Stephen Elliott may be a man whose girlfriend comes to the city and beats him up, but the confessional author has another, less sweaty side: He's a fierce political animal, presiding over the Progressive Reading Series to benefit progressive candidates. In 2006 it raised more than $50,000 for the midterm elections, and this year it's taking aim at our upcoming races. So what kind of lineup does a writer with an S&M bent, a bad childhood, and a flourishing reputation in the city pull off? Naturally he gets local hotshots — Bucky Sinister, Michelle Tea, Frank Portman, Daniel Handler, Vendela Vida. But how about, oh, Amy Tan? Got her. Jane Smiley? Nailed. Neal Pollack, Tobias Wolff, Jerry Stahl? Bagged 'em all. And, on August 16, Jonathan Franzen drops in, giving you self-starting types the opportunity to chat up the author of The Corrections over drinks in the Mission — imagine that. The series runs every third Saturday of every month at the Make-Out Room.