Writers With Drinks featuring Shobha Rao and L.A. Kauffman

Writers With Drinks continues to mix up your spoken word categories---with literature, activism, food writing, poetry and MORE!

When: Saturday, March 11 from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM, doors open 6:30 PM
What: WRITERS WITH DRINKS!
Who: Shobha Rao, L.A. Kauffman, Paul Vangelisti, Aviva Siegel, and Leena Trivedi-Grenier!
How much: $5 to $20, all proceeds benefit the CSC
Where: The Make Out Room, 3225 22nd. St., San Francisco, CA

About the readers/performers:

Shobha Rao is the author of An Unrestored Woman. She's also the winner of the 2014 Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Fiction, awarded by Nimrod International Journal. She has been a resident at Hedgebrook and is the recipient of the Elizabeth George Foundation fellowship. Her story “Kavitha and Mustafa” was chosen by TC Boyle for inclusion in the Best American Short Stories 2015.

L.A. Kauffman is the author of Direct Action: Protest and the Reinvention of American Radicalism. She has spent more than 30 years immersed in radical movements, as an organizer, strategist, journalist, and observer. Kauffman was the mobilizing coordinator for the massive anti-war marches of 2003-2004; she has been called a “virtuoso organizer” by journalist Scott Sherman for her role in saving community gardens and public libraries in New York City from developers. Her writings on grassroots activism and social movement history have been published in The Nation, Mother Jones, n+1, The Baffler, and many other outlets.

Paul Vangelisti is the author of more than thirty books of poetry, as well as being a noted translator from Italian. In 2015 his sonnet sequence Solitude was published in a bilingual edition by Galleria Mazzoli Editore in Modena, and a new collection of poems, Border Music, appeared in 2016 from Talisman House in Massachussetts. His other works of poetry include Days Shadows Pass (Green Integer, 2007), Agency (2003), Embarrassment of Survival: Selected Poems 1970-2000 (2001), Alphabets (1999), Nemo (1995), Villa (1991), Rime (1983), Another You (1980), Portfolio: With an Appendix, The Tender Continent (1978), among others. From 1971-1982 he was co-editor, with John McBride, of the literary magazine Invisible City and, from 1993-2002, edited Ribot, the annual report of the College of Neglected Science.

Leena Trivedi-Grenier is the principal and senior writer for Leena Eats: Gourmet Communications. Her food writing has appeared in Culinary Trends Magazine, Icons of American Cooking, NPR Food, Spoonful, Extra Crispy and the Washington Post.

Aviva Siegel is a stand-up comic by day, and a stand-up comic by night. She lives in Oakland and produces shows like “Talkies” at The Roxie, Witches’ Brew at Black Hammer Brewing, and YETI! in Oakland. Her comedy’s been featured in SF Sketchfest, The Nevada City Film Festival, Heeb Magazine, and on NPR.


About Writers With Drinks:

Writers With Drinks has won numerous "Best ofs" from local newspapers, and has been mentioned in 7x7, Spin Magazine and one of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City novels. The spoken word "variety show" mixes genres to raise money for local causes. The award-winning show includes poetry, stand-up comedy, science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, literary fiction, erotica, memoir, zines and blogs in a freewheeling format.