Monday 4/29

First Person Singular  has their last show in April this Monday so be sure not to miss out on “The Divine Game” which features extra special guests Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy.

Tuesday, 4/30

Tuesday has three super cool events to attend, the first being a reading from queer anti-war activist and author Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore. The author of the novel The End of San Francisco, Sycamore will be celebrating the publication of this book at none other than City Lights Bookstore. City Arts & Lectures gives us The Last Foxtrot at Herbst Theater before moving on to the Nourse. The evening will feature Garrison Keillor who is famous for being the author of the Lake Wobegon Series and host of A Prairie Home Companion. Lastly there is another installment of InsideStoryTime with several talented authors like Tarin Towers, the author of Sorry We’re Close.

Thursday, 5/2

This Thursday only has two highlighted events but they are packed with talented artists and lively crowds! UC Berkeley’s Lunch Poems ends its season of readings with the anticipated Student Reading that includes winners of prizes such as the Academy of American Poets, Cook, Lunch Poem volunteers, and students nominated by the creative writing faculty. This reading is considered one of the most lively events for Lunch Poems so don’t miss it!

City Lights hosts a screening, reading and remarks with Bill Berkson & Richard Moore on the re-release of Poems Retrieved by Frank O’Hara. The novel has been reformatted and now features an introduction by Bill Berkson, a close friend of  O’Hara and critic. This new release will feature some never before released poetry from Frank O’Hara, so if you are a fan make sure you are there!

Friday, 5/3

Friday has several options for creative fun such as the free event from Quiet Lightning + Studio One Reading Series that centers around the work of Adeena Karasick and Erica Lewis and a one night only performance of literary mix tape #43!

Postmodern American Poetry @ the DeYoung features 17 of the best West Coast experimental poets performing some of their work for the celebration of the publication of the 2nd Edition of this Norton Anthology. Paul Hoover, a poet and professor at San Francisco State University, is the editor of this new edition and the evening’s host. Check out the roster — it’s amazing.

BAM RE@DS presents Lindsey Bolt and Cheena Marie Lo at the Berkeley Art Museum. Another very interesting event going on this Friday is an evening with the Icelandic author Sjón at The Booksmith. Sjón started writing at the early age of 15 and ever since has been publishing work. He is one of the founding members of a neo-surrealist group entitled Medusa and has worked with infamous Icelandic musician Björk which resulted in an Oscar nomination for his lyrics for the movie Dancer in the Dark.

Mary Roach

Mary Roach will be doing a reading of her newest book, Gulp, at Mrs. Dalloway’s. If you are in the East Bay area, be sure to stop by because you won’t be disappointed! Mary Roach is a hilarious speaker who overflows with charm, so make a date with Mrs. Dalloway’s!

Saturday, 5/4

Featherboard Writing Series presents three amazing writers for their reading in Oakland: Gloria Frym, Erica Lewis, and Litseen’s own Evan Karp! It should be a fun night filled with insightful poetry (and anxiety — check the exhibit’s theme).

The Bernal Yoga Literary Series strikes again this month with a diverse lineup of writers such as Charles Kruger and Indira Allegra so stretch your mind at the BYLS this Saturday!

Sunday, 5/5

It is sure to be a Sunday Funday with all the events going on! The first is with Small Press Traffic, featuring several talented writers such as the legendary Richard O. Moore,  Brenda Hillman and others.

Silvi Alcivar returns as the winner of last month’s live writing competition at Portuguese Artists Colony: Paper Trail. She’s joined by an all-LA lineup, including David Rocklin and Aisha Sloan, as well as new work from columnist Peter Orner. In Oakland, Poetry Flash + Diesel Bookstore host a night filled with awesome poetry from Kazim Ali, Tony Barnstone and Willis Barnstone. Tony Barnstone recently recorded an album with Genuine Brandish entitled Tokyo’s Burning, which you can listen to here.

Join Books Inc. and the War Memorial Opera House in welcoming David Sedaris for a reading with Q & A for the release of his newest novel, Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls. Sedaris will be available after the reading for a meet and greet as well as book signing! Get your tickets now!

Finally, Great Companions: Ezra Pound (The Cantos) is a free class filled with the wonder that is Ezra Pound! School is in session!

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Erica Arvanitis is a Litseen intern and a senior at SFSU for Creative Writing. She is originally from San Diego and enjoys writing short stories, eating burritos, and watching TV in her free time. She hopes to write professionally for a magazine when she grows up — any magazine will do.