April events on the U.S. labor movement, Andy Goldsworthy & climate, anti-democratic b.s., & more

As part of San Francisco's Night of Ideas 2025

Why have American workers failed so far to develop the powerful unions that exist in other industrialized countries? Let’s explore the historical perspectives, examine social and political policies, and get inside a new kind of unionism—one born from the shell of the old—with Professor Kim Voss of UC Berkeley Sociology, Steven C. Pitts of UC Berkeley’s Labor Center, and Jaz Brisack, the leader of the Starbucks and Tesla union movements and the author of Get on the Job and Organize: Standing Up for a Better Workplace and a Better World. FREE

Night of Ideas returns this year with nocturnal arts and culture marathons in cities across the U.S. The theme of Night of Ideas 2025, “(Un)Common Ground,” invites us to consider the values and resources that bind us together. In an increasingly digital world, how can we foster authentic interpersonal connection? Given a polarized political landscape, where are our opportunities for dialogue? As extreme weather threatens our planet, how can we preserve the land beneath our feet?

Co-presented with ZYZZYVA & The Roxie

ZYZZYVA Movie Night with Ingrid Rojas Contreras returns with Lauren Markham & Jenny Odell and the cult-hit documentary River and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time (2001). River and Tides examines the breath-taking outdoor sculptures of Goldsworthy, who only works with natural material and whose art (some of which can be found in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and the Presidio and at Stanford) was designed to “deteriorate.” The film will be introduced by Markham, whose most recent book, Immemorial (Transit Books)—a dazzling synthesis of reporting, memoir, and essay—meditates on language in the face of climate catastrophe. Following the movie, there will be a short conversation between Markham and Odell about River and Tides. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with a book signing. Movie introduction starts promptly at 6. $16

Co-presented with KALW & the Fulbright Association

Why have so many Americans turned against democracy? In this deeply reported book, Katherine Stewart takes us to conferences of conspiracy-mongers, backroom strategy gatherings, and services at extremist churches, and profiles the people who want to tear it all down. Along the way, Stewart provides a compelling analysis of the authoritarian reaction in the United States and demonstrates that the movement relies on several distinct constituencies, with very different and often conflicting agendas. Stewart's reporting and comprehensive political analysis helps reframe the conversation about the moral collapse of conservatism in America and points the way toward a democratic future. In conversation with KALW’s Angie Coiro. Donate to reserve a seat, FREE to walk-ups.

Join us at an upcoming intimate dinner with award-winning, bestselling journalist Katherine Stewart on Friday 4/18! All proceeds go to support Litquake's work to keep literature alive in the Bay Area. Attendees will enjoy a delicious dinner accompanied by a variety of exclusive Saintsbury wines, and will receive a complimentary signed copy of the author's book.

Co-presented with the National Book Foundation
Ed Yong’s An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us—a 2025 Science + Literature Selected Title—challenges readers to move beyond our sensory biases to better understand the ways in which creatures, animals, and our fellow humans experience the world. Join Yong for a reading and conversation on the connective possibilities of science writing and of curiosity. Moderated by Sabrina Imbler, 2023 Science + Literature honoree, and author of How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures.

Limited free copies of An Immense World will be available at the event, first come, first served. The program will be followed by a book signing. Books will also be available for sale on-site thanks to East Bay Booksellers. FREE

Celebrate National Poetry Month with Litquake, the largest independent literary festival on the West Coast. Returning for our 10th year to this gloriously Gothic space, enjoy a special evening of exalted verse with poetry in the pews from a distinguished roster of poets. Curated and hosted by D.A. Powelland Preeti Vangani, four celebrated poets will share their work: Armen Davoudian, Rachel Richardson, Maw Shein Win, and Matthew Zapruder. A book sale and signing will follow the readings. Book sales provided by Green Apple Books. FREE, $5-10 suggested donation.

Co-presented with Heyday Books

Join Litquake and Heyday Books at the San Francisco Public Library as we kick off Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a very special conversation that celebrates AAPI history while also offering hope and healing for our current moment.

Authors Karen Fang and Satsuki Ina have brought to life remarkable true stories from twentieth-century Asian American history. In her memoir The Poet and the Silk Girl, Ina pieces together secret letters, diary entries, photographs, and haiku to craft the love story of her parents, who were newlyweds when incarcerated at Tule Lake and other prison camps during WWII. In Background Artist, Fang reclaims the overlooked story of Tyrus Wong, a Chinese immigrant who became an accomplished muralist, Hallmark card designer, and artist for Warner Brothers and Disney studios—despite frequent hostilities and restrictions and without receiving proper credit.

The echoes of historical injustices still reverberate today, so this conversation will also give contemporary Asian Americans and their allies powerful tools to encourage recovery, resilience, and hope for the future. In Louder than the Lies, artist and educator Ellie Yang Camp offers context, compassion, and concrete tactics for building understanding and creating coalitions to combat continued racism. And in The Healing Trauma Workbook for Asian Americans, clinical psychologist Helen H. Hsu presents culturally informed treatment methods to contend with trauma, build resilience, and forge strength in Asian American identities. Moderator Dora Wang, a psychiatrist and memoirist (author of The Kitchen Shrink) will guide this empowering and illuminating discussion. FREE

About Litquake
Litquake seeks to foster interest in literature, perpetuate a sense of literary community, and provide a vibrant forum for Bay Area writing as a complement to the city's music, film, and cultural festivals. 2025 Dates: Oct. 9-25. www.litquake.org

Litquake is grateful for the support of the following funders who help make our programming possible. Institutional Giving: Alta: Journal of Alta California, Amazon Literary Partnership, Bernard Osher Foundation, California Arts Council, California Humanities, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Center for the Art of Translation, Grants for the Arts, Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme, HarperOne, Hawthornden Foundation, Joseph and Vera Long Foundation, Margaret and William R. Hearst III Foundation, Mary A. Crocker Trust, Miner Anderson Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Rock Foundation, Norway House, Sam Mazza Foundation, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, Zellerbach Family Foundation; Individual Giving: Jared Bhatti, Lisa Brown and Daniel Handler, Frances Dinkelspiel and Gary Wayne, Karyn DiGiorgio and Steve Sattler, Scott James and Gerald Cain, Nion McEvoy and Leslie Berriman, Greg Sarris, and Ellen Ullman Media Sponsors: San Francisco Chronicle, Publishers Weekly, 7x7, KALW, KEXP, KQED, SF Arts Monthly, Bay Area Reporter, Johnny Funcheap.