Stage listings are compiled by Cheryl Eddy. Performance times may change; call venues to confirm. Reviewers are Robert Avila, Rita Felciano, Lara Shalson, and Chloe Veltman. See 8 Days a Week for information on how to submit items to the listings.

theater

Opening

Cowboy Mouth Actor's Theatre, 533 Sutter; 433-7827, www.vipsf.com. $20. Opens Thurs/22, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 14. An unlikely couple – based on coauthors Sam Shepard and Patti Smith – are at the center of this drama. The play is performed as part of "Old Ghosts Underground Art Show," a showcase featuring theater, visual art, live music, dance, and more.

Dooley and A Taste of Heaven New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $17-38. Previews Wed/21-Thurs/22, 8pm. Opens Fri/23, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 22. The New Conservatory Theatre Center presents one-act plays by Harry C. Cronin (Dooley, about homophobia in the military) and Alan Quizmorio (A Taste of Heaven, about two men who fall in love despite the confining rules of Victorian society).

The Last Sunday in June New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $18-28. Previews Wed/21-Fri/23, 8pm. Opens Sat/24, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; starting Feb 1, also runs Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 29. New Conservatory Theatre Center presents Jonathan Tolins's comedy about a group of gay friends who gather to watch the New York City Pride Parade.

Psychos Never Dream Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia; 626-3311. $9-15 (Thurs and Feb 16, pay what you can). Opens Thurs/22, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sun and Feb 16, 8pm. Through Feb 16. Campo Santo + Intersection performs Denis Johnson's new play about lost souls living in northern Idaho.

Speaking in Tongues Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor; 789-8221. $20 (Thurs, two-for-$25). Opens Thurs/22, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 14. Actor's Collective performs Andrew Bovell's drama – the basis for the 2001 film Lantana – about intimacy and trust in several overlapping relationships.

Times Like These A Traveling Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida; 285-8080, www.atjt.com. $18-30. Previews Wed/21-Sat/24, 8pm. Opens Sun/25, 7pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Feb 22. (Also, Feb 26-28, 8pm; Feb 29, 2 and 7pm, Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College, Berk). A Traveling Jewish Theatre performs John O'Keefe's play about two actors, a Jewish woman and her "Aryan" husband, struggling against the rise of Nazism.

Bay Area

Helen of Troy (Revised) Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 649-5999, www.aeofberkeley.org. $10. Opens Fri/23, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat and Feb 19, 8pm. Through Feb 21. Actors Ensemble of Berkeley performs Wolfgang Hildesheimer's comedy that gets the real story of Helen of Troy from Helen herself.

Memphis Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mtn View; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-48. Previews Wed/21-Fri/23, 8pm. Opens Sat/24, 8pm. Runs Tues, 7:30pm; Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm; no 2pm show Feb 14); Sun, 2 and 7pm (no 7pm shows Feb 8, 15). Through Feb 15. TheatreWorks and North Shore Music Theatre present the world premiere of Joe DiPietro and David Bryan's new musical about a pioneering white radio DJ (based on real-life Memphis jock Dewey Phillips) who brings rock 'n' roll to the airwaves.

Yellowman Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $10-55. Previews Fri/23-Sat/24 and Tues/27, 8pm; Sun/25, 7pm. Opens Jan 28, 8pm. Runs Tues and Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Jan 31, Feb 5, 7, 14, 19, 28, and March 4, 2pm; no show Feb 6); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm). Through March 7. See "Color Lines" and "Straight Talk."

Ongoing

Are We Almost There? Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 345-7575. $20-22. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Open-ended. Travel is the theme of this musical comedy revue.

Broke Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. $15-22. Extended run: Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Jan 31. Writer-performer Merle Kessler, in the guise of his nationally known alter ego, cranky radio and TV commentator Ian Shoales, takes stock of the new century – the only stock, needless to say, a cash-poor dot-com dreamer can put his hands on these days – in an evening of song and shtick humorously structured as a desperate PowerPoint-enabled business pitch. There's plenty of unevenness to this nervy, nerdy material – especially around the stale subject of the rapidly receding dot-com era. But Kessler rants against the aughts with well-established charisma (not to mention an undeniable dread), and the harmonies are always solid. (Avila)

Cinghiale! Exit Stage Left, 156 Eddy; (650) 712-9850, www.ticketweb.com. $15-20. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 14. Bay Area performer-playwright Emilie Miller presents her multi-character, solo work about a group of women, all wild boar hunters, who form a support group.

Citizen of Trees Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 621-7978. $15-20. Fri-Sun, 8pm. Through Feb 1. "There are a thousand ways to escape a life." The phrase, in writer-performer Cassie Terman's solo work, sounds strangely admonitory and boastful at the same time, but then contradiction is her theme. With a frequently enthralling blend of movement, gesture, music, and monologue, Terman assumes the guises of women and men caught between competing poles of desire. At turns comical and macabre, she explores with the moody reflexes of a clown, and sly references to archetypes of Greek mythology, a life not entered as much as endlessly negotiated in the disorienting stream of time. In the bittersweet metamorphosis of a young woman into a tree (an answer to her cry for rescue from an ensuing attacker), the paradox of escape meets simple, untroubled being. Inspired by a series of disparate Action Theater-style improvisations, there's no escaping a certain desultory aspect to the piece as a whole, which makes the ending seem a little forced. But Terman is a skillful and magnetic performer, and director Allen Willner, with the aid of his lush lighting design, ably underscores her transformations with arresting shifts in tone. (Avila)

'Comedy on the Square' Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 522-8900. Most shows $15. Upcoming performances include "A Celebration of Silliness," with Fred Anderson (Sun, 3 and 7pm, ongoing); Oui Be Negroes in "Coal Black Urban Tales," sketch and improv comedy (previews Fri/23-Sat/24; opens Feb 13; thereafter runs Fri-Sat, 10pm, through Feb 28); magician Eric Masters in "Artifice, Ruse, and Deception" (Sun/25, 8:30pm); and "Out the Box!," with comedians Stan Stone and Jivoni Jordan (Jan 31, 10pm).

A Doll's House Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. $11-68. Wed/21-Sat/24, Jan 27-31, and Feb 3-7, 8pm; Wed/21, Sat/24-Sun/25, Jan 31, Feb 1, 4, and 7-8, 2pm. Through Feb 7. American Conservatory Theater premieres a new translation of Ibsen's 1879 drama about a suffocated wife and mother who must decide whether or not to take charge of her own destiny.

Les Fauxlies Fantastique: Showgirls Who Aren't Really Girls At All! Actor's Theatre, 533 Sutter; 248-1942. $35-40. Thurs/22, 8pm; Fri/23-Sat/24, 7:30 and 10:30pm; Sun/25, 2:30pm. (Also, Feb 5-March 14, same show schedule, Venue 9, 252 Ninth St). "Showgirls" take the stage in this Parisian-style musical drag revue.

No. 11 (Blue and White) Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason; 386-2373, www.abydostheater.org. $15-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Jan 31. Abydos Theater presents Alexandra Cunningham's drama, set in the cliquey world of affluent, suburban high school seniors.

Noises Off Marines Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter; 1-877-771-6900. $40-60. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Open-ended. In Michael Frayn's popular comedy, a troupe of third-rate actors rehearse and perform a third-rate play three times. Revolving, like a typical French farce, around a multi-doored set, flying props, and the whirligig antics of a bunch of half-wit characters, this virtuosic piece of meta-theater demands absolute precision from the cast. But that's not all: with repetition being something of an obsession of Frayn's (the plot of his later play, Copenhagen, displays similar Groundhog Day tendencies), the director's challenge is to go beyond the ostinato of the action and sustain the audience's interest through every repetition. Although immaculately choreographed to milk the script's funniest moments, Richard Seyd's production often flags. As energetic as the performances are – Jane Carr is particularly adorable as daffy actress/housekeeper Dotty Otley/Mrs. Clackett – the lack of variety in the pace and pitch of the production sacrifices the subtleties of Frayn's work for a hectic melee of frenzied voices, flailing limbs, and flying sardines. (Veltman)

Spray Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $15-25. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm (also Sun/25 and Feb 1, 3pm). Through Feb 7. New York City monologist and "pop culture prophet" Mike Albo performs his latest show.

Strange Love Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; 567-8211, www.ticketweb.com. $15-25. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Jan 31. Perry Alley Puppet Theatre performs three musical plays that offer humorous looks at relationships. (Suitable for audiences ages 12 and up.)

Talking with Angels Actors Center of San Francisco, 3012 16th St; 389-8975, www.talkingwithangels.com. $17-25. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through March 6. Shelley Mitchell performs her solo play, drawn from the diaries of four young women living in Nazi-occupied Hungary.

*Triptych Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 441-8822, www.magictheatre.org. $24-38. Extended run: Fri-Sat, 5 and 8:30pm; Sun, 2:30pm. Through Feb 1. On the surface, Irish novelist and playwright Edna O'Brien's Triptych is about three women in love with the same man; the three being his American wife (Julia Brothers), his teenage daughter (Tro M. Shaw), and his Irish mistress (Lise Bruneau). The object of devotion, Henry, is a famous Irish writer-playwright living in New York City, brilliant and suave, with graying temples and expensive shoes. That's what we're told about him, anyway. And as we never see him, there's no reason not to form a picture of the consummate lady-killer. What we do see, in director Paul Whitworth's engaging world premiere presented by the Magic Theatre, unfolds as part domestic drama, part poetical allegory, and part postmodern psychoanalysis. In addition to being darkly passionate, O'Brien's work is playful, and in more than one sense: it's witty, brimming with literary allusion, and, not least, built so as to call into question the very meaning of the play itself. (Avila)

'Women on the Way Festival' Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2000, www.venue9.com. $15-20. Thurs-Sun, 8pm. Through Feb 1. Programs vary each night; check Web site for schedule. The fourth annual Women on the Way Festival features nine productions by women artists, performed in a variety of programming combinations over 12 days. The combination of the Elsewhere Troupe's multimedia work Without Ourselves, 5 Verses on Digital Identity; Rebecca Pappas's contrasting dance pieces Aqua and Doorjam; and Dance Elixir's three-movement work L'heure verte gives a strong taste of the energy and variety of this year's festival. Choreographer Leyya Tawil's long-limbed and voluptuous L'heure verte, inspired by the emerald liquor absinthe, and Doorjam, a rambunctious and cheeky portrayal of two teenage girls fawning over a ukulele-strumming crooner, are engagingly danced as well as vividly costumed and staged. With its arresting visuals and gently sinister vocals, Without Ourselves also delivers some sublime moments, but this overlong, repetitive, and static representation of a 21st-century technophobic nightmare could use a trip to the cutting room. (Veltman)

Bay Area

*The Death of Meyerhold Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk; (510) 704-8210, www.shotgunplayers.org. $10-18. Thurs/22-Sat/24, 8pm; Sun/25, 7pm. Shotgun Players' production of Mark Jackson's Death of Meyerhold is an extravagant and multifaceted examination of the career of the revolutionary Russian theater director Vsevolod Meyerhold. And not least because Meyerhold was a revolutionary in the fullest sense; there's no escaping a contemporary resonance in its fraught mixture of art and political action. The young Meyerhold (Cassidy Brown), an original actor-member of Konstantin Stanislavsky's (Richard Louis James) Moscow Art Theater, soon outgrew the artistic and political limitations of the naturalistic style Stanislavsky was developing. His consequent foray into a more abstract, stylized form of staging and performance took early inspiration from Chekhov (Reid David) as well as the political turmoil surrounding Russia's 1905 revolution. Writer-director Jackson, cofounder of San Francisco's experimental Art Street Theater, moves beyond melodrama and historical biography in tackling his larger-than-life subject, ingeniously putting Meyerhold's radical stage techniques into a stimulating conversation with competing styles and conventions. Even with its occasional lopsidedness, The Death of Meyerhold earns our attention for its consistent intelligence and flashes of brilliance. (Avila)

H.M.S. Pinafore New venue: Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic, Walnut Creek; (925) 943-7469, www.lamplighters.org. $27-42. Thurs/22-Sat/24, 8pm (also Fri/23, 2pm); Sun/25, 2pm. Lamplighters Musical Theatre performs the Gilbert and Sullivan classic.

The Last Schwartz Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller, Mill Valley; (415) 388-5208, www.marintheatre.org. $28-45 (Tues, pay what you can). Tues and Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Thurs/22 and Jan 29, 1pm; Feb 7, 2pm); Wed, 7:30pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Feb 8. Marin Theatre Company performs the West Coast premiere of Deborah Zoe Laufer's poignant comedy about four Jewish siblings who gather to mark the one-year anniversary of their father's death.

dance

Flyaway Productions Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 345-7575, www.ticketweb.com. Fri-Sat and Jan 29, 8pm. Through Jan 31. $20. See 8 Days a Week.

'Mesomorphic Thrust' 848 Community Space, 848 Divisadero; 706-9535, sonya@848.com. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $12-15 (no one turned away for lack of funds). Sonya Smith performs and curates this "deliciously physical dance," featuring bicycles, bungee, and other elements.

Oakland Ballet Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theatre, 700 Howard; 978-2787, www.oaklandballet.org. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. $15-38. In a rare San Francisco appearance, the company performs a mixed-repertory program that includes Margaret Jenkins's Sightings, Gloria Contreras's Huapango, Robert Moses's Lone Woman, and Robert Henry Johnson's Thirsting/La femme au puits.

'San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival Auditions' McKenna Theater, Creative Arts Bldg, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway; 474-3914, www.worldartswest.org. Sat-Sun, 10am-6pm. $5. The upcoming San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival (June 12-27) holds open-to-the-public auditions for troupes performing dances from China, Tahiti, Mexico, India, Korea, and beyond.

Bay Area

Dance Theatre of Harlem Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, Jackson Hall, UC Davis, Davis; (530) 754-ARTS, www.mondaviarts.org. Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm). $17.50-49. The company performs three works by George Balanchine: Apollo (company world premiere), Serenade, and Four Temperaments.

Limón Dance Company Mexican Heritage Plaza Theatre, 1800 Alum Rock, San Jose; 1-800-642-8482, www.limon.org. Fri, 8pm. $15-25. (Also Mon, 8pm, Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna, S.F. 415-345-7575. $25.) See Critic's Choice.

performance

'Art, Sex, Gender, and Race: The Drag King Revolution!' Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission; 978-2787. Sat, 7pm. $15. Judith "Jack" Halberstam, Mel "Jake Danger" Corn, Fresh White, and Leslie "Arty Fishal" Cake host this evening of art, performance, discussion, and film.

BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.batsimprov.com. $8-12. This week: "Hey, Verne! (an improvised musical based on the works of Jules Verne" (Fri, 8pm); "Rock n' Roll Theatresports" (Sat, 8pm); "Sunday Players: Micetro" (Sun, 8pm).

'Burns Night 2004' Edinburgh Castle Pub, 950 Geary; 885-4074, www.castlenews.com. Sat, 8pm. $10. Celebrate Scottish poet Robert Burns with a night of bagpipes, haggis, poetry readings, and music.

'CAFE Presents' Off-Market Theater (and Studio), 965 Mission; 896-6477, www.cafearts.com. $5-10. This week: "Improv Revolution," with Tilted Frame Improv, the Babcocks, and the Legal Briefs (Thurs, 8pm); vocal ensemble and comedic improvisors Tonal Chaos (Fri, 8pm); double bill with Tilted Frame Improv and musician Larry Gallagher and his Nefarious Band (Sat, 8pm).

'Circus/Cabaret' Broadway Studios, 435 Broadway; 291-0232. Fri-Sat, 7:30pm (dinner, 7pm). $15-20 (dinner, $15). Broadway Studios hosts a dinner-cabaret show with jazz by the Eric Muhler Trio, plus other acts including jugglers, magicians, dancers, and more.

'Figs Part One' Goat Hall, 400 Missouri; 864-6123. Fri/23, Jan 30-31, 8pm. $10. Vile Jelly Puppet Theatre performs an original puppet opera with chamber orchestra, based on Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra.

'Flash Family!' Blue Bear Performance Hall, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, second fl, Marina at Laguna; 885-5678. Sat, 8:30pm. $7-14. The improv theater company performs.

'Poets' Theater Jamboree' Timken Lecture Hall, California College of the Arts, 1111 Eighth St; www.sptraffic.org. Fri, 7:30pm. $10. Small Press Traffic presents a series of plays featuring poets as playwrights, directors, producers, and actors; this week's participants include Kate Colby and Todd Shalom, Joseph Lease, Tan Lin, Dana Teen Lomax and Danna Lomax, Frank O'Hara, Camille Roy, and others.

'Political Play Reading Series' Phoenix Theatre, 424 Mason; 820-1460. Mon and Wed, 7pm. Through Jan 28. Free. Second Wind Productions presents this series, including Black Lies, by Ian Walker (Wed/21); Shrivings, by Peter Shaffer (Mon/26); and Murder, by Hanoch Levin (Jan 28).

'Slay the Dragon' Zeum, Fourth St at Mission; 749-2228, www.act-sfbay.org. Fri-Sun, 8pm (also Sun, 2pm). $7-10. American Conservatory Theater's "First Look" series, featuring workshop productions of new plays, hosts performances of Victor Lodato's video game-themed comedy.

'Va Va Voom Room' Plush Room, York Hotel, 940 Sutter; 885-2800, www.vavavoomroom.com. Fri, 10:30pm. Through Feb 27. $20. The New York City-based ensemble performs a burlesque and vaudeville cabaret.

Bay Area

The Garden of Jezebel La Val's Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (415) 675-5995, www.crowdedfire.org. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $10. Crowded Fire Theater Company performs a workshop production of Peggy Powell's retelling of the tale of Adam and Eve.

comedy

Bazaar Cafe 5927 California; 831-5620. Tues, 8pm: "Doug Ferrari and Friends," stand-up comedy, free.

Climate Theatre 285 Ninth St; 863-1076. Mon, 8pm: "Monday Night Improv Jam," presented by the San Francisco Improv Co-Operative, $5.

Cobb's Comedy Club 915 Columbus; 928-4320, www.cobbscomedy.com. Wed and Tues, 8pm: "All-Pro Comedy Showcase," $7. Thurs-Sun, 8pm (also Fri-Sat, 10:15pm): Kevin Nealon with Matt Weinhold and Dan Gabriel, $20-25.

Hyena Theater 2390 Mission, #304; 821-3601. Sat, 8pm: "Hyena Comedy All-Stars," $6.

Java Beach 1396 La Playa; 665-5282. Wed, 8pm: "Doug Ferrari and Friends," stand-up comedy, free.

Palace of Fine Arts Theatre 3301 Lyon; 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com. Fri, 8pm: Paula Poundstone performs her solo show, $32.

San Francisco LGBT Community Center 1800 Market; 865-5633. Mon, 8pm: "Monday Night Gay Comedy," with host Karen Ripley, $8-15 (sliding scale).

'S.F. Sketchfest' Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; Cobb's Comedy Club, 915 Columbus; Roxie, 3117 16th St; 1-866-468-3399, www.sfsketchfest.com. This week at Eureka Theatre: the Meehan Brothers in "Momma's Boyz" (Wed, 8pm, $10); Kasper Hauser and Lloyd Dobbler's Boombox (Thurs, 8pm, $15); 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and Lloyd Dobbler's Boombox (Fri, 8pm, $17); Kasper Hauser and the Meehan Brothers (Fri, 10:30pm, $17); Naked Trucker and Girls Guitar Club, with host Fred Armisen (Sat, 8 and 10:30pm, $20); Beer Shark Mice and Red Shirt Freshmen (Sun, 7 and 9:30pm, $15). At the Roxie: Martin and Orloff, film by director Lawrence Blume with writers-stars Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh in person (Mon, 7 and 9pm, $10).

Spanganga 3376 19th St; 225-4550. Sat, 10pm: "Bullsh!tter of the Year Competition," $10.

Uptown 200 Capp; 355-9932. Wed, 8:30pm: "Uptown Comedy Open Mic," with host Eric Peterson, free.

Bay Area

'Oh That Sit Was Funny' Comedy Club 380 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakl; (510) 228-7038. Thurs, 9pm: Dijon hosts featured performer Luenell, $10.

spoken word

Open mics take place almost every night in cafés throughout the Bay Area. If you want to perform, show up about half an hour before start time to put your name on the list. A day-by-day guide to spoken word events and featured readers:

Wednesday: BrainWash Café 1122 Folsom, S.F.; (415) 440-5530. "Spoken Word Salon," with host Diamond Dave Whitaker, 8pm, free. Canvas Cafe 1200 Ninth Ave, S.F.; (415) 504-0060, mike@westcoastvideo.net. "Open Mic Talent Showcase," 7:30pm, free. Il Piccolo Cafe 1219 Broadway, Burlingame; (650) 631-5732. "Il Piccolo/Saturday Poets Reading Series," with featured poet David Alpaugh, 7pm, free. Magnet 4122 18th St, S.F.; kirkread@earthlink.net. "Smack Dab," open mic hosted by Kirk Read and Larry-bob Roberts, plus featured performer John Burnside, 7:30pm, free.

Thursday: Coppa D'Oro Cafe 3166 24th St, S.F.; (415) 826-8003. "Poetry on the Patio," spoken word and acoustic music open mic with host Charlie Getter, 6:30pm, free. Hotel Cosmo 761 Post, S.F.; www.artworksf.com. "Poetry (and More) at the Cosmo," with hosts Jeanne Powell and Philip T. Nails; this week, continuous open mic with surprise guests, 6pm, $3. Dalva 3121 16th St, S.F.; (415) 753-8091. "Poetry Mission," open mic with host Elz and featured reader Nazelah Jamison, 7pm, free. Mediterranean Cafe 2475 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 526-5985. "Word Beat Reading Series," with featured readers Anna Mae Stanley and Tim Donnelly, followed by open mic, 7pm, free.

Saturday: Bernal Yoga 461 Cortland, S.F.; (415) 643-9007, www.bernalyoga.com. "Winter Evening of Poetry and Fiction," with Tom Barbash and Robin Ekiss, 7pm, $5-10. Rite Spot Cafe 2099 Folsom, S.F.; (415) 552-6066, www.ritespotcafe.net. "Truth Is Fiction," with authors Alejandro Murgia, Jack Boulware, and Roger Pinnell, plus music by Paula Frazer, 6:30, $3.

Sunday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash," with Carrie St. George Comer and Brian Teare, 7:30pm, $2. Cafe Prague 584 Pacific, S.F.; (415) 433-3811. Mark Schwartz hosts featured reader Allen Cohen, plus open mic, 4pm, free.

Monday: Perry's Joint 1661 Fillmore, S.F.; (415) 928-8904. "Celebration of the Word," hosted by Jeanne Powell, with featured reader Ryu Makoto, 7pm, free. Priya Indian Cuisine 2072 San Pablo, Berk; berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com. "Poetry Express," with open mic hosted by Mark States and featured reader Avotcja, 7pm, free. Canvas Cafe 1200 Ninth Ave, S.F.; getbooked@yahoo.com, lilycat@mindspring.com. "Lit at the Canvas," reading with Kirk Read, Ian Philips, Mikl-em, and Kevin Ferguson; this month's theme is "The Government: What Can Be Said About It?," 7pm, free (donations accepted).