Quiet Lightning presents the 14th Better Ancestors, featuring readings and performance by Anastasia Lê, Sandy Vasquez, Zêdan Xelef, Paola Ramirez, and Tadeh Kennedy, hosted by London Pinkney. This will be a set of intimate performances followed by a brief community Q&A. Doors open at 6:00 pm and the readings will start at 6:30 pm. Come early to […]
Dive into a World of Wonder at our Family Book Fair! Join us at Mechanics' Institute on July 13th, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, for a literary celebration perfect for the whole family! Visit the SFPL Bookmobile: Kick off the literary adventure at 11:00 am with the San Francisco Public Library Bookmobile, stationed outside of Mechanics' Institute on 57 Post […]
Join journalist Therese Poletti on the significance of architect Albert Pissis in defining San Francisco architecture in the wake of the 1906 earthquake and fire, and rebuilding the San Francisco we know and love today. While many of Pissis's works are well known to San Franciscans - the Hibernia Bank, the Flood Building, the former […]
Join Willie L. Brown, Jr., former two-term Mayor of San Francisco and Speaker of the California State Assembly, in conversation with Pulitzer Prize finalist and San Francisco Chronicle urban design critic John King on the past, present, and future of San Francisco.
Join Larry Tye, the New York Times bestselling author of Satchel and Bobby Kennedy, in conversation with acclaimed interviewer and radio host Dr. Michael Krasny on Tye's new book, The Jazzmen. The Jazzmen is a sweeping and spellbinding portrait of the longtime kings of jazz—Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie—who, born within a few years of one another, overcame racist exclusion and […]
Join author and historian Sandra Bonura in conversation online on her new book, The Sugar King of California: The Life of Claus Spreckels. The Sugar King of California is the astonishingly intimate story of one of the most controversial entrepreneurs of the 19th century - a rule-breaking visionary who through his sugar empire became one of […]
Celebrate James Baldwin’s 100th birthday with an immersive night of readings and performance. Attendees are invited to engage with works from and inspired by Baldwin, including written selections, film, music, and multimedia artworks. Featuring Arnold Grisham, Daniel B. Summerhill, Jewelle Gomez, Kevin Dublin, Laura Sheppard, Michele Elam, Nigel Hatton, and Norman Gee. Co-sponsored by the Museum […]
Join author Jared Stearns in conversation with cinephile Jesse Hawthorne Ficks on Stearns’ new book, Pure: The Sexual Revolutions of Marilyn Chambers. Marilyn Chambers was the embodiment of the free-spirited Seventies, the world's most famous X-rated star, and an unappreciated talent whose work in adult films hindered her dreams of becoming a serious actress. Marilyn was […]
Join Jenny Odell and Cathy Park Hong, acclaimed authors of Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock and Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, in conversation at Mechanics’ Institute.
Join bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Tommy Orange in conversation with Heyday publisher Steve Wasserman in Mechanics’ Institute’s historic library space.
Join the Women's National Book Association and Mechanics' Institute for a writers' panel on imagining new worlds and futures through fiction.
Join Dr. Paul Linde, Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the UCSF School of Medicine, for an engaging dialogue on harm reduction and innovative methods to approach addiction treatment in San Francisco.