Distinguished Author Series: Patty Seyburn & Andrew Tonkavich at Laguna College of Art + Design
The Laguna College of Art + Design’s (LCAD) Leslie Power Library Presents: Distinguished Authors Lecture Series, with:
Patty Seyburn has previously published five collections of poems, her most recent release being Threshold Delivery (Finishing line Press 2019). She is a proud professor at CSU Long Beach.
Andrew Tonkavich edits the West Coast literary magazine, Santa Monica Review, and hosts Bibliocracy, a weekly books show on listener-supported Pacifica Radio’s KPFK (90.7) in Southern California. He is a regular contributor to the OC Weekly and is co-editor of Orange County: A Literary Field Guide (Hey Day 2017). He teaches composition at UC Irvine.
NOTE: Free Admission / Public Invited
Where: Laguna College of Art + Design
Date: Monday the 30th
Time: 6:30 pm – 9 pm
Address: 2222 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Website: https://facebook.com/events/2350061018589583
First Press Readings at Woodbury University Presents: Douglas Manuel
Join us to hear poet and writer Douglas Manuel read and discuss his work as part of the Moira Literary Magazine’s First Press Reading Series at Woodbury. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Literature and Creative Writing at USC, has served as Poetry Editor for Gold Line Press, as well as a Managing Editor for Ricochet Editions. His poems have been widely published, and his first full-length collection, Testify (Red Hen Press 2017) won the 2017 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award for Poetry. His poems explore identity, race, and masculinity and are grounded in autobiography.
Where: Woodbury University
Date: Monday the 30th
Time: 6 pm (Call 818-767-0888 to verify)
Address: 7500 N. Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, CA 91504
Website: https://woodbury.edu/news/first-opress-reading-series-2019-2020/
Teresa Sorkin & Tullan Holmqvist & The Women in the Park at Book Soup
Join us at Book Soup to hear authors Teresa Sorkin & Tullan Holmqvist present and sign The Women in the Park, a thriller with shocking twists, secrets and lies that will leave readers breathless.
When Manhattanite Sarah Rock meets a mysterious and handsome stranger in the park, she is drawn to him. She wants to get away from her daily routine, but nothing is as it seems. Her life begins to unravel when a woman from the park goes missing, she becomes the prime suspect, and her lover is nowhere to be found.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Monday the 30th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/teresa-sorkin-and-tullan-holmqvist-discuss-and-sign-woman-park
Flynn Coleman & A Human Algorithm at Chevalier’s Bookstore
Join us to hear author Flynn Coleman present A Human Algorithm, which examines the immense impact intelligent technology will have on humanity. These machines, while challenging our personal beliefs and our socioeconomic world order, also have the potential to transform our health and well-being, alleviate poverty and suffering, and reveal the mysteries of intelligence and consciousness.
Where: Chevalier’s Bookstore
Date: Monday the 30th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 126 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://www.chevaliersbooks.com/events/flynn-coleman
Paul Krueger & Steel Crow Saga at Vroman’s Bookstore
Hear author Paul Kreuger, in conversation with author S. Jae-Jones (Wintersong), present and discuss Steel Crow Saga. This fantasy story tells the tale of four destinies colliding in a unique fantasy world of war and wonders, where empire is won with enchanted steel and magical animal companions fight alongside their masters in battle.
Where: Vroman’s Bookstore
Date: Monday the 30th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Monday Open Mic with Shy But Flyy at Roxanne’s
Come to the Monday Open Mic at Roxanne’s in Long Beach, hosted by Shy But Flyy. Enjoy food and drinks in s fun place to share something special, with unique perspectives presented artistically, through comedy, drama, music, poetry, and more.
Where: Roxanne’s
Date: Monday the 30th
Time: 7 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: 1115 E.Wardlow Rd., Long Beach, CA 90807
Website: https://www.facebook.com/event/792736037725636
Benjamin Moser & Sontag: Her Life and Work at Skylight Bookstore
Join us to hear author and writer Benjamin Moser discuss his new work, Sontag: Her Life and Work.
Mythologized and misunderstood, lauded and loathed, Sontag was a girl form the suburbs who became a proud symbol of cosmopolitanism, and left a legacy of writing on art and politics, feminism and homosexuality, celebrity and style, medicine and drugs, and other “isms” that forms an indispensable key to modern culture. no writer negotiatied as many worlds and had as many glamorous lovers. This is a definitive portrait—a great American novel in the form of a biography.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Monday the 30th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: http://skylightbooks.com/event/benjamin-moser-discusses-his-new-book-sontag-her-life-and-work
Where I’m From: Art & Writing Workshop with Rachelle Cruz at Arts Connection, San Bernardino
Where I’m From: Art and Writing Workshop with Rachelle Cruz, Inlandia Literary Laureate, is a free event and a participatory element of the ongoing exhibition of “Self and Place: Refinding San Bernardino County.” It’s open to students and faculty on campus, as well as artists and community members from the surrounding communities.
This collaborative writing and art workshop invites participants to discuss, write, and play around the theme of place. We’ll free-write, make collages/maps, and draft poems about the small beauties and joyful clatter of our neighborhoods and beyond.
Where: Clara & Allen Gresham Gallery, Arts Connection, Arts Council of San Bernardino County
Date: Tuesday the 1st
Time: 11:30 am – 2 pm
Address: 5500 University Pkwy., #VA308, San Bernardino, CA 92407
Website: https://facebook.com/event/404102410299355
WeHo Library’s 8th Anniversary & Paperback L.A. at West Hollywood Library
Come celebrate the 8th anniversary of the West Hollywood Library with a book event featuring authors from the Paperback L.A. anthology, including: Susan La Tempa, Eric Gutierrez, Jason Jenn, Gina Nahai, and R. J. Smith.
NOTE: RSVP & and sign-up at website link.
Where: West Hollywood Library
Date: Tuesday the 1st
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 626 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/464713140749283
Brenda Perlin & Crime and PUNKishment at Book Soup
Join us to hear Brenda Perlin read from and sign Crime and PUNKishment: stories and Exclusive Interviews with Rodney Bingenheimer, Jack Grisham, Palmolive of the Slits, Linda Ramone, and Captain Sensible..
The author and her collaborators catalog in worlds and pictures those days of hope and rebellion—sometimes in touching ways Read and remember!
Where: Book Soup
Date: Tuesday the 1st
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Poetry Open Mic Night at Book Monster Bookstore
Join us for our monthly poetry night on the first Tuesday of every month. Bring something to share, even if it’s s work in progress.
NOTE: RSVP & and sign-up at website link.
Where: Book Monster Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 1st
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 212 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90401
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/514072202333897/
In Conversation: Race and the Memory of Evil at the Hammer Museum
Join us for our In Conversation Series on the topic of Race and the Memory of Evil, featuring:
Moral philosopher Susan Neiman’s new book, Learning from the Germans, combines philosophical reflection, personal stories, and interviews with Americans and Germans who are grappling with their respective national histories.
Brenda Stevenson is the author of What Is Slavery? among other books. Both authors are art of the series “400 Years of Inequity.”
This event will be followed by coffee, tea, and a book signing.
Where: Hammer Museum
Date: Tuesday the 1st
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA24
Website: https:// hammer.ucla.edu/programs-events/2019/10/1race-and-the-memory-of-evil/
Attica Locke &Heaven: My Home at Skylight Bookstore
Join us to hear author and writer Attica Locke discuss his new novel, Heaven: My Home.
This book is the thrilling follow-up to the award-winning Bluebird, Bluebird. Texas ranger Darren Matthews is looking for a boy who’s gone missing—but it’s the boy’s family of the white supremacists who are his real target. While Matthews is trying to recover from his previous investigation, his mother holds the key to his career and reputation—and she’s not above maternal blackmail to press her advantage. Ultimately he must battle old suspicions and prejudices to find the missing boy—and himself.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 1st
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: http://skylightbooks.com/event/attica-locke-reads-her-new-novel-heaven-my-home
Tuesday Night Café & Open Mic at Tuesday Night Project
Tuesday Night Project presents the 1st & 3rd Tuesday Night Café: The New/Old Show.
It’s their second to the last show of the season and, as we think about how old things become new and new things are often old, come through for some time-bending work from these incredible artists!
This event is hosted by Sean Miura, with beats by LadyBug, and features:
Fandang Obon Festival 2019; arts culture eco-fest
Sehba Sarwar
Taz Ahmed
Ginto Seeds
Kid in the Middle
and The Open Mic!
NOTE: See website for details and Open Mic guidelines.
Where: Tuesday Night Café & Open Mic
Date: Tuesday the 1st
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 120 Judge John Aliso St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: http://facebook.com/events/976258549388827
Redondo Beach Poets Open Mic at Coffee Cartel
Please join the Redondo Beach Poets to hear and to participate in the weekly Open Mic. Redondo Poets is recommended by Mike “The Poet” Sonksen, and has been a mainstay of the Los Angeles Poetry scene for 20 years.
Where: Coffee Cartel
Date: Tuesday the 1st
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 1820 S. Catalina Ave., Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Website: https://www.facebook.com/RedondoPoets/
Da Poetry Lounge Open Mic at Greenway Court Theatre
About: All you have to do is put your name on the sign-up list. The first half sign-ups occur before the doors open, and sign-ups for the second half do not guarantee entry, so stay in line! Keep in line that each half has its own sign-up list so check details at website or at event. Sorry, you can only perform at one half per night, and 12-15 people are typically called up for each half’s open mic, depending on whether there is a feature that night. There is a time limit of three minutes at the mic to do your poem, as we try to accommodate as many people as possible. So please, arrive early!
Where: The Greenway Court Theater
Date: Tuesday the 1st
Time: 9 pm – 12 pm
Address: 544 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036
Website: http://dapoetrylounge.com/visiting-dpl/slam/
Marilee Albert & The Tutor at Diesel Bookstore, Brentwood
Join us to hear author Marilee Albert present and sign her novel The Tutor.
Recent Yale grad, Alice, moves to Rome to make art and find a muse. Instead she finds herself a muse to various men. Will Alice ever find her way?
Where: Diesel Bookstore, Brentwood, lower outdoor courtyard
Date: Wednesday the 2nd
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 225 26th St., Santa Monica, CA 91402
William Kent Kreuger & This Tender Land at Vroman’s Bookstore
Join us to hear and meet author William Kent Krueger when he presents his book, This Tender Land.
In 1932 Minnesota, the Lincoln School is a pitiless place where hundreds of Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent ot be educated. It is also hoem to an orphan named Odie O’Banion, a lively boy whose exploits earn him the superintendent’s wrath. Forced to flee with a few others, they head for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own. This is an enthralling, big-hearted epic that shows how the American landscape connects us all, haunts our dreams, and makes us whole.
Where: Vroman’s Bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 2nd
Time: 7 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: http://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/william-kent-kreuger-discusses-and-signs-tender-alnd
Akilah Hughes, with Jon Lovett, & Obviously at Pasadena Public Library (Vroman’s Bookstore / Off-site)
Join us to hear and meet writer, comedian, You Tuber and author Akilah Hughes, in conversation with Jon Lovett (Pod Save America) when she presents her book, Obviously: Stories from My Timeline.
In Akilah Hughes’ world, family—and life—are often complicated, but always funny. Through intimate and hilarious essays, she takes readers on her journey form small Kentucky town to New York City, where she becomes a writer and performer. Author John Hughes calls this “a refreshingly funny and blisteringly unsentimental coming-of-age memoir.”
Where: Pasadena Public Library
Date: Wednesday the 2nd
Time: 7 pm
Address: 285 E. Walnut St., Pasadena, CA 91101
In Conversation: Susan Orlean & Roxane Gay on Libraries at the Hammer Museum
Join us for our In Conversation Series on the topic of Libraries, featuring:
Susan Orlean is the author of The Library Book, which investigates the catastrophic Los Angeles Public Library fire of April 1986—entwining cultural history, simmering mystery, and personal exploration.
Roxane Gay is the author of Bad Feminist, and Hunger: a Memoir of (My) Body, and joins Orlean to discuss the crucial role of libraries as public spaces and repositories for collective history.
This event will be followed by coffee, tea, and a book signing.
Where: Hammer Museum
Date: Wednesday the 2nd
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA24
Website: https:// hammer.ucla.edu/programs-events/2019/10/
Chris L. Terry at Visiting Writers Series at Otis College of Art and Design
Author Chris L. Terry was born in Boston to an African-American father and Irish-American mother. He is author of the novels Black card (2019) and Zero Fade, which was on the Kirkus Reviews and Slate.com Best of 2013 lists, and was short-listed for the American Library Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults. His work has been published in numerous journals.
Where: Otis College of Art and Design, The Forum
Date: Wednesday the 2nd
Time: 7:30 pm – 9 pm
Address: 9045 Lincoln Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045
Website: https:// www.otis.edu/mfa-wrting/visiting-writers-series
Drawing Power: Women’s Stories of Sexual Violence, Harassment, and Survival at Skylight Bookstore
Join us to hear comics creator Diane Noomin present a collection that gives female cartoonists a platform to speak about their own personal experiences with assault, harassment, and rape culture.
This comics anthology, Drawing Power, includes 63 new and personal stories told through the powerful medium of comics. This anthology is a collective call for understanding, respect, and– most importantly, change.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 1st
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: http://skylightbooks.com/event/discussion-contributors-new-comics-anthology-drawing-power
Anansi Writers Workshop at the World Stage
The Anansi Writers Workshop was founded in 1990 by Kamau Daáood, Akilah Oliver, Nafis Nabawi and Anthony Lyons. In 1993, Michael Datcher initiated the development of a three-part format for the workshop. Their tradition of a community workshop began in the late 1960s at the Watts Writers’ Workshop, where World Stage co-founder Kamau Daáood started his writing career. The Anansi Writers Workshop is coordinated by V. Kali and Conney Williams.
Where: Anansi Writers Workshop
Date: Wednesday the 2nd
Time: 7:30 pm– 10 pm
Address: 4321 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: http://www.theworldstage
Wendy Rainey & Kevin Ridgeway Reading at The Ugly Mug
Wendy Rainey’s poetry has been published or is forthcoming in Trailer Park Quarterly, Nerve Cowboy, Chiron Review, and other journals and anthologies. Her book, Hollywood Church: Short Stories and Poems.
Kevin Ridgeway is the author of two chapbooks, Burn through Today (2012) and All the Rage (2013), and Too Young to Know.
NOTE: $5 cover fee, cash only
Where: The Ugly Mug
Date: Wednesday the 2nd
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 261 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA 92866
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/theuglymug
LiveTalks Presents George Will in Conversation with Larry Wilmore at the Colburn School
Author, journalist, and writer George Will, in conversation with Larry Wilmore, will discuss his new book, The Conservative Sensibiliy, presented by LiveTalks.
NOTE: Check website for costs and details.
Where: The Colburn School, Zipper Concert Hall
Date: Wednesday the 2nd
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 200 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/george-will-in-conversation-with-larry-wilmore-tickets-65567739875
Rebel Tongues & Poetic Blues: Dana Goia Reading at Santa Monica College
Poet Dana Goia will read from and talk about his work. The former California Poet Laureate and Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts has authored five collections of verse, most recently, 99 Poems: New & Selected (2016), which won the Poets’ Prize.
NOTE: Seating is on a first-arrival basis for the free event.
Where: Santa Monica College, Stromberg Hall (HHS 165)
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 11:15 am – 1:15 pm
Address: 1900 W. Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/2366183016982758
Open Mic Night at the Anaheim Central Library
Poets, singers, and songwriters, musicians and wirters of all ages are welcome to perform and listen. Sign-ups begin at event, and 3-6 minutes are allowed per participant.
NOTE: See website for detailed guidelines.
Where: Anaheim Central Library
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 500 West Broadway, Anaheim, CA 92805
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/513083782837640
Beyond Hispanic Heritage Month: Finding Community Reading at LibroMobile
Join us to celebrate Beyond Hispanic Heritage Month: Finding Community, and hear Santa Ana’s Professor Richard T. Rodriguez & Librarian Stacy Russo trace the Southern California Punk Rock Scene and other subcultures.
Stacy Russo is a poet, writer, and artist committed to creating boos and art for a more peaceful world. she serves as librarian and associate professor at Santa Ana College, and her books have been featured on NPR, Pacifica Radio, KCET Artbound, LA Weekly, and other media outlets
Richard T. Rodriguez is associate professor of Media & Cultural Studies at UC Riverside. The author of Next of Kin: The Family in Chicano/a Cultural Politics (2009), he is at work on two book projects: Undocumented Desires: Fantasies of Latino Male Sexuality and Latino/U.K.: Transatlantic Intimacies in Post-Punk Cultures.
Where: LibroMobile, Santa Ana
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 220 E. Fourth St., Ste. 107, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/71843531161633
Carmen Maria Machada &In the Dream House at Scripps College
Author Carmen Maria Machada will present and discuss her memoir, In the Dream House, with novelist Justin Torres. She focuses on queer domestic violence and dissects cultural representations of physical abuse, navigating the personal and the literary.
Where: Scripps College, Garrison Theatre
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 241 E. 10th St., Claremont, CA 91766
Website: http://collegescalendar.org
Local Author Tom Sturges & Preston Sturges Biography at Pages Bookstore
Local author Tom Sturges will present and discuss his new book, Preston Sturges: The Last Years of Hollywood’s First Writer-Director.
In the 1930s and ‘40s Preston Sturges’s writing and directing of whip-smart comedies entertained audiences for decades. This book offers a critical interpretation of his ouvre, and shows his final years in more detail than before, showing a master at work.
Where: Pages Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 7 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://m.bpt.me/event/436821
Author James Verini & They Will Have to Die Now at Chevalier’s Bookstore
Author James Verini will present and discuss his new book, They Will have to Die Now, in conversation with Roy William Scranton.
The author arrived in Iraq in the summer of 2016 to write about life in the Islamic State, and stayed to cover the jihadis’ last stand, the Battle of Mosul, not knowing it would go on for a year. This book takes the reader into the heart of the conflict against the most lethal insurgency of our time.
Where: Chevalier’s Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 7 pm
Address: 126 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://www.facebook.com/event/373296363550652
Tonalli Thursdays OPEN MIC & Abel Salas at Tonalli Studio
Join us at Tonalli Studio for First Thursdays Open Mic in East L.A., featuring Abel Salas, journalist and poet, and editor and publisher of Brooklyn & Boyle, a community arts and cultural monthly. His writings and poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, and he is a community activist and educator.
This event is hosted by poet Jessica Wilson Cardenas and the L.A. Poet Society.
Where: Tonalli Studio
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 4543-A E. Cesar Chavez Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90022
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/938829956452519
Fatima Bhutto & New Kings of the World at Vroman’s Bookstore
Author Fatima Bhutto presents her book, New Kings of the World: Dispatches from Bollywood, Dizi, and K-Pop.
A vast cultural movement is emerging from outside the Western world, the biggest challenge yet to Hollywood. In urbanized settings, a new culture has been created that strikes a deeper chord with millions who are only just arriving in the modern world and still negotiating its overwhelming changes. The author is a great reporter and vivid writer who offers an important dispatch from a new multipolar order taking form before our eyes.
Where: Vroman’s Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 7 pm
Address: 695 E, Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Eve Rodsky & Fair Play at All Saints Church (Vroman’s Bookstore/Off-site)
Author Eve Rodsky presents her book, Fair Play.
This book is a revolutionary real world solution to the problem of unpaid, invisible work that women have shouldered for too long. This time- and anxiety-saving system offers couples a new way to divvy up domestic responsibilities. With four easy-to-follow rules, 100 household tasks, and a figurative card game you play with yoru partner, Fair Play helps you prioritize what’s important and who should take the lead on every chore.
NOTE: Check website for details on this ticketed event.
Where: All Saints Church
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 7 pm
Address: 132 N. Euclid Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/482038185683805
Poets Jazz House Open Mic at Irie Vibes Art Space
About: A Spoken Word and Music Lounge where spilling your heart is art and searching your soul is mandatory to get in the door. They are a beatnik Tea House where there’s snapping instead of clapping. The atmosphere is lax but it Sssizzles. They invite you to come touch, be touched, hear the answer and heed the call. They’re just a cozy little house where everyone feels at home.
Where: Irie Vibes Art Space
When: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 7pm – 10pm
Address: 6563 Normandie Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90044
Website: Poets Jazz House
Saborcito de Cultura Open Mic at Ground Zero Performance Café
Saborcito Open Mic Night is an Hispanic Heritage Open Mic hosted by USC Latinx Student Assembly to celebrate Latinx culture and identity with friends both old and new. All talent is welcome including mediums such as spoken word, music performance, and stand-up comedy.
NOTE: See website for details and guidelines.
Where: Ground Zero Performance Café
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 615 Childs Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Website: https://facebook.com/events/481174342612844
Made in L.A. Book Party at Book Show LA
There is no end to the inspiration gleaned from Los Angeles. Join the Made in LA. writers to talk about stories of ambition, obsession. addiction, and redemption, and how fiction set in Los Angeles is the perfect combo.
Event hosted by: Cody Sisco.
NOTE: See website link for ticket info for this free event.
Where: Book Show LA
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 7:30 pm – 9 pm
Address: 5530 N. Figueroa Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://facebook.com/events/478594299404054
Freeman’s: California with 4 Authors at The Last Bookstore
Join us for the 6th volume of Freeman’s California. This event features John Freeman in conversation with stellar contributors: Geoff Dyer, Robin Coste Lewis, Hector Tobar, and Matt Sumell.
NOTE: All bookstore events are ticketed so check website for details.
Where: The Last Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 453 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90023
Website: https://thelastbookstore/events
Jen Wang & Stargazing at Skylight Bookstore – YA Event
Join author Jen Wang when she presents and signs her new middle grade novel, Stargazing.
This is a heart-warming new middle grade graphic novel from bestselling author-illustrator Jen Wang in which Moon is everything Christine isn’t. She’s confident, impulsive, artistic,…and though they both share the same Chinese American suburb, Moon is somehow unlike anyone Christine has ever known. After Moon moves in next door these unlikely friends are soon best friends, and they learn Moon’s visions have an earthly root, and soon she is in the hospital fighting for her life. The author draws on her childhood for this personal, yet relatable, story, that’s at turns joyful, heart-wrenching, and full of hope.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/jen-wang-reads-her-new-middle-grade-graphic-novel-stargazing
Hiram Larew & Rick Lupert Poetry Reading at Beyond Baroque
Acclaimed poets Hiram Larew & Rick Lupert join forces for a dynamite reading and discussion of their new work.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Thursday the 3rd
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: http://www.beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html
Rakim & Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity at Book Soup
Musician and hip hop legend Rakim presents his new book, Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius.
This book offers insights into how the author thinks about words, music, writing, and rhyming as it teaches writers of all levels how to hone their craft. He shares his private life, the influences that shaped his development, and anecdotes featuring other personalities.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Friday the 4th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Don Bogen & Immediate Song: Poems at Vroman’s Bookstore
Author and poet Don Bogen will present and sign his collection, Immediate Song: Poems, about time—about memory, remembrance, and how te past makes itself manifest in the world, Called “the poet of things” by Richard Howard, Bogen understands the way objects hold history, even if they’ve grown obsolescent, even when they’ve been forgotten, So objects, rendered in cinematic detail, fill these poems. This is a paean to what’s both universal and fleeting.
Where: Vroman’s Bookstore
Date: Friday the 4th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/don-bogen-discusses-and-signs-immediate-song-poems
CSULA MFA Creative Writing Reading Series at Gatsby’s Bookstore
Join us when CSU Long Beach brings its MFA Creative Writing students to read their fresh poetry and prose, from writers to watch!
Where: Gatsby’s Bookstore
Date: Friday the 4th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 5535 E, Spring St., Long Beach, CA 90808
Website: http://gatsbybooks.com/event#/csulb-mfa-creative-writing-reading-series-fri-oct-4th-7pm
Poesia y Pan Open Mic at Café con Libros Press
Join host Irene Sanchez for the Poetry y Pan Open Mic at Café con Libros Press!
Where: Café con Libros
Date: Friday the 4th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 280 2nd St., Pomona, CA 91766
Website: http://www.facebook.com/event/463916837726484
First Friday Art Walk & Natalie Cantor at Half Off Books
Join local poet Natalie Cantor for the celebration of her debut poetry collection, Hands Like Oceans. There will be snacks, a book signing and a reading of various selections from the book.
Where: Half Off Books
Date: Friday the 4th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 141 W. Wilshire Ave., Ste. A, Fullerton, CA 92832
Website: http://www.facebook.com/event/416060109030443
Apple Tree: Writers on Their Parents Event at The Last Bookstore
Join writers Lolis Eric Elie, Shukree Hassan Tilghman, and Lise Funderberg, and hear them discuss that moment we’ve all experienced—the moment we realize we are so much like our parents. The collection is titled Apple Tree: Writers on Their Parents.
In this masterful collection of new essays, the apple looks at the tree. Twenty-five writers deftly explore a trait they’ve inherited form a parent, reflecting on how it affects the lives they lead today—how it shifts their relationship to that parent and to their sense of self.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details and guidelines.
Where: The Last Bookstore
Date: Friday the 4th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 453 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013
Website: http://thelastbookstore.com/events
Fariha Roisin & How to Cure a Ghost at Skylight Bookstore
Writer and author Fariha Roisin, in conversation with Fatima Asghar, will present and sign her new book of poetry, How to Cure a Ghost.
In this book of poetry a woman recount’s her journey from self-loathing to self-acceptance, confusion to clarity, and bitterness to forgiveness. Simultaneously it unpacks the contentious relationship between the author and her mother, her platonic heartbreaks, and her cognitive dissonance in being so divided among her broad spectrum of identities.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details and guidelines.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Friday the 4th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
House Open Mic at Book Show LA
House Open Mic is a safe space for people who need a safe space. It is dedicated to amplifying marginalized voices. Sign-ups start at 8 pm, the show starts at 8:30 pm, and it ends when we feel like it!
Where: Book Show LA
Date: Friday the 4th
Time: 8 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: 5503 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: http://www.facebook.com/event/2485067001572896?acontext/
First Fridays Poetry Reading Series & Open Mic at Rapp Saloon
Join us for First Fridays Poetry Reading Series & Open Mic at Rapp Saloon, hosted by Cynthia Alessandra Briano.
This event features 3-4 readings by poets and writers, plus one musical guest, and includes a poetry Open Mic, with sign-ups starting at 8 pm.
Featured guests TBA.
Where: Rapp Saloon
Date: Friday the 4th
Time: 8:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Address: 1436 2nd St., Santa Monica, CA 90401
Website: http://facebook.com/rappsaloon
Lea LA Spanish Language Book Fair at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes
Lea LA, the Los Angeles Spanish-Language Book Fair, is a unique cultural festival providing a space for connecting the Latino heritage and the most significant traditions of the language. Sponsored by the University of Guadalajara Foundation, it is free and open to all ages.
NOTE: This is a free but ticketed event, so check website for details.
Where: La Plaza de Cultura y Artes
Date: Saturday the 5th
Time: 12 pm – 6 pm
Address: 501 N. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: http://dola.com/events/2019/10/4/leala-los-angeles-spanish-languagebook-fair-ticket
Saturday Afternoon Poetry & Open Mic at Santa Catalina Library, Pasadena
Please join us at Saturday Afternoon Poetry, curated by Don Kingfisher Campbell.
Where: Santa Catalina Library, Pasadena
Date: Saturday the 5th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 999 W. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104
Website: http://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/
Josh Kum & John Szabo & The Autograph Book of L.A. at Vroman’s Bookstore
Authors Josh Kun & John Szabo will present and sign The Autograph Book of L.A.: Improvements on the Page of the City.
This is the third in Josh Kun’s trilogy of books sponsored by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, and based on the Special Collections of the Los Angeles Public Library. The author takes the concepts of “autographs” beyond the mere signing of names in books. He looks at his home town, Los Angeles, and sees the stamp of other people who also call it home. He takes it far beyond the original LAPL collection of soliciting a cache of signatures on the library’s own embossed stationary.
Where: Vroman’s Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 5th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Maxim Osipov & Rock, Paper, Scissors at Book Soup
Come to hear the first English-language collection of a contemporary Russian master of the short story, recently profiled in The New Yorker. Author Maxim Osipov, in conversation with Boris Dralyuk, will discuss the book and his life. He lives and practices medicine in a town 90 miles outside Moscow, and is one of Russia’s best contemporary writers. His book Rock, Paper, Scissors: And Other Stories consists of twelve stories written with great subtlety and striking insight. He writes of people whose paths intersect in unpredictable yet entirely natural ways, whose encounters lead to disasters, major and minor epiphanies, and –on occasion—the promise of redemption.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Saturday the 5th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
John James & The Milk Hours at Skylight Bookstore
Poet and writer John James will read from his new book of poetry, The Milk Hours: Poems, with Jos Charles and Jordan Nakamura.
Winner of the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize, this is and elegant debut that searches widely to ask what it means to exist in a state of loss. These are poems of frequent swerves and transformations, which never stray form and engagement with science, geography, art and aesthetics. To live in a time of political and environmental upheaval, and to suffer both personal and public loss, how to we make meaning, and to whom do we turn, when such boundaries so radically collapse?
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 5th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Beyond Hispanic Heritage Month: Librarians with Spines Reading at LibroMobile
Join us to celebrate Beyond Hispanic Heritage Month: Librarians with Spines, and hear writer and librarian Yago Cura present and discuss his work at this book release.
Yago S. Cura is a Bilingual Outreach Librarian with LAPL and President of the LA chapter of REFORMA. He runs Hinches de Poesia Press which publishes the Librarians with Spines series—with Max Macias and Autumn Anguin, and the online literary journal Hinches de Poesia—with Jim Heavily and Jennifer Therieu. He is one of the subjects interviewed by Stacy Russo for A Better World Starts here: Activists and Their Work (2019).
Where: LibroMobile, Santa Ana
Date: Saturday the 5th (during Art Walk)
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 220 E. Fourth St., Ste. 107, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/718435311961633
Punky Book Party: Chris L. Terry & James Spooner at Book Show LA
Join author Chris L. Terry at this LA Release Party of his novel Black Card. There will be a reading and signing, and a conversation with AfroPunk filmmaker James Spooner, presented by Razorcake Magazine. This isa a satirical novel about a mixed-race punk bassist with a black imaginary friend. NPR calls Black Card “hilariously searing.”
Where: Book Show LA
Date: Saturday the 5th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 5503 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: http://www.facebook.com/event/415192549183698
Johanna Drucker& Anna Wolfe-Pauly at Poetic Research Bureau
Join Poetic Research Bureau for an evening of poetry with readings by:
Johanna Drucker is an author, book artist, visual theorist, and cultural critic. She is a Professor in the Department of Informational Studies at the Graduate School of Education at UCLA.
Anna Wolfe-Pauly focuses on the dynamics of water, feeling, and attention. Her works culminate in sensations felt and shared. She recently finished an instructive book about an observational legend named Frank.
Where: Poetic Research Bureau
Date: Saturday the 5th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 951 Chung King Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: http://www.poeticresearchbureau.com/
6th Annual Lit Crawl Partners with CicLAVia
The 6th Annual Lit Crawl returns as a partner of CicLAvia of LA, celebrating UCLA100. Come bike and crawl along the heart of LA route and celebrate the Los Angeles literary community. It is a concept of widely diverse participants and a variety of venues transforming an ordinary day in the neighborhood into a carnival of sorts.
Where: CicLAvia route (see website)
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 11 am – 4:30pm
Address: various: 5th Street to The Last Bookstore
Website: http://litcrawlla.org
826LA & Writing Workshop on I’m Feelin’ It: Pouring Your Emotions into a Song at Hammer Museum – Kids Event
826LA offers a writing workshop for kids ages 8-14, I’m Feelin’ It: Pouring Your Emotions into a Song, with musician Laura “Laura Bird” Burhenn, who has released four records as the Mynabirds and toured internationally.
Where: Hammer Museum
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 11 am – 1 pm
Address: 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Literary Death Match with Four Authors at Hammer Museum – Kids Event
Literary Death Match: Kids Edition presents four children’s book authors who will read and be judged by kids pulled from the audience. The event features authors: Jon Klassen, Isabel Quintero, Matthew A. Cherry, Kelli McNeil, and Zach Anner. Recommended for kids ages 6+.
Where: Hammer Museum
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 2 pm
Address: 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Website: https://hammer.ucal.edu/programs-events/2019/10/literary-death-match-kids-edition
What Luck Poetry Readings at Beyond Baroque
Beyond Baroque presents poetry readings from artists: Jack Grapes, Bill Harding, Rick Lupert, Suzanne O’Connell, Penny Perry, Wendy Rainey.
NOTE: See website for information on advance tickets for this event.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 2 pm
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: http://beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html
Womxn’s Write Inn: Empoered Vioces at Lit Crawl L.A., Chinatown Metro Station
Three members of Womxn’s Write Inn will perform tests that challenge misperceptions of WOC and celebrate the power of sisterhood. Our voices are ever more urgent given the rise of racism and borders closures across the globe.
liz gonzalez is the author of Dancing in the Santa Ana Winds: Poem y Cuentos New and Selected. Her work has been widely published. She is director of Uptown Word & Arts.
Lucy Rodriguez-Hanley is a creative non-fiction writer, filmmaker, and mother of two. Her film, The Big Deal, won the Imagen Award for Best Theatrical Short. She is currently writing a memoir.
Sehba Sarwar’s essays, short stories, and poems have been widely published. A second edition of her novel, Black Wings, was released in 2019. She tackles border/immigration issues through long-term writing and art projects.
NOTE: See website for futher information on this event.
Where: Chinatown Metro Station, Poetry Point at Chinatown Hub
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 2 pm – 2:45 pm
Address: Chinatown Metro Station, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: http:www.facebook.com/event/532317987572081
On the Job in Hollywood Reading: The Way We Work at Central Library, LAPL
As part of the 6th Annual Lit Crawl, in partnership with CicLAvia and UCLA Centennial, guest readers of compelling and often hilarious stories from those who make a living in Tinseltown include: Bruce Ferber, John McNaughton, David Kukoff, Nancy Nigrosh, and Rocky Lang.
Where: Central Library, LAPL, Meeting Room B
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 2: 30 pm – 3:15 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: http://www.facebook.com/event/437115243844712
An Afternoon with Pico Iyer & A Beginner’s Guide to Japan at MOCA
LiveTalks presents acclaimed author Pico Iyer, who will present and discuss his new book, A Beginner’s Guide to Japan: Observations and Provocations.
Pico Iyer is the author of eight works of non-fiction and two novels. He is a frequent contributor to magazines and newspapers worldwide, and splits his time between Nara, Japan and the united States.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event and museum admission is included in the cost. See website for details.
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 250 S. Grand Ave.., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-afternoon-with-pico-iyer-tickets-71817964465
Jeffrey Simon & The Alphabet Bomber at Book Soup
Join us when author Jeffrey Simon presents and signs The Alphabet Bomber: A Lone Wolf Terrorist Ahead of His Time.
On August 6, 1974, a bomb exploded at L.A, International Airport, killing three people and injuring 35 others. This is the gripping tale of Muahrem Kurbegovic, a bright but emotionally disturbed immigrant who brought L.A. to a standstill and acted alone in a one-man war against government and society. This event foreshadowed much of the ominous threats we face today form these lone wolf terrorists.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Seane Corn & Revolution of the Soul at Diesel Bookstore
Join us when celebrated yoga teacher and activist Seane Corn presents and signs Revolution of the Soul: Awaken to Love Through Raw Truth, Radical Healing, and Conscious Action.
The author shares pivotal accounts of her life with raw honesty—enriched with in-depth spiritual teachings—to help us heal, evolve, and change the world. this reads like a riveting memoir, but is much more than that.
Where: Diesel Bookstore, lower outdoor courtyard
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 225 26th St., Santa Monica, CA 90402
Drag Queen Story Hour at Vtoman’s Bookstore
Join us when Valora Von Tease presents the Drag Queen Story Hour, a storytime event for children of all ages.
One of LA’s most glittering, magical drag queens reads quirky and progressive children’s books that teach others about kindness and inclusivity.
Where: Vroman’s Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: http://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/drag-queen-story-hour-7
Duende Nights Open Mic at Beyond Baroque
This is a multimedia poetry performance experience, with no intros, no explanations before the poem for the multicultural underground world, organized by poet Antonieta Villamil.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: http://beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html
First Sunday Open Reading at Beyond Baroque
This is a popular monthly open mic hosted by Steve Goldman, and featuring Robert Carroll. Sign-ups begin at 4:45 pm, and there is a five-minute limit per person.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: http://beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html
Nefertiti Austin & Motherhood So White at Skylight Bookstore
Writer Nefertiti Austin will read from her new memoir, Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender and Parenting in America.
When the author, a single African American woman, decided to adopt a Black baby boy out of the foster care system, she was unprepared for the challenges she faced. This is the story of her fight to create family, the way she always hoped to have, and the history of adoption in the African American community.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: http://www.skylightbooks.com/event/nefertiti-austin-discusses-her-debut-memoir-motherhood-so-white
Ironbark Ciderworks Open Mic at Ironbark Ciderworks, Claremont
Come to the Ironbark Ciderworks Open Mic, held monthly, and enjoy some cider too!
Where: Ironbark Ciderworks
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 5 pm – 7 pm
Address: 1420 N. Claremont Blvd., Ste. 107B., Claremont, CA 91711
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/32020450535454
Write con Nosotros at Café con Libros Press, Pomona
Start writing that book you’ve been putting off… Come write in community! La Luchas con Letras begins!
Where: Café con Libros Press
Date: Sunday the 6th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 280 2nd St., Pomona, CA 91766
Los Angeles Literature 