Who's in town
Michelle Branch: The Grammy-winning pop singer-songwriter performs at the Haus of Hipstamatic. [7 p.m., 74 Langton St., S.F.]
Lectures
Salma Arastu: The India-born Muslim artist discusses the contemporary relation of religion to art. [6 p.m., Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]
Literary events
Sheila McClear: The New York Post reporter talks about “The Last of the Live Nude Girls.” [7:30 p.m., Booksmith, 1644 Haight St., S.F.]
Poetry night: The open-mic poetry session, presented by Philip Hackett, takes place on Mondays. [6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Caffe Greco, 423 Columbus Ave., S.F.]
At the colleges
Art show: “Monsters in the Bookshelf” exhibit highlights Studio 5, a collective of children’s-book illustrators and animators. [8 a.m. to 6 p.m., USF, Thacher Gallery, Gleeson Library, Geschke Center, 2130 Fulton St., S.F.]
Pension challenges: This community meeting addresses the public-employee pension challenges facing the state of California and the city of San Jose. [7 p.m., SIEPR, Gunn Building, 366 Galvez St., Stanford University]
At the public library
Older Writers Laboratory: The poetry-writing group welcomes senior citizens. [3:30 to 5 p.m., Bernal Heights Branch, 500 Cortland Ave., S.F.]
Aging positively: The library’s Access Services hosts “Staying Engaged for a Lifetime,” a course focusing on how to age positively as social relationships change. [1:30 p.m., Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Room, 100 Larkin St., S.F.]
Job Seekers Lab: Computers are available for creating or updating your résumé, preparing job applications and searching online for jobs. [11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Main Library, Training Center, 100 Larkin St., S.F.]
Local activities
In bloom: The Matilija poppy, a large wildflower often called the “fried-egg poppy,” is in bloom at the San Francisco Botanical Garden, which contains more than 8,000 types of plants. [9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Golden Gate Park, S.F.]
Pop and soul: Quartet Rouge, an all-female alternative string quartet, co-headlines an evening with avant-soul piano diva and songwriter Kristi Martel. [8 p.m., Yoshi’s, 1330 Fillmore St., S.F.]
Indie rock: Mister Heavenly, an indie-rock band with a dark doo-wop sound, performs at the Independent. “Out of Love” is the group’s debut album. [8 p.m., 628 Divisadero St., S.F.]
Life at sea: “Adventures at Sea,” a guided tour of the ship Balclutha, looks at the lives of 19th-century sailors, with a focus on the treacherous Cape Horn passage. [2:15 p.m., Hyde Street Pier, north end of Hyde Street, S.F.]
