THIS WEEK! Thursday, August 15 | 6:00 pm | Page to Stage: Private Lives ty Noel Coward | tickets free to members when registering
FEATURED EVENTS Thursday, August 22 | 6:00 pm | In Conversation: Jenny Odell with Cathy Park Hong | tickets free to members when registering Thursday, September 5 | 6:30 pm | In Conversation: Tommy Orange with Steve Wasserman
SEMINAR SERIES Tuesday, August 27 | Tuesday, September 3 | Tuesday, September 10 5:30pm - 7:00 pm: | First in a Series of Four Seminars on James Baldwin's Books
Bobby Fischer may or may not be the strongest chess player of all-time, but he is unquestionably the best known. Since his classic Cold War world chess championship match in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1972 against Boris Spassky, which landed him on the covers of Time and Newsweek, Bobby has been known to hundreds of millions of people around the globe.
Interest in Fischer’s life remains strong even after his death in 2008, witness the Liz Garbus documentary Bobby Fis...
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I love coming to work each day! Mechanics’ Institute members continually impress me with their broad interests, lively pursuits and their influence for good.
When I came to work here, little did I know that I’d rub shoulders with T.J. Stiles, a member who just won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for History, or with artists, writers, world travelers, start-up gurus, and a member of the knitting group known as String Theory! We also have m...
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Over the last year and a half, we’ve been working closely with the City of San Francisco and architectural experts to restore the façade of the Mechanics’ Institute. Since the scaffolding was removed from the front of the building in March, Mechanics’ Institute members and neighbors have been awed by the bright, white façade restored to its original splendor. Members and visitors stop me in the hallways and on the street to share their excitement about the renovation. The reconstruction and p...
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BOOKS
FICTION
David Duchovny Bucky F*cking Dent
Ali Eteraz Native believer
C.E. Morgan The sport of kings
Richard Russo Everybody's fool
Historical Fiction
Chris Cleave...
One of the greatest things about living in the San Francisco Bay Area is its literary scene. There are a number of independent bookstores, used bookstores, public libraries and, of course, the best membership library around, the Mechanics’ Institute. Also, many wordsmiths call San Francisco and its expanse home. As a way to honor and thank those authors who do live in the Bay Area, the current Staff Picks display will feature their works. A short list of selected authors can...
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The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library have cordially invited Mechanics’ Institute member writers to submit work to their annual poetry contest, readers’ series, and publication, Poets 11. This contest is open to all San Francisco residents 18 and older; participants may submit up to three poems by the June 15th deadline.
Poets 11 collects poems from each of San Francisco’s 11 districts, compiles them into a printed anthology, and holds poetry rea...
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BOOKS
FICTION
Karl Ove Knausgaard My struggle. Book five
Mystery, Suspense, Espionage & Intrigue
Fiona Buckley A perilous alliance
Rachel Howzell Hall Skies of ash
Craig Johnson...
BOOKS
FICTION
Jean Echenoz 1914
Lynne Kutsukake The translation of love
Neel Mukherjee A life apart
Curtis Sittenfeld Eligible
Scarlett Thomas...
What with the acute level of attention focused on presidential elections, it’s easy to forget that local politics can affect our communities as much as what is decreed at the federal level of government. If you'd like to pay a little less attention to coverage of the November presidential race and spend that time digging into the biographies of candidates closer to home, start by checking our government info sheet for general informa...
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BOOKS
FICTION
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Before we visit the goddess
Kaitlyn Greenidge We love you, Charlie Freeman
Cynan Jones Everything I found on the beach
Graham Swift Mothering Sunday
Scot...
