Welcome to the Mothership: A Night of Sci-Fi (SF)

San Francisco’s literary festival with author events, poets, activists and performers – 500+ authors at over 140 events, with many of the events being free.

And it’s capped by the epic “Lit Crawl” on Saturday, October 25, 2025 – with 50+ authors and close to 5,000 fans for the world’s largest free pop-up literary event.

Litquake 2025 will play out across both San Francisco and the East Bay in more than sixty venues over the course of the festival. These include The Maritime Museum, San Francisco Botanical Gardens, The Verdi Club, The Hawthorn, The Make-Out Room, the Italian Consulate, City Lights, The Stud, Oakstop California Ballroom, Kinfolx, Gilman Brewing, the Great Star Theater, The Phoenix Hotel, Mrs. Dalloway’s, Brower Center for the Performing Arts and more.

Litquake, San Francisco’s annual literary festival, was founded by Bay Area writers in order to put on a week-long literary spectacle for book lovers, complete with cutting-edge panels, unique cross-media events, and hundreds of readings. 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.

Litquake 2025 Festival
October 9-25, 2025
– 140+ events with 500+ authors
– Multiple venues all over San Francisco and the East Bay
– Many events free
Complete schedule available at Litquake.org

2025 Festival Highlights

Appearance Tracks/Programming Highlights

• Litquake Amuse-Bouche: Swedish musician Jens Lekman performs music from novel co-written by bestseller David Levithan; daylong Litquake Out Loud and the Small Press Book Fair (incl. two dozen plus local publishers) at Yerba Buena Gardens on Sunday, September 28
• Litquake at the Movies: Includes events on John Candy (with biographer Paul Myers) and Bruce Lee (featuring Jeff Chang and W. Kamau Bell) at the 4 Star Theatre, one in Mill Valley in partnership with the Mill ValleyFilm Festival, and others at the Roxie
• Litquake Secret Garden: afternoon series of events at the San Francisco Botanical Garden, that will also include live music on Saturday, October 18
• Litquake opening night “(Not So) Guilty Pleasures” featuring comedian Natasha Muse and DJ Lead Teddy at The Hawthorn, Thursday October 9
• Chris Kraus at the California Ballroom, Friday October 10
• Ada Limón at Swedish American Hall, Friday October 11
• Writers Weekend at California College of the Arts, Saturday October 11 and Sunday October 12
• Marathon live reading of Bastard Out of Carolina at Arion Press, Saturday October 12
• Jacob Silverman with Alex Hanna at Gray Area, Sunday, October 12
• Brandon Taylor at the Brower Center, Tuesday October 14
• John Scalzi with Kim Stanley Robinson at JCCSF, Thursday October 16
• SongWriter podcast live event with Viet Thanh Nguyen and Thao Nguyen at Swedish American Hall, Friday October 17
• Marathon live reading of Moby-Dick at the Maritime Museum, Saturday October 18 through Sunday October 19
• Saeed Jones & Maggie Smith for their co-edited The People’s Project at Great Star Theater, October 21
• Word for Word’s with Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart at Z Space, Thursday October 21
• Tochi Onyebuchi at Block Community Space, Thursday October 23
• Thomas Schlesser, French author of #1 international bestseller Mona’s Eyes, in conversation with BAMPFA’s Tausif Noor at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, Thursday October 23
• Poetry in the Pews with Patricia Smith at Victoria Theater, Friday October 24
• Political and Public Affairs from KALW: Daniel Zoughbie on US presidents in the Middle East, Wednesday October 15; Josh Jackson on public lands, Friday October 17; Life After Cars, Friday October 24
• Words Around the World: authors from Argentina, France, Iran, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and Vietnam (various dates, including Irish writer Dave Tynan on October 19 and Eimear McBride on October 21, both at Telegraph Books)
• Closing night Lit Crawl (~50 overlapping free events over the course of 4 hours) in the Mission District, Saturday October 25
• Litquake Aftershocks: Susan Orlean at Montclair Presbyterian Church; Alix E. Harrow at Gilman Brewing on October 30

Free Litquake Events for 2025

• 4:00pmPDT An Afternoon with Shannon HaleBerkeley Public Library Central (2090 Kittredge St, Berkeley, CA 94704)Elaine Tai • Shannon Hale

• 10:15amPDT Kidquake: Upper ElementarySan Francisco Public Library Koret Auditorium (100 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA)Shannon Hale • Kyle Casey Chu • Sendy Santamaria • Elizabeth  Partridge  • Arree Chung

• 10:15amPDT Kidquake: Lower ElementarySan Francisco Public Library Koret Auditorium (100 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA)Maysa Odeh • Shawn Harris • Lisa Brown • Eunice and Sabrina Moyle • Joanna Ho

• 2:00pmPDT Writing About WildfireFairfax LibraryObi Kaufmann • Rachel Richardson • Manjula Martin • Daniel Gumbiner
• 7:00pmPDT Hair On Fire: Afghan Women PoetsTelegraph Hill Books (1501 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA)Samantha Cosentino • Armen Davoudian • Sabrina Nouri • Marina Omar • Diana Arterian

• 1:00pmPDT Writers Weekend: Stories from the InsideCalifornia College of the Arts (145 Hooper St., Room N-203, Simpson Family Galleries Building, San F…Reka Barton • B. Raheem Ballard • Sam Bhatia  • Emile Suotonye DeWeaver • Zoe Mullery • Rahsaan Thomas • Bleu Inkk Watkins
• 1:15pmPDT Spotting Opportunities: A Conversation with FilmmakersOutdoor Art Club (1 W Blithedale Ave, Mill Valley)Kevin Smokler
• 2:30pmPDT Writers Weekend: Fostering Empathy Through NonfictionCalifornia College of the Arts (145 Hooper St., Room N-203, Simpson Family Galleries Building, San F…Shoshana Walter • Angela Garcia • Kevin Fagan • Jeanne Carstensen
• 3:00pmPDT The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity: A Tenderloin WorkshopCounterPulse (80 Turk St, San Francisco)Skywatchers • Sarah Schulman • Marke Bieschke
• 4:00pmPDT Writers Weekend: Practices for Compassionate CreativesCalifornia College of the Arts (145 Hooper St., Room N-203, Simpson Family Galleries Building, San F…Mitali Perkins
• 6:00pmPDT Disaster, with a Side of NoodlesMrs. Dalloway’s (2904 College Ave, Berkeley, CA)Soleil Ho • Annalee Newitz • Lee Lai

• 6:00pmPDT – Books Not Bans presents: The Transformative Power of FictionSan Francisco Public Library Koret Auditorium (100 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA)Lio Min • Charlie Jane Anders • Kate Folk • Elena Darling-Hammond • Becka Robbins
• 7:00pmPDT –“Scribbling Women” Strike BackMrs. Dalloway’s (2904 College Ave, Berkeley, CA)Jessi Haley • Jessica Ferri • Mimi Pond • Iris Jamahl Dunkle • Emily Van Duyne • Amy Helmes • Kim Askew

• 6:00pmPDT- Men in Love, 1850s–1950s: A Visual ConversationSan Francisco Public Library Koret Auditorium (100 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA)Hugh Nini • Neal Treadwell
• 7:00pmPDT Introducing The Approach (SOLD OUT)City Lights Booksellers & Publishers (261 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA)Chris Feliciano Arnold • Justin Carder • Carvell Wallace • Ingrid Rojas Contreras • Lauren MarkhamKicking the Hornet’s Nest: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle EastKALW (220 Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA)Sunni Khalid • Daniel ZoughbieComing Apart: Edy Poppy with Britta StromeyerTelegraph Hill Books (1501 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA)Britta Stromeyer • Edy Poppy
• 7:30pmPDT While you were novel-ing, I studied the blade: A Celebration of the Short Story (SOLD OUT)Clio’s (353 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610, USA)Zach Williams • Ehsaneh Sadr • Suzanne Wang

• 5:00pmPDT Listen To Your Elders: An Elder Project Get-Together & ReadingRuth’s Table (3160 21st St, San Francisco)
• 6:30pmPDT The Night Trembles: Nadia Terranova with Sara MarinelliItalian Cultural Institute of San Francisco (710 Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA 94111)Sara Marinelli • Nadia Terranova
• 7:00pmPDT We Are Green and Trembling: Gabriela Cabezón CámaraCity Lights Booksellers & Publishers (261 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA)Achy Obejas • Gabriela Cabezón Cámara Foglifter Press 10th Anniversary CelebrationThe Stud (1123 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA)Lane Michael Stanley • Hunter Hazelton • Janine Mogannam • Wayne Bund • Crystal  Odelle • Rae  Gouirand

• 7:00pmPDT The Enduring Wild: A Journey into California’s Public LandsKALW (220 Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA)Joshua Jackson • Marissa Ortega-Welch

• TBA San Francisco Moby-Dick Marathon 2025 (CANCELLED)San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (900 Beach St, San Francisco)
• 1:15pmPDT Our Farmworking Hands Helped Harvest the Feast with The CommonSan Francisco Botanical Gardens, Fragrance Garden (1199 9th Ave, San Francisco)Nora Rodriguez Camagna • Anita Felicelli • Amanda Kim • Rosie Cima • Natasha Jong • Jaime Cortez
• 2:30pmPDT Fire on the Mountain: Survival and Community Action in California’s Fire CountrySan Francisco Botanical Gardens, Fragrance Garden (1199 9th Ave, San Francisco)Leslie Carol Roberts • Dani Burlison • River Selby • Kelly Ramsey • Rosie Cima • Natasha Jong • Margaret Elysia Garcia
• 3:00pmPDT Chronicles of Ori, An African Epic: Harmonia Rosales (SOLD OUT)Museum of the African Diaspora (685 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA)Key Jo Lee • Harmonia RosalesDVAN Presents: The Future of Vietnamese Diasporic WritingSan Francisco Public Library Saroyan Gallery (100 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA)Hieu Minh Nguyen • Christina Vo • Van Hoang
• 3:45pmPDT Poppy State: Commune with CaliforniaSan Francisco Botanical Gardens, Fragrance Garden (1199 9th Ave, San Francisco)Natasha Jong • Myriam Gurba • Wendy M. Thompson • Caroline Mar • Mukethe Kawinzi • Rosie Cima

• 7:00pmPDT We Used to Dance Here: Dave Tynan’s DublinTelegraph Hill Books (1501 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA)Blaise Zerega • Dave Tynan

• 7:00pmPDT Booksmart: Stories about the Books That Have Changed Us (SOLD OUT)Page Street Writers (297 Page St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA)Becka Robbins • Janis Cooke Newman

• 7:00pmPDT Comics and Conversation with New Yorker Cartoonist Tom ToroMrs. Dalloway’s (2904 College Ave, Berkeley, CA)Elise Proulx • Tom ToroThe Who, What, When & How of Literary PrizePage Street Writers (297 Page St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA)Oscar Villalon • Jane  Ciabattari • Iris Jamahl Dunkle • May-lee ChaiCelebrate the Launch of Susan Straight’s SacramentBooks Inc. Opera Plaza (601 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94107)Vanessa Hua • Susan Straight

• 6:00pmPDT When Did Reality Become Stranger Than Fiction?San Francisco Public Library Koret Auditorium (100 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA)Laura Holson • Evette  Davis • Sheri T. Joseph • Julia Vee
• 7:00pmPDT The City Changes Its Face with Eimear McBrideTelegraph Hill Books (1501 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA)Susanna Kwan • Eimear McBride

• 6:00pmPDT Poetry as Resistance: Ahmad Shamlou’s Enduring VoiceSFPL Main Branch, Latino Room (100 Larkin St, San Francisco)Niloufar  Talebi • Matthew ZapruderRacebook: A Personal History of the Internet with Tochi OnyebuchiCommunity Hub (1955 Broadway, Oakland, CA)Audrey Williams • Tochi Onyebuchi
• 7:00pmPDT Mona’s Eyes: Thomas Schlesser’s Epic Journey Through Art HistoryUnitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley (1 Lawson Rd, Kensington, CA 94707, USA)Thomas Schlesser • Tausif Noor
• 7:30pmPDT ZYZZYVA Turns 40! A Literary Celebration7Social (65 Post St, San Francisco)Daniel Handler

• 7:00pmPDT Something Unpredictable: Relive the 1990s with Bay Area CartoonistsMrs. Dalloway’s (2904 College Ave, Berkeley, CA)Justin Hall • Briana Loewinsohn • THIEN PHAM • Janelle Hessig • Julia WertzLife After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile (SOLD OUT)KALW (220 Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA)Sunni Khalid • Doug Gordon • Sarah Goodyear
• 7:30pmPDT Dear Ferocious Dreamer: A Festival Finale in VerseVictoria Theatre (2961 16th St, San Francisco)Achy Obejas • Gabriel Cortez • Patricia Smith • Mia Ayumi Malhotra • Matthew Zapruder

• 5:00pmPDT Lit Crawl San Francisco

• 6:00pmPDT Litquake Aftershocks: Silent Book Club 10th Anniversary CelebrationObscenity Bar at Hotel Emblem (562 Sutter St, San Francisco)

• 2:00pmPST Litquake Aftershocks: The Revolutionary Life of the Black BookstoreKinfolx (1951 Telegraph Ave, Oakland)Dorothy Lazard • Char Adams