Founded in 1999 by local journalists Jane Ganahl and Jack Boulware, Litquake has hosted 11,000 authors for 293,000 attendees and distributed 13,000 free books to San Francisco schoolchildren. With over 225 literary partners, Litquake functions more than ever as an umbrella organization stitching together the Bay Area’s literary scene. The
Litquake Festival is the crown jewel of our annual programs. This 16-day-long festival typically includes about 100 events, features 400-500 authors, and maintains a cumulative audience of over 20,000 people. By deeply engaging with the Bay Area’s arts community, the festival is able to keep over 60% of the events completely free, while still offering stipends to a majority of our participants.
Our festival tracks include:
Litquake Out Loud - An annual curatorial program highlighting the Bay Area’s BIPOC & LGBTQ+ writers. 8 curators, armed with Litquake’s full event production resources, produce a vibrant, impactful two days of events at a large outdoor stage. These programs are 100% free.
Lit Crawl San Francisco - A one-night literary ‘pub’ crawl of anywhere from 40-80 events, each created in collaboration with an array of local arts organizations, universities, and writing groups with an emphasis on those who hail from and serve BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. These programs are 100% free.
Words Around the World – A two-day run of events highlighting works in translation and authors from abroad in an effort towards cultural cross-pollination, exploration, and discovery. These events are supported by consulates from around the world, translation presses, and the Center for the Art of Translation. These programs are 100% free.
Kidquake - Two days of in-person and virtual talks and meet-and-greets with a diverse array of children’s authors (100% BIPOC) paired with activities run by the Bay’s best interactive educators. Serving the Bay Area’s K-5 public schools students. These programs are 100% free.
Litquake Festival is the crown jewel of our annual programs. This 16-day-long festival typically includes about 100 events, features 400-500 authors, and maintains a cumulative audience of over 20,000 people. By deeply engaging with the Bay Area’s arts community, the festival is able to keep over 60% of the events completely free, while still offering stipends to a majority of our participants.
Our festival tracks include:
Litquake Out Loud - An annual curatorial program highlighting the Bay Area’s BIPOC & LGBTQ+ writers. 8 curators, armed with Litquake’s full event production resources, produce a vibrant, impactful two days of events at a large outdoor stage. These programs are 100% free.
Lit Crawl San Francisco - A one-night literary ‘pub’ crawl of anywhere from 40-80 events, each created in collaboration with an array of local arts organizations, universities, and writing groups with an emphasis on those who hail from and serve BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. These programs are 100% free.
Words Around the World – A two-day run of events highlighting works in translation and authors from abroad in an effort towards cultural cross-pollination, exploration, and discovery. These events are supported by consulates from around the world, translation presses, and the Center for the Art of Translation. These programs are 100% free.
Kidquake - Two days of in-person and virtual talks and meet-and-greets with a diverse array of children’s authors (100% BIPOC) paired with activities run by the Bay’s best interactive educators. Serving the Bay Area’s K-5 public schools students. These programs are 100% free.
Our Mission
Litquake’s diverse live programs are created with the aim of inspiring critical engagement with the key issues of the day, bringing people together around the common humanity encapsulated in literature, and perpetuating a sense of literary community, as well as a vibrant forum for Bay Area writing.
Litquake’s diverse live programs are created with the aim of inspiring critical engagement with the key issues of the day, bringing people together around the common humanity encapsulated in literature, and perpetuating a sense of literary community, as well as a vibrant forum for Bay Area writing.