction. Moderated by Jane Ganahl. 
Moderators
avatar for Jane Ganahl

Jane Ganahl

Jane Ganahl was the co-founder, with Jack Boulware, of Litquake. She is also a writer, teacher, and animal activist. As a Hearst newspaper journalist with the Examiner and Chronicle for 25 years, she covered the arts, and wrote the “Single Minded” column, which led to her mem... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Savala Nolan

Savala Nolan

Savala Nolan is a celebrated essayist, speaker, and teacher. Her newest book, Good Woman: A Reckoning, was named a Most Anticipated Feminist Book of 2026 by Ms. Magazine.  Her first book, Don’t Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender and the Body, was shortlisted for the 2... Read More →
avatar for Jilanne Hoffmann

Jilanne Hoffmann

Jilanne Hoffmann’s middle grade historical-contemporary novel in verse and prose, HeartLand, blends a coming-of-age story and family and friendship dynamics with environmental activism. It received a starred review from School Library Journal and glowing reviews from Booklist, ... Read More →
avatar for Khan Wong

Khan Wong

Khan Wong has a past as a poet, cellist, arts funder and internationally known hula hooper. His debut novel, The Circus Infinite, was longlisted for the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) Best Novel category, and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. His second no... Read More →
avatar for Safia Elhillo

Safia Elhillo

Sudanese by way of Washington, D.C., Safia Elhillo is the author of Girls That Never Die, The January Children, Home Is Not a Country, and Bright Red Fruit, and co-editor of the anthology Halal If You Hear Me. She has received fellowships from Cave Canem and Stanford University, and her awards include a California Book Award, the Brunel International African Poetry Prize, and an Arab American Book Award. She has been a finalist for the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, the... Read More →
Saturday October 10, 2026 12:30pm - 1:30pm PDT
447 Minna 447 Minna St, San Francisco
  Writers Weekend, Pay What You Can

2:00pm PDT

Lick, Smack, Slurp: Writing the Desires We Only Confess to the Page
Saturday October 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
447 Minna
Buy Tickets/RSVP
Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)

Sponsored by Yerba Buena Partnership

We’ve all heard about “show, don’t tell” but how, exactly, does a writer show the most evocative details possible? Let's lean into the heat, the ache, the sensory overload. In this panel, Jennifer Barone, Sandra Jackson-Opoku, and Tomas Moniz will show you how to write about our most unspoken longings (the sensual, the emotional, and the taboo) and they're not afraid to go there! Moderated by Tijanna Eaton. 
Moderators
avatar for Tijanna O. Eaton

Tijanna O. Eaton

Tijanna O. Eaton (Tə-zha-na; she/her) is a Black butch writer whose work appears in Panorama Journal, Honey Literary, Noyo Review, slips slips, and Yellow Arrow Vignette. She is a nonfiction judge for the 2025 Money for Women contest, is a 2024 Soros Justice Fellow, was the nonfiction judge for the 2024 Best of the Net contest, was a 2023 Rooted & Written Fellow, and received the 2021 Unicorn Authors Club Alumni award. Tijanna is a sanctuary coa... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Tomas Moniz

Tomas Moniz

Tomas Moniz is a Latinx writer living in East Oakland, CA. His debut novel, Big Familia, was a finalist for the 2020 PEN/Hemingway and the LAMBDA. His second novel, All Friends Are Necessary, won the 2024 California Golden Poppy Award. His new novel, The King of Aloe Vera, will be published September 2026 from Algonquin Books. He teaches at Berkeley City College, the Antioch MFA program and St. Mary’s College. He has stuff on the internet but loves penpals: PO Box 3555, Berkeley CA 94703. He promises to write back... Read More →
avatar for Jennifer Barone

Jennifer Barone

Jennifer Barone is an Italian-American poet and artist. She is the author of four poetry collections, including Sirenland about the Bay of Naples, Italy, the siren mythology and stories of the sea, and Saporoso: Poems of Italian Food & Love, Feather Press. A two-time winner of th... Read More →
avatar for Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Sandra Jackson-Opoku is the author of three award-winning novels. The River Where Blood is Born won the American Library Association Black Caucus Award. Hot Johnny and the Women Who Loved Him was an Essence Magazine Bestseller in Hardcover Fiction. Savvy Summers and the Sweet Pot... Read More →
Saturday October 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
447 Minna 447 Minna St, San Francisco
  Writers Weekend, Pay What You Can
 

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