Our top picks for the week starting Monday, April 22nd, 2013. Suggest an event.

Monday, 4/22

Monday is laden with literary fun! Come see Reverend Billy @ Booksmith for a riveting discussion of the toxins poisoning our earth, or check out Granta: Best of Young British Novelists at City Lights with mystery readers.

Anne Lamott will be at St. James Episcopal Church to read from her memoir on becoming a grandmother, Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son’s First Son.

The Nato Sessions’ Nato Green will be in conversation with fellow smart person and legendary political comedian Mort Sahl. Don’t miss out on this special visit.

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Tuesday, 4/23

Joyce Carol Oates, the prolific novelist, short story writer, playwrite and essayist, will be visiting City Lights in a rare appearance. She will be reading from her new  novel, The Accursed, “an eerie, unforgettable story of possession, power, and loss in early twentieth-century Princeton, a cultural crossroads of the powerful and the damned.” The recipient of three Nobel Prize nominations and the 2012 PEN Center Award for Lifetime Achievement, Oates is one of the most influential writers of our time. Read Charles Kruger’s review of a recent visit here.

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Wednesday, 4/24

Awesome events today. Quarterly reading series LitUp Writers explores the seedy world of sex, drugs, and rock & roll in this month’s installment. Get ready to dive into pressing questions like, “What quantity of frozen genetic material will satisfy a classic overachiever?” Join the fun. You’ll never think about feet, urine or babysitting the same way again.

Help celebrate new reading series Words & Wine‘s pilot event in Petaluma. This fresh new series boasts author readings and a literary open mic. Featured readers include curator Cyndi Cady and others.

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Thursday, 4/25

Thursday is a literary smorgasbord! Check out Lunada Literary Lounge & Open Mic for some full moon spoken word, or come see Isabel Allende @ Berkeley Law School read from her new novel Maya’s Notebook, which will be available for sale in both English and Spanish.

If you’re in the mood to celebrate, come to the Eleven Eleven Issue 14 Launch Party in Oakland, which happens to feature an old T.A. of mine, SB Stokes. Refreshments provided so drink away!

The Poetry Center is hosting two events with Clark Coolidge in the afternoon and Steve Dickinson joining him in the evening, or join the tribute to Valerie Solanas on the 25th Anniversary of her death.

Join members of the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto and special guests for the third annual night of Litquake’s Regreturature, for an evening of, well, regrettable writings. Featuring Simon Rich, Kim Wong Keltner, and more.

Exciting stuff: The New Sh!t Show presents Mindy Nettifee and Jeremy Radin @ Viracocha.

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 Friday, 4/26

Today’s literary samplings include the San Francisco Queer Open Mic featuring Nic Alea and music by Tina and Her Pony.

Join the Emerald Tablet in hosting the second round of its first homegrown performance series with Lizzy Acker and more, co-created and hosted by our very own Evan Karp.

If you find yourself in Berkeley, consider checking out the Omnidawn Reading & Celebration @ Pegasus Books in Downton Berkeley.

Hear Mary Roach speak at Book Passage SF. Deemed “America’s funniest science writer” (Washington Post), Roach will be reading from her book Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, exploring some of the taboo questions inspired by our insides. Also the author of Stiff,  Roach’s books discuss science and the body in easy to understand and often hilarious ways. I saw a great TED Talk with her recently on the “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Sex.” Enjoy!

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Saturday, 4/27

Spend the beginning of your weekend at Saturday Night Writer’s Special‘s monthly reading, featuring four writers @ Progressive Grounds.  Also, be sure to check out Spokespeople @ The Pickle Jar, a live storytelling event that travels across the Bay Area.

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Sunday, 4/28

Start Sunday off in Oakland at Actual Cafe, which will be hosting a literary reading featuring May Shein Win, Hugh Behm-Steinberg, and Steve Gilmartin. If you find yourself in Palo Alto, consider heading to Chick Lit at the JCC. In SF? Check out City Lights and celebrate the Left Curve Journal Issue #37 Release Party, hosted by editor Csaba Polony.

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Michelle Greenberg is a Litseen intern and Creative Writing student at SFSU. She likes to play drums and write poetry in her free time, and is obsessed with Charles Bukowski, Mexican food, and cats. She wants to publish at least one book of her original poetry and/ or own a guinea pig farm when she grows up.