Long Live Litquake!
Like chowing down on fresh goodies at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market or celebrating in the Mission’s Day of the Dead procession, attending Litquake reminds me of all there is to love about the Bay Area. This San Francisco literary festival has been going strong for five years now, bringing together over 300 authors and thousands of rebel-rousing readers in dozens of jubilant community gathering events. Litquake thrills me because of its funloving and eccentric approach to traditional author readings. Events occur in bars, cafés, and other social venues throughout the city. Hosts and authors are often irreverent, conjuring up images of the serious librarian throwing her hair down and tearing her glasses off in a fit of literary passion.
This year, I was able to attend a few Litquake events. Anyone else want to share their experiences on our blog? Please let me know – comments and photos are welcome!
Here are my Litquake “moments of Zen”:
Barely Published Writers at The Hemlock Tavern
At first I had a “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore” moment, as I lost my way to this event, which was hidden in HT’s back room. Once I discovered the yellow brick road and a seat in the crowded room, I listened to the readings of many authors who could knock those ruby shoes off of Dorothy’s feet.
- Bethany Browning bedeviled us with her magical realism tale of an orphan girl in the rural Southwest.
- Brent Foster Jones’ clean and unfussy prose struck the audience as he read a powerful piece about a man’s forbidden love in the backdrop of New Orleans.
- Ed Waingortin spun a ferocious story of a young man’s brave attempt to swoon his high school crush through a 10-step plan to reaching Harvard Business School – the cowardly lion could learn from this guy!
Secrets: Told and Untold at Varnish Fine Art
I met up with my pal, Russ (aka, The Yoda of Rubik’s Cube Puzzles), at this art gallery/ bar/ special event space. The slashes don’t do Varnish Fine Art the justice it deserves – I am eager to return soon to this spacious, creative, and festive SOMA hangout. Drinks were poured and glasses clinked, as we listened to six authors serve up newly minted stories around the theme of a secret. From illicit affairs to ungodly rumors, the skeletons were flying out of the closet on this night!
Generations: Writing Women’s Lives at The Bubble Lounge
My friend, Jeana, and I had to wait in line and fight for seats at this packed event. Once the punch throwing and hair pulling were out of the way, we reclined on our comfy cushions and eagerly awaited the nights’ reading. And the wait was worth it! I was guffawing uncontrollably during more than one author’s readings. Beth Lisick’s rantings about her recent exploration of the self-help fitness world, a lá spandex-wearing curly haired Richard Simmons, convinced me I had to buy her book, “Everybody Into the Pool” before the end of the night. No slouch either, Kim Wong Keltner’s punchy ravings about breastfeeding her first child made me thrilled to be a part of this “softer” gender. The eight women in total who read that night shared a striking portrait of what issues almost all women seem to relate to, no matter what generation they happen to presently belong to.