Litquake 2003 review

When a packed Castle could have its silence shattered by a dropping quarter, you know something special is going on. Litquake created that magic effect on September 20.

Actor Sean San Jose led the night off with the haunting words of JT Leroy. The genie was out of the bottle. The collective rising of goosebumps on necks was the only sound in the air.

Emer Martin's piece that followed a little later set the hairs on end, and for many her beautiful story was the highlight of the night.

Streets being the theme, the best advocates of the urban genre were found in Peter Plate and Michelle Tea. Both Mission District based writers rolled the crowd with their swerving deliveries and adhesive narratives. Plate's final cacophonic smash saw the microphone crashing to the ground.

Kevin Smokler was an eloquent contrast to the urban speed running around the room. His story of a via suburbia reminded the crowd that the Republic was not exclusively paved with the crusted crud of decaying cities. Fresh trees and lawns still hold the sway in the lush hinterlands.

Ending the night, newly re-located San Francisco resident, Irvine Welsh, formerly of Leith, the capital of Edinburgh, read a new work to the massive crowd. The silence was shattered by the roars of approval from the punters. Irvine was home in America.

The whole Litquake weekend showed the nation that the literary scene in San Francisco is the best. Dense with talent, and free from the blahdom of New Yorkist elitism, this frontier town kicks up a storm of ink based talent. Sign up for Litquake 2004 events at the Litquake website.