Wednesday: 7/20: Modern Times Bookstore Collective presents Everybody’s Protest Poem #2, featuring Tongo Eisen-Martin, Freddy Gutierrez, Jasmine Gibson, and Derek Fenner. Free, 7 p.m., Modern Times Book Collective.
Much-admired Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Joy Williams will read from her collection of short stories ninety-nine stories of God. Free, 7:30 p.m., Green Apple Books on the Park.
Thursday 7/21: Cheryl Lu-Tien Tan reads from her novel, Sarong Party Girls. Free, 7:30 p.m., Booksmith.
Poetry Flash presents Laurel Ann Bogen (Psychosis in the Produce Department: New and Selected Poems, 1975-2015) and Mk Chavez (Mothermorphosis), reading from new books of poetry. Free, 7:30 p.m. Moe’s Books.
Friday 7/22: Amy Rose Spiegel reads from her first book of nonfiction, Action: A Book About Sex. Free, 7 p.m., Books, Inc. in Berkeley.
Saturday 7/23: Today (and tomorrow) is the inaugural edition of the SF Art Book Fair, which hopes to become an annual event. The organizers state that “the fair includes artists’ books, art catalogs, monographs, periodicals, zines, printed ephemera, and artists’ multiples presented by independent publishers, antiquarian dealers, artists, collectors, and enthusiasts, as well as a diverse range of programs and live performances.” This should be worth checking out. Free, 11 a.m–6 p.m., Minnesota Street Project.
Chloe Veylit has curated the Bay Area Poetry Marathon featuring Brandon Brown, Kazumi Chin, Vanessa Flores, Nick Johnson, Joseph Lease, Michelle Lin, Carrie Murphy, and Denise Newman. Free, 6:30 p.m., Alleycat Books.
Sunday 7/24: The many friends and admirers of poet and art critic Bill Berkson, who passed away of a heart attack on 7/16, will want to know of a memorial service in his honor at San Francisco Art Institute, where he was Professor Emeritus. Free, 2 p.m., Lecture Hall, San Francisco Art Institute.
Novelist Christopher Bernard (Voyage to a Phantom City) and poet Clara Hsu will read together at Bird & Beckett. Free, 2 p.m., Bird & Beckett.
Monday 7/25: Bay Area Generations, a reading series that pairs readers from different generations, alternates each month between San Francisco and the East Bay. This month’s San Francisco edition (#35) features: Jennifer Barone + Diego Deleo, Jennifer Hassegaway + Shizue Seigel, Stephen Kopel + Clyde Always, and Deborah Steinberg + Jon Sindell. $7 ($10 with souvenir chapbook), 7:30 p.m., Hotel Rex.
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This week’s theatre recommendation is the world premiere of Patricia Milton’s Hearts of Palm at Central Works in Berkeley. This wildly funny satire addresses the adventures of an imaginary American company (The Empire Holding Company) trying to purchase land on a third world island, while dealing with indigenous rebels, a mad former marine, dishonest negotiators, and employees who have started to develop an inconvenient conscience. With a lead negotiator named Strap Masters (he has a brother named named Whip, and a sister, Spanky), one can expect exaggeration, but Milton’s script is surprisingly sophisticated nevertheless. One of my favorite moments is when the clueless Strap Masters (“I went to HARVARD”), who has been negotiating for days, exclaims, in astonishment: “This is an Island?!?” Funny and pointed. For further information, click here.
For extensive coverage of the Bay Area theatre scene, visit TheatreStorm.
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Evan Karp presents video of this week’s featured local author, Ivy Johnson. Read an interview here.
And here’s some video of one of last week’s SF notables, Arisa White.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAkAM3-AC18&w=580
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