Each week, we offer a roundup of the best literary events in the city. All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Want to submit an upcoming event for consideration? Go here.
The Great SF Read-Out
Saturday, October 1, 7 pm, at Amnesia (853 Valencia St.)
This week marks Banned by the Bay, SF's celebration of the nationwide Banned Books Week, and in a show of support for previously banned literary classics, local writers and artists are encouraged to take the stage during this open-mic performance at Amnesia. BATS Improv, Word for Word's Patricia Silver, and other local luminaries will perform, and Will Franken and Doug Sweetland will team up to create their own banned book with the help of the audience. Can't make the event? There's also a lecture on banned books at the Booksmith on Wednesday, and a banned book swap at Heart on Friday.
Scott Pasfield (Gay in America)
Sunday, October 2, 7 pm, at Book Passage Corte Madera (59 Tamal Vista Blvd.)
Pasfield's photographic exploration of gay men across America is the first book of photography to encorporate the entire gay male experience in the U.S., in all its forms. With over 140 men hailing from all 50 states, Gay in America paints an honest picture of gay life, and shows that the stereotypical perception of what a gay man is like is really just the tip of the iceberg. Personal narratives compiled by Pasfield (pictured above) accompany the photos.
John Lithgow (Drama: An Actor's Education)
Tuesday, October 4, 7:30 pm, at the Sundance Kabuki Theater (1881 Post St.)
Lithgow may be best known for his goofy comic performance on 3rd Rock from the Sun, but he's also a serious dramatic actor who's performed onstage with the likes of Meryl Streep and Liv Ullmann. This memoir follows his childhood in an acting family, his education at Harvard, and his early career and collaborations, ending just before his professional breakout in 1980. Tickets are $12 for a seat, $37 for a seat and a signed book, and $44 for two seats and a signed book, and are available here.
Garrett Oliver (The Oxford Companion to Beer)
Monday, October 3, 7 pm, at Omnivore Books (3885a Cesar Chavez St.)
Oliver, the award-winning brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery and the only African-American head brewer in the U.S., has recently completed a momentous undertaking: compiling a 1,100-plus entry encyclopedia of suds, with contributions from more than 166 brewers and beer experts. He'll appear at Omnivore Books, and since no beer book party is complete without beer itself, local brewers Almanac will be on hand pouring their creations.
