Events - Modern Times Bookstore

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	Reading Understanding the Crash Seth Tobocman, Eric Laursen, and Jessica Wehrle - Tuesday, June 29 - 7 PM Understanding the Crash starts with a simple question: What has happened to the world economy? Seth Tobocman, Eric Laursen, and Jessica Wehrle explain just how we got into this mess—and how we can get out of it. Show how the troubles of a working-class community in Cleveland or a newly built suburb of Miami became an international financial crisis, the book concludes with a look at how ordinary people are taking action to set things right. top of page

	Reading God’s Lunatics Michael Largo - Wednesday, June 30 - 7 PM God’s Lunatics chronicles the lives of celebrated mystics, martyrs, wizards, shamans, cult leaders, founding fathers of Utopian experiments, victims of demonic possession, and originators of New Age movements. A legendary researcher, Largo also examines practices, symbols, and phenomena surrounding these fascinating religious figures, all to create a composite image that represents the many ways in which communities have sought to understand the unknowable. top of page

	Reading Tortured: When Good Soldiers Do Bad Things Justine Sharrock - Thursday, July 1 - 7 PM Tortured goes behind the scenes of America’s torture program through the personal stories of four American soldiers who were on the frontlines of the “war on terror,” including the Abu Ghraib whistleblower. They reveal how their orders came from the top with assurances that those orders were legal and how their experiences left them emotionally scarred and suffering a profound sense of betrayal by the very government for which they fought. top of page

	For All The People: Uncovering The Hidden History of Cooperatives, Cooperative Movements, and Communalism in America John Curl - Friday, July 2 - 7 PM Presented in cooperation with LaborFest. John Curl, author of this little-known saga of working peoples’ struggles for work place democracy, the commons, and prophetic social justice movements arrayed against the forces of capital and state power, which provides a guide to visionary changes in the ways we live, think, and work in a troubled 21st century. John Curl is a working class historian, author of a memoir of the radical Sixties, eight volumes of poetry, translator of ancient poetry from indigenous languages, and in May was the USA representative at the World Poetry Festival in Caracas, Venezuela. top of page

	Launch and panel discussion Men Can Donald Unger - Saturday, July 3 - 3 PM Men CAN tells the stories of a half dozen families—of varied ethnicities, geographical locations, and philosophical orientations—in which fathers are either primary caregivers or equally sharing parents, personalizing how Americans are now caring for their children and illuminating the ways that popular culture both reflects and influences these changes in family roles. top of page

	Alto Arizona: Rank and File Voices Walking in Solidarity With Immigrant Workers Hosted by James Tracy, poet, writer, housing activist. - Saturday, July 3 - 7 PM Presented in cooperation with LaborFest. On May 29th, 2010 many hundreds of rank-and file workers caravanned from San Francisco to Phoenix Arizona to join protests against the State’s attacks on the human rights of immigrants, evoking comparisons to the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement. Come hear a report back from Arizona, updates on future actions and share your ideas for organizing against scapegoating of immigrants. Reports from: Steve Woo (Asian Pacific Islander Delegation) Dorothy Royal (Community Housing Partnership/SEIU 10210) Ramses Teon-Nichols (SEIU 1021) Jah'Mocca Moet-Iman Samone (Transgender Intersex Justice Project) and Alicia Soon (Young Workers United). top of page

	Reading A Poetics of Resistance: The Revolutionary Public Relations of the Zapatista Insurgency Jeff Conant - Wednesday, July 7 - 7 PM Presented in cooperation with LaborFest. The appeal of the Zapatistas a lot to do with the wildly effective language and aesthetics they've used to convey their vision- the colorful communiqués of Marcos; the ski masks, uniforms, toy dolls and murals. Conant offers an engaging study for organizers to understand how the Zapatistas' strategy works, and to continue developing their messages of bottom-up revolution. top of page

	Reading & Release Party Sometimes Too Hot the Eye of Heaven Shines Ryka Aoki, winner of RADAR Productions’ first Eli Coppola Memorial Chapbook Prize Readings by Ali Liebegott, Jusin Chin and Ryka Aoki - Thursday, July 8 - 7 PM Ryka Aoki is a writer, performer and composer who has recently appeared at the National Queer Arts Festival, Atlanta Pride & UCLA’s OutCRY. Her poems and essays have appeared in journals such as Lodestar Quarterly, FEM Magazine, and Grand Street. top of page

	"Stop calling it a 'Nation of Immigrants!" Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz - Sunday, July 18 - 3 PM Presented in cooperation with LaborFest. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz will read her essay, "Stop calling it a 'Nation of Immigrants!" and discuss the erroneous perception of the Mexican border as a question of immigration, rather than settler colonialism dating to its establishment through a US war against Mexico, seizing half its territory. top of page

	"The Sandinista Revolution and San Francisco" Alejandro Murguia - Monday, July 19 - 7 PM Presented in cooperation with LaborFest. Alejandro Murguia, co-founder of the Mission Cultural Center in 1977, is a poet and writer who committed the ultimate act of solidarity in joining and fighting in the international guerrilla of the Southern Front of the Sandinista National Liberation Front. He wrote the story in his novel, Southern Front, which he will read from, as well as some of his poetry, and talk about politics and culture, the legacy of the Sandinista revolution, which marks its 21st anniversary on this day. top of page

	Anarchism and Its Aspirations Cindy Milstein - Tuesday, July 20 - 7 PM Presented in cooperation with LaborFest. Cindy Milstein will discuss her new book, Anarchism and Its Aspirations. Anarchism has played an important role in U.S. labor movements and has experienced new life in the past two decades. Cindy is an activist and educator from Vermont who now lives in San Francisco. She serves on the board of the Institute for Anarchist Studies, co-organizes the Renewing the Anarchist Tradition conference, and is a collective member at Black Sheep Books. Her essays have appeared in several anthologies, including Realizing the Impossible, Confronting Capitalism, and Globalize LiberationX. top of page

	Down with Stereotypes! Conversations with Waitresses and Native Americans Allison Owings - Thursday, July 22 - 7 PM Presented in cooperation with LaborFest. Alison Owings, author of Hey, Waitress! The USA from the Other Side of the Tray and the forthcoming Indian Voices / Listening to Native Americans, will read excerpts from both works. This evening will feature the tale of Beulah Compton, a waitress union leader in Seattle in the 1940's and 1950's, and Tom Phillips (Kiowa), a powwow emcee who also works as a drug counselor at the Friendship House American Indian Healing Center -- just blocks away from Modern Times. LaborFest discounted copies of Hey, Waitress! will be available for purchase. top of page

Tede Matthews Initiative Special Events The Tede Matthews Initiative (TMI) is a new project of Modern Times Bookstore. Honoring the fierce cultural legacy of founding collective member Tede Matthews’ queer literary cultural activism, TMI partners with Mission District community cultural organizations, schools, artists, and educators to launch a series of performances, workshops and free to low cost cultural events to support the Bay Area's activist, artistic, and literary communities. To support us or find out more, click here.

Imagine How Free We Can Get: A Radical Queer Walking Tour of the Mission Part of the 2010 National Queer Arts Festival: Making History - Sunday, June 6 - 2pm - Tickets: $5-$8 (No advance sales) The Mission has been a hotspot of queer community, culture and resistance for over 40 years. Come find out more about this incredibly rich queer radical history on this radical queer/trans walking/biking tour! Traveling from Gloria Anzaldua's house to the old Luna Sea, from 1980s Latina queer bars to the Catacombs, this tour will take you through queer time and space, remembering legacies of struggle, joy and art. We'll refuse to forget the queer elders who brought us here, and recognize the queers hanging out through many waves of gentrification and repression. Along the way, we’ll witness street postering installations and stencils by Lex NonScripta. top of page

The Inverted Essence: Young Hegelian Critique of Religion, 1835-45 A Talk by Nathan Bjorge *presented in Cooperation with the Institute for the Critical Study of Society* - Monday, June 14 - 7 PM Explore the roots of the Marxist tradition in the philosophy of the Young Hegelians. Centered at the University of Berlin, the Young Hegelians radicalized Hegel's thought in the context of the European political awakening that would culminate in the "Springtime of the People" of the revolutions of 1848. Focusing on the theological controversies that shaped the trajectory of the movement, we will briefly survey its major figures and ideas. Nathan Bjorge holds a BA in Philosophy and Religious Studies from UC Berkeley and an MA from the GTU in Systematic and Philosophical Theology. This presentation will be based on his Graduate Thesis. top of page

Marx vs. Keynes: What is a way out of today's economic crisis? A Talk by Ron Kelch & Raj Sahai *presented in Cooperation with the Institute for the Critical Study of Society* - Monday, July 12 - 7 PM Is it possible to break with capitalist value production? What is a way out of today's economic crisis ? The nature of the present economic crisis of capitalism has sent many economists back to the 1930s for guidance for today's reality; the only alternative put forward by some to the failed policies of the past, monetarism and tax cutting, has been a Keynesian return to 1930s style government investments in infrastructure through massive deficit spending. Can this work today? We will explore these and other questions from a Marxist framework. top of page
Monthly Events

Spanish Book Club/ Circulo de Lectoras/ es de Literatura en Espanol - Fourth Thursdays: June 22, July 27 - 7 PM A mix of native speakers and advanced level hablantes, the group has been meeting in the Mission District on a monthly basis for nine years. Participants receive a 10% discount on their book purchases. Los libros estan en la seccion de libros en espanol. Las personas que participan en el grupo reciben 10% de descuento al comprar los libros. top of page

Queer Open Mic - Every fourth Friday: June 25, July 23 - 7 PM sign up, 7:30 PM show A monthly event and a Modern Times favorite. Queer Open Mic offers a wild mix of open mic performances and kick-ass features. All ages and kinds of queer are welcome. Five minute max, $3-$5 donation, no one turned away, lots of gay love power. June 25: Featuring Genderfork (with Sarah Dopp) Genderfork is a community expression project about non-traditional gender identities. It was founded by Sarah Dopp, it’s run by a global staff of volunteers, and it gives voice to thousands of beautiful gender nonconforming people from all over. top of page

The Burger Queen Social By the minds of Gay Shame & Ships in the Night - Last Saturday of the month, 5:30 PM: June 26, July 31 - 5:30 PM On the lookout for a way to connect with wildly queer, deviously radical, hella fun queers? Well, here comes the Burger Queen Social! A great opportunity to meet other radical queer folks to hook up for political witchery and great discussion. Free vegan eats and a wicked DJ! top of page

Low-Cost Activist Spanish Classes Taught by Francisco Jimenez - Saturdays - 1-2:30 PM - $15-20 Francisco strives to teach effective, useful spanish to all, no matter your proficiency. The focus is on spanish for activists and polticial organizers. Classes are small (often one-on-one) and tailored to your needs. A necessary foundation for any one doing political work in the Americas. top of page

Gay Shame Weekly Meetings - Every Saturday - 5:30 PM Gay Shame seeks nothing less than a new queer activism that foregrounds race, class, gender and sexuality, to counter gay consumerism and the increasingly hypocritical left. Come to a general meeting: all are welcome. top of page