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6 OCTOBER 2021 — wednesday

7 OCTOBER 2021 — thursday

  • Bird & Beckett Books presents poet and artist Jennifer Barone, Saporoso: Poems of Italian Food and Love, followed by an open mic reading, hosted by Jerry Ferraz and Michael Koch, in-person, Bird & Beckett Books and Records, 653 Chenery Street, San Francisco, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information: birdbeckett.com/thursday-october-7-7pmfeatured-poet-jennifer-barone-followed-by-an-open-mic)
  • Cafe Zoe presents poet Antonio López, reading from and discussing his new collection of poems, Gentefication, in-person, Cafe Zoe, 1929 Menalto Avenue, Menlo Park, free, 6:30 pm PDT
  • Lunch Poems reading series presents Phillip B. Williams, Mutiny and Thief in the Interior, hosted by UC Berkeley, free, online, Noon PDT (Register to attend: lunchpoems.berkeley.edu)

8 OCTOBER 2021 — friday

  • Green Apple Books presents Lilly Dancyger, editor of Burn It Down: Women Writing About Anger, reading from and discussing her new memoir, Negative Space, in conversation with writer Nina Renata Aron, Good Morning, Destroyer of Men's Souls: A Memoir of Women, Addiction, and Love, online via Zoom and in person, Green Apple Books, 1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, free, 6:00 pm PDT (Register for Zoom here: www.greenapplebooks.com/event/9th-ave-lilly-dancyger-and-nina-renata-aron)
  • Litquake, San Francisco's literary festival, kicks off with a conversation between novelist Brandon Hobson, The Removed, and novelist Tommy Orange, There There, and a Word/Jazz reading, featuring poets Genny Lim, devorah major, Paul S. Flores, and Brontez Purnell, with music by the Marcus Shelby Trio, $20 advance tickets, $22 at the door (Word/Jazz only), 7:00-9:00 pm PDT (For more information: www.litquake.org)
  • Blue Light at the Gallery presents a poetry reading featuring Jeanne Lupton, Love is a Tanka, and Kath Abela Wilson, Figures of Humor and Strange Beauty, accompanied by Rick Wilson on flute, online via Zoom, free, 6:00 pm PDT (RSVP to bluelightpress@aol.com for the Zoom link)

9 OCTOBER 2021 — saturday

  • The Elk Grove Writers Guild presents their 2021 Conference, featuring essayist Joey Garcia, When Your Heart Breaks, It's Opening to Love, memoirist Dorothy Rice, Gray Is the New Black, novelist Margaret Duarte, Between Darkness and Dawn, nonfiction writer Kathy Lynne Marshall, Finding Daisy: From the Deep South to the Promised Land, scientist and author Dr. Amy Rogers, Reversion, novelist ML Hamilton, Emerald, historian Cheryl Stapp, Wild Wicked Woman: The Life of a Gold Rush Courtesan, crime novelist Michael Brandt, short story writer Jenifer Rowe, Unexpected Findings, speaker and writer Janet McHenry, PrayerWalk, novelist Gini Grossenbacher, Madam of My Heart, publisher Jennifer Chen Tran, and editor Danita Moon, in-person at the City of Elk Grove, District 56, 8230 Civic Center Drive, Elk Grove, $60, 7:30 am-5:15 pm PDT (Register to attend: egweg.org/conference)
  • Join Get Lit—Words Ignite for a hybrid (both in-person and online) drop-in youth poetry class for teens ages thirteen-nineteen, every Saturday, in-person at Get Lit,
  • Litquake continues with panels and discussions featuring numerous writers, including Carl de Souza, Kaya Days, Carol Edgarian, Three Stages of Amazement, Yang Huang, My Good Son, Mariana Oliver, Migratory Birds, Grant Faulkner, All the Comfort Sin Can Provide, Kjell Ola Dahl, The Assistant, concluding with a poetry reading at Grace Cathedral, with Forrest Gander, Danusha Laméris, Sandra Lim, Derrick Austin, Miguel Murphy, and D.A. Powell, free, with suggested donation, 11:00 am-10:00 pm PDT (For more information: www.litquake.org)
  • Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center presents an afternoon reading featuring poets from White Pine Press: Gail Wronsky, Under the Capsized Boat We Fly, Yun Wang, The Book of Mirrors, Christopher Merrill, Watch Fire, and Dennis Maloney, The Map Is Not the Territory, hosted by poet David St. John, online via Zoom, free, 4:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html)

10 OCTOBER 2021 — sunday

  • Litquake presents a panel of authors and editors, "The ABCs of Literary Journals," featuring novelist Carolina De Robertis, Cantoras, The Invisible Mountain; Joyce Jenkins, Portal, Joy Road, poet and editor of Poetry Flash; Oscar Villalon, managing editor of ZYZZYVA; and Daniel Gumbiner, The Boatbuilder, managing editor of The Believer magazine; come for a discussion and Q&A about the world of literary journalism and publication, in-person, Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission Street, San Francisco, $12 advance tickets/$15 at the door, 1:15 pm-2:30 pm PDT (Register here: tockify.com/litquake/detail/32/1633896900000)
  • Join Litquake for more readings and discussions, with writers and poets including Kit Fan, Diamond Hill, Heather Chavez, Blood Will Tell, Alex Schulman, The Survivors, Carolina de Robertis, Cantoras, Faith Adiele, Meeting Faith, and Robin Sloan, Sourdough, free, with some ticketed events, 11:00 am-8:00 pm PDT (For more information: www.litquake.org)
  • Second Sunday Reading Series presents a reading with poets Margaret Stawowy, Keeper of the Pond, and Cathryn Shea, Genealogy Lesson for the Laity, online via Zoom, free, 3:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: secondsundayreadings.com)

11 OCTOBER 2021 — monday

  • Odd Mondays presents a reading with novelists Meng Jin, Little Gods, Mia P. Manansala, Arsenic and Adobo, and Dennis E. Staples, This Town Sleeps, online via Zoom, free,, 7:00-8:00 pm PDT (Email: oddmondaysnoevalley@gmail.com for the Zoom link; more information here: www.facebook.com/OddMondays)

12 OCTOBER 2021 — tuesday

  • City Lights Books presents a poetry reading featuring City Lights Books editor Garrett Caples, Lovers of Today, and Cedar Sigo, Guard the Mysteries, free, online via Zoom, 6:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: citylights.com/events)
  • Cobalt Poets presents a reading by poet Paul Corman Roberts, We Shoot Typewriters, Obituaries Found on the Backs of Cocktail Napkins, open mic to follow, free, online via Zoom, 7:30 pm PDT (Zoom link here: www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/calendar.html)
  • Coastside Poetry presents a reading with poet Elise Kazanjian, whose work has appeared in Fog & Light: San Francisco Through the Eyes of the Poets Who Live Here, New Millennium Writings, and Minute Magazine, among others, free, online, 6:00-8:00 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: coastsidepoetry.org/)
  • Litquake continues with a North Beach reading featuring authors A.H Kim, A Good Family, Roberto Lovato, Unforgetting: A Memoir of Revolution and Remembrance, Caitlin Myer, Wiving: A Memoir of Loving Then Leaving the Patriarchy, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Also an Octopus, and Alia Volz, Home Baked: My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco, as well as a conversation with novelist Patty Enrado, novelist Donald Antrim, and poet John Freeman, free, with some ticketed events, 7:00-8:30 pm PDT (For more information: www.litquake.org)
  • Philosophical Research Society and Skylight Books present Susan Orlean with an in-person launch of her new essay collection, On Animals, Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Angeles, $30, 7:00 pm PDT (To purchase tickets: www.eventbrite.com/e/skylight-books-the-philosophical-research-society-present-susan-orlean-tickets-173810982327?aff=ebdssbdestsearch)
  • Kepler's Literary Foundation presents novelist Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Kane Chronicles, and the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series, reading from and discussing his new book, Daughter of the Deep, a modern take on Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, $25, ticket includes a signed copy of the book and a commemorative T-shirt, online, 5:00-6:00 pm PDT (Purchase tickets here: www.keplers.org/upcoming-events-internal/2021/10/12/rick-riordan)

13 OCTOBER 2021 — wednesday

  • Copperfield's Books presents actor Peter Coyote, Sleeping Where I Fall, a memoir, reading from and discussing his debut poetry collection, Tongue of a Crow, in conversation with award-winning author Anthony Lee Head, Driftwood: Stories from the Margarita Road, a novel, free, online, 7:00 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: www.copperfieldsbooks.com/event/peter-coyote-conversation-anthony-lee-head-online)
  • Kepler's Literary Foundation presents best-selling novelist Lindsay Ellis, Axiom's End, discussing her new novel, Truth of the Divine, the second book of the Noumena trilogy, in conversation with novelist John Scalzi, Old Man's War, online, $36 ticket includes a copy of the book, 5:00-6:00 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: www.keplers.org/upcoming-events-internal/ellis-scalzi)
  • City Lights Books presents writer and journalist Amitava Kumar, Immigrant, Montana, discussing his new novel, A Time Outside This Time, in conversation with writer Aleksander Hemon, The Lazarus Project, finalist for the 2008 National Book Award, free, online via Zoom, 6:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: citylights.com/events)
  • Litquake continues with a celebration of novelist Rabih Alameddine's new book, The Wrong End of the Telescope, in conversation with novelist Karl Soehnlein, The World of Normal Boys, as well as a discussion with novelists Beth Lisick, Edie on the Green Screen, Michelle Richmond, The Wonder Test, and Katherine Seligman, At the Edge of the Haight, free, 5:00-8:30 pm PDT (For more information: www.litquake.org)
  • Chevalier's Books presents Kharis A. Reedus reading from and discussing her new poetry book, de Luna: The Light in My Darkness, in-person, Chevalier's Books, 133 North Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, free, register to attend, 7:00 pm-8:00 pm (To register: www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-reading-kharis-a-reedus-for-de-luna-tickets-182225741097?aff=ebdssbdestsearch)

14 OCTOBER 2021 — thursday

  • City Lights Books presents poet Ari Banias, Anybody, reading from and discussing his new poetry collection, A Symmetry, online via Zoom, free, 6:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: citylights.com/events)
  • Book Passage presents best-selling novelist Myriam J.A. Chancy, Spirit of Haiti, The Scorpions Claw, reading from and discussing her new novel, What Storm, What Thunder, a story set in Haiti after a disastrous earthquake, in person, Book Passage Corte Madera, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, free, 1:00 pm PDT (For more information: www.bookpassage.com/event/myriam-j-chancy-what-storm-what-thunder-corte-madera-store)
  • The Poetry Center presents a reading and conversation featuring Angel Dominguez, poet, artist, and The Poetry Center's 7th Mazza Writer in Residence, ROSEUNWATER, Black Lavender Milk, and poet Hannah Kezema, three, in-person, The Poetry Center, Humanities 512, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, free, 1:00 pm PDT (For more information: poetry.sfsu.edu/events/29201-angel-dominguez-and-hannah-kezema-reading-and-conversation)
  • Poetry Flash presents a virtual poetry reading by Gerald Fleming, The Bastard and the Bishop, and Julia B. Levine, Ordinary Psalms, 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)
  • Litquake presents essayist and nonfiction writer Lauren Hough, discussing her new book, Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing, a memoir in essays, in conversation with memoirist Julia Scheeres, Jesus Land, online, free, 6:00-7:30 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.litquake.org)
  • Point Reyes Books presents poet Atsuro Riley, Romey's Order, reading from his much-anticipated collection of poetry, Heard-Hoard, winner of the Alice Fay di Castagnola Award from the Poetry Society of America, free, online, 7:00 pm PDT (www.ptreyesbooks.com/event/atsuro-riley)
  • Join San Francisco Poet emerita Laureate Kim Shuck, Deer Trails, Exile Heart, for the monthly Poem Jam, hosted by the San Francisco Public Library, with special guests, online, free, 6:00-7:15 pm PDT (Register to attend: sfpl.org/events/2021/10/14/performance-kim-shucks-poem-jam)
  • Left Margin LIT presents "Inspired Notebooking Poetry Class," led by poet and editor Molly Spencer, If the House, Hinge, a two-session workshop; attendees experiment with techniques using their poet's notebooks to generate material for poems, October 14 and 28), $175, online via Zoom, 6:00-8:30 pm PDT (Enroll here: www.leftmarginlit.org/fall-2021-classes)

15 OCTOBER 2021 — friday

  • L.A. Times Book Club presents Academy Award-Winning filmmaker Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard, brothers and co-authors of The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family, in-person and virtually to discuss their new book, with Los Angeles Times columnist Mary McNamara, L.A. Live's Rooftop Terrace, 800 West Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, 7:00 pm PDT (www.eventbrite.com/e/book-club-with-ron-howard-and-clint-howard-in-person-and-virtual-tickets-170075268707?aff=ebdssbdestsearch)
  • Litquake presents novelist Daniel Handler, better known as Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events, discussing his new book, Poison for Breakfast, his latest novel in over a decade, in conversation with best-selling novelist Andrew Sean Greer, The Confessions of Max Tivoli, and the Porchlight storytelling series, with readings by Charlie Jane Anders, Michelle Cernuto, Miah Jeffra, and Tracy Clark-Flory, tickets for Porchlight are $25 advance/$30 at the door, 7:00-10:00 pm PDT (For more information: www.litquake.org)
  • Chevalier's Books presents Lou Matthews for an in-person book reading and discussion of his latest book Shaky Town, Chevalier's Books 133 North Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, free with RSVP/advance registration, 7:00 pm-8:00 pm PDT (To register: www.eventbrite.com/e/book-reading-lou-mathews-for-shaky-town-tickets-183767903747?aff=ebdssbdestsearch)

16 OCTOBER 2021 — saturday

  • The Center for the Art of Translation presents "Claiming Space," three translators, Margaret Jull Costa, Jenny McPhee, and Suzanne Jill Levine, discussing their translations of the work of three women writers overlooked in their lifetimes: Maria Judite de Carvalho (1921-1998), Natalia Ginzburg (1916-1991), and Silvina Ocampo (1903-1993); in conversation with writer Kate Zambreno, To Write As If Already Dead, online via Zoom, free, 9:00 am PDT (Register to attend: www.catranslation.org/event/claiming-space-carvalho-ginzburg-and-ocampo)
  • Join Get Lit—Words Ignite for a hybrid (both in-person and online) drop-in youth poetry class for teens ages thirteen-nineteen, every Saturday, in-person at Get Lit,
  • Litquake continues with readings and discussions, including a poetry reading, "The Revolution Poeticized," with poets Imani Cezanne, San Francisco Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin, Darius Simpson, and Mimi Tempestt, panels featuring numerous poets and writers including Vernon Keeve III, Southern Migrant Mixtape, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Fruit of the Drunken Tree, Claire Calderón, and Isabel Allende, The House of the Spirits, free, with some ticketed events, Noon-8:30 pm PDT (For more information: www.litquake.org)

17 OCTOBER 2021 — sunday

  • Come join California I CAN and the Golden State Audubon Society for the first ever annual Berkeley Bird Festival, a celebration of birds through poetry, stories, photography, and art, featuring Berkeley Poet Laureate Rafael Jesús González, former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass, poet and activist Brenda Hillman, novelist Aya de Leon, Side Chick Nation, feminist essayist and poet Susan Griffin, Woman and Nature, artist Meyo Marrufo, poet Noor Al-Samarrai, artist Obi Kaufmann, Wholly H20 founder Elizabeth Dougherty, author and publisher Malcolm Margolin, Deep Hanging Out: Wanderings and Wonderment in Native California, and more, free, online via Zoom and in-person, David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, Noon-4:15 pm PDT (Register to attend: berkeleybirdfestival.org)
  • Litquake presents readings and panel discussions, featuring writers including poet Alan Chazaro, Piñata Theory, Claire Calderón, Josiah Luis Alderete, Baby Axolotls y Old Pochos, Erina Alejo, A Hxstory of Renting, as well as actor Danny Trejo, free, with some ticketed events, Noon-8:30 pm PDT (For more information: www.litquake.org)
  • Memorial gathering for the much loved poet Florence Miller, (October 17, 1922-January 20, 2020) people who knew her may bring a poem to read, potluck, in-person, Codornices Park, Picnic Area One, 1201 Euclid Avenue, Berkeley, across the street from the Rose Garden and tennis courts, 12:30 pm-3:30 pm PDT

18 OCTOBER 2021 — monday

  • Rivertown Poets presents a monthly reading, this month featuring poets Sheila Black, Wen Kroy, and Jeanne Lupton, followed by an open mic reading, three minutes per reader, hosted by poet Sande Anfang, online via Zoom, free, 6:15 pm PDT (Register to attend/sign up for open mic: aqus.com/rivertownpoets)
  • KQED Live presents best-selling novelist Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, The Bonesetter's Daughter, discussing her work and the influence of personal and cultural histories on her writing, in conversation with broadcaster and author Michael Krasny, Let There Be Laughter, in-person at The Commons, KQED Headquarters, 2601 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, $10, 7:00-8:30 pm PDT (For more information: www.kqed.org/events/167826941901)
  • Left Margin LIT presents "Advanced Poetry Workshop," led by poet David Roderick, Blue Colonial, The Americans, the workshop is a graduate-style workshop for writers looking for an intensive, immersive experience writing poetry, limited to eight participants, runs six weeks (October 18-November 26, with no class on November 22), $495, in person, Left Margin Lit, 1543 Shattuck Avenue, Suite B, Berkeley, 6:00-8:00 pm PDT (Enroll here: www.leftmarginlit.org/fall-2021-classes)

19 OCTOBER 2021 — tuesday

  • Cobalt Poets presents a reading featuring Sophia Falco, The Immortal Sunflower, winner of the Mirabai Prize for Poetry, open mic to follow, free, online via Zoom, 7:30 pm PDT (Zoom link here: www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/calendar.html)
  • Skylight Books presents novelist Judith Freeman, Red Water, The Chinchilla Farm, discussing her new novel, MacArthur Park, in conversation with writer and artist Louise Steinman, The Crooked Mirror: A Memoir of Polish-Jewish Reconciliation, in-person, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 7:30 pm PDT (For more information: www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-judith-freeman-conversation-louise-steinman)
  • Litquake continues with readings and conversations featuring writers Gabrielle Selz and Patricia Albers, Jaime Cortez, Gordo, and Dave Eggers, The Circle, and Thi Bui, The Best We Could Do, free, with some ticketed events, 6:00-8:30 pm PDT (For more information: www.litquake.org)
  • Patt Morrison discusses her new bookDon't Stop the Presses: Truth, Justice, and the American Newspaper, in-person, Occidental College 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles, free, 5:00 pm PDT (For more information: www.eventbrite.com/e/critser-80-memorial-talking-books-presents-patt-morrison-in-person-tickets-182099934807?aff=ebdssbdestsearch)
  • The Green Arcade presents acclaimed essayist and memorist Rebecca Solnit Recollections of My Nonexistance, winner of the Northern California Book Award, discussing her new book, Orwell's Roses, an examination of Orwell's life and writings, inspired by the surviving roses he planted in 1936, in discussion with author and journalist Adam Hochschild, King Leopold's Ghost, in-person, 3rd floor loft of the McRoskey Mattress Co., 1687 Market Street, San Francisco, $28 ticket includes a copy of the book, 6:30 pm PDT (Purchase tickets here: thegreenarcade.com)

20 OCTOBER 2021 — wednesday

  • City Lights Books presents Dodie Bellamy, celebrating her two new books, Bee Reaved, a collection of essays on grief, loss, and abandonment, and The Letters of Mina Harker, a re-release of her 1998 debut novel that reimagines the character from Bram Stoker's Dracula as an independent woman in San Francisco during the 1980s, in conversation with filmmaker and author Chris Kraus, I Love Dick, Aliens & Anorexia, free, online via Zoom, 6:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: citylights.com/events)
  • Join CIIS Public Programs for a conversation featuring Alicia Garza, activist and co-creator of Black Lives Matter, whose latest book, The Purpose of Power, reflects on her two decades of activism and the lessons learned from it, in conversation with activist and performer Honey Mahogany, online, free/suggested donation $20, 7:00-8:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.ciis.edu/public-programs/event-calendar/garza-alicia-october-20-2021)
  • Litquake continues with readings and discussions featuring writers Chang-rae Lee, Native Speaker, and Natalie Baszile, Queen Sugar, multi-disciplinary artist Cheyenne Concepcion, writers Albert Samaha and Jason Bayani, Locus, and a performance by the San Francisco Neo-Futurists, free, with some ticketed events, 7:00-9:30 pm PDT (For more information: www.litquake.org)
  • The Library Foundation of Los Angeles presents novelist and filmmaker Ruth Ozeki, My Year of Meats, A Tale for the Time Being, discussing her new novel, The Book of Form and Emptiness, in conversation with novelist Aimee Bender, The Butterfly Lampshade, online, 5:00 pm PST (RSVP to attend: lfla.org/calendar)

21 OCTOBER 2021 — thursday

  • Join Get Lit—Words Ignite for a hybrid (both in-person and online) drop-in youth poetry class for teens ages thirteen-nineteen, every Saturday, in-person at Get Lit,
  • The Marin Poetry Center presents a poetry reading featuring Danusha Laméris, Bonfire Opera, winner of the Northern California Book Award in Poetry, and Benjamin Gucciardi, West Portal, I Ask My Sister's Ghost, free, online via Zoom, 7:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.marinpoetrycenter.org/events)
  • Litquake presents poet and editor Tomás Q. Morín, Patient Zero, Let Me Count the Ways, discussing his new poetry collection, Machete, in conversation with poet Lupe Mendez, Why I Am Like Tequila, free, with suggested donation, online via Zoom, 6:00-7:30 pm PDT (For more information: www.litquake.org)
  • City Lights Books presents award-winning novelist Asali Solomon, Disgruntled, reading from her new book, The Days of Afrekete, the tender story of two women at midlife who rediscover themselves, free, online via Zoom, 6:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: citylights.com/events)
  • South Pasadena Public Library hosts an in-person book discussion of the late Octavia E. Butler's science fiction novel, Parable of the Sower, Library Community Room, 1115 El Centro Street, South Pasadena, register online, free, 7:00-8:00 pm PDT (For more information: www.eventbrite.com/e/in-person-book-discussion-tickets-168352975281?aff=ebdssbdestsearch)
  • KQED Live presents chef and activist Bryant Terry, discussing his new book, Black Food, which explores Black food ways around the U.S., in conversation with Cecilia Phillips, producer of "Check Please! Bay Area," in-person, The Commons, KQED Headquarters, 2601 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, $15, 7:00-8:30 pm PDT (More info here: www.kqed.org/events/167828149513)

22 OCTOBER 2021 — friday

  • Litquake concludes with readings and conversations featuring biographer Paul Aster, Burning Boy: The Life and Work of Stephan Crane, and Eddie Muller, chef Bryant Terry, Black Food: Stories, Art and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora, and a reading from Foglifter Press, including Nefertiti Asanti, Sara Brody, Matthew DeCoster, Danny Thanh Nguyen, and Tauheed Zaman, free, with some ticketed events, 5:00-9:00 pm PDT (For more information: www.litquake.org)
  • The Poetry Center presents a reading and conversation with poet and playwright Camille Roy, Honey Mine, Cheap Speech, Craquer, and artist and writer Jaime Cortez, Gordo, co-sponsored by The Green Arcade, in-person, The Green Arcade, 1680 Market Street, San Francisco, free, 7:00 pm PDT (For more information: poetry.sfsu.edu/events/29203-jaime-cortez-and-camille-roy-reading-and-conversation)

23 OCTOBER 2021 — saturday

  • Novelist Kim Culbertson, The Wonder of Us, Catch a Falling Star, leads "Small Bright Things: Exploring 100-word Stories," a fiction workshop, participants investigate short-form writing and learn how creativity can blossom through mindfulness of the story, online, free, 10:00 am-Noon PDT (Register to attend: www.eventbrite.com/e/fiction-workshop-with-kim-culbertson-tickets-168137540911)
  • Join Lit Crawl, one night only in San Francisco's Mission District, twenty-two events and eighty plus local authors, part of Litquake; the Crawl is in-person at a variety of indoor and outdoor venues, presenting a wide range of genres, writers, artists, and literary organizations including Marc Huestis, Rachel Richardson (Hundred-Year Wave), Manic D Press, 826 Valencia, Matthew Clark Davison (Doubting Thomas), writers published in Saint Mary's College of California's magazine Maiden Magazine, Mirah V. Lucas, Maw Shein Win, Cassandra Dallett, Baruch Porras Hernandez (I Miss You, Delicate), Bazaar Writers Salon, Red Light Lit, ZYZZYVA, and many more; enjoy walking from venue to venue around the city to experience poetry and music, in-person at various San Francisco locations, free, 5:00-9:00 pm PDT (For a complete list of venues, readers, and further information: www.litquake.org/litcrawl2021.html)

24 OCTOBER 2021 — sunday

  • Join poet Ja'net Danielo, The Song of Our Disappearing, for Word Women, a one-day virtual poetry writing retreat, where attendees can connect with other poets and just write, with a chance to share work at the end of the day, open to women-identifying and non-binary poets, online, free, 7:30 am-4:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.eventbrite.com/e/word-women-one-day-poetry-writing-retreat-tickets-169875521257)
  • The Claremont Library's Fourth Sundays Reading Series presents a poetry reading featuring Sandra Lim, The Wilderness, winner of a Barnard Women Poets Prize, and Marcyn Clements, published in Appalachia, Eureka Literary Magazine, and elsewhere, Claremont United Church of Christ, 233 Harrison Avenue, Claremont, free, 2:00-4:00 pm PDT (More information here: www.facebook.com/events/1003197217091488)
  • Small Press Traffic presents a reading in celebration of Festivals of Patience, a new collection of poems by Arthur Rimbaud, featuring poet and translator of the collection Brian Kim Stefans reading selections from the book, and a discussion of Rimbaud's work with poets Mathilda Cullen, Stephan Ira, Aristilde Kirby, and Anna Vitale, part of the High Dawn reading series, online via YouTube Live, free, 2:00 pm PDT (Watch here: www.smallpresstraffic.org/upcomingevents/high-dawn-oct-2021)

25 OCTOBER 2021 — monday

26 OCTOBER 2021 — tuesday

  • Cobalt Poets presents a reading with poet and activist Bob Holman, Sing This One Back to Me, Cupid's Cashbox, open mic to follow, part of the Cobalt Poets 500th Broadside Spectacular, free, online via Zoom, 7:30 pm PDT (Zoom link here: www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/calendar.html)
  • Join Jack Foley, along with Nina Serrano, Jovelyn Richards, and Jennifer Stone, for Cover to Cover, a radio show celebrating poetry and prose of all sorts, Tuesdays on KPFA in Berkeley, free, online, 2:00 pm PDT (Go to kpfa.org/program/cover-to-cover)
  • Book Passage presents actor and author Peter Coyote, Sleeping Where I Fall, The Rainman's Third Cure, reading from and discussing his collection of poems, Tongue of a Crow, online, free, 5:30 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: www.bookpassage.com/event/peter-coyote-tongue-crow-online-event)
  • Join Poetic License Sonoma every fourth Tuesday for an evening of poetry reading, featuring the eight poets that make up Poetic License Sonoma: Susanne Arrhenius, Joseph Cutler, Paul DeMarco, Kusum Irene Jain, Leo McCloskey, Steve Trenam, Judith Vaughn, and Jaime Zukowski, with special guest poet Emilie Lygren, What We Were Born For, and Santa Rosa Junior College student poet Jeanette W. Stickel, sponsored by Sebastopol Center for the Arts, $5, donations welcome, 7:00-8:30 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.sebarts.org/classes-lectures/poetic-license-sonoma-family)

27 OCTOBER 2021 — wednesday

  • City Lights Books presents a memorial tribute to poet Diane di Prima (1934-2020), marking one year since she passed in October 2020, with numerous special guest readers including Hanif Abdurraqib, Garrett Caples, Cedar Sigo, and more to be announced, celebrating the publication of two new books of Diane di Prima's work, Revolutionary Letters: 50th Anniversary Edition and Spring and Autumn Annals, online, free, 6:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: citylights.com/events)

28 OCTOBER 2021 — thursday

  • Sacramento Poetry Alliance's Literary Lecture Series presents Sarah Browning, poet and founder of the activist and literary organization Split This Rock, Killing Summer and Whiskey in the Garden of Eden, discussing activist poetry, free, online via Zoom, 4:30 pm PDT (Zoom link here: us02web.zoom.us/j/81872835469)
  • The Poetry Center presents poet and editor jayy dodd, Mannish Tongues, reading from her new book, The Black Condition ft. Narcissus, a beautiful profile of Black trans life during political turmoil, winner of the Poetry Center Book Award, in conversation with poet Lourdes Figueroa, Ruidos = To Learn Speak, online, free, 7:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: poetry.sfsu.edu/events/29204-poetry-center-book-award-reading-jayy-dodd-and-lourdes-figueroa)
  • KPFA Radio 94.1 FM presents poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, Black Feeling, Black Talk/Black Judgement, reading from and discussing her latest collection of poems, Make Me Rain, in conversation with Sabrina Jacobs, producer and host of KPFA's show "A Rude Awakening," suggested donation of $5-$20, online, 7:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.eventbrite.com/e/nikki-giovanni-sabrina-jacobs-make-me-rain-tickets-170040590985)
  • Blue Light at the Gallery celebrates the launch of Pandemic Puzzle Poems, with readings from poets published in the anthology, including Jane Hirshfield, Ledger, Dorianne Laux, What We Carry, Prartho Sereno, Indian Rope Trick, Diane Frank, Canon for Bears and Ponderosa Pines, and many more, hosted by Prartho Sereno, free, online via Zoom, 6:30 pm PDT (RSVP to bluelightpress@aol.com for the Zoom link)
  • The Center for Literary Arts of San José presents novelist and short story writer Patricia Engel reading from her New York Times best seller, Infinite Country, Hammer Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio (between 2nd and 3rd Street), downtown San José, free, 6:00 pm PDT (For more information: www.clasanjose.org)

29 OCTOBER 2021 — friday

  • The Friday Collapse reading series celebrates the release of Unit of Agency, a new collection of poems by Richard Loranger, with a reading by Loranger and poet and performer Mimi Gonzalez-Barillas, open mic to follow, hosted by the Collapse Press, with Paul Corman Roberts and E. Lynn Alexander, free, online via Zoom, 6:30 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: www.facebook.com/events/393964555758883)

30 OCTOBER 2021 — saturday

  • Point Reyes Books presents acclaimed essayist and memorist Rebecca Solnit, winner of the Northern California Book Award in Nonfiction for Recollections of My Nonexistence, discussing her new book, Orwell's Roses, a reexamination of George Orwell's life and writings through the lens of his passion for gardening, in conversation with artist and writer Jenny Odell, in-person event, Dance Palace, 503 B Street, Point Reyes Station, $28, ticket includes a copy of the book, 6:00 pm PDT (Purchase tickets here: www.ptreyesbooks.com/event/rebecca-solnit-and-jenny-odell)

31 OCTOBER 2021 — sunday


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