FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
Sunday July 19, 2026 — 3:00PM – 5:00PM
3rd Floor, Chinese Center
The San Francisco Public Library Main Branch
100 Larkin Street between Grove & Fulton
S F I N S F W E L C O M E S
MOLLY TANZER
IAN SHOALES aka MERLE KESSLER
w/editor Nick Mamatas
Event is moderated by author Cliff Winnig
Each author will read a selection from their work, followed by Q&A with the audience. Booksigning and schmoozing follows!
Books will be for sale courtesy of Fly By Night Books, and all attendees are welcome to bring their own books from home for signatures.
Our wonderful podcast hosts from Soma FM will be recording the talk for later broadcast – they are listener-supported, commercial-free radio broadcasting to the world! Catch up on previous SF in SF conversations and reading at our dedicated channel, here
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Ian Shoales, whose alter ego, Merle Kessler, is a veteran radio performer known to many through the inimitable group, Duck’s Breath Mystery Theatre, and is a man of many parts that Wikipedia appears to have never acknowledged. They DO know about Duck’s Breath Mystery Theatre, however, which was a radio comedy group that began performing short sketches on NPR’s All Things Considered. For more about Ian/Merle, read this extraordinary piece by editor Nick Mamatas, and get to know him a little. There’s also some bits and pieces online, at http://ianshoales.com/ And, of course, you can buy his new book, Veni Vidi Venti, the newest title in the PM Press Outspoken Authors series.
Molly Tanzer is an American author, whose work has been nominated for the Locus Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the Wonderland Book Award. Her novel Creatures of Charm and Hunger won the Colorado Book Award in 2021, and her work adapting manga for English-speaking audiences has been nominated for the American Manga Awards. Her critically acclaimed short fiction can be found in The Big Book of Cyberpunk, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror. Her new title, And Side by Side They Wander, is out now from Tordotcom. Follow her on Instagram @molly_tanzer and on BlueSky @mollytanzer.bsky.social. Molly lives outside of Boulder, CO with her many houseplants. Learn more at https://mollytanzer.com/
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The San Francisco Public Library Main Branch is located on the corner of Larkin and Grove, off Hyde, with entrances on both Larkin and Grove. Parking is available in the Civic Center Garage across the street, and the Civic Center BART Station is located a block away in the UN Plaza. The 19 Polk MUNI bus has a stop directly in front of the library on Larkin Street. Check the website 511.org to easily plan your visit with public transportation!
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SAVE THE DATES – COMING UP NEXT WITH SF IN SF!
Join SF in SF for these next authors on our calendar!
- Sunday, July 19, 2026, 3PM – Ian Shoales/aka Merle Kessler (Duck’s Breath Mystery Theater) and author Molly Tanzer
- TBD – Author and illustrator Kathleen Jennings – all the way from Australia!
- Stay tuned for a special SF in SF Event taking place at the upcoming World Fantasy Convention in Oakland, this October!
Join the mailing list for all the details, at www.sfinsf.org!
Questions? Email Rina Weisman at sfinsfevents@gmail.com
