Night of Ideas 2024

SFPL and local partners, the Villa Albertine, KQED and Circuit Network, have lots of exciting surprises in store for this year’s edition.  Leading thinkers, scholars, writers, activists and artists engage with the theme “Fault Lines,” centering urban life and development and raising questions about the impact of climate change, new technologies and social and cultural shifts. In addition, running through the entire evening, are programs designed to make you feel the L.O.V.E. for our beautiful City to counter those tiresome attacks. We’ve got drag, stand-up, zine-making and a rousing program series that pays homage to our beloved and idiosyncratic Muni, thanks to the support of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. And the biggest news of all! We’ve added family programming from 4–6 p.m.

Click on the "Register" button above to be redirected to KQED's website to reserve your ticket for the event. 

Note, to prepare for the fun, the Main Library will be closed for regular service the day of the event. 

Download the Program (PDF)

FULL PROGRAM

*DUE TO RAIN, WE HAVE MOVED A FEW THINGS AROUND. SCHEDULE CHANGES ARE REFLECTED BELOW, NOT ON THE PRINTED PROGRAM. 

FAMILY PROGRAM - Note, only adults with minors will be allowed to enter during the family program. 

4 PM

INTERACTIVE Dance with San Francisco Ballet for Ages 2–7
Children’s Center A, 2 Fl

INTERACTIVE Writing Your Family Story and Illustration Workshop with author Maggie Tokuda-Hall and author-illustrator Sendy Santamaria
Children’s Center B, 2 Fl

INTERACTIVE PBS Kids Makers Crafts with Persia
Children’s Creative Center, 2 Fl

INTERACTIVE Renda Dabit with Henna Garden
Children's Center, 2 Fl

INTERACTIVE Taste & Talk with Chef Corentin Poirier, Pastry Chef-in-Residence at Villa Albertine
The Mix, 2 Fl

5 PM

INTERACTIVE Dance with San Francisco Ballet for Ages 2–7
Children’s Center A, 2 Fl

PERFORMANCE "What if We?" by COPUS with The ClimateMusic Project
Children’s Center B, 2 Fl

WORKSHOP Crafts with Asian Art Museum 
Children’s Creative Center, 2 Fl 

INTERACTIVE Empowering Choices: An Interactive Talk on Navigating AI’s Role in Social Media and Video Games for Teens and Adults by Everyone AI
The Mix, 2 Fl 

 

6:30 PM WELCOME - DOORS OPEN TO ALL
 

PERFORMANCE San Francisco Girls Chorus

6:50 PM - Opening Remarks 

7 PM

PRESENTATION San Francisco Time Machine: An Adventure through San Francisco History with Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle and David Gallagher, SFMemory.org 
Latino/Hispanic Room, LL

PANEL Touching the Lines: Expanding the Ways We Experience Art with Patricia Buffa, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; Garance Marneur, Asian Art Museum and Niki Selken, Gray Area
Children’s Center A, 2 Fl

PANEL Growing with AI: How to Keep Kids Safe in an AI World with Mathilde Cerioli, Everyone AI; Artemis Seaford, Open AI and Emmanuelle Vaujour-Pauliac, Attachée for Science and Technology at the French Consulate
Children’s Center B, 2 Fl

KEYNOTE Artificial Intelligence Does Not Exist! with engineer and computer scientist Luc Julia, PhD 
Info Desk, 3 Fl 

PANEL Market Street, Transformation in Conversation with Simon Bertrang, SF New Deal and Fernando Pujals, Mid-Market Business Association Foundation
Jobs & Careers Center, 4 Fl

PANEL Muni: A Catalyst for Community Unity with Jeff Tumlin, SFMTA; Author Annalee Newitz and Queena Chen, Chinatown Transportation Research and Improvement Project 
Small Business Center, 4 Fl

PERFORMANCE Electronic Music Sound Garden with bran(...)pos, Cheryl Leonard, Kal Spelletich
Silver Music Center, 4 Fl 

WORKSHOP Inspiring AI: How to enhance creativity with Generative AI by Vincent Asquin, Artefact 
Computer Lab, 5 Fl

KEYNOTE The State of Book Banning in the US with author Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Periodical Room, 5 Fl 

PANEL Breaking the Waves: Getting Ready for the 2024 Olympics with Ana Blanco, International Ocean Film Festival; Cyril Derreumaux, Kayak Hero and Bahia Belaaroui French National Champion in synchronized swimming
Environmental Center, 5 Fl

7:30 PM

KQED FORUM Cultural Hyphens: American Identities and the Things that Separate Us with musician Kishi Bashi; poet Mimi Tempestt; sociologist G. Christina Mora, UC Berkeley; author Jonathan Escoffery and host Alexis Madrigal
Koret Auditorium, LL

8 PM

SCREENING Cold Refuge with documentary filmmaker Judy Irving; film composer Bruce Kaphan and blind swimmer Corvin Bazgan
Latino/Hispanic Room, LL 

PANEL Choppin' It Up: Black Food in the Bay with Bryant Terry, 4 Color Books; Fernay McPherson, Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement; Dontaye Ball, Gumbo Social and Marcia Gagliardi, Tablehopper 
Children’s Center A, 2 Fl 

INTERACTIVE Notes from an Artist Residency at the Library and Screening of THE MAIN 360° with filmmaker James Q. Chan
Children’s Center B, 2 Fl 

SCREENING Acclaimed Sound Artist Bill Fontana 
The Mix, 2 Fl

PANEL What is Love in the Digital Age? with Jeanne Proust, UC Santa Cruz and Simon(e) van Sarloos, UC Berkeley
Hormel LGBTQIA Center, 3 Fl

PANEL Cultural Humility & Literacy of Place with Dresden June Frazier-Smith and Jada Curry, Engage San Francisco Literacy Program; Michael White, Collective Impact’s Magic Zone Afterschool Program; Helen Maniates, Colette Cann and Gertrude Jenkins, University of San Francisco 

Curated by The McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good
African American Center, 3 Fl

PANEL Dismantling Structures of Power: Decolonization and Decarceration with Jonathan Cordero, Ramayatush Ohlone and Chandra Laborde, UC Berkeley 
Chinese Center, 3 Fl

PANEL 2020: One City, Seven People and the Year Everything Changed with Author Eric Klinenberg and Forrest Stuart, Ph.D, Stanford
Jobs & Careers Center, 4 Fl 

PANEL A New Museum in Town: The History of San Francisco’s French Populations through the Alliance Française’s Archives with art historian Claudine Chalmers; Noemie Herail, Alliance Française of San Francisco; Dr. Nirina Ralantoaritsimba and David Do Paço, French Cultural Services
Small Business Center, 4 Fl

PERFORMANCE Electronic Music Sound Garden with Laetitia Sonami, Jorge Bachman and Ava Koohbor
Silver Music Center, 4 Fl 

PANEL Calling Our Relatives Home: Returning Elk Populations to California with author Mary Ellen Hannibal; Elisabeth Hardy, PhD, Stanford; Madeline Drake, California Natural Resources Agency and Don Hankins, Chico State
Environmental Center, 5 Fl 

INTERACTIVE Zine-making with Brown Recluse and DJ Emory Adonis
Periodical Room, 5 Fl 

8 & 9 PM

PRESENTATION Tour of Toward a Black Aesthetic: Kenneth P. Green, Sr.’s Photographs of the 1960s and 70s with Kenneth Green, Jr. 
Jewett Gallery, LL

9 PM
SCREENING A’ai Beyond: Coastal Conservancy by artist Kalie Granier, followed by discussion with Ohlone Costanoan Esselen representatives 
Latino/Hispanic Room, LL 

KQED FORUM Fault Lines of Truth: Confronting Deepfakes, Elections and AI Disinformation with Hany Farid, UC Berkeley and host Mina Kim
Koret Auditorium, LL 

PANEL Wine for Everyone! with Lisa N. Brown, Boisset Collection; Terah Bajjalieh, Terah Wines and Christopher Renfroe, The 280 Project
Children’s Center A, 2 Fl 

INTERACTIVE Muni Transit Adventures and Trivia with Prizes! with Muni is My Ride author Lia Smith and artist Keith Ferris
Children’s Center B, 2 Fl 

KEYNOTE: Deep Curiosity & Bridging Differences with Scott Shigeoaka, Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley
Info Desk, 3 Fl

PANEL The Evolution of Breakdancing into an Olympic Sport (Paris 2024) and How Sports and Art Shape Communities with Amber Sweat, UC Berkeley and David Do Paço, French Cultural Services 
Jobs & Careers Center, 4 Fl 

PANEL Go Wild: (Un)Cultivating Habitats with Peter Brastow, SF Dept. of the Environment; Lisa Ruth Eliott, Shaping SF and author Eric Lenoir
Small Business Center, 4 Fl 

PANEL The Farm by the Freeway: Bonnie Ora Sherk and the Legacy of Community Arts and Education in San Francisco with curator Terri Cohn, Tanya Zimbardo, SFMoMA, Judy Goldhaft and artist Rio Yañez
Silver Music Center, 4 Fl 

PANEL Sea Level Rise & Climate Resilience in the Bay with Lindy Lowe, Blue Earth Consultants and Violet Wulf-Saena, Climate Resilient Communities 
Environmental Center, 5 Fl

INTERACTIVE Zine-making with Brown Recluse and DJ Emory Adonis
Periodical Room, 5 Fl 

10 PM
SCREENING KidsOnTech, an Eye-opening Look at Technology’s Impact on Children with Executive Producer Pierre Laurent
Latino/Hispanic Room, LL

PANEL Get that Bread! with Corentin Poirier, Chef-in-Residence at the Villa Albertine; Azikiwee Anderson, Rise Up Bakery and Corine Lesnes, Le Monde 
Children's Center A, 2 Fl

PERFORMANCE The Future of Emergency Food with Pulitzer-prize finalist Kristina Wong, Food Bank Influencer
Children’s Center B, 2 Fl

PANEL Politics of Difference from the Mediterranean to the Bay Area with Farah Bazzi, Stanford University; Muriam Haleh Davis, UC Santa Cruz and David Do Paço, French Cultural Services
Hormel LGBTQIA Center, 3 Fl 

PANEL The Stanford Study: Urban Alchemy's Impact on Crime in the Tenderloin with Dr. Lena Miller; Dr. Forrest Stuart and Sam Dodge, Department of Emergency Management 
African American Center, 3 Fl 

PANEL Who Defines Borders? Mapping the Impacts of Colonization with Indigenous Peoples with documentary and radio producer Aude Emilie Judaique and Sharaya Souza, American Indian Cultural District
Chinese Center, 3 Fl

INTERACTIVE Muni Raised Me Zine-making with Local Artists: abalonezzz and tanea lunsford lynx
Jobs & Careers Center, 4 Fl

PERFORMANCE Stand-up Comedy with Jalisa Robinson, Stephanie Block and Adam Swig
Small Business Center, 4 Fl 

PANEL An Ocean of Solutions with Adrien Burlacot, PhD, Stanford University; Jeanne Everett, Blue Climate Initiative and author Guillaume Pitron
Environmental Center, 5 Fl

10:30 PM

PERFORMANCE Tenderloin Museum happenings featuring an excerpt from the highly anticipated play, The Compton's Cafeteria Riot
Koret Auditorium, LL 

PERFORMANCE Late-Night Burlesque Cabaret with Kitten on the Keys, Leigh Crow and Ruby Vixenn, Alotta Boutte, Clutch The Pearls, Ryan Patrick Welsh, Ruby Day and Sharon Shao
Silver Music Center, 4 Fl

11 PM

SCREENING 5000 Eyes, Mapping the Universe with DESI with Satya Gontcho A Gontcho , PhD, Cosmologist 
Latino/Hispanic Room, LL 

PANEL Fragrance of the Future with Carole Addison, Nomad Botanicals; artist Beatrice Glow, and Catherine de Villeneuve, Strategy Advisor 
Children’s Center B, 2 Fl

KEYNOTE D’Arcy Drollinger the World’s First Drag Laureate 
Info Desk, 3 Fl 

PERFORMANCE Improv with Endgames: Your Messed Up Relationship 
Small Business Center, 4 Fl 

INTERACTIVE The New World: Envisioning the World after Climate Change with Catherine Kherian, The Climate Fresk and Janelle Kellman, The Center for Sea Rise Solutions
Environmental Center, 5 Fl 

FULTON STREET

4 – 9 PM
INTERACTIVE Muni Raised Me Showcase curated by Meymey Lee and Celi Tamayo-Lee with performances and Altared SF, a decommissioned Muni bus/art installation by Sasha Vu and Ling Ling Lee

5 – 9 PM
INTERACTIVE Share Transit Tales and Ask Burning Transit-related Questions at the Muni Diaries and KQED Bay Curious Recording Booth
Bookmobile, Fulton Street *In the event of rain, this will be relocated to 4 Fl.

FOOD & DRINK

Food trucks available on Fulton Street until 10 PM. Snacks and beverages can be purchased on floors 1, 4, 5 & 6. 

THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT 

7-10 PM PERFORMANCE Psyched Radio DJ and Local Musicians: Qing Qi, Micahtron and Alien Mac Kitty
Genre Room, 1 Fl

7 – 10 PM Bill Fontana Sound Installation
The Mix, 2 Fl 

7 – 11 PM PERFORMANCE Local Buskers
Larkin Street

7 –10 PM Friends of the San Francisco Public Library Lounge, The Pacifics & Value Culture
Take a breather, hang out and learn how you can support your Library

10 PM – 1 AM Dance to DJ Beatific and Giants' Resident DJ Umami
Periodicals Room, 5 Fl & Skylight Gallery, 6 Fl 

Shop the Small Business Marketplace Featuring: The Daisy Refillery; handmade by pmaccay; colors4love; Ember + Fog; Shop Acker Curated Vintage; Good Junk; ThatmakescentsCo; House of Agatha Handmade and York Street Cafe
4 Fl

Sound On, a KQED Audio Journey
*Explore the world around us, ears first. What does our environment sound like, and what do these sounds teach us about ourselves and our world? We’re asking these questions in a series of six stories that will take us from the forest floor to outer space. On each floor of the library you’ll find a sign with a QR code to access an audio player on your smartphone. Once you’re there, it’s time for Sound On.

Performances by:
Sara Toby Moore's Atomic Comics
Richard Marriott's Bahaya with Dewa Berata 
All The Way Live Hip Hop Dance Troupe
Simon Melrose & the Get Down
The Strutters Room
Tenderloin Queens Drag Show
Guillermo Gómez-Peña & Balitrónica of La Pocha Nostra
David James' GPS Jazz Sextet
The Residents