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 | Legions of pop stars use literature as inspiration for their music, so it's only fair that a local nonprofit uses pop music to inspire literacy. When the finale of reality TV show [i]The Bachelor[/i] attracts more than 24 million viewers, yet most novels are lucky to sell 20,000 copies, you begin to despair of the written word being drowned in a sea of images and music. Then again, the very music blaring from that passing car stereo could be doing its part to promote literacy.More |  | Lolly Winston's Good Grief Labeling Lolly Winston's debut novel [i]Good Grief[/i] as "chick lit" misses the point, even though her publishers are pulling double shifts to convince you otherwise.
Despite the pink bunny slippers on the book's baby blue cover and the dust jacket copy that begins, "In an age in which women are supposed to be high achievers," Winston's 36-year-old heroine Sophie Stanton reminded me less of an older sister of Bridget Jones and more of the distant Northern California cousin of Maggie Moran from Anne Tyler's [i]Breathing Lessons[/i]. Sophie isn't here to look pathetic while pining for a mate...More |  | Life of Israel Adi Ness's striking photographs at the Legion of Honor create an otherworldly portrait of life in Israel. Ness turns the banality of daily life into the monumental. He lights and saturates his giant and elaborately-staged tableaux to reference nearly every iconic image type: classical paintings, films, fashion stills, even photojournalism and war photography.More |  | Eleanor Vincent's Swimming With Maya "Grief seizes me by the scruff of the neck and will not let me go. Piece by piece I reconstruct the puzzle of our life together, opening myself to the slow truth of what it meant to be Maya's mother." This excerpt from the prologue to Eleanor Vincent's excellent memoir, Swimming with Maya, accurately describes the journey she is inviting us to share.More |  | New Menswear Collection Debuts Nestled in San Francisco's citadel of Gap-Levi-dom, a ground-level studio stands in the Mission with a simple black and white sign that reads "d.ROMERO". It is where David Romero, principal designer and founder, debuts his casual and elegant menswear line that sports a rugged edge.More |  | Two trademarks of this distinctively charismatic restaurant trio are the warm décor and the expert service. The wait staff anticipates your every need: when you sip from your drink, your glass is immediately refilled; finished plates are quickly swept away; and the recommendations are spot on.More |  | Spring is eternal in San Francisco The power of flowers cannot be more seeded or rooted than in San Francisco. Within this fertile ground 'flower power' was sown and blossomed in a complicated realm of cultural, musical and political forums during the 1960s and 1970s. This summer we take inspiration from the 60s & 70s in a single and simpler forum: the forum of fashion.More |  | The Brutality of the Everyday [i]Beautiful Ugly Violence[/i], Margaret Harrison's newest body of work, is the result of her recent residence and collaboration with Intersection for the Arts and is on display through May 8. A pioneer of British feminism, Margaret Harrison's first solo exhibit in 1971 was shut down by British police who deemed the work, particularly an image of Hugh Hefner as a near-nude Playboy bunny girl, "offensive". Her work has continued with a fierce (and, obviously, often funny) feminist critique ever since.More |  | The New Resident Goddess of Love There are no secrets behind esteemed Belden Place alley's newest tenant Erzulie. As you saunter into the intimate yet airy space, you'll feel welcomed by the two chefs who man the open kitchen much like it was their home.More |  | The Big Apple in San Francisco On February 28, 2004, Apple opened its newest flagship store after CEO Steve Jobs, Mayor Gavin Newsom and former mayor Willie Brown cut the ceremonial ribbon. This is not your typical software or hardware retail shop. Apple has five flagship stores worldwide, all designed to bring out and foster the creative side of Mac and Windows users alike.More |
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