Litquake celebrates by hitting 20 cities

20th anniversary moves beyond S.F. into new territory

In honor of its 20th anniversary, Litquake plans to launch a new venture called “20 in 20” that will expand the literary festival beyond San Francisco by hosting events in 20 cities in the region — many it’s never ventured to in the past, officials announced.

“People tend to think of us as a San Francisco festival, but in actuality we’ve always had events outside the city,” said Jane Ganahl, cofounder of the annual event. “And this time they’re going to be way outside the city — Half Moon Bay, Stanford, Petaluma, Danville, and probably the furthest is Occidental.”

With an emphasis on its literary reach, Litquake plans to host a starstudded author lineup Oct. 1019 that includes awardwinning authors Ann Patchett and Jeanette Winterson, as well as several acclaimed Bay Area writers like “There There” author Tommy Orange, who wrote his debut novel about indigenous communities in his

hometown of Oakland. Even before its publication last summer, the reception for “There There” was staggering — the novel was actually the center of a fourday publisher bidding war.

“He’s very, very busy,” said Litquake cofounder Jack Boulware about Orange. “So we’re very lucky.”

Other notable names for the festival’s 20th year include authors Maxine Hong Kingston; Bay Area filmmaker Boots Riley (”Sorry to Bother You”); former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Chris Kattan, whose tellall book “Baby Don’t Hurt Me: Stories and Scars from Saturday Night Live” was released in May; San Francisco native Michelle Ruiz Keil; Caine Prize winner Tope Folarin; and New York Times tech reporter Mike Isaac.

“We’re really proud to have lasted this long,” Ganahl said. “It’s really a tough time for the arts in San Francisco.”

Since its start in 1999, Litquake has featured more than 8,000 authors for the multiday celebration of all things literature. The festival hosts various events, including readings, workshops, panels and its famed Lit Crawl, which helps close out the festival this year on Oct. 19 and is expected to showcase more than 500 authors in one night.

“This is going to be a thrill ride,” Boulware said.

Litquake is cosponsored by The Chronicle.

Shelley Eades Litquake’s Lit Crawl, held in the Mission District each year on the closing night of the festival, brings literature to many unusual venues, including laundries.

Shelley Eades Above: Mommy Lit, an event during Litquake’s annual Lit Crawl. At left: Jane Ganahl and Jack Boulware are the founders of Litquake, an annual San Francisco literary festival.

Grace Li / The Chronicle