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.

Fall 2017 Events City Lights will take a break from events from July 1st until September 7th when the calendar will resume again		John Nichols City Lightas Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, September 6, 2017, 7:00 p.m. discussing Horsemen of the Trumpocalypse: A Field Guide to the Most Dangerous People in America from Nation Books

Ellen Ullman City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, September 7, 2017, 7:00 p.m. discussing her new book Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology published by MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux		Jarett Kobek Location: Offsite, Undisclosed, To Be Announced Monday, September 11, 2017, 7:00 p.m. will be curating a live action game in celebration of the release of two new books The Future Won't Be Long (from Viking) & Soft & Cuddly (from Boss Fight Books)

Ryan Gattis City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, September 12, 2017, 7:00 p.m. reading from his new novel Safe published by MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux		Daniel Kane City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, September 13, 2017, 7:00 p.m. discussing his new book Do You Have a Band?": Poetry and Punk Rock in New York City from Columbia University Press

Tongo Eisen-Martin San Francisco, CA: City Lights Bookstore Thursday, September 14th, 2017 Tongo Eisen-Martin celebrates the release of Number 61 in the Pocket Poets Series Heaven Is All Goodbyes published by City Lights Books.		Once and Future Planet: Plants, Water, and People. City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Sunday, September 17, 2017, 5:00 p.m. with Red Hen Press authors Florencia Ramirez, Pope Brock, and Karen Gettert Shoemaker

Karen Tei Yamashita City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of her new book Letters to Memory from Coffee House Press		Brontez Purnell City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, September 20, 2017, 7:00 p.m. appearing in person !!!!! author of Since I Laid My Burden Down: An uninhibited exploration of growing up gay in 1980s Alabama from Feminist Press

Francis Ford Coppola City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, September 21, 2017, 7:00 p.m. a reception and signing celebrating the release of Live Cinema and Its Techniques by Francis Ford Coppola published by Liveright Publishing		Matthew Zapruder City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of Why Poetry from Ecco Press

Josh Weil City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, September 27, 2017, 7:00 p.m. reading from his new novel The Age of Perpetual Light from Grove Press		Zoe Quinn City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, September 28, 2017, 7:00 p.m. discussing Crash Override: How Gamergate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life, and How We Can Win the Fight Against Online Hate from Public Affairs Books

Scott Esposito in conversation with Micheline Aharonian Marcom City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Sunday, October 1, 2017, 5:00 p.m. celebrating the release of The Doubles by Scott Esposito published by Civil Coping Mechanisms		LOGIC Magazine Release Party City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, October 12, 2017, 7:00 p.m. Litquake and City Lights present on the occasion of LITQUAKE 2017 A LOGIC MAGAZINE Release Party: SEX ISSUE

Jessica Bruder City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Sunday, October 15, 2017, 5:00 p.m. discussing the subject of her new book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century published by W.W. Norton		Eileen Myles City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Monday, October 16, 2017, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of Afterglow (a dog memoir) from Grove Press

Barry Gifford City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, October 24, 2017, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of The Cuban Club: Stories from Seven Stories Press		Tara Jepsen City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, October 25th, 2017, 7:00PM Tara Jepsen reading from Like a Dog published by City Lights Books

Chris Robé City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Sunday, October 29, 2017, 5:00 p.m. discussing his newly released book Breaking the Spell: A History of Anarchist Filmmakers, Videotape Guerrillas, and Digital Ninjas from PM Press		Cristina García City Light Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, November 1, 2017, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of Here In Berlin: A Novel from Counterpoint Press

Barbara Jane Reyes City Lights Booksellers, San Francisco Tuesday, November 7th 2017, 7:00PM Barbara Jane Reyes celebrates City Lights Spotlight Series No. 16, Invocation To Daughters. Reading together with David Brazil.		Jerome Rothenberg City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Monday, November 13, 2017, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of Technicians of the Sacred, Third Edition: A Range of Poetries from Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, Revised and Expanded, 50th Anniversary published by University of California

Daniel Alarcón City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, November 15, 2017, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of The King Is Always Above the People: Stories published by Riverhead Books		A.J. Lees on William S. Burroughs City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, November 28, 2017, 7:00 p.m. discussing his newly released book Mentored By A Madman: The William Burroughs Experiment published by Notting Hill Editions, distributed by New York Review Books

Sam Sax & D.A. Powell City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, December 7, 2017, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of Sam Sax's new poetry collection MADNESS published by Penguin Books