Join the editors and writers of Lapham’s Quarterly as they examine the topic of death. From the undertaker to the underworld, for thousands of years death has been an escape for some, an absurdity for others, and an inevitability for all. In a discussion full of gallows humor, morbid contemplation, fear of departure, and a will to live, the end is only the beginning. With Executive Editor Kira Don, Art Director Timothy Don, Sandra Gilbert, and Jeff Sharlet. Recorded live from Litquake's Off the Richter Scale in 2013, at the Hotel Rex in San Francisco.

Litquake proudly hosts the San Francisco launch of Daniel Alarcón’s highly anticipated new novel At Night We Walk in Circles. In conversation with Daniel Gumbiner from McSweeney’s.

Acclaimed author ZZ Packer (Drinking Coffee Elsewhere) has received a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer’s Award, a Whiting Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is currently at work on a novel, Thousands, about the Buffalo Soldiers, which was excerpted in The New Yorker’s 20 Under 40 Fiction Issue. In conversation with Sarah Ladipo Manyika, and recorded live during Litquake 2013, at Museum of the African Diaspora. 

Cristina García is author of many books, including the novels Dreaming in Cuban, The Agüero Sisters, Monkey Hunting, A Handbook to Luck, The Lady Matador’s Hotel, and her newest, King of Cuba (“An ingeniously plotted, boisterous, and brilliantly castigating tale”—Booklist.) In conversation with Oscar Villalon from ZYZZYVA. Recorded live at Litquake’s Epicenter at Hotel Rex, and co-presented by Green Apple Books.

Litquake is thrilled to partner with San Francisco Opera in presenting heralded librettist and author J. D. McClatchy, in conversation with The Chronicle’s arts editor David Wiegand. They discuss McClatchy’s long and decorated career, as well as the challenge of adapting Stephen King’s intensely powerful novel, Dolores Claiborne, for the opera stage.

Gabriel Roth is author of the acclaimed new coming-of-age novel The Unknowns, and was formerly a reporter and editor at the San Francisco Bay Guardian. He now works as a writer and software developer in Brooklyn, NY. In conversation with National Novel Writing Month’s founder Chris Baty. Recorded live at Litquake’s Epicenter at Hotel Rex, and co-presented by Books, Inc. Click litquake.org/litcast, visit iTunes, or find us on Stitcher, and download to the shiny device of your choice.

Peter Orner is the author of Esther Stories, The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo, Love and Shame and Love, and his newest collection, Last Car Over the Sagamore Bridge, which was hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “storytelling mastery.” In conversation with Isaac Fitzgerald from McSweeney’s, and with music by Paul Griffiths. Recorded live at Litquake’s Epicenter at Hotel Rex, and co-presented by Books, Inc.

Critic Laura Miller's keynote speech "Printed Vs. the Digital Word," from Litquake's digi.lit digital literary conference. Miller is a co-founder and staff writer of Salon.com, and wrote “The Last Word” column for The New York Times Book Review for two years. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, New Yorker, Harper’s, Guardian and other publications, and she is the author of The Magician’s Book: A Skeptic’s Adventures in Narnia. Recorded live as part of Litquake's digi.lit at SPUR Urban Center in San Francisco.

Author Neal Pollack's keynote speech "Reinventing The Literary Career For The Digital Age," from Litquake's digi.lit digital literary conference. Pollack is the author of seven books, including the bestselling memoirs Alternadad and Stretch, the mystery novels Jewball and Downward-Facing Death, and the cult classic The Neal Pollack Anthology Of American Literature. Recorded live as part of Litquake's digi.lit at SPUR Urban Center in San Francisco.

Karen Joy Fowler is the author of six novels and three short story collections, including Sarah Canary and The Jane Austen Book Club. Her newest novel, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, wins rave reviews, with The New York Times calling it “deliciously jaunty in tone and disturbing in material.” In conversation with bestselling novelist Gail Tsukiyama. Recorded live at Litquake’s Epicenter at Hotel Rex, and co-presented by Green Apple Books.

Litquake and Porchlight team up to bring you six stories from six different storytellers about putting the best spin on an impossible situation. Laugh with us as we listen to stories from comedians Michael Ian Black and Tom Rhodes, rapper Lyrics Born, authors Caitlyn Myer and Tamar Adler, and publicist (and occasional ghostwriter for Boo, the world’s cutest dog) April Whitney. Hosted by Beth Lisick and Arline Klatte. Recorded at the Verdi Club. 

Litquake is thrilled to introduce Zimbabwean debut novelist, NoViolet Bulawayo, at May’s Epicenter. Bulawayo’s novel, We Need New Names is one of the most highly anticipated launches of the year. She’ll be in conversation with Sarah Ladipo Manyika, who is the author of In Dependence and teaches literature at San Francisco State University.

Litquake and the Writers’ Grotto present the return of REGRETURATURE: An evening of readings that probably shouldn’t see the light of day.

Everybody has to start somewhere, and here’s what happens when good writers start bad. On April 25th, members of the acclaimed San Francisco Writers Grotto and special guests sheepishly read works they may now regret, from fiction to nonfiction, blogs, journalism, opinion pieces, even diary entries.

The first part of this epic two-part episode features humor writer Kim Wong Keltner, New York Times bestseller Ellen Sussman, Isaac Fitzgerald, and Todd Oppenheimer.

Emceed by Litquake co-founder Jack Boulware, and with the pianistic stylings of Joshua Raoul Brody.

Matthew Specktor is Senior Fiction Editor at the Los Angeles Review of Books. He is the author of three books, the most recent of which, American Dream Machine, is published by Tin House Books. In conversation with Glen David Gold, author of two novels, Carter Beats the Devil and Sunnyside, as well as essays, memoirs and short fiction in McSweeney’s, The New York Times Magazine, and London's Independent. Recorded live at Litquake's Epicenter at Lone Palm. Co-presented by Green Apple Books.

Author Eric Ames makes his only Bay Area appearance for his book Ferocious Reality: Documentary According to Werner Herzog. In close, contextualized analysis of more than 25 films spanning Herzog’s career, Ames makes a case for exploring documentary films in terms of performance and explains what it means to do so. Ames is co-editor of Germany’s Colonial Pasts and author ofCarl Hagenbeck’s Empire of Entertainments. In conversation with Jonathan Marlow, cinematographer, composer and curator, and co-founder of Fandor. Recorded live at Litquake’s Epicenter at Tosca Café. Co-presented by Green Apple Books. 

Author Gilles Verlant, in his only San Francisco appearance for his new biography of iconic French singer and man-about-town Serge Gainsbourg – Gainsbourg: The Biography. With Tam Tam Books publisher Tosh Berman, and hosted by Peter Maravelis. Recorded live at Litquake's Epicenter at Tosca Café. Co-presented by City Lights Books.

Sam Lipsyte is the author of two story collections, The Fun Parts and Venus Drive, and three novels: The Ask, The Subject Steve and Home Land, which was a New York Times Notable Book and received the first annual Believer Book Award. He is also the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship. He lives in New York City and teaches at Columbia University. Sam is in conversation here with Joshua Mohr, author of four novels: Termite Parade, Some Things that Meant the World to Me, Damascus, and his newest, Fight Song. Recorded live at Litquake's Epicenter at Tosca Café. Co-presented by City Lights Books. 

New York Times Magazine “Drink” columnist Rosie Schaap has been a bartender, a fortune teller, a librarian at a paranormal society, an English teacher, an editor, a preacher, a community organizer, and a manager of homeless shelters. In her new memoir Drinking with Men, she shares her unending quest for the perfect local haunt, with often hilarious results. She lives in New York City, and is in conversation here with poet Robin Ekiss. This event was recorded live for Litquake’s Epicenter at Tosca Cafe in San Francisco. Co-presented by Green Apple Books.

Four authors discuss the art of long-form fiction. Moderated by Shanthi Sekaran, author of The Prayer Room and adjunct professor of writing for the MFA program at California College of the Arts.

Authors include Gina Frangello, Joshua Mohr, Hector Tobar, and Ellen Ullman.

Four authors, Catherine Brady, Thaisa Frank, Kathryn Ma, and Lysley Tenorio discuss the craft of the story with moderator Laura Cogan, editor of ZYZZYVA, one of the West Coast's premier literary journals.

The vaudeville act of Daniel Handler and Andrew Sean Greer returned to the stage – actually for the first time together at Litquake – and we were blessed to receive their collective presence. Yes, they have written bestselling books (The Confessions of Max Tivoli, A Series of Unfortunate Events), and both are recipients of many awards and adulation. But at the heart of this hilarious program, they instead drew questions from a fishbowl, played a bit of music, and discussed each other's work with a minimum of personal attack. Recorded at Z Space during Litquake 2012.