Same Page SF | Culinary history, the business of nonfiction, and an emerging bookstore catalog
February 2-8, 2026
Welcome back to Same Page SF, your home for all things local and literary!
I’m Christina, your friendly, well-informed, and unabashedly nerdy bookseller. Each week, I share author events, book clubs, and new releases happening across our city.
I’ve been ruminating on the truth of what a friend said: we don’t need to feel empowered in order to act, we need to act in order to feel empowered. Last week, I was heartened and inspired by the many ways in which our local bookstores acted to support the nationwide ICE Out strike. Some, including City Lights, the Booksmith, Omnivore, and On Waverly, shut down in solidarity. Others, including Green Apple Books, Christopher’s, and Black Bird - where I work - remained open as a space for connection and mobilization, distributing resources like free whistles, ICE reporting pamphlets, and sign-making materials and/or donating proceeds (which many of the stores who closed did before and after, too).
Speaking of our city’s dazzling array of bookstores, I’m working on two projects to catalogue them. Slowly but surely, I’m building an interactive digital guide with store profiles containing their own content and Same Page reader insights - something like:
When it’s complete, you’ll be able to not only search for and map our city’s 40+ bookstores, but see them plotted them on dimensions like “Lovingly Cluttered” to “Carefully Curated” or “Dog Vibes” versus “Cat Vibes.”
Last summer, many of you took our bookstore survey and sang the praises of your favorite spaces. Thank you! To make this crowdsourced platform comprehensive, I’m looking for even more love - especially for our smaller, newer, and niche-r stores. Take two minutes to share what makes them special here.
(And if you’re a developer who wants to make this happen faster - please reach out!!)
On the analog front, stay tuned for a collaboration with a brilliant local illustrator for a hand-drawn map of San Francisco’s bookstores (!!!).
In the meantime, it’s another great week to be a reader in San Francisco. Here’s what you’ll want to do if:
1) You’re looking for a slim novel with big ideas
George Saunders on Vigil at Calvary Presbyterian. Monday 2/2, 7pm, $34 (includes book).
George Saunders, Booker Prize-winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo, is in town to celebrate his just-released Vigil. The tale of a spirit guide tasked with ushering an unrepentant oil CEO into the afterlife, Kirkus called it “a magnificent exploration of consciousness” in a starred review.
2) You’re curious about the business of books
Alia Hanna Habib on Take It From Me: An Agent’s Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch at Green Apple Books on the Park and live online. Wednesday 2/4, 7pm, free (RSVP requested).
Join agent/author Alia Hanna Habib for a talk about Take It From Me, which demystifies the world of nonfiction publishing. It incorporates advice from industry experts and her own star-studded list of clients - including Hanif Abdurraqib, Judy Batalion, Merve Emre, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Clint Smith, nbd - with real examples from their pitches and proposals.
3) You’re intrigued by Black culinary history
Evelyn Rose on What Mrs. Fisher Knew, and What We Know Now at Omnivore Books on Food. Thursday 2/5, 6:30pm, free.
Rediscovered at auction in 1984, What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking, Pickles, Preserves, Etc. is the second known cookbook published by an African American, and the first by a person who was formerly enslaved. Join community historian Evelyn Rose for a talk on the life of author Abby Fisher, who along with her husband Alexander and their 11 children migrated to San Francisco from Alabama in 1877.
4) You might have enough books will never have enough books
Friends of the SFPL Monthly Book Sale at 1630 17th Street. Friday 2/6 and Saturday 2/7, 12-5pm.
It’s that time again! Stop by the Friends Donation Center to browse thousands of books across genres, all generously marked down to under $5 - and if you’re a SFPL donor, an additional 10% off. I’ve collected a number of gems there over the years, and while I’ve done a remarkably good job adhering to my “one book in, one book out” New Year’s resolution, I may have to make an exception…
PS: As an irrepressible library enthusiast, I’ll take the opportunity to plug this hat. Not only is it cute and comfortable, it’s an excellent conversation starter!
5) You’re joining our book club
The Same Page x Black Bird Book Club is back! Our upcoming selection is The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera, “an epic story, a remarkable achievement” (NYT) about two sisters from El Salvador and their flight from genocide. We’ll meet to discuss this Sunday Feb 8th (7-8pm, free with RSVP). This apparently conflicts with the Super Bowl. Alas. (If it helps entice you away from the TV, three attendees will be randomly chosen to win a free early copy of our April selection!)
Next Sunday Feb 15, Gina will join us for an author talk and place-based writing workshop (7-8:30pm, $10 / $5 for paid subscribers - scroll for discount code). There’ll be snacks, tea, wine, nonalcoholic beverages, even live music - all you need to bring is your notebook! While this is a follow-on to book club, you don’t need to attend the discussion to join the workshop - you’re welcome for either or both.
Excited about one of this week’s features? Invite a friend to join you (or a full crew, but let’s be real, we’re all introverts here).
Book-adjacent events
🔤 The Letterform Archive is holding its monthly Font Friends hangout, a casual happy hour for type designers and anyone else with feelings about fonts. Thursday 2/5, 6-7:30pm, $10 suggested.
🎉 San Francisco Center for the Book is hosting a kick-off party for CODEX, the Oakland-based book art fair and symposium celebrating its tenth year. Friday 2/6, 6-9pm, donation-based entry.
🧈 Black Bird is welcoming the Butter Block Bakeshop for a pop-up featuring their nostalgic desserts with a modern twist. Elevated twinkies or caramel apple rice krispy treats, anyone?! Sunday 2/8, 10am-1pm.
Also
MONDAY —
TUESDAY Ralph Remington on Penetrating Whiteness: How White Supremacy Built America (Navigating The Landscape Of Racism, Sexism, And America’s Cultural Divide) at City Lights | Emmanuel Laroche on A Taste of Madagascar: Culinary Riches of the Red Island at Omnivore | Star Wars Night with Mike Chen of Low Red Moon and Kristin Baven of The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte at Books Inc. Barnes & Noble in the Marina
WEDNESDAY Mexican poet Jeannette L. Clariond and translator Forrest Gander on Even Time Bleeds: Selected Poems at City Lights | Regina Jackson of the East Oakland Youth Development Center on Unleashed Potential: How Youth Lead the Way to a Stronger Future at the Commonwealth Club | Meeting of the Black Bird Writing Club
Keep reading for the full Also section, including an open mic/potluck and a party for a “chronicle of girlhood.”
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