BONUS BLACKOUT PARTY: In honor of the fun we had last year when the power went out, we have established an annual blackout party. We will operate by candlelight, no recorded music. David Loftus will launch the evening with Story Time for Grown Ups, and then guests are welcome to play non-amplified acoustic music or simply enjoy a gentle, quiet evening.

“Story Time for Grownups” presents an American original: the uncanny, unearthly, and chillingly amusing Ambrose Bierce. A journalist of the Old West who (unlike Stephen Crane or Mark Twain) really did fight in Civil War battles and chose to tell the truth about them. No cover. Bierce specialized in three kinds of stories: realistic accounts of Civil War battles, ghost stories set mostly in the West (including early San Francisco), and tall tales with a particularly gruesome slant. Occasionally he mixed all three. He is also beloved for his sardonic lexicon, The Devil’s Dictionary. On his desk sat a skull and a cigar box; he told visitors the former was all that remained of a friend, and the latter held the ashes of a rival critic. At the age of 71 he sojourned into Pancho Villa’s Mexico and disappeared without a trace.

Warm yourself with a mug of beer, a pot of tea, and commestibles while listening to an array of this writer’s unique work . . . by candlelight. WARNING: This material may be unsuitable for children — or grownups with a delicate sensibility.