LITERARY: Intrepid literary journalist turned bona fide counterculture icon, Daniel Pinchbeck, celebrates the release of his highly anticipated Notes From The Edge Times, a collection of his most compelling writings on sex, money, beliefs, culture, and the looming question of 2012.

7 p.m. // City Lights Bookstore (261 Columbus Ave) // free

MUSIC: The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players opens its 40th season with Points in Recent History, fresh new music from France and Italy performed alongside classics from Cage (co-commissioned by the ensemble in 1988) and Glass (featuring William Winant and friends on flute, alto saxophone, bass clarinet, percussion, and two keyboards).

8 p.m. // Herbst Theater (401 Van Ness Ave) // $10-30

FILM: There are still a few more days to catch Howl, the film, which recounts the tumultuous life events that led a young Allen Ginsberg to find his true voice as an artist, society's reaction (the obscenity trial), and features mind-expanding animation that echoes the startling originality of the poem itself.

7 p.m. // Roxie Theater (3117 16th St) // $6