Wednesday 8/13: Christina Nichol reads from her debut novel, Waiting for the Electricity, which won the 2012 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer’s Award. Free, 7:30 p.m., The Booksmith.
Thursday 8/14: Up in Sausalito, Why There Are Words hosts Katy Butler, Rumpus Sunday Editor Gina Frangello, Ann Gelder, Sandra Hunter, Edan Lepucki, Kathryn Ma, and Kate Milliken, all reading to the theme Outlaw. $10, 7 p.m., Studio 333.
Voz Sin Tinta features readings by Kacy Cunningham, Chaz J., Miah Jeffra, and Aja Couchois Duncan, followed by an open mic. Free, 6:30 p.m., Alley Cat Books.
Friday 8/15: A group reading by Peter Burghardt, Emily Hunt, Sara Wintz, Zachary Schombourg, and Ben Mirov. Limited run chaps available, featuring work by all the readers. Food and refreshments. Free, 7 p.m., Book/Shop.
Lev Grossman reads from his new novel The Magician’s Land, the conclusion to his bestselling Magicians trilogy. Free, 7:30 p.m., Kepler’s Books.
Blowdryer Unplugged features Jennifer Blowdryer with friends Steven Wishnia, Jimmy Crucifix, Cassandra Dallett, SB Stokes, Fly Orr, and Joel Landmine. Free, 7 p.m., Lennon Rehearsal Studios.
Saturday 8/16: Rumpus illustrator Annie Daly celebrates the opening reception of Illustrations for Your Memoir!, which displays illustrations from The Rumpus alongside the stories they illustrate. Drinks, snacks, and live music by Adam Cohen and others. Free, 6 p.m., Glama-Rama Salon.
Literary Death Match features readings by Carolina De Robertis, Joshua Merchant, Amrit Chima, and Earle McCartney, judged by Sarah Griffin, Kurt Bodden, and Jules Posner. $10, 6:30 p.m., Elbo Room.
The eleventh installment of Lone Glen, a garden series, features Joshua Clover and Juliana Spahr, who will each read from their own work and debut a collaborative piece. Free, 6:30 p.m., 3132 Harrison Street.
Sunday 8/17: The annual Litquake Palo Alto is a daylong festival that features readings by the likes of headliner Marcia Clark (former lead prosecutor on the OJ Simpson murder case and bestselling crime novelist), Vikram Chandra, Ellen Sussman, Yangsze Choo, with panels and activities for all ages. Free (Clark is $15), 2 p.m., Oshman Family JCC.
Quiet Lightning debuts a new series in collaboration with Name Drop Swamp Records and The Emerald Tablet, featuring readings by Terry Taplin, Monica Mody, Liza St. James and Raul Ruiz, and musical performances by Portland-based Luz Elena Mendoza and Edna Vasquez. $10-20, 5 p.m., The Emerald Tablet.
The Manifest Reading and Workshop Series hosts Johnny Hernandez, J. Gordon Faylor, and Samantha Giles. Free, 8 p.m., 531 22nd Street, Oakland.
Monday 8/18: The Lit Slam is like a slam, where those who sign up compete in three judged rounds… only the winner is included in their annual anthology. Free, 8 p.m., The Shelton Theater.
Tuesday 8/19: InsideStoryTime reps Masks and Masques with Richard Kadrey, Novella Carpenter, Lee Foust, Makram Abu-Shakra, and Melissa Dodd. $5, 7:30 p.m., La Movida Wine Bar & Community Kitchen.
Write Club Chapter 33: Working the Angles will see Carey Callahan, Damon Blake, David Cairns, Casey Childers, Baruch Porras-Hernandez, and Steven Westdahl go head to head for three rounds of opposing themes. $10, 8 p.m., Make-Out Room.
3d Tuesdays premieres with readings by Vanessa Hua and Rosa del Duca, followed by a discussion about literary arts. Free,7 p.m., Big Umbrella Studios.
Edan Lepucki reads from and discusses her debut novel, California. Free, 7 p.m., Book Passage Corte Madera.
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Videos and reviews from some of last week’s notables: Quiet Lightning: Neighborhood Heroes (Peter Bullen, Sarah Griffin, Lauren Traetto, Matthew Zapruder, Yiyun Li, Moneta Goldsmith, Katie Crouch, Peter Orner, Norma Cole); Quiet Lightning at the 25th Annual National Poetry Slam (Moneta Goldsmith, Christian Phiffer, Karla Cordero, Siamak Vossoughi, Michael Cooper, Charlie Getter, Ashley Warren, Anitra Appa, John Sindell, Paul Corman-Roberts).
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This week’s featured local author is Amy Berkowitz (click to read an interview):
