Keeping burlesque alive, The Red Hots is a celebration of creativity, comedy and intellect. May 16th: ALL CRAMPS SHOW at El Rio (perfect for a warm evening). Hosted by Lady Bear. Performances by Lady Satan, Bunny Pistol, SparklyDevil, Red Hots founder Dottie Lux, and more! The evening includes special screening of The Cramps at Napa State Menal Hospital. (more…)

Mission Bazaar is a twice a year “shopping spectacle” which combines a more traditional arts and craft expo with a dynamic performance and music event. Taking place inside the 40,000 sq. ft. drill court of The Historic Armory, over 200 artisans exhibiting their uniquely designed creative products and accessories and over 20 hours of live performances by singers, musicians, circus and dance acts, performance artists, DJs and much more, Mission Bazaar is an extraordinary happening in one of San Francisco’s landmark buildings. From http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/465861/ (more…)

Celebration of the Peninsula’s Diversity: Immigrants Day Festival - Discover the traditions immigrant groups have brought to the area during a Celebration of the Peninsula’s Diversity: Immigrant Day Festival. The festival features food, craft activities for families and music and dance performances by Chinese, Filipino, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Mexican and Portuguese groups. The event highlights the History Museum’s exhibit, Land of Opportunity: The Immigrant Experience in San Mateo County. (more…)

Woven through actual letters, diary entries and haiku poetry, “From A Silk Cocoon” is an award winning documentary about the true story of a young couple whose shattered dreams and forsaken loyalties lead them to renounce their American citizenship while held in separate prison camps during World War 2. They struggle to prove their innocence and fight deportation during a time of wartime hysteria and racial profiling. Followed by Q&A with filmmaker and psychotherapist Satsuke Ina.

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art. But we are more than just an art museum—we are your ticket to Asia. Here, travel through 6,000 years of history, trek across seven major regions, and sample the cultures of numerous countries. Target First Free Sundays”—free admission to all on the first Sunday of every month and the family programs offered on that day—is made possible by Target.

Come to the California Genealogical Society Library for a free Genealogy for Beginners Class every first Saturday of every month at 11:00 a.m. Trace and compile your family history at Northern California’s premier genealogy society library. Volunteer members are available to help you use our extensive library and online databases. Bring information about an ancestor’s family and we will help you find them in the 1920 or 1930 census. (more…)

Jennifer Sey began competing in gymnastics at the age of six, and went on to become 1986 National Gymnastics Champion and seven-time national team member. Now, she has authored a cautionary tale, “Chalked Up: Inside Elite Gymnastics’ Merciless Coaching, Overzealous Parents, Eating Disorders, and Elusive Olympic Dreams.” This is the remarkably candid true story of a gymnastics champion whose lifelong dream was to compete in the Olympics, until anorexia, injuries, and coaching abuses nearly destroyed her.

Jennifer Sey is a graduate of Stanford University, Sey was named one of the “Top 40 Marketers under 40″ by Advertising Age in 2006 for her work at Levi Strauss & Co. She has also written and produced two short films. She lives with her husband and two sons in San Francisco.

A soldier is alone. He doesn’t know where he is or how he got here. All he does know is that he is at war. But who is the enemy? Surrounded by a ruined city, without a compass to guide him or a clear mission to fulfill, the soldier must rely on what he has left to survive. Using only memory, his warrior’s skills, and his own, suddenly fierce humanity, he will construct a map to lead him toward what he desperately hopes will be his escape. “War,” the new novel by Todd Komnarnicki, is the story of one man’s journey deep into the heart of violence.

Todd Komarnicki is a screenwriter, producer, director, and novelist, and the author of the “Famine.” Active in Hollywood, Komarnicki was the producer of Elf, the 2003 Will Ferrell comedy.