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Thursday, Sept. 21 - 7pm
Cory Allen author of Breaking Free A Saga of Self-Discovery by A Gay Secret Service Agent A deeply personal yet candid saga of a gay Secret Service Agent in the Obama era; an agent struggling with his own identity, marriage, discrimination, and balancing the demands that accompany being assigned to protect the most powerful people in the world. Allen delivers an amusing view into his adventurous life, with abundant historical and pop-culture references, twists and turns of his relationships, and an inside look into life as a gay Special Agent in the hyper-masculine career field.
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Thursday, Sept. 28 - 7pm
Chloe Sherman author of Renegades San Francisco: The 1990s A tender, joyous portrait of the thriving lesbian subculture in '90s San Francisco. Queer youth, outcasts and artists flocked to the city to experiment with art, self-expression, style and gender and to find community. Rent was affordable, paving the way for queer bars, clubs, tattoo shops, galleries, cafés, bookstores and women-owned businesses to emerge. A new wave of feminism embraced gender fluidity, and butch/femme culture flourished. The Mission district was the center of this queer cultural renaissance, and the feeling of community there was palpable. Sherman was both a member of this community and an ardent visual chronicler. Her documentary photographic work on 35mm film stems from a commitment to capturing the vibrancy, tenderness, individuality, resilience and joy within this subculture.
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Sunday, Oct. 1 - 3:30
Paul Madonna author of Commissions An Emit Hopper Mystery Get ready for a rollicking and irresistible new mystery from award-winning artist and author Paul Madonna. Amsterdam, 2019—following the conclusion of Come to Light. Former rock star-turned-artist Emit Hopper’s life has taken yet another strange turn. His old friend, the legendary SF private detective Ronnie Gilbert, is dead, and his killer has just been acquitted. But when a disheveled acquaintance from Ronnie’s past walks into Emit’s shop, a puzzling mystery resurfaces, twenty years cold. We’re transported back to San Francisco, 1999, when Emit and Ronnie first met. Emit has returned to taking commissions drawing people’s houses, only to be strong-armed by a shady police lieutenant into acting as her off-the-books spy. On top of that, a strange young woman claiming to be his daughter refuses to leave him alone. From there unfolds an intricate tale of corruption and murder that leads to an explosive scandal, with consequences that, two decades hence, are finally revealed.
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During the day, the event will take place in a parklet we've rented in front of Fabulosa, and at night it will be inside the store itself. It will be made up of four chapters:
Chapter 1 is for families with children up to age 12. We'll host a drag story hour and other activities geared towards young people. Chapter 2 is for the broader community, and will feature an open mic and performers and readings from banned books, plus appearances by community leaders including Sister Roma, music, and dancing. Chapter 3 will take place overnight in the store. We'll read aloud from a banned book in its entirety, in turns, and have snacks and a DJ from our sponsor BFF.FM. Chapter 4 will consist of coffee and donuts for our most loyal fans and volunteers, bright and early Sunday morning, as we wrap up our reading and celebrate the books we’ll be sending to our queer friends across the nation! |
Saturday, Oct. 7 10am - Sunday, Oct. 8, 10am
Read for Filth: a Books not Bans Benefit READ FOR FILTH: A 24-HOUR CELEBRATION OF BANNED BOOKS
will be held in the Castro on October 7-8, 2023. At a moment when LGBTQIA+ books are under attack and anti-gay harassment is spiking, we're coming together to celebrate books and stories that bring us together. Read For Filth will be a grand affirmation of queer joy, a resounding rejection of hate and censorship, and a fundraiser for BOOKS NOT BANS, our program to send queer books to LGBT centers and groups in red states. This 24-hour all-ages event will include activities and stories that help us be more free. Beginning at 10 am on October 7, we'll come together to celebrate and create, with readings happening in the afternoon and an overnight party in the store. Our schedule is below, and we’re adding activities regularly until the event. All are welcome and encouraged to participate. Books Not Bans, the bookstore’s program for sending LGBT books to LGBT centers and groups in red states. As of this writing, Fabulosa Books has sent 12 boxes to groups in destinations including Tulsa, OK, Cheyenne, Charleston, Ft. Meyers, FLA, Hattiesburg MS, and Montgomery, AL. We fill each box with 20 new and popular queer books with a mix of current titles and classics. The event is scheduled to coincide with Banned Book Week, an annual occurrence created by the American Library Association (ALA) that celebrates the freedom to read. Sister Roma, who will be one of our MCs, said, “Queer books are FABULOUSA! How dull would the world be without our voices? Our stories must be told, our experiences must be shared, and our history must be written! I'm thrilled to host this event to help get important books into the hands of our community who need them the most!" HOW TO PARTICIPATE: We are looking for performers, participants, sponsors, and volunteers! Members of the community should reach out to info@fabulosabooks.com to learn how they can participate. Castro merchants and residents are especially encouraged to reach out. |
If you want to schedule a reading or book release party, email Becka. Please note: we concentrate on LGBTQ+ titles, but do make exceptions. All events must be scheduled at least 6 weeks in advance and readings should last no longer than 90 minutes. Also, we don't do events on Fridays, Saturdays, or Wednesdays. Please note: we truly wish we could host everyone who wants to hold an event here. Alas, there are simply too many wonderful authors with wonderful books for us to accommodate all the requests we receive. Thanks for understanding!
If you are a scheduled reader looking for info on events, click here.
If you are a scheduled reader looking for info on events, click here.