“Takin’ It To The Streets…” Join Fourteen Hills at Litquake's Lit Crawl on Saturday October 9

Starving, hysterical, naked, dragging yourself through the streets for an angry fix? Well then, fans of text on the page or off the tongue, take note: Munich may have its Oktoberfest, but that’s when San Francisco mixes suds with words to shake the streets and alleys during LitQuake.

D.W. Lichtenberg performs at LitCrawl 2009

Originally hatched as “Litstock” over beers at the Edinburgh Castle pub in 1999, the idea ballooned and in 2002 was redubbed “LitQuake.” Well past time for tour books and city guides to meet their civic obligation to warn overflow crowds to leave their socks at home, since they’ll just be knocked off anyway during the week of live readings between October 1st and 9th. Highlights include the “Dawn of the Read” opening-night poetry party, mid-day “Off the Richter Scale Readings,” a snack-time “Kidquake,” and a chance to raise a glass of wine at “Flight of Poets” (co-curated by our editor-in-chief Hollie Hardy) on Wednesday October 6 at the Hotel Rex (562 Sutter Street).

But the event not to miss is on Saturday, October 9, during LitCrawl, Litquake’s infamous final night. At 8:30 pm, “Voices That Carry” echoes off the walls at Muddy’s Coffee House (1304 Valencia Street at 24th Street), featuring readers from both Fourteen Hills and Eleven Eleven.

Join us to see these featured readers for Fourteen Hills:

• Jeannine Hall Gailey is the author of Becoming the Villainess, which was published by Steel Toe Books in 2006. Some of those poems have been featured on NPR’s The Writer’s Almanac and on Verse Daily. Two were included in 2007’s The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror. In 2007, Gailey received a Washington State Artist Trust GAP Grant and a Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prize.
• Lauren Hamlin has published in Zero Ducats, Poets & Writers, and Fourteen Hills where she read for the release party of issue 16.2. Watch it here. 
• Zara Raab is the author of The Book of Gretel and the forthcoming Swimming the Eel. Her poems appear in West Branch, Nimrod, Spoon River, Fourteen Hills, and elsewhere.

And these featured readers for Eleven Eleven:

• Aurora Brackett graduated with an MFA in fiction from San Francisco State University. Her stories and poems have been published in several literary journals and selected for awards, including the 2005 Wilner Award for the Short Story. She lives and teaches in Oakland.
• Catherine Meng is the author of the poetry collection Tonight's the Night (Apostrophe Books) and three chapbooks, 15 Poems in Sets of 5 (Anchorite Press), Dokument (Perichord Press), and Lost Notebook w/ Letters to Deer (Dusie Kollectiv).
• Loren Rhoads edited the cult nonfiction magazine Morbid Curiosity for ten years, and she has collected her cemetery travel essays in her book Wish You Were Here. Her short fiction has appeared in City Slab, Cemetery Dance, Not One of Us, the chapbooks Ashes & Rust and The Paramental Appreciation Society, and in the book Sins of the Sirens: Fourteen Tales of Dark Desire. Rhoads is a member of the Horror Writers Association and the Association for Gravestone Studies.

Since its inception in 1994, Fourteen Hills has been staffed exclusively by graduate students in the creative writing program at San Francisco State University, who collaborate to select and publish award-winning mixes of poetry, fiction, literary nonfiction, and cross-genre work by writers who have garnered such prestigious awards as the Pushcart Prize, the Flannery O’Connor Award, and been included in such anthologies as those put out by Best New Poets, 100 Distinguished Stories, Best American Gay Fiction, and O. Henry.

Eleven Eleven is the literature and art journal produced twice a year by the MFA Program in Writing and other members of the California College of the Arts community.

Our “Voices That Carry” may be eventually heard ’round the world, but why not hear them at their best—up close and personal at Muddy’s Coffee House? 

RSVP on Facebook and we'll see you there. (Arrive early to grab a seat.)

-Don Menn
Fourteen Hills staff

Fourteen Hills: Buy It Now At An Amazing Bookstore Near You

The Fourteen Hills staff is working hard on the Fall 2010 issue, so in the meantime, be sure to pick up your copy of Spring 2010 issue 16.2. Don't worry, there's no need to truck all the way out to the San Francisco State University Campus. We are lucky to have stores all around the Bay Area that carry Fourteen Hills (for only $9!). Below is a list of some of our favorite stores, so visit them today and pick up your copy of the latest issue.

Smoke Signals is an intimate but well-stocked newsstand that specializes in hard-to-find international magazines. They carry everything from literary journals to European football magazines, and the owner is extremely friendly and helpful. 2223 Polk St., San Francisco, CA, 94109
(415) 292-6025

Cover to Cover in Castro

Cover to Cover, an independent bookstore nestled in Noe Valley, makes you feel instantly welcomed. The staff is friendly, offers great suggestions, and will order anything you can’t find.
1307 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 282-8080
On Yelp

Though the USF Bookstore is targeted towards University of San Francisco students and faculty, anyone can go in and check out their wide selection of books and find out about numerous upcoming literary events.
2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 422-6493

The Booksmith on Haight Street

If you find yourself in the heart of the Haight, make sure to drop by the Booksmith. It is large and well-organized with tons of new and interesting releases. They go above and beyond books with a great selection of magazines, calendars, journals, and little gifts.
1644 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 863-8688
On Yelp

Dog Eared Books is a charming bookstore in the heart of the Mission. It has a great section dedicated to local authors and staff picks, and organizes literary events every month. Check out their website for more information on upcoming events in addition to interesting best-seller lists.
900 Valencia St
(between 20th St & Liberty St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 282-1901

“For those who are searching for the truth, Revolution Books is the place to come.” This bold claim will not leave you disappointed if you are looking for a radical bookstore with all types of literature about social revolution. Just two blocks from UC Berkeley, this volunteer-run organization hosts readings, political forums, and can clue you in on just about anything revolutionary under the sun.
2425 Channing Way Suite C
(between Dana St & Telegraph Ave)
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 848-1196
On Yelp

A Plethora of Literature in Santa Cruz

Capitola Book Cafe is the epicenter of Santa Cruz County's literature scene. The store is owned by a group of dedicated former employees whose passion for the store and for books is exemplified by the community they have created. They host several author readings a month and a local writing group too. In addition to a wonderful selection of books, they also have a cafe that serves food, coffee, beer, and wine.
1475 41st Ave, Ste G
Capitola, CA 95010
(831) 462-4415
On Yelp

You can also pick up a copy of Fourteen Hills at any of these wonderful bookstores in your neighborhood as well:

In San Francisco:

Adobe Books: 3166 16th Street
Alexander Book Co: 50 2nd Street (@Jessie)
Books and Bookshelves: 99 Sanchez Street (@ 14th)
Bound Together Books: 1369 Haight Street (@Masonic)
Christopher’s Books: 1400 18th Street
Farley’s: 1315 18th Street
Modern Times: 888 Valencia Street
SFSU Bookstore: 1600 Holloway Ave
West Portal Bookshop: 80 West Portal Ave
Books Inc: 2251 Chestnut Street (Marina Location)
Bibliohead Bookstore: 334 Gough (@Hayes)

So Many Bookstores to Choose From!

Greater Bay Area:

Analog Books: 1816 Euclid St, Berkeley
Book Zoo: 6395 Telegraph Ave, Oakland
Bookshop Benicia: 856 South Hampton Road, Benicia
Diesel Bookstore: 5433 College Ave, Oakland
Eastwind Books Berkeley: 2066 University Ave, Berkeley
ISSUES: 20 Glen Ave, Oakland
Kepler’s: 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
Orinda Books: 276 Village Square, Orinda
University Press Books: 2430 Bancroft Way, Berkeley
Walden Pond Books: 3316 Grand Ave, Oakland
Watershed Books: 305 N. Main Street, Lakeport

Book Stores All Over the East Bay

If you can't make it to a bookstore in the Bay Area, don't fear, you can now subscribe to Fourteen Hills online at fictionondemand.com.

-Kelly McNerney, Fourteen Hills staff