This week, The Porchlight Reading Series, highbrow porn at the Indie Erotic Film Festival, Barbie gets a makeover at the Altered Barbie Poetry Reading, and fetishists celebrate at the 27th Annual Folsom Street Fair.
Monday 9/20: San Francisco is nothing if not full of wonderful reading series all over the city nearly every night of the week. Tonight, the series is The Porchlight, the venue, The Verdi Club, and the readers spectacular (among them, The Rumpus’ own Managing Editor, Isaac Fitzgerald). See Isaac read with drag legend Vicki Marlane, publicist Nina Sazevich, and bookmaker (and beekeeper!) Pam DeLuco at this month’s reading, Kings and Queens. Tickets $15, 21+, 8pm @ 2424 Mariposa Street.
Tuesday 9/21: Holy alternative porn, Batman! The 2010 Indie Erotic Film Festival is here! That’s right, such a thing actually exists, and it’s co-hosted by the fabulous Peaches Christ and Bay Area sexpert Dr. Carol Queen. Tonight, head over to the Red Vic for a special screening of Sexy Euro Cinema! and stick around after the show for a Q&A with feminist porn director Jennifer Lyon Bell. $10, 18+, 8pm @ 1727 Haight Street.
Wednesday 9/22: Bibliophiles rejoice! The Mechanics’ Institute opens its doors to the public (for cheaper than the $95 annual membership) for a reading and discussion of T.J. Stiles’ The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Free for members/$12 to the public, 6pm @ 57 Post Street.
Thursday 9/23: For the past six years, the Altered Barbie art show has created discussion around cultural norms by encouraging artists to alter the iconic doll. The seventh annual show invites Amber Brianne Bouman , Meg Day, Lara Durback, Gina Goldblatt, Nicole Hammersla, and others to join the party for an evening of Barbie inspired poetry at Shotwell 50 Studio, followed by an official after party at Dead Meat, the final occurrence of the industrial goth barbecue dance party that has rocked San Francisco for the past eight years. The poetry reading is free and all ages, 7pm @ 50 Shotwell Street. Dead Meat is $2-5, 18+, 9:30pm @ 375 11th Street.
Friday 9/24: Every Friday, the de Young museum organizes an evening of free events in their public galleries. This week, transport yourself back to the age of impressionism with circus performances, Parisian-inspired crafts, and café cabaret. Free and all ages, 5-8:45pm @ 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive.
Saturday 9/25: See Morning Coffee man, Dan Weiss, in sonic action with his band, The Yellow Dress, at Kaleidoscope. Joining them on stage will be Utah bands SLFM and Boots to the Moon. 8pm @ 3109 24th Street.
Sunday 9/26: It’s the last Sunday in September, which may not be notable in other parts of the country, but here in San Francisco it marks the one of the kinkiest, leather daddyin’-est, 13-block street parties in the whole kinky, street-fair-lovin’ city. The 27th annual Folsom Street Fair will feature over 250 vendors and exhibitors spanning Folsom Street between 7th and 12th streets. Not a leather loving otter, cub, bear, wolf, or fox? Not even sure what that means? Never fear — the fair offers plenty in the way of good old fashioned entertainment with live music, food, drinks, and shopping (this vanilla San Franciscan recommends stopping by Dark Garden’s beautiful booth), and all entrance donations benefit deserving San Francisco charities. 11am-6pm on Folsom between 7th and 12th.
