This week, the San Francisco Asian American Film Festival is in full swing, catch Paul Madonna at Sketch Tuesday, assuage the pain of your own coyote-ugly experiences at Bawdy Storytelling’s Too Close For Comfort reading, and celebrate your favorite ephemera on international Obscura Day!

Monday 3/15: Head down to Viz Cinema tonight for a screening of Yang Fudong’s Seven Intellectuals in a Bamboo Forest as a part of the 2010 San Francisco Asian American Film Festival. The festival, which began last Thursday, runs through the end of the week and features films from Asian and Asian-American artists that span the globe. Tickets $12, 9pm at 1746 Post Street. …more

The son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono was due to take the stage any minute, and the venue was still half empty.

The bar remained fairly quiet until well past the posted show time of 8pm, and the crowd was mellower than most Noise Pop shows, bereft of plaid shirts, but full of men with ponytails and unironic facial hair. …more

This week, it’s Monthly Rumpus time again, Ilisa Barbash’s Sweetgrass takes over at the Landmark Lumiere, learn about the San Francisco Panorama at San Francisco State University, and maybe go see some clowns.

Monday 3/8: Come down to The Makeout Room for Sleeping With Friends, the love child of The Rumpus and McSweeney’s, featuring Jesse Nathan, Jami Attenberg (who you can see later this week at Modern Times), Mark Morford, Gerard Jones, Chicken John, Nato Green, and K. Flay.  $10 cheap as always, or buy a $15 ticket and get a copy of Panorama (that’s a ticket to the baddest party in town and a copy of Panorama for a dollar less than the newsstand price, for all of you mathematicians out there.)  21+, 7pm @ 3225 22nd Street. …more

This week, learn about Asian culture at Sandra Lee Gallery’s acclaimed Chinese New Year show and Robin Sukhadia’s Understanding Bollywood workshop series, get your post Noise Pop film fix at the Disposable Film Festival, and stop by Babylon Salon’s Spring reading with a performance by the first ever twitter released novelist.

Monday 3/1: In honor of Chinese New Year, Sandra Lee Gallery hosted February’s 8 Figurative Artists from China.  Due to popular demand, the show has been extended through March.  Curator, Sandra Lee, has specifically chosen contentemporary pieces that never would have survived in the harsh political climate of pre-1989 China to exemplify the exchange of artistic ideals between modern China and the west.  Open until 6pm, 251 Post Street. …more

In anticipation of Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing, which comes out next month, The Guardian has put together a comprehensive list of rules for writing by writers like Margaret Atwood, Roddy Doyle, Geoff Dyer, Neil Gaiman, and Joyce Carol Oates.

The list, which surveys nearly 30 authors, is a good read as well as a long one — perfect for procrastinating writers looking to break the very rules they’re reading.

This week: See Rumpus favorites Stephen Elliott and W. Kamau Bell at their respective performances on Sex and Black History Month, raise money for Bryant Elementary School at Wet Wednesday (much less dirty than it sounds), and be serenaded by French cabaret singer Pascal Toussaint.  Is that not enough for you, San Francisco?  Stay out past your bed time every night this week enjoying all that Noise Pop has to offer.

Monday 2/22: Hear The Rumpus’ own Stephen Elliott read about everyone’s favorite subject: sex.  Head over to the Verdi Club for the Porchlight Storytelling Series’ La Petit Mort: The Sex Show.  Elliott will be reading with Dixie De La Tour, Mary Pols, Kirk Read, and Arisa White.  21+ $15-20 sliding scale, Doors @ 7pm, 2424 Mariposa Street. …more

Despite being a working student whose free time consists of reading comic books on the train while wedged in the middle of a commute hour human sandwich, being a writer for The Rumpus has it’s perks.

Covering Noise Pop is up there on that list. [List of free shows after the jump.] …more

This week: Recover from Sunday at A Valentine’s Day Post Mortem, John D’Agata reads at USF, Noise Pop invades Nightlife, and the Mission loves bikes so much it finally dedicates porn to them.

Monday 2/15: Misery loves company.  Drag your downtrodden post-Valentine’s Day self over to Cafe Royale for a free performance of A Valentine’s Day Post Mortem, “a series of short plays and songs for the bitter dumped kid in all of us” by the good people of Atmos Theater.  7:30pm @ 800 Post Street. …more

Famed British journalist and long-time editor of London’s Sunday Times, Harold Evans’ career of highlighting otherwise buried stories has been documented in his new book My Paper Chase: True Stories of Vanished Times.

Evans spoke to NPR’s Morning Edition about his career at The Sunday Times, his two decades spent in America, and his feelings on journalism today:

“I think a certain commitment to the public good has vanished in the race for circulation.  I think that is accentuated when you get newspapers taken over, as you have across America, by people who either borrow extensively to buy the paper, or never had any interest in what real journalism is about in the first place.”

This week: Party with The Rumpus, learn about the future of newspapers according to the good people of McSweeney’s, celebrate the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s 20th birthday, and rock the Shabbat in IndieFest style with a White Russian and mini-bowling.

Monday 2/8: Brace yourself — it’s time for the February Monthly Rumpus!  This time around, catch readings from Tony Dushane, Robin Ekiss, Ethan Watters, Kevin Sampsell, and Daniel Handler, a performance by DJ Real, music by The Yellow Dress, and a spectacular hoopdance by Richard Porter. The fun starts at 7pm for a mere $10.  21+ @ The Makeout Room (3225 22nd Street). …more

Conspiracies surrounding the world’s most highly used search engine are nothing new. Tech nerds have long speculated on the myriad ways in which Google could be selling off our personal information piecemeal to the highest bidder, or even volunteering information to our own government in an effort to create some kind of dystopian regime roughly resembling the love child of William Gibson and George Orwell.

Recently, though, the tables have turned as Google has pointed US authorities towards the Chinese government in a nasty blame game over the hacking of human rights activists’ email accounts.  Google’s threats to back their business out of the world’s largest country (read: largest untapped market share) have caused many users to fear for the worst, with new speculations running amok all across the internet. …more

After over two decades of reclusive behavior (the sort of behavior the late J.D. Salinger would have admired) comic genius Bill Waterson has finally responded to an interviewer’s questions.

The creator of the ubiquitous 6 year-old, Calvin, and his jungle cat friend answered John Campanelli’s inquiries via email, humorously admitting to his own Luddite tendencies and acknowledging the pop cultural life his characters have gone on to lead without him.

“You mix a bunch of ingredients, and once in a great while, chemistry happens. I can’t explain why the strip caught on the way it did, and I don’t think I could ever duplicate it. A lot of things have to go right all at once.”

“I’m a big fan of photographs and a big fan of prose writing, too. But one of the advantages of comics is that you’re drawing frame after frame after frame, so almost in the background scenes you can create this atmosphere that’s following the reader around, that doesn’t necessarily relate to the foreground action but is somehow always present.”

Comic book artist Joe Sacco talks to Mother Jones about the power of storytelling through comics, the state that Palestine is in, and why he’s not a “graphic novelist.”  The veteran journalist and artist is the author of the American Book Award winning Palestine and has a new collection of comics out called Footnotes In Gaza.

This week: Catch the tail ends of SF SketchFest and the SF Indie Winter Music Festival, Stop by 111 Minna for a decade of local art at the opening reception of Wonderland, mosey on over to Oakland for The Walter Painting & The Puffle Photographs, and then make some art of your own with Nancy Peach at Femina Potens.

Monday 2/1: Get in on SF SketchFest before it ends!  SFSF presents Logo’s Big Gay Sketch Show at Cobb’s.  Cast members Stephen Guarino, Jonny McGovern, Kate McKinnon, and Nicol Paone will perform a selection of their favorite sketches from Season 1 and 2. Tickets $20.50, 8pm @ 915 Collumbus Ave. …more

As we mentioned earlier, and even earlier than that, the future of Google’s operations in China are up in the air following a security breech targeting human rights advocates’ gmail accounts. Google SVP, David Drummond, had this to say about the situation via Google’s Official blog.

In the past week, the internet has remained a-buzz with news of government involvement, conspiracy theories, and speculation about the future of Google.cn. …more

This week: Work on the memoir you’ve always wanted to write with Michelle Tea, dance to benefit Doctors Without Borders at San Francisco Hearts Haiti, watch SF IndieFest take over Portrero Hill venues, and get your mixtape on at The Makeout Room.

Monday 1/25: It’s not too late to get to work on your hobby-pursuing, self-improving, thing-doing New Years resolutions.  Tonight at Intersection for the Arts, awesome author (and performer at the January Monthly Rumpus) Michelle Tea teaches a seminar aptly entitled “Performing Your Life.” Tea will explore the space where words and performance meet, and participants must be prepared to share work publicly.  Register through IFTA’s website, 6-9pm @ 446 Valencia Street. …more

While technology has bought us many splendored things over the years, it has also caused the entertainment industry to take a long hard look at the way it has been doing business.

For the music industry that meant tackling the MP3 revolution and independent record labels, but it has also come to mean the monetization of music videos. While major record labels have struck a deal with YouTube to ensure that they receive payment for the millions of views their artists’ music videos receive, internet culture continues to move faster than big business can keep up. …more

While many artists with cult followings seem to develop them by maintaining an air of mystery, Neil Gaiman has done so by connecting directly with his fans.

When sales of his books wane, threatening to fall from best seller lists, he simply sends a tweet and fans respond.  Never mind whether its a children’s book, comic book, or fantasy novel. When he gets engaged to spectacular musician Amanda Palmer, they announce it to The World via his blog.  Despite recent exposure to a wider audience through the film adaptations of “Stardust” (2007) and “Coraline” (2009), Gaiman maintains that he has, “a critic-proof career,” due to his incredibly devoted fan base.

In this New Yorker article, Dana Goodyear gets a glimpse of the man behind the fans: his childhood, writing process, and god-like reception at comic and fantasy related events the world over.

This week in San Francisco: SF MoMA wraps up a weekend of free art, local artist Eric Rewitzer offers his for an affordable price at Studio 3579, burlesque babes go roller derby at Dr. Sketchy’s, and the Torah goes web 2.0. …more

This week, buy The Rumpus a drink at the first Monthly Rumpus of 2010, San Francisco’s MoMa turns 75, and Conan O’Brien honors Conan O’Brien at this year’s Sketchfest.

Monday 1/11: Don’t miss the first Monthly Rumpus of the year.  With even more great performers than last year and at least as many chances to win free porn, the Monthly Rumpus makes Mondays more tolerable.  As always, $10 cheap, 7pm at The Makeout Room (3225 22nd Street). …more

This week in San Francisco: Jason Meyers’ new book, “The Mission” is released in the Haight, Jose Arenas and Phillip Hua encourage you to choose your own adventure at the opening of their show American Pastiche, and Improv Everywhere encourages you to take off your pants in public, for the sake of hilarity and public performance art.

Monday 1/4: More mellow than an evening with Alice Cooper, spend yours at Yoshi’s SF with Al Kooper, a rockstar in his own right who has done studio work with with Bob Dylan Stephen Stills.  21+, 8pm, tickets $18.  1330 Fillmore (@ Eddy). …more

This week in San Francisco, experience music the old fashioned way at Shellac Shack and the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra’s free home show.  Also plans for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day:

Monday 12/28: Remember vinyl?  Stop by Shellac Shack @ The Homestead for a dose of old soul 78’s, not to mention rockabilly, doo wop, jazz, and a whole lot more for the discerning audiophile.  Free, 21+, 2301 Folsom St. (@19th St.). …more

This week, celebrate Christmas (or don’t), partake in a jingly Reindeer Run Flash Mob, and then celebrate your inner goth kid at The Nightmare After Christmas.

Monday 12/21: Celebrate the holiday season with class (because everyone knows that jazz music is for classy adult folk).  Renowned jazz pianist, Larry Vuckovich takes over Yoshi’s.  $12 advance tickets/$16 at the door, 1330 Filmore St. …more

This week in San Francisco: The last Monthly Rumpus of the year rocks The Makeout Room, cupcakes meet fine art at Project One Gallery, and Paul Madonna signs books, while SF publisher, Chronicle Books, practically gives theirs away.

Monday 12/14: It’s that time again! The December Monthly Rumpus is upon us with readings from Andrew Leland, James Nestor, Michelle Gagnon, Robert Mailer Anderson, and Andrew Sean Greer. Comedy from W. Kamau Bell, music by Michael Mullen of The Size Queens, and a special performance by Dan Wolf of Felonious.  As always, it’s $10 cheap and hosted by the lovely Stephen Elliott.  21+, 7pm @ The Makeout Room (3225 22nd St.)
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This week in San Francisco: Meet Elphaba and Glinda for drinks, find out what the Sad Bastard Book Club sounds like, and get all eight days of your Hanukkah on at once. …more

This week in San Francisco: three bicyclists make a pit stop on their 12,000 mile journey, thus taking care of your exercise quotient for the year.  Also, the International Body Music Festival, the Lower Haight Holiday Art Walk, and two lovely literary events at 826 Valencia

Monday 11/30: Beginning in May of this year, Susie Wheeldon, Jamie Vining and Iain Henderson set off on a 12,000 (yes, thousand) mile bike ride around the world.  Today, their travels bring them to San Francisco, where they will talk about climate change and the ways in which solar energy can sustain our energy needs (the trio generate the solar power necessary to run all of the equipment they travel with, allowing them to keep a blog of their travels).  Free, noon @ the Ferry Building.
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This week in San Francisco: Brooklyn’s own Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School comes to 111 Minna, Dorian Katz conducts a “panty exchange” as part of the one-night-only art show, Everything Must Go!, and vegetarians take over as an annual mass tryptophan induced slumber takes hold of the city’s carnivores.

Monday 11/23: Start your week off right at the Cat’s Pajamas Cabaret at The Makeout Room.  Stop by between 8 and 10pm for a speakeasy-themed evening of reading and song.  21+, free, 3225 22nd St. …more

This week in San Francisco: holiday spirit at the Union Square Ice Rink, distilled spirits at the SF Indy Spirit Expo, and spirited performances at Point Break Live!

Monday 11/16: Start the week off right with Love, God, Sex (and other stuff I don’t have), Rick Reynolds’ comedic autobiographical performance directed by Jason Alexander (yes, Mister George Costanza himself).  8pm, $20-$35, Marines Memorial Theater, 609 Sutter St. …more

This week, get down with The Rumpus at Hate To Be Alone, learn how to go down at Women Like Me with Carol Queen, and redefine Jewish identity at Austin Ratner’s reading for The Hub.  Then, stop by the 8th annual San Francisco Green Festival so you can finally feel better about speeding up whenever you pass that Greenpeace guy by your office.

Monday 11/9: You already know this, of course, but The Rumpus is getting together with Wholphin at The Makeout Room for Hate To Be Alone, a film-filled literary shindig to remember. …more

This week in San Francisco, the annual Dia de los Muertos procession, get Mortified at The Makeout Room, the self-proclaimed “hardest working artist in San Francisco” will be showing at Fecal Face, and a whole lot more.

Monday 11/2: Celebrate the dead tonight by joining the annual Dia de los Muertos procession.  Beginning at 24th and Bryant, and ending at the Festival of Altars in Garfield Park (26th and Harrison), this decades old San Francisco tradition honors the dead with food, music, celebration, and awesome costumes.  7pm, totally free. …more