Litquake presented our second Barbary Coast Award to Tobias Wolff last night at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, in a stellar tribute that ranks as one of the most emotionally profound yet irreverent shows the festival has ever put together. Word for Word theater group started the night with a wonderful staged adaptation of the Wolff short story “Down to Bone,” set in a funeral home. We then took an absurd left turn with a “Tobias Code” slideshow by onetime Wolff students and professor/novelists Adam Johnson and Tom Kealey, who among other things, claimed that Wolff was actually a secret fan of Van Halen. More former students followed, all of them award-winning writers, with heartfelt and well-spoken words for their mentor. Apparently those who can – actually DO teach, after all. George Saunders described what it was like to actually move into Tobias Wolff’s house, and discover anti-Republican slogans scrawled in secret places. Stephen Elliott expressed his admiration for Wolff’s commitment to politics and fundraising. More deeply felt comments by Tom Perrotta, Tom Barbash, Ann Packer, and SF Film Festival director Graham Leggat. Our honoree sheepishly accepted his award with brief but well-placed thoughts, everyone enjoyed a brief reception which then moved over to the W Hotel, and god knows how long that continued. (Photos by Cynthia Wood)

Last night’s reading with Poetry Flash filled up Grace Cathedral to overflowing, with some people even sitting on the limestone floors of the church. California Poet Laureate Al Young sang some doo-wop, and hummed a few bars of “April in Paris.” U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan read many of her poems twice because they’re so short, and read the last two by opening the book to a random page. The Bay Area showcased our diversity in the crowd, with one high school class driving all the way from Vallejo just to attend. By all accounts, an amazing evening of both famous and lesser-known writers.

Tonight, Wall Street Journal correspondent Leslie Chang appears at Book Passage to discuss her new book Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China. China has more than 114 million migrant workers, which represents the largest migration in human history. Chang tells the story of these workers primarily through the lives of two young women, whom she followed over the course of three years. She shows how this mass migration is transforming our world as much as the immigration to America a century ago. This is the Book Passage store at Embarcadero, event starts at 6 p.m. and is free.

Tickets for the Raj Patel event on Friday night at the California Academy of Sciences are still available – with a unique twist. You must use a telephone to buy them. Writer, activist and academic Patel will be in conversation with Molly Watson, discussing his new book Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System. The Academy is located in Golden Gate Park, admission is $20, or $17 for members. To purchase over the phone, call 888-670-4433 and follow the instructions for reservations, select option 2, then option 1.

Also on Friday, the now-annual Litquake women’s night presents “Elizabeth Bennet Lives: Fabulous Femmes of Fiction.” Sink into comfortable sofas with a glass of champagne and hear tales of strong and fearless female characters, with a nod to Jane Austen’s greatest heroine. This also marks the first-ever Litquake appearance by Diane Johnson! Wily lit fans will remember to get there early, because this event always attracts a line around the block. At the Bubble Lounge in North Beach, 714 Montgomery Street, show starts at 5 p.m., admission is free, a $5-$10 donation is suggested.