Counterculture is all about bringing people together. Because when we have each other, we can accomplish far more than any of us can do on our own. So in the spirit of the movements that came before us, we believe that given our location at the corner of Haight & Ashbury, it’s our privilege and responsibility that the Counterculture Museum should be a gathering place for our community. From readings and book events to art, music, history, discussions, and a lot more, there’s something for everyone.
Past Events
Jonah Raskin & Elaine Elinson
An evening with Jonah Raskin, presenting his new book Keeping the Beat Alive, an exploration of San Francisco countercultures from the Beat Generation onward, who went against the grain in the Fifties and Sixties and whose work continues to inspire.
Celebrated author and journalist Elaine Elinson presents her historical novel, Radiant as the Stars. Set in 1911, as the Jews of Eastern Europe flee the pogroms on the eve of the Russian Revolution, 20-year-old Anna Reader, idealistic and driven by a passion for justice, decides to head in the opposite direction—back to the Ukraine her parents fled years before. So begins a harrowing story of love, intrigue, betrayal, and survival.
Litquake – West Coast Beat: The SF Roots of Rolling Stone
Featuring Marianne Partridge, Charles Ponce de Leon, Peter Richardson, Ben Fong-Torres, and James Sullivan. Rolling Stone was at the vanguard of West Coast counterculture, launching journalists’ careers and setting new music writing standards.
This is a Litquake event. Please purchase tickets via Eventbrite. Counterculture membership benefits do not apply for this event.
Six Gallery Reading Anniversary with Beatdom’s David Wills
David S. Wills, author, editor, and publisher of leading Beat Generation literary journal Beatdom and Beatdom Books, joins us all the way from Cambodia for a discussion of this historic poetry reading and its role in putting the Beats, along with San Francisco itself, on the literary map of America.
Phil Cousineau: The Wisdom of the Odyssey
Join us for an evening with Phil Cousineau, award-winning writer, filmmaker, story consultant and editor, travel leader and inspirational speaker on myth in the modern world, as he discusses his latest book, The Wisdom of the Odyssey.
Al Hinkle Centennial
Al Hinkle, childhood friend of Neal Cassady, stalwart friend and confidant to Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and the Cassady family, and key member of the Beat Generation circle was born September 4, 1926. Join us for an evening of stories, memories, and tributes with Al’s daughter, Dawn, in celebration of his 100th birthday.
The Worlds of Jack & Neal with Steve Edington & Cathy Cassady
Join Steve Edington, author and Unitarian Universalist minister, in conversation with Cathy Cassady, daughter of Neal and Carolyn Cassady, as they discuss the unique friendship between Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady, and how their worlds collided; in effect a rebirth of one another.