We’ll be posting new photos and recordings and event reports soon. But first….a little desperately needed sleep.

Ssssssh!

Also on deck for Saturday, the debut of our “Art of…” author discussion series at Z Space, with The Art of the Mystery at 1 pm, The Art of Short Fiction at 2:30, and The Art of the Novel at 4 pm. Admission just $5 for each session

Not on the official schedule but something well worth a visit is An Afternoon of Soccer Culture at Edinburgh Castle Literary Pub, featuring New York Times bestselling author Simon Kuper reading from his new book The Soccer Men. Free admission, with book sales by Green Apple. Hosted by soccer fiend and inaugural Litquaker Alan Black, with classic footie matches on the big screen!

And of course Saturday night the festival closes with the amazing, ludicrous, outrageous, all-encompassing Lit Crawl, the granddaddy of all literary pub crawls, now grown to 450 authors in 80 events, starting at 6 pm. Joining the Lit Crawl this year is the inaugural Book Bar—a mobile, interactive installation created by artists Michael Crane, James Gregg, and Christopher Treggiari, which will be conducting live interviews with authors, artists, and musicians throughout the madness.

Thanks for attending all of the events thus far, and for your support throughout. We’ll see you somewhere in the swarm!

Fantastic crowds at all the Wednesday and Thursday events. Reports from producers are still coming in but here are a few highlights…The Barbary Coast Award tribute to Ishmael Reed rocked the Z Space theater with amazing readings and music, and closed with California poet laureate Al Young singing the classic Billie Holiday/Frank Sinatra tune “We’ll Be Together Again,” accompanied by Ishmael on piano, backed by the Broun Fellinis (pictured).

Our onstage conversation with Chelsea Handler and Litquake co-founder Jane Ganahl packed the Z Space to the rafters, for a funny and revealing evening that yielded lots of book sales, and many hilarious lines, including Chelsea’s admission: “I get in at least one food fight every day.”

People were riveted to the Iranian writers panel at the Main Library’s Koret Auditorium, and audience Q&A was so interesting it ended up finishing out in the lobby…Nearly 300 people jammed into the Beatbox for Litquake’s edition of the Literary Death Match, with Simon Rich (pictured) emerging victorious…The Stories on Stage drew nearly a full house at the Delancey Street Screening Room, with actors reading from riveting stories by Jennifer Egan, Melanie Rae Thon, and Ann Packer, who even brought her mom along!…And our daytime Kidquake events at the Main Library were packed both days with engaged and interested children listening to authors and doing workshops. One teacher evaluation describes what her class liked most: “Meeting a real-live author and hearing about their lives.”

Still on the Horizon!

Friday’s select highlights come courtesy of Stella Artois beer, which was left backstage on Wednesday by the Broun Fellinis  and has now been properly utilized and consumed…Crime fiction authors from Sweden and Norway convene for Nordic Noir: A Dark and Stormy Night of Scandinavian Crime Fiction, at 8 pm at the Swedish American Hall, hosted by Eddie Muller. Tickets are selling fast, just $12 at the door, and $10 if you buy online, advance sales end at 4 pm.

Our Teenquake programming roars back tonight with two separate events at Z Space. The Word for Word theater company performs a staged reading of selections from acclaimed YA author Jandy Nelson’s The Sky Is Everywhere at 6:30 pm, and the Teenquake Writing Awards show starts at 8 pm, co-presented by Figment.com, with the Bay Area’s best teen writers receiving awards in four categories.

Tonga Books launches its first release tonight at 5:30 pm at Tosca Café in North Beach, with author Alexander Maksik (You Deserve Nothing), author and editor Alice Sebold (pictured; The Lovely Bones), critic Joe Fassler, and Europa Editions’ Michael Reynolds. Admission is free! (Note: Tonga Books was founded here in San Francisco at the Fairmont Hotel’s Tonga Room.)

Also tonight at Tres restaurant, 6 pm, is Numina Femenina: The Voice of the Feminine in Mexican Literature, with two top authors traveling from Mexico for the event, Carmen Boullosa and Pura López Colomé (pictured). Readings will be in Spanish with English translation, and admission is free!

Thanks for attending all of the events thus far, and for your support throughout. We’ll see you somewhere in the swarm!

Marketing/Development role requires attention to detail, some experience with social media, general computer knowledge, and good record-keeping skills. Any experience with video production would be an added bonus!

Production role requires love of a good party, willingness to schlep stuff around, ability to troubleshoot, and a love for troubleshooting and coming up with on-the-spot solutions to sudden event issues. Must be 21+ as many of our events serve alcohol.

If you’re interested in applying for either position, email ep@litquake.org with your qualifications and contact information. Be sure to identify which position interests you!