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SF by the Bay, a celebration of Bay Area science fiction and fantasy, includes over 30 programs, including author talks, live dramas, lectures, panel discussions, a “filk” music concert (songs inspired by sci-fi and fantasy), book displays, a costume contest and diverse film screenings, including landmark films with a local flair: THX 1138 and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

Additionally, the Main Library will feature an exhibit of rare books, magazines and art drawn from the Main Library’s J. Francis McComas Fantasy and Science Fiction Collection, a reference collection of more than 3,000 books and magazines. McComas was the co-founding editor of New Jersey-based publication Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

SF by the Bay: Science Fiction & Fantasy Festival

February 1 – April 30, 2020
San Francisco Public Library
All events free and open to the public
More Details

Program Highlights

SF by the Bay Exhibit Reception and Aelita, Queen of Mars with live piano accompaniment

Feb. 15, 10 a.m., Main Library, Latino Hispanic Community Room

Join us for the opening reception for the SF by the Bay exhibit with Gordon Van Gelder, publisher of Berkeley’s Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, as well as co-sponsors SF in SF, Locus magazine, Tachyon Publications, Borderlands Books and other special guests. The reception will be followed by a screening of the silent film Aelita: Queen of Mars with introduction and live piano accompaniment by acclaimed concert pianist Frederick Hodges.

Author Talk: Black Speculative Fiction

Feb. 19, 5 p.m., Main Library, Latino Hispanic Community Room

Bay Area writers and poets will speak about their influences, share current works-in-progress, and reveal their 2020 visions. Join the conversation as they center diverse perspectives from the Black Speculative Literary Arts landscape. Speculative genres presented may include fantasy, science fiction, myth, faerie tales, climate fiction, horror, and eco-poetry. Panel discussion and Q&A moderated by Audrey T. Williams, Oakland-based oral storyteller, activist, writer and poet.

Documentary and Discussion of Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin with director and panel

Mar. 28, 2 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium

Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin is a feature documentary exploring the remarkable life and legacy of the late feminist author Ursula K. Le Guin. Best known for groundbreaking science fiction and fantasy works such as A Wizard of Earthsea, The Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed, Le Guin defiantly held her ground on the margin of “respectable” literature until the sheer excellence of her work, at long last, forced the mainstream to embrace fantastic literature.

The film will be followed by Q&A and panel discussion with the director Arwen Curry, Phil Gochenour, Debbie Notkin and others.

SF & Fantasy Costume Contest

Apr. 12, 12 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium

The Library hosts its first Science Fiction & Fantasy Costume Contest. Fans of science fiction, fantasy and cosplay are urged to participate and to cheer their favorite costume entries.

Live Podcast: Our Opinions Are Correct

Apr. 16, 5:30 p.m., Main Library, Latino Hispanic Community Room

Annalee Newitz, a science journalist who writes science fiction, and Charlie Jane Anders, a science fiction writer who is obsessed with science, will host their podcast Our Opinions Are Correct live at the Main Library as part of the SF by the Bay celebration. They will explore the meaning of science fiction and how it’s relevant to real-life science and society.

Film: THX 1138

Apr. 23, 1 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium

Film: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Apr. 30, 12 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium