The Kennedy Detail Authors At Book Passage San Francisco Tonight 6 pm

Maya Rudolph appears in onstage conversation at Herbst

Who’s in town


Actress and singer Maya Rudolph, best known for her seven seasons on “Saturday Night Live,” appears in an onstage conversation. City Arts and Lectures presents the talk. [8 p.m., Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., S.F.]

Lectures

Jeffrey Kline: The program director of Maritime Defense and Security Research Programs at the Naval Postgraduate School gives a talk titled “Piracy and the Maritime Commons.” [Noon, World Affairs Council, 312 Sutter St., S.F.]

Celebrating Mark Twain: The Commonwealth Club hosts a 175th-birthday party for Mark Twain, a celebration featuring words and wit by the American iconoclast, plus cake. [Noon, Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]

Eric Gower: The chef, cooking teacher and author of “The Breakaway Cook” talks about integrating Asian ingredients into home cooking and conducts a blind tasting. [6 p.m., Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]

Market Street: Neil Hrushowy from the Planning Department discusses the results of a survey of Market Street pedestrians and how the study will inform the Better Market Street Project. [12:30 p.m., SPUR, 654 Mission St., S.F.]


Literary events

Richard Cohen: The author and fencing champion talks about “Chasing the Sun: The Epic Story of the Star That Gives Us Life.” [7 p.m., Kepler’s Books and Magazines, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]

Gerald Blaine, Lisa McCubbin, and Clint Hill: The authors of “The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence” discuss the book. [6 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, S.F.]

Essay anthology: Evening features a discussion of “The Devil’s Punchbowl: A Cultural and Geographic Map of California Today.” [7 p.m., Modern Times Bookstore, 888 Valencia St., S.F.]


At the colleges

Oil spill: The second of two lectures on the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the future of drilling in the Gulf of Mexico takes place. [7:30 p.m., William R. Hewlett Teaching Center, Room 200, 370 Serra Mall, Stanford University]

Chess night: The Mechanics’ Institute hosts its Tuesday Night Marathon, an evening of serious chess playing. Players at all levels are welcome. [6:30 p.m., 57 Post St., S.F.]


At the public library

Documentary film: The program features a screening of “Remembering Playland at the Beach,” a documentary about the former amusement park. [5:30 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin St., S.F.]

‘(In) Visible Memoir’: Four writers from Openhouse, San Francisco’s LGBT retirement community, read from their memoirs. [7 p.m., Eureka Valley Branch, 1 Jose Sarria Court, S.F.]


Local activities

Comedy tour: The Mahatma Moses Comedy Tour, featuring three comedians of South Asian descent — Samson Koletkar, Dhaya Lakshminarayanan and Joe Nguyen — is in town. [8 p.m., Punch Line Comedy Club, 444 Battery St., S.F.]

Classical music: Trio Billante — Betty Woo (piano), Caroline Lee (viola) and Tom Rose (clarinet) — performs music by Mendelssohn, Schumann and Reinecke. [12:30 p.m., Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, 660 California St., S.F.]

Japanese art: “Japanesque,” an exhibit that explores the Japanese print in the age of impressionism, continues through Jan. 9 at the Legion of Honor. [9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., 100 34th Ave., S.F.]


Dining out

Restaurant Paul K: Chef Shawn Bayless cooks modern and Mediterranean cuisine. Recent entrees include pan-roasted bluenose bass with beluga lentils, lemon-thyme oil and upland cress; grilled eggplant with moussaka and bread-crumb gremolata; Syrian-spiced duck breast with spelt, grilled dates, hazelnuts and watercress; and roasted Niman Ranch pork chops with Brussels sprouts, pancetta and potato hash. [199 Gough St., S.F., (415) 552-7132]


Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/good-day/2010/11/maya-rudolph-appears-onstage-conversation-herbst#ixzz16n9XHKSY