Mulla Nasruddin was not afraid to look foolish if it meant he could teach us something.  Mulla Nasruddin—so smart he’s dumb, and so dumb he’s smart.  The wise fool, juggling the concepts of the possible and the impossible.  Just when you think he does or doesn’t mean it, he makes or doesn’t make it mean even more.  Sometimes with a smile on his face, sometimes with a very serious expression indeed.  They say he really lived, seven centuries ago, in western or central Turkey. He and Rumi would have been approximate contemporaries.  Trouble is, there are Mulla Nasruddin stories from the 8^th century on.  Our boy gets around, often riding his donkey backwards, even as his face is turned toward us, kindly providing guidance.  Even when he says nothing, he makes nothing speak through him.  For example, his tomb has a locked gate before it, yet there is no fence around it.  Mulla Nasruddin lets us figure it out for ourselves.

Walker Brents III delivers a live streamed extemporaneous talk on subjects in mythology, folklore, religion, literature, poetry and culture about once a month at Bird & Beckett, as he has for nearly 25 years, since the bookshop’s earliest days. Once a fixture in our Sunday afternoon schedules, these days, since covid, the talks are typically delivered on a weekday night mid-month and are received by his audience mostly by livestream, although you can come into the shop to hear him in person if you like. Keep in mind that your donations help us compensate him for his heroic labors in shaping and delivering these talks. Drop off something for him in the store, or send some dollars via Venmo (@birdandbeckett). Call us at 415-586-3733 if you need help or have questions.

(Look for our YouTube channel to find Walker’s talks — each time one goes live, it will appear as if by magic in the video frame at the top of this website. Looking for it at showtime and not seeing it? Refresh your screen, and if it’s in progress you’ll see it. Still don’t see it? Wait a minute and refresh again!)