Litquake 2021: “Light on Fire: The Art and Life of Sam Francis” (SF)

San Francisco’s literary festival with author events, poets, activists and performers – 350+ authors at nearly 100 events, with many of the events being free.

2022 Update – San Francisco’s annual literary festival is back for its first full in-person event since 2019. Although some of the traditional Litquake venues have unfortunately closed down, this year there’s still nearly 100 events taking place at dozens of venues throughout the city including the San Francisco Botanical Gardens, art galleries, BART stations, movie theaters, Yerba Buena Gardens, Grace Cathedral and many more. And this isn’t just stuffy book talks.

The 17-day schedule is filled with book launches, poetry battles (emceed by Daniel Handler), Prosecco-fueled 3-minute readings, garden parties and night markets. And with topics like sci-fi, young adult, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ showcases among many others, you’ll have your pick of your literary poison from nearly 350 authors throughout the fest.

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 2022 Festival
October 6-22, 2022
Nearly 100  events • 300+ authors
Many events free
Complete schedule available at Litquake.org

2022 Festival Highlights

Illustrated Black History: George McCalman with Bryant Terry
Sat Oct 8th 6:30pm – 8:00pm – FREE
Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA map

Join us for the launch of Illustrated Black History, a brand-new breathtaking collection of original portraits depicting black heroes—both famous and unsung—who made their mark on activism, science, politics, business, medicine, technology, food, arts, entertainment, and more. The 145 entries range from the famous to the little-known, from literary luminary James Baldwin to documentarian Madeline Anderson, who produced “I Am Somebody,” about the 1969 strike of mostly female hospital workers; from Aretha Franklin to James and Eloyce Gist, who had a traveling ministry in the early 1900s; from Colin Kaepernick to Guion S. Bluford, the first Black person to travel into space. Author/graphic designer George McCalman speaks and discusses, with award-winning chef/author Bryant Terry. FREE https://tockify.com/litquake/detail/94/1665279000000

Poetry World Series: Litquake Edition
Sat Oct 8th 7:30pm – 9:30pm – FREE
111 Minna, 111 Minna St, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA map

We’re back! Emceed by the incomparable Daniel Handler! Two teams of award-winning poets, including Derrick Austin, sam sax, Shelley Wong, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Farnaz Fatemi, and Rebecca Foust, take turns batting at topics pitched to them by the audience. Fastballs, curveballs, knuckleballs: these poets won’t know what’s coming next! Hilarity and stunning work guaranteed. Eminently qualified umpires D. A. Powell and Danusha Laméris will score each batter’s reading, and the winning team takes the series title. Don’t forget to bring a topic to stump the poets with! Book sale/signing follows the reading. Doors open at 7pm, show at 7:30pm. FREE, suggested donation $5-10 https://tockify.com/litquake/detail/93/1665282600000

Litquake Out Loud

Sat Oct 15th 12:00pm – 1:00pm – Free
Yerba Buena Gardens Esplanade, 700 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA map

Litquake Out Loud highlights the Bay Area’s BIPOC & LGBTQ+ writers and thought leaders, and represents our continued investment in ensuring that all people are included in the creation of and access to the Bay Area’s historic, thriving arts scene. This lineup assembled by guest curator Jiordan Castle, and will be added soon. FREE https://tockify.com/litquake/detail/155/1665860400000

Litquake Out Loud: Kevin Madrigal Galindo
Sat Oct 15th 2:30pm – 3:30pm – FREE
Yerba Buena Gardens Esplanade, 700 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA map

Litquake Out Loud highlights the Bay Area’s BIPOC & LGBTQ+ writers and thought leaders, and represents our continued investment in ensuring that all people are included in the creation of and access to the Bay Area’s historic, thriving arts scene. Featuring Hilary Cruz Mejia, Janae Newsom, and A.A. Vincent. This lineup assembled by guest curator Kevin Madrigal Galindo. FREE https://tockify.com/litquake/detail/155/1665860400000

Litquake Out Loud: Third Eyelet
Sat Oct 15th 3:45pm – 4:45pm – FREE
Yerba Buena Gardens Esplanade, 700 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA map

Litquake Out Loud highlights the Bay Area’s BIPOC & LGBTQ+ writers and thought leaders, and represents our continued investment in ensuring that all people are included in the creation of and access to the Bay Area’s historic, thriving arts scene. Featuring Jacob Kahn, Brian Ng, Camille Roy, and Violet Spurlock. This lineup assembled by guest curator Sophia Dahlin. FREE

Sophia Dahlin is a poet in the East Bay, where she leads generative poetry workshops and teaches youth creative writing. With Jacob Kahn, she edits a small chapbook press called Eyelet. Her first book, Natch, is out now from City Lights Books. https://tockify.com/litquake/detail/140/1665873900000

Litquake Out Loud: Shamelessly Spirit-Driven, Nature-Loving Unstoppable Hula Hoopers
Sun Oct 16th 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Yerba Buena Gardens Esplanade, 700 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA map
Co-presented by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library

Litquake Out Loud highlights the Bay Area’s BIPOC & LGBTQ+ writers and thought leaders, and represents our continued investment in ensuring that all people are included in the creation of and access to the Bay Area’s historic, thriving arts scene. Featuring Charlie Jane Anders, Avotcja, Karla Brundage, and Khan Wong. This lineup assembled by guest curator Michael Warr. FREE https://tockify.com/litquake/detail/143/1665955800000

Lit Crawl – Saturday, October 22, 2022 – 5-9p – FREE – Your guide to the best night of the year is here! The annual literary extravaganza that is the Lit Crawl kicks off at 5pm on Saturday, October 22. For four hours you’ll have the opportunity to gallivant around the Mission, pop in and out of your favorite bars, bookstores, and music venues to hear poetry, fiction, experimental music, stories about people’s deepest darkest secrets, revolutionary recounting, and everything in between. All for FREE! We can’t wait! 

Festival Highlights By Date

Thursday, October 6

• Opening Party, Thursday October 6 at The Dairy

Friday October 7

• Kidquake on October 7
• BART writing contest finalists at the Glen Park Bart station 5pm – FREE

Friday, October 8

• Litquake joins the roster of art and performance at Yerba Buena Night with the Poetry World Series
• Artist and graphic designer George McCalman comes to MoAD with his book, Illustrated Black History in conversation with Bryant Terry

Tuesday October 11

• Poetic Tuesday at YBGF
• Richard White with his book Who Killed Jane Stanford? at the Book Club of California
• Vladimir Sorokin author of Telluria at The Mechanics Institute
• Bay Area Comedy History at The Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley

Wednesday, October 12

• Prince Shakur author of the memoir When They Told You To Be Good comes to MoAD for a sit down with James Cagney

Thursday, Oct 13 

• Spoken word history from 80s-90s SF at El Rio
• Ecuadorian author Gabriela Alemán with her new book Family Stories in conversation with Achy Obejas at Amado’s, co-presented by City Lights Books.

Friday October 14 

• The always popular Word/Jazz returns to Cafe Du Nord, with Tongo Eisen-Martin, WordSlanger, Darius Simpson, and the Broun Fellinis
• Science fiction author and proud geek Mike Chen will discuss his new novel Light Years From Home alongside Annalee Newitz, Charlie Jane Anders, Evette Davis, and Randy Ribay at Mothership

Saturday Oct 15 

• Elder Project All-Stars! (virtual)
• Words Around the World with Olivia Sears and Veronica Raimo at the Drawing Room Annex
• Maria Ressa, the first Filipina recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize will virtually join  Litquake via the Filipino American International Book Festival
• Authors from Ticino at The Italian Cultural Institute
• Craig McNamara author of Because Our Fathers Lied—A Memoir of Truth and Family From Vietnam to Today in conversation with David Talbot at Throckmorton in Mill Valley

Sunday, October 16 

• Words Around the World with Jazmina Barrera and additional authors TBA
• An evening of Poetry at Grace Cathedral, curated by D.A. Powell & Preeti Vangani and featuring Saeed Jones, Amanda Moore, Shelley Wong and A.A. Vincent
• An evening of readings at Page St Writers Cafe

Tuesday October 18 

• A screening of Pig Hunt at the Alamo Drafthouse with author and screenwriter Robert Mailer Anderson & the Czar of Noir, Eddie Muller
• Back Pocket Storytelling at Saint Joseph’s Art Society

Wednesday October 19

• The return of the Literary Death Match with Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Olga Zilberbourg, Tomas Moniz, Ivy Vasquez, and Colin Winnette at the Valencia Room!
• An evening of female storytelling, wit and wisdom for all ages from Generation Women at the Verdi Club, featuring multi-bestseller novelist Alka Joshi

Thursday October 20 

• Excerpts from The Best American Poetry Anthology at Amado’s, with editor (and Guggenheim recipient) Matthew Zapruder, co-presented by Zyzzyva

Friday October 21

• Music Writers at The Make-Out Room: Nadine Condon, Michael Goldberg, Greil Marcus, Joel Selvin, Sylvie Simmons, Rickey Vincent
• Foglifter Press at Strut

Saturday October 22

● The Closing Night Lit Crawl through The Mission!