The San Francisco International Poetry Festival kicks off today and runs through Sunday. Our own Richmond Library will be hosting two events this Saturday, July 25. Details are below. To see the full list of events for the festival, visit sfipf.org.

Children’s Story Time
Join host Sarah Menefee and poets/authors Ámbar Past (Mexico), Jorge Argueta (El Salvador), Tony Robles (The Philippines), and Cletus N. Nwadike (Sweden) for a children’s story time and book reading, and a book giveaway. with Ámbar Past, Cletus Nelson Nwadike
Saturday, July 25 | 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm at Richmond Branch Library (351 9th Avenue)

Poetry Reading at Richmond Library
Featuring Zhai Yongming (China) reading with Jamie Proctor-Xu, Alexander Skidan (Russia) reading with Rebecca Bella and Nguyen Qui Duc (Vietnam) reading with Isabelle Pelaud.
with Zhai Yongming, Alexander Skidan, Nguyen Qui Duc
Saturday, July 25 | 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm at Richmond Branch Library (351 9th Avenue)

More about the SF International Poetry Festival:
Mayor Gavin Newsom, San Francisco Poet Laureate emeritus Jack Hirschman, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and the San Francisco Public Library present the second biennial San Francisco International Poetry Festival, July 23-26, 2009. The SFIPF takes place at the Palace of Fine Arts, public libraries and various venues throughout San Francisco. All events are free and open to the public.

This year’s landmark event will be co-hosted by Hirschman and San Francisco Poet Laureate Diane di Prima. San Francisco Poet Laureate emeritus Lawrence Ferlinghetti will be presented with a special honor. Robert Mailer Anderson and Nicola Miner are the Honorary Chairs of the SFIPF.

The festival honors San Francisco’s great legacy of hosting and encouraging cross cultural dialogue. In 2007 the first ever SFIPF, a four-day extravaganza, drew thousands of people from the Bay Area and beyond to venues and celebrations throughout the City, including a street party in North Beach, youth events, book signings, translation workshops and more.

Since the 2007 Festival, Friends of the SFPL has presented smaller poetry festivals in a variety of languages, such as the Iranian Literary Arts Festival, Vietnamese Poets of the Diaspora and Flor y Canto en el Barrio: A Celebration of Latino Poetry, in their ongoing effort to continue to build cultural bridges, celebrate the literary arts and foster international dialogue.

Put the William Shatner of Priceline out of your mind and travel back in time. Thrillville presents Shatfest: A Tribute to William Shatner, taking place at the 4-Star Theater on Thursday, July 23 (23rd & Clement, 7:30pm).

The film festival features two flicks from the glorious polyester decade, Impulse (1974) and Kingdom of the Spiders (1977). The festivities start at 7:30pm and tickets are $12 for the double feature plus a live burlesque show by the Twilight Vixen Revue, and a special appearance by the Shatner Butt Girls (Who knew?!).

Purchase tickets in advance or check out the event poster.

IMPULSE (1974): A paranoid, leisure-suit-wearing conman/gigolo named Matt Stone seduces lonely women, bilks them of their savings via an investment scam, then kills them. When he begins seeing an attractive widow, her daughter Tina becomes suspicious of his motives.

KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS (1977): Investigating the mysterious deaths of a number of farm animals, vet Rack Hansen discovers that his town lies in the path of hoards of migrating tarantulas. Before he can take action, the streets are overrun by killer spiders, trapping a small group of towns folk in a remote hotel.

This Thursday night, July 16, Green Apple is hosting two talented local authors/artists.

Beginning at 7pm in Green Apple’s Side Room, local author Russell Hill will read from his recently released novel, The Lord God Bird, a sinister novel of ornithological obsession set in the Bayou Country of 1949. A brief synopsis of the novel from Russell’s website:

The Lord God Bird is a startling novella filled with dark images of America in 1949. Jake Hamrick, a 19 year old who has been obsessed since childhood with the Ivory billed Woodpecker, a bird that is on the verge of extinction, leaves Illinois for Louisiana to find the creature, accompanied by Robin, his tiny girlfriend. Discovered by local hunters, Robin and Jake are pursued deep into the bayous, where they are harbored by Robert, an ancient black man. It is a cinematic novella of obsession, passion, violence, and loss that you won’t forget.

Right after Russell’s event, at 8pm, the literati moves to the 540 Club bar (at 540 Clement) where San Francisco filmmaker/animator/author Lev Yilmaz will present his latest book, Sunny Side Down, a collection of his acclaimed Tales of Mere Existence strips and stories. You may have seen one of Lev’s Tales of Mere Existence – check out the humorous one below entitled “How to Break Up” or see more videos here.

Sarah B.

This Saturday night, the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers will host their San Francisco City Star Party at Lands End. The event begins around sunset with a short talk on any of a myriad of astronomical topics, after which participants begin observing through the telescopes.

The event begins at 8:30pm on Saturday, July 11 and participants should meet up in the large parking area in the Lands End section of western San Francisco on El Camino Del Mar. Click here for specific directions and exact location.

Never been to a star-gazing party before? Read the SFAA’s etiquette and tips guide.

The sky’s the limit!

Sarah B.

A few weeks back, I posted about a jop opening for a new park organizer for the Muriel Leff mini-park located on 7th Avenue. Good news! They found someone and the new organizer, Mikki Sulanchupakorn, is already off to a quick start, organizing this week’s 4th of July picnic.

The Community Picnic runs on July 4th from 12noon to 2pm and includes free food (60 lbs. of beef I’ve been told!) and activities for kids. This is a great chance to come out and meet your neighbors and enjoy a traditional 4th of July hotdog.

Mikki says they still need volunteers to help man the BBQ at the picnic, so if you know your way around a Weber, please get in touch: (415) 621-3260 or council@sfnpc.org.

Community Picnic at Muriel Leff Mini Park
Saturday, July 4th | 12noon – 2pm
7th Avenue between Geary and Anza (behind the Richmond Police Station)
Free!

Sarah B.

This Friday, State Senator Leland Yee and the Contractors State License Board will host a free seminar to help educate consumers about common scams run on seniors and tips for avoiding them.

The event will include a panel of experts from the DCA/Bureau of Automotive Repair, Department of Insurance, Department of Corporations, Public Utilities Commission, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, and the San Francisco Police Department.

Senior Scam Stopper Seminar
June 26th | 10am – 12noon
Richmond Recreation Center, 251 18th Avenue
More information: 415-557-7857

In a recent Richmond District police newsletter, Captain Correia described an incident where a resident was victimized by just the kind of scam this seminar will address:

On May 28, 2009 a Richmond District resident went to her bank to arrange a wire transfer of $9000.00 to an individual in Malaysia. The bank teller became suspicious and inquired into the reason for the transfer. The teller learned that the customer had won the “lottery” and the funds were needed in advance of collecting the prize to pay the “taxes”. In fact, the funds were the second installment of “taxes”. The first installment of $3774.00 had already been sent via Western Union. The alert teller dissuaded the customer from completing the transaction and the police were notified.

Sarah B.

This Saturday, Golden Gate Park will host a very unique event: the Bicycle Music Festival. The Richmond District has its fair share of music festivals but this one is different – everything about the show is powered by bicycles, whether it’s the 2000 watt pedal-powered PA system or the completely bike-haulable stage.

The festival starts out in Golden Gate Park at 9:30am and then moves onto other parts of the city, on bike of course. The event is packed up and deployed numerous times: staged sequentially at different public parks and also on a moving “Live On Bike” stage which rolls down city streets.

Even the performers pack all their gear onto bikes and move onto the next location. Dolores Park and Pier 7 are other stops on the BMF route.

The festival takes audience participation to a whole new level – it’s the pedaling of the crowd that literally keeps the music going. Talk about direct feedback from your audience! If you’re a boring performer, I guess the crowd could just stop pedaling and send you packing. Who needs Simon Cowell?

The schedule for the opening leg in Golden Gate Park is as follows:

Saturday, June 20 | Marx Meadow in GGP; walk in at 31st Avenue from Fulton
9:30am – 10:00am: TBA marching band
10:00 – 10:40am: Tin Cup Serenade
10:50 – 11:10am: MaMuse
11:20 – 11:45am: StitchCraft
12:00pm – 12:45pm: Spaceheater
1:00 – 1:30pm: Antioquia
1:30 – 2:00pm: TBA marching band
See the full festival schedule here

Below is a brief video from last year’s event which also shows you how they generate the electricity to keep the party movin’. And remember, whatever you do, don’t drive to the festival.

Sarah B.

Ok, it’s looking like nice weather this weekend. Yay for all the families out there that will be celebrating Father’s Day on Sunday.

If my Dad lived in San Francisco, I would take him for brunch at the Clement Street Bar & Grill in the morning (killer bacon), followed by some dancing at Lindy in the Park. Then we’d stop off at the concourse bandshell to listen to the Golden Gate Park Band, and perhaps stroll through the Botanical Gardens.

The photo to the right is my grandfather in the middle, my Dad on the right and his cousin on the left. Happy Father’s Day everyone!

———-FRIDAY———-

de Young Cultural Encounters: Opening night of Art and Power in the Central African Savanna and special performance of Nefasha Ayer | 5-8:45pm
More info

Salmon bake at Ocean Beach to benefit SalmonAID | 6pm
The bake will be one block South of Fulton Street on Ocean Beach. Hosted by Native American Tribes of the Klamath Basin. More info

Bazaar Cafe: Singer/songwriter/guitarist Rick Homan and friends | 7pm
5927 California Street, between 21st & 22nd Avenues

Live Jazz at the Cliff House | 7-11pm
Mad and Eddie Duran. 1090 Point Lobos

Park Chalet: Josh Smith Jazz Trio | 7-10pm
Beach Chalet: Johnny Smith and Friends | 8-11pm
1000 Great Highway @ Ocean Beach

Rockit Room presents: The Ressurection Men / Last Day on Earth / The Chumps | 8pm
406 Clement Street

Plough & Stars Irish Pub: The Bluegrass Revolution | 9pm
Hard driving string band. 116 Clement Street at 2nd Avenue

———SATURDAY———

Bicycle Music Festival | 9:30am – 2pm | Marx Meadow, Golden Gate Park
The Bicycle Music Festival is the largest 100% bicycle-powered music festival in the world. The free, all-day (and late into the night) event takes place annually in San Francisco. The festival features a 2000 watt pedal-powered PA system, as many as 15 bands, up to 7 festival stops, outrageous Critical Mass-style bicycle party caravans between festival stops, and zero use of cars or trucks. More info & schedule of performers

de Young Lecture: “Textiles of India, Dilemma for Survival: Conserve or Diversify?,” Bina Rao | 10am – 12pm
Part of the 6th annual Carol Walter Sinton Program for Craft Art. The Textile Arts Council is proud to present Bina Rao. Ms. Rao completed her MFA studies in 1983, and she began her work to reconcile the Indian traditions of handloomed weaving and other handicrafts with the Indian rush to modernize. In 1996, she established Creative Bee, a design and production studio for handwoven and handprinted textiles focused on the revival of traditional techniques. More info

Alice 97.3′s Summerthing Free Concert in Golden Gate Park | 12noon – 5pm | Speedway Meadow
A free day of music with Gavin Rossdale (Gwen Stefani’s hubby), Matt Nathanson, Sugar Ray, and Parachute. More info

Outer Richmond Benevolent Society (ORBS) Neighborhood Party | 11am – 4:30pm
schoolyard at Alamo School, 22nd Avenue btwn. California & Clement. More info

New de Young exhibition: Art and Power in the Central African Savanna
Art and Power explores the political and religious power of nearly 60 sculptures created by artists of four Central African cultures: the Luba, Songye, Chokwe, and Luluwa. Carved primarily from wood, these power figures act as containers for magical organic ingredients and serve purposes both religious and political. More info

Park Chalet: Bayonics | 2-5pm
1000 Great Highway @ Ocean Beach

Organ Concert at the Legion of Honor | 4pm
John Karl Hirten plays Johnson, Bach, Dvorak, Verdi, Widor. More info

Bazaar Cafe: Singer/songwriters Kelly Vogel and Melissa Phillips | 7pm
5927 California Street, between 21st & 22nd Avenues

Rockit Room presents: The Goddess of Song Festival | 8pm
A night of Bay Area female performing artists. Pop, singer-songwriter, funk-rock, R&B/Soul. Shannon Bryant, Kristin Lagasse, Groovy Judy, and London Street. 406 Clement Street. More info

Plough & Stars Irish Pub: Culann’s Hounds | 9pm
San Francisco’s hard-rocking acoustic, Irish band. 116 Clement Street at 2nd Avenue

———-SUNDAY———-

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Lindy in the Park | Golden Gate Park | 11am
JFK Drive between 8th & 10th Ave. More info

Golden Gate Park Band Festival – Battle of the Bands | 11am – 5pm
Music Concourse/Bandshell

Park Chalet: Father’s Day with Kapakahi | 2-5pm
1000 Great Highway @ Ocean Beach

Organ Concert at the Legion of Honor | 4pm
John Karl Hirten plays Johnson, Bach, Dvorak, Verdi, Widor. More info

Bazaar Cafe: Singer/songwriter Vernon Bush | 6pm
5927 California Street, between 21st & 22nd Avenues

Rockit Room presents: Long Thaw / Vandella / Creatures of a Beautiful City / MOB Witness / Radio Star | 7pm
406 Clement Street

———-GO TO THE MOVIES———-

4-Star Theater
The Hangover
Double feature: Sin Nombre plus State of Play
Info & showtimes

Balboa Theater
The Proposal
The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3
Info & showtimes