Wednesday 2/17: Lyrics and Dirges continues its first Wednesday readings in Berkeley, featuring Alexandra Kostoulas, Sean Labrador y Manzano, Tamim Ansary, Kim Shuck, and Lucille Lang Day. Free, 7:30 p.m., Pegasus Books.
Thursday 2/18: Indefatigable organizer Sean Labrador y Manzano continues to host regular showcases for students in the Bay Area’s many MFA writing programs, and occasional guests from the world beyond. Tonight’s readers represent no fewer than five Bay Area writing programs, plus a visitor from the University of Pittsburgh: Katherine Duckworth and Annie O’Hare (Mills College), Michelle Lin (University of Pittsburgh), Keith Donnell (San Francisco State), Kate Folk (University of San Francisco) and Nestor Gomez (St. Mary’s College). Plus $2 well drinks and dancing till the wee hours. Free, 6:30 p.m., Cat Club SF.
Across the Bridge, Poetry Flash presents husband and wife Charles Entrekin and Gail Rudd Entrekin, reading from their jointly-authored book of poems, The Art of Healing. Free, 7:30 p.m., Moe’s Books.
Friday 2/19: The Beat Museum celebrates Black History Month with an impressive lineup of poetry and jazz artists: Charles Curtis Blackwell (jazz poet), Wanda Sabir (poet and professor), Gail Mitchell (poet), q. r. hand, jr. (poet), Jaroba (sax, bass clarinet), J. J. Rush (poet and performer), and Lucho (saxophone). Free, 7 p.m., Beat Museum.
On the Island of Alameda, The Heart of the Muse presents Pearls Before Swine, a salon featuring Jennifer Lewis, Fred Dodsworth, Sarah Kobrinsky, Caitlin Myer, and pianist Daniel Finnamore. Hosted by Amos White, Kristen Caven, and Leah Vass. $15, 7 p.m., Rhythmix Cultural Works.
Saturday 2/20: Women’s Open Mic (a women-only event). We all need safe spaces. Features: Cassandra Dallett + MK Chavez. Free, 6:30 p.m., Fireside Room, Plymouth United Church of Christ.
Sunday 2/21: Poetry Flash presents Merle Lyn Bachman + Sharon Coleman. Free, 3 p.m., Diesel, A Bookstore.
Monday 2/22: Bay Area Generations Edition #30, featuring paired readings by writers of different generations plus a musical guest. Readers TBA. $7 ($10 with souvenir chapbook), 7:30 p.m., Berkeley City Club.
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This week’s theatre recommendation is Shotgun Player’s Blast Festival. Shotgun Players has been presenting theatre in the Berkeley community for over two decades. This month, they have initiated a festival of outstanding work from around the country. Festivals are part of the life blood’s of American theatre, allowing us all to see a wide variety of work by artists from all over. This week the present the San Francisco Neo-Futurists (newly arrived to the Bay Area from Chicago—the motherland for improvisational theatre) with Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (30 plays in 30 minutes). Ought to be good. 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, Susan Browne. Read an interview here.
And here’s video of one of our favorite SF Notables, Charlie Jane Anders (All the Birds in the Sky), giving a TED talk (!) this past December.
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