This week, get your literature on at Mission-famous events by Quiet Lightning, Sister Spit, and Literary Death Match, celebrate all things female at the San Francisco Women’s Film Festival, party for civil rights at the 10th annual César Chávez Day Parade, and rock out with a bowl of shkembe chorba (that’s Bulgarian tripe soup) at The Festival of the Mandolins.
Monday 4/5: Get cozy at an intimate episode of Quiet Lightning at Gestalt. $2, or whatever you can spare, is all it takes to get in to the reading, book swap, and raffle. Writers: be sure to submit for future Quiet Lightning events; visual artists: submit your work to be featured on future QL postcards. 21+, 7-9ish pm @ 3159 16th Street.
Tuesday 4/6: Go show your San Francisco Public Library some love (and call your mother, she misses you!) as they host the April Radar Reading Series. This month, see Cyd Nova, Matilda Bickers, Melissa Febos, and Cheryl Klein. Free and all ages, 6-7:30pm at the Main Library’s Latino/Hispanic Meeting Rooms A&B, 100 Larkin Street.
Wednesday 4/7: Celebrate opening night of the San Francisco Women’s Film Festival at The Roxie screening of Judith Helfand’s films Healthy Baby Girl, Blue Vinyl, and Ek Velt: At the End of The World. Get into the 9pm post-show reception at The Women’s Building for free with your ticket from the 7pm show. $15 advance tickets/$20 at the door, 7pm @ 3117 16th Street.
Thursday 4/8: Get on over to the Makeout Room and catch Sister Spit on the road. This time around, the raucous queer-lit gang includes Michelle Tea (a great interview of whom can be read over here), Ali Liebegott, Beth Lisick, Ben McCoy, Lynn Breedlove, Elisha Lim, Lenelle Moise, Len Plass, Nicole J. Georges, and Annie Danger. 21+, tickets $12+, 7pm @ 3225 22nd Street.
Friday 4/9: See Ransom Stephens (The God Patent), Jake Swearingen (The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2008), Alanna Nemzoff Coby and Alexa Dooseman battle to the death (figuratively, of course) at this month’s Literary Death Match. This month’s match will be judged by Tracy Clark-Flory (Salon.com), Mark Morford (San Francisco Chronicle), and Mac McClelland (Mother Jones human rights reporter, For Us Surrender Is Out of the Question), and hosted by The Rumpus’s own funny woman, Elissa Bassist and 826 Valencia‘s Justin Carder. 21+, pre-ordered tickets and student admission only $5/general admission $10 at the door, 7pm @ The Elbo Room, 647 Valencia Street.
Saturday 4/10: Honor the legacy of civil rights activist, César Chávez, with a parade and street fair in the Mission. The parade meets at Dolores Park at 11am and winds through the Mission via 24th street, ending at the street fair on 24th and Bryant with live music, dancing, food, a classic car show, and kids crafts.
Sunday 4/11: Because I have a thing for underdog instruments (see: the theremin and a steel guitar shovel) I bring you The Festival of the Mandolins. That’s right. An entire day of celebration dedicated to mandolin music, Croatian culture, and Bulgarian food. Those new iPad apps you were going to download can wait, but The Festival of the Mandolins only happens once a year. All ages, tickets $12-15 (children are free!), 10:30am-6pm @ 60 Onondaga Avenue.
