Wednesday 1/29: On the heels of a rapturous review from Parul Sehgal in the New York Times, poet Danez Smith reads from their new collection, Homie, at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco at 7 p.m. (tickets $18–$20).
Samuel C. Woolley discusses his new book, The Reality Game: How the Next Wave of Technology Will Break the Truth, at City Lights Booksellers in San Francisco at 7 p.m.
The Fire Thieves poetry series returns with San Francisco Poet Laureate Kim Shuck, Joyce Jenkins, Gary Gach, Judy Bernhard, Val Ibarra, and Milena Garrone sharing their meditations on peace at Bird & Beckett Books in San Francisco at 7 p.m.
Lizzie O’Shea discusses her new book, Future Histories: What Ada Lovelace, Tom Paine, and the Paris Commune Can Teach Us About Digital Technology, at Green Apple Books in San Francisco at 7:30 p.m..
Peggy Orenstein discusses her new book, Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent and Navigating the New Masculinity, at First Congregational Church of Berkeley at 7 p.m. (tickets $35–$40).
The Berkeley Slam featuring poet Mycah Miller is at the Starry Plough in Berkeley at 8:15 p.m. (tickets $7).
Thursday 1/30: Carmen Maria Machado is in conversation with Esmé Weijun Wang (The Collected Schizophrenias) about Machado’s new book, In the Dream House, at City Lights Booksellers in San Francisco at 7 p.m.
Booker T. Jones has written a memoir, Time Is Tight, and companion album, Note by Note. He’s reading and signing at Amoeba San Francisco at 6 p.m.
The Racket reading series is at Alley Cat Books in San Francisco staring at 7 p.m.
Dani Shapiro speaks about her latest memoir, Inheritance, with Dr. Abraham Verghese, Professor and Vice Chair for the Theory and Practice of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The event takes place at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco at 7 p.m. (tickets $27–$30).
Lizzie O’Shea is in conversation with Wendy Liu about her new book, Future Histories: What Ada Lovelace, Tom Paine, and the Paris Commune Can Teach Us About Digital Technology, at Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco at 6:30 p.m. (tickets $0–$15).
Literary Speakeasy is toasting 2020 at Martuni’s in San Francisco from 7 p.m.
Anne Walsh introduces her new book, Hello Leonora, Soy Anne Walsh, a response to Surrealist painter Leonora Carrington’s novel The Hearing Trumpet. The event is at the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) at 5 p.m.
Kate Wisel is in conversation with Pam Houston (Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country) about Wisel’s debut story collection, Driving in Cars with Homeless Men, at Books Inc. in Berkeley at 7 p.m.
Friday 1/31: Launch Party for Mission at Tenth Inter-Arts Journal at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CISS) in San Francisco at 4 p.m.
Democratic Socialists of America host a discussion with Lizzie O’Shea (Future Histories) about alternative visions of the tech industry. The event is in San Francisco at 7 p.m.
Saturday 2/1: Obi Kauffman (The California Field Atlas) presents a keynote lecture during the Litquake portion of Night of Ideas, an event that runs from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the San Francisco Public Library. Kauffman’s lecture starts at 9:30 p.m.
Carmen Maria Machado speaks about her memoir, In the Dream House, at Kepler’s in Menlo Park at 7:30 p.m. (tickets $30, including book)
Sunday, 2/2:Jeff Cioletti’s book, Drink Like a Geek, is about the role of iconic drinks in movies, shows, books, and comics. He’s at Omnivore Books in San Francisco at 3 p.m.
Monday 2/3: Isabel Allende presents her new novel, A Long Petal of the Sea, at Angelico Hall, Dominican University of California in San Rafael at 7 p.m. (tickets $45, includes book).
Short story author Nancy Au (Spider Love Song and Other Stories), novelist Anita Felicelli (Chimerica) and poet Luiza Flynn-Goodlett (Look Alive) read at the Odd Mondays reading series at Folio Books in San Francisco at 6:30 p.m.
Ocean Vuong (On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous) is in conversation with Tommy Orange (There There) at the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco at 7:30 p.m. The event is sold out, but look for a recording on the City Arts & Lectures website in the coming weeks.
Tuesday 2/4: Anna Wiener, author of the New York Times best-seller, Uncanny Valley, is at Manny’s in San Francisco at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are, sigh, sold out.
An alternative: Join the Silent Reading Party at The Bindery in San Francisco from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Proceeds from drink sales go to San Francisco public school Bret Harte Elementary.
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