Same Page SF | This issue's got rizz (am I using that right?)
Plus: A DIY home repair manual, a psychological thriller, and two showcases.
Welcome back to Same Page SF, your friendly, well-informed, and spectacularly nerdy source for all things local and literary.
We’re rocketing through December, which means we’re starting to reach the end of event calendars. We’ll send our last newsletter of the year next week, and it’ll be short! So if you’ve been meaning to make it to a book discussion, author talk, writer showcase, or other literary gathering in 2023, now’s your best chance.
On that note, here are five things this week you’ll love if…
1) The words “basic home maintenance” strike fear into your heart
Mercury Stardust on Safe and Sound @ Strut, in partnership with Fabulosa Books. Friday 12/15, 7pm, free.
Join Mercury Stardust - aka the beloved Trans Handy Ma’am - to celebrate the release of Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair. She’ll be speaking and signing copies full of useful DIY knowledge, like how to fix a clogged sink and hang art that *won’t* collapse and take a shockingly large chunk of wall down with it (hope my landlord isn’t reading this). It’s free, but capacity is limited, so RSVP or show up early in hopes of snagging a seat!
2) You’re on the hunt for your next dark and twisty read
Alexis Soloski on Here in the Dark @ Book Passage Ferry Building. Tuesday 12/12, 5:30pm, free.
Hear from debut author Alexis Soloski, in conversation with Lily Janiak of the Chronicle, about her thriller Here in the Dark. The tale of a theater critic drawn into a game that blurs the line between reality and performance, BookTrip hailed it as “twisty, foreboding, addictive … the perfect noir.”
3) You value “the rich threads of literary culture that exist in the San Francisco Bay Area”
Quiet Lightning / Better Ancestors Book Launch @ Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. Thursday 12/14, 6:30pm, $12 (complimentary tickets available).
Celebrate three years of Better Ancestors, a quarterly showcase of local writers of color, supported by Quiet Lightning. Tickets include a book by the 2023 authors (and a free back issue of your choice), but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
4) You’re drawn to stories of survival
Black Lawrence Press at City Lights. Monday 12/11, 6pm, free.
Visit the Poetry Room at historic City Lights for readings by four authors at indie Black Lawrence Press. While each of them write in different styles, their work shares a common theme of survival: “In each of these women’s writing … there is something to be learned about how to carry on, even when it becomes unfathomably difficult.”
5) You’re passionate about art, political mobilization, and social change
Ken Grossinger on Art Works @ Manny’s. Thursday 12/14, 6pm, $15 (complimentary tickets available).
Hear Ken Grossinger, who’s spent decades as a strategist in movements for social and economic justice, interviewed by Favianna Rodriguez, president and co-founder of The Center for Cultural Power. They’ll discuss his new book Art Works: How Organizers and Artists are Creating a Better World Together, which documentarian and activist Ai Weiwei called “a rare manual for those who devote themselves to social change in times of crisis.”
✨Bonus: Book Club Bulletin
For folks who claimed their free copy of Priya Parker’s The Art of Gathering - thanks, SFPL! - and for anyone else who’d like to join, a friendly reminder that their book club is happening this Tuesday.
Bookish News
A sweet video of Ann Patchett waxing poetic (novelistic?) about a recommendation from Tee Minot of Christopher’s Books | If you’re looking for a venue for a holiday party, Adobe Books offers space for rent | Black Bird Bookstore and Cafe is hosting its final Open Mic of the year | Green Apple Books has the legitimately perfect gift for any book-loving swimmer in your life
Book-adjacent gatherings
Not *about* books, but around them
😋 Omnivore Books will hold two delectable pop-ups this Saturday 12/16, with baked goods from Blooms End from 10am-1pm and jams by pastry chef Emily Luchetti from 12-3pm. Come hungry!
💬 Manny’s will host Carla Short, the new director of the Department of Public Works, for a fireside chat on the state of San Francisco’s infrastructure and plans for 2024. Tuesday 12/12, 6:30-7:30pm. $15, with complimentary tickets available.
❄️ “Mingle and jingle” with local merchants during West Portal’s Holiday Stroll. Businesses will offer specials, discounts, and treats - everything at Bookshop will be 15% off! Tuesday 12/12, 4-8pm, free to participate.
Shelfie of the week
A snapshot featuring one of our beloved local bookstores or library branches
Last week’s shelfie featured a “Blind Date with a Book” at Book Castle; this week’s shows “Love at First Line” at The Booksmith, snapped during their festive After Dark event last Monday.
I’m curious which “mystery book” concept you like best! As a reminder, here’s last week’s snapshot of a Blind Date, the idea being you choose a book based on a few descriptors:
Personally, I’m pretty picky about my reading list … but as someone with *strong* opinions about prose (I can generally tell in the first few pages if an author’s writing style will work for me), I prefer Love at First Line!
If you enjoyed this newsletter, I’d be grateful if you’d let me know by sharing it with a bookish friend or two (or more, but let’s be real, we’re all introverts here).
And if you’re a regular reader who appreciates the labor that goes into this newsletter, please consider pledging your support! Ten percent of all pledges made through the end of the year will be donated to Books Not Bans and The Children’s Book Project.
Have an upcoming event you’d like me to include? Want to share an idea or ask a question? I’d love to hear from you! Just reply to this email or message me on Instagram.
Cheers,
Christina
Same Page SF
Book recommendations are my love language.
A bonus for those who reach the bottom: each week I’ll feature one book - sometimes more! - I’ve recently read and wholeheartedly loved.
Last week, the Oxford University Press announced their 2023 word of the year: “rizz,” Gen Z slang for charisma. I’m a proud logophiliac (I did warn you that I’m an unabashed nerd!), and I’ve always been fascinated by the way language evolves and how it both reflects and represents our culture.
So it’s no surprise that I love perusing The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig, a strange and delightful compendium of words for emotions and experiences we lack the language to express.
The words are made up (though some, like “sonder,” have inspired real-world branding), and there’s so much thought underlying each one - definitions, illustrations, etymologies. It’s whimsical, imaginative, and totally absorbing.
I’ve never failed to feel soothed and seen when I skim through The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows; even if the words aren’t real, the recognition is. It’s a cozy-blanket, mug-of-tea, hug-from-a-friend of a book.
These links will bring you to my Bookshop.org page, and I’ll earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase - but I’ll be delighted if you buy directly from one of our indie booksellers or borrow from the SFPL. If you do, please send me a note to let me know - it’ll make my day!
Hi! New subscriber - I just bought the dictionary of obscure sorrows from green apple thanks to your recommendation- thank you!