Results tagged “literature”

      

Well, would you look at that. SFist landed an invite to a VIP party at the Contemporary Jewish Museum for a fete honoring Spike Jonze's re-telling of Where the Wild Things Are. Actually, it was also a benefit for 826 Valencia, the Mission district nonprofit that makes people feel good via honing the writing skills of those less fortunate. Or, it's a pirate store. Anyway, last night's festivities, in the end, were all about honoring Hollywood ilk.

FOOD: Learn how changing your diet can reduce carbon emissions as effectively as buying a new fuel-efficient car in the new book Cool Cuisine: The Global Warming Diet.. Tonight, Cool Cuisine co-authors Eugene Cordero, Professor of Meteorology, SJSU, will present the latest research on the connection between the energy efficiency of our food systems and global warming, and Laura Stec, Chef, will offer practical advice on putting these ideas into action.

The irreverent David Cross, who captured America's hearts (or at least the smart part of America) as the "never-nude," "analrapist" Tobias Funke and who graced SFist's comments with his controversial presence back in '07, has written his first book, I Drink for a Reason. Cross will be personally promoting the book this Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Union Square Borders (400 Post St) prior his show at the Warfield that night.

Jeff Hunt of Muni Diaries forwarded us this beautiful map adorned with literary quotes that have shaped our beloved San Francisco, which was created by Ian Huebert. We love the whimsical typography and colors almost more than the quotes themselves. See a larger version.

As SF Weekly noted yesterday, Lars Russell, a San Francisco-based writer, starting reading the entirety of 's first sentence, which wraps around the to final sentence, making the magnum opus a circular work, et cetera, et cetera, and so forth :

ART: SF Camerawork celebrates its 35th anniversary with a two-part exhibition. Part 1: San Francisco Plays Itself features the work of artists who have contributed to the cultural make-up of the San Francisco Bay Area in a significant way and explores how they document their lives and the lives of others, address specific events, and engage with the local landscape. The exhibit runs through October 10.

FILM: The documentary Bird's Nest: Herzog & de Meuron in China follows two star Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, who are building bridges between two cultures, two architectural traditions, and two political systems, as they work on two very different projects: the national stadium for the Olympic summer games in Peking 2008 and a city area in the provincial town of Jinhua, China.

MUSIC: Terrorbird and Smile! present a stellar night of disco pop. Hailing from NYC, octet The Phenomenal Handclap Band will get the dancefloor moving and sweating. Bay Area faves Bart Davenport, Tempo No Tempo, and DJ Neil Martinson will get the party started.

VARIETY: "Backpack Burlesque! Campfire Comedy! Sultry Acts of Nature!," boast the organizers of tonight's Summer Camp-themed Hubba Hubba Revue. Come enjoy a whole line-up of performers at this titillating variety show that won Best of SF 2009 and Best of the Bay 2008.

ART: It's your last chance to view the current exhibitions at SF Camerawork. The Summer Exhibition Cool-Down Party features Ersatz Group Exhibition, Leaving A Mark: Cutter Photozine, and The 2009 James D. Phelan Art Award in Photography. The publication of the Ersatz exhibition catalog will also be announced.

ART: San Francisco artist Micke Tong will be exhibiting a new series of site-specific conceptual art pieces, drawings, and installation sculptures in Micro-Habitat. Viewers can expect to find "low-rider inspired candy colored taxidermy forms infested by cities, pre-fab homes, and other human dwellings made of wood," as well as San Francisco-inspired facades that mimic Victorians, Edwardians, and present-day building aesthetics.

MUSIC: Japanese cowboy possessing amazing yodeling skills Toshio Hirano will perform his beloved bluegrass favorites for adoring fans as part of Amnesia's free Bluegrass Mondays.

Dave Eggers wearing a hat indoors (grumble, grumble) while signing copies of his latest effort, , today at Books Inc on Van Ness.

SATURDAY 1st Annual Super Hero Street Fair anonEvents, Get YER Freak On!, and Climate Theater present "the unique superhero in you." The event includes live music, dancing, art, tasty food, and an awards ceremony for best costumes, which will benefit charities including GIRLS 2000 (Hunters Point Family), SF Food Bank, Green Mary, and more to be announced. Islais Creek Promenade (1700 Indiana St), 1 p.m. to Midnight, $10 w/costume; $20 without.

LIT: Did someone say free Scotch tasting? Enjoy a free tasting of Balvenie scotch with some light snacks, along with raffle prizes, as author Howard Miller celebrates the release of his book You’re Full of Shift, an inspiring collection of stories that show how difficult situations can be shifted to positive opportunities. Musician Shelley Kutliek will also sing from her debut release, Resolution, which combines the genres of pop, jazz, blues and bossa nova.

The first 30 attendees are promised nifty canvas book bags, courtesy of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association. And even if you don't meet anyone interesting you'll have a great book or two to curl up with that night.

Although some claim to dislike local scribe Dave Eggers -- probably because he is successful, something writers and alleged writers hate like holy hell -- you should read his new book. It's a work of nonfiction. And it's heavy-ish. It's called Zeitoun. What's it about? Well, it involves a Syrian-American man. And hurricane Katrina. And probably some super sad stuff. But why listen to us when Amazon's product description can explain it to you better.

VARIETY: The Rumpus and Kink.com host a Sex, Music, Comedy Night with Jill Sobule, co-sponsored by The Center for Sex and Culture. The evening includes readings and performances from sex worker authors Zak Smith, Kirk Read, Michelle Tea, Lorelei Lee, and Madison Young (NSFW), comedy by Los Angeles based comedian Kyle Kinane, a short film by Wholphin, and music by Sig Hafstrom and special guest Jill Sobule.

LIT: Novella Carpenter, author of Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, will be on hand to discuss her adventures with raising chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, a beehive, rabbits, and pigs in her Oakland garden (not all at the same time).

SING-ALONG: Join San Francisco's favorite film critic (and SFist Brock's) Jan Wahl in a Castro Theater-style sing-a-long of the world's most famous "shtetl" musical, Fiddler on the Roof. Shtetl fashion is encouraged.

COMEDY: SF Sketchfest presents San Francisco-based comedy troupe Kasper Hauser for a special one-night show celebrating the release of their book, Weddings of the Times, a parody of the New York Times wedding announcements, complete with helpful wedding tips and lists, including first aid for guests who have been attacked by a shark. The group will start off the show with a live sketch performance, followed by a reading from the book. There will also be a Q&A and book signing moderated by Beth Lisick.

ART: Greg Gossel will exhibit his new collection of appropriated pop culture imagery ranging from pulp novels, romance comics, political references, and fallen icons of the 20th century. His pieces are large-scale multimedia works involving silkscreen, experimental Xerox copy and transfers, as well as various found billboard scraps and signage. The raw nature of the collection builds upon the surfaces with rich depth, paint, print and collage. Tonight is the opening reception, and the show runs through July 7.

MUSIC: Sugary yet melancholic Scottish indie-poppers Camera Obscura, lead by angelic crooner Tracyanne Campbell, will entrance the Fillmore tonight. Lovely, vintage cabaret-inspired, all-female trio Agent Ribbons opens.

ART: Peruse art and enjoy food and drink specials at dozens of venues (including free dessert at Metro Kathmandu!), as part of the Divisadero Art Walk. 6 p.m. // Divisadero Street (from Haight St to Geary Blvd) // free MUSIC: Another Hole in the Head Film Festival, which starts tomorrow night, is having an arena rock-themed Launch Party extravaganza tonight. Local band Live Evil performs as Spinal Tap! Plus The Godz of Rock and live stage versions of ‘80s hair metal videos.

Litquake is celebrating their 10th anniversary tonight with a fundraiser called, "Cocktails with Canin." Author Ethan Canin, who is currently promoting the paperback release of his epic novel, America America, which was described by the late John Updike as “a complicated, many-layered epic of class, politics, sex, death, and social history,” will be sharing cocktails and conversation onstage with former San Francisco Chronicle book editor Oscar Villalon and the audience.

LIT: Canteen magazine, which was edited and launched in San Francisco, is celebrating their fourth issue and the new semester of canTeen, their creative writing tutoring and publishing program in Harlem. Canteen asks accomplished writers to reveal their creative process, and they pair that insight with the best new work in fiction, poetry, art, and photography—all designed to look more like a fine art book than a dusty journal.

BENEFIT: The Eighth Annual Cabaret to Fight AIDS features the Company members of the San Francisco production of Wicked, including Kendra Kassebaum, Natalie Daradich, and Angel Reda. The cast will perform favorites from Broadway and off-Broadway musicals, pop songs, standards, and country tunes. Sean Ray directs, and Donna Sachet will host.

Today, beat-ish scribe Diane di Prima was named the fifth Poet Laureate of San Francisco. Here she is back in the day reading something she wrote. Di Prima is wearing a lovely white, lace blouse, successfully capturing a natural, casual insouciance we don't see nearly enough of these days. A west coast-Ralph Lauren-stoned on the compound look, if you will. That is to say, she looks stunning.

FILM: Bring your bike, a cushion/blanket, and a radio for the Disposable Film Festival's first ever bike-in screening (as opposed to a drive-in). Immediately following the movie, there will be a party inside the Good Hotel, hosted by the SF Bay Guardian, which will celebrate the release of their Bike to Work issue, and there will be a bike valet by the trusty SF Bicycle Coalition.

OK, we know it's no longer cool to coo over Google's logos anymore -- we're sure most of you would prefer a post on the series finale Battlestar Galactica, a show we simple can't watch for it contains neither Patti Stanger nor Candy Finnigan -- but today's we couldn't resist. In honor of the book's 40th anniversary, Google is giving it up for The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Next to The Divine Comedy and Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the most important piece of literature. It tells the tale of a starving caterpillar who, after consuming and consuming and consuming and consuming, turns into a beautiful butterfly.