Same Page SF | You'll never think about shade the same way 🌫️

Plus, an August sneak peek for paid subscribers

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 summarize and signal-boost author events, book clubs, and new releases happening across our city.

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Before we dive in, I’m working on an interactive guide to San Francisco’s independent bookstores - and I need your help! If you’ve got a favorite bookstore (or two, or three…), tell me about it.

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It’s another great week to be a reader in San Francisco. Here’s what you’ll want to do if:

1) You’re curious about an underrated resource 

Sam Bloch on Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource at Commonwealth Club. Tuesday 7/29, 5:30pm, $22+ (free for students). 

Shade was once a staple of civilization: cities were literally designed for it. But today, heatwaves have become our deadliest natural disasters, disproportionately harming those without the wealth to retreat into private air-conditioned spaces. Join environmental journalist Sam Bloch for a thought-provoking talk on Shade, which investigates the oft-overlooked resource through science, history, urban design, and social justice. 

2) You love a good “what if?” 

Jackie Thomas-Kennedy on The Other Wife at Green Apple Books on the Park and via Zoom. Wednesday 7/30, 7pm, free. 

Join local author Jackie Thomas-Kennedy for the launch of her novel The Other Wife. The debut follows 37-year-old Zuzu, whose stable if monotonous life is what she thought she wanted - but she’s increasingly haunted by the paths not taken, especially the lingering romantic connection with her college best friend. R. O. Kwon called it “tender, wise, and thoroughly compelling … teem[ing] with the complicated pleasures and desolations of longing.” 

3) You want to celebrate a homegrown musical legend 

It’s the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary, and there’s no shortage of commemoration celebrations! Most notably, Dead & Company is holding a concert series at Golden Gate Park - but if you couldn’t get your hands on a coveted ticket, you’ve got literary options. On Tuesday, Manny’s is holding a panel on the band’s legacy with in-the-know folks including Peter Richardson, author of No Simple Highway: A Cultural History of the Grateful Dead (6-7pm, $9+). And on Thursday, filmmaker Len Dell’Amico, one of the few non-band members welcomed into their inner circle, will discuss his memoir Friend of the Devil: My Wild Ride with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead at SFPL Main (6-7:30pm, free). 

4) You’re psyched about the reissue of a gay classic

The Butch Manual by the late Clark Henley at Green Apple Books on the Park and via Zoom.

Last year, “extremely loud and incredibly gay” writer and fellow SF bookseller Brendan McHugh focused his Brown-Handler residency on the late Clark Henley’s life and work, particularly his tongue-in-cheek Butch Manual. Now, thanks in large part to his efforts, the cult classic - copies of which sold for upwards of $500 on the used book market! - is back in print after more than 40 years. Join Brendan and fellow writers Julian Carter, Eric Sneathen, and Zoe Williams to celebrate.

5) You’re looking for a nourishing novella

Annalee Newitz on Automatic Noodle at Bethany United Methodist Church. Sunday 8/3, 3pm, free with RSVP.  

In partnership with Noe Valley Books, join beloved local sci-fi author Annalee Newitz for the launch of their new book Automatic Noodle. A cozy near-future novella about a crew of formerly deactivated robots who decide to open their own noodle shop, Booklist called it “heart (and stomach) warming … a hopeful, post-apocalyptic found-family tale” in a starred review. There’ll be lively conversation, audience Q&A, and a signing line.

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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).

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Let’s keep Same Page going, together.

Same Page is a labor of love, but it’s still a labor! I’m committed to continuing it as long as possible, but I need your help.

If you look forward to this newsletter each week - if you feel each issue nets you at least a dollar’s worth of value (and for both our sakes, I hope that’s true!) - upgrade if you’re able.

For $5/month, paid subscribers get full access to the ALSO section - a daily overview of everything local and literary that week - and BOOK-ADJACENT GATHERINGS, not to mention thoughtful recommendations and priority for giveaways. At the start of each month - like, right now! - you’ll also get a SNEAK PEEK of the events most likely to fill up or sell out.

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Also

MONDAY  Professor Mary Anne Trasciatti on Elizabeth Gurley Flynn: The Rebel Girl, Democracy, and Revolution via City Lights Zoom

TUESDAY  Silent Reading Party at The Booksmith, with proceeds towards La Raza Community Resource Center  |  Journalist Rebecca Grant on Access: Inside the Abortion Underground and the Sixty-Year Battle for Reproductive Freedom via City Lights Zoom

WEDNESDAY  Open Mic Night: Poets Reading the News at Black Bird | Magician Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller on his novel Felony Juggler via Book Passage Zoom