Wednesday, 7/2: Paul Corman-Roberts, an exhilarating voice of the Beast Generation, recently released a new book with Paper Press and is celebrating with a launch party, along with East Bay poetry superstars Missy Church, Cassandra Dallett, Hollie Hardy, SB Stokes, Zarina Zabrisky, and Simon Rogghe. Be there or be basic. Free, 7 p.m., The Legionnaire Saloon. – Alexandra Naughton
Thursday, 7/3: The chillest fellow travelers present the illest readers in one of the chilliest backyards. Yes, there is a pear tree, home cooked pie, a bonfire, and one of SF’s best kept secrets: spontaneous karaoke. Featuring writers Ploy Pirapokin, Luke Dani Blue, Maggie Heaps, and Martha Grover, with host Leonard Crosby. BYOB. Free, 6 p.m., 1953 McAllister Street. – Jeff Von Ward
The first of the weekend’s five East Bay Poetry Summit readings, with Erin Morrill, Jackie Wang, Brian Whitener, and Will Alexander. Free, 8 p.m., Speakeasy (604 56th, Oakland).
Friday, 7/4: East Bay Poetry Summit will pack the house early and late, first in conjunction with The Other Fabulous Reading Series, featuring Stephen Boyer (New York), Lara Glenum (Louisiana), Brenda Iijima (New York), Rodney Koeneke (Oregon), and Jesus Lasso (California). Free, 3:30 p.m., The Long-Haul Infoshop.
Down the street, Woolsey Heights will present Mat Laporte, Cathy Wagner, R. Erica Doyle, and Farnoosh Fathi. House party. Free, 8 p.m., Woolsey Heights (1628 Woolsey St. Apt. C, Berkeley).
Saturday, 7/5: East Bay Poetry Summit continues with Manifest, guest curated by Mg Roberts: Ana Božičević, Trish Salah, Jennifer Tamayo, and Coda Wei. Free, 3:30 p.m., Tender Oracle (532 22nd St., Oakland).
The Heart’s Desire Reading Series finishes off the readings portion of the East Bay Poetry Summit (there’s softball and a BBQ on Sunday), with K. Silem Mohammad, Allison Cobb, Aaron Kunin, and Feliz Lucia Molina. Free, 8 p.m., OMNI.
National Queer Arts Festival and Queer Rebels present the fifth annual Queer Rebels of the Harlem Renaissance, a two-day creative onslaught of performances by an astonishing lineup of queer artists of color, including Kirya Traber, Joshua Merchant, Sonya Renee Taylor, Jezebel Delilah X, Indira Allegra, and many more. $15, 7:30 p.m., African American Art & Culture Complex.
Sunday, 7/6: Give Me Fiction: some of the finest minds in comedy, literature, and theatre write pieces around this month’s theme of ‘Futurism’. Hosted by Ivan Hernandez. $10, 8 p.m., Cynic Cave. – Wonder Dave
A collaboration between the University of Chichester Theatre Department (UK) and the California Institute for Integral Studies yields the second annual Unfinished Business, a micro-festival of new work and ideas. Free, 7 p.m., Z Space.
National Queer Arts Festival and Queer Rebels present the fifth annual Queer Rebels of the Harlem Renaissance, a two-day creative onslaught of performances by an astonishing lineup of queer artists of color, including Joshua Merchant, Sonya Renee Taylor, Jezebel Delilah X, Indira Allegra, and many more. $15, 7:30 p.m., African American Art & Culture Complex.
Monday, 7/7: Bird & Beckett’s Poets! series features Nellie Wong and Alice Rogoff, both of whom address labor issues, with Jerry Ferraz as the host and an open mic to follow. Free, 7 p.m., Bird & Beckett.
Tuesday, 7/8: Poetry Santa Cruz strikes again with readings by Tess Taylor and Debra Spencer. Free, 7:30 p.m., Bookshop Santa Cruz.
The RADAR reading series this month welcomes Alex Dimitrov, Skye Allen, Rhiannon Argo, and Baruch Porras-Hernandez. Free, 6 p.m., San Francisco Public Library.
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Videos and reviews from some of last week’s notables: KQED + StoryCorps present Out Loud (Morgan, Jaime Cortez, Matt Leavitt, Marga Gomez); Under the Influence (David Welper, Ava Koohbor, Sarah Bushman, Liam Curley, Ava Sayaka Rosen). Mick Harris covers anthology SF.
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This week’s featured local author is Benjamin Hollander (click to read an interview):
