Wednesday 1/13: Green Apple Books presents novelist Paulette Boudreaux (Mulberry) winner of the inaugural Lee Smith Novel Prize from Carolina Wren Press in 2014. Free, 7 p.m., Green Apple Books on Clement.
Thursday 1/14: Sausalito’s popular reading series (hosted by Peg Alford), “Why There Are Words,” celebrates its 6th anniversary tonight, presenting a group of authors published by independent presses. They include: Carmiel Banasky (The Suicide of Claire Bishop, Dzanc Books, 2015), short story writer Molly Giles (new work recently published in small magazines Word Riot, Cog, Corium, Ursa Minor, and Fiction Southeast), Margaret Malone (People Like You, Atelier26 Books), Joshua Mohr (All This Life, Counterpoint/Soft Skull), Natalie Serber (Community Chest, Two Sylvia Press), Robert Thomas (Bridge, BOA Editions), Genanne Walsh (Twister, Black Lawrence Press), and Colin Winnette (Coyote, Les Figues Press). Declare your reading independence! $10, 7:15 p.m., Studio 333 in Sausalito.
Friday 1/15: Modern Times Bookstore Collective presents “Tongo Eisen-Martin & Friends.” The friends include internationally touring poet Joyce Lee (a popular featured storyteller with NPR’s “Snap Judgment”), Oakland poet Cassandra Dallett, and Derek Fenner, founder of Bootstrap Press. Free, 7:30 p.m., Modern Times Bookstore Collective.
Saturday 1/16: Chilean novelist Carlos Labbé (one of Granta’s “Best Young Spanish-Language Novelists”), accompanied by translator Will Vanderhyden, will be in Oakland to discuss and sign his new literary detective novel, Loquela. Free, 7:30 p.m., Diesel, A Bookstore In Oakland.
Sunday 1/17: City Arts and Lectures presents Garrison Keilor (host of NPR’s Prairie Home Companion) and Richard Dworsky (music director for Prairie Home Companion) in a recital of words and music. Some say he’s a genius, some say “soporofic; “genius” might be overblown, but we think he’s terrific. You might agree. Every English major should hear Garrison Keilor, at least once. $29, 4 p.m., The Nourse.
Monday 1/18: Youth Speaks presents the 19th annual performance of Bringing The Noise for Dr. Martin Luther King. This is a beloved January tradition in the Bay area, always exciting. Youth Speaks has long been one of the Bay area’s most important literary organizations and shows no signs of slowing down. $5 (youth)/$10 (adult), 7 p.m., The Nourse.
Tuesday 1/19: Booksmith presents American Book Award winner Gloria Frym (True Patriot) in conversation with Tom Barbash. Free, 7 p.m., The Booksmith.
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This week’s theatre recommendation: On New Years Day, Charles Isherwood of the New York Times surprised the theatrical world with a rave review of—believe it or not—Beach Blanket Babylon—San Francisco’s long-running home-grown satirical musical revue. As a professional theatre reviewer and a decade plus resident of the Bay area, I am ashamed to admit I got scooped by the New York Times. So, this week, I’m gonna correct the omission and check out BBB. Perhaps you will too? For further information, 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, Kelly Egan. Read an interview here.
And, finally, recent video of SF Notable, Sandra Wassilie, co-founder of the reading series “Bay Area Generations,” reading an excerpt from work-in-progress.
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