Literary reading is not usually the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a night out on the town. Unless, of course, the town is San Francisco. Our fair city has the highest per capita consumption of books and alcohol in the country, which probably accounts for the plethora of lively literary events. If intellectual fun is what you are looking for, we suggest the following ten places to get your literary groove on.

Writers With Drinks
Make-Out Room - 3225 22nd Street
While the writers rarely actually hoist drinks on stage and nobody is guaranteed to make-out, this monthly event is a sure bet for a fun Saturday night. The non-sequitur monologues/intros to each reader by emcee and Other Magazine publisher Charlie Anders alone are worth the price of admission.

Literary Death Match
Various Venues
Hosted by the literary journal Opium, this sometimes-rowdy event pits local literary luminaries against each other in elimination readings. Writers throwing drinks in other writer’s faces is not unheard of.

Mortified
Make-Out Room - 3225 22nd Street
The readings at the monthly Mortified series have the twist that the original authors hoped they would never see the light of day. Teenage diaries, adolescent poetry and tortured love letters are read aloud to a packed house by adult survivors of youthful trauma in performances that will make you simultaneously squirm and laugh uncontrollably.

Poetry and Pizza
Escape From New York Pizza - 333 Bush Street
This monthly Friday-night event is a perfect downtown pit stop for the end of a busy workweek. Start your weekend with a beer, a slice of pizza, and readings by three established poets, followed by an open mic.

Poetry Slams
Various Venues
Poetry Slams are like the staid literary reading re-imagined as WWF wrestling scored by the audience. The Bay Area is home to a lively scene, with ongoing competitions throughout the spring and summer leading up to sending a team to the National Poetry Slam in August.

InsideStoryTime
Various Venues
One of the newer events around town, this monthly reading series focuses on a particular theme for each show. Fun topics from the last year have included Bad Girls, Mistakes and Betrayal.

Porchlight
Café Du Nord - 2170 Market Street
Past shows at this storytelling series hosted by local writers Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick have included all manner of storytellers, including almost-mayor Matt Gonzalez.

Radar Reading Series
SF Public Library Eureka Branch - 16th Street & Market
Michelle Tea, one of the Bay Area’s finest and most dynamic young authors, hosts this monthly reading series. Under her watchful gaze, the lineup is almost always superb.

Smack Dab
Magnet - 4122 18th Street
This LGBT-themed monthly open mic is, predictably, fabulous.

826 Valencia
826 Valencia Street
826 Valencia is a non-profit dedicated to tutoring at-youth risk in creative writing. There’s a full calendar of events here throughout the month, which, besides being fun, provide you with a chance to support a worthy cause.