Litquake 2024

What would you call Amy Appelhans Gubser, who, at age 55, became the first-ever person to swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands (that’s 29.6 miles) through shark-infested waters? We’d call her one tough broad. Author Caroline Paul would agree. In her new book Tough Broad: From Boogie Boarding to Wing Walking—How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age, Paul combines vivid anecdotes with the latest science to relate how and why older women can and should lead healthier, more daring lives. Join these two adventurers for a lively conversation—prepare to be inspired! FREE, $10-15 suggested donation
Book sales for this event coordinated by Clio's.

Part of Litquake’s Words Around the WorldSponsored by NORLA Norwegian Literature Abroad and Center for the Art of Translation/Two Lines Press

A single mother forgets her son’s birthday. A theology student excavates the past. A woman reminisces on her marriage, as her cancer-stricken husband enters his final months of life. The work of National Book Award finalist and 2019 PEN Translation Prize winner Hanne Ørstavik explores an ever-evolving theme of complex love, and how it can be intertwined with insecurity, fear, and self-discovery. Ørstavik will revisit her English-translated books Ti Amo, The Pastor, and her literary breakthrough Love, plus a sneak peek of her latest novel—not yet published in the United States—Stay With Me. Join the author in conversation with Stanford doctoral fellow Kristin Keane about the recurrent exploration of love throughout Ørstavik’s 30-year literary career. FREE, $10-15 suggested donation
Book sales for this event coordinated by Telegraph Hill Books.

Take a midweek pause, find stillness, and bask in the words of four phenomenal poets, whose verses will soar to the vaulted ceiling in magnificent Grace Cathedral. A. Van Jordan (When I Waked, I Cried to Dream Again), Dorianne Laux (Life on Earth), Ruben Quesada (Brutal Companion), and Alice Templeton (The Infinite Field) will read work from their latest collections, in one of Litquake’s most beloved annual events, curated by D.A. Powell and Preeti Vangani. FREE, $10-15 suggested donation
Book sales for this event coordinated by Green Apple Books.