(Nicole McFeely)

Featured event: Quiet Lightning: Neighborhood Heroes, v.3

When was the last time you saw Tamim Ansary, D.A. Powell, Meg Day, Jack Boulware, Jane Ganahl, Rob Brezsny, Steven Gray, Caitlin Myer, Graham Gremore, and William Taylor Jr. on the same stage? Come on. When is the last time you saw them in the same room? Never. I repeat. Never. And, you never will if you miss Quiet Lightning‘s show tomorrow, Monday June 6th. A series so badass, Matthew-James DeCoster once changed his flight to make it in time (and it wasn’t even a Neighborhood Heroes show)! It should go without saying that “momentous” doesn’t really do the occasion justice.

Also this week:

• Monday, June 6th serves up a fresh batch of Porchlight Storytelling. Beth Lisick and Arline Klatte host Kitchen Confidential, a night of true tales from the kitchen told by local restaurant and food personalities sure to be delicious (sold out last year so if you’re going get tickets now here).
• Whore! Magazine is throwing a party in honor of their second issue and their subscribers at Casanova Lounge on Tuesday, June 7th. Talk about them all you want, but everyone knows Whore!s throw the best parties.
• I. Me. Mine. Only, not really. Go to First Person Singular on Wednesday, June 8th, and you’ll see what I mean. Come listen to novelist Elizabeth Rosner perform some inspired stuff. Only, none of it will have been written by her. This month’s featured piece is Lorrie Moore‘s “People Like that Are the Only People Here.”
• Thursday June 9th presents you with a choice. If you’re feeling like a jaunt over to the East Bay to see someone drop some knowledge about How the 1980’s Explain the World We Live in Now, don’t miss David Sirota at Berkeley Arts & Letters. Feeling intrepid, but want to stay local? Head to Readers Cafe and Bookstore to check out Jonathan Richman and Maketa Smith-Groves featuring at the Thursdays at Readers Poetry Reading. We’ve never been to this weekly series, which describes itself as a place to hear poetry’s top names, but it’s curated by Jack Hirschman and sounds worth a visit.
• Nothing says “hell yeah, its finally Friday” like watching four talented folks fight to the death. Metaphorical death. Jesus, people. Friday, June 10th, Alia Volz and Howard Johnson Jr. host Literary Death Match: June Swoon. This week’s contenders include Tana Wojczuk, Paul Corman-Roberts, Lisa Catherine Harper, and Belo Cipriani. Looks to be a pretty stellar match-up. You can pick up tickets here.
• On Saturday, June 11th, come kick a few back with me at Writers with Drinks. This series is consistently good and rowdy (even before a few cocktails!). This month’s features: Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Daphne Gottlieb, K.M. Ruiz, Nick Krieger, and Kevin Camia. Check them out via those links, and I’m sure you won’t want to miss it (as though drinks with me wasn’t enticing enough…).
• Finally, to round out a nice week of events, spend Sunday, June 12th in Oakland. Forecast is mid-sixties and sunny with some serious chances of poetry flash thanks to Toni Mirosevich and Bruce Isaacson reading together at Diesel Bookstore.

See you tomorrow night!