The Great Dictator Overthrowers

Obviously, the Indie Press of the Month party has something to do with Charlie Chaplin this time around; it's City Lights publishers feted by Modern Times Bookstore. So what would the Little Tramp like to see being done in his honor? That's right! Appearances by Gay Shame shit-starter Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore and MacArthur "genius grant" winner, performance artist Guillermo Gomez-Peña. Of course. Sycamore, just back from a national tour, reads from her new novel, the well-reviewed So Many Ways to Sleep Badly. Gomez-Peña, who's also the author of eight books — well, last time we saw him, he was performatively causing distraction at a Mission dive bar before accidentally encouraging a hipster kid to take his pants off in Clarion Alley. So it's a little difficult to guess what he plans to do exactly, but trust that it involves puns in Spanglish; inspired, dramatic costuming; and meaningful tableaux.
Thu., Feb. 26, 7 p.m., 2009