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WEDNESDAY 10
Photography portfolio workshop Photobooth SF, 1193 Valencia, SF. www.photoboothsf.com. 7-10pm, free. Bring in five to 10 of your best photos for show and tell tonight at the Photobooth gallery. Analog experts will give you tips, tricks, and pointers to help you select the perfect portfolio piece. Bring printed photos: traditional wet, instant, or digital prints.
“Exceptional and Chinese: Beyond China and the West” Center for Chinese Studies, Faculty Club, Heyns Room, 2223 Fulton, Berk. www.ieas.berkeley.edu/ccs. 4pm, free. Wang Gungwu, professor and chairman of the East Asian Institute, will be speaking about the relationship between the China and Asia over the last 60 years.
THURSAY 11
“Quotes to Light Up Your Mind” SF Public Library, 100 Larkin, SF. www.sfpl.org. 6-7pm, free. RSVP required at (415) 843-1648. Not much sticks in your brain better than a really great quote. Citations on art, psychology, society, relationships, and more will be projected via video and discussed at this event. A print-out of the pithy lines will also be available as a souvenir.
Dope SF launch party Otis, 25 Maiden Lane, SF. www.facebook.com/events/318595854934214. 9pm-2am, free. Online vintage boutique Dope is celebrating its launch tonight with a fashion presentation. Enjoy discounts on vintage men’s and women’s clothes while you sip on one of Otis’ handcrafted cocktails and shake your thing to tunes spun by a live DJ.
[CORRECTION: The book sale is actually taking place April 25-27] Chronicle Books Back To School Warehouse Sale Chronicle Books, 680 Second St., SF. www.chroniclebooks.com. 9am-7pm, free. Get your read on at Chronicle Books spring warehouse sale. Everything in the warehouse will be 65 percent off. Browse for stationary, journals, books on art, photography, travel, pop culture, and more. The sale will continue on Friday during the same hours and from 10am-3pm on Saturday.
The Fillmore documentary screening and discussion San Francisco Library, 100 Larkin, SF. www.sfpl.org. Exhibit through June 2. 5:30-7:30pm, free. PBS documentary The Fillmore chronicles key chapters in the neighborhood’s history, starting with the earthquake and fire of 1906 through today. A discussion with filmmaker Peter Stein will follow the screening. Be sure to check out the related exhibit titled “We Live Here,” which showcases photographs taken in the 1960s and ’70s by SF legendary photog Phiz Mezey.
FRIDAY 12
West Portal Avenue’s sidewalk arts and crafts show West Portal between 15th St. and Ulloa, SF. www.pacificfinearts.com. Also Sat/13 and Sun/14. 10am-5pm, free. Head to the quaint westside neighborhood filled with coffeehouses, bookshops, and restaurants to enjoy more than 40 artists selling everything from photography, to paintings, to jewelry. Featured artists at this 25th annual show include artists Laura Blacona and Alberto Toscano, jewelry designer Mendy Marks, and photographer Locke Heemstra.
SATURDAY 13
Hunny Bunny and the Hot Toddies burlesque show Social House, 50 Mason, SF. www.hunnybunnyburlesque.com. Doors open at 9pm. Show starts at 10pm, $10. Rock ‘n’ roll meets burlesque tonight in a performance by Bay Area burlesque troupe Hunny Bunny and her Hot Toddies. Stay put after the shakes and jiggles to listen to music by psychedelic local band The Chaw and LA-based indie darlings Wilding.
Cherry Blossom Festival Post between Laguna and Fillmore. www.sfcherryblossom.org. Also Sun/14 and April 20-21. 10am-5pm, free. Back for its 46th year in business, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown celebrates Japanese culture and the diversity of the Japanese American community. The festival will include food, cultural performances, martial arts, live bands, and more. Come back next week to watch the grand parade, which begins at City Hall and ends at the festival.
Bay Bridge history lecture Historic Building One, One Avenue of the Palms, Treasure Island, SF. www.treasureislandmuseum.org. 10:30am, free. In honor of the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island, former Caltrans environmental manager for the new Bay Bridge Mara Melandry will speak about how the iconic Bay and Golden Gate Bridges were conceived and built.
DogFest 2013 Duboce Park, Duboce and Noe, SF. www.facebook.com/pages/SF-Dogfest/26904868312744611. 11am-4pm, free. Watch doggies compete for best trick, best costume, best coat, best ears, and more. But wait, it gets better. Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events) will MC the event. Bring the little ones along for jumpy houses, face painting, and carnival games in the Kid Kennel.
SUNDAY 14
Bookish Beasts Zine and Comic Fest Center for Sex and Culture, 1349 Mission, SF. www.sexandculture.org. Noon-6pm, free. The comic art featured in this festival is not exactly of the Batman vein — or at least, the Batman who denies his love for Robin. Bookish Beasts is a one-day event in which creators of art, books, and comics show off and sell their work relating to sex, sexuality, gender, and erotica.
MONDAY 15
Free tax assistance Oakland Library, Bradley Walters Community Room, 125 14th St., Oakl. www.oaklandlibrary.org. 10am-3pm, free. If you’re really waiting until the last minute to get those taxes done, the Oakland library is here to help. Trained volunteers will offer free tax help at several of the branch libraries. The main library offers walk-in appointments, but it’s advisable to call ahead and confirm a slot, knowing how these things go. Be sure to arrive early and bring copies of your previous year’s tax returns and all items pertaining to your 2012 tax forms.
TUESDAY 16
Feast of Words SOMArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan, SF. www.somarts.org. 7-9pm, $5 with potluck dish, $10 advance, $12 door. This intimate literary potluck brings writers together to eat, write, and share their work. This month’s events will include an exercise led by Raquel Gutiérrez, founder of several queer women of color community-based art and literary projects. Bring a dish, share your work, and enter for a chance to win literary and culinary prizes.