Who’s in town
Comedian, “Daily Show” co-creator and blogger Lizz Winstead talks about “Lizz Free or Die,” her book about how she discovered her comedic voice. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 601 Van Ness Ave., S.F.]
Literary events
Open mic: Philip Hackett’s Poet’s Gallery hosts an open-mic session. All are welcome. [6:30 p.m., Caffe Greco, 423 Columbus Ave., S.F.]
Book group: The Hands On Bay Area Book Club discusses “Four Fish” by Paul Greenberg. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 301 Castro St., Mountain View]
At the colleges
Orbit Music Series: The Jennifer Leitham Trio performs. Leitham is an upright-bass virtuoso well-known in the jazz world. [Noon, Millberry Union Event and Meeting Center, UC San Francisco, 500 Parnassus Ave., S.F.]
At the public library
Author appearance: Nona Mock Wyman discusses her latest memoir, “Bamboo Women: Stories From Ming Quong, a Chinese Orphanage in California.” [7 p.m., Excelsior Branch, 4400 Mission St., S.F.]
Capoeira for teens: The class, for ages 13 to 19, features instruction in the Afro-Brazilian martial art of capoeira. [3:30 p.m., Ingleside Branch, 1298 Ocean Ave., S.F.; RSVP: (415) 355-2898]
Lectures
Gays in the military: Speakers give firsthand updates on how the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” has affected the lives of service members across the globe. [6 p.m., Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]
Ossama Hassanein: The entrepreneur and venture capitalist discusses Tech Wadi, a nonprofit that builds economic bridges between the United States and the Middle East and North Africa. [Noon, Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]
‘The Candidate’: Political experts Samuel Popkin and Jerry Lubenow discuss the politics of presidential campaigns and examine what it takes to win. [6 p.m., Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]
Female climate activists: “Women Impacting Climate Change” is the theme of a panel discussion featuring female climate activists from around the world. [6 p.m., Hilton Financial District Hotel, 750 Kearny St., S.F.; www.worldaffairs.org]
Breaking poverty: The discussion highlights organizations that work with young people to break the cycle of poverty through education. Speakers include Kimi Okada of ODC. [12:30 p.m., SPUR, 654 Mission St., S.F.]
Local activities
Benefit concert: Composer Philip Glass and singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom appear in a concert benefiting Big Sur’s Henry Miller Memorial Library. Tim Fain completes the bill. [8 p.m., Warfield, 982 Market St., S.F.]
Community concert: Redwood City’s Downtown Jazz series welcomes the Leon Joyce Quartet. Straight-ahead jazz is the group’s specialty. [6 to 8 p.m., 2600 Broadway, Redwood City]
Clown troupe: Circus Finelli, a female clown troupe, presents a sneak peak of “Big Time and Little Something’s Big Adventure,” a zany study in the concept of the vaudeville duo. [8 p.m., Stage Werx, 446 Valencia St., S.F.]
Baseball game: The Giants open a three-day series against the Dodgers. [7:15 p.m., AT&T Park, 24 Willie Mays Plaza, S.F.]
Dining out
B44: The tapas and paellas are recommended, and signature dishes include the arros negre. The dish contains rice, squid, clams, sepia, peas, bell pepper, squid ink and mortar allioli. [44 Belden Place, S.F.; (415) 986-6287]
