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.

The Event Season continues in September 2018...... City Lights will take a break from events for the months of July and August. We will resume events in September.		Gabriela Alemán City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, September 4, 2018, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of Poso Wells published by City Lights Books with special guests Mauro Javier Cardenas and Dick Cluster

Vanessa Hua in conversation with Lydia Kiesling City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, Sept 6, 2018, 7pm celebrating the release of A RIVER OF STARS and THE GOLDEN STATE		R.O. Kwon in conversation with Oscar Villalon City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, Sept 11, 2018, 7pm celebrating the release of The Incendiaries from Riverhead Books in conversation with Oscar Villalon

Ingrid Rojas Contreras City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, Sept 12, 2018, 7pm celebrating the release of her debut novel Fruit of the Drunken Tree from Random House		The Situationists and May 1968: An Evening with Ken Knabb City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, Sept 13, 2018, 7pm A discussion exploring the situationists' key influence on the nationwide May 1968 revolt in France

Margaret Randall City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, Sept 18, 2018, 7pm celebrating the release of Time's Language: Collected Poems from Wings Press		Peter Phillips City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018, 7:30 p.m. discussing the subject of his new book Giants: The Global Power Elite By Peter Phillips Introduction by William I. Robinson published by Seven Stories Press

Forrest Gander in conversation with Jonathan Santlofer (moderated by Susan Steinberg) City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018, 7pm celebrating two new books: Be With - by Forrest Gander - from New Directions Widower's Notebook - by Jonathan Santlofer - from Penguin		Eileen Truax in conversation with Lauren Markham (moderated by Ian Gordon) Mechanics' Institute Library, 57 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94104 (Admission : Public $10.00, Members FREE Tuesday, September 25, 6:30 pm discussing the subject of We Built the Wall: How the US Keeps Out Asylum Seekers from Mexico, Central America and Beyond by Eileen Truax (from Verso Books)

Preti Taneja City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018, 7 pm reading from her new debut novel We That Are Young published by Alfred Knopf		Léonora Miano City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018, 7 p.m City Lights in conjunction with the Cultural Services of the Consul General of France in San Francisco and Seagull Press present Léonora Miano in a special appearance

John Sims City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, October 4, 2018, 7:00 p.m. Multi-media conceptual artist, writer and activist visits City Lights to celebrate the release of his video poem chapbook, A Blazing Grace and the AfroDixieRemixes: The San Francisco Session		Voices of Witness @ City Lights City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, October 9, 2018, 7 pm celebrating the release of Six By Ten: Stories From Solitary Confinement published by Haymarket Books

Walter Mosley City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, October 11, 2018, 7:00 p.m. reading from his new novel John Woman published by Atlantic Monthly Press		John Freeman in conversation with Rebecca Solnit City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, 7:30 pm celebrating the release of Freeman's Literary Journal: POWER Issue published by Grove Press This event cosponsored by LITQUAKE

Preserving Fire: A meditation on the prose of Philip Lamantia City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, October 23, 2018, 7:00 p.m. with Garrett Caples and Friends		In Situ: Guy Debord, Raoul Vaneigem, and the Situationist Moment City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 7 pm with Donald Nicholson Smith with Anselm Jappe

Toward a Calculus of Transgression: Appreciating Jean Patrick-Manchette City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Sunday, October 28, 2018, 5:00 pm Donald Nicholson-Smith and James Brook discuss the life and work of the seminal genre-bending writer		Juliana Spahr City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, October 30, 2018, 7pm discussing the subject of her new book De Bois's Telegram : Literary Resistance and State Containment published by Harvard U. Press

The Residents City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, October 31, 2018, 7 pm signing copies of their new book The Brickeaters published by Feral House		Adam Hochschild City Light Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, November 1, 2018, 7:00 p.m. discussing the subject of his new book Lessons from a Dark Time and Other Essays published by University of California Press

Tim Mohr in conversation with Penelope Houston City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Monday, November 5, 2018, 7:00 p.m. Cosponsored by Rock & Roll Book Club of San Francisco in conjunction with City Lights and Algonquin Books celebrating the release of Burning Down the Haus: Punk Rock, Revolution, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall		Zyzzyva Election Night Extravaganza City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, November 6, 2018, 7:00 p.m. Hosted by Oscar Villalon with Nestor Gomez, Matthew Zapruder, Caille Millner, Dean Rader, Ismail Muhammad, Vanessa Hua, and D.A. Powell

George Albon City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, November 7, 2018, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of Lyric Multiples: Aspiration, Practice, Immanence, Migration from Nightboat Press		L.A. Kauffman City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, November 8, 2018, 7:00 p.m. discussing the subject of her new book How to Read a Protest: The Art of Organizing and Resistance published by University of California Press

Peter Nathaniel Malae in conversation with Alan Soldofsky City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Sunday, November 11, 2018, 5:00 p.m. celebrating the release of Son of Amity by Peter Nathaniel Malae - published by Oregon State University Press		Karen Finley City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 7:00 p.m. (opening statement by Amy Scholder) celebrating the release of Grabbing Pussy by Karen Finley published by OR Books

Celebrating the life and work of Lucia Berlin City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, November 14, 2018, 7:00 p.m. with Emily Bell, Jeff Berlin, Jim Nisbet, and additional special guests		Daniel Levin Becker on the Oulipo City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, November 15, 2018, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of All That is Evident is Suspect published by McSweeney's

Bill Berkson Tribute Sam Francisco Art Institute, 800 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, 94133 Saturday, November 17, 2018, 1:00 p.m. celebrating the release of Since When: A Memoir In Pieces By Bill Berkson published by Coffee House Press		Jeffrey Yang City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, November 27, 2018, 7:00 p.m. reading from new poetry and a new book: Hey Marfa: poems published by Graywolf Press

Kevin Killian City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, November 28, 2018, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of Fascination: Memoirs from Semiotexte		Eric Karpeles on Józef Czapski City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, November 29, 2018, 7:00 p.m. in conversation with Cynthia Haven celebrating the release of three new books from New York Review Books

Norma Cole with Steve Dickison : An Omnidawn Party City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, December 4, 2018, 7:00 p.m. celebrating the release of two new books of poetry Fate News by Norma Cole and Inside Song by Steve Dickison		George Lakey City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Wednesday, December 5, 2018, 7:00 p.m. discussing the subject of his new book How We Win: A Guide to Nonviolent Direct Action Campaigning from Melville House

Chaya Bhuvaneswar City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Thursday, December 6, 2018, 7:00 p.m. reading from her new book White Dancing Elephants from Dzanc Books		Roman Muradov City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco Tuesday, December 11, 2018, 7:00 p.m. presenting a polyphonic play of interconnected stories from the new book Vanishing Act from Fantagraphics Books

Michael Wall in conversation with Jonathon Keats Bar Fluxus, 18 Harlan Place, San Francisco, CA 94108, admission free, must be 21 and over Sunday, December 16, 2018, 5 p.m. discussing Alien Life, Antimatter, and Human Space Travel