That's right! Litquake hosts 30+ events and more outside of October each year.
Now that our annual festival has wrapped, we turn towards our Year Round Programming—30+ public events for readers and writers, weekly community-building programs in senior centers around the Bay (Elder Project), and our podcast capturing SF author stops and past Litquake events.
Our newsletter (hey hey!) and social media (follow at the icons below) are the best way to keep up with all our many goings-on.
November Events
Why Trees Stay Outside: Terry Tierney with Sophia Raday Thursday Nov 7 · 7:00 - 8:00pm Books Inc. Berkeley
Co-presented with Books Inc Berkeley
Litquake and Books Inc Berkeley proudly host local author Terry Tierney for a celebration of his second book of poetry, Why Trees Stay Outside (Unsolicited Press)! In Why Trees Stay Outside, voices emerge from our social, political, and natural environment, including perspectives we thought were inanimate or at least insentient, some human, some spiritual. In conversation with Sophia Raday. FREE
49 Days: Agnes Lee Imagines the Afterlife Thursday Nov 14 · 6:00 - 7:30pm The Ruby
Co-presented with The Ruby
With a combination of strategic use of color, delicate line work, and a healthy dose of humor, cartoonist Agnes Lee interprets what’s known in Buddhist tradition as the bardo, the 49 days between death and rebirth, through the journey of her protagonist, Kit. Lee (who’s known for her winsome “Metropolitan Diary” NYT column) will take us inside her creative process, introduce us to her characters—and maybe even share some of the food that plays a key role in the graphic novel. Attendees are invited to bring something to eat that evokes a memory. We'll have a nostalgic snack potluck! Let’s share food and stories! FREE
How They Did It: Writing Climate Activism Across Genres Sunday Nov 17 · 3:00 - 5:00pm Page Street San Francisco
Co-presented with Lit Camp
The climate emergency demands attention, and writers can do their part to spread awareness, spur empathy, and prompt action or reflection among their readers. In 2024’s final “How They Did It” collaboration between Litquake and LitCamp, we’re looking at ways in which writers—regardless of genre or approach—can (and should) incorporate climate activism into their writing. Novelist Vanessa Saunders, memoirist Manjula Martin, poet Amanda Hawkins, science fiction writer Hana Lee, and moderator Nina Schuyler will share their creative ways to grapple with the most urgent issue of our time. $25
Episode #146: Porchlight Storytelling 2023: Tricks Up My Sleeve
Another from the archives! A staple of Litquake for nearly two decades, the Bay Area’s long-running Porchlight storytelling series returned once again to Litquake Festival 2023 for this special edition, featuring tales on the theme of Tricks Up My Sleeve: Invisible Magic. With authors Derrick Brown, Dorothy Lazard, Dominic Lim, Ahmed Naji, and Dan Stuart. Porchlight is co-hosted as always by Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick, and with music by Marc Capelle.
Out Loud event curator + performer Lourdes Figueroa reads as part of Mimi Tempestt's West Coast Prophecies & War Cries in Yerba Buena Gardens
When the Smoke Comes' Darius Simpson (another Out Loud event curator) kicks off his slot.
RAWdance brought a special excerpt of their latest performance "Escape" to the Out Loud stage, a new work by the company’s Co-Artistic Directors Wendy Rein and Ryan T. Smith from their 20th anniversary home season.
Writer and cultural critic Michael Brodeur joins personal trainers MetalBob and Katherine Bickford (Bay Strength) for a conversation about his new book SWOLE: The Making of Men and the Meaning of Muscle at The Stud, courtesy of event curator Micheal Foulk.
...followed by a SWOLE-themed drag show curated by HANDS!
Lit Crawl! We celebrated our 20th anniversary LCSF during the festival. Here's La Raíz's Founder/Editor Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo kicking off Phase 1 at Medicine for Nightmares.
Crawlers crawling into Lit Crawl HQ and mega-venue, Drawing Room Annex.
Our friends at Decentered Arts hamming it up after their Phase Two event at The Chapel outdoor stage.
Denise Maisel joined The Ana for an evening celebrating the life of Faith Ringgold at Et al.
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. 2024 Dates: Oct. 10-26. www.litquake.org
Litquake is grateful for the support of the following funders who help make our programming possible. Institutional Giving: Bernard Osher Foundation, California Arts Council, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Center for the Art of Translation, Fleishhacker Foundation, Grants for the Arts, Hawthornden Foundation, Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation, Margaret and William R. Hearst III Foundation, Miner Anderson Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Rock Foundation, Norway House, Sam Mazza Foundation, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, Zellerbach Family Foundation; Individual Giving: Jared Bhatti, Lisa Brown and Daniel Handler, Frances Dinkelspiel and Gary Wayne, Karyn DiGiorgio and Steve Sattler, Scott James and Gerald Cain, Nion McEvoy and Leslie Berriman, and Ellen Ullman Media Sponsors: San Francisco Chronicle, 7x7, KALW, KEXP, KQED, SF Arts Monthly, Bay Area Reporter, Johnny Funcheap.
