BAY AREA BOOK WORLD BREAKING NEWS
Steve Jobs’ revealing email // Apple, Inc. is the “ringmaster” in an e-book price-fixing conspiracy, according to the U.S Justice Department and 15 states who are suing the company. This follows a newly released email in which Steve Jobs wrote, “Throw in with Apple and see if we can all make a go of this to create a real mainstream e-books market at $12.99 and $14.99.” Apple denies conspiracy and price-fixing, and says that, besides, e-book price fixing and conspiring happened long before Apple and e-books were even a thing. Stay tuned: the trial commences June 3.
Thoughtful bathroom reviews // There’s a restaurant review blog - Table and Throne - that also reviews the San Francisco restaurant’s restrooms. Before even getting to the food, for instance, Table and Thrones condemns Salt House for still thinking black porcelain is cool. (Whoops, time for some of us to rethink our whole bathroom design -- and our lives!) The blog reads, “Cleanliness: Hard to tell, given the black fixtures. Perhaps that’s part of the maintenance strategy?...I was only slightly alarmed that the toilet door did not shut or lock, but that’s because I was only taking pictures…not taking a dump.” A blog definitely worth checking out.
BAY AREA BOOK WORLD HAPPENINGS
Friday, May 17
Filipino cookbook release party // Usually, cookbooks don’t come with the pre-packaged meals stapled to each page. But if you join food-blogger-turned-gourmet-food-trucker Marvin Gapultos this Friday to celebrate The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Journey, you’ll be provided with a free Filipino spread provided by Seafood City, and that’s pretty cool. // DETAILS: Friday, May 7, 6-7pm. Omnivore Books on Food. 3885a Cesar Chavez Street, San Francisco, CA
Night Writer Society // Young Adult author Erica Lorraine Scheidt will be at 826 Valencia to give 21+ adults some insights on appealing to young readers. In Uses for Boys, Scheidt depicts a young girl attempting to figure out what boys can be used for. “Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high,” the backcover reports. Appealing to young adults might be about creating characters who are confused, which un-young adults aren’t. Beer Company will provide complimentary microbrews to help such adults learn to write. // DETAILS: Friday, May 17, 7:30pm. $20. 826 Valencia. 826 Valencia, San Francisco, CA
Every Saturday - Sunday
Bay Area Free Book Exchange // As a rule books are either way too expensive -- or they’re free. Come to the Bay Area Free Book Exchange this weekend and take home up to 100 books. Then pay a hunk of change to rent a bigger apartment to store those books. // DETAILS: Every Saturday and Sunday, 9am-6pm. Bay Area Free Book Exchange. 10520 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA
Saturday, May 18
Food Politics Anniversary // Food Politics is perfect for the conspiracy theorist ready to make the jump from Elvis’ faked death to a more mainstream, factually accurate conspiracy -- like a food industry and government conspiring together to determine our nutrition policy. Omnivore Books is celebrating Food Politics 10 year existence. // DETAILS: Saturday, May 18, 3-4pm. Omnivore Books on Food. 3885a Cesar Chavez Street, San Francisco, CA
Poetry reading // Nikky Finney is returning to San Francisco to read us some poetry. Maybe she’ll read her seriously poetic 2011 National Book Award acceptance speech. Or maybe she’ll read from the poetry collection that earned her the title, Head Off & Split, which portrays the legacy of Rosa Parks alongside former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice working out at the Watergate. // DETAILS: Saturday, May 18, 7pm. $5-10. First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco. 1187 Franklin, San Francisco, CA
Monday, May 20
Lit Slam // Lit Slam’s Facebook page describes Lit Slam as "the best combination to arise from smashing ‘Norton's Anthology’ with ‘American Gladiator’.” And this sounds about right. Before the unmasked show, poets are asked to submit their poetry to Lit Slam through Youtube videos. Then Lit Slam picks editors from the audience to determine which performance piece will transform into print and be published in Tandem, the Lit Slam anthology. It’s all about technology, the oral tradition, and from the sounds of it, poetry. // DETAILS: Saturday, May 18, 8pm. Every third Monday. $10. Viracocha. 998 Valenca Street, San Francisco, CA
Tuesday, May 21
Literary Potluck // It's time again for foodies and writers to come together to write, eat, and share. Or maybe it's always that time, but no one is around to host a literary potluck quite like SOMArts. This month’s Feast of Words featured literary guest is Andrew Lam, whose Birds of Paradise Lostdeals with struggles and triumphs of Vietnamese immigrants. He’ll talk alongside culinary guest Chris Chung, a Malaysian who loves food. // DETAILS: Tuesday, May 21, 7-9pm. Every third Tuesday. $5-$12. SOMArts Cultural Center. 934 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA
Memoir reading // Eve Ensler's “The Vagina Monologues” -- an empowering, feminist episodic play that features popular monologues such as My Angry Vagina, My Vagina was My Village, and The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could -- has inspired women to demand honor and respect for their vaginas. What many may not know, however, is that the monologue was inspired by Ensler’s past with sexual abuse, body dissociation, and as a witness to gender violence while working in the Congo. Her new memoir In the Body of the Worldexplores many of these issues, and Ensler will be at Grace Cathedral this Tuesday to share her past. // DETAILS: Tuesday, May 21, 7pm. $25. Grace Cathedral. 1100 California Street, San Francisco, CA
Wednesday, May 22
Press and book launch // On Wednesday, the Center for the Art of Translation is launching a new publishing arm, Two Lines Press, and celebrating the release of an intense short story collection All My Friendsby Marie NDiayea - the youngest person ever to be shortlisted for the International Booker Prize - as well as Hi, This Is Conchita, a collection of perversely and horribly funny stories by Granta Santiago Roncagliolo. // DETAILS: Wednesday, May 22, 7pm. $5-$20. Intersection for the Arts. 925 Mission, San Francisco, CA