Go!

I became a monkey, swinging from open arms to open arms, in a congregation where a trip to the bathroom means a slew of conversations. The room is a series of rivers. The current changes. Maybe I was driftwood, picked up and passed around by the buoyant expectations of a thousand useful hands. Or it's possible we were all waves converging, the slow trickle of a tide turning, a whirlpool spinning on the rise.

It was opening night of Litquake XI and 111 Minna was humming with sea monkeys! I thought it was a great idea to kick the festival off with a free reception, and a lot of people did too. Mostly the room was abuzz about tonight's big Barbary Coast Award - it's the hottest ticket in town and the seats are so spoken for there are people begging to stand. Famous people. There was a sense of entitlement last night, that Litquake is a club completely open to the public and that anyone present is privy to its excellence. There are no membership fees. (Although it is possible to donate. Just last year Litquake became a nonprofit, eh, so your contributions are tax-deductible.)

There was talk about how the San Francisco literary world has changed since the early 90s, that despite the steady evolution of our culture from a few small puddles of involvement to a unified network of waterways there is not really a movement now ('although it'd be nice if there were'). I disagreed. There is this and this to consider. Since I started Quiet Lightning in December of last year (with Rajshree Chauhan, whom I met during Lit Crawl), more than a dozen new reading series have emerged (and some will be in this year's Crawl). So there's that to consider, too. We are cross-pollinating with a fury.

In fact, so much has changed since last year's Litquake I can only advise you hold onto your beautiful program (below) and take note of the many names you don't know yet. Because next year, at this rate, you'll have plenty to talk about.



Not to get all meta here, but my friend and assistant Charles Kruger has written an excellent recap of last night's opening party from the perspective of someone who has never attended a Litquake function. (Here's mine from last year.)

I'm so excited about tonight. People all over San Francisco are waking right now. Some I will see in the Variety Preview Room Theatre for poetry, graphic novels, mystery, and dad lit (dad lit, people!) - all free. Some will walk around the city drinking coffee and scribbling in their notebooks, enthused by tonight's impending superstar blowout. Some will - bless them - attend the Giants' game first. But however you spend the day, and whether or not you were quick enough to snag a ticket to tonight's event, this week is full of mostly free programming that includes something for everyone. Below is a daily guide to some of my favorite cost-free events. Enjoy! And say hello.

SUNDAY, October 3

Off the Richter Scale Readings, Day 2, noon-4 pm. Note new location: Variety Preview Room Theatre, 582 Market Street, First Floor, San Francisco. Free.


Women Authoring Change, noon-1 pm. Faith Adiele, Eugenie Chan,  Carolina De Robertis, Elana Dykewomon, Elaine Elinson, andAmy Wheeler (moderator)
AltPub, 1-2 pm. Marta Acosta, Kathleen Fitzgerald (moderator), Lian Gouw, Luke James, Hyla Molander, Peter Plate, and Matt Stewart
The Golden Gate and Beyond, 2-3 pm. Gabrielle Burton, David Chu, Scott James, Jonathan Kiefer, and Merla Zellerbach
Literature in Translation, 3-4 pm. Kareem James Abu-Zeid, Scott Esposito (Moderator), Chana Kronfeld, and Eric Selland


Literary North Beach Walking Tour, 5:30-6:30 pm. Starts at The Beat Museum, 540 Broadway, SF.

The Literary Tour Stops Here, 7 pm. Focus Gallery, 1534 Grant Avenue, San Francisco.

Phil Bronstein, Will Durst, Ben Fong-Torres, Alan Kaufman, Ellen Sussman, and Jody Weiner

Barely Published Authors, 7 pm. The Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd Street, SF. 21+.

Jeremy Hatch, Mimi Lok, Caitlin Myer, Andre Perry, Paul Spinrad, Ian Tuttle,Alia Volz, and Olga Zilberbourg

MONDAY, October 4

New Writers Night: Authors Reveal All & How to Navigate the New World of Publishing, 3-6:30 pm. Co-production with the Foundation Center. Foundation Center, 312 Sutter Street, 2nd floor World Affairs Council Auditorium, San Francisco. Free, but advance registration required. Please register for each panel separately.


Authors Reveal All! 3-4:30 pm. Register online. Elaine Beale,Jason Headley, Joanna Smith Rakoff, Vanitha Sankaran, Shanthi Sekaran, and Michael Sledge
How to Navigate the New World of Publishing, 5-6:30 pm.Register online. Eileen Gittins, Jay A. Hartman, Brenda Knight,  Ethan Nosowsky, and Amy Rennert


Original Shorts: Bottoms Up, 7 pm. Heart Wine Bar, 1270 Valencia Street, SF. 21+.

Dodie Bellamy, Elizabeth Bernstein, Joshua Braff, Anne Finger, Shanthi Sekaran, Namwali Serpell, and James Warner

Litquake in the Bookstore: Tao Lin at The Booksmith. 7:30 pm. The Booksmith, 1644 Haight Street, SF.

TUESDAY, October 5

McSweeney’s Fall Harvest, 7 pm: Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street, SF.

Hilton Als, Adam Levin, Peter Orner, and Darin Strauss

WEDNESDAY, October 6

he Art of Narrative Nonfiction, 6 pm. San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium. Main Branch, 100 Larkin St., SF.

Tamim Ansary, Frances Dinkelspiel, Richard Rhodes, and T.J. Stiles

The RADAR Reading Series: Litquake Edition! 6 pm. San Francisco Public Library’s Latino Reading Room, Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street, SF.

Chinaka Hodge, Tao Lin, Sara Marcus, and Beth Pickens

SF in SF presents The Maltese Omelette: A Radio Play, 7 pm. Variety Preview Room Theatre, 582 Market Street, First Floor, SF.

Peter S. Beagle, Cara Black, Lori Leigh Gieleghem, Michael Kurland, Pat and Richard Lupoff, Gregory Tiede

Litquake in the Bookstore: Lorin Stein with Oscar Villalon at City Lights, 7 pm. City Lights Books, 261 Columbus Ave., SF.

THURSDAY, October 7

Litquake Bites, noon-1 pm. Book Passage joins forces with Litquake for presentations and tastings (including Cowgirl Creamery). Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, SF.

Sarah Billingsley, Gordon Edgar, Steve Sando, and Amy Treadwell

Poets 11 2010 Showcase, 7 pm. Readers Café, Fort Mason Center, Building C, SF.

Feminine Wiles, 7 pm. Noe Valley Recreational Center, 295 Day St., SF.

Elif Batuman, Marisa Crawford, Katie Crouch, Thaisa Frank, Joyce Maynard,Kaya Oakes, and Shawna Yang Ryan

SATURDAY, October 9

The Infamous, Indefatigable Lit Crawl!!!! 6-9:30 pm
Various venues along the Valencia Street Corridor in San Francisco’s sunny Mission District. Three phases:


Phase I: 6-7 pm
Phase II: 7:15-8:15 pm
Phase III: 8:30-9:30 pm




» Check back for more in-depth previews and coverage from today's - and tonight's - events. For those of you who don't have a ticket, get a jumpstart on making the tough decision about how to spend tomorrow. It's one of the best days!

» I'm going to roam Market now. If you're in the neighborhood, why don't you give me a call?

Yours, Evan

912 658 2333