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The Racket

The Racket is a (mostly) monthly reading series that seeks to save the world through the cultivation of ground up unicorn horn powder. Also, writing.

25/04/2024

TRP: TENDER, UNEXPECTED - A SPECIAL SONOMA COUNTY EVENT w/ TOMAS MONIZ & FRIENDS / Saturday, June 15th, 4PM / Santa Rosa, California
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RSVP FOR DETAILS / LINK IN BIO
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FEATURING: Tomas Moniz (All Friends Are Necessary), Manjula Martin (The Last Fire Season), Minna Dubin (Mom Rage), Dani Burleson & Kara Vernor (Because I Wanted To Write You A Pop Song)
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Tomas Moniz’s new novel All Friends Are Necessary is out this summer and we’re celebrating with our first ever Sonoma County at a very special, very intimate locale. This a ticketed, but free, event, so please RSVP for all of the details. We say this all the time, but you’re not going to want to miss this.
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RSVP. LINK IN BIO. Sonoma County here we come.

23/04/2024

ON THE WEBSITE : Anu Khosla Interviews Sasha Vasilyuk / LINK IN BIO
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Sasha Vasilyuk’s debut novel, Your Presence Is Mandatory (Bloomsbury) arrives on shelves TODAY and we strongly suggest you grab a copy of this riveting historical novel. Anu Khosla sat down with Sasha recently to talk about the release of the book, the family secret that spawned the novel, what pushes people to hide their past and so much more. Read the interview. Buy the book. Be a happier person.
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LINK IN BIO.

19/04/2024

We packed the back patio of The Sycamore last night for our Kar Johnson, guest hosted, The Racket Presents event: OH, THE HUMANITY. And oh, what a night it was. We cannot say thank you enough to Shawn Wen, Nicola Andrews, Zeina Hashem Beck, C.W. Danzig, Alexandria Clemente Perez and Annalee Newitz for sharing their work. We can’t say thank you enough to all of you who came out to support our beautiful Bay Area literary community. We can’t say thank you enough to The Sycamore for continuing to be the best damn dive bar / literary gathering place in the city. And of course, Kar Johnson, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
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If you missed it, don’t you worry. We’re back next month on May 23rd with guest host Baruch Porras-Hernandez. It’s going to be rad.

18/04/2024

THE RACKET PRESENTS : OH, THE HUMANITY w/ Guest Host Kar Johnson - TONIGHT! / 7PM / THE SYCAMORE
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FEATURING: Nicola Andrews, Zeina Hashem Beck, Alexandra Clemente Perez, C.W. Danzig, Annalee Newitz & Shawn Wen
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Not much else to say here. The incredible Kar Johnson is bringing an INCREDIBLE show to The Sycamore this evening. The Racket Presents : OH, THE HUMANITY and oh, it’s going to be a fu***ng event. Great writers! Beer! Potential hilarity! Potential sadness. All of it. One place: The Sycamore. TONIGHT. 7PM.
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Be there. We mean it.

16/04/2024

THE RACKET PRESENTS : OH, THE HUMANITY w/ Guest Host, Kar Johnson / Thursday, April 18th, 7PM @ The Sycamore
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FEATURING: Nicola Andrews, Zeina Hashem Beck, Alexandra Clemente Perez, C.W. Danzig, Annalee Newitz & Shawn Wen
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In just two short days, Kar Johnson and OH, THE HUMANITY will be barnstorming The Sycamore. This incredible lineup of Bay Area writers will take the stage (or small concrete patch) on the back patio to read about the high highs and the low lows of just existing on this spinning ball of rock. It’s going to be, if we dare say, a hell of a night. Be there.
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Thursday. 7PM. The Sycamore.

11/04/2024

THE RACKET PRESENTS : OH, THE HUMANITY w/ Guest Host, Kar Johnson / Thursday, April 18th, 7PM @ The Sycamore
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FEATURING: Nicola Andrews, Zeina Hashem Beck, Alexandra Clemente Perez, C.W. Danzig, Annalee Newitz & Shawn Wen
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If you sometimes wonder, “How might I continue moving forward against this ongoing slog of endless misery that we often refer to as life?” - might we suggest The Racket Presents : OH, THE HUMANITY with our incredible guest host, Kar Johnson. Kar has brought together a truly incredible selection of Bay Area writers to talk about, well, humanity, and how, in these often trying times, we are able to grasp even the small, rare slivers we are afforded. It’s going to be great.
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Thursday, 4.18, 7PM, The Sycamore.

09/04/2024

ON THE WEBSITE : Laurel McCaull Interviews Sommer Schafer (The Women) / LINK IN BIO
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Sommer Schafer’s debut collection – The Women – is out now. This domestic take on mythology features stories about women struggling against that which holds them down. Womb-like sleep machines, shrinking spells, the mundane turned fantastical – this book has it all. Laurel McCaull sat down with Schafer to talk about “the call coming from inside the building” in terms of misogyny, horror being a pointer towards things “that matter” and so much more.
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It’s a great conversation. You should get involved. LINK IN BIO.

05/04/2024

THE RACKET PRESENTS: OH, THE HUMANITY w/ Guest Host Kar Johnson / Thursday, April 18th, 7PM @ The Sycamore
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FEATURING: Nicola Andrews, Zeina Hashem Beck, Alexandra Clemente Perez, C.W. Danzig, Annalee Newitz & Shawn Wen
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The incredible Kar Johnson is taking over The Racket Presents on Thursday, April 18th with OH, THE HUMANITY. What is humanity? What is the loss of humanity? How do we react to the loss of humanity? Isn’t humanity amazing? Aren’t we only specks of humanity on a great canvas briefly interacting with the fleeting joys of just being alive? Sure! Anyways, look at that lineup! You’re going to want to be here.
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Yup. You are.

04/04/2024

THE RACKET JOURNAL : ISSUE EIGHTY SEVEN / OUT NOW / LINK IN BIO
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Featuring: June Gutman, Maya Fuji, David Hytone, Fox Hysen, Karen Walker, Ruth Crossman, Nathan Whiting & Shane Allison
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We can’t say this issue has everything, because everything is an all encompassing void we don’t actually want to f**k with. But, this issue has a lot. Surreal, poetry art by Nathan Whiting. Yes. Sublime abstract paintings by Fox Hysen. Indeed. Maya Fuji’s neon explosion take on traditional Japanese painting. That’s definitely in there. More. Yes. More. You better believe it. MORE. Oh yeaaaaaah.
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It’s a hell of an issue.
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Grab it in the LINK IN BIO.

28/03/2024

ON THE WEBSITE : Nefertiti Asanti interviews CIANGA / LINK IN BIO
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Cianga’s debut poetry collection, Congo, seen from the heavens, won Foglifter’s Start A Riot! Chapbook prize. Nefertiti Asanti sat down with Cianga to talk about the evolution of the collection from full length to chapbook, writing against “despair as a tool”, coming back from being “done” with poetry and so much more. It’s a lovely conversation. Give it a read.
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LINK IN BIO

26/03/2024

SPEED READING w/ Noah Sanders : Dream Elevator by Marisa Lin / LINK IN BIO
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After publishing two of Marisa Lin’s wonderful pieces of poetry in Issue 73 of The Racket Journal, we were beyond excited to get a chance to review, in quick order, her debut chapbook - Dream Elevator. It’s a lovely collection about pulling up roots and moving somewhere new and the reimagining of our self we do every single time. Check out Noah Sanders’ SPEED READING review through the LINK IN BIO.
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Seriously. Go do it.

22/03/2024

When the world feels so dark, so cruel, so lacking in mercy, it’s easy to believe we’re spiraling into the darkness with nothing to slow our fall. Last night, on the back patio of The Sycamore, we pushed back on this belief. We chose DEFIANCE over acceptance. Our guest host Paolo Bicchieri and a selection of some of the Bay Area’s finest shared work on what it means to defy a world where the atrocities of genocide become more and more normalized. Thank you to our readers, to the audience, to The Sycamore and to Paolo for putting it all together.
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If you missed it, no worries. We’re back Thursday, April 18th with OH, THE HUMANITY with our guest host Kar Johnson. It’s going to be great.

21/03/2024

THE RACKET PRESENTS : DEFIANCE w. Guest Host Paolo Bicchieri / TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT / 7PM @ THE SYCAMORE
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Featuring: Halim Madi, Jess Semaan, Kevin Dublin, Sabina Khan-Ibarra, Tureeda Mikell & Youssef Alaoui-Fdili
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Tonight: DEFIANCE. Paolo Bicchieri has gathered a group of incredible writers to read on the subject of pushing back, of rebellion, of existing in a state of perpetual revolution in hearts, in minds, in our daily lives. The world is sagging under the weight of empire. How do we live each day with the spirit of defiance? Come find out.
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Tonight. 3.21. 7PM. The Sycamore.

19/03/2024

TRP : DEFIANCE w/ Guest Host Paolo Bicchieri / Thursday, March 19th, 7PM @ The Sycamore
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Featuring: Halim Madi, Jess Semaan, Kevin Dublin, Sabina Khan-Ibarra, Tureeda Mikell & Youssef Alaoui-Fdili
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In just two short days, The Racket Presents: DEFIANCE. As the world seemingly buckles under the weight of empire, Paolo Bicchieri has created a space for six incredible writers to dig deep into the idea of defiance. Of pushing back. Of the big and small protests we make in our daily lives. It’s going to be a beautiful evening and we highly recommend you attend.
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7PM. The Sycamore.

14/03/2024

THE RACKET PRESENTS : DEFIANCE w/ Guest Host, Paolo Bicchieri / Thursday, March 21st, 7PM @ The Sycamore
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Featuring: Halim Madi, Jess Semaan, Kevin Dublin, Sabina Khan-Ibarra, Tureeda Mikell & Youssef Alaoui-Fdili
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Thursday, March 21st, at 7PM our guest host Paolo Bicchieri and a staggeringly good group of writers are bringing DEFIANCE to The Sycamore. The world seems to sag inwards a little bit more each and every day as the machinations of empire bring more and more violence to marginalized populations the world over. How do we push back? How do we defy empire in our daily lives and on a grander scale? What does defiance even look like any more?
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Come find out.
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3.21. 7PM. The Sycamore.

12/03/2024

ON THE WEBSITE : NEW WORK by ALLISON CUNDIFF
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Even after staring at Allison Cundiff’s wonderful “2020 Census” for hours and hours, we are still not exactly sure how to define it. Is it fiction? Is it non-fiction? Is it some new form of poetry derived from an artful compilation of statistics? Is it everything all at once, and we are merely observing a small, numerical slice of the universe whole? We don’t know. And you know? We don’t care. Cundiff’s work is bold and strange and we love it.
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LINK IN BIO

07/03/2024

THE RACKET JOURNAL : ISSUE EIGHTY SIX / OUT NOW / LINK IN BIO
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Featuring: Rachael Wright, Seonna Hong, Hannah Morris, Ke Peng, Yueshen Wu, Lucian Mattison, Seth Peterson, Nana Boateng, Micaela Burgess and Edward Gunawan
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The eighty sixth issue of The Racket Journal is live. And it is a DOOZY. From the wistful cover by Rachael Wright to Micaela Burgess’s incredible poem, “Weightlifter” to Ke Peng’s micro-scaled photography to to to ... the list goes on and on and on. It’s a wonderful issue and we know you’ll want to get your digital hands on it.
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LINK IN BIO

05/03/2024

ON THE WEBSITE: Anu Khosla Interviews Rita Bullwinkel! / LINK IN BIO
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Rita Bullwinkel’s debut novel – the women’s boxing epic, HEADSHOT - is already garnering some big, big praise. So we were beyond excited for Anu Khosla to sit down with her to talk about growing up as a female athlete in obscure sports, Bend It Like Beckham, the “diamond in the rough” narrative, and so much more. Read the article. Buy the book. Be better for both.
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LINK IN BIO

23/02/2024

We filled the back patio of The Sycamore last night for THE RACKET PRESENTS: CURSE WORDS. Our guest host, the incredible Danielle Truppi, brought together an amazing assortment of Bay Area writers to celebrate the swears. How’d it go? Just look at that picture. Look at how happy those people are. We’d like to think it went pretty, fu***ng well. A HUGE THANKS to our readers, The Sycamore, our beautiful The Racket community and of course, Danielle Truppi for doing the work to bring this magical evening together. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
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If you missed it, it’s okay, we’ll be back on Thursday, March 21st for DEFIANCE with our Guest Host, Paolo Bicchieri. Be there

21/02/2024

AN INTERVIEW W/ ELIZABETH GEOGHEGAN (The Marco Chronicles)
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Our Interviews Editor, Lauren C. Johnson sat down with Elizabeth Geoghegan (author of the travel memoir The Marco Chronicles) to talk about voice, the lasting impact of Lucia Berlin, the unceasing draw of Italy and much, much more. If you like excellent interviews, dear person, you are in for a treat.
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LINK IN BIO

20/02/2024

THE RACKET PRESENTS : CURSE WORDS w/ Guest Host Danielle Truppi
Thursday, February 22nd, 7PM @ The Sycamore
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Featuring: Margaret Spilman, Alysia Gonzales, Duane Horton, Mukethe Kawinzi, Matthew Beld & Anand Vedawala
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Three days. Three days. Three days ‘till the swearin’ and the hexin’ and the swear-hexin’ come potty-mouthed into The Sycamore for the Danielle Truppi-guest-hosted CURSE WORDS. It’s going to be an evening fit for a sailor’s mouth. A night you wouldn’t kiss your mother with. It’s CURSE WORDS and it’s going to be fu***ng fantastic.
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Also: POSTERS. Really, really great posters weighed down by filthy language. You want one. You really do.
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Thursday. 7PM. The goddamn Sycamore.

16/02/2024

THE RACKET PRESENTS - CURSE WORDS w/ DANIELLE TRUPPI / 2.22.2024 / The Sycamore
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WE’VE GOT POSTERS!
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1. Less than a week ‘till Danielle Truppi and a cast of characters bring the swears and the hexes on to the back patio of The Sycamore. To celebrate, ‘cause we love to celebrate, we’ve got this potty-mouth little poster for you. Just $25 beans to give your wall the sailor’s mouth you always dreamed of for it. F**kkkk.
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2. Come on out to see Margaret Spilman, Alysia Gonzales, Duane Horton, Mukethe Kawinzi, Matthew Beld and Anand Vedawala. What on Earth could prevent you from attending a show with that lineup?
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3. Posters. Literary events. Oh my.
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See you on 2.22. 7PM. The Sycamore

15/02/2024

THE RACKET JOURNAL : ISSUE EIGHTY-FIVE / WE’RE BACK / OUT NOW / LINK IN BIO
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FEATURING: Henrique Coser Moreira, Gina Osterloh, Karen Lederer, Justin Yoon, Kevin P. Keating, Tom Lachman, Alison Heron Hruby, Abbie Hart & Nathan D. Metz
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We’re back in business! The, uh, journal ... business! But yeah, we’re back and this is a glorious issue you need to put in front of your eyeballs. Which you can do in the LINK IN BIO.
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Grab your copy. Seriously, what are you waiting for? Oh, you have an appointment? That makes sense. Grab it later!

09/02/2024

SPEED READING w/ LAUREN PARKER : Be Not Afraid of My Body by Darius Stewart / LINK IN BIO
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Lauren Parker continues her very short, very powerful reviews. This go around: Darius Stewart’s lyrical memoir Be Not Afraid of My Body. Why should you read Darius Stewart’s Be Not Afraid of My Body? Let Lauren tell you.
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“As an egomaniacal storyteller, there are very few books that make me want to quit writing. Be Not Afraid of My Body made me want to throw in the towel. Clearly with a storyteller like Stewart on Earth, there is little need for me and I should go find something better to do. “
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But there’s more. So much more. LINK IN BIO

08/02/2024

THE RACKET PRESENTS : CURSE WORDS w/ GUEST HOST DANIELLE TRUPPI / Thursday, February 22nd, 7pm @ The Sycamore
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Featuring: Margaret Spilman, Alysia Gonzales, Duane Horton, Mukethe Kawinzi, Matthew Beld & Anand Vedawala
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Our first guest hosted event of 2024 is coming! Danielle Truppi is the guest host! The theme is CURSE WORDS! Could be swears, could be curses, could be you’re going to have to scuttle on over The Sycamore for a fine evening of reading and drinking to find out.
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Do it! Come on down! The Sycamore. February 22nd. 7PM.

01/02/2024

THE RACKET PRESENTS : CURSE WORDS w/ Danielle Truppi! / Thursday, February 22nd, 7PM @ The Sycamore
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Featuring: Margaret Spilman, Alysia Gonzales, Duane Horton, Mukethe Kawinzi, Matthew Beld &
Anand Vedawala
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We’re kicking off our second stretch of guest hosted The Racket Presents with Danielle Truppi – co-host of Happy Endings, incredible writer – and CURSE WORDS. Are we talking about swears?Are we talking about hexes? Are we talking about swear-hexes? These are great questions. If you want to find out the answers you’re going to have to come and see this incredible lineup of readers fuss about with the theme.
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2.22. 7PM. The Sycamore.

31/01/2024

ON THE WEBSITE: New Fiction by Laura Canon! / LINK IN BIO
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We are so excited to feature Laura Canon’s incredible piece, “What if Something is Happening Even if We Think It’s Not?” as our first new work of the new year. This piece stuns as anew on each read. It’s a world built and then built upon in six pages. A neighborhood, a block, a moment pulled through waves of culture until it is more than what it was. It’s a feeling of finding the song, the film, the book of your young life and being different because of it. It’s really good. Give it a read.
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LINK IN BIO

26/01/2024

The Bay Area literary came out in force last evening to help us thank and celebrate the incredible writers who guest hosted these last six months. With every author reading on the theme they chose for their event, it was an emotional spectrum-spanning evening of laughs and cries and childhood demons hiding in community rec rooms. Also, a man named Greasy Hair and one scary AF katana. It was a wonderful night and we cannot say thank you enough for the readers, the warm and loving crowd, and of course the best literary dive in the city, The Sycamore.
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If you missed it, don’t fret. We’ll be back Thursday, February 21st with guest host Danielle Truppi and CURSE WORDS. It’s going to be special.

25/01/2024

TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT / THE RACKET PRESENTS : BE OUR GUESTS / 7PM @ The Sycamore
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FEATURING: Micheal Foulk, Tomas Moniz, Lauren Parker, Preeti Vangani, Lauren C. Johnson & Matt Carney
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We’re celebrating six months of amazing people guest hosting The Racket Presents with ... The Racket Presents : BE OUR GUESTS. Six incredible readers, SIX incredible themes - you’re going to want to be here. Also, we have posters. You should come out and buy them at discounted prices. Who doesn’t love literary events ... and savings?
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See you tonight. 7PM. The Sycamore.

23/01/2024

THURSDAY THURSDAY THURSDAY / TRP : BE OUR GUESTS / 7PM @ THE SYCAMORE
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FEATURING: Micheal Foulk, Tomas Moniz, Lauren Parker, Preeti Vangani, Lauren C. Johnson & Matt Carney
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In just three short days, we’ll be convening at the greatest literary dive in San Francisco, The Sycamore, to celebrate six months of guest hosts with The Racket Presents : BE OUR GUESTS. Each host from the last six months will be reading based on the theme they chose for their event. It’s going to banonkers. That’s bananas and bonkers. Uh huh.
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Also: we have posters. Buy one. LINK IN BIO.
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Also: we’ll be selling ALL our posters from the last six months at discounted rates at the event on Thursday. Come on down. BUY SOME.
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Thursday. 1.25. 7PM @ The Sycamore - can’t wait to see your faces.

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