The 43rd Annual Writers Week Conference at UC Riverside (Day 1 of 5)
Join us for Day 1 of the 43rd Annual Writers Week at UCR, the longest-running, free literary event in California, featuring renowned authors of the day alongside those at the start of promising careers. Tom Lutz is Writers Week director.
All events are free and open to the public, and parking is free (permits available at the Kiosk).
12:30 pm: Tom Lutz is the author, most recently, of Born Slippy: A Novel. He is founding editor of Los Angeles Review of Books and a Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at UCR. His other work includes two books of travel essays, plus the cultural histories Crying and Doing Nothing, and the literary histories Cosmopolitan Vistas and American Nervousness, 1903.
1:30 pm: Norma Cantu (Steven Minot Lecture) is the author, most recently, of Cabanuelas: A Love Story and Meditacion Fronteriza: Poems of Life. She has published articles on a number of academic subjects as well as poetry and fiction. Her publications on border literature and other subjects have earned her an international reputation as a scholar and folklorist. Her award-winning Canicula: Snapshots of a Girlhood en la Frontera chronicles her childhood experiences on the border. She edits the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo Cuture and Traditions book series at Texas A&M University Press.
3:00 pm: Jerry Stahl is a writer of memoir (Permanent Midnight, OG Dad), novels (Perv, I Fatty, Pain Killers, Happy Mutant Baby Pills, Bad Sex on Speed), television (Twin Peaks, Hemingway and Gellhorn, CSI, Maron, Escape at Dannemora), and film (Permanent Midnight, Bad Boys II, Urge, Chuck), and other works.
4:30 pm: Lisa Teasley (Steven Minot Lecturer) is the author of the acclaimed novels Heat Signature and Dive, and the award-winning story collection, Glow in the Dark. Her frequently anthologized essays, stories and poems have appeared widely and in mumerous journals. She is writer and presenter of the BBC TV documentary “High School Prom” and Senior Fiction Editor at LARB. She is also a painter, represented by Marie Baldwin Gallery.
7:00 pm: Walter Mosley – (LARB/ UCR Lifetime Achievement Award) is one of the most versatile and admires writers in America. He is the author of more than fifty books, including the recently released Elements of Fiction, a non-fiction book about the art of writing fiction, and the best-selling mystery series featuring “Easy Rawlins.” His work has been translated into 25 languages, and he is also writer and executive producer on the John Singleton FX show, Snowfall. He is a winner of numerous awards, and lives in New York City and Los Angeles.
Where: UC Riverside, CHASS Interdisciplinary Building, South-
Screening Room, INTS 1128
Date: Monday the 10th
Time: 12:30 pm – 5 pm & 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521
Website: https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule/
Caroline Kepnes & You and Hidden Bodies at Book Soup
Author Caroline Kepnes will discuss and sign, You and Hidden Bodies, the books which the popular Netflix show YOU is based on.
When Jackson’s 15-year-old son born through surrogacy came out to him, the successful producer reflected on his experiences and shared his wisdom on life for LGNTQ Americans over the past half century. This book is a celebration of gay identity and parenting, and a powerful warning for his son, other gay men, and the world.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Monday the 10th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Sarah Ban Breathnach & Simple Abundance at Vroman’s Bookstore
Author Sarah Ban Breathnach will present and sign her book, Simple Abundance: 365 Days to a Balanced and Joyful Life.
First published in 1995, Simple Abundance introduced two highly popular concepts: the “Gratitude Journal” and the term “authentic self.” Its powerful messages are needed now more than ever, as we navigate discord and stress instigated by constant news cycles and 24/7 social media culture. The author has refreshed her bestselling phenomenon to address the needs of a new generation. Her work celebrates quiet joys, simple pleasures, and well-spent moments and reminds us how to find the beauty in the everyday.
Where: Vroman’s Bookstore
Date: Monday the 10th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Poetry Night at The Library: A Coffee House, Long Beach
Join us every month for Poetry Night at The Library. Check website to confirm date/time.
Sign-ups start at 6:45 pm.
Poetry readings start at 7 pm.
Poets are limited to 3-5 poems per performer.
Where:
Date: Monday the 10th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 3418 East Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90803
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/2508637929375004/
Monday Night Fiction Workshop at Beyond Baroque
Join us for the Monday Night Fiction Workshop led by Jessica Dolby. This seminar will focus on generating creativity and on exploring various topics related tow writing fiction, including narrative technique, language, and plot.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Monday the 10th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: https://beyondbaroque.com/calendar
Seven Love Stories: YA Authors at Matrix Theatre
The Seven Love Stories Reading event is an evening of readings and stories benefiting youth at My Friend’s Place. This is a unique chance to see YA authors share untold or rarely heard love stories in a warm and intimate environment. Featured authors include:
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone Trilogy)
Marie Lu (The Legend Trilogy)
Taherah Mafi (Shatter Me series)
Morgan Matson (Since You’ve Been Gone)
Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series)
David Yoon (Frankly in Love)
Nicola Yoon (Everything, Everything)
Anna Carey (The Eve Tirlogy)
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: Matrix Theatre
Date: Monday the 10th
Time: 7 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: 7657 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, CA 90046
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/203776814041932
Ficcion en Espanol Book Club & Las aventuras de la China Iron at The Last Bookstore
Please join host Dan Lopez to read and discuss Las aventuras de la China Iron, by Gabriella Cabezon Camara. This book is a revisit to Martin Fierro, a utopian, queer, ebullient western adventure.
NOTE: All bookstore events are ticketed so check website for details.
Where: The Last Bookstore
Date: Monday the 10th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 453 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013
Website: https://lastbookstore/#events
An Evening with Jessica Simpson at the Aratani Theatre at JACCC
Join LiveTalks Los Angeles to hear media star Jessica Simpson discuss her memoir Open Book.
This book was inspired by an earlier offer to write a motivational guide/book about how to live one’s best life, and she later refocused the book and supplemented her research and memories with the guidance of the journals she has kept since age fifteen.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: The Aratani Theatre at JACCC
Date: Monday the 10th
Time: 8 pm – 9:15 pm
Address: 244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/1326323430873696/
Green Poets Workshop with Greg Bell at Beyond Baroque
Bring a poem and 12 (+) copies and come, strike a spark. While we like to ‘learn the rules,’ we also like to break them. Workshop led by Greg Bell.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 10:30 am
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, Ca 90291
Website: https://beyondbaroque.org/workshops.html
The 43rd Annual Writers Week Conference at UC Riverside – (Day 2 of 5)
Join us for Day 2 of the 43rd Annual Writers Week at UCR, the longest-running, free literary event in California, featuring renowned authors of the day alongside those at the start of promising careers. Tom Lutz is Writers Week director.
All events are free and open to the public, and parking is free (permits available at the Kiosk).
12:00 pm: Marilyn Chin is an award-winning poet and the author of Hard Love Province, Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen, Rhapsody in Plain Yellow, The Phoenix Gone, The Terrace Empty, and Dwarf Bamboo. She has won numerous awards, including the National Prize for Literature that confronts racism and examines diversity, in Poetry category, which recognized Hard Love Province (2014). She is currently a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, and was among the creative writing faculty at San Diego State University from 1987-2013.
1:30 pm: Angela Morales is the author of The Girls in my Town, a collection of personal essays. Her work has appeared in numerous journals, and she is the winner of the River Teeth Book Prize (2014). Her book is the “winner’ of the PEN Diamonstein Spielvogel Award for the art of the Essay. She currently teaches composition and creative writing at Glendale Community College and is working on her second collection of essays.
3:00 pm: Karla Cordero is a descendant of the Chichimeca people from Northern Mexico, a Chicana poet, educator, and ARTivist, raised along the borderlands of Calexico, CA. A three-time Pushcart nominee with fellowships from VONA, Macondo, CantoMundo, and elsewhere, she also is editor of Spit Journal, founder of Voice 4 Change, and CFO for the nonprofit Glassless Minds. She is the author of a chapbook, Grasshoppers Before Gods (2016) and her first full-length collection, How to Pull Apart the Earth (2018). She is Professor of Creative Writing and English at Mira Costa and San Diego City College.
4:30 pm: Victoria Patterson’s latest story collection, The Secret Habit of Sorrow, was published in 2018. Her novel, The Little Brother, an examination of American male privilege and rape culture, was published in 2015. She is also the author of the novels, The Peerless Four and This Vacant Paradise, a 2011 New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice. Her story collection, Drift, was a finalist for the California Book Award and the Story Prize, and was selected as one of the best books of 2009 by the San Francisco Chronicle.
6:30 pm: Laila Lalami was born in Rabat and educated in Morocco, Great Britain and the United States. She is the author of four novels, including The Moor’s Account, which won the American Book Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and The Other Americans, which was a best of the 2019 selection from a dozen outlets and a finalist for the National Book Award. Her essays and criticism have appeared widely, and she is currently a tenured Professor of Creative Writing at UCR. Her new book is a work of non-fiction titled Conditional Citizens, and it is forthcoming from Pantheon in Spring 2020.
Where: UC Riverside, CHASS Interdisciplinary Building, South-
Screening Room, INTS 1128
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 12 pm – 5:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521
Website: https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule/
Literary Uprising Reading & Lilliam Rivera at Antioch University
The quarterly Literary Uprising Reading at Antioch University is featuring: MFA Faculty Reader Lilliam Rivera (Dealing in Dreams and The Education of Margot Sanchez) and MFA Alum Reader Mireya S. Vela (Vestiges of Courage). They will be joined by poet Dare Williams, from PEN America’s Emerging Voices Program, Geri Ulrey, a writer form Jim Krusoe’s SMC Advanced Fiction Class, and BA student reader Rosie Williams.
There will be wine, soft drinks, appetizers, words, conversation, community, and books for sale. FREE parking passes available.
Where: Antioch University, Room A1000
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 400 Corporate Pointe, Culver City, CA 90320
Website: https://www.google.com/amp/s/allevents.in/mobile/amp-event-php%3fevent_id=200018638509334
NBF Presents: Family Matters: Sarah M. Broom & Natasha Tretheway at Scripps College
The National Book Foundation and Scripps Presents and LAFL celebrate 2019 NBF winner Sarah M. Broom (The Yellow House) and former U.S. Poet Laureate and NBF longlister Natacha Tretheway (Monument) on their documentation of the stories, pain, and resilience of families in the American South. This event is moderated by Lisa Lucas, NBF director.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: Scripps College
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 1030 Columbia Ave., Claremont, CA 91711
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/219030642446810
Poetry Open Mic at the Westwood Branch Library, LAPL
The monthly Poetry Open Mic at the Westwood Branch Library, LAPL is hosted by Wyatt Underwood.
Come share your masterpiece! Or, come and listen and enjoy.
Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 1246 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-n/events/poetry-open-mic-2
Gigi Lavangie & Been There, Married That at Diesel Bookstore
Author Gigi Lavengie will present and sign her book, Been There, Married That, at her release party and all are welcome to attend.
Agnes Murphy Nash is the perfect Hollywood wife—she has the right friends, clothes, and even a side career of her own as a writer. But the job description doesn’t cover divorce, which is where her life is headed. She may be losing her husband, but could that mean getting her own life back?
Where: Diesel Bookstore, lower outdoor courtyard
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 225 26th St., Santa Monica, CA 90402
Ageless Authors Writing Contest & DANG at Book Soup
The book DANG, I Wish I Hadn’t Done That: and other senior moments from the Ageless Authors Writing Contest is a powerful collection of 34 stories and poems by senior writers age 65 and older from the 2018 competition.
Kirkus Reviews has called the book “a vibrant collection…” and event participants include: Brenda Mutchnick, Candice Kelsey, Geoffrey K. Graves, Terri Elders, and editor and emcee Larry Upshaw.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Becky Albertalli and Alisha Saeed & Yes, No, Maybe So at Ripped Bodice: A Romance Bookstore – YA Event
Authors Becky Albertalli and Alisha Saeed will present, discuss, and sign their new book, Yes, No, Maybe So.
Both authors have written YA fiction. Albetalli is best known for Simon vs, The Homo Sapiens Agenda, which was adapted into the 2018 film Love, Simon. Saeed wrote Written in the Stars, which was listed as a Best Book of 2015 by Bank Street Books and a 2016 YALSA Quick Pick For Reluctant Readers. She is also author of Amal Unbound (2018).
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: Ripped Bodice
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 3806 Main St., Culver City, CA 90230
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
Three Authors & Heading for Extinction at Vroman’s Bookstore
Authors Carmiel Banasky, Ellie Robins, and Charles Day will present an overview of the latest science on Heading for Extinction: And What to Do About It
In this talk, climate speakers from Extinction Rebellion will share an overview of the latest science on where our planet is heading—and crucially—offer solutions.
Where: Vroman’s Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/heading-extinction—and-what-do-about-it
Tuesday Writers Group at Gatsby’s Bookstore, Long Beach
Gatsby’s Writers Group meets every Tuesday evening at 7pm, and is facilitated by writer and author Francisco Uribe. Everyone is welcome: novelists, short story writers, poets, essayists, screenwriters, and playwrights. Share your work in progress in an encouraging environment.
NOTE: This event requires a $5 Donation or Book Purchase to support this workshop.
Where: Gatsby’s Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 5535 E. Spring St., Long Beach, CA 90808
Website: https://www.gatsbysbooks.com/events/writers-group
Crissy Van Meter & Creatures at Skylight Bookstore
Join author Crissy Van Meter, in conversation with author Edan Lepucki (California and Woman No. 17), as they discuss and sign her book Creatures.
This book takes readers on a mesmerizing journey as Evie is forced to reckon with her complicated upbringing in this lavish, feral land off the coast of Southern California. On the eve of her wedding, a dead whale is trapped in the harbor of Winter Island and the groom might be lost at sea. The author based this book on her own coming-of-age in Newport Beach, and asking what it means to grieve, to love, to love someone who isn’t always good, and to forgive.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/crissy-van-meter-reads-her-debut-novel-creatures-edan-lepucki
A Night of Love: Poetry Open Mic at Gravlax Bar
Please join Philosopher’s Stone and Gravlax for a Night of Love: Poetry Open Mic for poets and musicians. Sign-ups begin at 8pm, and the show starts at 9pm. Please show up early to reserve your spot!
Where: Gravlax Bar
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 8 pm – 11 pm
Address: 12400 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/46703106397917
Erin Eileen Almond & Liska Jacobs at Stories LA Books & Café
Please join us to welcome authors Erin Eileen Almond (Witches’ Dance) and Liska Jacobs (The Worst Kind of Want, Catalina) present their new novels.
These novels are not for the faint of heart. Expect to hear about female desire, fraught family bonds, mad geniuses, and inappropriate love.
Where: Stories LA Books & Café
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 8 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/174436463806700
Second Draft Writing Workshop at Art Share LA
Join us for the Second Draft Writing Workshop, which is FREE. Bring your writing, your acting, and your pacing to this new cold reading series every Tuesday at Art Share LA.
Mingle is at 7:30 pm
Casting is at 8 pm
Readings are at 8:30 pm
Where: Art Share LA
Date: Tuesday the 11th
Time: 8:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: 801 E. 4th Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90013
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/533276634157246
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 11th
Time: 9 pm – 12 pm
Address: 544 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036
Website: http://dapoetrylounge.com/visiting-dpl/slam/
Viva Poets! Workshop with Estella Ramirez at Beyond Baroque
This is a supportive poetry critique circle. We favor meaningful discussion over directives. Bring 10 copies of you prom to workshop. This event is led by rotating facilitators.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Wednesday the 12th
Time: 11 am
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, Ca 90291
Website: https://beyondbaroque.org/workshops.html
The 43rd Annual Writers Week Conference at UC Riverside – (Day 3 of 5)
Join us for Day 3 of the 43rd Annual Writers Week at UCR, the longest-running, free literary event in California, featuring renowned authors of the day alongside those at the start of promising careers. Tom Lutz is Writers Week director.
All events are free and open to the public, and parking is free (permits available at the Kiosk).
11:00 am: Jake Skeets is Black Streak Wood, born for Water’s Edge. He is Dine from Vanderwagen, New Mexico. He is the author of Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers, a National Poetry Series winning collection of poems. He holds an MFA in poetry from the Institute of American Indian Arts, and edits an online publication, Cloudthroat, and organizes a poetry salon and reading series called Pollentongue. He currently teaches at Dine College in Tsaile, Arizona.
12:00 pm: Cati Porter is a poet, editor, essayist, arts administrator, and the author of eight books and chapbooks, including The Body at a Loss (2019). Her poems have won numerous prizes and appeared in half a dozen anthologies. She is executive director of the Inlandia Institute, and founder of Poemeleon: A Journal of Poetry.
Elizabeth Cantwell is a poet and teacher living in Claremont California with her family, and teaches humanities at the Webb Schools. Her poetry has appeared in a variety of journals. She is the author of a chapbook, Permonitions, and two full-lengths books of poetry: Nights I Let the Tiger Get You, a finalist for the 2012 Hudson Prize, and All the Emergency-Type Structures, a finalist for the National Poetry Series and regional winner of the 2018 Hillary Gravendyk Prize.
1:30 pm: Susan Straight was born in Riverside and still lives there with her family. She has published ten books and numerous articles and stories. Highwire Moon was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2001. A Million Nightingales was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in 2006. Her short stories have been widely published, and have won several awards, including the O. Henry Award and Edgar Award. Her essays have appeared in numerous periodicals and magazines, and she has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Lannan Prize. Her latest book is a memoir, In the Country of Women.
3:00 pm: Ricco Villanueava Siasoco is a writer, educator, and activist. He has taught at Boston College, Columbia University, and the Massachusetts College of Arr. He is a board member of Kundiman, a national literary organization dedicated to Asian American literature, and received fellowships from the Center for Fiction, Lambda Literary, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He lives in Los Angeles, and The Foley Artist is his first book.
4:30 pm: Brian Hudson is a citizen of Cherokee Nation form Bushyhead, Oklahoma. He has published in the genre of Indigenous science fiction, including the novelette Digital Medicine, and in mitewacimowina: Indigenous Science Fiction and Speculative Storytelling. He has published critical work on animals in Native literature, and currently teaches Native studies, writing, and digital storytelling in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
6:30 pm: Ishmael Beah (D. Charles Whitney Reader) was born in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and is the New York Times and international bestselling author of A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier and Radiance for Tomorrow: A Novel. His memoir has been published in over 40 languages and was nominated for a Quill award in the Best Debut Author category for 2007. His novel, written with the gentle lyricism of a dream and the moral clarity of a fable, is about preserving what means most to us, even in uncertain times. His upcoming novel, Little Family, will be released in April, 2020. He lives in Los Angeles with his family.
Where: UC Riverside, CHASS Interdisciplinary Building, South-
Screening Room, INTS 1128
Date: Wednesday the 12th
Time: 11 am – 7:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521
Website: https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule/
- Van Jordan & The Cineaste at Pomona College
- Van Jordan is the acclaimed author of four volumes of poetry, including his most recent, The Cineaste, which he will read from, discuss, and sign following the event. He is the winner of a Whiting Writers Award, a Pushcart Prize, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
This event is free and open to the public.
Where: Pomona College, Crookshank Hall, Ena Thompson Reading Room
Date: Wednesday the 12th
Time: 4:15 pm – 6 pm
Address: 140 W. Sixth St., Claremont, Ca 91711
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/1569397053208669
LMU Speaks the Unspeakable Event at Loyola Marymount University
LMU’s Hannon Library’s fourth annual LMU Speaks program will feature true stories for four individuals representing the LMU campus community. Each person will share a true, personal story based on a central theme: The Unspeakable. Each will tell a 10 minute story that responds to the prompt: “Tell us stories of the indescribable and the inconceivable. Stories of translation and language fails. Stories we suppressed, kept in the dark…and all those times when we couldn’t find the words.”
The line-up includes: Natalie Christenson, Drew Cox, Kim Harris, and John Rou.
Where: William H. Hannon Library
Date: Wednesday the 12th
Time: 5:30 pm – 7 pm
Address: 1 LMU Drive Los Angeles, Ca 90045
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/148724319908706
Sam Wasson & The Big Goodbye at Buena Vista Library, Burbank
Join us to hear author Sam Wasson, in conversation with Chinatown’s first assistant director, Howard “Hawk” Kock, Jr., to discuss his newest book, The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood. Here is the incredible true story of the making of the film, Chinatown, and why it endures as a work of art and a state of mind.
NOTE: See website for further details.
Where: Buena Vista Library, Burbank
Date: Wednesday the 12th
Time: 7 pm– 8:30 pm
Address: 300 N. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 901506
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/222338295463226
Slouching Towards Los Angeles Anthology at Chevalier’s Bookstore
Join us to hear authors read from the anthology, Slouching Towards Los Angeles: Living and Writing by Joan Didion’s Light.
This collection of original essays covers the turf that made Joan Didion a sensation, while bringing together some of the finest voices of Los Angeles and beyond. L.A.-based writer and editor, Steffie Nelson, is joined by writers:
Joe Donnelly (“Bonus Baby,” L.A. Man: Profiles form a Big City and a Small World)
Ann Friedman (Big Friendship)
Heather John Fogerty (journalist and editor, USC professor)
Monica Corcoran Harel (author, journalist, screenwriter)
Christine Lennon (writer and editor, author of The Drifter)
Where: Chevalier’s Bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 12th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 126 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://www.chevaliersbooks.com/slouching-towards-los-angeles
NBF Presents: Untold Stories & Authors Erika L. Sanchez & Kali Fajardo-Anstine at ALOUD Event at Central Library, LAPL
Join the ALOUD reading series to welcome authors Erika L. Sanchez and Kali Fajardo-Anstine, in conversation with National Book Foundation Executive Director Lisa Lucas, as they discuss their work and why the preservation and presentation of the experience of Mexican American women in literature matters.
Erika L. Sanchez is a 2017 NBA finalist and the author of the book, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.
Kali Fajardo-Anstine is 2019 NBF finalist and the author of Sabrina & Corina: Stories.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: Mark Taper Auditorium, Central Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 12th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 630 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
https://www.lfla.org/event/nbf-presents-untold-stories/
Emma Copley Eisenberg & The Third Rainbow Girl at Skylight Bookstore
Join author Emma Copley Eisenberg in conversation with author Steph Cha, to hear her read from her debut non-fiction book, The Third Rainbow Girl.
In the early evening of June 25, 1980, two young women hitch-hikers were murdered in an isolated clearing in West Virginia, on their way to a Rainbow Gathering. The author re-investigated this case which has loomed over the area for generations, and paints a portrait of issues in America‘s divisions in gender, class and violence.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 12h
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Anansi Writers Workshop & Open Mic 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: World Stage Press
Date: Wednesday the 12th
Time: 7:30 pm– 10 pm
Address: 4321 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: http://www.theworldstage/
Jamie Collinson & The Edge at Stories Books & Café
Join us to hear and celebrate the publication of author Jamie Collinson’s book The Edge.
This event features: a reading, book signing, music from the novel, and drinks.
NOTE: See website for further details.
Where: Stories Books & Café
Date: Wednesday the 12th
Time: 8 pm– 10 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: http://www.storiesla.com/?q=h.calevents
all about love Reading Circle at Uptown Whittier
Join us for the ongoing @communitycirclela Reading Circle every 2nd Wednesday of the month as we share perspectives on LOVE centered on topics from “all about love” by bell hooks. We will cover chapters 3-4.
NOTE: See website for further details.
Where: Uptown Whittier
Date: Wednesday the 12th
Time: 8 pm– 10 pm
Address: 7029 Greenleaf, Ste. K, Whittier, CA
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/470450617192297
Valentina Thompson Poetry Reading at The Ugly Mug
Valentina Thompson will present her work at The Ugly Mug, presented by Two Idiots Peddling Poetry. She is a 25-year-old queer writer based in L.A. County with a soft spot for game nights and rainy days. Her work has been published in Cadence Collective, Rising Phoenix Press, and Pro Tem magazine.
NOTE: $3 cover charge, cash only.
Where: The Ugly Mug
Date: Wednesday the 12th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 261 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA 92866
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/774304116408343/
The 43rd Annual Writers Week Conference at UC Riverside – (Day 4 of 5)
Join us for Day 4 of the 43rd Annual Writers Week at UCR, the longest-running, free literary event in California, featuring renowned authors of the day alongside those at the start of promising careers. Tom Lutz is Writers Week director.
All events are free and open to the public, and parking is free (permits available at the Kiosk).
12:00 pm: PEN America Free Speech Forum with Jonathan Friedman, project director for campus free speech at PEN America. Prior to this position he was adjunct professor at NYU and Columbia, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in comparative and international education, higher education, and social theory.
1:30 pm: Wendy C. Oritz is the author of Excavation: A Memoir, Hollywood Notebook, and the dreamoir, Bruja. Her work has been featured in numerous journals and publications. She is a psychotherapist in private practice in Los Angeles.
3:00 pm: Rachel Howzell Hall is the author, most recently, of They All Fall Down, and is best known for her critically acclaimed Detective Elouise Norton series: Land of Shadows, Skies of Ash, City of Saviors, and Trial of Echoes. She is also author of A Quiet Storm, The View from Here, and No One Knows You’re Here. Currently she serves on the Board of Directors of the Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.
4:30 pm: Sergio Troncoso is author of A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant’s Son, a collection of linked short stories on immigration which Junot Diaz called “a masterwork.” He also wrote From This Wicked Patch of Dust (2012) which won the Southwest Book Award, and Crossing Borders: Personal Essays, winner of the Bronze Award from Forward Reviews. He is also author of The Nature of Truth, and The Last Tortilla and Other Stories. He is currently vice president of the Texas Institute of Letters, has served as a judge for PEN and the New letters Prize,
5:30 pm: MFA Reading
Where: UC Riverside, CHASS Interdisciplinary Building, South-
Screening Room, INTS 1128
Date: Thursday the 13th
Time: 12 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521
Website: https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule/
Christy Wilhelm & Gardening for Geeks at Diesel Bookstore
Join us to hear the author Christy Wilhelm discuss and sign her book, Gardening for Geeks.
Where: Diesel Bookstore, lower outdoor courtyard
Date: Thursday the 13th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 225 26th St., Santa Monica, CA 90402
Book Show Hosts Just Write for an Hour at Rock Rose Gallery
IT IS BAAAAAACK!! Just Write for an Hour is a fun way to get out of the house and woite amongst a group of fellow scribes. Everyone receives a writing prompt, writes for an hour, and then we share our experience to see what came out of it.
Light snacks and water are provided.
Where: Rock Rose Gallery
Date: Thursday the 13th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 4108 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90065
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/185044162901055/
Matt Sedillo & Open Mic at Eastside Café
Join us at Eastside Café for an Open Mic and to celebrate with a reading by poet, performance artist and activist Matt Sedillo, who will present and sign his new book, Mowing Leaves of Grass.
Where: Eastside Café
Date: Thursday the 13th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 5469 Huntington Drive N., Los Angeles, CA 90032
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/122429789086596/
Shirin Neshat Event & Shonda Buchanan at The Broad Museum
Join us at the Shirin Neshat exhibit “I Will Greet the Sun Again” to hear poets, scholars and artists reflect on Neshat’s works, and delve into universal themes. This event will feature poet and writer Shonda Buchanan.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: The Broad Museum
Date: Thursday the 13th
Time: 7 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 221 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/785501778546541
Ariela Gross & Becoming Free, Becoming Black at Chevalier’s Bookstore
Join us to hear author Ariela Gross, in conversation with Brenda Stevenson, read from her book, Becoming Free, Becoming Black.
This book tells the story of enslaved and free people of color who used the law to claim freedom and citizenship for themselves and their loved ones. Their communities challenged slaveholders’ efforts to make blackness synonymous with slavery. The author demonstrates that the law of freedom –not slavery—established the meaning of blackness in law.
Where: Chevalier’s Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 13th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 126 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://www.chevaliersbooks.com/ariela-gross
Jaclyn Friedman and Authors & Believe Me at Ripped Bodice: A Romance Bookstore – YA Event
Author Jaclyn Friedman and contributing authors Tatiana Maslany, Jamil Smith& Tani Ikeda will present, discuss, and sign the book, Believe Me, and answer the crucial question what would happen if we didn’t just believe women, and acted as though they matter? With contributors from many of the most important voices in feminism today, this book paves the path for the #MeToo era and beyond.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: Ripped Bodice
Date: Thursday the 13th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 3806 Main St., Culver City, CA 90230
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
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 13th
Time: 7pm – 10pm
Address: 6563 N. Normandie Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90044
Website: Poets Jazz House
Diane Keaton & Brother & Sister at ALOUD Event at L.A. Theatre Center – Tom Bradley Theatre
Join the ALOUD reading series to welcome actress and author Diane Keaton, in conversation with author David Ebershoff, as they discuss her poignant family story Brother & Sister, a universal story of home, love, and the fragile nature of family.
The author explores the divergent paths siblings’ lives can take, and how her relationship with her brother Randy changed their special bond as they reached and traveled through adulthood.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: Los Angeles Theatre Center –Tom Bradley Theatre
Date: Thursday the 13th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013
https://www.lfla.org/event/nbf-presents-diane-keaton
Amina Cain & Indelicacy at Skylight Bookstore
Join author Amina Cain, in conversation with author Adam Novy, to hear her read from her new novel, Indelicacy.
In this book a cleaning woman at a museum of art nurtures aspirations to do more with her life. But, after marrying a rich man, she finds a life of privilege to be no less constrained. Perhaps a more drastic solution is necessary?
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 13h
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/events/amina-cain-reads-her-new-novel-indelicacy-adam-novy
Katherine Coldiron & Ceremonials at The Last Bookstore
Author Katherine Coldiron will present and sign her novella, Ceremonials.
This book is inspired by Florence + the Machine’s 2011 album of the same name. There will be readings by special guests, including Kate Durbin, Aatif Rashid, and Tammy Delatorre.
Where: The Last Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 13th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 453 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013
https://http://lastbookstorela.com/#events
Women of a Certain Age at Beyond Baroque
Carole Montgomery is the creator/host of some of the funniest, mature, female comics who bring their stories to the event called, Women of a Certain Age.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Thursday the 13th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: http://beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html
The 43rd Annual Writers Week Conference at UC Riverside – (Day 5 of 5)
Join us for Day 5 of the 43rd Annual Writers Week at UCR, the longest-running, free literary event in California, featuring renowned authors of the day alongside those at the start of promising careers. Tom Lutz is Writers Week director.
All events are free and open to the public, and parking is free (permits available at the Kiosk).
12:00 pm: Diana Marie Delgado is the author of Tracing the Horse and the chapbook Late Night Talks with Men I Think I Trust. She is the recipient of numerous grants, including a fellowship from the NEA. She currently resides in Tucson, where she is Literary Director of the Poetry Center at the University of Arizona.
1:30 pm: Joseph Rios is the author of Shadowboxing: Poems and Impersonations (Omnidawn). He is from Fresno’s San Joaquin Valley, and received scholarships from Squaw Valley Writers Workshop and Canto Mundo. He is a VONA alumnus and Macondo Fellow, and his debut poetry collection was a finalist for Omnidawn’s first book prize. He lives in Los Angeles.
3:00 pm: Brandon Hobson is the author, most recently, of the novel Where the Dead Sit Talking, which was a finalist for the 2018 National Book Award. is next novel will be published by Ecco/Harpercollins. He is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at New Mexico State University and is a Writing Mentor at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation Tribe of Oklahoma.
4:30 pm: Anna Journey is the author of the essay collection An Arrangement of Skin (2017) and three books of poems: The Atheist Wrote Goat Silk, Vulgar Remedies, and If Birds Gather Your Hair for Nesting, which was selected by Thomas Lux for the National Poetry Series. She is assistant professor of English at USC.
Where: UC Riverside, CHASS Interdisciplinary Building, South-
Screening Room, INTS 1128
Date: Friday the 14th
Time: 12 pm – 5:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521
Website: https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule/
Be Ours: Palentine’s Day with Danez and the Homies at CAAM
Join us for a night of poetry and performance celebrating the saving grace of friendship. Poet Danez Smith marks the publication of their new collection, Homie, with readings and a conversation with fellow poet Fatimah Asghar. Stay for a DJ set and libations at a Palentine’s after-party. Books will be available for purchase courtesy of Eso Won Books.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: California African American Museum
Date: Friday the 14th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: 300 State Dr., Los Angeles, CA 91502
A Night of Korean Art Songs and Stories at Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles
Please join us for the 2nd presentation of A Night of Korean Art Songs and Stories event. Admission is free for all!
NOTE: This is a free but ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles
Date: Friday the 14th
Time: 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 5505 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/494892184554236
Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Vol. 5 at Skylight Bookstore
In this anthology there are stories for everyone. In Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 5, award-winning editor Rachel Kramer Bussel takes readers on an outrageous journey into the world of female fantasy and desire. Authors reading at this event include:
Joanna Angel is an adult film star, director, producer, and CEO of Burning Angel Entertainment.
Rachel Kramer Bussel is the series editor, and her 60+ anthologies cover, sex, dating. books, pop culture and more.
CD Reiss is a New York Times bestselling author, and moved to L.A> to get her Master’s in screenwriting from USC, buy has stayed ten years.
Jayne Renault is along-winded smutty wordsmith who loves a good metaphor. She is the resident smut queen at Bellesa.
Sabrina Sol writes sexy romance stories featuring Latina heroines in search of the Happily Ever Afters.
Lauren Emily is a wirter and performer living in Chicago. Her erotica has been widely published, and she is also the author of the YA novel Satillite under her full name, Lauren Emily Whalen.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Friday the 14th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: http://www.skylightbooks.com/event/best-womens-erotica-year-vol-5
Gillian Conoley, Rosie Stockton & Martha Ronk at Beyond Baroque
Acclaimed poets Gillian Conoley, Rosie Stockton and Martha Ronk will read from their new work.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event, so check website for details.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Friday the 14th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: http://beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html
Ina Buckner-Barnette & Talking Drums Storytime at Children’s Book World – Kids Event
Author Ina Buckner-Barnette, the Sunshine Storyteller, will present an interactive celebration of Afrocentric songs and folktales. Come for the great stories and songs, and to see CBW’s extensive Black History Month book selections. This event is for children ages 3-7.
Where: Children’s Book World
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 10:30 am
Address: 10580 ½ W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064
Website: https://www.childrensbookworld.com/event/ina-buckner-barnette-talking-drums-storytime
Saturday Morning Prose & Poetry at Beyond Baroque
Join us for Saturday Morning Prose & Poetry, with Annette Robinson, to participate in a writing workshop for publication. Bring 5 copies of a poem to share.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 11 am
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: http://beyondbaroque.org/calendar
Social Justice Book Club & Bell Hooks’ All About Love at Tia Chucha’s Bookstore
Join us for the Social Justice Book Club, when we will read and discuss All About Love: New Visions, by bell hooks. Everyone is welcome, and no registration is necessary.
Where: Tia Chucha’s Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 12 pm – 1:30 pm
Address: 13197 Gladstone Ave., Unit A, Sylmar, CA 91342
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/181321172979729
KPFK 90.7 FM Speakers Series at Sportsman’s Lodge Hotel
Join us for the KPFK Speakers Series when Thom Hartmann, radio host, author and progressive political commentator, will join author and investigative journalist Greg Palast and Stephanie Miller to discuss The Hidden War on Voting.
Greg Palast is the author most recently of The Truth Hurts: US Elections and Other Crimes Against the American People.
Stephanie Miller is an American political commentator, comedian, and host of “The Stephanie Miller Show,” syndicated by Westwood One.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: Sportsman’s Lodge Hotel
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Address: 12825 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/3497256393683092
Dennis Callaci & 100 Cassettes at Book Soup
Author Dennis Callaci, in conversation with Simon Joyner, will present and sign his new book 100 Cassettes.
This book started life as 100 hand-drawn/painted cassette covers for an installation at the dA Center for the Arts in Pomona, CA. Six months later the book was being written in earnest. It’s ninety-nine chapters delve into the possibility of each imagined release by a wealth of artists spanning over fifty years. The book covers autobiographical information, the rich culture of Southern California from 1969 to present day, and all musical points in between.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 2 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/dennis-callaci-simon-joyner-discusses-and-signs-100-cassettes
Pacoima History Revealed: The Entrance: Pacoima’s Story at Ranch Side Café
Author Crystal Jackson will present and discuss her book, The Entrance: Pacoima’s Story.
She is on tour for this publication revealing Pacoima’s history, and there will be exhibits, presentation, Q&A and a book signing.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 2 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/3412640605474266
Free Black Women’s Library Book Swap and Art Workshop at CAAM
Join Asha Grant, director of the Free Black Women’s Library – Los Angeles, for an afternoon of literature and art in conjunction with “Making Mammy: A Caricature of Black Womanhood, 1840-1940.” She will lead a workshop centered on the book, Blues Legacies and Black Feminisms, by Angela Davis, to explore radical feminism and reclamation of the black female body. This event is for all ages and capabilities.
Where: California African American Museum
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 2 pm – 4:30 pm
Address: 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/504694253588123
David Putnam & THE HEARTLESS #7 at Mystery Ink Bookstore
Join author David Putnam as he signs and discusses THE HEARTLESS, book #7 in his Bruno Johnson series. Former LA County Deputy Bruno Johnson is now a bailiff in the courts having stepped down from the Violent Crimes Team. The he gets a frantic call to extricate his daughter Olivia from a gunpoint situation in gang-infested neighborhood and his agenda becomes personal. The author is a former law enforcement official who worked primarily in California.
NOTE: Wine, cheese, cake and other goodies will be served, and all are invited.
Where: Mystery Ink Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 2 pm – 5 pm
Address: 8907 Warner Ave., Suite 135, Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/476927312994017
Saturday Afternoon Poetry: World Stage Press & Open Reading at Santa Catalina Branch Library, Pasadena
Please join us for Saturday Afternoon Poetry to hear featured guests: World Stage Press Poets: Carlie Becker, Jessica Gallion and V Kali, plus an Open Reading.
Events curated by Don Kingfisher Campbell.
Where: Santa Catalina Branch Library, Pasadena (Back Room)
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 999 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104
Website: http://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/
Expressions LA Poetry Reading Series at Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Please join us for Expressions LA Poetry Reading Series, featuring poets Sarah Thursday and Ra Avis, who will read and discuss their work, plus an Open Reading.
Ra Avis is an award-winning blogger and author of Sack Nasty: Prison Poetry (2016), Dinosaur-Hearted (2018), and Flowers and Stars (2018).
Sarah Thursday co-hosted 2nd Mondays Poetry Party, ran Cadence Collective website, and founded Sadie Girl Press Her books are available at Sadie Girl Press.com.
You can sign up for 4-6 minute readings, and join the featured poets every week.
Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 12511 Moorpark St., Studio City, CA 91604
Website: http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/expressions-la-poetry-reading-series-0
Ro Kwon & Maureen Corrigan at Scripps College
Author Ro Kwon, the author of the Los Angeles Times’ First Book Prize finalist The Incendiaries and 2020 Mary Routt Chair in Creative Writing joins NPR Fresh Air’s book critic Maureen Corrigan for a conversation about dual literary loves: reading and writing.
NOTE: This is a free but ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: Scripps College, Garrison Theatre
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Address: 241 E. 10th St., Claremont, CA 91711
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ro-kwon-and-maureen-corrigan-in-conversation-tickets-89872895249
Luis J. Rodriguez & From Our Land to Our Land at The Colony Theatre
L.A. Times Book Club welcomes author and L.A. Poet Laureate Emeritus Luis J. Rodriguez, in conversation with Times reporter Daniel Hernandez, to present and sign his new book, From Our Land to Our Land: Essays, Journeys, and Imaginings from a Native Xicanx Writer.
In his new book Luis J. Rodriguez writes about race, culture, identity, and belonging, and what these all mean and should mean (but often fail to) in the volatile climate of our nation. His passion and wisdom inspire us with the message that we must come together if we are to move forward. The pieces in this book will spark that conversation and inspiration.
Luis J. Rodriguez is a writer/author in many genres, a community and peace activist, and is also founding editor of Tia Chucha Press, and co-founder/president of Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore. He has traveled the world to speak, present poetry readings, indigenous ceremonies, or reportage over the past 40 years.
Copies of the book will be available from Eso Won Books. Wine and other beverages will be available for purchase.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: The Colony Theatre
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 4 pm (doors open at 3pm)
Address: 555 Third St., Burbank, CA 91502
Poetry & Prose Reading & Open Mic at Espresso Mi Cultura books, coffee, art
Love is a many-splendored thing. It’s also beautiful, complex and challenging.
Come and listen to three established and dynamic writers read new and popular work as they delve into friendship, family and culture through the lens of love!
Consuelo G. Flores N/A
liz Gonzalez is the author of Dancing in the Santa Ana Winds: Poems y Cuentos New and Selected (2018).
Frankie Hernandez N/A
Where: Espresso Mi Cultura
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 4 pm – 6 pm (Open Mic from 4pm-4:30 pm)
Address: 415 S. Myrtle Ave. Unit B, Monrovia, CA
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/505585860094527
Poet Jose Hernandez Diaz & The Fire Eater at Gatsby’s Bookstore, Long Beach
Please join us to hear author and native Los Angeles poet Jose Hernandez Diaz present and sign his masterful debut chapbook, The Fire Eater. Surreal, playful, and always poignant, the prose poems here introduce us to a mime, a skeleton, and the man in the Pink Floyd t-shirt, all of whom explore their inner selves in the author’s startling and spare style.
Where: Gatsby’s Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 5 pm – 7 pm
Address: 5535 E. Spring, Long Beach, CA 90808
Website: http://www.gatsbybooks.com/event#/poet-jose-hernandez-diaz-presents-the-fire-eater-sat-feb-15th-5pm
Rights Night: Our Rights, Our Issues at ALOUD Event at Central Library, LAPL
Join the ALOUD reading series to welcome Lindsay Toczylowski and Miriam Jordan, in conversation with Mark Rosenbaum and Talia Inlender, with a special performance by poet Marcelo Hernandez Castillo.
What makes a country a home? Four experts on immigration and human rights will share their work form different sides of the border crisis.
Miriam Jordan is a national correspondent for The New York Times who is currently writing about how policy is turning migrant moms and kids into prey for narcos.
Lindsay Toczylowski is the executive director at Immigrant Defenders Law Center, which represents asylum seekers being forced to remain in Mexico.
Mark Rosenbaum is director of Public Counsel’s Opportunity Under Law, and Talia Inlender is Supervising Senior Staff Attorney in the Immigrants’ Rights Project at Public Counsel, and they will share their work defending DACA recipients and others separated at the border.
Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, will end the evening with a powerful reading form his work. He is a poet, essayist, translator, and immigration advocate.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: Mark Taper Auditorium, Central Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 630 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
https://www.lfla.org/event/rights-night-our-rights–our-issues-3/
Poetry After Dark Open Mic at Café con Libros Press
Please join us for Poetry After Dark Open Mic, a grown and sexy open reading. There is a $10 donation at the door, and this is an 18+ event.
Where: Café con Libros Press
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 280 W. 2nd St., Pomona, CA 91766
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/460812074572438
Dirty Laundry Lit Presents Bridgette Bianca & be/trouble Release Party at the Virgil
Dirty Laundry Lit and host Karina Luna invite you to come and celebrate Black History Month with author and educator Bridgette Bianca, at the release party for her debut collection of poetry, be/trouble, also featuring guest readers:
Jessica Gallion, Jordan Nakamura, Dare Williams, Chenel King and Miya King, and Barbara Fant. Live set by DJ Shai.
Where: The Virgil
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: 4519 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90029
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/487656345203660/
Brian Teare & Gillian Conoley at Beyond Baroque
Join us to hear acclaimed poets Brian Teare & Gillian Conoley, who will read from their new work. Regular admission. Members are free.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: 8 pm
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: http://beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html
The After School Workshop & Ryka Aoki at Beyond Baroque
The After School Writing Workshop is a monthly work space and test platform for writers who are self-identified queers and people of color, led by Ryka Aoki.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Sunday the 16th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Website: http://beyondbaroque.org.calendar
Dr. Alexandra Solomon & Taking Sexy Back at Diesel Bookstore
Join us to hear the author Dr. Alexandra Solomon, in conversation with author August McLaughlin, discuss and sign her book, Taking Sexy Back: How to Own Your Sexuality and Create the Relationships You Want, and Girl Boner Podcast live recording.
Where: Diesel Bookstore, lower outdoor courtyard
Date: Sunday the 16th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 225 26th St., Santa Monica, CA 90402
Michelle Tea & Tabitha and Magoo Dress Up, Too at Vroman’s Bookstore
Michelle Tea is the author of ten books, and she will present her latest, Tabitha and Magoo Dress Up, Too. Pickle the Drag Queen will be joining her as a guest reader. In this story a magical drag queen teaches two siblings about the magic of dress up, self-expression, and imaginative storytelling.
Where: Vroman’s Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 16th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/michelle-tea-discusses-and-signs-tabitha-and-magoo-dress-too
RESPECT: The Poetry of Detroit Music Anthology at Book Soup
Celebrate the anthology RESPECT: The Poetry of Detroit Music, with editor MI Liebler and contributors Lolita Hernandez, Joe Henry, Art Lysak, Lisa Recker, Peter Harris, Patty Seyburn, Heather Bourbeau, Champtown, and Charlie Brice.
This book documents the global impact of Detroit’s music scene and captures the emotions inspired in its creators and listeners. Moderated by Pat Thomas.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Sunday the 16th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Charles Yu & Interior Chinatown at Pages Bookstore
Author Charles Yu will discuss and sing his new novel, Interior Chinatown, a deeply personal novel about race, pop culture, and escaping the roles we are forced to play, by the author of the infinitely inventive novel, How to Live in a Science Fictional Universe.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: Pages Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 16th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: http://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/author-charles-yu-visits-february-16th
Sands Hall & Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology at Skylight Bookstore
Author Sands Hall, in conversation with Maggie Rowe, discusses and signs her memoir, Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology. The author compellingly reveals what drew her into the religion—what she found intriguing and useful—and how she came to confront its darker sides and escape.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 16th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 1818 N, Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Salient Sunday Open Reading at Beyond Baroque
Join us for the Salient Sunday Open Reading, hosted by Radomir Luza & Patricia Murphy.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Sunday the 16th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Website: http://beyondbaroque.org.calendar
Monthly Writing Circle at La Fuente: Birth, Postpartum, y Mas
The Monthly Writing Circle is back in a new format, and it will be led by Dr. Michelle Brittan Rosado as a writing circle for mothers and non-binary parents. It is designed to generate new writing, sharing strategies for being creative in our everyday lives, and to form a community of writers who seek balance raising children with creative expression.
Where: La Fuente: Birth, Postpartum, y Mas
Date: Sunday the 16th
Time: 5 pm – 7 pm
Address: 4093 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90807
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/719744955218012?
Poetry Brothel: A Tongue-Tied Valentine at El Cid on Sunset
The Poetry Brothel LA debuts the 2020 season with a Tongue-Tied Valentine Extravaganza for You. Buy a moment with a poet for yourself or your valentines, and let them tickle and tantalize your mind with their words! Our dancers and aerialists are ready to fly into your hearts to resolve the puzzle of the body through their poetry of the flesh.
NOTE: This is a ticketed event so check website for details.
Where: El Cid on Sunset
Date: Sunday the 9th
Time: 7 pm – 10 pm
Address: 4212 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90029
Los Angeles Literature 