Written on the Dock of the Bay is your weekly guide to literary and bookish happenings in the pleasantly literary and bookish Bay Area.
Bay Area Book World Breaking News
Fine-dodging librarian misanthropes of San Mateo County have been given a chance to redeem themselves. As of November 17, they’ll be able to get rid of their library fines if they donate food to Second Harvest Food Bank.
MONDAY, 11/16 - SUNDAY 11/22
Monday, 11/16
Oh, David Sedaris!
Best David Sedaris quote? Maybe it’s “If you're looking for sympathy you'll find it between shit and syphilis in the dictionary.” Best book? Perhaps Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, or maybe that children’s book/tale of bestality he wrote, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk.If you’ve never read Sedaris’ work, by now he might sound a little grumpy and funky. And maybe he is. But more importantly, he’s funny, and fans will flock to the War Memorial Opera House just to witness it in real time.
DETAILS: 301 Van Ness Ave., SF // War Memorial Opera House // 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, 11/17
Libraries on the campaign trail
EveryLibrary is a political force for libraries. Really. It’s the first and only national organization dedicated to political action to help librarians create, renew, and continue public funding for libraries. And they’re having a fundraiser at the Library Barat Rex Hotel this Tuesday, so come along if you want to support the cause, or just talk about libraries.
DETAILS: 562 Sutter St., SF // Hotel Rex // 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, 11/18
“Awwww”-triggering knights
Ethan Hawke was inspired to write Rules for a Knight when he was figuring out how to set rules for his kids, and how to be a dad. Sounds sentimental? Well, yeah, but it’s also just kind of nice. Rule No. 2, for instance, is: “Never announce that you are a knight, simply behave as one.” Rule No. 6. “Remember, a friend does not need you to impress him.” When Ethan Hawke comes to The Booksmith, he’ll make you believe you can maybe be a knight, too.
DETAILS: 1644 Haight Street, SF. // The Booksmith // 7pm
Thursday, 11/19
Write those walls down
If walls could be taken down with words, that'd be pretty cool. And maybe they can. In Writing the Walls Down: A Convergence of LGBTQ Voices, over 45 international writers and artists try to answer complicated questions about walls that exist within the LGBTQ community. Come to a reading of the anthology, and maybe get some answers, or at least more questions.
DETAILS: Modern Times Bookstore Collective // 2919 24th Street // 7pm
Friday, 11/20
Ginsberg and the quest for karma
Come to the Beat Museum this Friday for the showing of a half-hour documentary, Ginsberg Karma,where poet Bob Holman and several young Indian poets go in search of the famous Beat’s Indian connection. The documentary will be followed by a discussion of love, opium, and Buddhism.
DETAILS: The Beat Museum // 540 Broadway, SF. // 7pm
Saturday, 11/21
Build me a Mission
Ocean Howell’s Making the Mission: Planning and Ethnicity in San Francisco starts with the question, “Do cities make neighborhoods or do neighborhoods make cities?” There’s a question for the ages. It might require some discussion -- at least one hour’s worth -- and that’ll take place in San Francisco Public Library this Saturday.
DETAILS: San Francisco Main Library // 100 Larkin St., SF // 11am
Sunday, 11/22
Tell me your obsessions, Elaine Kahn
Elaine Kahn has a music project called Horsebladder and is a member of the P.Splash Puppet Collective. She'll be speaking at Small Press Traffic's Obsession series this Sunday, talking about all that fills her mind.
DETAILS: Artists' Television Access // 992 Valencia St., SF // 5pm
Got a literary event or some news you think we should share with the world? Email us at thelitographyproject@gmail.com!
