Villa Albertine and SF Public Library Host Francophonie Reception Featuring Felwine Sarr

Felwine Sarr, the Senegalese writer, economist and public intellectual, will visit the San Francisco Public Library Main Branch for a Francophonie reception and a literary conversation on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, with a cocktail reception starting at 5:00 PM and programming running through 7:00 PM at 100 Larkin Street. The event is billed by MerciSF as part of the International Month of Francophonie and lists the Consulate General of France in San Francisco, Villa Albertine, the San Francisco Public Library, and “collaborating Francophone consulates” as partners.

The evening will pair Sarr with his American editor, Victor Reinking, identified by MerciSF as Founder of Peregrine Press and Professor Emeritus at Seattle University. MerciSF’s event copy states, “The evening will begin with a cocktail reception before welcoming the French-Senegalese writer, thinker, and musician into dialogue with his American editor, Victor Reinking, Founder of Peregrine Press and Professor Emeritus at Seattle University,” and schedules the reception and conversation from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. MerciSF’s listing includes a ticket call-to-action - “🎟️ Reserve your tickets here” - though the captured event text does not provide a URL or a ticket price.

Villa Albertine frames the program around Sarr’s Dahij and provides the event’s thematic roadmap: “The conversation between Felwine Sarr and Victor Reinking will explore how geography, religion, and identity intersect and shape one another, while also considering how African literature travels—across languages, institutions, and global audiences.” Villa Albertine’s promotional copy places Dahij at the center of the evening: “Centered on Felwine Sarr’s Dahij—soon to be released in English for the first time by the new Seattle-based independent publisher, Peregrine Press— Villa Albertine San Francisco is delighted to highlight this moving meditation on identity, exile, and self-reclamation in the presence of the author.” The Villa Albertine description continues in full: “Blending philosophy, memory, and poetic storytelling, Sarr explores what it means to belong in a world shaped by migration and colonial legacies, writing with urgency and intensity in pursuit of personal and intellectual freedom. Rooted in African traditions yet deeply universal, Dahij invites readers to listen closely to an African voice imagining the future on its own terms.”

Victor Reinking’s role as editor and founder of Peregrine Press ties the event to a concrete publishing development: Villa Albertine notes the English edition of Dahij will be issued by “the new Seattle-based independent publisher, Peregrine Press.” That pairing—an internationally known francophone intellectual and a small U.S. independent press—suggests cultural and market dynamics worth watching as translated African literature reaches Bay Area readers through institutional partners. Villa Albertine itself positions such programming within a broader cultural diplomacy agenda: “Villa Albertine is a cultural institution with the mission to deepen cultural connections between the United States and the French-speaking world,” and the organization operates hubs in 10 US cities while coordinating national programs such as Night of Ideas.

Local logistics and library context are explicit. The San Francisco Public Library lists the Main Branch address as 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102; Villa Albertine’s San Francisco hub is at 3150 Sacramento Street in the Presidio. SFPL program pages also display satellite service locations, including kiosks at 800 Avenue H (Treasure Island), 1278 Minnesota Street (Dogpatch), 1530 Sunnydale Ave (Sunnydale), and Mobile Outreach Services in San Francisco, CA 94103, underscoring the library’s citywide footprint as a venue for Francophone programming.

Public materials contain a minor discrepancy to note: most sources use the spelling “Felwine Sarr,” while one Villa Albertine snippet shows “Felwine Saar.” Ticketing details, language/interpretation arrangements, and publication specifics for the English Dahij translation (translator, ISBN, release date) are not listed in the captured event copy; MerciSF’s CTA and Villa Albertine’s “Please check back soon for additional details” indicate organizers may release further logistical information before the March 10 reception. The event will be one element of Mois de la Francophonie programming in the Bay Area that brings diplomatic partners, cultural institutions, and an independent publisher together around contemporary francophone literature.