Robert Pinsky's first two terms as United States Poet Laureate were marked by such visible dynamism that the Library of Congress appointed him to an unprecedented third term. Pinsky's poetry is noted for its combination of vivid imagery and clear language that explores such themes as the transcendent aspects of simple acts. His books include The Figured Wheel and Gulf Music.

Robert Pinsky's reading is the keynote for a day-long program on the end of life, mourning, and life after loss. To purchase tickets for this day-long event, please click here.

A program of the JCCSF Art & Healing Program, the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center and Next Steps at Sinai Memorial Chapel.

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March comes People of the Book, an ambitious novel tracing the journey of a rare illuminated Hebrew manuscript from Muslim-ruled, medieval Spain to the ruins of Sarajevo, from the Silver Age of Venice to sunburnt northern Australia. Spanning five centuries and four cultures, People of the Book incorporates themes introduced in Brooks's popular earlier books (Nine Parts of Desire, Foreign Correspondence, Year of Wonders). With romance, adventure and espionage, Brooks reinvents history as only she can.

"A tour de force that delivers a reverberating lesson gleaned from history." - San Francisco Chronicle

From Mary Magdalene to Madonna, Gypsy Rose Lee to Angelina Jolie, bad girls have always been a source of fascination. But are these women born or made? Is their bad behavior a fall from grace or a triumph?  We're bringing together a group of self-proclaimed bad girls – including Elizabeth Rosner, Kate Moses, Michelle Richmond, and Kim Addonizio - all of whom are featured in Ellen Sussman's riveting anthology, Bad Girls: 26 Writers Misbehave, to share their funny, poignant stories.  Bring out your own inner bad girl and join us!  

The Book of the Unknown: Tales of the Thirty-Six

A liar, a cheat, a degenerate, and a whore. These are the last people one might expect to be virtuous.  But in the hands of conceptual artist and novelist Jonathon Keats (The Pathology of Lies) they are the Lamedh Vov - the thirty-six righteous individuals who ultimately make the world a better place.

Ann Packer's debut novel, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, established her as a gifted writer adept at chronicling the interior lives of women. Her long-awaited second novel, Songs without Words, is an uncanny observation of contemporary American domestic life that takes readers inside a lifelong friendship pushed to the breaking point.

"[Packer] shows us - tenderly, and with a full awareness of the precious dignity and indignity of human experience - ourselves." - The Washington Post

Although Tobias Wolff has described his own youthful self as a liar and an imposter, he has achieved an unparalleled level of honesty in his acclaimed books. The author of two groundbreaking literary memoirs (This Boy's Life and In Pharoah's Army) and several acclaimed volumes of autobiographical fiction, Wolff's revealing approach to writing consistently spins experience, memory and a remarkable gift for storytelling into literary gold.

"Wolff's voice in unfailingly authentic, while his embrace of the variety of the American experience is knowing, forgiving and all-encompassing." - The New York Times Book Review

From one of the most innovative biblical commentators at work today comes a revolutionary analysis of the intersection between religion and psychoanalysis in the stories of the men and women of the Bible.  Through close readings of the texts, Zornberg makes the revolutionary argument that biblical commentators were aware of the complex interplay between conscious and unconscious levels of experience, and used this knowledge in their interpretations.

Join us for the awards ceremony and public reading of the 2008-2009 winners of the Anna Davidson Rosenberg Poetry Awards.

In PRI's popular series "Selected Shorts," spellbinding stories by established and emerging writers take on a new life when performed by stars of the stage and screen. Join beloved host Isaiah Sheffer and nationally-acclaimed actors for the event NPR calls "story time for adults." This unique night of literature in performance is an exclusive Northern California engagement at Kanbar Hall.

With Chana Bloch & Chana Kronfeld

Dahlia Ravikovitch (1936-2005) was arguably the greatest Hebrew woman poet of all time.  She was widely honored for her artistry and admired for her courage as a peace activist.  Join Chana Bloch (The Secrets of the Tribe) and Chana Kronfeld (On the Margins of Modernism) for a reading from Hovering at a Low Altitude, their newly translated collection of Ravikovitch's work.

Award-winning, playwright (Talk Radio), actor (Law & Order), and novelist (Wasted Beauty, Mall) Eric Bogosian joins us with his latest work, which recreates the landscape and atmosphere of downtown New York.

"Mr. Bogosian's work has always trod the line between incisive character comedy and something deeper and scarier…that underneath our civilized surfaces, we are all selfish beasts." – Stephen Holden, The New York Times