Established in 2008 to formalize and expand cultural programming begun in 1999 at Bird & Beckett Books and Records, the BBCLP now regularly hosts 4-5 concerts each week, 3 poetry readings, with featured readers and open mic, and 2 cultural talks and conversations per month, along with other cultural and artistic events throughout the year.
“Jazz in the Bookshop,” a free Friday-after-work series that showcases local jazz artists from a wide range of ages and backgrounds, has run continuously since 2002 and was augmented with a second after-dinner concert in 2022.
“Jazz Club,” a ticketed Saturday night series (since 2016), showcases jazz musicians from the top ranks of local players, spanning many generations, in the top echelon of jazz musicians anywhere.
“Which Way West?” a Sunday afternoon series (since 2008), presents Bay Area musicians who bring music from other traditions. This series allows room for “out” and avant garde jazz, world music, western classical music, Americana, and bluegrass, among other “traditional” and generally acoustic genres.
“POETS!” (since 2002) and “Virtual POETS!” (since 2020) present two featured poets and an open mic each session.
“SFLives” (since 2021) is a series of conversations between journalist Denise Sullivan and guests on “arts and arts advocacy in pursuit of equity” focusing on issues of importance to San Francisco’s culture workers and its populace.
“Walker Talks” (since 2002) is a scholarly lecture series that takes place once a month hosted by Walker Brents III.
Since 2020, the BBCLP has significantly increased its technical capacity for live presentation, streaming, and professional-quality recording, and maintains a robust archive of performances, with over 600 videos available on the BBCLP YouTube channel and a selection released on CD by the musicians and/or their record labels.