Serialized gem / siren song Tales of the City drew many folks to SF. Well, it brought us here, anyway. And the character of Mary Ann Singleton acted as a temporary stand-in until many of us arrived. To wit: Mary Ann Singleton was twenty-five years old when she saw San Francisco for the first time. She came to the city alone for an eight-day vacation. On the fifth night, she drank three Irish coffees......

A passel of literary events tonight: LitPAC & Laughing Liberally Lab-SF Present a benefit for Slain Iraqi Comedian Walid Hassan featuring renowned writers Daniel Handler of Lemony Snicket, Andrew Sean Greer of Confessions of Max Tivoli, Michelle Tea of Valencia and Rent Girl, plus comedians, Joe Klocek, Sal Calanni of sketch group Tossing Alice, Ali Mafi of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, Samantha Chanse, Kurt Weitzmann and more. The benefit will be hosted......

It sure is a literary week here at SFist, with our Andrew Sean Greer interview and giveaway on Monday, the Picador Birthday event and book giveaway (you can still enter to win today!) Tuesday -- and now, today, yet another event and giveaway! Thursday, September 15 at 7:00 p.m. The Booksmith is hosting "An Evening with The Paris Review" at All Saints Church (not at The Booksmith, as has been reported elsewhere). Annie Proulx......

In case you missed our passing mention in yesterday's interview with Andrew Sean Greer, Picador, the publishers of such SFist faves as The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll and A Death in Brazil, is celebrating its 10th birthday with a series of readings across the country. Here in San Francisco, the reading is tomorrow at 7 PM at A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books, and features local writer Michael Chabon and new friend......

Who is that charming young man riding his scooter up Divis for the early-bird special at the Metro Cafe? It's Andrew Sean Greer, California Book Award winner for The Confessions of Max Tivoli, San Franciscan, and one of the featured readers at Picador's 10th Birthday Event (scroll down) at A Clean Well Lighted Place For Books, this Wednesday at 7 p.m. To kick things off, we have some copies of Max Tivoli to give......