Readings at the Bookstore

City Lights has an ongoing series of readings and events, usually at least one or two each week during the Winter, Spring, and Fall. Our online calendar is updated regularly, but if you want to be sure not to miss out on anything, be sure to sign up for our Newsletter to receive weekly updates on what's happening at the bookstore.

Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public and take place at City Lights Bookstore | 261 Columbus Avenue | San Francisco, CA 94133
For more information, call us at 415-362-8193 | Map & Directions

Subscribe on iTunes to our podcast series, Live From City Lights–broadcasting events & interviews from City Lights.

No events in July or August at the store event calendar resumes in September fall author appearances will include Susan Steinberg, Matthew Zapruder, Janaka Stucky, Isabel Tree, Mickey Huff, John Freeman, and more...		Mark Arax in conversation with Kit Rachlis City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, September 4, 2019, 7:00 p.m. discussing the subject of his new book THE DREAMT LAND: Chasing Water and Dust Across California published by Alfred Knopf This event cosponsored by California Sunday Magazine

Daniel Handler as Daniel Handler City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, September 5, 2019, 7:00 p.m. reading from his new novel Bottle Grove published by Bloomsbury Books		Re/Search celebrates the release of Issue 19: UNDERGROUND LIVING City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Sunday, September 8, 2019, 5:00 p.m. with V Vale and Rudy Rucker

Susan Steinberg City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, September 10, 2019, 7:00 p.m. reading from her debut novel Machine published by Graywolf Press		Jairus Grove in conversation with David Goldberg City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, September 11, 2019, 7:00 p.m. discussing the subject of Savage Ecology: War and Geopolitics at the End of the World from Duke University Press

Dobby Gibson & Matthew Zapruder reading new poetry City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, September 12, 2019, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of Father's Day - by Matthew Zapruder Little Glass Planet - by Dobby Gibson		Anna Merlan City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Sunday, September 15, 2019, 5:00 p.m. discussing the subject of her recently released book Republic of Lies:American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power from Metropolitan Books

Janaka Stucky City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, September 17, 2019, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of his new book Ascend Ascend from Third Man Books		Nolan Hidgon & Mickey Huff City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, September 19, 2019, 7:00 p.m. discussing the subject of their new book United States of Distraction: Media Manipulation in Post-Truth America (And What We Can Do About It) published by City Lights Books

Isabella Tree City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Monday, September 23, 2019, 7:00 p.m. discussing the subject of her new book Wilding:Returning Nature to Our Farm from New York Review Books		Catherine Flynn City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, September 26, 2019, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of her new book James Joyce and the Matter of Paris published by Cambridge University Press

John Freeman and Friends City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenus, San Francisco Tuesday, October 1, 2019, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of the latest issue of Freeman's Freeman's: California published by Grove Press		Maxim Osipov City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, October 2, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Reading excerpts from the new translation of his short fiction collection Rock, Paper, Scissors and other stories published by NYRB Classic Originals

Ian Brennan in conversation with David Harrington City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, October 3, 2019, 7:00 p.m. discussing the subject of Ian Brennan's new book Silenced by Sound: The Music Meritocracy Myth published by PM Press		Ian Haney López in conversation with Eva Paterson City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, October 9, 2019, 7:00 p.m. discussing the subject of his new book Merge Left: Fusing Race and Class, Winning Elections, and Saving America published by The New Press

Tales of the San Francisco Cacophony Society - Litquake 2019 City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Sunday, October 13, 2019, 5:00 p.m. with John Law and friends		Jeanette Winterson - Litquake 2019 Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California St, San Francisco, CA 94118 Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 7:00 p.m. in a special performance and booksigning for her new book *Frankissstein* published by Grove Atlantic Press

LOGIC MAGAZINE: print/ops - Litquake 2019 City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, October 16, 2019, 7:00 p.m. a roudtable about technology		The Velvet Underground Experience - Litquake 2019 City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, October 17, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Hat & Beard Press, the San Francisco Rock & Roll Book Club, and Litquake present an evening about The Velvet Underground

Gillian Conoley and Donna de la Perrière City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, October 22, 2019, 7:00 p.m. reading from new poetry		Benedicte Maurseth in conversation with David Rothenberg City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, October 24, 2019, 7:00 p.m. discussiing the subject of To Be Nothing: Conversations with Knut Hamre, Hardanger Fiddle Master published by Terra Nova Press/The MIT Press

Jarett Kobek City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, October 29, 2019, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of his new novel Only Americans Burn in Hell published by We've Heard You Like Books		Ramesh Srinivasan City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Sunday, November 3, 2019, 5:00 p.m. discussing his new book Beyond the Valley: How Innovators around the World are Overcoming Inequality and Creating the Technologies of Tomorrow Published by The MIT Press

Inside the Magnetic Fields:Surrealism @ 100 San Francisco and Berkeley, California Tuesday November 5 through Wednesday November 20 A festival of events celebrating the 100th anniversary of the emergence of Surrealism		Savannah Shange City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, November 19, 2019, 7:00 p.m. discussing the subject of her new book Progressive Dystopia: Abolition, Antiblackness, and Schooling in San Francisco from Duke University Press

Sunday, December 8th, 5pm San Francisco, CA: City Lights City Lights celebrates the publication of Forgotten Journey and The Promise by Silvina Ocampo, with translators Suzanne Jill Levine, Katie Lateef-Jan & Jessica Powell!		An evening with Kal Spelletich City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, December 10, 2019, 7:00 p.m. in conversation with Catharine Clark discussing his new project Significance Machines and Purposeful Robots