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12 NOVEMBER 2020 — thursday
- City Lights Books presents a launch party celebrating Issue no. 119 of ZYZZYVA, featuring readings by Jonathan Escoffery, Wendy C. Ortiz, Siel Ju, Andrés Reconco, Kathleen Mackay, and Nina Revoyr, hosted by ZYZZYVA managing editor Oscar Villalon, free, online, 6:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.citylights.com/bookstore/?fa=event&event_id=3727)
- Skylight Books presents a discussion of dance and writer marlee grace's new book, Getting to Center: Pathways to Finding Yourself in the Great Unknown, in conversation with Erica Chidi, co-founder of LOOM, a wellbeing platform to empower women through sexual and reproductive health education, free, online, 6:30 pm PST (RSVP to attend: www.skylightbooks.com/event/live-crowdcast-marlee-grace-discusses-her-new-book-getting-center-erica-chidi)
- Copperfield's Books presents a reading featuring Juan Felipe Herrera, the twenty-first Poet Laureate of the United States and the first Latino to hold this position, reading from his new collection of poetry, Every Day We Get More Illegal, and San Francisco Poet Laureate Kim Shuck, Deer Trails, free, online, 7:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.copperfieldsbooks.com/event/juan-felipe-herrera-and-kim-shuck)
- Poetry Flash presents a virtual poetry reading by Susan Kelly-DeWitt, from her new book, Gravitational Tug, with David Woo, Divine Fire, online via Zoom, free, 7:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: please click here; you will receive an email with a link to join the reading)
- Vroman's Bookstore presents novelist and educator Kiese Laymon, with his latest book How to Slowly Kill Yourselves and Others in America, a humorous and insightful collection of thirteen essays, in conversation with essayist Minda Honey, free, online, 6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.vromansbookstore.com/event/kiese-laymon-with-minda-honey)
- San Francisco Public Library's monthly Poem Jam features Indigenous Poet Laureates past and present, including Linda Noel, former Poet Laureate of Ukiah; Denise Low, former Poet Laureate of Kansas; Georgina Marie, current Poet Laureate of Lake County; and Kim Shuck, current Poet Laureate of San Francisco, free, online, 6:00-7:00 pm PST (Register to attend: sfpl.org/events/2020/11/12/performance-poem-jam)
- The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books presents Marilynne Robinson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Humanities Medal, reading from her latest novel Jack, in conversation with journalist and novelist Héctor Tobar, free, online, 5:00-6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/?3_route=/client-embeds/la-times-festival-of-books-2020/1/3/__/&)
- The Mechanics' Institute Library of San Francisco hosts "Write If You Dare," a drop-in writing workshop for all genres and levels with directed free writing and sharing, member-led, free for MI members, 11:00 am–1:00 pm PST (For questions: tedwards@milibrary.org, online sign up: www.milibrary.org/events)
- City Lights Books presents a launch party celebrating Issue no. 119 of ZYZZYVA, featuring readings by authors Jonathan Escoffery, Wendy C. Ortiz, Siel Ju, Andrés Reconco, Kathleen Mackay, and Nina Revoyr, hosted by ZYZZYVA managing editor Oscar Villalon, free, online, 6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.citylights.com/bookstore/?fa=event&event_id=3727)
13 NOVEMBER 2020 — friday
- Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, with Small World Books, presents a discussion on the coronavirus, how pandemics change the way we live, and what we can change going forward, featuring sociologist and author Nicholas Christakis, journalist Sonia Shah, and science journalist Deborah Olivia Mackenzie, moderated by L.A. Times healthcare reporter Soumya Karlamangla, free, online, Noon-1:00 pm PST (Register to attend: events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/?3_route=/client-embeds/la-times-festival-of-books-2020/1/3/__/&)
14 NOVEMBER 2020 — saturday
- Book Passage presents their Conversations with Authors series, featuring bestselling nonfiction author Naomi Wolf discussing her latest book, Outrages: Sex, Censorship, and the Criminalization of Love, free, online, 4:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.bookpassage.com/event/conversations-authors-naomi-wolf-virtual-event)
- Skylight Books presents a reading celebrating the launch of literary magazine ZYZZYVA's L.A. issue, featuring poets Douglas Manuel, Michelle Latiolais, David Hernandez, and Victoria Chang, with photographer Henry Lara, and special guest L. Marvin Metz, best-selling novelist of the Europa Nights series, free, online, 6:30 pm PST (RSVP to attend: www.skylightbooks.com/event/live-crowdcast-zyzzyva-la-issue-group-reading)
15 NOVEMBER 2020 — sunday
- Bay Area Festival of Books presents "Power of Protest: Lessons from Hong Kong," a discussion of the protest movement in Hong Kong and its ramifications across the globe, featuring lawyer and writer Antony Dapiran, City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong, and China specialist Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink, joined by Financial Times news researcher Nicolle Liu, moderated by author Orville Schell, free, online, 5:00-6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.baybookfest.org/session/protestpower)
- Poetry Flash presents a virtual poetry reading by Kathryn Nuernberger, RUE and Kathleen Winter, Transformer, online via Zoom, free, 3:00 pm PST (Register to attend: please click here; you will receive an email with a link and information on how to join the reading)
- Blue Flower Arts and the Academy of American Poets present poets Claudia Rankine, Just Us: An American Conversation, and Terrance Hayes , American Sonnets for My Past And Future Assassin, in a discussion about how we talk about racism in America, moderated by poet and essayist Dawn Lundy Martin, free, online, 5:00 pm PST (RSVP to attend: www.eventbrite.com/e/just-us-an-american-conversation-tickets-124454303171?utm_source=Library+Foundation&utm_campaign=0bf8fa8f91-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_5_15_2018_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d10631b6d5-0bf8fa8f91-108230483&goal=0_d10631b6d5-0bf8fa8f91-108230483&mc_cid=0bf8fa8f91&mc_eid=20ac2b52c1)
16 NOVEMBER 2020 — monday
- Aqus presents their bimonthly Poetry Open Mic, hosted by poet and artist Sande Anfang, held the first and third Monday of each month, with three-minute slots per reader, featuring Terry Ehret, John Johnson, and Nancy Morales, translators of Plagios (Plagiarisms) by Ulalume González de León, free, online via Zoom, 6:15 pm PST (Sign up for the open mic/RSVP to attend: aqus.com/rivertownpoets/)
17 NOVEMBER 2020 — tuesday
- Skylight Books presents a group reading by the Object Lessons authors, a series of short books exploring the hidden lives of ordinary things, featuring Shonna Milliken Humphrey, Gin, Hanne Blank, Fat, Hunter Dukes, Signature, and Shelia Liming, Office, free, online, 6:30 pm PST (RSVP to attend: www.skylightbooks.com/event/live-crowdcast-object-lessons-group-reading-shonna-milliken-humphrey-hunter-dukes-hanne-blank)
- Kepler's Literary Foundation celebrates the launch of Shannon Messenger's new novel, Unlocked, part of the best selling Keeper of the Lost Cities series, in conversation with novelist Roshani Chokshi, $29-$38, online, 6:00-7:00 pm PST (RSVP to attend: www.keplers.org/upcoming-events-internal/2020/11/17/shannon-messenger)
- City Lights Books presents poets Ishmael Reed, Why the Black Hole Sings the Blues, and Tennessee Reed, Califia Burning: Poems 2012-2019, both reading from their new books of poetry, free, online, 6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.citylights.com/bookstore/?fa=event&event_id=3679)
- Vroman's Bookstore presents illustrator and novelist David Yoon, with his newest novel Super Fake Love Song, in conversation with actor Jake Choi, free, online, 6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.vromansbookstore.com/event/david-yoon-with-jake-choi)
18 NOVEMBER 2020 — wednesday
- Vroman's Bookstore presents Mary Lea Carroll, storyteller and author of Saint Everywhere, with her book Somehow Saints: More Travels in Search of the Saintly, a follow-up to her popular book examining the lives of extraordinary people who have quietly changed the world, in conversation with writer and broadcaster Lian Dolan, free, online, 6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.vromansbookstore.com/event/mary-lea-carroll-with-lian-dolan)
- Skylight Books presents a reading from the best contributions to Brevity, a flash nonfiction journal founded in 1997, featuring readings by Daisy Hernández, Nicole Walker, and Ira Sukrungruang, moderated by Brevity co-editors Zoë Bossiere and Dinty W. Moore, free, online, 6:30 pm PST (RSVP to attend: www.skylightbooks.com/event/live-crowdcast-best-brevity-dinty-w-moore-zoe-bossiere-daisy-hernandez-nicole-walker-ira)
- Book Passage presents their Conversations with Authors series, featuring linguist Deborah Tannen discussing her latest book, Finding My Father: His Century-Long Journey from World War I Warsaw and My Quest to Follow, an intimate memoir about family and memory, in conversation with Amy Tan, best-selling author of The Joy Luck Club, free, online, 4:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.bookpassage.com/event/conversations-authors-deborah-tannen-virtual-event)
19 NOVEMBER 2020 — thursday
- Marin Poetry Center and Osher Marin JCC present poets Jane Hirshfield, Ledger, and Meryl Natchez, Catwalk, in a reading and discussion, free, online, 7:00 pm PST (Zoom link for the reading: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvd-6qqjoiGdd63b4Vb0oIDgr2ey3yjEHU)
- City Lights Books presents journalist Azadeh Moaveni, ReTargeting Iran, and novelist Salar Abdoh, Out of Mesopotamia: A Novel, in discussion about the intersections of their new books, free, online, 11:00 am PST (Register to attend: www.citylights.com/bookstore/?fa=event&event_id=3726)
- City Lights Books presents journalist Azadeh Moaveni, ReTargeting Iran, and novelist Salar Abdoh, Out of Mesopotamia: A Novel, in discussion about the intersection of their new books, free, online, 11:00 am PST (Register to attend: www.citylights.com/bookstore/?fa=event&event_id=3726)
- The Poetry Center presents a reading and conversation with Wendy Trevino, poet and writer-in-residence at The Poetry Center, reading from her new book Cruel Fiction, joined by poet Zaina Alsous, hosted by alex cruse, free, online, 7:00 pm PST (Register to attend: poetry.sfsu.edu)
- The Poetry Center at San Francisco State University presents a reading and conversation with Wendy Trevino, poet and writer-in-residence at The Poetry Center, reading from her new book Cruel Fiction, joined by poet Zaina Alsous, with emcee alex cruse, free, online, 7:00 pm PST (Register to attend: poetry.sfsu.edu)
- The Mechanics' Institute Library of San Francisco hosts "Write If You Dare," a drop-in writing workshop for all genres and levels with directed free writing and sharing, member-led, free for MI members, 11:00 am–1:00 pm PST (For questions: tedwards@milibrary.org, online sign up: www.milibrary.org/events)
- Vroman's Bookstore presents a discussion of Tom Zoellner's latest book, The National Road: Dispatches from a Changing America, an incisive and introspective look at what divides America, and what can bring us together, in conversation with novelist Tod Goldberg, free, online, 6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.vromansbookstore.com/event/tom-zoellner-with-tod-goldberg)
20 NOVEMBER 2020 — friday
21 NOVEMBER 2020 — saturday
- Jingletown Reading & Open Mic celebrates writers committed to social justice: William Archila, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Barbara Jane Reyes, open mic limited to five readers, hosted by harold terezόn and Adela Najarro, online, 2:00-3:30 pm PST (Online: Zoom: 992 1716 1772, password: justice, Facebook Live)
- Poetry reading by Carla M. Cherry, Stardust and Skin, and Maxima Kahn, Fierce Aria, followed by a conversation and Q&A about the practice and publication of poetry, discussing topics such as writing revision, inspiration for new poems, and submitting poems for publication, free, online via Zoom, 1:00 pm PST (Register to attend: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrdeitrj8pGNVhmV9c7SNWDye09OI5HpgF)
- Skylight Books presents columnist and writer Cazzie David and her memoir, No One Asked for This, a darkly funny collection of essays exploring topics like misanthropy, social media, and anxiety, in a drive-thru in-person book signing event at Mel's Drive-In, 8585 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, California; preordering a copy of the book for $18 is strongly recommended, books will also be available for purchase on-site, 6:00-8:00 pm PST (Order the book here: www.skylightbooks.com/event/drive-thru-signing-cazzie-davids-debut-memoir-no-one-asked)
- Book Passage presents their Conversations with Authors series, featuring Deborah Madison, author of fourteen cookbooks, discussing her latest book, An Onion in My Pocket: My Life with Vegetables, a warm and insightful memoir that delves into the vegetarian movement, in conversation with poet Jane Hirshfield, free, online, 4:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.bookpassage.com/event/conversations-authors-deborah-madison-virtual-event)
22 NOVEMBER 2020 — sunday
- Poetry Flash presents a virtual poetry reading by Maw Shein Win, Storage Unit for the Spirit House and Amy Gerstler, Scattered at Sea, online via Zoom, free, 3:00 pm PST (Register to attend: please click here; you will receive an email with a link and information on how to join the reading)
23 NOVEMBER 2020 — monday
- City Lights Books presents a reading and discussion of the poet Paul Celan (1920-1970), considered one of the greatest European post-World War II poets, featuring special guests, activist and theorist Judith Butler, poet Fady Joudah, poet D.S. Marriott, and poet and historian Roberto Tejada, hosted by educator and essayist Robert Kaufman, free, online, 6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.citylights.com/bookstore/?fa=event&event_id=3723)
- The Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo presents An Evening of Jewish Poetry, featuring readings by celebrated Jewish poets Yehoshua November, Two Worlds Exist, Alicia Suskin Ostriker, The Volcano and After, Philip Terman, This Crazy Devotion, and Eleanor Wilner, em>Before Our Eyes: New and Selected Poems, 1975-2017, free, online via YouTube Live, 7:00 pm EST/4:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.jccbuffalo.org/event/an-evening-of-jewish-poetry)
24 NOVEMBER 2020 — tuesday
- Vroman's Bookstore presents a discussion of The Sacrifice of Darkness, a graphic novel written by Roxanne Gay and Tracy Lynne Oliver, illustrated by Rebecca Kirby, an adaptation of Gay's best-selling short story, "We Are the Sacrifice of Darkness," free, online, 6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.vromansbookstore.com/event/roxane-gay-tracy-lynne-oliver-and-rebecca-kirby)
- Bay Area Festival of Books presents memoirist and essayist Helen Macdonald, discussing her latest collection of essays, Vesper Flights, in conversation with poet Camille T. Dungy, free, online, 7:00-8:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.baybookfest.org/session/wl_vesper)
25 NOVEMBER 2020 — wednesday
26 NOVEMBER 2020 — thursday
- The Mechanics' Institute Library of San Francisco hosts "Write If You Dare," a drop-in writing workshop for all genres and levels with directed free writing and sharing, member-led, free for MI members, 11:00 am–1:00 pm PST (For questions: tedwards@milibrary.org, online sign up: www.milibrary.org/events)
27 NOVEMBER 2020 — friday
28 NOVEMBER 2020 — saturday
- San Diego Writers, Ink presents "Outlining," led by playwright and novelist Jenny Lane, a one-time workshop with tips and tricks for outlining as you work on your project, whether it's a novel, screenplay, or essay collection, $45 members, $54 nonmembers, online via Zoom, 10:00 am–1:00 pm (Enroll here: www.sandiegowriters.org/november-outlining-jenny-lane/)
- Creative Conserve presents the Eco-Writing Workshop, led by fiction writer Miranda Mellis, using creative and empathetic writing exercises to illuminate ecological damage, particularly to the orca and salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest, and to connect to animal habitats through stories and poems, participants are also encouraged to submit work, $55, online via Zoom, Noon-4:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.creatureconserve.com/register-for-a-workshop?link_id=6&can_id=3afee72f0fb5de59cdd5bcef91c4e641&source=email-youre-invited-orca-salmon-writing-workshop-november-28th&email_referrer=email_993252&email_subject=youre-invited-orca-salmon-writing-workshop-november-28th)
29 NOVEMBER 2020 — sunday
30 NOVEMBER 2020 — monday
- The Fifth Monday Charitable Reading, in support of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), features poetry readings by Octavio Quintanilla, Poet Laureate of San Antonio, and activist poets Francisco Aragón, Adella Najarro, Paco Marquez, MK Chavez, Arturo Mantecón, Betty Sánchez, Tristan Beach, JoAnn Anglin, and Paul Aponte, hosted by poet Frank Dixon Graham, free, online via Facebook Live, 7:00-9:00 pm PST (RSVP on Facebook to attend: www.facebook.com/events/369637234316004)
- Kepler's Literary Foundation presents a reading from the late short story writer Lucía Berlin's A Manual for Cleaning Women, a collection of short stories demonstrating Berlin's mastery of the form, often drawing on her own life experiences, which brought on a resurgence of interest in her work eleven years after her death, $30, online, 5:00-6:30 pm PST (RSVP to attend: www.keplers.org/upcoming-events-internal/https/wwweventbritecom/e/fall-2020-online-evening-literary-seminar-series-tickets-103964195708affwomen)
- Colossus Press presents a reading in their book release series, celebrating the anthology Colossus:Home, featuring readings from Sheryl Bize-Boutte, Keith M. Gaboury, Jan Steckel, Susan Dambroff, Paul Corman-Roberts, and Elizabeth Costello, with special guest Tureeda Mikell, free, online, 6:30 pm PST (RSVP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/141175124021432; to buy the book: www.colossuspress.org/buy)
- Book Passage presents a reading of works from Writing the Virus, edited by Andrea Scrima and David Dario Winner, an anthology of writings tracing the evolution of the coronavirus and the communities it has most deeply affected, featuring Caille Millner, Jon Roemer, and David Dario Winner, moderated by Oscar Villalon, Managing Editor of ZYZZYVA, free, online, 7:30 pm PST (Register to attend: www.bookpassage.com/event/writing-virus-caille-millner-jon-roemer-david-dario-winner-and-oscar-villalon-virtual-event)
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