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WEDNESDAY 19
Anita Diamant Osher Marin JCC, 200 N. San Pedro, San Rafael; www.marinjcc.org. 7pm, $15. The best-selling author (The Red Tent) and essayist discusses marriage, parenthood, recovering from loss, and other topics.
Owen Egerton Booksmith, 1644 Haight, SF; www.booksmith.com. 7:30pm, free. The author reads from his collection of short fiction, How Best to Avoid Dying.
“Unwrapping the Visual Discovery of Spiral Nebulae” Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, SF; www.randallmuseum.org. 7:30pm, free. Illustrated astronomy lecture by visual observer Steve Gottlieb.
THURSDAY 20
Mary Ellen Hannibal Northbrae Community Church, 941 the Alameda, Berkeley; www.northbrae.org. 7-9pm, $5. Golden Gate Audobon Society presents this talk by the author of “conservation biography” The Spine of the Continent.
“Happy Birthday Edward Gorey!” Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission, SF; thirdthursdaysf.wordpress.com. 5-8pm, free. Celebrate the late author and artist’s 89th birthday with dramatic readings, tea and cookies, and more. Costumes encouraged.
Michelle Richmond Book Passage, 1 Ferry Bldg, SF; www.bookpassage.com. 6pm, free. The novelist shares her latest work, Golden State.
“YBCA ConVerge” Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission, SF; www.ybca.org. 4-8pm, free. Artist Ilana Crispi shares her new project, “Tenderloin Dirt Harvest: Please be seated on the ground,” featuring drinking vessels made from Tenderloin soil, plus discussions and storytelling about the neighborhood.
FRIDAY 21
“Birding the Hill” Corona Heights Park, meet in front of Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, SF; www.randallmuseum.org. 8am, free. Kids under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. Explore the park and check out its current bird population with Audobon experts.
Russian Festival of San Francisco Russian Center of San Francisco, 2460 Sutter, SF; www.russiancentersf.com. Today, 5pm-12:30am; Sat/22, 11am-10pm; Sun/23, 11am-7pm. $6-10. Performances by Russian dancers, musicians, and others, plus Russian cuisine, crafts, gifts, and more.
“Word/Play: Shenaniganery of the Highest Brow” Booksmith, 1644 Haight, SF; www.booksmith.com. 7pm, $10. Book and lit-themed game show starring Nate Waggoner, Melissa Manlove, Steven Westdahl, Casey Childers, Sarah Griffin, and Lara Starr.
SATURDAY 22
“Great San Francisco Crystal Fair” Fort Mason Center, Bldg A, Marina at Buchanan, SF; www.crystalfair.com. Today, 10am-6pm; Sun/23, 10am-4pm. $8. Featuring crystals, minerals, beads, psychic readings, and more.
“Hidden Cities: Experiments and Explorations” SOMArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan, SF; www.somarts.org. Opening reception 6-9pm, free. Exhibit on view through March 22. Twenty-six moving and still images and interactive, site-specific installations that present alternative ways of exploring San Francisco.
“Lost Landscapes of Oakland” Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak, Oakl; www.museumca.org. 3-5pm, free with museum admission ($6-15; seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis). Rick Prelinger brings his popular historical screening and discussion series, with audience participation encouraged, to Oakland for the first time.
“Who Are We? Exploring Black Identities” Center for History and Community, 2488 Coolidge, Oakl; www.peraltahacienda.org. 6-7:30pm, free (RSVP to info@peraltahacienda.org). Panel discussion about African American identity moderated by Rick Moss, chief curator of the African American Museum and Library at Oakland.
SUNDAY 23
Lemony Snicket and Lisa Brown Booksmith, 1644 Haight, SF; www.booksmith.com. 3pm, $5. The author and illustrator discuss 29 Myths on the Swinster Pharmacy. Buy a copy and get a free Melancholy Sour Phosphate from the Ice Cream Bar.
TUESDAY 25
“From Pillar to Post: The 100-Year Peregrinations of the Sutro Library” St. Philip’s Catholic Church, 725 Diamond, SF; www.sanfranciscohistory.org. 7:30pm, $5. The Sutro Library’s former head librarian discusses the long history of the unique rare book and manuscript collection.
Anna Leonard Booksmith, 1644 Haight, SF; www.booksmith.com. 7:30pm, free. The debut novelist discusses Moth and Spark.
“Now That You’re Gone … San Francisco Neighborhoods Without Us” SF City Hall, Ground Floor, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, SF; www.sfgov.org. Opening reception 5:30-7:30pm, free. Exhibit on view through May 23. San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries’ Art at City Hall Program and PhotoAlliance presents this exhibit of works by NorCal emerging and established artists, showcasing SF urban landscapes and neighborhoods without any people in them.
“Whale Disentanglement in Northern California” Bay Model Visitor Center, 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito; www.acs-sfbay.org. 7-9pm, $5. Kathy Koontz from the Whale Entanglement Team — working to rescue whales from entanglement in fishing gear and marine debris — discusses how the public can get involved in the group’s Northern California efforts. *