#GetLit: Bay Area Lit Festivals

Literary heads in the Bay Area, rejoice!

I know most of us would rather curl up with a book on the weekend, avoid the crowds, be content with the company of a warm cup of coffee, a book in hand. Or maybe that’s just me. Weekend plans aside, the Bay has been blessed with some serious lit action happening soon (as in this month!) that I personally choose not to miss.

Oakland Book Festival (May 22, 2016)

On its second year, the Oakland Book Festival aims to “serve the reading public, to encourage debate and celebrate the City of Oakland.” The festival program features panels on incarceration, workers’ issues, struggles of farm workers, on #BlackLivesMatter and many others that I’m looking forward to participating in. For the full program lineup, click here.

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Bay Area Book Festival (June 4 & 5, 2016)

The Bay Area Book Festival is an indoor and outdoor festival to be held at downtown Berkeley in June. With the San Francisco Chronicle, the festival features a whopping 120 literary sessions (panels, interviews, etc.) – it’s almost like a literary Coachella! Spoken word artist Saul Williams will also open the festival with a performance on June 2nd, with Black Spirituals and Chinaka Hodge. For the full schedule, click here.

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Litquake (October 7-15, 2016)

Ah, Litquake. Even though I’ve been living in the Bay Area for about 10 years now, I haven’t been able to participate because of, well, life. This year will be different though, because I’ve got my eyes (and reading glasses!) on the week-long event. Litquake “seeks to foster interest in literature for people of all ages, perpetuate a sense of literary community, and provide a vibrant forum for writing from the Bay Area and beyond as a complement to the city’s music, film, and cultural festivals.” Full lineup here.

Hope to see you in one, or all!