The Bay Area is teeming with readers, writers, creators, and thinkers. We have harnessed the power of this community to create one of the premier literary festivals in the world. The Festival is a two-day event complete with literary sessions presenting top authors from this region, the nation, and the world, along with an outdoor fair with hundreds of literary exhibitors. We also offer events for kids and writing contests. We even have a mini film festival — a series of ten films on literature — with BAMPFA. We transform vibrant Downtown Berkeley into a literary utopia where readers of all ages and interests can find kindred spirits.
Potrero Hill’s neighborhood bookstore since 1991
Special orders welcome, by phone, email, or the old-fashioned way–just drop by!
Kepler’s Books is one of the nation’s premier independent bookstores, famous for its outstanding author events, knowledgeable staff, and its broad selection of books, magazines and gifts.
Hours: Mon.-Thur, 9am to 10pm; Fri-Sat, 9am to 10:45pm; Sun 10am to 10pm
Pegasus Books Downtown is a spacious, light store at the corner of Shattuck and Durant in Downtown Berkeley. Our Downtown store offers an ever-changing mix of new and used books, overstock books, art cards and thoughtfully chosen magazines.
Located in the historic train depot in downtown Mill Valley, The Depot Bookstore and Cafe has been family owned and operated since 1987. A long-time favorite meeting place for Mill Valley locals and visitors, “The Depot” is where the pulse of Mill Valley beats.
Enjoy the warm hometown feeling and friendly atmosphere while shopping for the perfect book or perusing our wide assortment of fashion, news, home, and literary magazines.
Or join us for coffee, a glass of wine, or a meal while taking in Mill Valley’s best people-watching from our outdoor terrace.
Healdsburg’s Bean Affair is a cozy neighborhood coffee shop in a residential neighborhood. Enjoy free wifi while scarfing down a crepe, breakfast sandwich, or panini hot of the grill.
They are open very early, 5:30 a.m. on weekdays, so there is plenty of time to grab cup of Joe before work.
City Lights Books is a landmark independent bookstore and publisher that specializes in world literature, the arts, and progressive politics.
Left Bank is an authentic Parisian-style brasserie located in the historic Blue Rock Inn in charming downtown Larkspur. Built in 1895 during the railroad era, The Blue Rock Inn was a popular weekend destination for San Franciscans to come dance and picnic under the stars.
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9am to 10pm; Sun 10am to 10pm
A neighborhood fixture in the Rockridge district since 1969, our Pegasus store in Oakland carries a tremendous selection of new, used and sale books in all categories. Pegasus Oakland also carries the most beautiful selection of cards and blank books in the East Bay, and packs hundreds of titles into a carefully chosen magazine section.
The Marsh Cabaret is a bar and performance space attached to The Marsh in Berkeley.
Berkeley City College is part of the Peralta Community College District. We are located in downtown Berkeley, just two blocks west of UC Berkeley.
Imagine more than 10,000 square feet with titles in every category in a beautifully restored brick building in the heart of Petaluma’s westside. There’s a huge selection of fiction. One room is dedicated to magazines and another to children’s books. Cooks, travelers, writers, graphic novel readers, historians—in fact, nearly everyone—will find a section that appeals.
The Santa Clara County Library District is an open forum promoting knowledge, ideas, and cultural enrichment. The library provides free access to informational, educational, and recreational materials and services. In response to community needs, the library provides diverse resources on a wide variety of subjects and viewpoints and helps people use these resources.
You are invited to take an interesting and informative historical tour of Preston Castle. You will be guided by a trained docent, or take a self-guided tour on your own. You will have access to the first floor, second floor and basement and learn about the history of the Preston School of Industry. These tours involve stairs. Cameras are allowed but please, NO tripods.
The Octopus is a literary salon of the 21st Century encouraging the social interaction of readers, writers, & performers of all ages in Uptown Oakland, California.
Bluestockings is a volunteer-powered and collectively-owned radical bookstore, fair trade cafe, and activist center in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. We carry over 6,000 titles on topics such as feminism, queer and gender studies, global capitalism, climate & environment, political theory, police and prisons, race and black studies, radical education, plus many more! You can also find some good ‘ole smutty fiction, sci-fi, and poetry . We also carry magazines, zines, journals, alternative menstrual products and other oddly hard-to-find good things.
Beautiful, expansive, and situated in the heart of San Rafael on 4th Street, the store offers a huge array of titles, magazines, and gifts plus a variety of in-store events featuring fiction to romance to sci-fi authors. The store boasts a vibrant children’s program and is also home to an outpost of local cafe Taste Kitchen + Table, for those who like to read and sip a latte.
The Maitri Boutique is a high-end boutique that sells new and pre-owned South Asian party clothing and accessories for women, men, and children.
RCPL cultivates community by welcoming all people to experience the shared joys of literacy and learning.
Third Plateau is an impact-oriented strategy firm that partners with the world’s most passionate and daring changemakers to reimagine, expand, and realize their social impact.