Events

Defending Choice: Roe vs. Wade and the Battle to Preserve Women’s Reproductive Rights

City Lights in conjunction with Mother Jones present an indepth discussion about the battle to preserve women's rights. Moderated by Becca Andrews of Mother Jones Magazine with Jenny Brown, Dr. Katherine Brown, Joshua Prager, and Mary Ziegler

Kristen Ghodsee in conversation with Page Herrlinger

Kristen Ghodsee discusses her new book Red Valkyries: Feminist Lessons From Five Revolutionary Women published by Verso Books

Paul Steinbeck on SOUND EXPERIMENTS: The Music of the AACM

Paul Steinbeck in conversation with Richard Scheinin celebrating the publication of Sound Experiments: The Music of the AACM, by Paul Steinbeck, published by University of Chicago Press

Elif Batuman in conversation with Lucy Corin

City Lights celebrates the publication of Either/Or: a novel, by Elif Batuman, published by Penguin Press

Second Stutter – Volume Five – Launch Party

City Lights Live presents Second Stutter Volume Five Launch Party with Jimmy Santiago Baca, Jaime Chavez, Tureeda Mikell, Norma Cole with Adrian Lurssen, Ivan Arguelles, and Eleni Stecopoulos.

Hosted by Solomon Rino

May-lee Chai in conversation with Dr. Tonya M. Foster

May-lee Chai in conversation with Dr. Tonya M. Foster celebrating the launch of Tomorrow in Shanghai and Other Stories published by Blair Books. A short story collection exploring cultural complexities in China, the Chinese diaspora in America, and the world at large.

Ukrainian Writers Speak!

City Lights and Deep Vellum Books present Ali Kinsella and Zenia Tompkins celebrating the publication of Love in Defiance of Pain: Ukrainian Stories, edited by Ali Kinsella, Zenia Tompkins, and Ross Ufberg, published by Deep Vellum

Talia Lakshmi Kolluri

City Lights in conjunction with Asian American Writers’ Workshop and Tin House present Talia Lakshmi Kolluri reading from "What We Fed to the Manticore" published by Tin House Books

Jacqueline D. Lipton on Digital Privacy

Jacqueline D. Lipton discusses her new book, Our Data, Ourselves: A Personal Guide to Digital Privacy, published by University of California Press

Celebrating Ted Berrigan: Launch Party for “Get The Money!”

Join Edmund Berrigan, Anselm Berrigan, Alice Notley, and Nick Sturm and City Lights in celebrating the publication of Get the Money!: Collected Prose (1961-1983) by Ted Berrigan, published by City Lights Books

Jody Gladding and Tawanda Mulalu

Jody Gladding reads from I entered without words: Poems, Tawanda Mulalu reads from Please make me pretty, I don't want to die: Poems, both books are published by Princeton University Press

Deconstructing Oligarchy: How Wealthy Elites Undermine Democracy And Our Survival On The Planet

City Lights in conjunction with W.W. Norton, Pluto Press, and Verso Books present Deconstructing Oligarchy: How Wealthy Elites Undermine Democracy and Our Survival on the Planet with Nancy Fraser, Robert Ovetz, and Douglas Rushkoff - A day-long event comprised of four sessions aimed to expose the methods of those few who seek to benefit themselves at the expense of the many.  

Hafizah Augustus Geter

Hafizah Augustus Geter discusses her new book The Black Period: On Personhood, Race, and Origin published by Random House

Julian Aguon in conversation with Rebecca Solnit

Julian Aguon in conversation with Rebecca Solnit celebrating the publication of No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies: A Lyric Essay by Julian Aguon, published by Astra Publishing. This event will take place in Kerouac Alley, between City Lights and Vesuvio Cafe, between Columbus and Grant Avenues. It is free to the public. We highly recommend the wearing of facial covering for this event.

Nomadic Press @ City Lights with James Cagney and Friends

City Lights celebrates the publication of Martian: The Saint of Loneliness published by Nomadic Press

Winner of the 2021 Academy of American Poets James Laughlin Award

Jonathan Escoffery

City Lights celebrates the publication of If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery published by Farrar Straus Giroux - This event will take place in Kerouac Alley, between City Lights and Vesuvio Cafe, between Columbus and Grant Avenues. It is free to the public. We highly recommend the wearing of facial covering.

Ericka Huggins & Friends

City Lights joins Ericka Huggins and Stephen Shames and local friends (tba) celebrating the launch for the publication of Comrade Sisters: Women of the Black Panther Party Photographs by Stephen Shames
, Text by Ericka Huggins published by ACC Art Books - This event will take place in Kerouac Alley, between City Lights and Vesuvio Cafe, between Columbus and Grant Avenues. It is free to the public. We highly advise the wearing of facial covering for this event.

Gabriela Alemán in conversation with Achy Obejas

City Lights in conjunction with LITQUAKE present Gabriela Alemán discussing her recently published collection of short fiction Family Album: Stories, translated from the Spanish by Dick Cluster and Mary Ellen Fieweger, and published by City Lights. This event will take place at Amado’s, 998 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 (Admission Charge TBA)

Dorothy Project @ City Lights: Amina Cain & Giada Scodellaro with Renee Gladman

An evening of readings and discussion celebrating two new books from Dorothy: A HORSE AT NIGHT by Amina Cain, and the debut collection, SOME OF THEM WILL CARRY ME, by Giada Scodellaro. The evening will be moderated by Renee Gladman

J. Estanislao Lopez in conversation with Kaveh Akbar

City Lights and Alice James Books celebrate the publication of We Borrowed Gentleness by J. Estanislao Lopez published by Alice James Books

Tayi Tibble in conversation with Tommy Orange (opening statement by John Freeman)

City Lights celebrates the publication of Poukahangatus: poems By Tayi Tibble published by Alfred Knopf - This event will take place in Kerouac Alley, between City Lights and Vesuvio Cafe, between Columbus and Grant Avenues. It is free to the public. We highly recommend the wearing of facial covering.

Ousmane K. Power-Greene

Ousmane K. Power-Greene reading from The Confessions of Matthew Strong: A Novel published by The Other Press. A wildly original, incendiary story about race, redemption, the dangerous imbalances that continue to destabilize society, and speaking out for what’s right.

Becca Andrews

A discussion exploring No Choice: The Destruction of Roe v. Wade and the Fight to Protect a Fundamental American Right - by Becca Andrews - published by Public Affairs

Joyce Chopra

City Lights celebrates the publication of Lady Director: Adventures in Hollywood, Television and Beyond by Joyce Chopra published by City Lights Books

Judith Butler in conversation with Gayle Salamon

City Lights celebrates the publication of What World Is This? A Pandemic Phenomenology - by Judith Butler - published by Columbia University Press

Will Alexander in conversation with Tongo Eisen-Martin

City Lights Books celebrate the publication of "Divine Blue Light (for John Coltrane): Pocket Poets Series No. 63"  by Will Alexander

Anna Badkhen in conversation with Tongo Eisen Martin

Anna Badkhen discusses her new book "Bright Unbearable Reality: Essays" published by New York Review Books

Dr. Clarence Lusane

Dr. Clarence Lusane discusses his new book: Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice - Foreword by: Kali Holloway - published by City Lights Books

Eileen Myles

Eileen Myles discusses their new book Pathetic Literature published by Grove Atlantic

Courtney Faye Taylor in conversation with Chantz Erolin

City Lights celebrates the publication of Concentrate: poem by Courtney Faye Taylor published by Graywolf Press

Yunte Huang in conversation with Charles Bernstein

A discussion centering on Chinese Whispers: Toward a Transpacific Poetics - by Yunte Huang - published by the University of Chicago Press

Douglas Kearney

Douglas Kearney discusses his new book Optic Subwoof published by Wave Books

Zein El-Amine in conversation with James Tracy

City Lights celebrates the publication of Is This How You Eat a Watermelon? by Zein El-Amine published by Radix Media - This event will take place in Kerouac Alley, between City Lights and Vesuvio Cafe, between Columbus and Grant Avenues. It is free to the public. The wearing of facial covering is highly advised.

Sam Lipsyte

New York Times Bestselling Author Sam Lipsyte reading from No One Left to Come Looking for You: A Novel, published by Simon & Schuster