San Francisco Bay Guardian

Cheryl Eddy

09/17/03

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THAT 3. 9 magnitute dish-rattler a few weeks back is small potatoes compared to what’ll be rocking the city this weekend: the Litquake literary festival. Bigger than the 2002 inaugural fest, this year’s four-day celebration of poetry and prose boasts the participation of more than 70 authors reading at variously themed events. Litquake kicks off with “Creative Demons: Writers Behaving Badly,” a discussion covering an array of topics ” such as why San Francisco leads the nation in both book sales and alcohol consumption. Hit the bars to explore that fun fact firsthand at Friday night’s “Loudmouths of Lit” reading, with Alan Black, Justin Chin, Daphne Gottlieb, Regina Louise, Beth Lisick, and Tim’m T. West; and Saturday night’s “Tenderloin Temblor,” which brings out JT LeRoy, Peter Plate, Kevin Smokler, Michelle Tea (a Bay Guardian contributor), and Irvine Welsh. Like your lit outdoors (and free)? Head to the grassy Yerba Buena Gardens for “Off the Richter Scale,” two days packed with 10-minute readings by local wordsmiths.

Through Sun/21. “Creative Demons” Thurs/18, 7:30 p.m. (reception 6:30 p.m.), Mechanics’ Institute Library, 57 Post, S.F. $5. (415) 393-0100; “Loudmouths of Lit” Fri/19, 7 p.m., Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St., S.F. $5-$10. (415) 647-2888; “Tenderloin Temblor” Sat/20, 9 p.m., Edinburgh Castle Pub, 950 Geary, S.F. $5-$10. (415) 885-4074; “Off the Richter Scale” Sat/20-Sun/21, noon-6 p.m., Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission between Third and Fourth Sts., S.F. Free. (415) 543-1718. www.litquake.org .(Cheryl Eddy)