BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:litquake2026 X-WR-CALDESC:Event Calendar METHOD:PUBLISH CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:-//Sched.com Litquake 2026//EN X-WR-TIMEZONE:UTC BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20260911T020000Z DTEND:20260911T033000Z SUMMARY:Changing Gender: Susan Stryker (SOLD OUT) DESCRIPTION:$15 adv / $20 door\n\nCo-presented with the Bay Area Lesbian Archives\n\nWhat might our lives look like without the limiting assumptions that gender\, as a concept\, imposes across the political spectrum? In \;Changing Gender\, the leading trans scholar \;Susan Stryker \;invites readers to ride along on her lifelong quest to uncover what gender means and does\, tracing the gender concept's roots in grammar and how it transformed into a battleground of the culture wars. From the origins of “Yankee Doodle” to acid trips in Joshua Tree National Park\, from nineteenth-century phrenology to present-day anti-trans conspiracy theorists\, Stryker finds surprising places to tune in to the origins\, idiosyncrasies\, and generative possibilities of the gender concept. Along the way\, she weaves stories drawn from her lifetime as a pathbreaking historian\, filmmaker\, activist\, and founding figure of transgender studies. In conversation with award-winning filmmaker \;Cheryl Dunye. Doors at 6:30pm CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Oakstop California Ballroom\, 1536 Franklin Street\, Oakland SEQUENCE:0 UID:1165c4a5045d85018b017736160dfd6c URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/1165c4a5045d85018b017736160dfd6c END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20260912T190000Z DTEND:20260913T190000Z SUMMARY:San Francisco Moby-Dick Marathon 2026 DESCRIPTION:FREE\n\nCo-presented with the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association and the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park\n\nThis nonstop\, cover-to-cover reading transforms the San Francisco Maritime Museum into the setting for one of the city's most beloved literary traditions! Steeped in maritime history\, theatrical creativity\, and community participation\, the \;Moby-Dick \;Marathon brings Melville's monumental novel to life in a way that is lively\, accessible\, and\, dare we say\, fun. Literary thrill-seekers gather annually to celebrate this complicated\, provocative\, much-beloved-and-sometimes-dreaded epic of nautical life! Volunteer readers of all backgrounds\, from special guest performers to members of the public\, lend their voices to the story chapter by chapter. This year's MD24 blends San Francisco's creative spirit with live performance\, visual art\, spectacle\, and surprise\, creating an unforgettable celebration of one of America's greatest novels. Come for a chapter\, stay for the night\, or experience the full 24 hours inside the spectacularly restored Art Deco landmark that is the Maritime Museum! CATEGORIES:FICTION LOCATION:San Francisco Maritime Museum\, 900 Beach St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:907802ac8b1aec81472057368444931c URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/907802ac8b1aec81472057368444931c END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20260918T010000Z DTEND:20260918T030000Z SUMMARY:ZYZZYVA Movie Night: Songs of Earth DESCRIPTION:$16\n\nCo-presented with ZYZZYVA and the Roxie\n\nFor this installment of \;ZYZZYVA \;Movie Night\, \;Rebecca Solnit \;introduces \;Songs of Earth\, a poetic\, unspeakably beautiful film by director Margreth Olin\, executive produced by Liv Ullman and Wim Wenders. On the screen\, the great scale of majestic fjord rural landscape\, which Olin’s father sets to love deeply through all seasons\, is interwoven with the minute scale of human history—the tale of impoverished\, rugged farmers in the region and the couple’s own marriage. Following the screening\, Solnit will appear in conversation with \;Ingrid Roja Contreras \;on her latest book\, \;The Beginning Comes After the End\, where the author plays with timescale in similar ways. In this sequel to her enduring bestseller \;Hope in the Dark\, Solnit writes into the macro-scale of the last 65 years of social progress\, and what this progress means now. Co-hosted by \;ZYZZYVA \;editor \;Oscar Villalon. Doors open at 5:30pm for book sales/signing. \; CATEGORIES:FILM SCREENING LOCATION:Roxie Theater\, 3117 16th St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:4769b7f54624eeabbbb7cf5db2fa2f63 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/4769b7f54624eeabbbb7cf5db2fa2f63 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20260924T020000Z DTEND:20260924T043000Z SUMMARY:R.F. Kuang: Taipei Story (SOLD OUT) DESCRIPTION:This event has been sold out—thanks\, everyone for your overwhelming interest and excitement!\n\n$48 with book / $62 household with book / $15 student (non-bundled)\n \nCo-presented with Green Apple Books\n\nJoin us for an evening with award-winning author \;R.F. Kuang \;for the release of her latest novel\, \;Taipei Story. Kuang’s most personal novel to date relates the story of Lily\, a first-year college student whose summer trip to Taipei\, intended to connect her with her roots\, is disastrous in some ways but transformative in so many more. Doors at 6:00pm. CATEGORIES:FICTION LOCATION:Calvary Presbyterian\, 2515 Fillmore Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:86368ae2f788332f55565b32ed6b5afc URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/86368ae2f788332f55565b32ed6b5afc END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20260927T190000Z DTEND:20260928T000000Z SUMMARY:Warfield Commons Opening Party (JOIN THE WAITLIST) DESCRIPTION:FREE—this event is at capacity\, but you can join the wait list at the \;link above\n\nCelebrate the opening of Warfield Commons—a reimagined multi-story hub for arts\, media\, culture\, and civic engagement designed to activate community and amplify the stories of the Bay Area and beyond. Enjoy cultural performances\, a showcase of local food vendors\, exclusive tours led by Warfield Commons tenants (including yours truly!)\, and family-friendly activities.\n CATEGORIES:PARTY LOCATION:Warfield Commons\, 988 Market St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:1dcb5f569c8fef16eac1b03f3bbba115 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/1dcb5f569c8fef16eac1b03f3bbba115 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261004T180000Z DTEND:20261004T190000Z SUMMARY:Hands in the Soil\, Legs on the Pole: Queerness in the Material Realm DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n\nSponsored by Yerba Buena Gardens Festival & Yerba Buena Partnership\nMedia sponsorship by 48 Hills\nA part of the Litquake Out Loud series\n\nHow is a tree like a stripper pole? Where do the poetics of physicality and ecology overlap? As digital spaces collapse into slop and surveillance\, how can queer communities in the material world dig and twerk toward pleasure and liberation? Here\, QTBIPOC writers \;Brandon Logans\, Kevin Madrigal Galindo\, May-Li Khoe\, and \;Nnenna Loveth \;explore the sensuality\, tenderness\, and resilience of both body and earth. These landworkers\, dancers\, and poets discuss how queerness informs and supports their relationship to tangible space\, natural environs\, and embodied movement. Curated by \;Mukethe Kawinzi. \; CATEGORIES:LITQUAKE OUT LOUD LOCATION:Great Lawn\, Yerba Buena Gardens\, 700 Mission Street\, San Francisco\, CA SEQUENCE:0 UID:78cc23c05eb37e41c6db7749a0c5373b URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/78cc23c05eb37e41c6db7749a0c5373b END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261004T180000Z DTEND:20261004T230000Z SUMMARY:Small Press Book Fair DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n\nSponsored by Yerba Buena Gardens Festival & Yerba Buena Partnership\nFeaturing 2026 festival sponsors Alta Journal and Center for the Art of Translation/Two Lines Press\n\nJoin a curated spread of our favorite small presses and literary magazines for Litquake’s Small Press Book Fair in Yerba Buena Gardens! Browse the best in local literature set to a day of poetry readings from Litquake Out Loud. \n\nParticipating vendors:\n\nAlta Journal\nBanana Pitch Press\nCampfire Press\nCenter for Sex and Culture\nCita Press\nCity Lights\nDoppelHouse Press\nDouble Negative Press\nFeather Press\nFoglifter Journal and Press\nThe Green Arcade / Ithuriel's Spear\nHeresy Press\nHeyday Books\nLast Gasp Press\nLocus Magazine\nTwo Lines Press\nMumblers Press\nNorth Atlantic Books\nPanamerica\nPAWA\nPM Press\nReed Magazine\nScrambler Books\nSixteen Rivers Press\nSociety for the Promotion of Speculative Fiction\nUnsolicited Press\nWeavers Press\nZYZZYVA CATEGORIES:LITQUAKE OUT LOUD LOCATION:Great Lawn\, Yerba Buena Gardens\, 700 Mission Street\, San Francisco\, CA SEQUENCE:0 UID:04ad1f0c3a561fe4710dfe7aad7ccdea URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/04ad1f0c3a561fe4710dfe7aad7ccdea END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261004T193000Z DTEND:20261004T203000Z SUMMARY:Fluent in Rebirth: Trans and Non-Binary Incantations DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nSponsored by Yerba Buena Gardens Festival & Yerba Buena Partnership\n Media sponsorship by 48 Hills\n A part of the Litquake Out Loud series\n \nIf you’re looking for architects to dream up a new world\, why not start with the folks who have already built one? As trans and gender non-confirming people\, we are skilled at identifying what is meant to stifle and cage us\, as well as envisioning what else is possible when we rage towards liberation. Trans people teach us what it means to transform the physical conditions of our world and show us what’s possible when our imaginations are freest and at their most feral. These Bay Area trans and non-binary artists will share work resisting erasure and conjuring prayers for the world we’re collectively building. Featuring Isa Borgeson\, Mason J\, Trinh Lê\, \;and \;Reggie Edmonds-Vazquez. Curated by Zara Jamshed. CATEGORIES:LITQUAKE OUT LOUD LOCATION:Great Lawn\, Yerba Buena Gardens\, 700 Mission Street\, San Francisco\, CA SEQUENCE:0 UID:43e35805d222ad9102aa35bdb30eeea2 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/43e35805d222ad9102aa35bdb30eeea2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261004T210000Z DTEND:20261004T220000Z SUMMARY:Queer Trans Black & Indigenous Poetics: We Have Always Paved Our Own Ways DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nSponsored by Yerba Buena Gardens Festival & Yerba Buena Partnership\n Media sponsorship by 48 Hills\n A part of the Litquake Out Loud series\n \nQueer trans Black and Indigenous people have always paved our own ways of existing in the world\, formed our own networks of care\, and resisted dominant systems of power to preserve culture\, traditions\, and our ways of life. This reading will gather queer and trans Black and Indigenous poets Aleah Bradshaw\, Ju(mia)\, and Zander Moreno Lozano \;to explore relation to the body\, land\, lineage\, resistance\, and the alternative futures we are actively building. Please join us for an afternoon of shared joy\, righteous wordsmithing\, and compelling truth. Curated by Vania Luna Gutierrez. \;\n\n CATEGORIES:LITQUAKE OUT LOUD LOCATION:Great Lawn\, Yerba Buena Gardens\, 700 Mission Street\, San Francisco\, CA SEQUENCE:0 UID:079b1934c71b6fd14ea6e8bfae5b3097 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/079b1934c71b6fd14ea6e8bfae5b3097 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261007T023000Z DTEND:20261007T040000Z SUMMARY:An Evening with Ayad Akhtar DESCRIPTION:$53 with code LITQUAKE5\n \nCo-presented with City Arts & Lectures\n \nA mysterious accident along a country road sparks an awakening and an investigation in Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright and acclaimed novelist Ayad Akhtar’s most daring work yet—a visionary novel of spiritual transformation in an age of fracture—"bordering at times on the ineffable" (Mary Gaitskill).\n \nWhen a hit-and-run shatters more than his body\, a writer is caught between revelation and madness as an uncanny pull toward a brilliant campus colleague ensnares him in a scandal that threatens to destroy them both. What begins as a provocative portrait of academic and cultural warfare deepens into erotic entanglement\, the exposure of a family secret\, and the mystery surrounding the narrator’s accident—both the violence and its aftermath. In conversation with Karen Russell. Doors at 7:00pm. \;\n\n CATEGORIES:FICTION LOCATION:Sydney Goldstein Theater\, 275 Hayes St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:d649b56a1a817c66305071ea4239aada URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/d649b56a1a817c66305071ea4239aada END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261008T171500Z DTEND:20261008T191500Z SUMMARY:Kidquake: Upper Elementary DESCRIPTION:FREE\n \n\n Book donations sponsored by Candlewick Press\n Co-presented with San Francisco Public Library\n  \;\n Our acclaimed Kidquake programs for children’s books\; authors\, illustrators\, poets\, and bookmakers provide readings\, discussions\, and workshops designed to fuel kids’ imagination. This morning’s two sessions\, for kids in 3rd to 5th grades\, begin at 10:15am and 11:15am. Featuring authors \;Dan Santat\, Lisa Moore Ramée\, plus a mid-presentation performance by author Tiffany Golden\, with workshops (by lottery) from author & illustrator of Agent Cupcake \;Mel Hilario \;& Katie Longua \;(comics)\, author/illustrator of The Paper Princess \;Elisa Kleven (collage)\, and 826 Valencia (podcasting). Advance sign-up required for in-person student groups. Streamed live at youtube.com/SanFranciscoLibrary. \;\n CATEGORIES: LOCATION:SFPL Main Branch\, 100 Larkin St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:22ce8c4180fe1e58f3d9604f22bfe767 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/22ce8c4180fe1e58f3d9604f22bfe767 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261009T020000Z DTEND:20261009T050000Z SUMMARY:Litquake's Opening Night Bash: Booksellers Ball DESCRIPTION:$50 / $75 to sponsor a bookseller or librarian\nAll sales help support the rest of Litquake's (75% free!) festival programming!\n\nCo-presented with Book Passage\, Black Bird Books\, Bookshop West Portal\, City Lights\, Dog Eared Books\, Et al.\, Fabulosa Books\, Green Apple Books\, Noe Valley Books\, Pegasus Books\, Sistah Scifi\, Telegraph Hill Books\, The Booksmith\, The Love Potion Library\, Medicine for Nightmares\, and Womb House Books\n\nBeverages sponsored by Griffo Distillery & Saintsbury Winery\n\nKick off the 2026 festival at the Booksellers Ball\, our big opening night bash! Here\, the Litquake community will come together to fête San Francisco’s independent bookstores at the former home of the legendary Paper Doll\, an underground LGBTQ supper club active 1941-1969.\n\nJoin us for catered event with abundant libations and a special literature-themed drag performance from \;Carlota Di Carlo. With festive grooves from BFF.FM \;DJ Lead Teddy \;and an open bar from beverage sponsors \;Griffo Distillery \;and \;Saintsbury Winery\, we invite you to kick up your heels with local literati and celebrate another year of Litquake! CATEGORIES:PARTY LOCATION:524 Union\, 524 Union St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:cae4bf71903685c453e908b1897d4875 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/cae4bf71903685c453e908b1897d4875 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261009T171500Z DTEND:20261009T191500Z SUMMARY:Kidquake: Lower Elementary DESCRIPTION:FREE\n \n\n Book donations sponsored by Candlewick Press\n Co-presented with San Francisco Public Library\n \n\n Our acclaimed Kidquake programs for children’s books\; authors\, illustrators\, poets\, and bookmakers provide readings\, discussions\, and workshops designed to fuel kids’ imagination. This morning’s two sessions\, for kids in 1st and 2nd grades\, begin at 10:15am and 11:15am. Featuring authors Mahogany L. Browne and Maggie Tokuda-Hall \;plus an activity led by the Randall Museum of Science\, with workshops (by lottery) from author/illustrator of Ren’s Pencil Bo Lu \;(illustration) and author of A Year of Kites Monisha Bajaj \;(kite-making). Advance sign-up required for in-person student groups. Streamed live at youtube.com/SanFranciscoLibrary.\n\n CATEGORIES: LOCATION:SFPL Main Branch\, 100 Larkin St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:90b468794ca6dca939b0d0486081542f URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/90b468794ca6dca939b0d0486081542f END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261009T233000Z DTEND:20261010T003000Z SUMMARY:An Afternoon with Mahogany Browne DESCRIPTION:FREE\n\nCo-presented with Chapter 510\n\nCalling all teens\, educators\, and families! Take a breather after the busy school week at Chapter 510’s cozy space for creative writing. As part of their Write\, Speak\, Heal collaborative with Youth Speaks and Divine Radiance\, join poet\, playwright\, organizer\, and educator Mahogany L. Browne for an afternoon celebrating young people’s self-expression\, resilience\, and wellness. Browne will read from her National Book Award–longlisted collection of stories and poems A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe\, which Publishers Weekly calls a “love letter to [a] resilient teen population as they adjust to a changed world.” Joining her will be Chapter 510 teaching artist Belinda Bellinger\, with an opening performance by Youth Speaks poets. Followed by a conversation around creativity\, healing\, and resilience moderated by Alie Jones. Doors at 4pm.\n\n\n CATEGORIES:KIDQUAKE LOCATION:Chapter 510\, 546 9th St\, Oakland\, CA. 94607 SEQUENCE:0 UID:8be8dabb1c9e377a0bae88b3e0bae22d URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/8be8dabb1c9e377a0bae88b3e0bae22d END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261010T010000Z DTEND:20261010T030000Z SUMMARY:"I took the lake between my legs": Women of a Certain Age Read Poems on Sex and Death DESCRIPTION:$12 adv / $15 door\n\nCo-presented with Left Margin Lit and Vintage Berkeley\n\nBack by popular demand\, with an all-new lineup! Sex and death are central human concerns\, but older women poets often find themselves silenced or sidelined on the first of these subjects. Here\, in an event curated by Rebecca Foust\, five women aged 40 and better—Mahogany L. Browne\, Prageeta Sharma\, Jen Siraganian\, Melissa Stein\, and Barbara Jane Reyes—will share frankly erotic work that refuses to be muted or mooted and makes a bulwark of bodily sensuality against death\, time\, and our aging selves. Alongside the reading\, emceed by poet Tracey Knapp\, winemaker Emily Fernwood will be on site to introduce Osa Major wines\, which will be available for purchase by the glass. This event will take place on Vintage Berkeley’s secret garden patio—dress accordingly! Doors at 5:30pm. CATEGORIES:POETRY LOCATION:Vintage Berkeley Wine Shop\, 2113 Vine St\, Berkeley\, CA 94709 SEQUENCE:0 UID:61bc07b390c3584893e775cc8f498888 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/61bc07b390c3584893e775cc8f498888 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261010T020000Z DTEND:20261010T033000Z SUMMARY:Hernan Diaz: Ply DESCRIPTION:$15 gen admission / $40 with signed book\n \nCenturies from now\, at the dawn of a historical epoch filled with both uncertainty and promise\, an orphan is adrift in a city on the brink of a great transformation...After rewriting America’s past with his two previous novels\, Pulitzer Prize winner Hernan Diaz \;defies expectations with his third and turns to the future with a novel that examines the place of technology in the American imagination. Combining Dickensian odyssey\, family drama\, and scientific thriller\, Ply poignantly charts the tenuous boundaries of selfhood and the distance that inevitably stands between us and those we love. In conversation with Pulitzer Prize–winning science writer and friend Ed Yong. Doors at 6:30pm. CATEGORIES:FICTION LOCATION:BATS Improv Theatre\, Landmark Building B\, San Francisco\, CA 94109\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:868d86254865a7dffd7c595b0a087275 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/868d86254865a7dffd7c595b0a087275 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261010T020000Z DTEND:20261010T033000Z SUMMARY:Olivie Blake: Dreamland DESCRIPTION:Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat\; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)\n\nGet in the spirit of scary season with the latest moody masterpiece from bestselling novelist \;Olivie Blake\, author of \;Girl Dinner. \;Loosely inspired by the 1947 Black Dahlia murder\, \;Dreamland \;is a dark Hollywood fable about fame\, ambition\, and the price some people are willing to pay to achieve both. Alix E. Harrow calls it nothing short of a “gory\, gothic masterpiece.” In conversation with \;Kristina Ten\, whose work Blake selected for the latest \;Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy \;anthology. Dress in your Hollywood finery (or come as you are) and bring your burning questions for Olivie Blake! Doors at 6:30pm.\n CATEGORIES:SCI-FI / FANTASY / HORROR LOCATION:Gilman Brewing\, 912 Gilman St\, Berkeley SEQUENCE:0 UID:370523c9a0dd396ab40eb7d212fad826 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/370523c9a0dd396ab40eb7d212fad826 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261010T180000Z DTEND:20261010T190000Z SUMMARY:From Punchlines to Gut Punches: Weaponizing Wit With Humor and Satire DESCRIPTION:Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat\; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)\n\nSponsored by Yerba Buena Partnership\n\nHumor 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. \;\n\n CATEGORIES:WRITERS WEEKEND LOCATION:447 Minna\, 447 Minna St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:ef717cddacc22201e9c7f9bb20e0777d URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/ef717cddacc22201e9c7f9bb20e0777d END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261010T193000Z DTEND:20261010T203000Z SUMMARY:Beyond the Isms: Crafting Stories that Spark Real-World Activism DESCRIPTION:Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat\; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)\n\nSponsored by Yerba Buena Partnership\n\nWhen 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. \; CATEGORIES:WRITERS WEEKEND LOCATION:447 Minna\, 447 Minna St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:3e77d672f51151901990eae8a0a1025b URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/3e77d672f51151901990eae8a0a1025b END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261010T210000Z DTEND:20261010T220000Z SUMMARY:Lick\, Smack\, Slurp: Writing the Desires We Only Confess to the Page DESCRIPTION:Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat\; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)\n\nSponsored by Yerba Buena Partnership\n\nWe’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. \; CATEGORIES:WRITERS WEEKEND LOCATION:447 Minna\, 447 Minna St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:2d2057802f5b9409f6f52a8d371704f3 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/2d2057802f5b9409f6f52a8d371704f3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261011T000000Z DTEND:20261011T010000Z SUMMARY:¡Poetry on la Veinticuatro! Poets in the Window DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nA reading series that puts poets in the front window of the bookstore to read their poems to the chingadera\, locura\, and beauty that is 24th Street. Featuring Mukethe Kawinzi\, Cathy Arellano\, Barbara Jane Reyes\, and San Francisco’s current Poet Laureate Genny Lim. \; CATEGORIES:POETRY LOCATION:Medicine for Nightmares\, 3036 24th St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:e44e7683cf7803b1c0b35581fb5d888f URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/e44e7683cf7803b1c0b35581fb5d888f END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261011T010000Z DTEND:20261011T030000Z SUMMARY:Literary Speakeasy Presents: Dragging Celebrity Autobiographies DESCRIPTION:$20 adv / $25 door\n\nCo-presented with The Stud\n\nLiterary Speakeasy returns to Litquake for another hysterical evening of Bay Area drag superstars putting on their reading glasses to celebrate the most scandalous\, most outrageous\, and most ridiculous celebrity memoirs and autobiographies! From \;Real Housewives \;to Hollywood legends\, no book or celebrity is off limits for \;Fagatha Christie\, \;Lisa Frankenstein\, \;Vanilla Meringue\, \;Piranha Psychotronica\, \;BeBe Sweetbriar\, and \;Laundra Thyme. Come join your hosts \;James J. Siegel \;and \;Elsa Touche \;for an evening of laughs\, queer camp\, and prizes! Doors at 5:30pm. \; CATEGORIES:PERFORMANCE LOCATION:The Stud\, 1123 Folsom St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:90cdd557dd17ba66cda9af9e7880cf3b URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/90cdd557dd17ba66cda9af9e7880cf3b END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261011T011500Z DTEND:20261011T021500Z SUMMARY:¡Poetry on la Veinticuatro! Pan Dulce Poets DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nWe will make our way down 24th\, to a 49-year-old Mission institution\, La Reyna Bakery\, for the Pan Dulce Poets\, a beloved Mission series started in May of 2015 by Ricardo Tavarez. Here\, poets read surrounded by pan dulce and used a converted paleta cart as a podium while Louie passed out cafecito y chocolate caliente to everyone. Featuring Ellie Lopez\, Pan Dulce Poets founder Ricardo Tavarez\, Michelle Ibarra\, and former San Francisco Poet Laureate Alejandro Murguía. \; CATEGORIES:POETRY LOCATION:La Reyna Bakery\, 3114 24th St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:d52b2645a6fe48fc959c43d3a5cf144f URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/d52b2645a6fe48fc959c43d3a5cf144f END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261011T020000Z DTEND:20261011T033000Z SUMMARY:Min Jin Lee: American Hagwon DESCRIPTION:$15 gen admission / $45 with signed book\n \nCo-presented with Kearny Street Workshop\n \nThe National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Pachinko returns with a breathtaking contemporary epic. In American Hagwon\, \;Min Jin Lee has crafted an unforgettable\, panoramic novel where the smallest of gestures can have enormous repercussions. Once comfortably middle class in Korea\, John and Helen Koh and their three children—Bo\, DH\, and Mido—find their lives upended\, first by a shocking betrayal by John’s oldest friend\, then by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Desperately striving to regain their footing\, they leave Seoul for Sydney and eventually settle in Southern California—where new vistas of opportunity open up for the children as their parents\, strangers in a strange land\, must adjust to a new life in which their experience and education mean little. In conversation with Andrew Sean Greer. Doors at 6:00pm. \;\n\n CATEGORIES:FICTION LOCATION:Calvary Presbyterian\, 2515 Fillmore Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:2de3046fd964e0ac462cd9782aced593 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/2de3046fd964e0ac462cd9782aced593 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261011T020000Z DTEND:20261011T033000Z SUMMARY:Claudia Rankine: Triage DESCRIPTION:Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seating\; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)\n\nSponsored by Alta Journal\nCo-presented with First Presbyterian Church of Oakland\n\nPoet \;Claudia Rankine’s work is unfailingly expansive—broadening readers’ understanding of race\, social conscience\, and the limits of genre. \;Triage\, \;Rankine’s first book since the groundbreaking “American” trilogy (whose centerpiece\, \;Citizen\, \;was a 2023 \;Alta \;California Book Club selection)\, again defies boundaries. Here Rankine traces a decades-long friendship between two women—the narrator and the theorist—following their evolving relationship against a backdrop of ever-more-turbulent times. Here Rankine creates a politically urgent\, uncategorizable mix of essay\, criticism\, memoir\, and photography that \;Booklist \;calls “Startlingly original ... A remarkable\, soul-stirring work.” In conversation with \;Cathy Park Hong\, whose award-winning nonfiction book \;Minor Feelings \;engages intimately with Rankine’s ideas. The \;Alta Journal \;team will be on hand to introduce you to upcoming California Book Club selections\, and we’ll kick things off with performances by 2026 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate Isaiah Kahn and Vice OYPL Isabel Shen. \;Doors at 6:30pm. CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:First Presbyterian Church of Oakland Fellowship Hall\, 2619 Broadway\, Oakland SEQUENCE:0 UID:a63f0b326d85476519e5d0841f04f0f1 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/a63f0b326d85476519e5d0841f04f0f1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261011T020000Z DTEND:20261011T040000Z SUMMARY:Poetry World Series: Litquake Edition DESCRIPTION:$15 adv / $20 door\n21+\n\nTwo teams of award-winning poets\, including \;Bhion Achimba\, Rhoni Blankenhorn\, Safia Elhillo\, Prageeta Sharma\, Angel Dominguez\, \;and \;Ben Gucciardi\, \;take turns batting at topics pitched to them by the audience. Fastballs\, curveballs\, knuckleballs: these poets won’t know what’s coming next! Hilarity and brilliance both guaranteed. \;Daniel Handler \;will be tonight’s emcee\, and eminently qualified umpires—Randall Mann \;and \;Katie Peterson—will score each batter’s reading. The winning team takes the series title. Don’t forget to bring a topic to stump the poets with! Book sales/signing follow the final inning. Doors at 6:30pm. CATEGORIES:POETRY LOCATION:Make-Out Room\, 3225 22nd St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:b9416984f5d7283911ce0e53526a3441 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/b9416984f5d7283911ce0e53526a3441 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261011T023000Z DTEND:20261011T033000Z SUMMARY:¡Poetry on la Veinticuatro! La Lunada DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \n Finally we will end the crawl at the mama of all Mission reading series\, La Lunada! Originally started in 1998 in a Mexican restaurant in San Jose\, La Lunada relocated to Calle 24 in 2004 at the original location of Galeria de la Raza on the esquina of 24th and Bryant. Since then the Lunada has been where countless poets from the neighborhood and beyond have gathered and celebrated the power of poesía. Featuring Kevin Madrigal Galindo\, Rebeca Abidaíl Flores\, and Know Expressions. CATEGORIES:POETRY LOCATION:Galeria de la Raza\, 2779 Folsom St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:ba169d537d3905bbe6d58abff235211e URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/ba169d537d3905bbe6d58abff235211e END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261011T180000Z DTEND:20261011T190000Z SUMMARY:Voice Lessons: Crafting an Artist Statement that Proves You're Human DESCRIPTION:Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat\; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)\n\nSponsored by Yerba Buena Partnership\n\nIf you’re trying to land grants\, residencies\, or funding\, how can you write a compelling artist statement without hiding behind generic grant-speak\, clinical jargon\, or AI buzzwords? Author \;Janine Kovac \;will lead book critic \;Britta Stromeyer\, publicist \;Cristina Deptula\, and literary agent \;Rachel Neumann \;in a discussion on tapping into the genuine voice that allows an author to speak about their own work with clarity and authenticity. Learn tips and tricks for elevating your artistic narrative while keeping your unique point-of-view front and center! CATEGORIES:WRITERS WEEKEND LOCATION:447 Minna\, 447 Minna St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:74f2eae3fe6c881771bb01fd04ed6090 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/74f2eae3fe6c881771bb01fd04ed6090 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261011T193000Z DTEND:20261011T203000Z SUMMARY:The Unconventional Author: Side Doors and Secret Passages to Publication DESCRIPTION:Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat\; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)\n\nSponsored by Yerba Buena Partnership\n\nQuerying agents and waiting on slush piles isn't the only way to get published. For many writers it's not even the best one. In this panel\, successful indie authors \;Tara Dorabji\, Marianne Lonsdale\, Regina Louise\, \;and \;Wendy Johnson \;pull back the curtain on surprising\, alternative paths such as contest contracts\, hybrid publishers\, and DIY presses to get stories published and promoted. Moderated by indie author \;Matthew Félix. \; CATEGORIES:WRITERS WEEKEND LOCATION:447 Minna\, 447 Minna St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:3e3707caf728a9f1a43d49ec0c53e1e0 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/3e3707caf728a9f1a43d49ec0c53e1e0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261011T200000Z DTEND:20261011T213000Z SUMMARY:The Savage Mind: An American Legacy with David Treuer DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nCo-presented with Grace Cathedral’s The Forum\n \n“Unlike anything I have read…this book will make a mark.” —Percival Everett\, Pulitzer Prize– and National Book Award–winning author. \;In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the January 6 insurrection\, as America seemed to be falling apart\, New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist David Treuer decided to hold himself and his family together the only way he knew how: he sat down to write a letter. Ranging from Treuer’s upbringing on the Leech Lake reservation in Minnesota to the experiences of his parents\, a Jewish Holocaust refugee and the first American Indigenous woman judge\, The Savage Mind reveals the terrifying essence of our nation: frontier violence\, which has defined our country\, our culture\, and our very selves. In conversation with Grace Cathedral’s The Very Rev. Malcolm Clemens Young. The Forum is a series of stimulating conversations about faith and ethics in relation to the important issues of our day. Doors at 12:30pm.\n CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Grace Cathedral\, 1100 California St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:21c878001d95057ab31db0240625316d URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/21c878001d95057ab31db0240625316d END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261011T210000Z DTEND:20261011T230000Z SUMMARY:Lesbians Are Elsewhere: Writing the For All Gaze Archive DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nThis summer\, lesbian and queer writers of the Bay wrote in response to the Oakland-based F.A.G. Archive (For All Gaze Archive)\, a personal collection of queer publications and flyers from 1970–2000s created and run by Sasha Fuentes. Hear our writers perform their responses and hang around to peruse select publications from the archive pulled for this special viewing. Featuring Elena Gross\, Sloane Holzer\, and curator \;Jaelynn Walls. \;Doors at 1:30pm. \;\n CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Clio’s\, 353 Grand Ave\, Oakland SEQUENCE:0 UID:22c985ceb928004954ca42bc03d71f41 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/22c985ceb928004954ca42bc03d71f41 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261011T210000Z DTEND:20261011T220000Z SUMMARY:After The Launch: Raising Your Book to Survive and Thrive DESCRIPTION:Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat\; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)\n\nSponsored by Yerba Buena Partnership\n\nThe launch party is over\, the champagne is flat—now what? Getting your book out into the world is only the beginning. In this session\, editor/publisher \;Julia Park Tracey \;will moderate a conversation between jack-of-all-genres \;Ariel Gore\, bookseller \;Jasmine Valandani\, and memoirist \;Mary Alice Stephens \;about what comes after the launch: how to keep your book visible\, cultivate both new and lifelong readers\, and keep things moving without burning yourself out. \; CATEGORIES:WRITERS WEEKEND LOCATION:447 Minna\, 447 Minna St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:25c2d2831597a14d0f4aba602b27eca0 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/25c2d2831597a14d0f4aba602b27eca0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261011T220000Z DTEND:20261011T230000Z SUMMARY:Natalie Baszile: Friends and Family DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nCo-presented with SFPL\n \nFrom the author of Queen Sugar comes a piercing examination of friendship and loyalty \;set in a tight-knit enclave in the Bay Area as two best friends find themselves at odds over their beliefs on race\, identity\, and allyship\, especially when it comes to their teenage children. Babs and Nora have spent a decade’s worth of morning walks sharing family secrets\, local drama\, and advice—everything from tips on lingerie choices to Babs’s suggestions to Nora\, a white woman\, on how to raise Nathan\, her adopted Black son. But their worlds are turned upside down when the cops are called on their kids\, leading to a traumatic police encounter for Nathan. Torn between respecting Nora’s boundaries and embodying the values so important to her own family\, Babs will make a choice that will shape their lives forever. In conversation with filmmaker and Jingletown Films’ founder Cheryl Dunye. Doors at 2:30pm. \;\n CATEGORIES:FICTION LOCATION:SFPL Main Branch\, Koret Auditorium\, 100 Larkin St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:16a276cc8b025f16dd3129c70af11920 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/16a276cc8b025f16dd3129c70af11920 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261012T023000Z DTEND:20261012T040000Z SUMMARY:Out on the Table: Writers on Food with Garrett Schlichte DESCRIPTION:Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat\; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)\n \nSponsored by Gazetteer SF\n Co-presented with Kitchen Table Reading Series\n \nCelebrating the upcoming release of Garrett Schlichte's debut collection of essays\, Dinner Party Stories\, the Kitchen Table reading series and curator Micheal Foulk bring Schlichte together with chef Gaby Maeda and writer Jennifer Barone to discuss food\, writing\, identity\, and the secrets to living life as deliciously as possible. Hosted at Stephen Wade's delectable SOMA eatery\, The Nosh Box. Doors at 7:00pm. \;\n CATEGORIES:FOOD LOCATION:Nosh Box\, 1116 Folsom St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:e5bf63e7bebd4600751f6a7acda34ac5 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/e5bf63e7bebd4600751f6a7acda34ac5 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261014T010000Z DTEND:20261014T023000Z SUMMARY:Invitation | Abandonment: A Collective Poem in Assembly DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10–15 suggested donation\n \nRooted in practices of care\, vulnerability\, and experimentation\, this event asks: how do we dwell in the spaces between spaces? And what must we invite or abandon there to return more connected\, understanding\, and whole? Featuring readings from poets aracelis girmay\, \;Ladan Khoddam-Khorasani\, Gabriel Cortez\, and Dora Prieto. Come listen\, come help write a collaborative closing poem drawn from the room. Doors at 6:30pm.\n CATEGORIES:POETRY LOCATION:Et al.\, 2831a Mission St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:2fb155066857bebdc60030c730c26e6a URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/2fb155066857bebdc60030c730c26e6a END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261014T013000Z DTEND:20261014T030000Z SUMMARY:Tilar J. Mazzeo: The Sea Captain’s Wife DESCRIPTION:$5 MI members / $15 gen public\n \nCo-presented with Mechanics' Institute\n\n New York Times bestseller Tilar J. Mazzeo brings us The Sea Captain's Wife\, the true story of the first female captain of a merchant ship and her treacherous navigation of Antarctica's deadly waters. In 1856\, at just nineteen years old\, Mary Ann Patten led her crew through Drake's Passage as her husband\, the former captain\, lay deathly ill and the first mate agitated for mutiny. Set against the backdrop of the California Gold Rush and taking us to the brink of Antarctica\, The Sea Captain's Wife \;draws on new archival research from nineteenth-century women’s maritime journals and on Mazzeo’s own expedition to the Southern Ocean and Antarctica in search of Mary Ann’s route. Doors at 6:00pm. CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Mechanics’ Institute\, 57 Post St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:33dd3b9faeee67d9eadedf66d49173c8 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/33dd3b9faeee67d9eadedf66d49173c8 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261014T020000Z DTEND:20261014T040000Z SUMMARY:Which Side? A Protest Music Teach-Out DESCRIPTION:$30 advance/$35 at door\n\nCo-presented with KQED Live\n\nEvery movement has a soundtrack. Hear how protest songs become anthems that inspire resistance\, build solidarity\, and propel social change with a special San Francisco edition of Which Side?: A Protest Music Teach-Out. Acclaimed artists Diana Gameros\, The Sam Chase\, and Marcus Shelby join host James Sullivan to perform and unpack classic and original protest songs and celebrate the Bay Area's rich tradition of resistance\, activism\, and galvanizing music. Doors at 6:00pm.\n\n\n CATEGORIES:MUSIC LOCATION:KQED Commons\, 2601 Mariposa ST\, San Francisco\, CA SEQUENCE:0 UID:93d133b22c86c5fcd95d5107c13479d8 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/93d133b22c86c5fcd95d5107c13479d8 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261014T020000Z DTEND:20261014T033000Z SUMMARY:Asale Angel-Ajani: Fugitive Archives Launch DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10–15 suggested donation\n\nCo-presented with Pegasus Books\nAsale Angel-Ajani \;will discuss \;Fugitive Archives: An American Family and the Myth of Belonging—an incisive\, lyrical exploration of one family's history that radically overturns American myths about race\, violence\, and belonging. In conversation with \;Carvell Wallace\, who has called \;Fugitive Archives \;“courageous\, impressive\, and deeply powerful.” CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Pegasus Books\, 2349 Shattuck Ave\, Berkeley\, CA 97404 SEQUENCE:0 UID:46b771d70dfe0e30518cbe0c52d1e25d URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/46b771d70dfe0e30518cbe0c52d1e25d END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261014T020000Z DTEND:20261014T033000Z SUMMARY:NBCC Presents: The Author/Critic Dilemma DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10–15 suggested donation\n\nMedia sponsorship by Publishers Weekly\nCo-presented with National Book Critics Circle & Cita Press\n\nWriters who wear multiple hats\, as Virginia Woolf did\, will share what they’ve learned from the writer and literary critic extraordinaire as authors/poets/critics today. Their wide-ranging conversation will touch on everything from ethical considerations to the vulnerabilities of being deep in the creative writing process when your strong critical voice rears its ugly head. With \;May-lee Chai\, \;Jane Ciabattari\, \;Jonathan Leal\, \;Greg Sarris\, \;and moderator \;Iris Jamahl Dunkle\, as well as special guest \;Jessi Haley\, editor of Cita Press\, publisher of \;Luminous Halo: Selected Writings by Virginia Woolf. \;Doors at 6:30pm. CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Page Street Co-Writing\, 297 Page St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:2e9701c17c9a748cdd4ae65cbcba8829 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/2e9701c17c9a748cdd4ae65cbcba8829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261014T023000Z DTEND:20261014T040000Z SUMMARY:While you were novel-ing\, I studied the blade: A Celebration of the Short Story DESCRIPTION:Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat\; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)\n \nCo-presented with American Bookbinders Museum\n \nA notoriously precise and difficult form\, the short story occupies an odd place in arts & letters in 2026. Left mostly by the wayside by the publishing industry at large\, the story still holds a prominent place in our biggest magazines and workshop culture. Local purveyors of the craft Rucy Cui\, Cristina Fríes\, and William Lohier read from their celebrated work and discuss the form's place in today's publishing/reading culture. Moderated by Litquake Artistic Director Graham Todd. Doors at 7:00pm. \;\n\n CATEGORIES:FICTION LOCATION:American Bookbinders Museum\, 355 Clementina St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:0694e66d04b40f8e7afd8a6a5043fad4 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/0694e66d04b40f8e7afd8a6a5043fad4 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261015T013000Z DTEND:20261015T030000Z SUMMARY:Writing The Body: Sports and Identity DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-15 suggested donation\n\nFormer track star and pro-MMA fighter \;Jenny Liou \;and outdoor adventure sports veteran \;Yi Shun Lai–both writers as well as athletes– dig deep into the process of writing about identities and bodies shaped by their dedication to sport. Who are you\, when you can no longer compete\, or when competing is no longer enough? Are some extremes irrecoverable once they’ve been reached? How might one heal\, or insist on being more than just a winner? What does it mean to compete in white and male-dominated sports as Asian American athletes\, and how do issues of race and gender play into dominant cultural narratives around individual athletic achievement? In conversation with author and former pro-wrestler \;Michael Copperman. Doors at 6:00pm. \; CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:The Treeline\, Sports Basement Bryant\, 1590 Bryant St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:b36fecd9b96557d41b0b82109366d7f2 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/b36fecd9b96557d41b0b82109366d7f2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261015T020000Z DTEND:20261015T033000Z SUMMARY:West Coast Beat: The SF Roots of Rolling Stone DESCRIPTION:$15 (includes museum admission)\n\nSponsored by Reed Schmidt\nCo-presented with Counterculture Museum\n\nToday’s shiny exteriors and inscrutable billboards can’t entirely obliterate San Francisco’s defining role in literature\, activism\, visual arts\, and\, yes\, music. That storied history includes the 1967 founding of \;Rolling Stone. \;As both \;Peter Richardson \;and \;Charles Ponce de Leon \;relate in recent books\, for a decade (before decamping for NYC)\, the magazine was at the vanguard of West Coast counterculture\, launching dozens of journalists’ careers and setting new standards for writing about music and culture. Where better\, then\, to reunite folks with first-hand knowledge of those SF roots\, including \;Ben Fong-Torres \;and \;Marianne Partridge\, than at the new Counterculture Museum? Music journalist \;James Sullivan \;will take us back in time\, as together we compile a scrapbook of the music\, writing\, and memories that defined the magazine—and the moment. Doors at 6:30pm.\n CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:e0d9bfb146b00ffbc45c7616cb4bfc55 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/e0d9bfb146b00ffbc45c7616cb4bfc55 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261015T023000Z DTEND:20261015T040000Z SUMMARY:Jon Ronson: Adventures in a World of Unraveling Men DESCRIPTION:$20 gen admission / $42 with book\n \nMedia sponsorship by 48 Hills\nCo-presented with JCCSF\n \nFrom the bestselling author of The Psychopath Test and So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed comes  \;The Castle\, \;a darkly comic trip to the furthest reaches of the masculinity crisis. His only child is lured to a mysterious castle in the forests of New England late one night\, sending Jon Ronson on an extraordinary adventure into a dark world of unmoored men desperately searching for purpose and control. What exactly is “Princessing”? Why did a lawn care influencer dress as a baby in front of billions of online viewers? And\, more pressingly\, why are two recently released murderers on their way to pay Jon a visit? Find out at Jon’s one-man show drawing on his trademark brand of humor\, psychological insight\, and unrivaled prescience. Doors at 7:00pm. CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:JCCSF Kanbar Hall\, 3200 California St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:bc6bcd98c1732f6e5ac317278133f26f URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/bc6bcd98c1732f6e5ac317278133f26f END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261015T023000Z DTEND:20261015T040000Z SUMMARY:Trading Pages: A Poetry/Fiction Exchange DESCRIPTION:$12 adv / $15 door\n \nYin and yang? Or oil and water? Join us for this special\, hopefully amicable exchange between fiction writers and poets…and no\, they are not the unwitting subjects of an elaborate bet. This summer\, Zach Williams \;traded pages with Judy Halebsky\, Vanessa Hua with Dean Rader\, and Kate Folk \;with Cintia Santana. Join us as these writers come together to read and respond in appreciation and celebration of each other’s narrative arcs and line breaks. Moderated by Litquake Artistic Director Graham Todd. Doors at 6:30pm.\n\n CATEGORIES:PERFORMANCE LOCATION:Make-Out Room\, 3225 22nd St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:1e6ba7528ece09d2c2263c4558381799 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/1e6ba7528ece09d2c2263c4558381799 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261016T010000Z DTEND:20261016T023000Z SUMMARY:for colored girls who considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf 50th Anniversary DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nThis year marks the 50th anniversary of the Broadway debut of Ntozake Shange’s famed choropoem for colored girls who considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. First performed at the women’s bar Bacchanal right here in Albany before becoming the second play by a Black woman to run on Broadway\,  \;for colored girls \;is \;a series of poetic monologues accompanied by dance movements and music. To honor Shange’s legacy\, join amalee b.\, Briana Grogan\, Jaine\, Mukethe Kawinzi\, Erica Lewis\, Carl Nickolas\, and Wendy M. Thompson. Curated by London Pinkney as they weave the work together. Doors at 5:30pm. CATEGORIES:PERFORMANCE LOCATION:Decentered Arts\, 1175 Folsom St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:a4bf7ce958273afd043540b61d2a5d15 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/a4bf7ce958273afd043540b61d2a5d15 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261016T013000Z DTEND:20261016T023000Z SUMMARY:Helene Wecker: The Gates of Midnight DESCRIPTION:FREE\n\nCo-presented with JCC East \;Bay\n\nJoin us for an evening with \;Helene Wecker\, author of the bestselling The Golem and the Jinni trilogy\, reading from long-awaited \;The Gates of Midnight. \; Wecker will discuss the trilogy\, the joys and challenges of writing historical fantasy\, and what it feels like to finish a writing project twenty years in the making. Doors at 6:00pm. CATEGORIES:FICTION LOCATION:JCC East Bay Community Campus\, 5957 Chabot Rd\, Oakland\, CA94618 SEQUENCE:0 UID:b58970f7799783624cb110236ebebb1c URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/b58970f7799783624cb110236ebebb1c END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261016T013000Z DTEND:20261016T030000Z SUMMARY:Ukraïne: Recipes and Stories from Kyiv to the Black Sea DESCRIPTION:FREE\n\nCo-presented with Omnivore Books on Food\n\nExperience the joy and resilience of Ukrainian cuisine in a visually rich\, travelogue-style cookbook filled with 100 traditional and modern recipes highlighting the comforting dishes\, distinctive flavors\, and time-honored techniques that make this food so extraordinary. Ukrainian chef \;Anna Voloshyna \;traveled across the diverse regions of her homeland―from the mountains to coastline\, cities to grasslands\, forests to wine country―collecting recipes\, stories\, and friendships to answer the question: What is Ukrainian cuisine? Joining Voloshyna on this appetizing and fascinating journey is Resy’s editor-in-chief\, \;Paolo Lucchesi.\n CATEGORIES:FOOD LOCATION:Omnivore Books on Food\, 3885a Cesar Chavez St\, San Francisco\, CA 94131 SEQUENCE:0 UID:e88b70c0921eb0173f55cf12ad0efa5a URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/e88b70c0921eb0173f55cf12ad0efa5a END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261016T013000Z DTEND:20261016T030000Z SUMMARY:Freedom: Essays with Zinzi Clemmons DESCRIPTION:$5 MI members / $15 gen public\n \nCo-presented with Museum of the African Diaspora & Mechanics’ Institute \;\n \nJoin Zinzi Clemmons \;in conversation with Faith Adiele on Clemmons's latest essay collection\, Freedom\, a deft mix of memoir\, family history\, criticism\, and reportage\, drawing on a vast range of material from Joan Didion to James Baldwin\, political analysis and history to Clemmons’s own experiences across the globe. In elegiac prose\, Clemmons trains her discerning eye on American institutions and mythologies\, probing the bounds of liberation and autonomy to interrogate our most enduring quest—the relentless pursuit of freedom for all. Doors at 6:00pm.\n CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Mechanics’ Institute\, 57 Post St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:cf41476ffa36094a101afc6dbd4c09ac URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/cf41476ffa36094a101afc6dbd4c09ac END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261016T020000Z DTEND:20261016T033000Z SUMMARY:A 22nd-Century Conservation Ethos for California DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n\nSponsored by Heyday Books\nCo-presented with KALW\n\nCalifornia’s landscapes have long been shaped by deep relationships between people and place. But that relationship has changed dramatically over time\, especially with the rise of European American settlement and the erasure of Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Panelists Obi Kaufmann\, creator of the California Field Atlas series\; Laura Cunningham\, award-winning author of A State of Change\; and earth scientist and professional mountain biker Dillon Osleger examine how modern society has grown increasingly estranged from the natural world. Together\, they imagine a new conservation ethos—one rooted in restoration\, resilience\, and reciprocity—and ask what it would take for Californians to leave the state healthier\, more biodiverse\, and more ecologically whole at the end of the 21st century than at its beginning. Moderated by Leslie Carol Roberts. Doors at 6:30pm. CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:KALW\, 220 Montgomery St\, Suite 100\, San Francisco\, CA 94104 SEQUENCE:0 UID:5e3f323ada4849d9f584caeb0394930f URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/5e3f323ada4849d9f584caeb0394930f END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261016T020000Z DTEND:20261016T043000Z SUMMARY:Decentered Arts presents Poolside Poets DESCRIPTION:$30\n \nImmerse yourself in a dreamy night of poetry\, music\, and dance by the pool at the breathtaking historic venue founded by Ken Fulk. Dress to impress (disco theme!)\, and remember to wear your dancing shoes. Performances by poets Bridget Clancy\, Shane King Zackery\, Jaír Griffin\, Denise Masiel\, spinelli\, James Morehead\, Maya Anne \;\, and Papi Grande\, alongside an epic musician\, dancers\, fashion\, community\, and more! Hosted by Rhea Joseph & Liz Cahill. Doors at 6:30pm.\n CATEGORIES:POETRY LOCATION:St. Joseph’s Art Society\, 1401 Howard St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:067e50700b130f60c7f35dbe5d7f5310 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/067e50700b130f60c7f35dbe5d7f5310 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261016T023000Z DTEND:20261016T040000Z SUMMARY:Sweet and Lowdown: Poets at the Bar DESCRIPTION:$12 adv / $15 door\n \nThis celebration of poetry collates a half-dozen poets’ stylings\, live on our darkest\, dankest stage. Featuring multi-hyphenate award winners Nancy Miller Gomez\, Prairie Moon Dalton\, Ibe Liebenberg\, Leigh Lucas\, and Preeti Vangani \;for a lurid evening of ebullient verse. Hosted by Litquake Artistic Director Graham Todd. Doors at 6:30 PM. \; CATEGORIES:POETRY LOCATION:Make-Out Room\, 3225 22nd St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:c2f6ef64a640c5445c35dca1ed8544d5 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/c2f6ef64a640c5445c35dca1ed8544d5 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261016T233000Z DTEND:20261017T010000Z SUMMARY:Peter King: The Game DESCRIPTION:Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat\; $45 for guaranteed seat with discounted book\; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)\n\nAre you ready for some football? Kick off a weekend of big games—including Cal’s home matchup with Wake Forest and culminating with the 49ers on Monday Night Football—by joining fellow fans and scholars of the game for an afternoon with award-winning sports columnist \;Peter King. For 40+ years\, King unpacked the NFL for countless readers and mentored dozens of sportswriters along the way. Now\, in \;The Game\, \;King combines an in-depth history of the league with his signature vivid storytelling\, thorough reporting\, and keen understanding of the sport. Troy Aikman points out\, “Peter King has stories no one else can tell.” \;King will share many of them with us\, in conversation with \;Carmen Policy\, one of the architects of the Niners' glory days. Doors at 4:00pm. CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:The Community Room\, Sports Basement Berkeley\, 2727 Milvia St\, Berkeley\, CA 94703 SEQUENCE:0 UID:26f167363dcf910ef413eb5bf2b12ad5 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/26f167363dcf910ef413eb5bf2b12ad5 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261017T020000Z DTEND:20261017T033000Z SUMMARY:Heaven Looks Like Us: Palestinian Poetry DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nPart of Words Around the World\nSponsored by Center for the Art of Translation\n Poetry has always served as a mode of resistance in Palestinian culture. In defiance of dispossession and decades of military siege\, of a nakba that never ended\, of historical and cultural obfuscation\, of unrelenting violence and thousands of martyred people\, the “power to narrate\,” as Edward Said wrote\, remains a necessary tool for self-determination. As Palestinian history remains haunted by exile\, violence\, and grief\, there’s more here that’s also true: queer and feminist perspectives\, eco-poetry\, meditations on love and time\, and lineages of protest. These poems reclaim that power to narrate\, bridging borders\, languages\, and generations to forge new conversations around resistance and liberation. Featuring Heaven Looks Like Us anthology contributors Zeina Hashem Beck\, Janine Mogannam\, Deema Shehabi\, Jen Siraganian\, Priscilla Wathington\, and Omar Zahzah. Doors at 6:30pm. \;\n CATEGORIES:WORDS AROUND THE WORLD LOCATION:Telegraph Hill Books\, 1501 Grant Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:385938dd34befb56dc2c57108808b982 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/385938dd34befb56dc2c57108808b982 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261017T023000Z DTEND:20261017T040000Z SUMMARY:Irregular Feedback: Writers on Music DESCRIPTION:$12 adv / $15 door\n \n"Music makes the people come together... yeah." That's right\, Madonna. You said it. So astute. Join cultural critic\, essayist\, and curator Micheal Foulk (Queer Film Theory 101) for an evening of writers writing about music! Inspired by the perpetual beat inside us all and the iconic music criticism and archival work of writer Hanif Abdurraqib\, Michael-Vincent D'Anella-Mercanti\, Kai Gault\, \;Joan Granite\, Brittany Newell\, and Kochina Rude read work written exclusively for tonight\, a literary deep dive into our favorite albums\, genres\, and musical artists of the past 60 years. Doors at 6:30pm. \;\n CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Make-Out Room\, 3225 22nd St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:5d2dc3e10d709cbae2ef2bd8c76bc3fc URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/5d2dc3e10d709cbae2ef2bd8c76bc3fc END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261017T031500Z DTEND:20261017T044500Z SUMMARY:Generation Women: Wins & Losses DESCRIPTION:$25 / $3 early bird discount until October 11th (code earlybird15)\n\nCo-presented with Generation Women\n\nWe’re pleased to once again welcome Generation Women\, a live multigenerational storytelling series. One woman or nonbinary performer in their 20s\, 30s\, 40s\, 50s\, 60s\, and 70s+ will share an original true story on the theme of “Wins & Losses\,” \;whether personal\, professional\, psychological\, or completely enigmatic. Founded by author Georgia Clark in New York City in 2017\, the mission of Generation Women is to amplify underheard voices and create space for intergenerational connection and community. Featuring \;S.C. Bandreddi\, Alexandra Romanoff\, Kate Schatz\, Bora Reed\, Dashka Slater\, \;and \;Sandra Jackson-Opoku. Hosted by writer\, editor\, and curator \;Samantha Schoech. \;Doors at 7:30pm.\n CATEGORIES:PERFORMANCE LOCATION:The Lost Church\, 988 Columbus Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:b0d09eb80bff921756b2d766222fad8a URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/b0d09eb80bff921756b2d766222fad8a END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261017T170000Z DTEND:20261018T003000Z SUMMARY:FilBookFest DESCRIPTION:FREE\n\nPart of Words Around the World\n\nCo-presented with Friends of the San Francisco Public Library\, the Filipino American Center at SFPL\, PAWA\, and the San Francisco Public Library\n\nThe Filipino American International Book Festival (FilBookFest) returns in October for its 8th iteration\, continuing its legacy as the largest Filipino American literary festival in the United States. Held during Filipino American History Month\, FilBookFest brings together an exciting array of writers\, scholars\, and creatives from across the globe\, including the U.S.\, Canada\, and the Philippines\, to the iconic San Francisco Public Library. Keynote speakers for 2026 include \;Randy Ribay\, author of \;Patron Saints of Nothing \;& \;Nest of Tongues\; \;Dr. Robyn Rodriguez\, author of \;Contemporary Asian American Activism: \;Building Movements for Liberation\; and \;Professor M. Evelina Galang\, author of \;When the Hibiscus Falls \;and recipient of the inaugural PAWA Lifetime Achievement Award. Other featured authors include \;Mia Alvar\, \;Marivi Soliven\, \;Mia Manansala \;(US)\; \;Yvette Tan\, \;Jet Tagasa and Jaya Jacobo \;(Philippines)\; \;Candy Gourlay \;(UK)\, as well as children’s authors \;Tracy Badua \;(US) and \;Analene Go (Canada). The festival will also feature a bustling marketplace with tables from PAWA Books\, Arkipelago Books\, Eastwind Books\, and Bel Canto Books. For a full program schedule and author lineup\, visit \;filbookfestival.org. \;\n CATEGORIES:WORDS AROUND THE WORLD LOCATION:SFPL Main Branch\, 100 Larkin St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:8e23d40695d307cdb553a94124166cc3 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/8e23d40695d307cdb553a94124166cc3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261017T190000Z DTEND:20261017T230000Z SUMMARY:Read the Room: Books Not Bans DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nBooks Not Bans together with City Lights and Litquake present a party for everyone who loves reading. Join us for an afternoon filled with connection\, revelry\, music\, games and stories. Featuring performances\, readings\, and all kinds of stuff from Syr Hayati Beker\, Shoshana von Blanckensee\, Kevin Dublin\, W.S. Gong\, Hyazinth\, Sean Owens\, and Sumiko Saulson. Hosted by Books Not Bans founder \;Becka Robbins. \;Proceeds from this event support Books Not Bans.\n\n\n CATEGORIES:PARTY LOCATION:Kerouac Alley\, 275 Columbus Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:aa89b5c22cdcbad2f68290e3208bf9d5 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/aa89b5c22cdcbad2f68290e3208bf9d5 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261017T193000Z DTEND:20261019T040000Z SUMMARY:ZYZZYVA Movie Matinee: Amarcord DESCRIPTION:$16\n\nCo-presented with ZYZZYVA and the Roxie\n\nFor this festival installment of our year-round film series\, \;Andrew Sean Greer \;introduces a special screening of \;Amarcord\, the dramatic comedy directed by Federico Fellini. Fellini recreates his hometown of Rimini in this carnivalesque film\, where the director satirizes his childhood. Winner of an Academy Award for best foreign-language film\, \;Amarcord \;remains one of the director’s best-loved creations\, beautifully weaving together Giuseppe Rotunno’s colorful cinematography\, Danilo Donati’s extravagant costumes and sets\, and Nino Rota’s nostalgia-tinged score. Following the screening\, Greer will appear in conversation with \;Ingrid Rojas Contreras \;about his film selection and most recent book\, \;Villa Coco\, \;in which a young man takes an unspecified job with a charismatic elderly baronessa at her crumbling villa in the Tuscan hills. Co-hosted by \;ZYZZYVA \;editor \;Oscar Villalon. Doors at 12:00pm for book sales/signing. \; CATEGORIES:FILM SCREENING LOCATION:Roxie Theater\, 3117 16th St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:db4e58fdd042136a0f2eb5bdaa4577ff URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/db4e58fdd042136a0f2eb5bdaa4577ff END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261017T210000Z DTEND:20261018T230000Z SUMMARY:Dorothy Lazard: Behind the Desk at the Main DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n\nCo-presented with Museum of the African Diaspora\n\nDorothy Lazard’s celebrated 2023 memoir \;What You Don’t Know Will Make a Whole New World \;traced the beloved Oakland librarian’s coming of age through books. Now she’s back to tell more of her story\, relating her experiences over two decades at the Oakland Public Library. Along the way\, she makes a powerful case for the essential role of the public library as a pillar of democratic ideals\, and she crafts a tribute to the library workers who have devoted their careers to supporting intellectual freedom as well as to the countless Oaklanders whom she had the privilege of serving. Lazard will be joined in conversation by \;Pendarvis Harshaw\, community engagement reporter at KQED. Doors at 1:30pm.\n CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Museum of the African Diaspora\, 685 Mission St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:c0e60f71308fbe4019a63fefd7e87f4a URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/c0e60f71308fbe4019a63fefd7e87f4a END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261018T020000Z DTEND:20261018T230000Z SUMMARY:Picturing the Past: Graphic Novelists on History and Memory DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n\nSponsored by Berkeleyside\n\nThrough memoir\, history\, fiction\, or a combination\, these four talented creators use cartoons to give readers a vivid glimpse into the past. \;Frederick Noland \;shares the epic story of Major Taylor\, the “world’s fastest man\,” a global cycling sensation despite the incessant racism the Black athlete encountered. In \;Armaveni\, \;Nadine Takvorian \;draws on her own family history to relate the heartbreaking history of the Armenian genocide. \;Emil Wilson’s \;The Nightingales \;blends fact and fiction in a personal story of the 1980s AIDS crisis. And \;Maria van Lieshout’s graphic novel \;Song of a Blackbird \;pairs the stories of two Dutch teens\, one contemporary and one bearing witness to Nazi atrocities. Brief visual presentations will be followed by a conversation led by graphic memoirist \;Briana Loewinsohn. Doors at 6:30pm. CATEGORIES:COMICS/GRAPHIC NOVELS LOCATION:Mrs. Dalloway's\, 2904 College Ave\, Berkeley CA 94705 SEQUENCE:0 UID:23745b0201eccaceb53dabb095d8fcc3 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/23745b0201eccaceb53dabb095d8fcc3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261018T020000Z DTEND:20261018T040000Z SUMMARY:An Evening Spell: Trans Poetry & Hardware Hang DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nAn evening time experimental live hardware performance\, reading\, and party featuring trans hardware musicians and poets. Featured musicians Cat Laugian \;and Daria Lourd. Curated by Jaelynn Walls. \;\n CATEGORIES:POETRY LOCATION:The Crown\, 2523 Broadway\, Oakland SEQUENCE:0 UID:e050471751aff81ef410b29e7e09b3a1 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/e050471751aff81ef410b29e7e09b3a1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261018T020000Z DTEND:20261018T230000Z SUMMARY:Jean-Baptiste Phou: Coming Out of My Skin DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n\nPart of Words Around the World\nSponsored by Center for the Art of Translation\nCo-presented with Villa Albertine\n\nHaving grown up as a Cambodian immigrant in France\, \;Jean-Baptiste Phou \;has long explored the challenges and contradictions of the Asian diaspora experience throughout his artistic career. However\, up until now\, he’s always been careful not to raise issues of sexuality—in particular\, his homosexuality. In his recent memoir\, \;Coming Out of My Skin\, the artist shifts his focus to examining the role his ethnic origin has played in the construction of his sexual identity and his romantic relationships in a predominantly white environment. An astute observer of the various ways in which his body has been perceived\, Phou asks: how does a marginalized person develop emotionally and build\, reclaim\, and express their sexuality? How does this inform the experience of a queer Asian person navigating predominantly white cultural spaces? In conversation with \;César Cadabes\, Artistic Director for the GLBTQ Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) Theatre. Doors at 6:30pm\n\n CATEGORIES:WORDS AROUND THE WORLD LOCATION:Telegraph Hill Books\, 1501 Grant Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:85970db6d1d843cf795457ed7a4bcf55 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/85970db6d1d843cf795457ed7a4bcf55 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261018T190000Z DTEND:20261019T003000Z SUMMARY:FilBookFest DESCRIPTION:FREE\n\nPart of Words Around the World\n\nCo-presented with Friends of the San Francisco Public Library\, the Filipino American Center at SFPL\, PAWA\, and the San Francisco Public Library\n\nThe Filipino American International Book Festival (FilBookFest) returns in October for its 8th iteration\, continuing its legacy as the largest Filipino American literary festival in the United States. Held during Filipino American History Month\, FilBookFest brings together an exciting array of writers\, scholars\, and creatives from across the globe\, including the U.S.\, Canada\, and the Philippines\, to the iconic San Francisco Public Library. Keynote speakers for 2026 include \;Randy Ribay\, author of \;Patron Saints of Nothing \;& \;Nest of Tongues\; \;Dr. Robyn Rodriguez\, author of \;Contemporary Asian American Activism: \;Building Movements for Liberation\; and \;Professor M. Evelina Galang\, author of \;When the Hibiscus Falls \;and recipient of the inaugural PAWA Lifetime Achievement Award. Other featured authors include \;Mia Alvar\, \;Marivi Soliven\, \;Mia Manansala \;(US)\; \;Yvette Tan\, \;Jet Tagasa and Jaya Jacobo \;(Philippines)\; \;Candy Gourlay \;(UK)\, as well as children’s authors \;Tracy Badua \;(US) and \;Analene Go (Canada). The festival will also feature a bustling marketplace with tables from PAWA Books\, Arkipelago Books\, Eastwind Books\, and Bel Canto Books. For a full program schedule and author lineup\, visit \;filbookfestival.org. \;\n CATEGORIES:WORDS AROUND THE WORLD LOCATION:SFPL Main Branch\, 100 Larkin St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:93be955d461e85cf9fd3c0b1f73c6972 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/93be955d461e85cf9fd3c0b1f73c6972 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261018T210000Z DTEND:20261018T230000Z SUMMARY:How to Exi(s)t: A Poet’s Memoir with Truong Tran DESCRIPTION:FREE\n \nCo-presented with City Lights\n \nHow to Exi(s)t: A Poet’s Memoir is an experiment in nonlinear autobiography by the author of the American Book Award–winning Book of the Other\, Truong Tran. Beginning in the present—at a writing residency in the aftermath of this success—How to Exi(s)t \;unpeels the layers between present and past in bursts of brief poetic essays. Unsparing\, even caustic in its insistence on racism as a dominant note of American life\, but marked by surprising tenderness and humor\, How to Exi(s)t is a compelling portrayal of Tran’s pedagogical philosophy as well as an interrogation of a poetic language that conceals as much as it reveals. In conversation with Garrett Caples.\n\n CATEGORIES:STORYTELLING/MEMOIR LOCATION:City Lights\, 261 Columbus Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:155c47193babba6906b35d12414a2ae2 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/155c47193babba6906b35d12414a2ae2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261018T210000Z DTEND:20261018T230000Z SUMMARY:Listen to Your Elders: An Elder Project Reading DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nCo-presented with San Francisco Public Library\n \nLitquake’s Elder Project brings creative writing and storytelling workshops to retirement communities across San Francisco and Oakland. Seniors participate in reading\, storytelling\, discussion\, hands-on creative writing\, and in-class sharing sessions to explore their own stories\, the stories of their communities\, and stories about the world\, while using the techniques of fiction\, poetry\, and creative nonfiction that they've learned in classes. Share in the beauty of their words\, hear their stories\, listen to your elders.\n\n CATEGORIES:STORYTELLING/MEMOIR LOCATION:SFPL Haight Branch\, 1833 Page St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:dca79777e1ea13bc3c4b7bcf391f1e70 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/dca79777e1ea13bc3c4b7bcf391f1e70 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261018T220000Z DTEND:20261018T230000Z SUMMARY:Menopause Extravaganza: The Science and Culture of a Subject No One Used to Want to Talk About DESCRIPTION:$10 advance / $15 door\n\nCo-presented with Gray Area Theater\n\nMenopause\, a natural consequence of aging\, has for centuries been alternately ignored and belittled\, seen mostly through a male lens of bafflement\, repugnance\, and boilerplate misogyny. Now\, however\, a growing body of women and their doctors are rejecting this traditional view\, developing new therapies and strategies as well as ways to appreciate the new freedoms it can offer. This energizing (and overdue) afternoon features Dr. Louann Brizendine\, author of The Female Brain\, reading from her forthcoming Your Brain on Menopause and joining other panelists in a conversation led by Keli Dailey: Dr. Sarah Isquick (a colleague of Dr. Sally Greenwald\, featured in the recent New Yorker article “The Billionaires’ Vagina Club”)\, psychiatrist Dr. Alecia Greenlee\, and menopause doula Lasara Firefox Allen\, author of Genderqueer Menopause. Select performers from The Menopause Monologues® will kick off the event.Bring your friends for a conversation-sparking afternoon. Doors at 2:30pm.\n\n CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Gray Area Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco 94110 SEQUENCE:0 UID:f2c2efc2eb29020165cf92d38952d081 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/f2c2efc2eb29020165cf92d38952d081 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261020T020000Z DTEND:20261020T040000Z SUMMARY:Woof: A Celebration of Our Canine Companions DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n\nCo-presented with LitCamp and Page Street\n\nSan Francisco is famously home to more dogs than kids\, so let's celebrate our love for all things canine with a reading of fifteen super-short pieces about our furry\, tail-wagging friends. There will be dog treats from local suppliers\, plus complimentary Prosecco\, wine\, and fancy nonalcoholic drinks. Note: Much as we would love to see your canine companion\, due to the (very) crowded nature of these events\, we have to regretfully request they remain at home. The event will be emceed by LitCamp founder \;Janis Cooke Newman. \;Doors at 6:30pm.\n CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Page Street Co-Writing\, 297 Page St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:61610001e1cbc0a445c5dd79ddf69c49 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/61610001e1cbc0a445c5dd79ddf69c49 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261020T020000Z DTEND:20261020T040000Z SUMMARY:A Celebration of César Vallejo's Trilce DESCRIPTION:FREE\n\nPart of Words Around the World\n Sponsored by Center for the Art of Translation\n Co-presented with City Lights and New York Review of Books\n\n\n First published in 1922\, and rich in startling neologisms and other forms of verbal play\, Trilce is a blazingly vivid revelation of what poetry can be\, at once a love poem\, a poem of erotic urgency and frustration\, a poem of family life\, of political fury\, a lament for the dead\, a work of intense privacy and an address to the world. In this new edition of Trilce \;from NYRB—the recipient of the prestigious Premio Valle Inclán for the best translation from Spanish into English—the translators Helen Dimos and William Rowe accompany each poem with a gloss. Their incisive commentary on these legendarily challenging poems opens them up to new understanding while inviting readers to find their own pathways to and through them.\n\n CATEGORIES:WORDS AROUND THE WORLD LOCATION:City Lights\, 261 Columbus Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:3281ab63aa3b0451bf40d3c5c0ad88a3 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/3281ab63aa3b0451bf40d3c5c0ad88a3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261021T010000Z DTEND:20261021T023000Z SUMMARY:Living in the Shadow of Silicon Valley DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10–$15 suggested donation\n\nSponsored by Mission Local\nCo-presented with Bay Area Book Festival and San Francisco Public Library\n\nSure\, Silicon Valley’s wealth\, power\, and technological innovation loom large over the entire Bay Area—but what about the rest of us? Tonight we’ll hear from three authors who can share deep knowledge of Silicon Valley’s effects on Bay Area housing\, economic inequality\, urban planning\, and public policy. Investigative journalist \;Brian Barth \;(Front Street: Resistance and Rebirth in the Tent Cities of Techlandia)\, anthropologist \;Manissa Maharawal \;(Anti-Eviction: The Fight Against Tech-Led Gentrification in San Francisco)\, and journalist \;Jonathan Weber \;(City on the Edge: Technology\, Politics\, and the Fight for the Soul of San Francisco) will be joined by architect and urban planner \;Vinita Goyal. Doors at 5:30pm.\n CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:SFPL Main Branch\, Koret Auditorium\, 100 Larkin St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:83b68649921aad6e4caeda81c0344fe1 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/83b68649921aad6e4caeda81c0344fe1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261021T020000Z DTEND:20261021T033000Z SUMMARY:Pitchapalooza DESCRIPTION:Pay what you can ($15 suggested) for guaranteed seat\; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)\n\nPitchapalooza is American Idol for books (only kinder and gentler). Twenty writers\, selected at random\, will pitch their book for one minute only! Judges (including The Book Doctors\, Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry) will help you improve your pitch\, not tell you how bad it is. Judges critique everything from idea to style to marketplace potential\, and authors gain concrete advice as well as a greater understanding of the publishing industry. Whether potential authors pitch themselves\, or simply listen to the critiques\, Pitchapalooza is educational and entertaining for one and all. At evening’s end\, the judges will pick a winner. Like the dozens of Pitchapalooza winners who have gone from talented amateurs to professionally published authors\, this lucky participant will receive an introduction to an agent or publisher. Doors at 6:30pm. CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Gilman Brewing\, 912 Gilman St\, Berkeley SEQUENCE:0 UID:19d23a28421192dafa8ddc17d1b5558a URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/19d23a28421192dafa8ddc17d1b5558a END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261021T020000Z DTEND:20261021T033000Z SUMMARY:Celebrating 50 Years of Publishers Group West DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10–15 suggested donation\n\nSponsored by Publishers Group West\n\nFrom a shoestring investment of $500 in 1976\, Berkeley-based Publishers Group West grew\, by the turn of the century\, into the US’s largest distributor of independent presses. Since then\, it’s maintained its focus on resilience\, innovation\, and a passion for independent publishing—not to mention the value of throwing a really great party. We’ll toast to a half-century of PGW\, which continues to distribute books for 150 publisher clients\, including some beloved local presses. How does PGW’s history reflect the larger story of Bay Area publishing? And how can lessons learned over the past fifty years inform its future? Join PGW founder \;Charlie Winton\, executive VP \;Sean Shoemaker\, VP of field sales \;Elise Cannon\, and Litquake co-founder \;Jack Boulware \;for a walk down memory lane—and stick around to buy a beverage or two from Clio’s on-site bar. Doors at 6:30pm.\n CATEGORIES:PARTY LOCATION:Clio’s\, 353 Grand Ave\, Oakland SEQUENCE:0 UID:c8e5453486c09ee742a4e43d23c8ecb8 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/c8e5453486c09ee742a4e43d23c8ecb8 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261021T020000Z DTEND:20261021T033000Z SUMMARY:Brian Evenson: Phantom Limb DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-15 suggested donation\n\nCo-presented with City Lights\n \nMaster of literary horror Brian Evenson returns with a long-awaited follow-up to his 2016 novel\, Last Days. After destroying the headquarters of an underground amputation cult\, a burned and battered Kline finds himself in a holding cell. When he enlists the help of an ex-cop to commute his prison sentence\, Kline inadvertently tangles with a schism of the very cult he sought to destroy. Can Kline investigate the sect’s ritualistic murder spree without getting lured into their ranks? Frigid and precise\, Phantom Limb interrogates our notions of wholeness\, fate\, and the lengths we are willing to go to connect with a higher power. In conversation with Colin Winnette. \;\n\n\n CATEGORIES:SCI-FI / FANTASY / HORROR LOCATION:City Lights\, 261 Columbus Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:a8692acd1f54c1577c73019c7ba05662 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/a8692acd1f54c1577c73019c7ba05662 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261021T020000Z DTEND:20261021T033000Z SUMMARY:Memoirs: Writing Against Silence or Erasure DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10–$15 suggested donation\n\nCo-presented with Memoir Nation\n\nThese four memoirists are\, in different ways\, writing into spaces where their experience has been minimized\, misread\, or actively suppressed. Judy Juanita's California Fever Dream spans sixty years of writing focused on Black activism and feminism. In I Love You So Many\, journalist Terria Smith shares lessons learned from a career sharing stories about the richness of Native people’s lives. Elena Dudum's They Told Me Back Home Would Be Beautiful is a call to action against institutional silencing and censorship. Finally\, Caroline Paul has spent her career writing women into adventure narratives that historically excluded them\, most recently in Why Fly. Brooke Warner \;and Grant Faulkner\, co-founders of the Memoir Nation podcast and online community\, will guide a compelling discussion on the power of this truth-telling form. Doors at 6:30pm.\n\n CATEGORIES:STORYTELLING/MEMOIR LOCATION:Mrs. Dalloway's\, 2904 College Ave\, Berkeley CA 94705 SEQUENCE:0 UID:a7c440d128bdfad4d0fd807ebf536cec URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/a7c440d128bdfad4d0fd807ebf536cec END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261021T020000Z DTEND:20261021T033000Z SUMMARY:Alain Damasio: Horde of the Counterwind DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10–$15 suggested donation\n\nPart of Words Around the World\nSponsored by Center for the Art of Translation\nCo-presented with Villa Albertine\n\nIn 2004\, \;Alain Damasio’s \;Horde of the Counterwind: An Epic Voyage to the Upper Reaches \;gained acclaim as France’s genre-defining sci-fi odyssey of the 21st century\, inspiring the celebrated video game \;Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 \;and igniting the imaginations of millions around the world. Now\, this seminal work appears in English translation for the very first time\, offering even more readers the opportunity to experience a masterpiece of epic scope and visionary world-building in which twenty-three adventurers climb endlessly against the wind that plagues their desolate homeland. Their only purpose: identifying the mysterious source where eight centuries of past climbers have tried and failed. Join Damasio and \;Horde’s English translator\, \;Alexander Dickow\, for a conversation moderated by award-winning writer and translator \;Edward Gauvin. Doors at 6:30pm. \;\n\n\n CATEGORIES:WORDS AROUND THE WORLD LOCATION:Telegraph Hill Books\, 1501 Grant Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:1026f1c4cc8bf85321f4c62d864dd9c4 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/1026f1c4cc8bf85321f4c62d864dd9c4 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261022T010000Z DTEND:20261022T023000Z SUMMARY:Nafissa Thompson-Spires: The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \n\n Co-presented with Museum of the African Diaspora\n \n\n From the author of the multi-award-winning\, National Book Award–longlisted\, “vivid\, fast\, funny\, way-smart\, and verbally inventive” (George Saunders) story collection Heads of the Colored People\, \;comes a sly\, spry\, literary debut novel. \;We find ourselves in 1920s Oklahoma\, just far enough out of Tulsa\, just long enough after the Race Massacre of 1921. For as long as anyone can remember\, the Milfords have led plentiful lives on the backs of the townspeople of Newville. On the ominous brink of the Great Depression and at the height of Prohibition\, Richard Milford is an infamous moonshiner and womanizer who\, it seems\, finally crossed the wrong person at the wrong time. He’s dead and buried with only his women to mourn him\, but a question remains: Who killed him\, and why? Top suspects are his four “wives\,” but as their stories burst to light\, the very idea of a true story comes apart before our eyes. In conversation with Margaret Wilkerson Sexton. Doors at 5:30pm. \;\n\n CATEGORIES:FICTION LOCATION:Museum of the African Diaspora\, 685 Mission St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:937240c187658c9a56fe065ca6e36a03 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/937240c187658c9a56fe065ca6e36a03 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261022T010000Z DTEND:20261022T023000Z SUMMARY:Rapture: the art that moves us DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nAn interactive evening of poetry\, music\, drumming\, and call-and-response performance where audiences are invited to clap\, sing\, sway\, and become part of the rhythm. Rapture transforms the reading into a collective\, full-body experience of sound\, movement\, and shared energy. Featuring poets and performers BB Brown\, Trinh Lê\, Sun Park\, Matt Pacelli\, \;Kimi Sugioka\, and \;Joe Wadlington. \;Curated by London Pinkney. \;Doors at 5:30pm. \;\n CATEGORIES:PERFORMANCE LOCATION:Decentered Arts\, 1175 Folsom St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:72c83829a3f4d5e9efbbccc5b1aed282 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/72c83829a3f4d5e9efbbccc5b1aed282 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261022T013000Z DTEND:20261022T030000Z SUMMARY:Artificial Intimacy: Sherry Turkle and A.I. DESCRIPTION:Co-presented with Yerba Buena Center for the Arts\n\nSherry Turkle \;has spent decades studying how digital technologies isolate us from one another. Now\, in her latest book\, \;Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk To Machines\, the psychologist who pioneered our understanding of human-computer relationships explores the seductive and beguiling nature of chatbots presented as “perfect” companions. How does their popularity point to existing wells of deep loneliness in our current culture\, and how does increasing reliance on a one-sided digital ear affect users’ ability to maintain offscreen relationships with other humans? In conversation with New Yorker \;cartoonist \;Amy Kurzweil\, whose graphic novel \;Artificial: A Love Story \;suggests an alternate path in which AI isn’t used as a human connection substitute\, but rather a tool to support and deepen the real-world relationships we already have. The conversation is part of Free Wednesdays at YBCA\, which offers extended gallery hours\, hands-on afternoon art-making\, and special evening programs—all for free. Doors at 6:00pm. CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:YBCA Screening Room\, 701 Mission St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:0fddbae6b1a58f76400111f29237f5fd URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/0fddbae6b1a58f76400111f29237f5fd END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261022T013000Z DTEND:20261022T023000Z SUMMARY:Kearny Street Workshop presents APAture Literary Showcase DESCRIPTION:$15\n\n APAture\, the only festival to put the focus on emerging Asian Pacific American artists\, returns from Oct. 17th to Dec. 12th for its 27th year. This year's theme\, GENERATION\, turns our focus toward what we inherit\, what we cultivate\, and what we pass on—seeding growth for the future health of our communities while honoring the artistic lineages that have brought us to this moment. As we consider what the next generation of artists will hold and shape\, we celebrate creative inheritance as an active\, collective practice\, one that bridges past\, present\, and future through art. What do you carry forward\, and what will you leave behind? This year's literary showcase features writers Alyson Sagala\, Bianca Datta\, Brandon Vu\, Leslie Nguyen-Okwu\, Mai-Linh Hong\, May-Li Khoe\, Monica Korde\, Neha M. Sampat\, Rose Wong\, \;and \;Vina Vo. Doors at 6:00pm. \;\n CATEGORIES:PERFORMANCE LOCATION:Arc Gallery\, 1246 Folsom St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:007dc615f8213fd83253e85367239020 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/007dc615f8213fd83253e85367239020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261022T020000Z DTEND:20261022T033000Z SUMMARY:California Journeys DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10–15 suggested donation\n\nCo-presented with KALW\n\nTaking the driver’s seat on tonight’s narrative journey through California is Grant Faulkner\, whose recent “flash novel” something out there in the distance pairs short\, perfectly crystallized prose vignettes with Gail Butensky’s photographs of the American West. Riding shotgun is Irena Smith\, whose memoir Troika is a modern-day Odyssey set in California’s Central Coast\, as three generations of women share profound family stories and create new ones. As for Angelica Glass\, she’ll opt out of driving altogether—her memoir Scavenging Beauty relates her quest to find healing while traversing all the streets in Santa Cruz County by foot. In true travelogue style\, their conversation will be accompanied by photos illustrating each author’s journey. Doors at 6:30pm.\n\n\n CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:KALW\, 220 Montgomery St\, Suite 100\, San Francisco\, CA 94104 SEQUENCE:0 UID:63a71b5a5e2569c7471f70d5ea0439cd URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/63a71b5a5e2569c7471f70d5ea0439cd END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261022T020000Z DTEND:20261022T033000Z SUMMARY:Vigdis Hjorth: Repetition DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \nSponsored by Norway House and Center for the Art of Translation\n Part of Words Around the World \;\n \nFrom International Booker Prize– and National Book Award–nominated author Vigdis Hjorth comes her latest novel finally translated into English\, Repetition. As winter approaches in Norway and the daylight dwindles\, a chance encounter prompts a novelist to reexamine her past. The seismic events following her sixteenth birthday return with haunting vividness\, exposing a story both utterly familiar and desperately strange. It was the year she first got drunk\, the year she first had sex with a boy. She was watched like a hawk by an anxious mother and a silent\, distant father. It was a year of typical teenage fixation and typical teenage frivolity\, and of all the usual parental fretting. Until something else took hold\, and her family made an unspoken decision and a terrible sacrifice. Only now\, decades later\, can these events come close to being comprehended. In conversation with Daniela Blei. \;\n\n\n CATEGORIES:WORDS AROUND THE WORLD LOCATION:Telegraph Hill Books\, 1501 Grant Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:e903d3cf1498d8c0bcd59d649a51012a URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/e903d3cf1498d8c0bcd59d649a51012a END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261022T031500Z DTEND:20261022T044500Z SUMMARY:All Hallows Eve: An Evening with Ellen Datlow & Friends DESCRIPTION:$15 / $3 early bird discount until October 18th (code: earlybird16)\n\nCo-presented with Locus Magazine and SF in SF\n\nCelebrate the spooky season with \;Ellen Datlow\, Hugo Award–winning editor of the new horror anthology \;All Hallows Eve: Stories of Halloween and Other Festivals of the Dead\, a chilling lineup of 19 original short stories delving into our worldwide obsession with that time of year when the veil is lifted\, spirits come alive\, and the boundary between the living and the dead is far too thin. Joined by anthology contributors and world-class masters of the genre \;Linda D. Addison\, \;Theresa DeLucci\, \;Brian Evenson\, and \;Jeffrey Ford\, Datlow will offer a rare peek behind the publishing curtain\, introducing the authors reading from their featured works with insights on how each one was hand-picked for inclusion in her anthology. But that’s not all—Datlow will also sit down with \;Locus Magazine \;editor-in-chief \;Liza Trombi \;to discuss four-plus decades of her legendary career in the horror genre\, and the countless authors she’s shepherded to print. Doors at 7:30pm. \;\n\n CATEGORIES:SCI-FI / FANTASY / HORROR LOCATION:The Lost Church\, 988 Columbus Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:e0b0f4417d9d5751b49de59a0dd1db96 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/e0b0f4417d9d5751b49de59a0dd1db96 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261023T010000Z DTEND:20261023T030000Z SUMMARY:Fire\, Earth\, Air & Water: Nik Sharma on the Science of Better Cooking DESCRIPTION:$30 Book Society Members / $45 General Public\n\nSponsored by Chronicle Books\nMedia sponsorship by Berkeleyside\nCo-presented with Book Society\n\nWith books like Season and The Flavor Equation\, award-winning cookbook author and America's Test Kitchen Editor in Residence Nik Sharma has earned a reputation for blending storytelling and science with recipes that are seasonal\, reliable\, and delicious. In his fourth cookbook\, Fundamentals of Flavor: 100 Recipes for the Science of Better Cooking\, this former molecular biologist shows home cooks how four elements—fire\, earth\, air\, and water—shape the way we cook and taste. In conversation with food writer Soleil Ho\, Sharma will lead an interactive evening in the spirit of a test kitchen: an intimate conversation with tastings of recipes from the book. Doors at 6:00pm. Ticket includes tastings and wine or a non-alcoholic beverage. $10 of each ticket supports Litquake.\n\n\n CATEGORIES:FOOD LOCATION:Book Society\, 2945 College Ave\, Berkeley\, CA 94705 SEQUENCE:0 UID:41b52eddaa3a86e701302b51f409727f URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/41b52eddaa3a86e701302b51f409727f END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261023T010000Z DTEND:20261023T020000Z SUMMARY:California's Diverse Food and Farming Movements DESCRIPTION:FREE\n\nCo-presented with Book Club of California\n\nCalifornians tend to think and talk a \;lot \;about food—not just who has the best farmers’ markets or where to find the latest Instagram-famous pastry\, but also about how the ways we grow\, harvest\, distribute\, and consume food can best serve goals related to climate\, social justice\, and collective well-being. In his new book\, \;North Stars of Emancipation: California’s Diverse Food and Farming Movements\, \;researcher and activist \;Antonio Roman-Alcalá \;finds guidance on all these questions in our state’s grassroots food movements\, and in the vision of Black\, Indigenous\, Latinx\, and other people who are leading the way. Joining Roman-Alcalá in conversation is one of those leaders\, \;Sara Calvosa Olson\, author of \;Chími Nu’am: Native Californian Foodways for the Contemporary Kitchen. \;Member/guest reception at 5:30pm.\n CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Book Club of California\, 47 Kearny St\, San Francisco\, CA 94108 SEQUENCE:0 UID:6b7348a9d41cc7a7447556df2ad9a239 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/6b7348a9d41cc7a7447556df2ad9a239 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261023T010000Z DTEND:20261023T023000Z SUMMARY:Her Story\, History\, Their Story\, Whose Story? Facts and Fictions in Historical Queer Books DESCRIPTION:$10 / FREE for GLBT Historical Society Members\n\nCo-presented with Bay Area Reporter and GLBT Historical Society\n\nWhat are the rules of engagement when telling historical tales about the lives of LGBTQ characters? Authors and scholars compare notes on their fictional and nonfiction works that resonate realistically\, and even those that are completely fantastical yet set in the real world’s past. Featuring authors Mark Abramson\, Lucy Jane Bledsoe\, Joey Cain\, and Katie Gilmartin. Moderated by Bay Area Reporter arts editor and author Jim Provenzano. Doors at 5:30pm.\n\n CATEGORIES:STORYTELLING/MEMOIR LOCATION:GLBT Historical Society\, 4127 18th St\, San Francisco\, CA 94114 SEQUENCE:0 UID:4cdabaed520744737e3ef9990c2963ad URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/4cdabaed520744737e3ef9990c2963ad END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261023T010000Z DTEND:20261023T023000Z SUMMARY:Vigdis Hjorth: Repetition (Marin Edition) DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\n \n\n Sponsored by Norway House\n Part of Words Around the World \;\n \n\n From International Booker Prize– and National Book Award–nominated author Vigdis Hjorth comes her latest novel finally translated into English\, Repetition. As winter approaches in Norway and the daylight dwindles\, a chance encounter prompts a novelist to reexamine her past. The seismic events following her sixteenth birthday return with haunting vividness\, exposing a story both utterly familiar and desperately strange. It was the year she first got drunk\, the year she first had sex with a boy. She was watched like a hawk by an anxious mother and a silent\, distant father. It was a year of typical teenage fixation and typical teenage frivolity\, and of all the usual parental fretting. Until something else took hold\, and her family made an unspoken decision and a terrible sacrifice. Only now\, decades later\, can these events come close to being comprehended. In conversation with Britta Stromeyer. \;\n\n\n CATEGORIES:WORDS AROUND THE WORLD LOCATION:Sausalito Books by the Bay\, 100 Bay St\, Sausalito SEQUENCE:0 UID:ff54ca49b53230429e1f4d9d2a53bcc0 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/ff54ca49b53230429e1f4d9d2a53bcc0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261023T020000Z DTEND:20261023T033000Z SUMMARY:Ben Ehrenreich: Hold Still DESCRIPTION:FREE\n\n Co-presented with City Lights\n \n\n In the months after his mother Barbara’s death\, author and essayist Ben Ehrenreich set himself the task of writing a story every day. Leaving open the question of what a “story” might be\, some entries ended up fable-like tales involving animals doing surprising things. Others were closer to journal entries\, many of them about his daughter\, who was nearly three at the time\, and who was trying to understand death herself at the same time that she was voraciously exploring the living world. This deeply moving collection of those daily journeys into storytelling—a finely crafted combination of fiction\, memoir\, and poetic prose—is both profound and satisfyingly whimsical. In conversation with Daniel Gumbiner.\n\n CATEGORIES:STORYTELLING/MEMOIR LOCATION:City Lights\, 261 Columbus Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:894547ac6395f7704ba984314f89acfc URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/894547ac6395f7704ba984314f89acfc END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261023T023000Z DTEND:20261023T043000Z SUMMARY:Lights\, Camera\, Action: Porchlight Storytelling on the Big Screen DESCRIPTION:$20 adv / $25 door\n \n\n The Bay Area’s long-running Porchlight storytelling series returns to Litquake for this special cinematic edition\, featuring tales of the silver screen from the Bay’s finest writers and comedians \;including Jack Boulware\, Mukethe Kawinzi\, \;Ali Liebegott\, Allison Mick\, TK Moyer\, and \;sam sax. Co-hosted by Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick. Music by Marc Capelle. Doors at 7:00pm.\n\n CATEGORIES:STORYTELLING/MEMOIR LOCATION:Vogue Theater\, 3290 Sacramento St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:1cb2b9d67c19028835e51550a9644a16 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/1cb2b9d67c19028835e51550a9644a16 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261023T030000Z DTEND:20261023T050000Z SUMMARY:Hieu Minh Nguyen & Friends DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-15 suggested donation\n \n\n Co-presented with The Stud\n \nIn celebration of Hieu Minh Nguyen's third poetry collection\, Staying Still\, join Litquake and The Stud for a night of readings and drag performances that highlight the power and resonance of stillness. Featuring drag from Pam\, Hera Wynn\, Mary Vice\, and Hands. Readings from Brittany Newell\, Hieu Minh Nguyen\, Brontez Purnell\, and Garrett Schlichte. Hosted by curator Micheal Foulk and Hands. Doors at 7:00 PM. \;\n\n CATEGORIES:POETRY LOCATION:The Stud\, 1123 Folsom St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:8508c33ee72e51c4e0d40bc1bce76ba0 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/8508c33ee72e51c4e0d40bc1bce76ba0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261023T031500Z DTEND:20261023T044500Z SUMMARY:Chad Harbach: The Brightness DESCRIPTION:$15 / $3 early bird discount until October 18th (code: earlybird16)\n$35 for presale signed book (ticket not included)\n \nFrom the bestselling author of literary sensation \;The Art of Fielding comes an urgent\, deeply felt story of friendship\, art\, love\, and grief\, following two young women on the brink of irrevocable change. Parties and weddings\, messy hookups and marred friendships\, art and love and grief—The Brightness follows the electric\, chaotic\, everything-can-happen lives of Pella and her best friend\, Irma\, as they fumble their way out of sleepy\, Midwestern Westish College and into a larger world that will upend their connection and everything they thought they understood about their own place within it. In stunning scenes and spectacular characters—each drawn with an almost superhuman vividness and humanity—Chad Harbach captures that specific\, shimmering anxiety of your twenties when life still feels wide open\, even as hard and irreversible choices start closing in. In conversation with novelist Eirinie Carson. Doors at 7:30pm.\n\nOrder a signed copy of The Brightness here (note: does not include general admission ticket). \; CATEGORIES:FICTION LOCATION:The Lost Church\, 988 Columbus Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:1c6cedf4879dabc71e25ccdd0a54f1da URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/1c6cedf4879dabc71e25ccdd0a54f1da END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261024T013000Z DTEND:20261024T030000Z SUMMARY:Walter Mosley: Hanging and Burning DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10–15 suggested donation\, $33 for signed book\n \nCo-presented with SFPL\n \nIn the latest addition to the inimitable Walter Mosley’s  \;Joe King Oliver series\, King finds himself accepting (again at his grandmother’s request) a case from Arman Babylon\, a powerful Los Angeles gangster now dying from cancer. Babylon’s granddaughter\, Twyla Mann\, has been missing for years\, and he’s desperate to find her before he passes. The search pulls King into the Babylons’ stained past and the cold case of Dalia Shorts\, a torch singer who vanished without a trace and whom Arman was once suspected of killing. As King follows her trail from L.A. to New York and back\, he’ll realize nothing is what it seems as he uncovers a pattern of violence that has targeted the women around Babylon for decades. How much will King be willing to risk to finally set things right? In conversation with Carvell Wallace. Doors at 6:00pm. \;\n\n CATEGORIES:FICTION LOCATION:SFPL Main Branch\, Koret Auditorium\, 100 Larkin St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:a1c67b263d4d8ce699960e9902c4efd3 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/a1c67b263d4d8ce699960e9902c4efd3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261024T013000Z DTEND:20261024T023000Z SUMMARY:Five Tastes: Delicious Recipes for Chinese Flavors with Fuchsia Dunlop DESCRIPTION:FREE\n\nPart of Words Around the World\nCo-presented with Omnivore Books on Food\n\nOver thousands of years\, Chinese chefs have mastered how to combine the five tastes―sweet\, sour\, salty\, bitter\, and pungent―harmoniously in a dish. In her latest cookbook\, Five Tastes\, Fuchsia Dunlop shares with home cooks 120 easy recipes inspired by culinary traditions across China. She includes both old-fashioned favorites and her freshly invented dishes that combine Chinese flavors with produce found in any Western market or supermarket. Join us at Omnivore Books to meet this superstar of Chinese cuisine and learn about her processes for recipe research and development. In conversation with \;Harold McGee.\n\n\n CATEGORIES:FOOD LOCATION:Omnivore Books on Food\, 3885a Cesar Chavez St\, San Francisco\, CA 94131 SEQUENCE:0 UID:6b3abe643ca045da7ade2ab309cdcc73 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/6b3abe643ca045da7ade2ab309cdcc73 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261024T020000Z DTEND:20261024T040000Z SUMMARY:Queerly Beloved: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Writing in Foglifter DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-15 suggested donation\n \nCo-presented with Foglifter and The Stud\n \nFoglifter—created by and for LGBTQ+ writers and readers—continues the San Francisco Bay Area’s tradition of groundbreaking queer and trans writing\, with an emphasis on publishing those multi-marginalized (BIPOC\, youth\, elders\, and people with disabilities). Queerly Beloved is a celebration of the latest queer writing coming out in Foglifter's newest journals\, online zone\, and Start a Riot! Chapbook series. Limited print copies of the newest issue will be available for purchase—get them before anyone else! Featuring: Brent Armendinger\, Juda Ātman\, KB Brookins\, Reggie Edmonds-Vásquez\, Alix Perry\, and Allegra Wilson! Doors at 6:00pm.\n CATEGORIES:PARTY LOCATION:The Stud\, 1123 Folsom St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:f58129d64d8f93b469fecbb178720bcf URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/f58129d64d8f93b469fecbb178720bcf END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261024T020000Z DTEND:20261024T033000Z SUMMARY:Lift Every Voice: A Festival Finale in Verse DESCRIPTION:Pay what you can to guarantee a seat\; FREE to walk ups space depending\n \nComing to us from Chicago\, Phillip B. Williams brings us his newest collection Lift Every Voice\, a staggering tribute to personal and collective evolutions\, a vital chorus that answers only to God\, community\, and the empowered self. \;What better way to ground us on the penultimate night of Litquake 2026? Litquake invites you in alongside poets \;Fatimah Asghar\, Stephanie Horvath\, D.A. Powell\, D.M. Spratley\, and Phillip B. Williams \;to bear witness to the beauty and resiliency of our words and community.. Hosted by Litquake’s Artistic Director Graham Todd. Doors at 6:30pm. \;\n\n\n CATEGORIES:POETRY LOCATION:First Presbyterian Church of Oakland Fellowship Hall\, 2619 Broadway\, Oakland SEQUENCE:0 UID:32603327e38ac2a138ca02e987d994f1 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/32603327e38ac2a138ca02e987d994f1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261024T020000Z DTEND:20261024T033000Z SUMMARY:Carolina Pihelgas: The Cut Line DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10–15 suggested donation\n\nPart of Words Around the World\nSponsored by Center for the Art of Translation\n\nPoet\, author\, translator\, and editor Carolina Pihelgas is a leading literary figure in her home country of Estonia. Now\, with The Cut Line\, translated by Darcy Hurford\, Pihelgas’s “extraordinary” (Estonian Literary Magazine) prose writing is available to English readers for the first time. In fewer than 100 pages\, Pihelgas takes readers to a near-future Estonian countryside\, plagued by the effects of climate change and poised for an impending conflict. These hints of future violence recall the protagonist’s own troubled history\, even as she attempts to find serenity and order in the rhythms of nature and simple work. Joining Pihelgas in conversation is Sasha Vasilyuk\, award-winning author of the novel Your Presence Is Mandatory. Doors at 6:30pm.\n\n\n CATEGORIES:WORDS AROUND THE WORLD LOCATION:Telegraph Hill Books\, 1501 Grant Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:0b2617adc66af970634d8baf5c943865 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/0b2617adc66af970634d8baf5c943865 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261024T031500Z DTEND:20261024T053000Z SUMMARY:Playlist Storytellers DESCRIPTION:$25 / $3 early bird discount until October 18th (code: earlybird16)\n \nEveryone has a song that found them at the right time. Welcome to Playlist Storytellers\, a live event where a curated group of writers share personal stories about a song that found them just when they needed it. Featuring stories from authors Laleh Khadivi\, Tomas Moniz\, Courtney Desiree Morris\, and A. Van Jordan. Doors at 7:30pm. \;\n\n CATEGORIES:MUSIC LOCATION:The Lost Church\, 988 Columbus Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:5563538aebfbb6829851f771179dbfe1 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/5563538aebfbb6829851f771179dbfe1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261025T000000Z DTEND:20261025T040000Z SUMMARY:Lit Crawl SF DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-15 suggested donation\n\nOne of the most anticipated literary nights of the year\, Lit Crawl SF brings together authors and fans of all ages for the world’s largest free pop-up literary event! \n\nFull schedule comes out 9/24 at litquake.org/litcrawl\n\n\n CATEGORIES:PERFORMANCE LOCATION:Multiple Locations\, Mission District\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:958de492514d4430fd2da6cf92720c21 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/958de492514d4430fd2da6cf92720c21 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261025T040000Z DTEND:20261025T060000Z SUMMARY:Lit Crawl Afterparty DESCRIPTION:$10 NOTAFLOF\n\nWe did it!! Join the Litquake team in celebrating another great festival\, alongside Lit Crawl readers and programmers. Featuring libations from beverage sponsors Griffo Distillery and Saintsbury Winery! CATEGORIES:PARTY LOCATION:The Drawing Room: Annex\, 599 Valencia St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:e864540279d95ce587c5af93234e2bda URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/e864540279d95ce587c5af93234e2bda END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261108T230000Z DTEND:20261109T010000Z SUMMARY:How They Did It: Getting Unstuck DESCRIPTION:$25\n\nCo-presented with LitCamp\n\nYou know the feeling. You're moving along\, racking up the word count on your novel (or memoir\, or creative nonfiction project) when suddenly you hit a wall\, a dead end\, a what-the-heck-am-I-supposed-to-write-next fork in the road. Call it writer’s block\, or a crisis of confidence\, or just the universe conspiring against you. But whatever you call it\, it's happened to every writer. Join us as four authors\, Samina Ali (Pieces You'll Never Get Back)\, Diana Kapp (The Last Free Women)\, Jason Roberts (Every Living Thing: The Great and Deadly Race to Know All Life)\, and Parini Shroff (Some People) share their strategies for pushing past the roadblocks and getting the words flowing again. Moderated by Page Street founder Janis Cooke Newman (A Master Plan for Rescue). Plus\, we'll serve complimentary Prosecco\, wine\, and NA drinks. Tickets support both Litquake and LitCamp. Doors at 3:00pm.\n\n CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:Page Street Co-Writing\, 297 Page St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:838936a22a95ca7080afbf3f7034ea5b URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/838936a22a95ca7080afbf3f7034ea5b END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261110T030000Z DTEND:20261110T043000Z SUMMARY:Nelio Biedermann: Lázár DESCRIPTION:Pay what you can to guarantee a seat\; FREE to walk ups space depending\n\nPart of Words Around the World\nSponsored by Center for the Art of Translation and the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia\n\nSwiss phenom Nelio Biedermann has stormed onto the literary scene in a torrent—first racking up weeks on German bestseller lists for his debut novel Lázár\, and later garnering a featured writeup in the New York Times for the novel’s English translation by Jamie Bulloch—all before the age of 25. His sweeping historical family saga has drawn comparisons to German masters such as Thomas Mann\, and the epic tale was dubbed “a marvel” in a Publishers Weekly starred review. We’re thrilled to welcome Biedermann to San Francisco to discuss his novel in conversation with Blaise Zerega of Alta. Doors at 6:30pm.\n\n CATEGORIES:WORDS AROUND THE WORLD LOCATION:Telegraph Hill Books\, 1501 Grant Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:d19af6f129b35e29e9d82f8d7919ccf2 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/d19af6f129b35e29e9d82f8d7919ccf2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261111T030000Z DTEND:20261111T043000Z SUMMARY:Jennifer Croft: Notes on Postcards DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10–15 suggested donation\n\nCo-presented with City Lights Bookstore\n\nJennifer Croft may be best known as one of our foremost literary translators\, bringing such acclaimed international authors as Olga Tokarczuk and Urszula Honek to English-speaking audiences. She’s also gained acclaim for her own writing\, including her novel The Extinction of Irina Rey and her hybrid coming-of-age memoir Homesick\, called “stunning and surprising” by the New York Times. Now Croft follows up with a second memoir\, detailing her lifelong wanderlust and her habit of both collecting and sending postcards along the way. Notes on Postcards utilizes an innovative format to delve into universal topics: love\, loss\, parenthood\, communication\, and connection. We’re thrilled to host the memoir’s official pub-day launch at City Lights\, featuring Croft in conversation with Britta Stromeyer. Doors at 6:30pm.\n\n\n CATEGORIES:WORDS AROUND THE WORLD LOCATION:City Lights\, 261 Columbus Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:e4134ca64b1c07cbd902fd496b8db6b1 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/e4134ca64b1c07cbd902fd496b8db6b1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261113T023000Z DTEND:20261113T040000Z SUMMARY:And If I Die Before I Wake: George M. Johnson with Maggie Tokuda-Hall DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10–15 suggested donation\n\nCo-presented with Marcus Books\nJournalist and activist George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue\, their bestselling\, critically acclaimed YA “memoir-manifesto” about growing up Black and queer\, has been\, since its 2020 publication\, a source of solace and support for young people. It’s also consistently been at or near the top of the ALA and PEN America’s lists of the most challenged and banned books. Undeterred\, Johnson continues to practice their fearless form of truth-telling\, this time in their first memoir for adults\, And If I Die Before I Wake. Here Johnson relates a traumatic 15 years in their life—navigating an HIV diagnosis\, alcoholism\, loss\, and those disheartening and frightening book bans—while relying more than ever on the love of friends\, family\, and community and finding\, against the odds\, their most authentic self. In conversation with children’s and young adult author Maggie Tokuda-Hall\, co-founder of the national advocacy group Authors Against Book Bans. Doors at 6:00pm.\n\n\n CATEGORIES:STORYTELLING/MEMOIR LOCATION:Marcus Books\, 3900 Martin Luther King Jr Way\, Oakland\, CA 94609 SEQUENCE:0 UID:d103f46e16cae7f8039bb6d2268da445 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/d103f46e16cae7f8039bb6d2268da445 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261119T030000Z DTEND:20261119T043000Z SUMMARY:Saira Mohamed: What a Country Owes Its Soldiers DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10–15 suggested donation\n\nCo-presented with KALW\n\nLegal scholar Saira Mohamed has focused her career on the ethics of armed conflict and mass atrocity\, in particular on the legal obligations of governments around the world to protect and care for their military personnel. At a time when our own leaders publicly extol the contributions of soldiers and veterans but strategically dismantle their support systems\, not to mention their sense of safety\, these questions—at the intersections of law and ethics—are more essential than ever. Join Mohamed as she discusses her new book What a Country Owes Its Soldiers\, deeply informed by her research and arguing compassionately for policies that convey genuine respect for soldiers’ humanity. In conversation with author and long-time New York Review of Books \;contributor Mark Danner. Doors at 6:30pm.\n\n\n CATEGORIES:NONFICTION LOCATION:KALW\, 220 Montgomery St\, Suite 100\, San Francisco\, CA 94104 SEQUENCE:0 UID:0f347d017b8aec8cf260ecb49514ec69 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/0f347d017b8aec8cf260ecb49514ec69 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261202T030000Z DTEND:20261202T043000Z SUMMARY:Jen Siraganian: Everything Has Been Moved\, Even the Dead DESCRIPTION:FREE\n \nCo-presented with Green Apple Books\n \nJoin us when we welcome Jen Siraganian for the release of her debut poetry collection\, Everything Has Been Moved\, Even the Dead! Siraganian traces a self shaped by history\, fragmentation\, and memory as she weaves her family’s past in the Middle East with her identity as an Armenian American woman and mother. Whether portraying a grandparent’s survival during the Armenian Genocide\, a father’s childhood in 1940s Palestine\, or a son’s birth when “death is a neighbor\,” Siraganian’s poems interrogate concepts of home\, origins\, belonging\, and displacement. Featuring readings from \;Tongo Eisen-Martin\, Nancy Miller Gomez\, \;and \;Christin Rice. \;Watch online at Green Apple Books Youtube. \;\n\n CATEGORIES:POETRY LOCATION:Green Apple Books on the Park\, 1231 9th Ave\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:d59205e8e6576bb29661881b669e3a50 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/d59205e8e6576bb29661881b669e3a50 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20261211T033000Z DTEND:20261211T050000Z SUMMARY:Marlon James: The Disappearers DESCRIPTION:$53 with code LITQUAKE5\n \nCo-presented with City Arts & Lectures\n \nIn his new novel The Disappearers\, award-winning author Marlon James traces the lives of a group of gay men in 1980s Jamaica after they are attacked by a mob\, leaving one of them dead and the rest with terrible physical and mental injuries. As each man attempts to heal\, they must also decide how they will continue their lives after facing such horrible violence. Some choose to ignore the event\, while others look for retribution. In the process\, James unveils the compromises society demands of oppressed people if they want to survive. In conversation with founder of NPR’s award-winning podcast Code Switch Shereen Marisol Meraji. \;A limited number of tickets include a copy of The Disappearers. \;\n CATEGORIES:FICTION LOCATION:Sydney Goldstein Theater\, 275 Hayes St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:ae165c861ecf53856ba03b737686c5d1 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/ae165c861ecf53856ba03b737686c5d1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260909T150213Z DTSTART:20270107T033000Z DTEND:20270107T050000Z SUMMARY:The Best Journey in the World: An Antarctic Story with Kim Stanley Robinson DESCRIPTION:FREE\, $10-$15 suggested donation\, $49 with signed book\n\n Co-presented with Grace Cathedral’s The Forum\n \nInterweaving memoir and good old fashioned ice adventure\, Kim Stanley Robinson’s \;latest takes readers along on the journeys that have happened before and those that may never happen again. In May of 1911\, Robert Scott and his men said goodbye to the sun and settled in for the long Antarctic winter. When the sun returned in September\, they would try to become the first people to reach the South Pole. However\, a week past the winter solstice\, Scott’s second-in-command decided to take an impromptu sled trip. Chronicled by zoological assistant Apsley Cherry-Garrard\, this side trip became The Worst Journey in the World\, one of the best adventure books ever written. Robinson first read Cherry-Garrard’s book in his twenties and re-read it again in 1995\, as preparation for a research trip to Antarctica for his Mars novels. It \;was a dream excursion: he traveled around the continent\, by snowmobile and helicopter and airplane\, and followed in their ill-fated footsteps. Doors at 7:00 PM. \;\n\n CATEGORIES:SCI-FI / FANTASY / HORROR LOCATION:Grace Cathedral\, 1100 California St\, San Francisco SEQUENCE:0 UID:95fdd9afaa493349a75e106c9d2a37a9 URL:http://litquake2026.sched.com/event/95fdd9afaa493349a75e106c9d2a37a9 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR