Recorded live at KALW during Litquake Festival 2025

Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon, co-authors of the book Life After Cars and hosts of "The War on Cars" podcast, discuss the idea of building infrastructure that isn't centered around the automobile. In conversation with KALW's Sunni Khalid, they discuss the history of car-centric culture and outline the ways in which it contributes to inequality, climate crisis, and even the loneliness epidemic. They also offer glimpses at cities tackling the problem in novel and effective ways and offer practical tips for navigating the (car-free) road ahead.

Recorded live during Litquake Festival 2025

A beautiful evening was had with U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón as she read and discussed Startlement, an essential collection spanning nearly twenty years of emphatic, fearlessly original poetry from one of America's most celebrated living writers. With no shortage of awards and accolades to her name (MacArthur Genius and Time Woman of the Year, anyone?), Limón looked back on her distinguished career and shared radiant new work for the first time. In conversation with Matthew Zapruder.

Recorded live at Litquake Festival 2025

Outdoor enthusiast Josh Jackson had never heard of "BLM land" before a casual recommendation from a friend led him to a free campsite in the desert—and the revelation that over 15 million acres of land in California are owned collectively by the people. Recorded live at KALW during Litquake Festival 2025, Jackson discusses his new book, The Enduring Wild, which takes us on a road trip spanning thousands of miles, crisscrossing the Golden State to seek out every parcel of public wilderness therein. Jackson tells of the Indigenous peoples who have called them home for millennia, of the threats that imperil them today, and of the grassroots organizers and political champions who have rallied to uphold mandates to protect these natural treasures for generations to come. In conversation with KALW's Marissa Ortega-Welch.

Recorded live at Litquake 2025

What happens when a work becomes unbound by language, medium, and format? How does meaning and experience shift? These are the questions we explore in this recording from Litquake Festival 2025.

Writer, editor, and voice director Camilo Garzón and special guests, Noelle de la Paz, Monica Cure, and Amanda Nazareno, guide a listening party through three immersive audio adaptations: an Ecuadorian horror story about altitude sickness transformed into auditory terror, Romanian poetry layered with kitsch and nostalgia, and a Japanese short story with sounds and voices pushing the limits of reality. These multiple translations—from language, to audio, to the stage—unbind narrative from any single form, transcending the boundaries of medium, translation, and performance.

Recorded live at Counterpulse in San Francisco during Litquake Festival 2025.

Award-winning writer and cultural critic Sarah Schulman discusses the themes in her book, The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity. In conversation with 48 Hills' Mark Bieschke, she delves into the intricate and often misunderstood concept of solidarity to provide a new vision for what it means to engage in this work—and why it matters.

Recorded live at the Gray Area Theater during Litquake Festival 2025

With bylines in The Nation, the New Republic, and The Baffler, financial reporter Jacob Silverman has had his eyes on Silicon Valley for years. Now, in his deeply researched book, Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley, he traces the tech world's reactionary turn. Elon Musk, as Silverman illustrates, is only the most recent and high-profile example of this rightward lurch. In what Kirkus has called "a book to trouble your dreams," Silverman traces the promise of political influence, the enticements of deregulation, and the lure of technofascism. Silverman's partner in this vital conversation is Alex Hanna, Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute and co-author of The AI Con.

The Bay Area's long-running Porchlight storytelling series returned to Litquake once again for this special edition, featuring tales on the theme of Touched by an Angel: Stories of Mentors, Teachers, Guardians, and Influencers.

Featuring off the cuff stories by Litquake co-founder Jack Boulware and memoirists Nico Lang, Adam Nimoy, Eugene Rodriguez , Dawn Silva, and Christina Vo. Co-hosted by Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick. With music by Marc Capelle.

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Generation Women returns to Litquake with a powerful night of live, multigenerational storytelling. Founded by author Georgia Clark in 2017, this series amplifies underheard voices and fosters intergenerational connection. In this special festival edition, one woman or non-binary storyteller from each decade—20s through 70s+—shares an original, true story inspired by the evening's theme.

Featuring performances by Eirinie Carson, Susan Kiyo Ito, Giovanna Lomanto, Jenny Pritchett, Rachel Levin, and Jane Smiley. Hosted by writer and curator Samantha Schoech.

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Recorded at The Lost Church during Litquake 2024, this magical evening features DIY witch and literary icon Michelle Tea in conversation with The Witching Year author Diana Helmuth, guided by writer and artist MK Chavez—plus a special onstage gathering in the second half.

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Three acclaimed writers—Morgan Parker, Carvell Wallace, and sam sax—offer bold, deeply personal takes on healing in a world that resists it. From mental health and identity to queerness and survival, their recent works reimagine what self-love can look like today.

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Recorded live at Litquake Festival 2024, this episode celebrates Wild Life, the latest from the minds behind Atlas Obscura. Editor Cara Giaimo, journalist Marissa Ortega-Welch, and Oakland Zoo's Amy Gotliffe share stories of Earth's most awe-inspiring creatures—and why they matter.

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