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WEDNESDAY 16
Lyrics and Dirges Reading Pegasus Downtown, 2349 Shattuck, Berk. www.pegasusbookstore.com. 7:30 – 9 p.m., free. Spirit yourself away to Berkeley for the monthly reading by local writers. Newly published authors (like William Taylor Jr.) and old hands at the business (Lynne Knight) unite for the evening to share their work.
THURSDAY 17
Artist Trading Cards Open House San Francisco Center for the Book. 300 De Haro, SF. www.sfcb.org. 6 – 8 p.m., free. Few of us can bat .340, but that should hardly preclude our chances for getting own trading cards. Artist Courtney Cerruti leads the creation of wallet-sized artistic expressions, which are to be traded at the end of the workshop.
Tarpe Mills and Miss Fury presentation and book signing Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission, SF. www.cartoonart.org. 7 – 9:00 p.m., free. Miss Fury, the she-ro of a 1940s comic, rivals Lara Croft in svelteness of form and tightness of costume. But, as “herstorian” Trina Robbins will present at this reading, Fury was the first female superhero drawn by a woman, and she made a lasting impact.
Under One Roof Annual Holiday Store Premiere Under One Roof, 518A Castro, SF. www.underoneroof.org. 6 – 9 p.m., free. Thanks to the primordial urge in all of us to stock up and hibernate for the next few months, greasy, steaming things have never looked better. Hot Cookie, Ninkasi Brewery, Sausage Factory, and others team up at Under One Roof to officially launch the start of the holiday season and to celebrate the over $4 million they have raised so far for local HIV and AIDS charities. Chef Garrett Adair officiates over the kitchen.
Newspepper US website launch party Swig Bar, 561 Geary, SF. (414) 731-7292, Facebook: Newspepper launch party USA. 6:30-10 p.m., free. The techies and new media types will be flocking for this debut of UK web media consulting gurus Newspepper’s spread to the United States. Need a hungry app developer in your life? You’ll find them amid the free cupcakes and complimentary massages at this sleek TL cocktail bar.
FRIDAY 18
Holiday Artisan Fair deYoung Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, SF. www.deyoung.famsf.org. Also Sat/19. 9:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. (Sat/19: 9:30 a.m. – 4;30 p.m.), free.
No mere baubles here. Well-reputed local artists sell jewelry, stationery, home décor, and textiles a-plenty under the quality guarantee that an art museum’s craft fair affords. If you’re of the scarf-gifting school, you may want to stop by.
Dark Circle Screening Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists’ Hall, 1924 Cedar, Berk. www.bfuu.org, $5 suggested donation. Dark Circle, an ominously-titled film on an ominous topic (plutonium’s journey around the world), won the Sundance Grand Prize for highlighting the link between burgeoning nuclear power and massive destruction.
Playland at the Conservatory Opening Conservatory of Flowers, 100 JFK, SF. www.conservatoryofflowers.org. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., $5. Sand-covered It’s-Its and wool bathing suits may be things of the past, but Golden Gate Park’s new garden railway will resurrect them and the rollicking heyday of San Francisco’s Western neighborhoods. Toot through the Sutro Baths, Cliff House, and Playland at the Beach in a highly interactive exhibit that will be around until next April.
SATURDAY 19
“Addiction and Society” Presentation by Dr. Gabor Mate South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis, Berk. www.speakout-now.org. Free, 5 p.m. Dr. Mate is a lot of things (activist, physician, author), and his main specialty lies in exploring the links between society and addiction. Tonight, the Canadian activist discusses capitalism’s role in mental illness and addiction.
Holiday Design Bazaar Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, 4235 19th St., SF. www.harveymilk.com. Noon – 5 p.m., free. ‘Tis the season of bazaar, a word that inspires visions of endless haggling and throngs of people. Even with 35 local designers flaunting their wares, DJs, and food, the Castro’s version promises to be fairly gentle, and part of the proceeds benefit HMCRA’s arts education programs.
SUNDAY 20
Snacks and Crafts Art Show and Fundraiser Urban Bazaar, 1371 9th Ave., SF. www.urbanbazaarsf.com. 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., free. Urban Bazaar, the Inner Sunset’s source for succulents and local handmade gifts alike, celebrates the work of its two artist-interns from City Arts and Technology High School with a fundraiser for the school’s art program.
MONDAY 21
“The Politics of Homosexuality in Africa” discussion Berman Hall, Fromm Building, University of San Francisco, Golden Gate and Parker Avenues, SF. www.priorityafrica.org. 6 – 7:30 p.m., free. Sylvia Tamale, the first female dean at Uganda’s Makerere University Law School, speaks on the ugly Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill and sexuality as a tool within African and Western politics alike.
Dinner and a Movie, Thee Parkside, 1600 17th St., SF. www.theeparkside.com. 6 p.m., free entry. With two Muppet adventures screened back-to-back (The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper), it would be hard to pass up this Monday boost of morale. But dollar beers and a 5-buck dinner? All signs point to passing out under a table with contentedness.
TUESDAY 22
West Coast Songwriter’s Competition Café Royale, 800 Post, SF. www.caferoyale-sf.com. 7:30 p.m., free. Those who melt at the sound and sight of long-haired, guitar-strumming crooners are in trouble – fifteen or so earnestly twanging specimens do battle for this month’s songwriting prize. Guard your heart.