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Hello Litquakers,

According to Punxsutawney Phil (the infamous Groundhog’s Day groundhog), spring starts this week. It might not feel like that for those of us caught in the rain clouds of the West Coast, but our packed spring lineup is getting us through it! The next few months with Litquake are going to be filled with poetry, enchantment, learning, and growth. We can’t wait. Find out more about what’s in store below, and be sure to check your inbox every Tuesday for the latest dispatches from the Litquake universe.

Join Litquake for our annual celebration of National Poetry Month. We’ll gather under the stunning stained glass of San Francisco’s historic Grace Cathedral and hear James Cagney, Henry Cole, Jewelle Gomez, Jacques Raincourt, and Rachel Zucker read from their latest collections. Book sales and signing to follow.

Register For Free

The Epicenter: Taleen Voskuni with Jen Siraganian
Thursday, February 23
7:00-8:30pm
Free, $5-10 suggested donation

Litquake’s Epicenter is excited to launch our Spring 2023 season, with Sorry, Bro, the debut novel by Bay Area author Taleen Voskuni.

When Nareh Bedrossian’s non-Armenian boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her in front of a room full of drunken tech boys, she realizes it’s time to find someone who shares her idea of romance. Her mother, armed with plenty of guilt and a spreadsheet of Facebook-stalked Armenian men, convinces Nar to attend “Explore Armenia,” a month-long series of events in the city. But it’s not the mom-approved playboy doctor or the wealthy engineer who catch Nar’s eye—it’s Erebuni. Suddenly, with Erebuni as her wingwoman, the events feel like far less of a chore, and much more like an adventure. Who knew cooking up kuftes together could be so...sexy? Taleen Voskuni appears in conversation with Los Gatos Poet Laureate Jen Siraganian

Litquake’s educational series for aspiring writers includes two full days of discussions and workshops, designed to help all voices flourish as writers and creative minds. From panels on the art of writing fiction and building literary community to talks on finding the perfect writing residencies and fellowships, attendees will leave feeling invigorated. While Litquake curates each session with the intent to facilitate and support an equitable and diverse artistic community in the Bay Area, we think the best way to ensure this is to reach out to our community. Please feel free to submit ideas for complete panels, or individual authors that you think would be a valuable addition to the weekend.

Submit your idea

Litquake Weekly

Literary news, upcoming events, and whatever else we’re looking at...

“With settings that range from Jamaica to Boston to postwar France to realms of the uncanny, this year’s finalists manage to make even familiar worlds feel mysteriously new.” The 2023 nominees for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction remind us that literature is thriving • The PEN/Faulkner Foundation

“Take only what is most important. Take the letters. / Take only what you can carry.” Read this e xcerpt from In The Hour Of War, a powerful new anthology edited by contemporary Ukrainian poets Carolyn Forché and Ilya Kaminsky • Literary Hub

“A number of grownups apparently feel emboldened to spend their lives playing peekaboo with reality. Their kids may not have that luxury.” Katy Waldman takes a deeper look at what exactly legislators are attempting to control when they ban children’s books • The New Yorker

“Whether you're interested in short story collections by literary favorites or discovering new fantasy from debut authors, these March 2023 new book releases have a little something for everyone.” A straight up-and-down, no frills list of book recommendations for March • Distractify

“I am every girl I have ever been: The believer. The invalid. The victim. The fighter. The heretic. Uncivilized. Ravenous. Angry. Wicked. Wild. These girls all sing inside me like a choir.” Michelle Dowd discusses growing up in a cult hidden within the Angeles National Forest in her new memoir • San Francisco Chronicle Datebook

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About Litquake
Litquake seeks to foster interest in literature, perpetuate a sense of literary community, and provide a vibrant forum for Bay Area writing as a complement to the city's music, film, and cultural festivals. 2022 Dates: Oct. 6-22. www.litquake.org

Litquake is grateful for the support of the following funders who help make our programming possible. Institutional Giving: Bernard Osher Foundation, Brabson Library & Education Foundation, California Arts Council, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Fleishhacker Foundation, Grants for the Arts, Margaret and William R. Hearst III Foundation, Literary Arts Emergency Fund, Miner Anderson Family Foundation, Mystery Writers of America, Northern California Chapter, National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, the Rock Foundation, Sam Mazza Foundation; Individual Giving: Jared Bhatti, Lisa Brown and Daniel Handler, Evette Davis, Frances Dinkelspiel and Gary Wayne, Karyn DiGiorgio and Steve Sattler, Scott James and Gerald Cain, Nion McEvoy, Craig Newmark, Swinerton Family Fund, and Ellen Ullman Media Sponsors: San Francisco Chronicle, 7x7, KQED, SF Arts Monthly, Bay Area Reporter, Johnny Funcheap.

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