NOTE: There Are Both Online and Virtual Events Listed Here
Book Club Bonanza: Let’s Celebrate Asian Pacific Voices via Central Library, LAPL – Online Teen Event
Teens may join our librarians online as they share books for teens that celebrate Asian Pacific voices in YA literature and celebrate and join the Big Read.
The Best We Could Do, by author Thi Bui, is an illustrated graphic noel portraying one family’s poignant journey from war-torn Vietnam to America and will resonate with all who hope for a better future while longing for a simpler past.
The book club discussion itself will be held on Monday, May 23rd, but we will also host a read-alikes discussion on May 9th.
Watch past episodes on YouTube for more book recommendations.
NOTE: See site for RSVP & event details.
Where: Central Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 9th
Time: 4:30 pm
Address: LAPL – Online (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-bonanza-lets-celebrate-asian-pacific-voices
Jack Lowery, with Paulina Pinsky, & It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Author Jack Lowery, in conversation with Pauline Pinsky, will present and discuss his new book, It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful: How AIDS Activists Used Art to Fight a Pandemic.
In this book the author examines Gran Fury’s art and activism from iconic images to dropping fake bills on the New York stock Exchange floor. Gran Fury and ACT UP’s protest strategies are still used frequently by activists leading contemporary movements, showing the belief in the power of art and action persists
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Monday the 9th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/jack-lowery
Brad Listi Book Launch & Be Brief and Tell Them Everything at Chevalier’s Bookstore – In-Person Event
Author Brad Listi will present and discuss his new book, Be Brief and Tell Them Everything.
This book is a darkly funny meditation on creativity and family, tracking the life of a middle-aged author struggling to write his next novel while coming to grips with his son’s disabilities, all set against a backdrop of ecological catastrophe and escalating human insanity in Los Angeles. This book documents the starts and stops of adulthood and marriage, the joys and challenges of parenthood, while defining what it means to be a good man, and a good writer.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Chevalier’s Bookstore
Date: Monday the 9th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
At Skylight: Colm Toibin & Vinegar Hill: Poems Launch at Skylight Bookstore – In-Person Event
Colm Toibin will present and discuss his first collection of poetry, Vinegar Hill, which explores sexuality, religion, and belonging through a modern lens.
Fans of Colm Toibin’s novels (Brooklyn, The Magician, The Master, Nora Webster) will relish this encounter with him in verse.
Vinegar Hill explores the liminal space between private experiences and public events as Tóibín examines a wide range of subjects—politics, queer love, reflections on literary and artistic greats, living through COVID, and facing mortality. The poems reflect a life well-traveled and well-lived; from growing up in the town of Enniscorthy, wandering the streets of Dublin, and crossing the bridges of Venice to visiting the White House. This rich collection of poems was written over the course of several decades, and is shot through with keen observation, emotion, and humor, T
NOTE: See site for RSVP, book purchase, and details.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Monday the 9th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-colm-t%C3%B3ib%C3%ADn-presents-vinegar-hill
Dervla Mc Tiernan, with Rachel Howzell Hall, & The Murder Rule: A Novel at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Join us to hear author Dervla McTiernan, in conversation with author Rachel Howzell Hall, discuss her new novel, The Murder Rule.
Hannah has abandoned everything–her trajectory as a law student, her childhood home, and caring for her ill mother–for the chance to work with the Innocence Project, a prestigious coalition of investigators who fight to free wrongly convicted prisoners. Hannah’s ambitions are set on the program’s highest-stakes case in years: a convicted rapist and murderer on death row. She’ll do anything–whatever it takes–to work on this case. Because Hannah has a secret. Nearly three decades ago her mother Laura abandoned everything, too. A teenage runaway who fled her abusive family, she escaped to Maine for a fresh start. Desperate for work and a place to sleep, Laura is forced to resort to favors from friends and strangers, until she meets a young man named Tom, who becomes her guardian angel. (William Morrow & Company)
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and event details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Monday the 9th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado St., Pasadena, CA 91101
Monday Night Fiction Workshop at Beyond Baroque – Zoom Online Event
This free Monday Night Fiction Workshop led by Raquel Baker is a community writing workshop in which participants are asked to bring copies of 2-3 pages of fiction to read, and to use for critique and discussion. Registration is required.
Raquel Baker earned a PhD in English Literary Studies from the University of Iowa and an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. She is currently Assistant Professor of Postcolonial Studies and Transnational Literatures at CSU Channel Islands. She has published poetry and non-fiction, and done readings with the Ventura Poetry Project.
Where: Beyond Baroque – Online event (tickets at Eventbrite)
Date: Monday the 9th
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: Zoom Online
Website: https://beyondbaroque.org/free_workshops.html or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/monday-night-fiction-workshop-tickets-332914003747
Eliza Reid, with Lisa Napokim & Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women at Live Talks LA at Wilshire Blvd. Temple – In-Person Event
Eliza Reid, in conversation with journalist and MSNBC correspondent Lisa Napoli, will present and discuss her book, Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World.
Eliza Reid is the First Lady of Iceland and co-founder of the acclaimed Iceland Writers Retreat. Eliza grew up near Ottawa, Canada, and moved to Iceland in 2003. This book is a “…fascinating window into what a more gender-equal world could look like, and why it’s worth striving for. Iceland is doing a lot to level the playing field: paid parental leave, affordable childcare, and broad support for gender equality as a core value. Reid takes us on an exploration not only around this fascinating island, but also through the triumphs and stumbles of a country as it journeys towards gender equality.” — Hilary Rodham Clinton
NOTE: See site for tickets, book purchase, and details.
Where: Live Talks LA at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Audrey Irmas Pavilion
Date: Monday the 9th
Time: 8 pm
Address: 3643 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010
Website: https://livetalksla.org/events/eliza-reid-with-lisa-napoli/
LAPL in Conversation: Daniel Pinkwater & Aaron Reniervia Hollywood Regional Library, LAPL – Online Zoom Middle Grade Event
This month LAPL in Conversation features writer Daniel Pinkwater, and artist Aaron Renier, who will talk about their newest book, Crazy in Poughkeepsie.
The inimitable Daniel Pinkwater (The Big Orange Splot; The Hoboken Chicken Emergency) brings his zany wit and wisdom to a gentle, illustrated, middle-grade adventure following a kid’s off-the-beaten-path journey, featuring an unfocused spiritual guide, a not-quite-dwarf, a graffiti “artist,” a ghost whale, and mystical shenanigans galore.
NOTE: See site for Zoom link and details.
Where: Hollywood Regional Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 10th
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: LAPL Online (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/lapl-conversation-daniel-pinkwater-and-aaron-renier
LAPL Poetry Open MIcvia Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – Online Zoom Event
This month LAPL Poetry Open Mic with host Wyatt Underwood, invites you to share a poem you wrote or a poem you love! You are also welcome to just watch, listen and enjoy!
NOTE: See site for Zoom link and details. Please contact wwood@lapl.org.
Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 10th
Time: 6 pm
Address: LAPL Online (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/poetry-open-mic
John Waters, with Ginger Minz, & LIARMOUTHat ALOUD Reading Series, LAPL. Off-Site at Aratani Theatre – In-Person Event
Author and filmmaker John Waters, in conversation with RuPaul Drag Race finalist Ginger Minz, will present and discuss his new book, LIARMOUTH.
John Waters’s first novel, Liarmouth, is a perfectly perverted “feel-bad romance” and the reader will thrill to hop aboard this delirious road trip of riotous revenge.
John Waters is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and visual artist best known for his cult films, including Hairspray, Pink Flamingos, and Cecil B. DeMented. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: ALOUD Reading Series (with Skylight Books) at Aratani Theatre
Date: Tuesday the 10th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 224 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: https://lfla.org/event/skylight-books-aloud-presents-john-waters-in-conversation-about-liarmouth/
Rhoda Huffey, with Andrew Tonkovich. & 31 PARADISO Launch at Chevalier’s – In-Person Event
Author Rhoda Huffey, in conversation with author Andrew Tonkovich, will read and discuss her novel, 31 PARADISO.
31 PARADISO is the long-awaited follow-up to The Hallelujah Side, which is being reissued by Delphinium Books.
When Francine Ephesians Didwell loses the love of her life, she is forced to reconnect with her estranged family. She’s led two lives up until now, one with her evangelical charismatic family, and another of emancipated rebellion with her lover. Bereaved, Francine relocates to 1990s Venice Beach to start life over. She struggles to make a living doing massages and managing her new real estate of bread-and-butter units in hell. The novel moves between Francine’s new home and her family estate just fifty miles inland where, hoping to reconnect, Francine discovers she must confront the truth about dark family secrets or lose herself in the suicidal world of drugs. To her great good luck, throughout her journey, she is assisted and supported by her other family: the yodeler, the sex worker, the local burglar who has taken up residence outside her window, and all the imperfect characters from the mean streets of Venice Beach. Hilarious and painful, Francine’s life force and her thirst for freedom illuminate every page.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Chevalier’s Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 10th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://www.chevaliersbooks.com/may-10-rhoda-huffey
Mystery Book Club & The Cartographers at Pages Bookstore – In-Person Event
The Mystery Book Club will meet and discuss our May selection, The Cartographers: A Novel, by Peng Shepard, an imaginative thriller about a young woman who discovers that a strange map in her deceased father’s belongings holds an incredible, deadly secret—one that will lead her on an extraordinary adventure and to the truth about her family’s dark history.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Pages Bookstore – on the Patio
Date: Tuesday the 10th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/mystery-book-club-4
Adult Book Group: Better Luck Next Time, by Julia Claiborne Johnson via Once Upon a Time Bookstore – Online Event
Join our Adult Book Group for a discussion of our May selection Better Luck Next Time, by Julia Claiborne Johnson.
This is a funny novel set at a divorce ranch in Reno in the 1930s, filled with eccentric characters, sparkling dialogue, and a satisfying plot twist.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, book purchase, guidelines, and event details.
Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 10th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
At Skylight: Jen Ferguson, with Racquel Marie & Hayley Dennings, & The Summer of Bitter and Sweet at Skylight Bookstore – In-Person YA Event
Join author Jen Ferguson, in conversation with Racquel Marie & Hayley Dennings, to discuss her new novel, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet.
This is a complex and emotionally resonant novel about a Métis girl living on the Canadian prairies, in which debut author Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person—and the sweetness that can still live alongside the bitterest truth.
Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer. She’ll be working in her family’s ice-cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend—whose kisses never made her feel desire, only discomfort—and her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word.
But when she gets a letter from her biological father—a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life—she soon realizes she can’t ignore her father forever.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, book purchase, guidelines, and event details.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 10th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Debut Authors in Conversation Karen Winn & Caitlin Barasch at Village Well Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join author Karen Winn, in conversation with author Caitlin Barasch (A Novel Obsession), to hear them discuss her debut novel: Our Little World
The authors will discuss the creation of her novel, from its themes of family, trauma, and coming-of-age to the writing process itself.
Perfect for readers of Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You, Our Little World is a powerful and lyrical coming-of-age story that examines the complicated bond of sisterhood, the corrosive power of envy, and how the traumas of our youths can shape our identities for a lifetime.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, book purchase, guidelines, and event details.
Where: Village Well Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 10th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/16911
Tuesdays at the Virtual Cobalt: Poets Series Presents: Open Reading & Patricia Smith – Virtual Zoom Event
The Virtual Cobalt Poets Series, presented by Rick Lupert via Zoom, will feature an Open Reading and guest poet Patricia Smith.
Patricia Smith has been called “a testament to the power of words to change lives.” She is the author of eight books of poetry, including Incendiary Art (2017), winner of the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, an NAACP Image Award, and finalist for both the Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the Pulitzer Prize; Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah (2012), which won the Lenore Marshall Prize from the Academy of American Poets; Blood Dazzler (2008), a chronicle of the human and environmental cost of Hurricane Katrina which was nominated for a National Book Award; and Teahouse of the Almighty, a 2005 National Poetry Series selection published by Coffee House Press. In 2021 she was awarded the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize.
Smith is a distinguished professor of English for the City University of New York and a lecturer in creative writing at Princeton University. Her next poetry book, upcoming in 2022, will combine dramatic monologues with 19th century photos of African Americans from her extensive private collection. She is currently working on her first novel.
NOTE: Details and Zoom link at event link.
Where: Cobalt Poets – Online Zoom Event
Date: Tuesday the 10th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: http://poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/calendar.html
Da Poetry Lounge IG Live Open MIc Night – IG Live Event
Every Tuesday (except for 3rd Tuesdays and special events) Da Poetry Lounge holds open mic nights. At an open mic, all are welcome to share their poetry or sit in the audience.
See sites for details.
Where: DA Poetry Lounge
Date: Tuesday the 10th (Check to Verify details).
Time: 9 pm – 11 pm
Address: IG Live (see site)
Website: https://www.instagram.com/dapoetrylounge_com/
SOM Tuesdays Open Mic at Di Piazza’s Pizza, Long Beach – In-Person Event
SOM Open Mic Tuesdays at Di Piazza’s are back! Come and share music, comedy, and poetry with us.
Where: Di Piazza’s Pizza (Check to verify)
Date: Tuesday the 10th
Time: 9 pm – 12 am
Address: 5205 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, CA
Good Trouble Reading Group & The Beauty in Breaking, by Michele Harper, at Edendale Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join our good Trouble Reading Group, led by Dr Andrea Liss, to discuss our next monthly selection, The Beauty in Breaking, by author Dr. Michele Harper.
This deeply humane memoir by an African American doctor tells her story of going from a Harvard education to working night shifts in some of the toughest emergency rooms in the country. She tells how her experience with harm and trauma helped her to gain wisdom into her own troubled upbringing, and to learn to find healing empathy for all who suffer.
NOTE: See site for event details. Email eden@lapl.org for the Zoom link to join.
Where: Edendale Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday 11th
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: LAPL – Online (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/good-trouble-reading-group-beauty-breaking-michele-harper
Creative Writing Workshop with Tony DuShane, at Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join our Creative Writing Workshop with UCLA instructor Tony DuShane, author of the novel, Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk, now a major motion picture from director Eric Stolz.
Open to adults of all skill levels.
NOTE: See site for event details. Email mpanzera@lapl.org for the Zoom link.
Where: Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday 11th
Time: 6 pm
Address: LAPL – Online (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/creative-writing-workshop-tony-dushane-6
LitFest Pasadena Festival 2022: 3rd Day Events at Altadena Library – In-Person Events
Join the LitFest Pasadena Festival for the 3rd day of events, to be held at the Altadena Library.
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm:
FRIENDSHIP & THE LITERARY LIFE:
How writers support each other, through thick and thin, features longtime writer friends Rhoda Huffy and Michelle Latiolais, followed by poet Tim Stiles and his friend through the ages, LitFest Pasadena co-founder, teacher, and author Jervey Tervalon.
8:00 pm – 9:00 pm:
THE UNCAGED VOICE: Transcending Bondage
People are incarcerated inside and out of prison: physically, mentally, and emotionally; in body and in imagination. Finding their voice on the page is liberating and illuminating.
Join Joe Loya, Patrick O’Neil, Luis Rodriguez, and Jasmine Williams as they discuss the voiceless behind bars, the programs that serve them, and how to free your voice wherever you are, in whatever space you find yourself.
NOTE: See site for complete schedule, locations, and event details.
Where: Altadena Library Pleasantville,
Date: Wednesday the 11th
Time: 6 pm – 9 pm
Address: 600 E. Mariposa St., Altadena, CA 91101
Website: https://litfestpasadena.org/schedule/
The Three Act Poem Writer’s Workshop with Matt Sedillo, Chicano Political Poet – In-Person Event
Please join The Three Act Poem Writer’s Workshop with Matt Sedillo, Chicano Political Poet.
Matt Sedillo is the author of Mowing Leaves of Grass and City on the Second Floor (Flower Song Press).
NOTE: See site for event details.
Where: Re/Arte centro literio
Date: Wednesday the 11th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 2014 ½ East Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033
Website: https://reartela.com/events%2Feventos
Tracy Dawson, with Steph Ouaknine, & Let Me Be Frank at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Author, actress, and feminist Tracy Dawson, in conversation with Steph Ouaknine, will discuss her book, Let Me Be Frank: A Book About Women Who Dressed Like Men to Do Shit They Weren’t Supposed to Do.
The author offers an entertaining and eye-opening collection of trailblazers throughout history who disguised themselves as men and continuously broke the rules to gain access and opportunities denied them because they were women. It includes illustrations, and hand-lettering by artist Tina Berning.
Let Me Be Frank illuminates with a wry warmth the incredible stories of a diverse group of women from different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds who have defied the patriarchy, refusing to allow men or the status quo to define their lives or break their spirit. An often sardonic and thoroughly impassioned homage to female ingenuity and tenacity, the women profiled in this inspiring anthology broke the rules to reach their goals and refused to take “no” for an answer. These women took matters into their own hands, dressing–sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively—as men to do what they wanted to do. This includes competing in marathons, publishing books, escaping enslavement, practicing medicine, tunneling deep in the earth as miners, taking to the seas as pirates and serving on the frontlines in the military, among many other pursuits.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Wednesday the 11th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/tracy-dawson
Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris: The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza at Once Upon a Time Bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Author Mac Burnett and illustrator Shawn Harris will introduce their new graphic novel The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza.
The presentation will include a live reading from the graphic novel with sound effects and audience involvement. This event is not to be missed for readers ages 8+ looking for their next laugh out loud graphic novel! The duo here turn their massively popular The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza live cartoon into an action-packed and hysterical graphic novel series—perfect for fans of Dav Pilkey, Raina Telgemeier, and Jeff Kinney.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 11th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/first-cat
At Skylight: Michael Murphy, with Alan Hess, & GOOGIE MODERN at Skylight Bookstore – In-Person Event
Author Michael Murphy, in conversation with writer Alan Hess, will discuss his book, GOOGIE MODERN: Architectural Drawings of Armet Davis Newlove (Angel City Press).
The author’s book highlights the never-before-seen architectural drawings of Armet Davis Newlove—the trio dubbed the fathers of Googie. Beloved by architectural historians, enthusiasts, and casual passers-by, their atomic-age coffee shops, diners, and restaurants are iconic in Southern California—the Googie look that spread across the nation. The drawings show the fir m’s high-concept designs, and demonstrate how Googie captured the culture of the time, and gave the US innovative, practical, gorgeous monuments of everyday life. Text by renowned architectural historian Alan Hess places Armet Davis Newlove and Googie architecture atop the highest echelon of mid-century modern design and architectural history. Author/designer Michael Murphy brings the work to life, showcasing the fabulous drawings as important mid-century artwork.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 11th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-michael-murphy-and-alan-hess-present-googie-modern
Anansi Virtual Writers Workshop at The World Stage – In-Person Event
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. Our 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. For general information and booking, contact V. Kali, the Anansi Writers Workshop Coordinator, at vkaliflowers@gmail.com.
• 7:30p.m.–8:30p.m. — Formal workshop;
• 8:30p.m.–9:00p.m. — Featured reader;
• 9:05p.m.–10:00p.m. — Open mic
Suggested: $5.00 Donation via PayPal: The World Stage Gallery.
NOTE: See site for further details, and any change in the schedule. Contact kaliflowers@gmial.com or call (323) 293-2451
Where: The World Stage (Eventbrite)
Date: Wednesday the 11th
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: 4321 Dengan Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: https://www.theworldstage.org/events.html
Wednesday Night Poetry Workshop via Beyond Baroque – Zoom Online
Join Beyond Baroque’s longest running free poetry workshop via Zoom online as we welcome new and seasoned poets to share their work and provide feedback. Facilitators are rotated quarterly, and the current facilitator is Jose Hernandez Diaz.
Jose Hernandez Diaz is a 2017 NEA Poetry Fellow. He is the author of The Fire Eater (Texas Review Press, 2020). His work appears in The American Poetry Review, Boulevard, Colorado Review, Huizache, Iowa Review, Poetry, The Southern Review, The Yale Review, and in The Best American Nonrequired Reading Anthology 2011. He teaches creative writing online and edits for Frontier Poetry.
NOTE: See site for further details, tickets and information.
Where: Online event (Eventbrite)
Date: Wednesday the 11th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: Online event
Website: https://www.beyondbaroque.org/free_workshops.html or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wednesday-night-poetry-workshop-tickets-334622724577
Poetry Reading & Open Mic by Two Idiots Peddling Poetry & Gian Durani at The Ugly Mug – In-Person Event
Join Ben Trigg and Two Idiots Peddling Poetry at the Ugly Mug on Wednesday Nights.
The format is to welcome a featured poet for a reading, and an Open Mic reading. Tonight’s featured artist is Gina Duran.
Gina Duran is an artist, poet, and educator with a focus on marginalized youth. Gina Duran is the founder of the IE Hope Collective; an outreach that helps people living on the streets and in shelters, and provides poetry, art, and yoga workshops for low-income, homeless, foster, refugee, and LGBTQ2+ youth. She was the Guest Editor of Boundless 2022, of The Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival, and is currently the DJ/Host for The Collective on KQBH LA. Her first collection of poetry …and so, the Wind was Born, was published in 2021 by FlowerSong Press and is a part of the Her Story Mixed Tape collection in the archives of the Autry Museum of the American West, in LA. When she’s not making art and building community, Duran is a first semester MFA Grad student at Antioch University (in LA) while she works as a Substitute teacher, Yoga Instructor, Massage Therapist, and youth program director. She feels art and community can and will lead to positive change.
See site for details and/or to verify.
$4 cover fee, cash only. Masks are required unless eating or drinking.
NOTE: See site for further details, guidelines & information.
Where: The Ugly Mug, Orange
Date: Wednesday the 11th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 261 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA 92866
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/Two-Idiot-Peddling_poetry/ or https://www.facebook.com/events/409912973978469/
The Big Read: Memory Café via Vermont Square Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Please join the 2022 AAPI Heritage/Big Read Book Club when we discuss The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir, by Thi Bui.
Copies of the book will be provided while supplies last. Books are generously funded through the City of Los Angeles.
NOTE: See site for link, RSVP, and event details.
Where: Vermont Square Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Date: Thursday 12th
Time: 4:30 pm
Address: LAPL – Online (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/big-read-best-we-could-do-illustrated-memoir-thi-bui-8
Mystery Book Club: The Faithful Place, by Tana French via Venice Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Please join the Mystery Book Club when we discuss The Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad #3), by Tana French.
Copies of the book will be available for check out at the Circulation Desk. New members are always welcome!
NOTE: See site for link, RSVP, and event details.
Where: Venice Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Date: Thursday 12th
Time: 5 pm
Address: LAPL – Online (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/mystery-book-club
Nicola Yoon, with Adam Silvera, & Instructions for Dancing at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Join author Nicola Yoon, in conversation with Adam Silvera, to hear her present her book Instructions for Dancing.
Evie Thomas doesn’t believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began . . . and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually.
As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance Studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything–including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he’s only just met.
Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it’s that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. In the end, is love worth the risk? (Delacorte Press)
NOTE: See site for guidelines and event details.
Where: Vroman’s (outside on the Vroman’s Paseo)
Date: Thursday the 12th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Trenches Full of Poets Reading Series, with Nikolai Garcia & Guests, at Page Against the Machine Bookstore – In-Person Event
Please join us for the new Trenches Full of Poets Reading Series, hosted by poet Nikolai Garcia, and featuring poets, writers and authors sharing their work.
Check back for details of tonight’s featured guest poets.
Copies of the authors’ books will be available for purchase.
NOTE: See site for guidelines, and event details.
Where: Page Against the Machine
Date: Thursday 12th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 2714 E. 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 90814
Website: https://www.patmbooks.com/
At The Philosophical Research Society: Holly Black, with Leigh Bardugo & Book of Night via Skylight Bookstore Off-site – In-Person Event
Author Holly Black, in conversation with Leigh Bardugo, will present her stunning adult debut novel, Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of betrayals, cabals, and a dissolute thief of shadows, in the vein of Neil Gaiman and Erin Morgenstern.
Charlie Hall has never found a lock she couldn’t pick, a book she couldn’t steal, or a bad decision she wouldn’t make.
She’s spent half her life working for gloamists, magicians who manipulate shadows to peer into locked rooms, strangle people in their beds, or worse. Gloamists guard their secrets greedily, creating an underground economy of grimoires. And to rob their fellow magicians, they need Charlie Hall.
Now, she’s trying to distance herself from past mistakes, but getting out isn’t easy. Bartending at a dive, she’s still entirely too close to the corrupt underbelly of the Berkshires. Not to mention that her sister Posey is desperate for magic, and that Charlie’s shadowless, and possibly soulless, boyfriend has been hiding things from her. When a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie descends into a maelstrom of murder and lies.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Skylight Bookstore at The Philosophical Society
Date: Thursday the 12th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 3910 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027
At Skylight: Vauhini Vara, with Justin Torres, & The Immortal King Kao via Skylight Bookstore – In-Person Event
Author Vauhini Vara, in conversation with Justin Torres, will present her novel, The Immortal King Kao.
In an Indian village in the 1950s, a precocious child is born into a family of Dalit coconut farmers. King Rao will grow up to be the most accomplished tech CEO in the world and, eventually, the leader of a global, corporate-led government.
In a future in which the world is run by the Board of Corporations, King’s daughter, Athena, reckons with his legacy—literally, for he has given her access to his memories, among other questionable gifts.
With climate change raging, Athena has come to believe that saving the planet and its Shareholders will require a radical act of communion—and so she sets out to tell the truth to the world’s Shareholders, in entrancing sensory detail, about King’s childhood on a South Indian coconut plantation; his migration to the U.S. to study engineering in a world transformed by globalization; his marriage to the ambitious artist with whom he changed the world; and, ultimately, his invention, under self-exile, of the most ambitious creation of his life—Athena herself.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 12th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-vauhini-vara-conversation-justin-torres
Scripps Presents: Sea of Tranquility: Emily St. John Mandel in Conversation
The award-winning, best-selling author of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel returns with a novel of art, time, love, and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon five hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space. Join novelist Emily St. John Mandel, novelist and Station Eleven showrunner Patrick Somerville, and Seija Rankin, senior editor at the Hollywood Reporter, for a reading and conversation.
Where: Garrison Theater
Date: Thursday the 12th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 241 E. 10th St., Claremont, CA 91711
Follow the Laughter: David Sheinkopf & Leslie Jordan Present Books on Entertainment Business at Village Well Bookstore – In-Person Event
Author, writer and executive producer David Sheinkopf will present his book, Village Idiot: A Manhattan Memoir. He and actor Leslie Jordan (Call Me Kat, Will and Grace) will share their stories about living in New York City, what it’s like to be in the entertainment business for so long, and how it has impacted David’s life. Join us for an honest, yet necessary conversation on struggles with drugs and abuse and overcoming obstacles.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Village Well Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 12th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd.,#1B., Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/17195
TNM: HUMAN ZOOM-IN with Shari Foos via The Narrative Method – Online Zoom Event
Please join Shari Foos every Thursday for The Narrative Method: Human Zoom-In to expand perspectives through storytelling and real connections.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, event details.
Where: Shari Foos TNM Workshop – Online Zoom event
Date: Thursday the 12th
Time: 7 pm – 8:15 pm
Address: Online via Zoom (see site)
Fos–Thursday & FOST Artistic Collective Present: Freedom of Speech Open Mic with Sabor y Cultura Café – In-Person & Online IG Event
Please help FOS’s in-person venue Sabor y Cultura with the link in the bio. Open Mic is currently only on IG Live at 8 pm PST, with sign-ups open on Wednesday at 3pm PST.
NOTE: See site for cost, event details.
Where: Freedom of Speech (FOS) Open Mic – In-Person & Online IG event
Date: Thursday the 12th
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: 665 N. Heliotrope Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://www.instagram.com/fos_thursdays/ or https://www.instagram.com/p/CbQpRzPv5qe/
Your Author Series: Aden Polydoros & The City Beautiful via Central Library, LAPL – Online YA Event
Please join Your Author Series for Jewish American Heritage Month to welcome YA author Aden Polydoros as he discusses his award-winning young adult novel, The City Beautiful. Death lurks around every corner in this unforgettable Jewish historical fantasy about a city, a boy, and the shadows of the past that bind them both together.
Those attending the virtual program will have an opportunity to win a free book.
NOTE: See site for link, RSVP, and event details.
Where: Central Library, LAPL – Online YouTube Event
Date: Friday 13th
Time: 4 pm
Address: LAPL – Online (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/your-author-series-aden-polydoros
Skylight Presents: Gold Line Press & Ricochet Editions Launch: Mother Tongue via Skylight Bookstore – Online Event
Join us to celebrate Gold Line Press and Ricochet Editions poets and authors: Chae(lee) Dalton, Alejandro Heredia, Cameron Quan Louie, Boyer Rickel, Ursula Villarreal-Moura, Daniel Biegelson, Abby Minor, and Christian Schlegel!
Mother Tongue (Gold Line Press) by Chae(lee) Dalton, is a poetry collection meets cookbook and celebrates the recipe as a testament to women’s labor and communal care, transmitted and transformed across borders and generations. Dalton uses the recipe form to trace their return to a mother and nation they have never known, and to evoke the simultaneous intimacy and distance they feel embodied in their family histories. While Mother Tongue centers on a personal experience of transnational adoption, in doing so, it illuminates a greater collective sense of hunger and mourning embedded within global frameworks of food, consumption, and connection.
You’re the Only Friend I Need (Gold line Press) by Alejandro Heredia, offers stories with new possibilities for transnational storytelling and the Dominican diaspora by centering Blackness and queerness. In these stories, friendship is a vehicle to understand what lies between and within people. A young Dominican immigrant makes an unlikely friend in her Bronx building. Two queer teens venture into the streets of Santo Domingo in search of queer belonging. A 20-something lost in existential thought finds a home in a gay Latin club. In Heredia’s stories, friendship is at once balm, poison, wound, and respite from the troubles that society places on migrants, on queer people, on Black folks across the diaspora.
Apology Engine (Gold Line Press) by Cameron Quan Louie, explores moral responsibility, memory, and identity through the fragile, spiraling machinery of the prose poem, moving between public and private remorse. Apologies to pets, family members, nations, dissected squids, and famous songs from the circuitry of a collection that asks us to reconsider gendered symbols and aesthetic approaches, as it examines how personal and cultural apologies are interconnected, how they can become tools of control, how they can lose their power to heal, and why we might need to continue making them anyway.
Morgan (a Lyric) (Gold Line Press) by Boyer Rickel, accumulates impressions of the complex emotional landscape of a relationship shadowed by the likely early death of a lover from cystic fibrosis. Rather than a through-line story, the memoir is fashioned from brief narrative episodes, patterned sentence collages, and notes on cognition and perception. Shifting repeatedly in time and location—from a hospital dialysis unit to sex in a parked car to a romantic writers’ Baja retreat to an ICU following lung transplant—a portrait builds of a love lived under the intensifying pressure of mortality.
Math for the Self-Crippling (Gold Line Press) by Ursula Villarreal-Moura, is an interlinked flash fiction collection beginning in 1990s San Antonio through to the present day. Told in first, second, and third person, the stories explore Chicana imagination, the tie between religiosity and mysticism, the loss of belongings and family, marital strife, mental health, and dream travel. Equal parts dark and humorous, this book shows how it is to be burglarized and bullied yet still rise up to own the day.
Of Being Neighbors (Ricochet Editions) by Daniel Biegelson, reimagines the lyric “I” as a neighborhood. Hybrids of influences and interlocutors—ranging from Julian of Norwich to Muriel Rukeyser, Sam Cooke, and Adrienne Rich—reveal the permeable borders of self, family, and nation. Biegelson’s poems throw us “back onto the shards / of questions we thought we had answered” and—among the ruins of violent prejudice, economic collapse, and ecological extinction—find in those questions a space of reinvention and potentiality.
As I Said: Dissent (Ricochet Editions) by Abby Minor, rejects the vacated terms of the conventional “abortion debate.” Instead, these polyvocal poems explore the “exquisite business” of inheritance, embodiment, justice, and citizenship. Anchored by a documentary study of the infamous nineteenth-century abortion provider Madame Restell, Minor’s dissent deftly interweaves historical documents and oral interviews with frank details of contemporary Appalachian life. This book eludes the instrumentalization of reproductive storytelling in favor of becoming “aperture / at once seeing / and being ajar.”
ryman (Ricochet Editions) by Christian Schlegel, is from the author, previously, of the poetry collection Honest James (The Song Cave, 2015). He holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a doctorate in English from Harvard, and teaches English and creative writing at Pierrepont School in Connecticut. Chris lives with his partner in New Haven.
NOTE: See site for book purchase and details.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Friday the 13th
Time: 6 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/live-zoom-gold-line-press-and-ricochet-editions-launch-event
Meet the Poet: Jose Hernandez Diaz & The Fire Eater at Cerritos Library at Cerritos Library – In-Person Event
Please join us to meet poet Jose Hernandez Diaz, who will read from his book, The Fire Eater, a surreal, poignant, and always playful debut chapbook. His work explores the ordinary and not-so-ordinary occurrences in life in his native Los Angeles.
NOTE: See site for event details.
Where: Cerritos Public Library & City Hall, Skylight Room
Date: Friday 13th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 10825 Bloomfield Ave., Cerritos, CA 90703
Matt Sedillo, with Jose A. Maldonado & City on the Second Floor via Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore – In-Person Event
Please join poet and political activist Matt Sedillo, in conversation with Professor Jose A. Maldonado, to discuss his work and his new book, The City on the Second Floor.
This event is titled The City That Was Built Against Us, and it will be a discussion on current affairs and the release of Matt Sedillo’s new book, City on the Second Floor.
NOTE: See site for event details.
Where: Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore – (Check to verify if In-Person)
Date: Friday 13th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 12677 Glenoaks Blvd., Sylmar, CA 91342
Website: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10162445088769522&set=a.212071394521
Authors Jayne Allen & Swan Huntley, with Zibby Owens, of Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Podcast: Interview at Village Well Bookstore – In-Person Event
Authors Jayne Allen (aka Jaunique Sealey) & Swan Huntley, in conversation with Zibby Owens, will present their books: Black Girls Must Die Exhausted and Getting Clean with Stevie Green, respectively.
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted is a debut novel, influenced by transcultural stories crafted from the author’s unique experiences as an attorney and entrepreneur, and touches on contemporary women’s issues, such as: workplace and career dynamics, race, fertility, modern relationships and mental health awareness.
Getting Clean with Stevie Green, The Goddesses, and We Could Be Beautiful are form author Swan Huntley, whose work has also appeared on Salon, The Rumpus, and Autostraddle, among others.
Zibby Owens, founder of Zibby Owens Media, has had her podcast downloaded millions of times, and is a regular columnist for Good Morning America, Katie Kouric Media, and others. Her memoir, Bookends: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature, comes out July 1, 2022.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Village Well Bookstore
Date: Friday the 13th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., #1B., Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/17087
Poetry Reading & Birthday Party with Briana Munoz – In-Person Event
Please join us for a Poetry Reading and Open Mic to celebrate poet and author Briana Munoz, author of Loose Lips, and the collection Everything is Returned to the Soil (FlowerSong Press 2021).
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines and event details.
Where: Re/Arte centro literio
Date: Friday the 13th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9 pm
Address: 2014 ½ East Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033
Website: https://reartela.com/events%2Feventos
Book Launch: The Stan Poems by Linda Ravenswood a t Beyond Baroque – In-Person Event
Join Beyond Baroque to celebrate the book launch of The Stan Poems: Indictments & Amendments (Pedestrian Press), by Linda Ravenswood.
The Stan Poems: Indictments & Amendments is “part eulogy, part elegy, and part ode,” says poet Bernadette McComish. A masterful and pioneering double volume of poetic thunder that explores ways in which we’re bound to each other in life and beyond time and space. Former L.A. Poet Laureate Luis J. Rodríguez praised Linda Ravenswood’s poetry as she “paints with words that move minds, hearts, and mountains. She’s a true poet in a true poet’s constellation.”
In celebration of this achievement, she will be joined by poets, musicians, and friends, including readings by Mike Sonksen, Cassandra Dallet, Allison Hedge Coke, Natasha Dennerstein, Cassandra Rockwood Ghanem, Bernadette McComish, Colleen McKee, and Rick Lupert. Since 2012, Linda has partnered with Beyond Baroque in curating readings and producing community performances. This event is anticipated to be a community party of literature, love, reclamation, reemergence, and joy.
Following the readings, there will be an outdoor reception with refreshments provided.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and event details.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Friday the 13th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90291
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launch-the-stan-poems-by-linda-ravenswood-tickets-323478281247
Social Justice Book Club for Kids: We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom via Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL – Online Family Event
Please join us for our Social Justice Book Club discussion of We Are Water Protectors, by Carole Lindstorm.
This is an all-ages Book Club for the whole family. Participants of all ages are welcome.
Please e-mail cquinn@lapl.org for the Zoom login information.
NOTE: See site for link and event details.
Where: Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 10 am
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/social-justice-book-club
WWS Workshop & New Member Orientation: Beginnings & Endings with Toni Ann Johnson via Women Who Submit – Online Zoom Event
Please join us for our Women Who Submit Workshop & New Member Orientation meeting, hosted by WWS chapter liaison Lucy Rodriguez Hanley.
“Beginnings & Endings,” with Toni Ann Johnson, author of Homegoing and the forthcoming Light Gone to Waste, is the winner of the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction.
Breakout rooms for New Member Orientation and returning member Submission Party will follow at 11am.
Women Who Submit is a supportive community for women and non-binary writers submitting work for publication. You can participate in this month’s new member orientation to become a member. There is no fee to join.
If you are new to WWS, you must register to be invited to the Zoom event here: https://forms.gle/nuS5iCmPJXFZSeA78
This event is made possible by a grant from the California Arts Council. Live transcript provided through Otter.ai.
SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY:
10am-11am
“BEGINNINGS and ENDINGS” with Toni Ann Johnson
11am-12pm
New Member Orientation with Sakae Manning
11am-12pm
Returning Members Submission Goals Check in with Noriko Nakada
12pm-1pm
Submission Party
NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and event details.
Where: Women Who Submit – Online Event
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 10 am – 1pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/381236170522770
Poetry Performance Workshop with Mary Lou Newmark at Beyond Baroque – In-Person Event
Join Beyond Baroque for a poetry performance Workshop inside Beyond Baroque’s historic black box theatre with Mary Lou Newmark.
Take your poems from the page to the stage! Get strategies, tips, and tricks for performing your poetry and read like a rock star! Gain the confidence to share your work aloud in your own voice, highlighting the meaning of your carefully crafted words. Mary Lou brings decades of performing experience in poetry, music, and theater to this participatory workshop.
Practice reading your poems in L.A.’s oldest literary theater where Patti Smith, Wanda Coleman, and Amanda Gorman have graced the stage. Bring your own poems to practice and receive guidance and feedback.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, cost, guidelines, and event details.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 11 am – 2:30 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90291
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-performance-with-mary-lou-newmark-tickets-313779812867
Storytime with Zibby Owens & Princess Charming at Pages Bookstore – In-Person Family Event
Please join us for our Social Justice Book Club discussion of We Are Water Protectors, by Carole Lindstorm.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and event details.
Where: Pages Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 11 am
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
At Skylight: Treehouse & Punk Rock Marthas Present: Lil Miss Hot Mess, with Michelle Tea, & If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It at Skylight Bookstore – In-Person Event
Author Lil Miss Hot Mess, in conversation with author Michelle Tea, will present and discuss her book, If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know it.
NOTE: See site for link, book purchase and details.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 147h
Time: 11 am
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Vroman’s Live: Henry Lien & Peasprout Chen: Battle of Champions at Skylight Bookstore – Online Kids Event
Author Henry Lien will present and discuss his children’s book, Peasprout Chen: Battle of Champions.
Now in her Second Year at Pearl Famous Academy of Skate and Sword, Peasprout Chen strives to reclaim her place as a champion of wu liu, the sport of martial arts figure skating. But, with the new year comes new competition, and Peasprout’s dreams are thwarted by an impressive transfer student.
Yinmei is the heir to the Shinian throne and has fled her country for Pearl. When she excels both academically and socially, Peasprout begins to suspect that Yinmei is not a refugee at all but a spy. In this book Peasprout guides her battleband on a mission to save Pearl, and learns what it truly means to be a leader. (Square Fish).
NOTE: See site for link, book purchase, and details.
Where: Vroman’s Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 147h
Time: 11 am
Address: Vroman’s – Online (see site)
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/upcoming-events
LitFest Pasadena Festival 2022: 5th Day Events at Pasadena Presbyterian Church – In-Person Events
Join the LitFest Pasadena Festival for the 5th day of events, to be held at various downtown Pasadena locations, including Pasadena Presbyterian Church.
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm:
Beyond Words: Picture Book Authors (Gamble Lounge)
This is a panel for an adult audience that is interested in the process and insights of being a picture book author. Featuring:
Marla Frazee, author of The Boss Baby;
Jelena Ku Rhee, author of The Turtle Ship and The Paper Kingsom;
Andrea J. Loney, author of Curve and Flow, Space Race, and Blast Off;
Michelle Markle, author of Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers Strike of 1909, Out of This World and many others;
Dana Middleton, moderator.
When Covid Came Calling: Local Poets, Doctors Frontliners in Poems and Personal Stories (South Hall)
Join Poet Laureate Emerita of Altadena Thelma Reyna to welcome 4 distinguished poets from her award-winning book,When the Virus Came Calling: Covid Strikes America and the book Doctors Healers and Other Healers, to hear them share their experiences.
Cowboys & Conductors (Fellowship Hall)
Join us to hear a horse-whispering cowboy, Dustin Davis, and orchestra leader turned CEO Paul Jan Zdune share their journeys and lessons learned. Their boundless approach to complex issues yields transformative results inGREY LEASERSHIP.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm:
Facing the Unknown: Inclusivity & Hope in Middle Grade Fiction (Gamble Lounge)
Experience growing up in SoCal through a child’s eyes, as these middle grade authors do. Their novels delight, inspire, and illuminate their readers. Featuring:
Chris Barton, author of Whoosh, Now to Make a Book, 88 Instruments. and many others;
Ernesto Cisneros, author of Efren Divided and Falling Short;
Lori Snyder, author of The Circus at the End of the Sea;
Brenda Woods, author of When Winter Robson Came, The Blossoming, and many others;
Dana Middleton, moderator.
Telling on Yourself: Challenges & Rewards of Writing Memoir (South Hall)
How much do you dare to reveal? Featuring:
Cassandra Lane, author of We Are Bridges;
Tembi Locke, author of From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home;
Maggie Rowe, author of Easy Street; A Story of Redemtion;
Erika Schickle, author of The Big Hurt: A Memoir’
Samantha Dunn, moderator.
Love in the 21st Century: Romance Novels (Fellowship Hall)
How do romance writers transport their readers – within today’s realities? Featuring:
Alana Quintana Albertson, CB Lee, Austin Siegemund-Broka, Emily Wibberly, Maureen Lenker (moderator).
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm:
Resilience: An Open Book Memoir Panel (Gamble Lounge)
Three remarkable individuals overcame monumental obstacles to obtain amazing objectives. Featuring:
Antong Lucky, author of A Redemptive Path Forward: From Incarceration to a LInife of Activism;
Obed Silva, author of The Death of My Father the Pope;
Silvia Vasquez-Lavado, author of In the Shadow of the Mountain: A Memoir of Courage;
Jeff Hobbs, moderator.
YAY, YA! (South Hall)
Join us to hear Young Adult authors discuss writing for teens and the importance of books that empower them. Featuring:
Alexandria Overy, author of This Cursed Crown, among others;
Brandie June, author of Curse Undone and Gold Spun;
Carley Heath author of The Reckless Kind;
Dana Claire, author of The Awakening and The Connection;
Naz Kutub, author of The Loophole;
Zabe Ellor, moderator.
Modern Love: Romance Writing & Updating Tropes (Fellowship Hall)
How to keep up to suit today’s readers. Featuring:
Tessa Dare, author of series: Castles Everauthro After, Girl Meets Duke, and Spindle Cove;
Sarah Kuhn, author of series: Barbie, Clueless, Heroine Complex, and Riverdale Diaries;
Minerva Spencer, author most recently of Infamous and The Arrangement;
Rebekah Weatherspoon, moderator.
NOTE: See site for complete schedule, locations, and event details.
Where: Pasadena Presbyterian Church
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Address: 585 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://litfestpasadena.org/schedule/
LitFest Pasadena Festival 2022: 5th Day Events at Vroman’s Bookstore Courtyard Events– In-Person Events
Join the LitFest Pasadena Festival for the 5th day of events, to be held at various downtown Pasadena locations, including Vroman’s Bookstore Courtyard Events.
2:00 pm – 2:40 pm:
Pasadena Rose Poets
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm:
Zephyr Poets
Pasadena Rose Poets:
Teresa Mei Chuc, Kate Gale, Gerda Govine Huarte, and Carla Sameth
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm:
Zephyr Poets:
Mary Angelino, Armine Iknadossian, Arthur Kayzakian, Shana Monkerian, and Alene Terzian-Zeitounian.
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm:
East Pasadena Poets:
Linda Dove, Mary Fitzpatrick, Genevieve Kaplan, Elline Lipkin, Lois P. Jones, and Cathie Sandstrom.
4:35 – 5:35 pm:
Daniel A. Olivas, Bobby Johnson, Elise Tervalon, Elan Barnehama, Sehba Sarwar, and traci-kato-kiriyama.
5:30 pm – 6:10 pm:
Poets in Distress:
Johnny “Brutus Bender, Raundi Moore-Kondo, Tina Pasadena, and Fireball Rouse
NOTE: See site for complete schedule, locations, and event details.
Where: Vroman’s Bookstore – Courtyard
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://litfestpasadena.org/schedule/
LitFest Pasadena Festival 2022: 5th Day Events at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Join the LitFest Pasadena Festival for the 5th day of events, to be held at various downtown Pasadena locations, including Vroman’s Bookstore.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm:
Eating Our Words: (at Vroman’s)
What better worlds to explore for the fiction writer than those involving food and drink? Featuring:
Colleen Dunn Bates, Longtime food wirtier and former publisher of Prospect Park Books, moderator.
Kim Faye, author of Love and Saffron: A Novel of Friendship, Food, and Love;
Michelle Huneven, author most recently of Search: A Novel;
J. Ryan Straydal, author of The Lager Queen of Minnesota and Kitchens of the Great Midwest;
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm:
California Dreaming and Scheming (at Vroman’s)
On this panel five California writers discuss the effect of this imaginary land on their worlds and lives: Featuring:
Mary Camarillo, author of The Lockhart Women;
Dana Johnson, author of In the Not Quite Dark, Elsewhere, California, and Break Any Woman Down;
Mary Kuryla, author of Away to Stay;
J. Ryan Straydal, author of The Lager Queen of Minnesota and Kitchen Gods of the Midwest.
Lou Matthews, moderator.
7:00 om – 8:00 pm:
Congressman Adam Schiff in conversation with Larry Wilson, Public Editor of the Pasadena Star-News.
Adam Schiff is the U.S. Representative for California’s 28th Congressional District and led the first Impeachment of Donald J Trump. He ids the author of Midnight in Washington, which is as engaging and enlightened as the Congressman himself.
NOTE: See site for complete schedule, locations, and event details.
Where: Vroman’s Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 3 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://litfestpasadena.org/schedule/
Christopher Soto Reading and Book Signing
This debut poetry collection demands the abolition of policing and human caging. In Diaries of a Terrorist, Christopher Soto uses the “we” pronoun to emphasize that police violence happens not only to individuals, but to whole communities. His poetics open the imagination towards possibilities of existence beyond the status quo. Soto asks, “Who do we call terrorist, & why”? These political surrealist poems shift between gut-wrenching vulnerability, laugh-aloud humor, and unapologetic queer punk raunchiness. Diaries of a Terrorist is groundbreaking in its ability to speak—from a local to a global scale—about one of the most important issues of our time.
NOTE: Pre-order a signed copy of Christopher Soto: Diaries of A Terrorist
Where: ARTBOOK @ Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 2 pm – 3 pm
Address: 917 East 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Saturday Afternoon Poetry & Deep Critique Workshop with G.T. Foster – Online Event via Zoom
Join us at Saturday Afternoon Poetry for a Deep Critique Workshop with G.T. Foster. (Submit up to 3 poems totaling no more than 150 lines for Spectrum Online Edition: May Flower by emailing donkingfishercampbell@gmail.com by 11:59pm, May 21st)
All events are curated by Don Kingfisher Campbell.
Where: Saturday Afternoon Poetry via Zoom
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: Online (see site)
Website: http://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/
P. David Ebersole & 99 Miles From L.A. at Book Soup – Online Event via Zoom
Join us to hear author P. David Ebersole present 99 Mile From L.A., a hard-bolied crime story with a bi-sexual love triangle peppered with double-crosses. A music professor, an unhappily married woman, and a buried fortune all come together in a desperate search for the American dream.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 3 pm – 4 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/p-david-ebersole
Archival Intimacies: Evening of Poetry and Song – In-Person
ONE Archives at USC Libraries invites you to join us for Archival Intimacies: Evening of Poetry and Song, hosted in partnership with our current exhibition, Archival Intimacies: Queering South/East Asian Diasporas.
In the spirit of Satrang’s “Coming Out, Coming Home” writing workshop first held in 2006, the legacy of literature being key to queer community-making continues through our first event of the night: outdoor readings from three poets and writers, Fatimah Asghar, Jhani Randhawa, and Christine Imperial. Chairs will be provided, but please feel free to bring blankets for sitting in the grass.
Our evening’s second feature includes a collaborative concert performed by Bitter Party and Prima Jalichandra-Sakuntabhai. Their performance will present the results of their collaboration to trace Asian diasporic histories through song, including one brand-new composition and remastered versions of Bitter Party’s tracks from their 2019 album Ghost Pop, complete with live readings, field recordings, and overhead projections that animate the running motifs from Prima’s works featured in Archival Intimacies.
Where: One National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the USC Libraries
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 5:30 pm – 8 pm
Adress: 909 West Adams Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007
AAPI Poetry Reading: Teresa Mei Chuc, SoulStuf, Ravina Wadhwani, Ellen Webre at Sims Library of Poetry – In-Person Event
Please join Sims Library of Poetry to hear an AAPI Poetry Reading, featuring:
Teresa Mei Chuc was born in Sài Gòn, Việt Nam and immigrated to the U.S. as a refugee with her mother and brother shortly after the American war in Việt Nam War while her father, who had served in the Army of the Republic of Việt Nam, remained in a Viet Cong “reeducation” prison camp for nine years. Poet Laureate Emerita of Altadena, California (Editor-in-Chief) 2018-2020 and a member of the Pasadena Rose Poets, Teresa Mei Chuc is the author of three collections of poetry, Red Thread (Fithian Press, 2012 & republished by Shabda Press, 2021), Keeper of the Winds (FootHills Publishing, 2014) and Invisible Light (Many Voices Press, 2018). Her new poetry chapbook, You, Fire, is forthcoming from Hummingbird Press. Teresa teaches literature and writing at a public high school in Los Angeles.
SoulSTUF N/A
Ravina Wadhwani is a Los Angeles CA based poet who was born and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Ravina is the author of YELLOW– a collection of poetry & prose recently published through World Stage Press. Ravina is active in the Community Literature Initiative (CLI) community as a faculty and alum as well as AIM4the Heart & Never Speak Long Beach. Ravina has performed at multiple stages on the West & East Coast and believes poetry is a tool to connect heart, mind & voice for collective healing & social change. You can find her debut collection on WorldStagePress.Org
Ellen Webre is the author of A Burning Lake of Paper Suns (Moon Tide Press).
NOTE: See site for tickets and event details.
Where: Sims Library of Poetry
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 2702 W. Florence Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90043
Website: https://www.simslibraryofpoetry.org/event-details/aapi-poetry-show
Book Launch: Allison Hedge Coke, with Shonda Buchanan, & Look at This Blue at Beyond Baroque – In-Person Event
Interweaving elegy, indictment, and hope into a love letter to California, Look at This Blue examines America’s genocidal past and present to warn of a future threatened by mass extinction and climate peril. Truths about what we have lost and have yet to lose permeate this book-length poem by American Book Award winner and Fulbright scholar Allison Hedge Coke. An assemblage of historical record and lyric fragments, these poems form a taxonomy of threatened lives—human, plant, and animal—in a century marked by climate emergency. Look at This Blue insists upon a reckoning with and redress of America’s continuing violence toward Earth and its peoples.
The author will be joined by renowned poet and literary activist Shonda Buchanan, author of the award-winning memoir Black Indian, for a live reading at Beyond Baroque. The reading will be followed by a reception sponsored by Coffee House Press.
NOTE: See site for event details.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90201
Obsidian Tongue/Open Mic Night & Gina Duran at Café con Libros Press – In-Person Event
Join Café con Libros and host Ceasar Aguilar for Obsidian Tongue/Open Mic Night every 2nd Saturday evening, 7:30 – 9 pm.
This event welcomes special guests and Open Mic readers and celebrates the spoken word, through music, poetry and story. Gina Duran, author of …and Then the Wind Was Born, is our featured poet tonight.
NOTE: See Site for details.
Where: Café con Libros Press
Date: Saturday the 14th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9 pm
Address: 280 2nd St., Pomona, CA 91766
Website: https://cafeconlibrospress.org/event-calendar/
Maria Sanchez, with Curtis Bauer, & Land Of Women at Skylight Bookstore – Online Event
Author Maria Sanchez, in conversation with author Curtis Bauer, will present and discuss her book, Land of Women.
María Sánchez is obsessed with what she cannot see. As a field veterinarian following in the footsteps of generations before her, she travels the countryside of Spain bearing witness to a life eroding before her eyes—words, practices, and people slipping away because of depopulation, exploitation of natural resources, inadequate environmental policies, and development encroaching on farmland and villages. Sánchez, the first woman in her family to dedicate herself to what has traditionally been a male-dominated profession, rebuffs the bucolic narrative of rural life often written by—and for consumption by—people in cities, describing the multilayered social complexity of people who are proud, resilient, and often misunderstood.
Sánchez interweaves family stories of three generations with reflections on science and literature. She focuses especially on the often dismissed and undervalued generations of women who have forgone education and independence to work the land and tend to family. In doing so, she asks difficult questions about gender equity and labor. Part memoir and part rural feminist manifesto, Land of Women acknowledges the sacrifices of Sánchez’s female ancestors who enabled her to become the woman she is.
NOTE: See site for link, book purchase, and details.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 157h
Time: 12 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Ideas Aubrey Birthday Bash & Poetry Reading Reading at My Place Café – In-Person Event
Join amazing poet Ideas Aubrey to celebrate his birthday! Don’t miss it!
Special appearances and readings by Ashton Cynthis Clark and Jesse Tovar.
NOTE: See Site for details.
Where: My Place Café
Date: Sunday the 15th
Time: 1 pm – 3 pm
Address: 2057 N. Los Robles Ave., Unit #10, Pasadena, CA 91104
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/674888306912819
Open House Celebration & Re-Opening Exhibit: Place and Purpose at Cielo Galleries/Studio – In-Person Event
Join artist and curator Skira Martinez and other artists who will gather to celebrate the gallery re-opening, assemblage art, and to view her current exhibit, Place and Purpose.
There will be food, music, and an Open Mic, as well as children’s art areas.
NOTE: See Site for details.
Where: Cielo Galleries/Studio
Date: Sunday the 15th
Time: 1 pm – 8 pm
Address: 3201 Maple Ave., Los Angeles CA
Website: https://www.facebook.com/cielogalleriesstudios
Sunday Workshop with Luivette Resto at The Poetry Lab – Online Event
Join poet and author and poet Luivette Resto for a Sunday Writing Workshop online at the Poetry Lab.
This is a one-time generative writing workshop offered as part of The Poetry Lab’s Sunday Series.
Luivette Resto, a mother, teacher, poet, and Wonder Woman fanatic, was born in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico but proudly raised in the Bronx. Her two books of poetry Unfinished Portrait and Ascension have been published by Tía Chucha Press. Some of her latest work can be found on the University of Arizona’s Poetry Center website, Bozalta, Spillway, and North American Review.
Her third poetry collection is titled Living on Islands Not Found on Maps (FlowerSong Press). She lives in the San Gabriel Valley with her three children aka her revolutionaries.
NOTE: See Site for details.
Where: The Poetry Lab
Date: Sunday the 15th
Time: 1 pm – 4 pm
Address: Online (sees site)
Website: https://www.thepoetrylab.com/register/sunday-series/luivetteresto
Next Words: CalArts MFA 2022 Reading at Poetic Research Bureau – In-Person Event
Join the CalArts MFA 2022 class for an afternoon of student reading, art and performances, and to launch the anthology, [of lust] rubber, which will be for sale.
Featuring: Aaron Joseph, Jen D’Mello, Jennie E. Park, jimmy vega, Josh Wolpert, Julia Sáenz Lorduy, Nikki Ochoa, Rosa Evangelina (Beltrán), z.No Scott, and Anthony Garcia.
NOTE: See Site for details.
Where: Poetic Research Bureau
Date: Sunday the 15th
Time: 2 pm – 6 pm
Address: 2220 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057
Website: https://www.poeticresearch.com/events/next-words
David Allen & 100 Years of the Los Angeles County Fair, 25 Years of Stories at Café con Libros Press – In-Person Event
Join Café con Libros to hear author David Allen discuss his book, 100 Years of the Los Angeles County Fair, 25 Years of Stories.
In this book the author gathers together every story, column, feature, concert review and observation he wrote about the Fair for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin from 1998 on, a chronicle of events and traditions of this iconic annual celebration.
NOTE: See Site for details.
Where: Café con Libros Press
Date: Sunday the 15th
Time: 2 pm – 3:30 pm
Address: 280 2nd St., Pomona, CA 91766
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/404779031492642
Poetry Author Meet & Greet Extravaganza at The Book Jewel – In-Person Event
Join us for a Meet and Greet with storyteller poets & authors from Alegria and FlowerSong Presses including:
Gina Duran, author of …and So the Wind Was Born;
Natalie Sierra, author of Medusa;
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda, author of Flashes & Verses;
Jean-Pierre Rueda, author of HERENCIAS;
Faby Ryan, author of Always Carry Me With You;
Karen Moreno Scott, author of Ascension of a Woman;
NOTE: See Site for details.
Where: The Book Jewel Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 15th
Time: 3 pm – 4:30 pm
Address: 6259 W. 87th St., Los Angeles, CA 90045
Website: https://www.thebookjewel.com
Elizabeth Day, with Samantha Irby, & Magpie at Book Soup – Online Event via Zoom
Join us to hear author Elizabeth Day, in conversation with Samantha Irby, present and discuss her book Magpie.
This book is a taut, psychological suspense novel about a perfect couple and their seemingly perfect roommate—that is, until she threatens to destroy everything they’ve tried so hard to create.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Sunday the 15th
Time: 3 pm – 4 pm
Address: Online (see site)
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/elizabeth-day-conversation-samantha-irby-discusses-magpie
Beatnik Café Poetry Readings and Open Mic with Hey Hey and Hannah Pachman – In-Person Event
Join us for Beatnik Café and Poetry Open Mic to hear truth from lesser heard perspectives and to share either two poems by you or other poets you respect. Consider using the prompts provided at site. Write a poem about something that has one million names.
Schedule as follows:
3:50-4 pm – Open Mic Sign Up
4-4:10 pm – Intro
4:10- 4:30 pm – Maestro Gamin Reading
4:30- 4:50 pm – Julia Knobloch Reading
4:50- 5:50 pm – Poetry Open Mic (3 minutes per poet)
5:50- 6 pm – Close
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Hey Hey Tea House & Common Room & Hanna Pachman
Date: Sunday the 15th
Time: 4 pm – 6 pm
Address: 1555 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/484077453471935
Book Launch: A Place at the Nayarit by Natalia Molina at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event
Join us to hear author and USC professor Natalia Molina, in conversation with Jesus Sanchez, present and discuss her book A Place at the Nayarit.
In 1951, Doña Natalia Barraza opened the Nayarit, a Mexican restaurant in Echo Park, Los Angeles. With A Place at the Nayarit, historian Natalia Molina traces the life’s work of her grandmother, Doña Natalia, who immigrated alone from Mexico to L.A., adopted two children, and ran a successful business. She also sponsored, housed, and employed dozens of other immigrants. Together, the employees and customers of the Nayarit maintained ties to their old homes while providing one another safety and support.
NOTE: See Site for guidelines and details.
Where: Stories LA Books & Cafe
Date: Sunday the 15th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
Los Angeles Literature 