This Weekend
As SFist noted last week, SF Sketchfest starts on Thursday! The list of performers is endless. Let us name just a few: Candice Bergen, Dan Aykroyd, Michael Ian Black, Thomas Lennon, Kristen Schaal, Peaches Christ & Cloris Leachman, Maria Bamford, Eugene Mirman, Rachel Harris, Neil Patrick Harris... Runs through February 5.
Next Week
It's a great month for aspiring writers. Last night we had the Get Your Book Published This Year! seminar at the library, and next Thursday the 20th is Pitchapalooza at Booksmith, featuring cute, bespectacled literary dynamos Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry. Pitch your book in one minute to an impressive cast of publishing experts, including NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty and Laura Mazer of Soft Skull. The winner gets connected with an agent appropriate to their style.
Beyond
The literary fun continues into February with the titillating Literary Speed Dating at San Francisco Public Library. The straight folks' party will be on the 1st and LGBT on the 2nd. Bring a book you love, hate, or just want to talk about as an ice-breaker and mingle with prospective dates in 4-5 increments. (Hmm, if we were single, we'd be dusting off our Infinite Jest. We kid. It's way too heavy to carry on Muni.)
February is a good month for legendary bands playing relatively intimate venues. The Church will be at Great American on February 4th for their "Future Past Perfect US Tour 2011," in which they will perform three classic albums: Untitled #23, Priest=Aura, and Starfish entirely in one night. Sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime show. Motorhead will be at The Warfield on February 2, followed by Social Distortion on the 3rd and 4th.
