Readings and literary events

For a city of under 70,000 people, Palo Alto hears from a lot of writers. The reason is geography. Kepler's in Menlo Park, a mile and a half up El Camino Real, runs one of the busiest author series on the Peninsula. Stanford's Creative Writing Program, founded by Wallace Stegner in 1946, brings poets and novelists to campus and puts its own fellows in front of audiences every year. The city library and the bookstores fill in the gaps with book clubs, launches and workshops.

This guide covers the recurring formats rather than a calendar, because individual dates change fast. Where an organizer has published specific upcoming dates on its own pages, we include them. For the books themselves, see our reading list of Palo Alto in books.

The main series at a glance

Kepler's author events

Kepler's is the center of literary life on the Midpeninsula and has been since Roy Kepler opened his first store in 1955. Our history of Kepler's and the 1960s tells that story. Today the events are produced by Kepler's Literary Foundation, which says its events reached just over 8,000 people across the Bay Area in 2024 and that event revenue supports the bookstore and its staff.

How a typical night works

According to the foundation's guide for publishers, most events take place in the store at 1010 El Camino Real, which seats about 300. The standard format is a fireside conversation: two chairs on stage, the author and an interviewer, with audience questions built into the hour. Events typically run from 7 to 8 p.m.

• Tickets. Most events are ticketed through Eventbrite. Many offer a ticket bundled with a copy of the book.
• Access seats. Some tickets are reserved for students and low-income attendees.
• Watching from home. Some events sell virtual tickets for a livestream. Kepler's says recordings go out the next day and stay available for 30 days.
• Big names. When demand outgrows the store, Kepler's has taken events to larger halls. In 2023 it presented Senator Bernie Sanders at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts.

The recurring series

Beyond single author nights, the Kepler's events site lists several ongoing programs. Story Is the Thing is a free evening of readings by local authors. The next one is listed for November 4, 2026. This Is Now with Angie Coiro is an interview series hosted by Angie Coiro. There are writing workshops, youth events and two book clubs: a monthly Non-Fiction Book Club and the Deep Cuts Book Club, whose current cycle covers four coming of age novels.

The calendar also has two annual fixtures. The Annual Benefit is the foundation's big fundraiser. In 2026 it is billed as An Evening with Abraham Verghese and Friends on November 16. The Annual Holiday Party follows on December 13, when members of the Literary Circle get a discount on purchases.

Getting there

From Palo Alto, take Caltrain one stop north to Menlo Park station and walk a few blocks, or drive up El Camino Real. Popular evenings fill up, so arrive early if you want a good seat or a short signing line.

Stanford's creative writing readings

Stanford's Creative Writing Program runs several public series. Wallace Stegner started the program and its writing fellowships in 1946 with money from Dr. E. H. Jones, whose fortune came from Texas oil. His brother, Richard Foster Jones, chaired the English department. The program's reading series are the best free literary evenings in the area. The audience mixes students, faculty and local readers. The readings we checked were open to the general public.

The Lane Lecture Series

The Lane Lecture Series began in 1981, funded by Jean and Bill Lane, to bring leading contemporary writers to Stanford. Past events have taken several shapes: a straight reading, a reading followed by an onstage conversation and smaller colloquiums. Venues move around campus. Recent ones include the Faculty Club, the Jen-Hsun Huang Building, Margaret Jacks Hall, the Traitel Building, Bechtel Conference Center and the Humanities Center.

Stanford's events listing for a February 2026 Lane reading with Viet Thanh Nguyen described it as free and open to affiliates and the general public, with registration encouraged but not required. That is the usual pattern. The program currently lists two upcoming Lane readings:

• Martín Espada, Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 7:30 to 9 p.m., Cedar Room of the Faculty Club, 439 Lagunita Drive.
• Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Wednesday, May 5, 2027, 7:30 to 9 p.m., Mackenzie Room of the Jen-Hsun Huang Building, 475 Via Ortega.

Stegner Fellow readings

Each year Stanford awards 10 two-year Wallace Stegner Fellowships, five in fiction and five in poetry. The program describes the fellowship as closer to an artist residency than a degree. Fellows receive a living stipend of $75,000 a year and meet in a weekly workshop. During their first year, each fellow gives a public reading. The Stegner Fellow readings page explains the ritual: a second-year fellow introduces a first-year fellow, who reads and then takes questions.

Past readings have been on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8 p.m., mostly in Levinthal Hall at the Stanford Humanities Center, 424 Santa Teresa Street. Several fellows usually share an evening. The 2026 to 2027 readings are now posted for November 4, January 27 and February 10 in Margaret Jacks Hall, Terrace Room 426, so check the page for times. These nights are a chance to hear writers before they publish their first books. The fellowship's alumni include Ken Kesey, Larry McMurtry and Robert Stone, whose Stanford years our Perry Lane history covers.

Visiting poets and writers

Two smaller programs bring writers to teach a seminar for a term. Lawrence and Nancy Mohr support the Mohr Visiting Poets program. Isaac and Madeline Stein support the Stein Visiting Writers program. Each includes a public reading and colloquium. Dates appear on the same events pages. The program also keeps a Public Events mailing list, the easiest way to hear about all of these.

Parking on campus is paid and the rules vary by lot. Our Stanford parking and transit guide explains the options. For other free talks on campus, see public lectures at Stanford.

Books Inc. at Town & Country

Books Inc. runs a store at 855 El Camino Real, unit 74, in Town & Country Village. It hosts author events through the year, listed on Eventbrite under the Books Inc. name. The Palo Alto store leans toward book launches and signings, with plenty of children's, middle grade and young adult authors. In May 2024, for example, it hosted the launch of Michael Leali's middle grade novel on a weekday evening from 7 to 8 p.m. Check each listing for whether it is free, needs an RSVP or requires a book purchase for the signing line. The store stays open into the evening, so it is easy to pair an event with dinner at the center.

Bell's Books and the Stanford Bookstore

Bell's Books at 536 Emerson Street, open since 1935, does not advertise a regular reading series on its website. It is a place to browse, not a venue. Its News page is where the store posts anything special. Visit on a Friday, when it stays open until 8 p.m.

The Stanford Bookstore in White Plaza also hosts occasional author events, often tied to faculty books. Its calendar shifts with the academic year. Our bookstores guide covers both shops in more detail.

Palo Alto City Library programs

The Palo Alto City Library is the place for free, low-key literary programs. Its events calendar can be filtered by category. In late October 2026 it listed 39 Book Clubs and Community Conversations sessions and two Author Events across all branches, along with writing and poetry workshops.

• Book clubs. Groups meet at Rinconada, Mitchell Park and the smaller branches. Some fill up and run a waitlist, so register early.
• Writing workshops. For example, Sierra Elman, Santa Clara County's Youth Poet Laureate, is listed to lead a tween workshop on getting published on January 31, 2027 (moved from November 1, 2026) at Mitchell Park Library.
• Palo Alto Reads. The library's one book, one community program picks a title for the whole city. It discussed Richard Rothstein's The Color of Law in 2020 and the climate anthology All We Can Save in 2023, with a recorded author talk. The program page has not announced a newer selection.
• Book sales. The Friends of the Palo Alto Library sell donated books at Cubberley Community Center. The next sale is November 14 and 15, 2026.

Tips for literary evenings

1. Sign up for mailing lists. Kepler's, the Stanford Creative Writing Program and the library all announce events by email first.
2. Buy early for famous authors. Kepler's events with household names can sell out. For Stanford readings, arriving 15 minutes early is usually enough.
3. Bring cash or a card for books. Signing lines usually move faster if you buy the book before the talk starts.
4. Plan the ride home. Check the Caltrain schedule before an event that ends at 9 p.m., since evening trains run less often.
5. Expect the academic calendar to rule. Stanford readings cluster in fall, winter and spring quarters and go quiet in summer and over the winter break.

Frequently asked questions