Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(2399 Van Ness;
%
Notes from Underground
415/775-7638
):
Appropriate for kids.
Sweetie's Café and Bar
(475 Francisco St., at Powell;
%
415/433-2343;
7:30pm): Adults only; featured poetry reading, then open mic.
Tuesdays
Java Source
(343 Clement St., at 4th;
%
415/387-8025;
9:30-11:30pm)
Wednesdays
Sacred Grounds
(2095 Hayes St.;
%
415/387-3859;
www.sacredgrounds
cafe.com; 7pm): Poetry-reading night that's been going since 1974.
Savoy Tivoli
(1434 Grant Ave.;
%
415/362-7023;
7:30pm, except 3rd
Wed): Reading followed by open mic.
Smack Dab at Magnet
(4122 18th St.;
%
415/581-1600;
www.magnetsf.org;
8pm every 3rd Wed): Participants must prepare 5-minute performances; dis-
cerning kids welcome.
Thursdays
Bird & Beckett Books
(653 Chenery St., at Castro;
%
415/586-3733;
7pm 1st and 3rd Thurs)
FOR KIDS
826 Valencia
(826 Valencia St., near 19th;
%
415/642-5905; www.826valencia.org)
is a fabulous example of someone helping others simply by offering expertise and see-
ing what comes out of it. The writer Dave Eggers made millions writing
A
Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,
but instead of spending the cash on man-
sions and cars, he opened this storefront dedicated to encouraging an appreciation
for reading and writing, particularly stuff school curricula ignore (comic writing, col-
lege-entry-essay writing) in the minds of kids ages 6 to 18. The staff is nearly com-
pletely volunteer. Although many of the programs require multiple weeks to
participate in, there are opportunities for 1-day workshops such as “Sudden Fiction,”
an afternoon where kids are given stories as short as a single paragraph to as long as
a page, and then turn around and write as many of their own as they can before the
session ends. Sometimes, Eggers's colleagues from
McSweeney's
literary magazine, or
Dave himself, are signed up for evening events for the grown-ups, too, and the out-
fit publishes a quarterly journal that presents kids' writing with all the respect and
style of an adult journal.
The storefront idea, which has enlisted the support and time of the likes of Jon
Stewart and David Byrne, is gradually being duplicated around the country. The
venture is partly funded by a deadpan “pirate supply shop” (daily noon-6pm) at
the front of the workspace, where all your eye patch and booty needs can be
met—how endearing is that? Even if you have no intention of enrolling anyone
in the programs, or if you're stocked up on peg legs, the front facade of the build-
ing is a work of art unto itself. Celebrated artist Chris Ware, author/illustrator of
the wildly acclaimed graphic novel
Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid on Earth,
