This week’s Curator: Annalee Newitz, author and co-host of Our Opinions Are Correct and Ars Technica Live.
I like weird theater, and I cannot lie. Luckily the Bay Area excels in providing it. This week, you can see delightfully odd theatrical productions about ancient mythology at the San Francisco Olympians Festival. You can listen to naughty literary fic at Shipwreck, or you can see an incredible drag show devoted to a very special episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer at the Oasis. Or, if you prefer something more natural, you can go birding at the SF Botanical Gardens. Feed your science brain with a panel about women in space at Chabot Space Center in Oakland, or learn more about threats to democracy with former Facebook CSO Alex Stamos at Ars Live at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland. Then party with the cool kids at Internet Archive, tonight!
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COMING UP THIS WEEK:
Shipwreck: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
Shipwreck is a not-to-be-missed celebration of literature, fandom, and smut. Six local scribes write dirty fic about randomly-chosen characters from a work of fiction — this month, it’s Haruki Murakami’s forthcoming novel The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, already declared “obscene” by censors in Hong Kong. After MC Baruch Porras-Hernandez reads each fic, the audience votes on their favorite. You can expect extreme weirdness and silliness.
WEDS, OCT 3, Booksmith, SF. $12.
Building a Better Web: The Internet Archive’s Annual Bash!
The Internet archive is one of the only places on Earth devoted to saving everything that has ever appeared on the Web, archiving it, and making it available to the general public. They also host archives of digitized books, rare films, and more. Housed in a gorgeous former church in the Richmond, they host many events–but this is the best! Come to the annual Internet Archive bash to meet the people who keep our digital history safe, have some delicious tacos, and dance the evening away. Remember this is a fund-raiser, too, so if you can spare a little extra, please do.
WEDS, OCT 3, 5-10:00 PM. Internet Archive, SF. $15-100 donation.
San Francisco Olympians Festival: Roman Holiday
There’s no better time to remember the doomed glory that was Rome than right now. If you love theater, you can enjoy This is the ninth annual San Francisco Olympians Festival, featuring dramatic readings of 27 new plays by 28 writers, focused on ancient mythology. The theme for this year is “Roman Holiday,” but expect some sly commentary on hubris, colonization, and more.
WEDS-SAT, OCT 3-6, EXIT Stage Left Theater, SF. $10 at the door.
Birding at the San Francisco Botanical Garden
Start your Sunday right with a slow, beautiful amble from the Botanical Garden main gate to the John Muir trail. Led by a docent, this birding walk usually turns up roughly 30 different species. Bring binoculars, your Sibley guide, and a sense of wonder. Or just bring yourself.
SUN, OCT 10, 8-10:00AM San Francisco Botanical Garden, SF. FREE. Meet at main gate.
Space Week: Women in Space
A panel of female astronomers, entrepreneurs, and astronauts discuss what we need to do to get more women into space. This lunchtime panel discussion is sure to be inspiring and thought-provoking. Young people are encouraged to come.
SAT, OCT. 6, 1-2:00PM Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland, FREE with museum admission.
Ars Technica Live: A Conversation about Election Security
Alex Stamos recently resigned his post as chief security officer at Facebook, after revealing the enormous amount of Russian meddling in the US election via the social platform. Now a researcher at Stanford, he’s investigating the future of election security and digital threats to democracy. This should be a fascinating conversation, and the audience will have a chance to ask questions too.
WEDS, OCT 10, 7:00-8:30 PM. Eli’s Mile High Club, Oakland. FREE.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Live
One of the world’s greatest TV shows collides with the world’s greatest drag show to deliver spooky laughs and general mayhem. Whether you love Buffy, or just want to drink cocktails and laugh your face off, this delightful annual show is for you. Tickets sell out fast, so grab yours now!
FRI & SAT, OCT 11-NOV. 2, 7:00-9:00 PM. Oasis, SF. $27-$50.
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Caveat Eventor: just because we mention an event here, does not mean it won’t be terrible. Anglerfish curators are looking for events that sound like fun to them – your mileage may vary.