Pencil this in: Literary Fest final weekend top picks

Let's make this as short and sweet as possible. You've had three weeks to pony your lazy arse to Lit Fest, so if you miss it, don't blame us for not keeping you blissfully well-informed. And if you miss out, you really ARE missing out--if not just for the fabulous view out the window of Glamour Bar in broad daylight.

For a full list of sessions, go here.

As mentioned in our last Lit Fest post, City Weekend is live blogging each session. Each session is one hour, ending with a Q&A period. The books are available for purchase and authors are available for book signing. Urbanatomy has done a good Shanghai Lit Fest guide, including some author interviews. Again, if you don't have a ticket, our advice is show up and you can usually get a seat.

FRIDAY, MARCH 20

12.30pm Stefan Schomann Last Refuge in Shanghai: Of Love and War and Troubled Times, moderated by Tess Johnston

The buzz: German author Schomann talks about his book Last Refuge Shanghai, a love story between Jewish refugee Robert Sokal and Shanghainese woman, Julie Chenchu Yang. Sounds interesting, would love to go, but have to work on Fridays. But if we were tai tais, we would cancel our afternoon hot yoga class to be there.

SATURDAY, March 21

12pm Janice Lee and Kristin Bair O’Keeffe The Path to Getting Published

The buzz: We would like to learn the path to getting published....

2pm Stephen Mackinnon Intrigue and Romance in the 1930s - Agnes Smedley’s Shanghai

The buzz: We are intrigued by romance AND architect/history buff Anne Warr told us this would be good. She knows a lot about Agnes Smedley. So that's a sneaky tip.

5pm Zachary Mexico China Underground: Exploring the Subcultures of a New Global Power

The buzz: Read China Underground. Loved it. Here is an interview with Zachary Mexico from ChinaTravel.net. And here is one from Urbanatomy. Mexico sounds like quite a character. We'd love to comb his long, messy hair out of his eyes...

SUNDAY, March 22

12pm Bamboo Hirst Between Two Cultures

The buzz: Chinese-Italian Hirst talks upon her 2008 autobiography Blue China as she straddles the divide between East and West.

3pm Pan Jian Feng, Ou Ning and Lynn Pan The Look of the Book: Chinese Graphic Design and Typography, moderated by Defne Ayas

The buzz: if you are interested in graphic design, and more specifically in book design, you will not want to miss this. So basically, for nerds. You know who you are.

4pm Kirsztina Toth Hungarian Writings and Wine: On the Nature of Love, moderated by Judit Hajba

The buzz: Love's okay... but in our experience, it's always been better with wine! We really, really enjoy wine.

5pm William F. Zorzi Inside ‘The Wire’: A Scriptwriter’s Perspective

The buzz: The Wire, an HBO drama about drug dealers and cops on the streets of Baltimore. You've blazed through the five-seasons box set, now get the inside scoop.

6.30 pm Sunday Festival Films: "Crossroads" by Shen Xiling (1937)

The buzz: popcorn, soda pop and the silver screen. Nice way to spend Sunday evening. Curled up on the couch at Glamour Bar with someone special. Or basically whoever: by Sunday night, we aren't so picky who we cuddle with.

If we forgot to mention your favorite session, please feel free to inform us in the comments section about why we are missing out. All tips appreciated.

Address: 6/F Glamour Bar and 7/F Crystal Room, No. 5 The Bund (at Guangdong Lu)
Tickets for each session: 65 RMB, includes a drink. Buy tickets on 6/F before sessions.
Reservations: mypiao.com
Tel: 400-620-6006

Photo by Rebekah Pothaar.