Wednesday 12/9: There’s a genre of Jewish Noir? Who knew? God knows, the history is dark enough. Editor Kenneth Wishnia will be on hand with authors TBA, celebrating the release of a collection from PM Press. The blurb says, “This anthology includes the work of numerous authors such as Marge Piercy, Harlan Ellison, S. J. Rozan, Nancy Richler, Moe Prager (Reed Farrel Coleman), Wendy Hornsby, Charles Ardai, and Kenneth Wishnia. The stories include such issues as the Holocaust and its long-term effects on subsequent generations.” Sounds more substantial than potato latkes. Free, 7 p.m., City Lights.
It’s always a treat to visit Chicken John Rinaldi‘s The Institute of Possibility. Tonight you’ll find the storytelling series, “Fireside.” Six story tellers speak without a script for ten minutes each. Featuring Chris Chandler, Gary Pinsky, Justin Berthelsen, Marilyn Pittman, and Matt Holdaway. $15, 7:30 p.m., The Institute of Possibility.
Thursday 12/10: “Voz Sin Tinta,” features Leticia Hernández-Linares, Leticia del Toro, and Diego De Leo. Plus open mic. Free, 6:30 p.m., Alley Cat Books.
Friday 12/11: Musician and writer David Berkeley reads from The Free Brontosaurus, a novella of ten interweaving stories, with an accompanying CD. Free, p.m., Book Passage in Corte Madera.
Editor Oscar Villalon hosts the annual Winter Issue Celebration and Holiday Party for ZYZZYVA featuring Lauren Alwan, Rumpus Comics Editor Paul Madonna, Heather Monley, Dominica Phetteplace, and Austin Smith. $15 (free to Mechanics Institute Members), 6:30 p.m., Mechanics Institute.
Saturday 12/12: Writers With Drinks features Andrew Sean Greer, Ali Eteraz, and Lydia Popovich. $5-$20 (no one turned away; all proceeds go to The Center for Sex and Culture), 7:30 p.m., The Make Out Room.
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This week’s theatre recommendation is a double bill of operatic treatments of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher at the San Francisco Opera. If you are up to your neck in Dickensian Christmas puffery (not that I don’t love me some Christmas Carol), a dose of Poe may be just what you need. The evening features the American premiere of San Franciscan composer Gordon Getty’s adaptation (sung in English), along with that of Claude Debussy (sung in French with English subtitles).
If you live in a city with a great opera house, you ought to check it out once in a while. Balcony seats, standing room, and rush tickets make it more affordable than you might think. For standard ticket information, click here. For discount opportunities, click here.
For more extensive coverage of the Bay Area theatre scene, visit TheatreStorm.
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Evan Karp presents video of this week’s featured local author, Meg Pokrass. Click here to read an interview.
And, finally, here’s some video of recent SF Notable, Claudia Rankine, reading in 2014 at the “Split This Rock Poetry Festival” in Washington, DC.
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