Litquake Festival

Originally know as "Litstock," San Francisco's legendary literary festival is one of the most fun on the circuit, due in no small part to their Lit Crawl, a rowdy but literary pub crawl combining bar-hopping with live readings from that year's guest writers (this has proved so popular it's spawned similar events in places like Austin and New York City). Past guests have included Jeffrey Eugenides, Dave Eggers, Chuck Klosterman, and Armistead Maupin, and the festival organizers make a point of including smaller, local voices that speak to the unique San Francisco experience.