All Event Books 10% Off Different Daughters: A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Rise of the Lesbian Rights Movement Marcia Gallo   - Thursday, April 5   - 7:30 PM Beginning as a tiny San Francisco social club in 1955, the Daughters of Bilitis soon organized local chapters in New York, Los Angeles and beyond, incubating many figures on the lesbian political and literary scene until the organization waned in the 1970s. Author Marcia Gallo draws on many interviews with pivotal DOB figures, focusing on the tensions that drove the groupís evolution: lesbian commonality versus race; class and ethnic differences; political activism versus social activities; collaboration with other homophile organizations versus independence; women's rights versus gay rights. top of page The Best American Nonrequired Reading The Best American Committee with Dave Eggers   - Tuesday, April 10   - 7:00 PM The Best American Nonrequired Reading is an annual collection which gathers the best fiction, essays, journalism, humor, comics and miscellany published in the U.S. Edited by Dave Eggers and the Best American Committee, a group of local high school students who meet once a week at 826 Valencia, this year's edition is expanded in scope. An eclectic array of shorter pieces, fragments of stories, transcripts, screenplays, television scripts, notable words, and sentences add quirkiness to this edition. Join us for this lively reading! NOTE: Due to a scheduling conflict Dave Eggers needed to cancel his appearance for tonight's reading. (Something regarding fundraising for Darfur--go Dave.) So our host for the event will be Stephen Elliot, who has been featured in previous editions of the book. Dave will hopefully be joining us in the future for his latest novel What is the What. top of page Land and Society Course David Giesen   - Wednesday April 11, 18 and 25   - 6:30 - 8:30 PM Long-time instructor in political economy, David Giesen, leads an interactive three night cram course in economics and social philosophy that addresses housing, business, and spirituality from the perspective that the earth should be treated as an equal opportunity for all. Attend one or all of these stand-alone evenings. Courses are free and of course open to the public. Home owners and would-be homeowners encouraged to attend. Attendance limited to 25, please RSVP to office@moderntimesbookstore.com by Wednesday, April 4. top of page CELEBRATE RACHEL CARSON'S 100TH BIRTHDAY One Woman Show and Modern Times Fundraiser Lilith Rogers   - Thursday, April 12   - 7:00 PM Celebrate Rachel Carson's 100th birthday with Rachel Carson herself--almost. Hear Rachel's courageous and interesting life story, readings from lyrical and informative books, and enjoy birthday cake with us! Rachel's books will be available for purchase, or bring your old copies for "signing." This is a fundraiser for Modern Times. A $10 donation is requested, but no one turned away for lack of funds! top of page My Girlfriend Comes To The City And Beats Me Up Stephen Elliot with Gravity Goldberg ECSTATIC MONKEY READING SERIES   - Friday, April 13   - 7:30 PM Former stripper and prolific author Stephen Elliott's memoir follows the narrator on a dizzying ride through past and present, from a group home for troubled adolescents in Chicago to shooting galleries and homeless encampments in San Francisco, where he searches for deeper and darker thrills. His writing has been featured in The New York Times, GQ, Best American Non-Required Reading, and Best American Erotica. Elliott will be joined by Ecstatic Monkey member Gravity Goldberg. top of page Second Annual Street Skills Bicycle Safety Course League of American Bicyclistsí certified instructor Bert Hill   - Sunday, April 15   - 3:00 PM This four hour course teaches the basics of safe and enjoyable cycling, including riding in traffic, necessary equipment, crash avoidance, and legal rights and responsibilities. Open to adults 14 and over. Bicycle not required. Last year, this course filled up quickly, so please register beforehand at www.sfbike.org. Also, please note that food will not be provided. We strongly suggest you bring a snack! The course is funded by the City of San Francisco MTA. top of page The Black Glove The Cutting Ball Theater   - Tuesday, April 17   - 7:00 PM Taking place on a wistful Christmas Eve, The Black Glove boasts among its list of characters: a Christmas spirit, a Christmas fairy, a taxidermist trying to order the universe, and a lost child who is found again. It is a side of Strindberg we almost never get to seeñ sensitive, delicate, and ultimately hopeful. The Cutting Ball Theater, a San Francisco based experimental theater company now residing at Modern Times, is renowned for its unique creative productions and re-visioned classics. top of page A Bush & Botox World: Travels Through Bush's America Saul Landau   - Thursday, April 19   - 7:30 PM A Bush & Botox World provides insight into the culture under which the Bush White House operates. Using Botox as a metaphor for both the rapid technological change of the globalized world and its superficiality, Landau syncopates visits to modern Vietnam with analysis of the bizarre world of anti-Castro terrorists; he brings readers into the homes of corporate executives and into the street lives of African American kids on east Oakland's streets. Landau will also be screening his new film, We Don't Play Golf Here. top of page The Meaning of Marxism Paul D’Amato   - Monday, April 23   - 7:00 PM Long-considered dead by mainstream critics, the basic ideas of Karl Marx are brought to life in D’Amato’s new book. Come hear this inspiring speaker explain why, instead of being irrelevant, Marx's ideas of globalization, oppression, and social change are more important than ever. Paul D’Amato is the associate editor of the International Socialist Review. His writing has appeared in CounterPunch, and Selves and Others and he is a frequent speaker at social justice conferences here and around the world. top of page Spanish Book Group / Círculo de Lectores de Literatura en Español   - Tuesday, April 24   - 7:00 PM Join us for our Spanish language book group on the fourth Tuesday of each month. A mix of native speakers and advanced level hablantes, the group has been meeting in the Mission District on a monthly basis for eight years! This month we will be reading Los Pasos Perdidos by Alejo Carpentier. Books are available for purchase at the store. top of page Perpetual Motion Roadshow Paul D’Amato   - Friday, April 27   - 7:30 PM The Perpetual Motion Roadshow is an indie press touring circuit, an unholy combination of vaudevillian variety show and punk rock tour. Each month, three new lively indie performers pile in a car and do seven cities in eight days. For each performance, PMR performers offer the bold guarantee: No boring readings or your money back! Performers TBA. top of page Ubu Roi Cutting Ball Theater   - Monday, April 30   - 7:00 PM Yes, this is the play that caused riots in Paris. Yes, this is the play that prompted Yeats to say, "After us, the Savage God!" We will attempt to rediscover this ground-breaking piece in a new translation that works to get beyond the initial shock of the first performance and capture the uncanny genius of Alfred Jarry. The Cutting Ball Theater, a San Francisco based experimental theater company now residing at Modern Times, is renowned for its unique creative productions and re-visioned classics. top of page