Same Page SF | Stairway walks, the art of bookmaking, and a resonant memoir
Plus, not your average launch party
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 write Same Page to publicize and signal-boost author events, book clubs, and new releases happening across our city.
It’s another great week to be a reader in San Francisco. Here’s what you’ll want to attend if:
1) You relate to the disorientation of loss
Sloane Crosley on Grief is for People at Booksmith. Tuesday 3/25, 7pm, free (registration requested).
In 2019, Sloane Crosley’s July went from bad to far worse: first her apartment was broken into, the thief absconding with her grandmother’s jewelry. Then her mentor-turned-friend died of suicide. Both shattered her sense of security and, together, became the focus of her bestselling memoir Grief is for People, which Publishers Weekly called an “aching meditation on loss and friendship … a must-read” (I agree). She’ll be in conversation with R. O. Kwon for its paperback release.
2) You’re looking for a local and literary workout
Mary Burk on Stairway Walks in San Francisco at Green Apple Books on the Park and via Zoom. Wednesday 3/26, 7pm, free.
Stairway Walks in San Francisco has been the urban adventurer’s go-to since 1984. Four decades later, the 10th edition boasts a comprehensive list of our city’s 700+ stairways, featuring new walks and tweaks to classic favorites. Join Mary Burk - software systems consultant turned stairway aficionado - to discuss and celebrate. (And if you’re looking to spend even more time exploring San Francisco, the SFPL is offering a free North Beach walking tour Saturday!)
3) You’re (still) wondering how Oakland explains the world
Launch party for The Pacific Circuit at Bloc15 (Oakland). Thursday 3/27, 7pm, $24-48.
Last week’s most-clicked link was for Alexis Madrigal’s The Pacific Circuit, a “glorious, gripping urban history” (Rebecca Solnit) of Oakland as a microcosm of the global economy, so I’m especially excited to share the official launch party. The KQED Forum host will be interviewed by Jenny Odell (How To Do Nothing), and there will be conversations with longshoremen, drinks, and a DJ’d dance party. Not your average book event!
4) You’re intrigued by the art of bookmaking
Behind the Book: The Making of Fables of Aesop at Mechanics’ Institute. Thursday 3/27, 6pm, $15 for non-members.
Join the Arion Press team for a talk on the art of bookmaking and expert craftsmanship. Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, contributed “modern morals” to their latest publication Fables of Aesop; he’ll be moderating a conversation on behind-the-scenes production, design decisions, and the historical significance of Aesop as the second most printed book in the English language.
5) You’re wondering what happened to California’s high-speed rail (and other infrastructure projects)
Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson on Abundance via City Arts & Lectures. Thursday 3/27, 7:30pm, $20 (virtual only).
Join coauthors Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson for a fireside-style chat about Abundance, their hotly anticipated (and debated!) progressive case for deregulation. Presented via City Arts & Lectures in partnership with Manny’s and The Long Now Foundation, in-person seats have been sold out for weeks, but they’ve added a virtual viewing option.
Also
MONDAY Meeting of Babes Who Book at Sour Cherry Comics | noam keim on their collection The Land is Holy at Green Apple Books on the Park
TUESDAY Australian restaurateur Ben Shewry on Uses for Obsession: A (Chef’s) Memoir at Omnivore | Launch party for Batman #158 H2SH at Mission: Comics & Art | Grotto Night at the Library via SFPL Zoom | Dr. Stacey Litam on Patterns That Remain, with a sound bath and collective healing workshop
WEDNESDAY Literary critic Adam Plunkett on Love and Need: The Life of Robert Frost’s Poetry at Book Passage | Singer-songwriter Dawn Silva on The Funk Queen: An Autobiography at City Lights | Litquake’s Evening with Kara Swisher is sold out, but tickets to her intimate meet-and-greet include access to the public event
THURSDAY Chandru Murthi on The Doctor from Madras at Bird & Beckett | Urban design critic John King, with former mayor Art Agnos, on Portal at Booksmith | Joshua Hammer on The Mesopotamian Riddle: An Archaeologist, a Soldier, a Clergyman, and the Race to Decipher the World's Oldest Writing at Book Passage | Josh Miele on his memoir Connecting Dots: A Blind Life at LightHouse for the Blind
FRIDAY KALW Open Mic Live!, with the winner to be broadcast on KALW 91.7 FM
SATURDAY Tapped-In Magazine Exhibition and Book Fair presented by the Returning Citizens Association at SFPL Main | Launch party for Julia Garbe’s graphic novel Cloud Turtles at Silver Sprocket | Food demo and book-signing with Peter Som for Family Style: Elegant Everyday Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage at Book Passage
SUNDAY Professor Dennis E. Desjardin on California Mushrooms: The Comprehensive Identification Guide at SFPL Main
Book-adjacent gatherings
Not *about* books, but around them
💬 Manny’s is hosting Mayor Lurie for a conversation about his vision for the city and the plans and challenges ahead. In-person seats are almost sold out, but you can splurge on a pre-reception ticket ($74) or watch via Zoom ($8). Tuesday 3/25, 6pm.
🥮 Omnivore is welcoming Zoulé for a canelé pop-up. Preorder the delectably caramelized pastries in your favorite flavors - including coconut pandan, orange, and ginger turmeric - or just stop by! Saturday 3/29, 11am-1pm.
☕ In partnership with Flying Over Walls, Sour Cherry Comics is hosting the Tea 4 T Party, a fundraiser for incarcerated trans women. A full-price ticket is $15 and includes all-you-can-drink tea, plus snacks and a sticker; you can also show support by writing a postcard. Saturday 3/29, 3-5:30pm.
Let’s keep Same Page going, together.
Did you reach the end of this issue and think, wow, Same Page must be a lot of work!?
It is! Same Page is a labor of love, but it’s still a labor - one that requires time and focus. So I’m seeking 200 paid subscribers by July to make it sustainable.
For $5/mo or just over $1/issue, paid subscribers get weekly book recommendations, priority access to giveaways, and sneak peeks for events likely to sell out. (Founding subscribers also get personalized book suggestions on request!)
THANK YOU to those of you who upgraded last week. I’m encouraged by your support and kind words.
I'm not generally a person who buys subscriptions [but] I’m consistently getting something out of it. So here's my first newsletter subscription! Obviously, I'm really enjoying these so far. Thanks for the care you put into curating them!
Thank you so much for the excellent newsletter -- it has connected me to some of my favorite books and book adjacent events in the city since moving in the fall! I really appreciate your efforts and decided it was high time to chip in to support them :)
If paying’s not feasible, it would mean a lot if you pass Same Page along to a bookish friend or two (or more, but let’s be real, we’re all introverts here).
As always, if you have a question to ask or an event to share, I’d love to hear from you! Reply to this email or find me at hello@samepagesf.com.
Cheers,
Christina
Book recommendations are my love language.
I’ve been revisiting older nonfiction to better understand *gestures wildly* how we got here, and why, and what can be done. I’ve found two books in particular wildly illuminating - and eerily prescient.
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