with Marie Otsuka During this hands-on workshop using foundational web languages, we will explore typographic expression on the web. This four-week workshop (running Thursday evenings from September 7 —28) is intended for designers new to typography in the browser and will cover how to control typography on the web. From standard typesetting to experimental […]
with Kelcey Gray Go on an alphabetic adventure with designer, educator, and author of Let’s Make Letters!, Kelcey Gray. Are you seeking more adventurous ways of letter-making? During this online workshop that runs for three Wednesdays in a row, starting on September 13, Kelcey Gray will guide you through twenty-six letter-making prompts, like revealing […]
Are you in your first 5 years of working in the Book Publishing industry? Join us on September 25 for this Virtual Boot Camp. Learn about different areas in publishing, plus network with your peers and the PubWest circle of professionals as you grow your knowledge, skill set, and understanding of the industry! Hear from industry […]
In partnership with Alano Club of Portland, “The Break is a monthly virtual gathering of writers and artists led by Kaveh Akbar, celebrating amongness, collaboration, and interdisciplinary creative experimentation. Though many of the activities and discussions orbit or are inflected by recovery themes (Akbar has been in active recovery for eight years), participants are not required […]
We're opening our virtual doors to answer your burning questions about Type West, our yearlong certificate program in type design! Whether you wish to study in-person in San Francisco or online from anywhere in the world, this information session is for you. Join us for this fun opportunity to meet current students, grads, and instructors, […]
Join Collections Advisor and author of Contemporary Issues in Rare Book & Manuscript Collecting, Spencer W. Stuart as he discusses case studies from his professional practice as well as the past to chart the life cycle of collections and the collectors who build them. Through these examinations he will touch on important things collectors should […]
You can’t reach your goals on your own. You need your community of advocates, partners, and friends. But how do you balance developing that all-important network with everything else you need to do to build your business, your author profile, writing, etc? Set networking goals! During this interactive Lunch N Learn, goal-strategist, Debra Eckerling, author of Your […]
Maureen will show us how to make one of her book creations. Stay tuned for details.
with Kel Troughton Design your own original typeface in 10 weeks! During this 10-week online course (meeting on Monday evenings from October 2-December 11—no meeting on November 20), you will create your own original typefaces as you gain an understanding of the methodologies and software used to produce high-quality digital type. The primary goal of […]
The saying goes, “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one” but what if the community’s words could be printed and freely shared…Thea Sizemore of Kavamore Press is doing just that. Join us for an uplifting talk with Thea Sizemore about a social print project that is geared toward elevating the […]
with Kevin Barrett Kane, Emma Christine Hall Learn the fundamentals of book design from seasoned pros, including layout, typesetting, cover design, and manufacturing. During this three-week online workshop (Tuesdays and Thursdays, October 3–19, skipping October 17), participants will learn about book and cover design history and practice. Learning Outcomes Learn the basics of professional […]
The OPEN • SET 2025 Competition & Exhibition is an event in the United States featuring finely crafted bookbindings. Sponsored by the American Academy of Bookbinding, it is designed to encourage both new binders and professionals and is open to binders around the world. We invite you to participate!
with Cyrus Highsmith This hands-on workshop helps you explore different ways of drawing, making, and seeing letters. In this two-week workshop (two Wednesdays and Thursdays in a row, starting on October 4), you'll learn how letters can be drawn in many different ways. Cyrus Highsmith’s approach is based on the importance of white space and […]
Join Wall Street Journal reporter and Pulitzer finalist Katherine Blunt as we examine how a powerful company can put people in a powerless (and deadly) situation. California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What It Means for America's Power Grid is a revelatory, urgent narrative with national implications, exploring the decline of California’s largest utility […]
at the American Academy of Bookbinding taught by Don Glaister Learn the fundamental techniques and practices of gold tooling. Transform drawn designs on paper to sparkling designs in gold on leather. Students will learn to prepare drawings, cut and handle gold leaf, and do blind and finished gold tooling.
Our acclaimed Kidquake programs for children’s books; authors, illustrators, poets, and bookmakers provide readings, discussions, and workshops designed to fuel kids’ imagination. This morning's two sessions, for kids in 3rd to 5th grades, begin at 10:15am and 11:15am. Featuring authors Jorge Cham, Angela Dalton, and Mae Respicio, with workshops (by lottery) from Bettina Pauly and Milani Pelley. Advance sign-up required, for in-person student […]
Welcome to From the Bench, SFCB's series of short studio tours with friends near and far. From favorite tools to works in progress, you never know what you'll learn about from these amazing artists. This month we'll chat with artist and printer Mary Bruno of Bruno Press in St. Joseph, Minnesota. For 20 years, Mary […]
Kenneth Gloss, a rare book specialist and appraiser who runs the Brattle Book Shop in Boston and appears on national TV shows (including Antiques Roadshow), will speak on "improbable finds" of his decades-long career. As he describes the surprises he's experienced while bookselling: “one day you find yourself drinking from Thomas Jefferson’s coffee service, and […]
A queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion lives in the drought-devastated land under the Hollywood sign. Lonely and fascinated by humanity’s foibles, the lion spends their days protecting a nearby homeless encampment, observing hikers complain about their trauma, and, in quiet moments, grappling with the complexities of their gender identity, memories of a vicious father, […]
Fabulosa Books announces Read For Filth, a 24 hour celebration of queer literature in the Castro. At a moment when LGBTQIA+ books are under attack and anti-gay harassment is spiking, let's come together to celebrate stories that bring us together. Read For Filth will be a grand affirmation of queer joy and a resounding rejection […]
Melody Ann Owen speaking about how to work with podcasters as promotional partners Podcasting is an exciting and still growing medium and an excellent way to connect with partners and readers. With podcasts on every topic, authors can find listeners no matter their genre, topic, or perspective. One podcast can mean thousands of listeners […]
Each chapter of SinC has the unique ability to wiggle the social media algorithm to increase visibility for their own book launches. Find out how. Pam Stack is the host of Authors on the Air and the owner of the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network, an international digital media company whose content is available […]
Join us on Saturday, October 7, for the first of two virtual lectures with designer and book artist Brenda Gallagher. This first will cover generating design ideas for bookbinding. A basic how-to for bookbinders looking for ways to create design ideas for bookbinding, the talk will begin with the content and mood of the book. […]
Let's gather in the serene environs of the San Francisco Botanical Garden to honor the spiritual solace that can be found in reading poetry—and in tending the earth. In her new anthology Leaning Toward Light, poet Tess Taylor brings together dozens of acclaimed contemporary poets who also share her love for gardening. During this uplifting reading, Alan Chazaro, Jane […]
The tech and literary worlds converge as ZYZZYVA Editor-in-Chief Oscar Villalon moderates a panel of Silicon Valley technologists and authors on how AI will change our writing process. Would literature and writers be automated, or will AI mainly be an assistive tool? What issues are present in both the training and use of AI in writing? With Raiya Kind (Google), Jessica Powell (Audioshake), […]
Are you an Editor of Color? Would you like to meet up with your fellow Editors of Color in a welcoming, intimate, online setting? Jesi Vega, recent president of the Northwest Editors Guild and a Puerto Rican Jew from the Bronx, hosts a monthly Zoom coffee hour for editors who identify as Black, Indigenous, or Person of […]
Long discounted by a literary culture that actively rejected women’s writing, Maria Judite de Carvalho’s biting and bitterly funny work has since exploded across the world. Collecting the entirety of her short works written between 1959 and 1967, when the Salazar dictatorship and the rigid edicts of the Catholic church reigned, the stories in So Many […]
The Far North Editors meet every second Wednesday from 11:15am to 12:45pm. Traditionally they meet in Mount Vernon, WA, but currently their meetings are entirely online.
Productivity Tips and Tricks - let's learn from each other! Come share an idea that changed the way you organize or shape your time, business, and responsibilities (or one that you hope could help!); hearing from others will allow us all to walk away with new paths towards finding our work/life balance. Book, YouTube, and podcast […]
Is it possible that (once again) everything we know is wrong? Well, in regards to the history of neon, this may well be the case. Dydia DeLyser and Paul Greenstein have penned a brief, but concise history of the neon sign beginning at the beginning, and covering scandals, murder, fascists, and forgotten inventors. A full-color, […]
at the American Academy of Bookbinding taught by Don Glaister A course for students who have more experience in fine binding and the development of design bindings. Students will refine and review their techniques, develop more advanced and sophisticated ones, and explore new techniques. The emphasis in this course will be placed on binding design […]
Learn to bring a splash of 17th century style flourishing to your letters in this dynamic 4-week workshop. Calligraphic flourishing is the art of embellishing writing—the accessories to calligraphy's outfit. This class covers pointed pen flourishing from the 17th century to present. Students will learn modern flourishing design rules, use them to analyze historical examples, […]
Join us for our "Editors Helping Editors" meeting. Bring your problems, big and small, as well as your thinking caps. We'll work together to solve event-goers quandaries and questions, which could range from common questions like how to find clients in a particular field (say academic editing) to more situation-specific issues like why a particular […]
We're opening our classroom doors for you to get your burning questions answered about Type West, the west coast's only yearlong certificate program in type design! This event is a fun, low-key opportunity to meet current students, grads, instructors, and Letterform Archive staff, who will be there to share details about the application process, programming, […]
Mechanics' Institute is delighted to collaborate with Catamaran to celebrate their Fall 2023 edition. Featured writers include Stephen D. Gutierrez, Sean Stiny, Yaccaria Salvatierra, Dion O'Reilly, Jeff Ewing, Dan Haifley, and John Briscoe, who will read from their works.
Join us at the new Clio's book bar in Oakland for a discussion about the stories we're not supposed to tell—because either women of color aren't supposed to tell the stories of white men, or because we hold our family secrets dear, or because society tells us we are not supposed to feel what we […]
In Earthseed—a religion introduced in the Octavia E. Butler novel Parable of the Sower—the destiny of humanity is to take root among the stars. Inspired by Butler's words, AÏMA the DRMR and Angela Dalton will guide the audience on a journey to plant their first seeds using the tools of history, multimedia, music, and interactive dialogue. This […]
Join local mystery authors Rhys Bowen, Michelle Chouinard, Glenda Carroll and Susan Shea for a reading and discussion on the “The Lady Sleuth.”
Join us on October 14 for a special Saturday SF in SF, when writers Nancy Kress and Jack Skillingstead come to read and talk with Bay Area writer and moderator Cliff Winnig. Nancy Kress is the author of thirty-three books, including twenty-six novels, four collections of short stories, and three books on writing. Her work has […]
Full Circle is a celebration of authors who have found their way to who they are through community, care, and creativity. These poets will be reading pieces that reflect on their beginnings and find parallels with their present.
Join us at Oasis, San Francisco’s internationally acclaimed drag show nightclub/cabaret, as we celebrate the most scandalous, most outrageous, and most ludicrous books ever to be penned by celebrities! You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wonder how these books ever got published. Some of the best Bay Area queens will be putting on their reading glasses […]
This coffee chat centers people who work as editors and are living with disability and/or chronic illness. It is open to everyone. The idea was partly inspired by an active peer group currently hosted by the Society of Authors (https://www.societyofauthors.org/Groups/Authors-Disabilities-Illnesses-Network). Group agreements that will be open for discussion at the start of the chat: * […]
As a photographer in the fifty-seventh year of his serious effort, David Wing will describe how his camera found its subjects, what his working mind is like today, and how his accumulated work has “aged” in his intellect and in his heart. Accompanied by a large number of slides, Wing will talk in detail about how his […]
Fifteen talented writers from Page Street Co-working read no-more-than-three-minute pieces on why (in spite of it all) we can't stop loving San Francisco. Paul Madonna's iconic SF cityscapes will adorn the walls, and we'll be pouring SF's own Fort Point beer and serving sourdough pretzels. Hosted by Lit Camp founder Janis Cooke Newman
Are you a developmental editor, or interested in developmental editing? Join us for an informal chat about this fun and fascinating variety of editing. This event is free to attend and open to all editors.
Lesbian bars have always been treasured safe spaces for their customers, providing not only a good time but a shelter from societal alienation and outright persecution. In 1987, there were 206 of them in America. Today, only a couple dozen remain. How and why did this happen? What has been lost—or possibly gained—by such a […]
with author Selby Wynn Schwartz in conversation with Professor Loretta Stec Join Selby Wynn Schwartz in conversation with Professor Loretta Stec on her debut novel After Sappho, an invigorating tale of women whose narratives converge and splinter as they forge queer identities and claim the right to their own lives.
Before there was such a thing as “California,” there were the People and the Land. Manifest Destiny, the Gold Rush, and settler colonial society drew maps, displaced Indigenous People, and reshaped the land, but they did not make California. Rather, the lives and legacies of the people native to the land shaped the creation of […]
Oldest San Francisco focuses on the institutions that have helped make San Francisco San Francisco, featuring brief histories of its oldest restaurant (Tadich), oldest bakery (Boudin), oldest scientific institution (the Cal Academy). It speaks of civic fabrics—the oldest extant blue jeans (held in a vault at Levi’s) and first rainbow flag (exhibited at the GLBT Historical […]
with Angy Che Unlock the power of the iPad to create dynamic, polished, and punchy lettering pieces. No previous Procreate or lettering experience needed. In this four week workshop (Thursdays, starting on October 19), participants will learn how to bring words to life through the art of lettering. Although we'll use the iPad and Apple […]
Thursday, October 19th, 12 P.M. PDT- A FREE Virtual Event Unable to attend? No worries. Register anyway and receive the replay! Join WNBA-San Francisco for a “Share & Tell” Networking Mixer on October 19th, 12 P.M. PDT. Share what you do and Tell what you need. Think of it as speed-networking with purpose! You can’t reach your goals on your […]
In this session, Max Dunn shares the new features of InDesign 2024, and will introduce Adobe Express, exploring the many ways that Express and AI tools such as Adobe Firefly can both interoperate with, and augment, InDesign workflows. He will discuss the Unified eXtensibility Platform or UXP. This significant new technology took a lot of […]
If you copyedit or proofread fiction or want to learn more about doing so, join host Erin Cusick for an informal discussion about the joys and challenges associated with editing fiction. Come prepared to share insights and experiences, ask questions, or just listen to learn from others. Though the event is open to all editors, […]
The Los Angeles Printers Fair at the International Printing Museum in Carson, California brings the best of letterpress, book arts, and the paper arts to the Los Angeles area. With the backdrop of the world’s largest collection of working antique presses, the Printers Fair annually brings together 80 artistic vendors and 1500 visitors to experience […]
Join us on Saturday, October 21 for the second of two virtual lectures with design binder Brenda Gallagher. “AS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER, I ENJOY MAKING DESIGNS FOR BOOKS USING LETTERFORMS IN MY DESIGNS. I’LL SHOW YOU SEVERAL WAYS TO USE LETTERS AS OBJECTS OF DESIGN AND DISCUSS SEVERAL WAYS OF GETTING LETTER DESIGNS ONTO A […]
Find the full schedule at litquake.org/litcrawl Lit Crawl 2023 is the finale of all festival finales, the best literary party you’ve ever been to, something between a bar crawl and an invite-only reading on a rooftop, an introduction to the nooks and crannies of the Mission District, a presentation of the best new writers around, a […]
With climate breakdown heating up and desertification looming over the horizon, Obi Kaufmann leads curious adventurers on a voyage into the sage-and-ocher landscapes of the American West’s world-famous desert regions this fall in his revelatory and sumptuously illustrated new volume The Deserts of California: A California Field Atlas. As philosophical as it is geophysical, this journey […]
Come celebrate excellence in book making and reconnect with publishing colleagues. There’ll be good food, libations, and fabulous friends. Added bonus: At 4:00 p.m., before the book show starts, we’ll have a panel discussion featuring three designers from this year’s book show judging team—Debbie Berne, John Berry, and Victor Mingovits—on what makes a winning book cover, followed by […]
Author Ron Cook will moderate panelists Laurie R. King, Peggy Townsend, Vinnie Hansen, and Jack Erickson. This is a hybrid event! Registration is required for both in-person and Zoom attendance.
The Poison Book Project investigates potentially toxic pigments used in the manufacture of Victorian-era bookcloth. Lead scientist Dr. Rosie Grayburn will situate the use of English bookcloth colored with highly poisonous emerald green pigment and other toxic pigments within a broader historical context; recommend safe handling and storage practices for emerald green bookbindings; and report […]
Instructor: Peter Geraty This core course teaches advanced book forwarding and leather paring in the production of a traditional laced-in board binding structure. You will come away from this class with one or two finished books and gain an in-depth understanding of fine binding techniques. This course is the perfect introduction to the Fundamentals […]
At the American Academy of Bookbinding Taught by Peter Geraty This core course teaches advanced book forwarding and leather paring in the production of a traditional laced-in board binding structure. You will come away from this class with one or two finished books and gain an in-depth understanding of fine binding techniques. This course is […]
with Harry Reese Join us for an engaging lecture by Harry Reese, the 2023 Lieberman Lecturer. In The Gutenberg Galaxy (1962), Marshall McLuhan argued that significant changes in technology would generate massive cultural transformations that will permanently alter the form and function of the book. Fundamentals of bookmaking have not changed much since the contributions […]
"Free event to meet children's book authors, illustrators, publishers" The Bay Area Kids Book Fair East Bay Edition is a free event that features authors, illustrators, publishers, booksellers, and educational programs. Attendees can meet Elephant & Piggie, The Rainbow Fish, and Llama Llama. There will also be storytelling sessions by authors and doctors from sponsor […]
An indie author’s guide to selling international rights for their books This presentation will teach indie authors all you need about elevating your books to the worldwide stage, including how international rights work, what to expect from a rights contract, and how to showcase your books to rights buyers worldwide. Key Takeaways include: Learn […]
Over 100 Exhibitors Más de 100 expositores Get autographed books Firma de libros por los autores Bilingual activities & Workshops Actividades y talleres bilingües Health, education, financial empowerment Salud, educación, empoderamiento financiero