Wednesday 2/11: Lone Mountain Readings at the University of San Francisco presents novelist Kathryn Ma. Ma’s novel The Year She Left Us was selected as a New York Times Editor’s Choice and named a Best Book of 2014 by both NPR and the San Francisco Chronicle. Free, 7:30 p.m., University of San Francisco.
Pegasus Books in downtown Berkeley presents Mindela Ruby reading from her new novel Mosh It Up, about sex addiction and recovery for punk rock party girl Boop. National Book Award winner Tim O’Brien blurbs that Mosh It Up “is a literary marvel.” Dani Burlison and Myra Sherman will also be reading. Free, 7:30, Pegasus Books.
Thursday 2/12: A release party for Michael N. Thompson’s new book of poems, A Murder of Crows, will feature several accomplished poets, including William Taylor, Jr., Rob Pierce, Cassandra Dallett, and Missy Church. Free, 6:30 p.m., The Octopus Literary Salon.
Across the Golden Gate Bridge in Sausalito, you’ll find the remarkable lineup of Hugh Behm-Steinberg, Brian Komei Dempster, Cassandra Dunn, Rita Gardner, Glen David Gold, Susan Ito, Claudia Long, Robert Thomas, and Zarina Zabrisky reading at Why There Are Words, one of Marin County’s premiere reading series. $10, 7 p.m., Studio 333.
Friday 2/13: Nothing is more quintessentially San Francisco than Dixie de la Tour‘s series, Bawdy Story Telling: True Stories of Sexual Adventure. The series characterized by the SF Weekly as “The Moth For Pervs” is celebrating its 8-year anniversary. Storytellers for this edition were voted “Best of Bawdy” by the community. Past performers at Bawdy include Rumpus founder and editor-in-chief Stephen Elliott. This’ll be a horny hoot! (Click here for Stephen’s bawdy video.) 10:30 p.m., $25, The Verdi Club
Husband and wife collaborators Mary Austin Speaker and Chris Martin arrive in Oakland from the Mini-Apple to read with local writer Lauren Levin. Free, 7 p.m., La Commune Cafe and Bookstore.
Saturday 2/14: The eccentric, charismatic, delightfully humorous Charlie Jane Anders has been hosting the always excellent Writers With Drinks for more than a decade. Tonight, WWD features Ruth Ozeki, David Koehn, and Kate Willett. Ruth Ozeki’s work has received plenty of enthusiastic attention including being shortlisted for a Booker prize. David Koehn’s poetry book Twine won the 2013 May Sarton Poetry Prize. Kate Willet is “a comedian you should know about” according to San Francisco Magazine. $5-$20, 7:30 p.m., The Makeout Room.
Red Light Lit is self described as “a 90-minute affair that includes ten readers, one musical guest, erotic art, and a hint of mayhem”. That sounds to me like a pretty good recipe for a successful Valentine’s Day. Featured performers include Steven Gray, Cassandra Dallett, Xan Roberti, Dana Andrews, Sarah Kobrinsky, SB Stokes, Heather June Gibbons, and Shideh Etaat. Free (but RSVP is required—click here), 6:30 p.m., Redwood Room.
Sunday 2/15: Quiet Lightning and Name Drop Records combine forces to present Chemical Wedding at The Emerald Tablet, featuring both writers and musicians. Tonight’s writers are Sarah Griffin, Juliana Delgado Lopera, Nora Toomey, and Bill Hughes. The musicians are Taylor Jacobs and Alpha Dogs. $5-$20, 5 p.m., Emerald Tablet.
Small Press Traffic presents Luca de Lima and Wendy Walters. $6-$10 (members free), 5 p.m., Artists’ Television Access.
Tuesday 2/17: Mills College Contemporary Writers Series presents “The Racial Imaginary: Writers on Race in the Life of the Mind” featuring Helen Klonaris, Beth Loffreda, and Claudia Rankine. Free, 5:30 p.m., Mills College, Mills Hall Living Room.
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This week’s theatre recommendation is the regional premiere (presented by San Francisco Playhouse) of Julie Hébert’s “Tree”, which won a Pen Drama Award in 2010. It is easy to see why. Hébert is a writer of exceptional polish who has succeeded across the board on Broadway, television and film. Read a review of this highly recommended production here. “Tree” plays at the SF Playhouse through March 7, 2014. For further information, including ticket prices, times and venue location, click here.
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This week’s featured local author is Madison Davis (click here to read an interview):
