Events

All of our events and programs are supported and hosted by the City Lights Foundation, dedicated to sustaining a vibrant community of readers, writers, and independent thinkers. Click on the listings below to learn more about each event, and sign up here to receive our weekly calendar!

Calendar of Events

Judith Butler in conversation with Maggie Nelson

Thursday, March 28, 2024, 6:00 pm PST (Event Passed)

Judith Butler in conversation with Maggie Nelson

Judith Butler discusses their new book - Who's Afraid of Gender? - published by Farrar Straus Giroux - To attend this event visit this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86968412269-  No registration required.

Virtual
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The Outspoken and the Incendiary: A Literary Celebration of the Life and Work of Terry Bisson

Saturday, March 30, 2024, 7:30 pm PST

The Outspoken and the Incendiary: A Literary Celebration of the Life and Work of Terry Bisson

City Lights, Locus Magazine, and PM Press celebrate the life and work of Terry Bisson - MC'd by Ramsey Kanaan and Peter Maravelis with Diana Block, Peter Coyote, Karen Joy Fowler, Jonathan Lethem, Nick Mamatas, Kim Stanley Robinson, Rudy Rucker, and Carter Scholz - Admission $15.00

Offsite
Event
Roberto Harrison with Julien Poirier

Wednesday, April 3, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Roberto Harrison with Julien Poirier

City Lights celebrates No.23 in the Spotlight Poetry Series Isthmus to Abya Yala - By Roberto Harrison - Published by City Lights Books

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Flor y Canto – First Fridays in Kerouac Alley

Friday, April 5, 2024, 5:00 pm PST

Flor y Canto – First Fridays in Kerouac Alley

City Lights and Flor y Canto present Josiah Luis Alderete, Lourdes Figueroa, Norman Antonio Zelaya, and María Guerrero

Offsite
Event
Susannah Fox

Monday, April 8, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Susannah Fox

City Lights and The MIT Press celebrate the publication of Rebel Health: A Field Guide to the Patient-Led Revolution in Medical Care - by Susannah Fox - Published by The MIT Press

Virtual
Event
Deborah Taffa

Tuesday, April 9, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Deborah Taffa

Deborah Taffa in conversation with Dean Rader celebrating the publication of Whiskey Tender: A Memoir - By Deborah Taffa - published by Harper Collins

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ALTA Issue 17 Party / Tayi Tibble with Forrest Gander, Sylvia Brownrigg, Rebecca Goldstein, and Rafael Musa

Thursday, April 11, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

ALTA Issue 17 Party / Tayi Tibble with Forrest Gander, Sylvia Brownrigg, Rebecca Goldstein, and Rafael Musa

City Lights joins ALTA Journal to celebrate its 17th issue! Tayi Tibble reads from her new collection of poetry Rangikura: Poems, published by Alfred A Knopf - to be joined by Forrest Gander, Sylvia Brownrigg, and ALTA Crossword constructors Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa

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Amy Lyford with Jennifer L. Shaw

Saturday, April 13, 2024, 1:00 pm PST

Amy Lyford with Jennifer L. Shaw

City Lights in conjunction with the Gallery Wendi Norris and Reaktion Books present Amy Lyford in conversation with Jennifer L. Shaw discussing the life and work of Dorothea Tanning - celebrating the publication of Exquisite Dreams: The Art and Life of Dorothea Tanning - by Amy Lyford - published by Reaktion Books

Offsite
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Elwin Cotman in conversation with Lisa D. Gray

Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Elwin Cotman in conversation with Lisa D. Gray

Elwin Cotman reads from Weird Black Girls: Stories published by Scribner

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Ana Raquel Minian

Thursday, April 18, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Ana Raquel Minian

Ana Raquel Minian discusses her new book In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States - Published by Viking

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CAConrad and Lisa Jarnot

Tuesday, April 23, 2024, 12:00 pm PST

CAConrad and Lisa Jarnot

City Lights and Wave Books present CAConrad and Lisa Jarnot reading from new work - CA Conrad celebrates the publication of Listen to the Golden Boomerang Return published by Wave Books - Lisa Jarnot celebrates the publication of Four Lectures also published by Wave Books

Virtual
Event
Greg Sarris in conversation with Blaise Zerega

Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Greg Sarris in conversation with Blaise Zerega

City Lights, ALTA Journal, and Heyday Books celebrate the publication of The Forgetters: stories - by Greg Sarris - published by Heyday Books

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Joel Gion / In the Jingle Jangle Jungle

Thursday, April 25, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Joel Gion / In the Jingle Jangle Jungle

City Lights in conjunction with Rare Bird Lit present Joel Gion celebrating the publication of In the Jingle Jangle Jungle: Keeping Time with the Brian Jonestown Massacre - published by Rare Bird Lit

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Voluptuous Life: A Tribute to the Life and Work of Mel Gordon

Saturday, April 27, 2024, 11:00 am PST

Voluptuous Life: A Tribute to the Life and Work of Mel Gordon

City Lights, Morbid Curiosity, and Strange Attractor Press present an afternoon in appreciation of the life and work of Mel Gordon - Moderated by Joanna Ebenstein and Peter Maravelis with Maer Ben-Yisreal, Russell Blackwood, Ati Citron, J. Hoberman, La Pustra, Mark Pilkington, Jill Tracy, Christina Ward, and others tba - In celebration of the posthumous publication of Cabarets of Death: Death, Dance and Dining in Early Twentieth-Century Paris - by Mel Gordon - Edited by Joanna Ebenstein - Published by Strange Attractor Press

Virtual
Event
Angela Garcia

Tuesday, April 30, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Angela Garcia

City Lights and Farrar, Straus, Giroux celebrate the launch of The Way That Leads Among the Lost: Life, Death, and Hope in Mexico City's Anexos - By Angela Garcia - Published by Farrar, Straus, Giroux

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Paul Yamazaki in conversation with Oscar Villalon

Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Paul Yamazaki in conversation with Oscar Villalon

City Lights and Ode Books celebrate the publication of Reading the Room: A Bookseller's Tale - By Paul Yamazaki, (Foreword by Rick Simonson) - Published by Ode Books

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Jakuta Alikavazovic in conversation with Anna Wiener

Thursday, May 2, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Jakuta Alikavazovic in conversation with Anna Wiener

City Lights, Fern Books, Center for the Art of Translation, and Villa Albertine San Francisco celebrate the publication of Like a Sky Inside - by Jakuta Alikavazovic - translated from the French by Daniel Levin Becker - published by Fern Books

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A Nostalgia for English: Rethinking Language, Refiguring the Discipline

Monday, May 6, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

A Nostalgia for English: Rethinking Language, Refiguring the Discipline

City Lights in conjunction with Department of English/University of San Francisco, Department of English/Dominican University of California, Fordham University Press, and Stanford University Press present A Nostalgia for English: Rethinking Language, Refiguring the Discipline - Amy R. Wong in conversation with Christopher Rovee, moderated by Omar F Miranda - Free to the Public

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Rusty Morrison with Maw Shein Win

Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Rusty Morrison with Maw Shein Win

City Lights and Black Ocean Books present Rusty Morrison celebrating the launch of her new collection Risk - Published by Black Ocean

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Jordan Elgrably

Thursday, May 9, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Jordan Elgrably

Jordan Elgrably in conversation with Sarah AlKahly-Mills - City Lights celebrates the publication of Stories from the Center of the World: New Middle East Fiction - Edited by Jordan Elgrably - published by City Lights Books

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Debbie Hines

Saturday, May 11, 2024, 12:00 pm PST

Debbie Hines

City Lights and The MIT Press celebrate the publication of Get Off My Neck: Black Lives, White Justice, and a Former Prosecutor's Quest for Reform - by Debbie Hines -Published by The MIT Press

Virtual
Event
Zyzzyva Issue 127 Launch Celebration

Tuesday, May 14, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Zyzzyva Issue 127 Launch Celebration

Join City Lights in celebrating another fine issue from San Francisco's premier journal of letters - Moderated by Oscar Villalon with appearances by James Cagney, Rose Himber Howse, and Hannah Kingsley-Ma

Offsite
Event
Robert Mailer Anderson

Thursday, May 16, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Robert Mailer Anderson

City Lights and Fantagraphics celebrate the launch of My Fairy Godfather - Text by Robert Mailer Anderson - Illustrations by Jon Sack - published by Fantagraphics

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Neeli Cherkovski (CANCELLED)

Monday, May 20, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Neeli Cherkovski (CANCELLED)

It is with deep sadness and regret that we announce Neeli Cherkovski died on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. We hope to schedule an event in the near future which offers an appreciation of his work. Please keep your eye on our event calendar and social media for more details as they arise. City Lights expresses its condolences to Neeli's friends and family.

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K-Ming Chang

Tuesday, May 21, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

K-Ming Chang

City Lights and Coffee House Press celebrate the publication of Cecilia - by K-Ming Chang - Published by Coffee House Press

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Kit Schluter with Garrett Caples – Book Launch Party

Wednesday, May 22, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Kit Schluter with Garrett Caples – Book Launch Party

Kit Schulter celebrates the publication of Cartoons published by City Lights - and - Garrett Caples celebrates the publication of Proses: Incomparable Parables! Fabulous Fables! Cruel Tales! published by Wave Books

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Lindsey Dillon / Toxic City: Redevelopment and Environmental Justice in San Francisco

Wednesday, May 29, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Lindsey Dillon / Toxic City: Redevelopment and Environmental Justice in San Francisco

City Lights in conjunction with San Francisco Bay Chapter Physicians for Social Responsibility present Lindsey Dillon discussing her new book Toxic City: Redevelopment and Environmental Justice in San Francisco - published by University of California Press

Virtual
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Launch Party for Gil Cuadros’ MY BODY IS PAPER

Thursday, May 30, 2024, 7:00 pm PST

Launch Party for Gil Cuadros’ MY BODY IS PAPER

An evening with Kevin Martin, Rafael Pérez-Torres and Amy Scholder- City Lights celebrates the publication of My Body Is Paper: Stories and Poems - by Gil Cuadros (Edited by Pablo Alvarez, Kevin Martin, Rafael Pérez-Torres, and Terry Wolverton) - Foreword by Justin Torres - Published by City Lights Books

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Trevor Paglen in conversation with Anthony Downey

Wednesday, July 10, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Trevor Paglen in conversation with Anthony Downey

City Lights and Sternberg Press celebrate the publication of Trevor Paglen: Adversarially Evolved Hallucinations - by Trevor Paglen - Edited by Anthony Downey - Published by Sternberg Press/via The MIT Press

Virtual
Event
Chukwuebuka Ibeh in conversation with francesca ekwuyasi

Thursday, July 11, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Chukwuebuka Ibeh in conversation with francesca ekwuyasi

City Lights and Doubleday Books celebrate the publication of Blessings: a novel - By Chukwuebuka Ibeh - Published by Doubleday

Virtual
Event
Yanis Varoufakis

Tuesday, July 16, 2024, 12:00 pm PST

Yanis Varoufakis

City Lights and Melville House present Yanis Varoufakis discussing his new book Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism - published by Melville House

Virtual
Event
Erin McElroy / Silicon Valley Imperialism

Wednesday, July 17, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Erin McElroy / Silicon Valley Imperialism

The Anti-Eviction Mapping Project, City Lights, and Duke University Press present Erin McElroy in conversation with Chris Carlsson, Manissa M. Maharawal, Toshio Meronek, and Lisa Rofel celebrating the publication of Silicon Valley Imperialism: Techno Fantasies and Frictions in Postsocialist Times - By Erin McElroy - Published by Duke University Press

Virtual
Event
Poetry in the Age of Machine Intelligence

Saturday, July 20, 2024, 11:00 am PST

Poetry in the Age of Machine Intelligence

Black Ocean Books and City Lights celebrate the publication of I Create Like the Word: Poetry in the Age of Machine Intelligence - Curated by Jesse Damiani, promptcraft by Alexander Reben - Published by Black Ocean

Virtual
Event
Premal Dhari and Maria Hawilo / Dismantling Mass Incarceration

Monday, July 22, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Premal Dhari and Maria Hawilo / Dismantling Mass Incarceration

City Lights and Farrar Straus Giroux celebrate the publication of Dismantling Mass Incarceration: A Handbook for Change - Edited by Premal Dharia, James Forman Jr., and Maria Hawilo- Published by FSG Originals

Virtual
Event
Satsuki Ina in conversation with Brandon Shimoda

Tuesday, July 23, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Satsuki Ina in conversation with Brandon Shimoda

City Lights and Heyday Books celebrate the publication of The Poet and the Silk Girl: A Memoir of Love, Imprisonment, and Protest - By Satsuki Ina - Published by Heyday Books

Virtual
Event
DW Gibson / One Week to Change the World

Wednesday, July 24, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

DW Gibson / One Week to Change the World

City Lights celebrates the publication of One Week to Change the World: An Oral History of the 1999 WTO Protests - By DW Gibson - Published by Simon & Schuster

Virtual
Event
Bushra Rehman in conversation with May-lee Chai

Tuesday, July 30, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Bushra Rehman in conversation with May-lee Chai

Bushra Rehman and May-lee Chai discuss Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion - by Bushra Rehman - published by Flatiron Books

Virtual
Event
Daniel Borzutzky in conversation with Ricardo Alberto Maldonado

Wednesday, July 31, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Daniel Borzutzky in conversation with Ricardo Alberto Maldonado

City Lights and Coffee House Press celebrate the publication of The Murmuring Grief of the Americas - By Daniel Borzutzky - Published by Coffee House Press

Virtual
Event
Dinaw Mengestu in conversation with Eirinie Carson

Thursday, August 8, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Dinaw Mengestu in conversation with Eirinie Carson

City Lights and Alfred A Knopf celebrate the publication of Someone Like Us: A novel - By Dinaw Mengestu - Published by Alfred A Knopf

Virtual
Event
Dancing with the Dead: Red Pine and the Art of Translation

Sunday, August 11, 2024, 12:00 pm PST

Dancing with the Dead: Red Pine and the Art of Translation

The Roxie Theater together with City Lights, Copper Canyon Press, and the San Francisco Zen Center present Dancing with the Dead: Red Pine and the Art of Translation - A Film by Ward Serrill - Produced by Rocky Friedman - Tickets available through The Roxie Theater. Link to be posted soon.

Offsite
Event
Women & Psychedelics: A Panel Discussion

Tuesday, August 13, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Women & Psychedelics: A Panel Discussion

City Lights, Chacruna, and Synergetic Press celebrate the publication of "Women and Psychedelics: Uncovering Invisible Voices" - Edited by Erika Dyck, Patrick Farrell, Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Ph.D., Clancy Cavnar, Psy.D., Ibrahim Gabriell, and Glauber Loures de Assis, Ph.D. - Foreword by Kathleen Harrison - Published by Synergetic Press

Virtual
Event
Kate Gale with Helen Benedict and Denise Frost

Wednesday, August 14, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Kate Gale with Helen Benedict and Denise Frost

Celebrating the publication of Under a Neon Sun (Three Rooms Press), The Good Deed, and A Punishing Breed (Red Hen Press)

Virtual
Event
Stacey D’Erasmo with R.O. Kwon

Monday, August 19, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Stacey D’Erasmo with R.O. Kwon

City Lights and Graywolf Press celebrate the publication of The Long Run: A Creative Inquiry - By Stacey D’Erasmo -published by Graywolf Press

Virtual
Event
Eugene Lim

Tuesday, August 20, 2024, 6:00 pm PST

Eugene Lim

City Lights and Coffee House Press celebrate the publication of a new edition of Fog & Car - by Eugene Lim - Published by Coffee House Press

Virtual
Event

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