NOTE: There Are Both Online and Virtual Events Listed Here
Philosophical Horror Book Club: RINGS (Rings Trilogy) at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join the Philosophical Horror Book Club to discuss the book, RINGS (Rings trilogy), by Koji Suzuki.
A mysterious videotape warns that the viewer will die in one week unless a certain, unspecified act is performed. Exactly one week after watching the tape, four teenagers die one after another of heart failure.
Asakawa, a hardworking journalist, is intrigued by his niece’s inexplicable death. His investigation leads him from a metropolitan Tokyo teeming with modern society’s fears to a rural Japan–a mountain resort, a volcanic island, and a countryside clinic–haunted by the past. His attempt to solve the tape’s mystery before it’s too late–for everyone–assumes an increasingly deadly urgency. Ring is a chillingly told horror story, a masterfully suspenseful mystery, and post-modern trip.
The success of Koji Suzuki’s novel the Ring has led to manga, television and film adaptations in Japan, Korea, and the U.S.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, book purchase, guidelines, and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Monday the 18th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 5225 Canyon Crest Dr., Suite 30A, Riverside, CA 92507
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/philosophical-horror-book-club-rings
Main Library Book Discussion Group: The Vanishing Half at Santa Monica Main Library, SMPL – Online Event
The Main Library Book Discussion Group will meet for a community discussion of this month’s selection, The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett.
This story is about Black twin sisters, whose skin is so light they can pass for white, and what happens when they take different life paths.
Contact jeff.schwartz@santamonica.gov for the Zoom link.
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Santa Monica Main Library, SMPL
Date: Monday the 18th
Time: 7 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: http://calendar.smgov.net/library/eventsignup.asp?ID=33894
Book Talk & Signing: Nikki Erlick, with Caroline Frost, & The Measure at Chevalier’s Books – In-Person Event
Nikki Erlick, in conversation with Caroline Frost, will discuss her blockbuster debut novel, THE MEASURE.
Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice. It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out. But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live.
From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise? As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?
The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything. Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is a sweeping, ambitious, and invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.
NOTE: See site for book purchases, guidelines and details.
Where: Chevalier’s Bookstore
Date: Monday the 18th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Conner Habib & Hawk Mountain at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Join us to hear author Conner Habib present and discuss his novel, Hawk Mountain.
Single father Todd is relaxing at the beach with his son, Anthony, when he catches sight of a man approaching from the water’s edge. As the man draws closer, Todd recognizes him as Jack, who bullied Todd relentlessly in their teenage years but now seems overjoyed to have “run into” his old friend. Jack suggests a meal to catch up. And can he spend the night?
What follows is a fast-paced story of obsession and cunning. As Jack invades Todd’s life, pain and intimidation from the past unearth knife-edge suspense in the present. Set in a small town on the New England coast, Conner Habib’s debut introduces characters trapped in isolation by the expansive woods and the encroaching ocean, their violence an expression of repressed desire and the damage it can inflict. Both gruesome and tender, Hawk Mountain offers a compelling look at how love and hate are indissoluble, intertwined until the last breath.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Monday the 18th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/conner-habib-discusses-hawk-mountain
At Skylight: Sarah Gailey, with Mallory O’Meara, & Just Like Home at Skylight Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join us to hear author Sarah Gailey, in conversation with Malory O’Meara, discuss their new gothic thriller, Just Like Home.
“Come home.” Vera’s mother called and Vera obeyed. In spite of their long estrangement, in spite of the memories — she’s come back to the home of a serial killer. Back to face the love she had for her father and the bodies he buried there, beneath the house he’d built for his family.
Coming home is hard enough for Vera, and to make things worse, she and her mother aren’t alone. A parasitic artist has moved into the guest house out back and is slowly stripping Vera’s childhood for spare parts. He insists that he isn’t the one leaving notes around the house in her father’s handwriting…but who else could it possibly be?
There are secrets yet undiscovered in the foundations of the notorious Crowder House. Vera must face them and find out for herself just how deep the rot goes.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Monday the 18th
Time: 7 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-sarah-gailey-presents-just-home-mallory-omeara
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 nonfiction and done readings with the Ventura Poetry Project.
Where: Beyond Baroque – Online event (tickets at Eventbrite) (check to verify)
Date: Monday the 18th
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: Zoom Online
Website: https://beyondbaroque.org/free_workshops.html (check to verify) or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/monday-night-fiction-workshop-tickets-377566119427
Laura Chin, with Kristin Arnett, & Acne at Book Soup – Online Event
Join us to hear author Laura Chin, in conversation with Kristin Arnett, present and discuss her new novel, Acne: A Memoir.
Despite having dirty-blonde hair and fair skin, Laura Chin is mixed-race: the daughter of a Black father and a white mother, which on its own makes for some funny and insightful looks at identity. Laura’s parents were both Scientologists and nonconformists in myriad ways. They divorced early in Laura’s childhood, and she spent her teen years ping-ponging back and forth between Clearwater, Florida, and Los Angeles (with an extended stint in Tijuana for good measure).
Laura lived alone and raised herself for long periods of time, but don’t worry! Her mom’s alcoholic boyfriend was always nearby to supervise. She also lost family members to horrific tragedies, started drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes when she was eleven years old, and dropped out of school when she was fifteen, all the while completely obsessed with and scarred by her severe acne condition.
This is not a sad story. There is Jell-O wrestling. There is an abnormal amount of dancing. There is information about whether you can drink gallons of sangria while taking unregulated Accutane acquired in Mexico. But mostly there is love, and ultimately there is redemption. Laura explores her trauma through anecdotes riddled with grit and humor, proving that in the face of unspeakable tragedy, it is possible to find success, love, and self-acceptance, zits and all.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Tuesday the 19th
Time: 6 pm
Address: Online even (see site)
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/virtual-laura-chinn-conversation-kristin-arnett-discusses-acne-memoir
Classic Detectives Book Club: The Siamese Twin Mystery at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join the Classic Detectives Book Club to discuss the book, The Siamese Twin Mystery, by Ellery Queen.
When Ellery Queen and his father encounter a raging forest fire during a mountain drive, the only direction to go is up—up a winding dirt road that leads to an isolated hillside manor, inhabited by a secretive surgeon and his diverse cast of guests. Trapped by the fire, the Queens settle into the uneasy atmosphere of their surroundings. Things become even more tense the following morning when the doctor is discovered dead, apparently shot down while playing solitaire the night before.
The only clue is a torn six of spades. The suspects include a society beauty, a suspicious valet, and a pair of conjoined twins. When another murder follows, the killer inside the house becomes as threatening as the mortal flames outside its walls. Faced with a complex set of alibis, motives, and evidence, Ellery Queen must rely on his powers of deduction and logic to uncover the murderer’s identity—but can he solve this whodunnit before the fire devours its subjects?
NOTE: See site for RSVP, book purchase, guidelines, and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 19th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 5225 Canyon Crest Dr., Suite 30A, Riverside, CA 92507
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/classic-detectives-book-club-siamese-twin-mystery
Book Talk: Dan Harary, with Ron Mulligan, & Flirting with Fame – In-Person Event
Join Chevalier’s for a book talk with author Don Harary, in conversation with Ron Mulligan, discuss his new book, Flirting with Fame
In this book a Hollywood publicist recalls 50 years of celebrity close encounters.
Dan Harary is a veteran Hollywood publicist and the owner of The Asbury PR Agency of Beverly Hills. A native of Asbury Park, New Jersey, Dan graduated from Boston University and worked briefly at Columbia Pictures in New York, before relocating to Los Angeles in late 1980. Since that time, he has held in-house staff positions with the American Film Institute, The Playboy Channel, Columbia Pictures Television, and two very prominent entertainment PR agencies, before launching his own company, The Asbury PR Agency, in 1996. To date, Dan has represented many hundreds of entertainment industry companies, individuals, films/TV shows, award shows and events covering every facet of the entertainment business; he also represents the famous Musso & Frank Restaurant in Hollywood. Dan lives in Beverly Hills and is the father of an adult daughter – Anjuli Harary – a former employee of Chevalier’s!
NOTE: See site for book purchases, guidelines and details.
Where: Chevalier’s Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 19th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Village Well Book Club & Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead at Village Well Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join the Village Well Book Club to discuss this month’s selection, Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, by Emily Austin.
Gilda, a twenty-something, atheist, animal-loving lesbian, cannot stop ruminating about death. Desperate for relief from her panicky mind and alienated from her repressive family, she responds to a flyer for free therapy at a local Catholic church, and finds herself being greeted by Father Jeff, who assumes she’s there for a job interview. Too embarrassed to correct him, Gilda is abruptly hired to replace the recently deceased receptionist Grace.
In between trying to memorize the lines to Catholic mass, hiding the fact that she has a new girlfriend, and erecting a dirty dish tower in her crumbling apartment, Gilda strikes up an email correspondence with Grace’s old friend. She can’t bear to ignore the kindly old woman who has been trying to reach her friend through the church inbox, but she also can’t bring herself to break the bad news. Desperate, she begins impersonating Grace via email. But when the police discover suspicious circumstances surrounding Grace’s death, Gilda may have to finally reveal the truth of her mortifying existence.
NOTE: See site for book purchase, guidelines and event details.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Tuesday the 19th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90323
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/18559
Non-Fiction Book Club & The Impossible City at Pages Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join the Non-Fiction Book Club to discuss this month’s selection, The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir, by Karen Cheung.
This debut book is a boldly rendered—and deeply intimate—account of Hong Kong today, from a resilient young woman whose stories explore what it means to survive in a city teeming with broken promises.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and event details.
Where: Pages Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 19th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/non-fiction-book-club-4
Benjamin Villegas Presents: EL PASO: A Punk Story at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event
In 2015, Benjamin Villegas traveled to Texas, in an attempt to write the biography of a music group that could have changed the history of rock: ELPASO, a long-since defunct Chicano band from the U.S.-Mexico border with a punk sensibility and little left to remember it by but a suitcase of fanzines and one-off recordings.
This is the story of one of the many bands that will never appear in rock n’ roll history books but are at the core of the scene; a band that earned its stripes from sweaty fans and self-taught rock aficionados in basements, garages, and small venues across the country. This is the story of two kids who came together to embrace the punk ethos of the 80’s and be a part of the rock n’ roll revolution sweeping the US, a world of the Ramones, Black Flag, and, of course, ELPASO.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and event details.
Where: Stories Books & Café
Date: Tuesday the 19th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
At Skylight: Liska Jacobs, with Karolina Waclawiak, & The Pink Hotel: A Novel – In-Person Event
Liska Jacobs, in conversation with Karolina Waclawiak, will discuss her book, The Pink Hotel: A Novel.
Confined to an opulent Beverly Hills hotel during a raging wildfire, a young couple is caught in the escalating tension between the wealthy guests and the staff, in Liska Jacobs’s blistering, dark social satire, The Pink Hotel.
Newlyweds Keith and Kit Collins can hardly believe their luck when the general manager of the iconic, opulent Pink Hotel invites them to come for a luxurious stay as a bid to hire Keith. Kit loves their small-town life, but Keith has always wanted more, and the glittering, lily-scented lobby makes him feel right at home.
Soon after their arrival, wildfires sweep through the surrounding mountains and Los Angeles becomes a pressure cooker, with riots breaking out across the city amid rolling blackouts. The Pink Hotel closes its doors to “outsiders,” and Keith and Kit find themselves confined with an anxious, disgruntled staff and a growing roster of eccentric, ultra-wealthy, dangerously idle guests who flock to the hotel for sanctuary, company, and entertainment.
The Pink Hotel exposes a tenuous class system within its walls, full of insurmountable expectations and unspoken resentments, which deteriorate as the city burns. In her barbed, provocative new novel, Liska Jacobs explores the corrosive nature of greed and interrogates the notion of true love, while hurtling readers toward certain disaster.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 19th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-liska-jacobs-presents-pink-hotel-karolina-waclawiak
The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic with Iván Salinas – Virtual Zoom Event
The Virtual Cobalt Poets Series, presented by Rick Lupert via Zoom, will feature an Open Reading and guest Iván Salinas.
Iván Salinas is an undocumented poet born in Ciudad de México. He immigrated to the San Fernando Valley when he was ten years old to reunite with his family. He received a BA in English, Creative Writing, from Cal State Northridge where he was involved in student organizations advocating for quality of education that addresses racism and social justice. He’s continued his work with several organizations outside of academia including Otros Dreams en Acción and The Social Impact Center. His work has appeared in Backlash Lit, Curious Publishing, Drifter Zine, Dryland, and La Raíz Magazine. He is the current Programs Coordinator at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center. Iván lives in Panorama City with Madi and their dog Rocket.
NOTE: Details and Zoom link at event link.
Where: Cobalt Poets – Online Zoom Event
Date: Tuesday the 19th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: http://poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/calendar.html or https://www.facebook.com/events/1515778978820535/
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.
Summer is officially here and we’re back home EVERY TUESDAY.
$10 donation. Do NOT lineup prior to 7:30 p.m. Free parking adjacent to theatre.
See sites for details.
Where: DA Poetry Lounge
Date: Tuesday the 19th 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 19th
Time: 9 pm – 12 am
Address: 5205 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, CA
Website: Facebook
Coffee Time Book Club & Three by Valerie Perrin at Pages Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join the Coffee Time Book Club to discuss this month’s selection, Three by Valerie Perrin.
From the international bestselling author of Fresh Water for Flowers, a beautifully told and suspenseful story about the ties that bind us and the choices that make us who we are.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and event details.
Where: Pages Bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 10 am
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/coffee-time-book-club-7
Book Club Discussion: H Is for Hawk at Granada Hills Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
The Book Club discussion group discussion meets monthly and we will discuss the July selection, H Is for Hawk, by Helen McDonald.
This fascinating memoir is nominally about the author’s grieving the loss of her father, but it is also story of adopting and raising one of nature’s most vicious predators. This debut book soared into the hearts of millions of readers worldwide.
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Granada Hills Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 20th
Time: 1:30 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-discussion-h-hawk
Tween Book Club: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at Panorama City Branch Library, LAPL – Online Kids Event
The Tween Book Club (ages 9-12) discussion group meets monthly, and we will discuss next the July selection, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis.
We will also share other books you have read, and get new reading recommendations!
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Panorama City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 20th
Time: 4 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/tween-book-club-lion-witch-and-wardrobe
Good Trouble Book Club: Jewish American Poetry at Edendale Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
The Good Trouble Book Club discussion group meets monthly with Dr. Andrea Liss via Zoom, and we will discuss the July selection, a selection of Hewish poetry form anthologies available through the L.A. Public Library.
The Good Trouble Reading Group shares books that engage themes of social justice with love and family at their core. Dr. Andrea Liss, an Echo Park resident, is Professor Emerita of Visual Culture and Cultural Theory at California State University San Marcos. Her teaching and research focus on feminist visual culture and writing, visual art and photography related to historical events and representations of social justice particularly through the work of African American women.
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Edendale Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 20th
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/good-trouble-reading-group-jewish-poetry
Middle Grade Book Club & The Ice Cream Machine by Adam Rubin at Pages Bookstore – In-Person MG Event
Join the Middle Grade Book Club to discuss this month’s selection, The Ice Cream Machine by Adam Rubin.
World War I stretches its cruel fingers across Europe, where five young people, each from different backgrounds and nations, face the terror of battle, the deprivations of hunger, and all the awful challenges of war.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and event details.
Where: Pages Bookstore – in the Courtyard
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 4:30 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/middle-grade-book-club-7
Book Club for Adults: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous at Studio City Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
The Adult Book Club discussion group meets monthly online, and we will discuss the July selection, poet Ocean Vuong’s debut collection On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 20th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/adult-book-club
Sona Movesesian & The World’s Worst Assistant via Book Soup & Spaceland – Off-site Live Event
Join us to hear author Sona Movesian, Conan O’Brien’s assistant ans podcast co-host, present her book The World’s Worst Assistant.
Conan O’Brien’s assistant and podcast co-host, Sona Movsesian didn’t wake up one day and decide to become the World’s Worst Assistant. Achieving such greatness is a gradual process–one that starts with long hours and hard work before it eventually descends into sneaking low-dosage edibles into your lunch and napping on your boss’s couch.
With a forward from Conan O’Brien, The World’s Worst Assistant is populated with hysterical black-and-white illustrations, comics, and more. It’s a mixture of how-tos (like How to Nap at Work and How to Watch TV at Your Desk), tips for becoming untouchable (like memorizing social security and credit card numbers and endearing yourself to friends and family), and incredible personal stories from Sona’s twelve years spent working for Conan that put their adorable closeness and professional dysfunction on display. In these pages, Sona will explain her descent from eager, hard-working, ambitious, detail-orientated assistant to self-awarded title-holder for the worst in history.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, tickets, and details.
Where: Book Soup Off-site at Regent Theater
Date: Wednesday the 20th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 448 S. Mian St., Los Angeles, CA 90013
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/book-soup-spaceland-presents-sona-movsesian
At Skylight: Chelsea T. Hicks & A Calm and Normal Heart: Stories via Skylight Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join us to hear authors Chelsea T, Hicks present anddiscuss her new book: A Clam and Normal Heart: Stories.
From Oklahoma to California, the heroes of A Calm & Normal Heart are modern-day adventurers—seeking out new places to call their own inside a nation to which they do not entirely belong. A member of the Osage tribe, author Chelsea T. Hicks’ stories are compelled by an overlooked diaspora happening inside America itself: that of young Native people.
In stories like “Superdrunk,” “Tsexope,” and “Wets’a,” iPhone lifestyles co-mingle with ancestral connection, strengthening relationships or pushing people apart, while generational trauma haunts individual paths. Broken partnerships and polyamorous desire signal a fraught era of modern love, even as old ways continue to influence how people assess compatibility. And in “By Alcatraz,” a Native student finds herself alone on campus over Thanksgiving break, seeking out new friendships during a national holiday she does not recognize. Leaping back in time, “A Fresh Start Ruined” inhabits the life of Florence, an Osage woman attempting to hide her origins while social climbing in midcentury Oklahoma. And in “House of RGB” a young professional settles into a new home, intent on claiming her independence after a break-up, even if her ancestors can’t seem to get out of her way.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 20th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-chelsea-t-hicks-presents-calm-and-normal-heart
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 20th
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 20th
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-377565888737
Flight School Open Mic Has Returned! at Playground Hookah Lounge – In-Person Event
Join us for the return of the weekly Flight School Open Mic, offered every Wednesday from 8pm – 12pm.
All arts are welcome: singing, dance, poetry, improv, comedy, music, and we learn to fly together, all balanced by host O. Smith and a full live band and DJ D-Major.
$10 Entry at the door. $8 tickets at Eventbrite.
NOTE: Check site for further details, updates, and information.
Where: Flight School Open Mic at the Playground
Date: Wednesday the 20th
Time: 8 pm – 12 am
Address: 630 N. La Brea Ave., Inglewood, CA 90302
Website: https://losangelesliterature.wordpress.com/2022/06/22/flight-school-open-mic-is-back/ or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/flight-school-open-mic-tickets-362732892847?aff=erelpanelorg
Poetry Reading & Open Mic by Two Idiots Peddling Poetry & Matt Sedillo at The Ugly Mug – In-Person Event
Join Ben Trigg and Two Idiots Peddling Poetry at the Ugly Mug on Wednesday Night.
The format is to welcome a featured poet for a reading, and an Open Mic reading. Tonight’s featured event features poet Matt Sedillo.
The political poet Matt Sedillo has been described as the “best political poet in America” as well as “the poet laureate of the struggle”. His work has drawn comparisons in print to Bertolt Brecht, Roque Dalton, Amiri Baraka, Alan Ginsberg and various other legends of the past. Sedillo was the recipient of the 2017 Joe Hill Labor Poetry award, a panelist at the 2020 Texas book festival, and a participant in the 2011 San Francisco International Poetry Festival, the 2022 Elba Poetry Festival. Sedillo has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Axios, the Associated Press among other publications. Sedillo has spoken at Casa de las Americas in Havana, Cuba, at numerous conferences and forums such as the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education, the National Association of Chicana/Chicano Studies, the Left Forum, the US Social Forum, and at over a hundred universities and colleges, including the University of Cambridge, among many others. Matt Sedillo is the author of Mowing Leaves of Grass (FlowerSong Press, 2019) and City on the Second Floor (FlowerSong Press, 2022). Both of which are taught at universities throughout the country.
$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 20th
Time: 8 pm
Address: 261 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA 92866
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/2623047704495278
West L.A. Library Book Club & The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue via Wet Los Angeles Regional Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join the West L.A. Library Book Club to discuss this month’s selection, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab.
In the 1700s, Addie LaRue makes a deal with the devil—she will live forever, although her immortality comes with the curse of being forgotten by everyone. Addie moves through time and across continents; she learns to survive and even leave her mark on the world. Then one day she meets a man in a bookstore who remembers her name, and suddenly everything changes. This deeply satisfying and cinematic novel rivals contemporary classic The Time Traveler’s Wife in concept and scope. —Sarah Gelman, Amazon Book Review
NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and details.
Where: West L.A. Regional Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 21st
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: LAPL Online (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/west-la-library-book-club
Sci-Fi Book Club & “The Book of Martha” from Blood Child via Mark Twain Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join the West L.A. Library Book Club to discuss this month’s selection, “The Book of Martha, from her collection Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and details.
Where: Mark Twain Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 21st
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: LAPL Online (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/sci-fi-book-club-0
Sisters in Crime L.A. Author Panel via Studio City Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
The Studio City Branch Library and Sisters in Crime LA present a panel of authors to discuss “Mystery on the Menu: Authors Discuss All Things Mystery,” featuring: Sisters in Crime L.A. members, Beverly Graf, Linda O Johnston, Paula Bernstein, Ellen Byron, August Norman and Jacqueline Vick.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and details.
Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 21st
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: LAPL Online (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/sisters-crime-la-author-panel
Mystery Book Club: Thief of Souls at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join Mystery Book Club to discuss the book, Thief of Souls: An Inspector Lu Fei Mystery), by Brian Klingborg.
The brutal murder of a young woman in a rural village in Northern China sends shockwaves all the way to Beijing—but seemingly only Inspector Lu Fei, living in exile in the small town, is interested in justice for the victim.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, book purchase, guidelines, and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 21st
Time: 6 pm
Address: 5225 Canyon Crest Dr., Suite 30A, Riverside, CA 92507
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/mystery-book-club-thief-souls
Alison B. Hart, with Julia Phillips, & The Work Wife: A Novel at Skylight Bookstore – Online Event
Join us to hear Alison B. Hart, in conversation with Julia Phillips, discuss her book, The Work Wife: A Novel.
Zanne Klein never planned to be a personal assistant to Hollywood royalty Ted and Holly Stabler. But a decade in at thirty-eight, that’s exactly how she spends her days, earning six figures to make sure the movie mogul and his family have everything they could ever dream of and more.
However, today is no ordinary day at the Stabler estate. Tonight, everyone who’s anyone will be there for the Hollywood event of the season, and if the party’s a success, that chief of staff job Zanne’s been chasing may soon be hers. Which means she can buy a house, give her girlfriend the life she deserves, pay off her student loans.
But when Zanne realizes how deeply entangled she’s become in the Stablers’ world, she must decide if the sacrifices she’s made for the job are worth the moral price she has to pay.
Told over the course of a single day and from three fierce perspectives, The Work Wife is a richly observed novel about female ambition, complicity, privilege and what happens when the brightest of stars aren’t allowed to shine.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 21st
Time: 6 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/live-crowdcast-alison-b-hart-presents-work-wife-julia-phillips
Santa Monica Reads Book Discussion: Where I Was From at Montana Branch Library, SMPL – In-Person Event
The Santa Monica Reads Book Discussion will meet for a community discussion of this month’s selection, The Vanishing Half, by Joan Didion.
The great writer from California explores the state’s romances with land and water, its unacknowledged debts to railroads, aerospace, and big government, the disjunction between its code of individualism and its fetish for prisons.
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Montana Branch Library, SMPL
Date: Thursday the 21st
Time: 6 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: http://calendar.smgov.net/library/eventsignup.asp?ID=34154
Vicky Shorr & Mid-Air: Two Novellas via Book Soup – In-Person Event
Join us to hear author Vicky Shorr present and discuss her book, Mid-Air: Two Novellas.
Victoria Shorr’s remarkable gift for depicting the inner lives of complex characters shines in two powerful explorations of family, ambition, class, and status.
In “Great Uncle Edward,” a family gathers for dinner. At ninety-three, Great Uncle Edward commands the table in his three-piece suit; Cousin Russell attended both Harvard and Yale but is now reduced to selling off the family books; sisters Betty and Molly are caught between ghosts of a storied past and creeping destitution. These lives are signposts along the downward spiral of an old aristocracy. “Cleveland Auto Wrecking” introduces Sam White, an immigrant from eastern Europe. He cannot read but has a gift for math and an instinct for the value of junk. We follow his clan through the Depression to the postwar boom in the West, where their fortunes soar, creating new tests of loyalty.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and event details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Thursday the 21st
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/vicky-shorr-discusses-mid-air-two-novellas
Malcolm Nance & They Want to Kill Americans at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Join us to hear Malcolm Nance present and discuss his book, They Want to Kill Americans.
New York Times bestselling author, Malcolm Nance, offers a chilling warning on a clear, present and existential threat to our democracy… our fellow Americans.
To varying degrees, as many as 74 million Americans have expressed hostility towards American democracy. Their radicalization is increasingly visible in our day-to-day life: in neighbor’s or family member’s open discussion of bizarre conspiracy theories, reveling in the fantasy of mass murdering the liberals they believe are drinking the blood of children. These are the results of the deranged series of lies stoked by former President Donald Trump, made worse by the global pandemic.
The first steps of an American fracture were predicted by Malcolm Nance months before the January 6, 2021 insurrection, heralding the start of a generational terror threat greater than either al-Qaeda or the Islamic State. Nance calls this growing unrest the Trump Insurgency in the United States or TITUS.
The post-2020 election urge to return to a place of “normalcy”—to forget—is the worst response we can have. American militiamen, terrorists, and radicalized political activists are already armed in mass numbers and regularly missed in the media; principally because Trump’s most loyal and violent foot soldiers benefit from the ultimate privilege—being white.
They Want to Kill Americans is the first detailed look into the heart of the active Trump-led insurgency, setting the stage for a second nation-wide rebellion on American soil. This is a chilling and deeply researched early warning to the nation from a counterterrorism intelligence professional: America is primed for a possible explosive wave of terrorist attacks and armed confrontations that aim to bring about a Donald Trump led dictatorship.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines and event details.
Where: Vroman’s Off-site at Pasadena Presbyterian Church
Date: Thursday the 21st
Time: 7 pm
Address: 585 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
At Skylight: Jackson Bliss & Dream Pop Origami at Skylight Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join us to hear Jackson Bliss will discuss his book, Dream Pop Origami.
Dream Pop Origami is a beautiful, ambitious, interactive, and engrossing lyrical memoir about mixed-race identity, love, travel, AAPI masculinities, and personal metamorphosis. This experimental work of creative nonfiction examines, celebrates, and complicates what it means to be Asian and white, Nisei and hapa, Midwestern and Californian, Buddhist and American at the same time. In this stunning collection of choose-your-own-essays and autobiographical lists, multiracial identity is a counterpoint of memory, language, reflection, and imagination intersecting and interweaving into a coherent tapestry of text, emotion, and voice. A stylized, modern retelling of Sei Shōnagon’s Pillow Book
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 21st
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-jackson-bliss-presents-dream-pop-origami
Street Poets Presents: Community Open Mic with Rudy Francisco
Join us for an in-person Community Open Mic and to hear a performance and Q&A session with Rudy Francisco, hosted by Alyesha Wise, and interviewed by Barbara Fant.
Short workshop, facilitated by Matthew Cuban at 6pm.
FREE!
Some parking lot and street parking available.
Rudy Francisco is an American spoken word poet and author. He has won several poetry slams and written six books of poetry: Getting Stitches, Scratch, No Gravity, No Gravity Part II, Helium, and I’ll Fly Away. He made an appearance on TV One’s Verses and Flow and performed his spoken-word poem “Complainers” as well as “Rifle” on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Rudy is one of the most recognizable names in Spoken Word Poetry. He was born, raised and still resides in San Diego, California.
Where: Street Poets Inc.
Date: Thursday the 21st
Time: 7 pm
Address: 584 Mateo St., Los Angeles, CA
Website: https://www.facebook.com/StreetPoetsInc/photos/gm.1023174735005845/5910178335664910
Fos–Thursday & FOST Artistic Collective Presents: 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, with sign-ups open on Wednesday at 3pm.
NOTE: See site for cost, event details.
Where: Freedom of Speech (FOS) Open Mic – In-Person & Online IG event
Date: Thursday the 21st
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: 665 N. Heliotrope Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://www.instagram.com/fos_thursdays/
NoHo Book Club: Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven via North Hollywood Regional Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join us for the No Ho Book Club to read our selection Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight.
These twenty-four tales are narrated by characters raised on humiliation and government-issue cheese, and yet they are filled with passion and affection, myth and charm. Against a backdrop of addiction, car accidents, laughter, and basketball, Alexie depicts the distances between men and women, Indians and whites, reservation Indians and urban Indians, and, most poetically, modern Indians and the traditions of the past.in Heaven.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and event details.
Where: North Hollywood Regional Library, LAPL
Date: Friday the 22nd
Time: 10 am
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/noho-book-club
Your Author Series: Tyler Feder & Dancing at the Pit Party via Central Library, LAPL – Online YA Event
Join us for the Your Author Series to hear author Tyler Feder discuss her young adult graphic novel memoir, Dancing at the Pit Party, about the premature death of her super cool mom. This acclaimed graphic memoir has been called “cathartic and uplifting” as the author works through the process of grieving as well as being able to move forward.
Streaming live on the library’s YouTube channel.
Those attending the virtual program will have an opportunity to win a free book
NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and event details.
Where: Central Library, LAPL
Date: Friday the 15th
Time: 4 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/your-author-series-tracey-baptiste
2nd & 3rd Grade Book Club & Dungeoneer Adventures by Ben Costa and James Parks at Pages Bookstore – In-Person MG Event
Join the 2nd & 3rd Grade Book Club to discuss this month’s selection, Dungeoneer Adventures 1: Lost in the Mushroom Maze.
The Last Kids on Earth gets a fantasy twist in this exciting first book in a new, highly illustrated middle grade series about the adventures of a boy who’s the only human student at an academy for future explorers.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and event details.
Where: Pages Bookstore – in the Courtyard
Date: Friday the 22nd
Time: 4 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/2nd-and-3rd-grade-book-club-5
Black Lit Book Club: Libertie at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join Black Lit Book Club to discuss the book, Libertie: A Novel, by Kaitlyn Greenidge.
Coming of age in a free Black community in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, Libertie Sampson is all too aware that her mother, a physician, has a vision for their future together: Libertie is to go to medical school and practice alongside her. But Libertie is hungry for something else—is there really only one way to be independent? And she is constantly reminded that, unlike her light-skinned mother, she will not be able to pass for white. When a young man from Haiti proposes to Libertie and promises a better life on the island, she accepts, only to discover that she is still subordinate to him and all men. As she tries to parse what freedom actually means for a Black woman, Libertie struggles with where she might find it—for herself and for generations to come.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, book purchase, guidelines, and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Friday the 22nd
Time: 6 pm
Address: 5225 Canyon Crest Dr., Suite 30A, Riverside, CA 92507
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/black-lit-book-club-libertie
Josh Sundquist & Semi-Famous: A True Story of Near Celebrity via Book Soup – In-person Event
Join us to hear author Josh Sundquist discuss his new book, Semi-Famous: A True Story of Near Celebrity.
As a semi-famous internet creator, Josh Sundquist knows what it’s like to chase fame, but he also knows that more fame usually means more stress. So he set out on a pseudo-scientific investigation to find out if there is any way for fame and happiness to overlap.
Packed with playful diagrams, fascinating insights from celebrities, and embarrassing truths from Josh’s experience with semi-fame, this is a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamed of becoming famous…or at least going viral on TikTok.
INOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and event details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Friday the 22nd
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/josh-sundquist-discusses-semi-famous-true-story-near-celebrity
Erica Ridley, with Tessa Dare, & Nobody’s Princess via Ripped Bodice Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join us to hear author Erika Ridley, in conversation with Tessa Dare, discuss her new book, Nobody’s Princess.
Nothing happens in London without Graham Wynchester knowing. His massive collection of intelligence is invaluable to his family’s mission of aiding those most in need. So when he deciphers a series of coded messages in the scandal sheets, Graham’s convinced he must come to a royal’s rescue. But his quarry turns out not to be a princess at all… The captivating Kunigunde de Heusch is anything but a damsel in distress, and the last thing she wants is Graham’s help.
This event is free to attend and tickets are not required, however, we do appreciate RSVPs when possible!
INOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and event details.
Where: Ripped Bodice Bookstore
Date: Friday the 22nd
Time: 7 pm
Address: Main Street, Culver City, CA 90323
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
Open Mic Night at Village Well Coffee & Bookstore – In-Person Event
Calling all musicians, poets, authors, and comedians for our bi-monthly open mic night!
This all-inclusive event will create space for local artists of any medium to share their talents with the community. Come hang out, as an audience member, or a performer, and meet some talented locals!
Sign-ups for performers are at the door, day of, 30 minutes prior to the event. Sets are limited to 5-10 minutes. All performances must be family friendly.
We will provide two microphones and two mic stands. Please bring any other equipment you will need.
This event is free, no registration is required!
NOTE: See site for guidelines and event details.
Where: Village Well Coffee & Bookstore
Date: Friday 22nd
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/18558
A Poetry Reading with Pam Ward and World Stage Press Authors at Beyond Baroque – In-Person Event
Join us at Beyond Baroque for World Stage Press poetry readings to celebrate writer Pam Ward’s collection, between good men & no man at all with fellow World Stage Press authors Tricia Cochée, Karo Ska and Jaha Zainabu.
This event also will be live-streamed on our YouTube page.
Pam Ward just released her poetry book BETWEEN GOOD MEN & NO MAN AT ALL, World Stage Press, 2022. She’s published two novels, WANT SOME GET SOME, and BAD GIRLS BURN SLOW, Kensington. A UCLA graduate, recipient of a California Arts Council Fellow, a Pushcart Poetry nominee, Pam has published in Calyx, Voices of Leimert Park and the LA Times. She’s currently working on a novel about the jazz of Central Ave and the Black Dahlia Murder, an event that happened in Pam’s own backyard. www.pamwardwriter.com
Tricia Cochée (Co-shay) is a fourth generation native Californian with ancestral roots that stretch to the country of South Africa, West Africa, the Caribbean and India. “The Orisha Talks: Tales of Lust, Love and Herstorical Memory” published by World Stage Press, is Tricia’s debut collection of poetry and prose. A co-founder of SWAAM (Spoken Word, Art and Music) poetry lounge, her poetry, prose and writing has been featured in many venues and publications including Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center; City of Los Angeles African American Heritage Month Calendar; Who’s Who In Black Los Angeles, Inaugural Edition; and the Voices from Leimert Park Redux. She produced The Leimert Park Literary Festival Tribute to Wanda Coleman. She is a proud member of The World Stage Anansi Writers Workshop and Community Literature Initiative (CLI); California African American Museum (CAAM) History Council; National Association of Black Journalists LA Chapter (NABJLA); and BADWest Black documentary filmmakers. @triciaalkmia / @alkmia / https://worldstagepress.org/tricia-alkmia-cochee-2/
Karo Ska (she/they) is a South Asian and Eastern European gender-fluid poet living on unceded Tongva land. Anti-capitalist & anti-authoritarian, they find joy where they can. Their writing focuses on identity, mental health, survivorship and the intersections of trauma and politics. They have been published in Dryland Literary Journal, Cultural Daily, Altadena Poetry Review, Marías at Sampaguitas, Glass: A Journal of Poetry among others. Their first full-length collection, loving my salt-drenched bones was released in February 2022 through World Stage Press. For updates, follow them on Instagram @karoo_skaa or check out their website karoska.com.
Zaha Zainabu is a poet and visual artist living in Los Angeles, CA. She is the author of I’M WRITING TO TELL YOU (Mama’s Kitchen Press) and 365.2013 A POEM A DAY SERIES (World Stage Press). Jaha uses her poetry to educate, inspire and entertain.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and event details.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Friday 22nd
Time: 8 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-stage-press-at-beyond-baroque-tickets-372430739367
Mystery Book Club: Anatomy of a Murder, by Robert Traver at Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join us for a discussion of this month’s selection in the Mystery Book Club, Anatomy of a Murder by author Robert Traver.
NOTE: See site for event details.
Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday 23rd
Time: 11 am
Address: 1246 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/mystery-book-club-3
West Valley Big Read: Let’s Talk About Graphic Novels at West Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join us for the West Valley Big Read of The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang.
Join us in celebrating this book with Charles Hatfield, CSUN Professor of English, who will talk about the history and development of graphic novels. He will also discuss how kids and teens read and are portrayed in graphic novels.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and event details.
Where: West Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday 23rd
Time: 11 am
Address: 19036 Vanowen St., Reseda, CA 91335
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/lets-talk-graphic-novels
Storytime & Drawing with Anoosha Syed & That’s Not My Name – In-Person Event
Join us for a storytime and drawing event with author Anoosha Syed, who will present her children’s book, That’s Not My Name.
Your name is special. All children’s names are special. Guest author/illustrator Anoosha Syed will join us for a story time as she shares her debut picture book, That’s Not My Name. She will read her book and draw for the audience. This is a perfect book for soon-to-be preschoolers and/or kindergartners.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and event details.
Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore
Date: Saturday 23rd
Time: 11 am
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/my-name
Summer Children’s Storytime at Re/Arte Centro Literario – In-Person Children’s Event
Join us for a Summer Children’s Bilingual Storytime event for kids, every Saturday morning.
NOTE: See site for event details.
Where: Re/Arte Centro Literario
Date: Saturday 23rd
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: 2123 East Cesar Chavez Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033
Website: https://reartela.com/events%2Feventos
Maddie Frost Presents: Iguana Be a Dragon at Vroman’s – Online Children’s Event
Join us for a virtual event to hear author Maddie Frost introduce her children’s book, Iguana Be a Dragon.
When Iguana is invited to new neighbor Cheetah’s pool party, he’s worried that it will be filled with all kinds of interesting animals. And he’s not interesting at all! But what if he became something amazing, like…a fire-breathing dragon Iguana has a big plan—could it work, or will it all go up in flames?
NOTE: See site for link and event details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Saturday 23rd
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/maddie-frost-presents-iguana-be-a-dragon
Community Poetry Event by Gina Duran, with Matt Sedillo & Lydia Theon Ware at Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore – Online Zoom Event
IE Hope Collective and Tia Chucha’s present a two-part Community Poetry Event led by Gina Duran, with Matt Sedillo and Lydia Theon Ware.
Part 1: Self Care Guide to Community Poetry, 11 am – 12 pm.
Part 2: Community Poetry: Community Care is Self-Care, 1 pm – 2:30 pm.
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 Host for The Collective on KQBH LA. Works from her debut collection of poetry “…and so, the Wind was Born,” published by FlowerSong Press can be found in the Her Story Mixed Tape Collection at the Autry Museum of the American West, in LA and Life in Quarantine project, at Stanford University. 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.
Matt Sedillo has been described as the “best political poet in America” as well as “the poet laureate of the struggle”. His work has drawn comparisons in print to Bertolt Brecht, Roque Dalton, Amiri Baraka, Alan Ginsberg and various other legends of the past. Sedillo was the recipient of the 2017 Joe Hill Labor Poetry award, a panelist at the 2020 Texas book festival, and a participant in the 2011 San Francisco International Poetry Festival, the 2022 Elba Poetry Festival. Sedillo has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Axios, the Associated Press among other publications. Sedillo has spoken at Casa de las Americas in Havana, Cuba, at numerous conferences and forums such as the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education, the National Association of Chicana/Chicano Studies, the Left Forum, the US Social Forum, and at over a hundred universities and colleges, including the University of Cambridge, among many others. Matt Sedillo is the author of Mowing Leaves of Grass (FlowerSong Press, 2019) and City on the Second Floor (FlowerSong Press, 2022). Both of which are taught at universities throughout the country. Sedillo.ie the current literary director of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Los Angeles California.
Lydia Theon Ware is a published poet in MUSE, the Riverside City College literary magazine, and a winner of the RCC’s Student of Distinction for Creative Writing Award 2006. She is the author of “Signs” a tiny gift book, and “D.I.R.T.: “A Poem Song”. Her latest body of work is entitled Awe; Love Letters to the Most High, a praise compilation of poetry and love letters to Jesus. She is a self-taught poet, an actor and a Certified Peer Support Specialist. She loves to create new words and new moments. She has spoken at five Jefferson Transitional Program’s Community Education Film Series throughout the Inland Empire. Lydia has taught poetry to the homeless population with the Riverside Art Museum’s ArtReach Grant. She has also performed her work at L.A. City College, at USC, and at UCLA. Lydia has been a Peer Artist teaching poetry at the Art Works Gallery Recovery Arts Corps. She was involved with the performance troupe Acting Out Loud in the original play “Jubilee” a play of Recovery and Hope. Lydia has also taught a Ten Week Intensive called “Cartless” for the past four years [2017-2020] with the Riverside homeless population; in partnership with Inlandia Institute. Poets & Writers, National Endowment of the Arts, Riverside City Council, and The Path of Life Ministries
NOTE: See site for link and event details.
Where: Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore
Date: Saturday 23rd
Time: 11 am – 2:30 pm
Address: Online Zoom event (see site)
Kids Storytime with Marti McFly: Hey Girl! at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Join author Marti McFly for a storytime and bracelet making session, with themes of girl power and positive affirmations.
Hey Girl! is a love letter to all girls. The text teaches the importance of positive affirmations. Hey Girl! celebrates self-compassion and builds a foundation for emotionally healthy adults.
All ages welcome, perfect for ages 4-8.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Village Well Books & coffee
Date: Saturday the 23rd
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events
Fourth Saturdays Poetry: Nikia Chaney & Karen Greenbaum-Maya at Claremont Helen Redwick Library– In-Person Event
Join us at the Claremont Helen Renwick Library for our Fourth Saturdays Poetry Reading Series, moved from Sundays to Saturdays at 2pm.
Nikia Chaney is the author of us mouth (University of Hell Press, 2018) and two chapbooks, Sis Fuss (2012, Orange Monkey Publishing) and ladies, please (2012, Dancing Girl Press). She has served as Inlandia Literary Laureate (2016-2018). Her poetry has been published in Sugarhouse Review, 491, Iowa Review, Vinyl, and Pearl, Welter, and Saranac. Her memoir, ladybug, is upcoming from Inlandia in 2022, and her poetry collection to stir & was selected by Cynthia Arrieu-King for the 2022 Hilary Tham Capital Collection and is forthcoming from The Word Works. More at www.nikiachaney.com.
Karen Greenbaum-Maya is a retired psychologist, former German major and reviewer of restaurants, and two-time Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee. Her first full sentence was, “Look at the moon!” Poems have appeared in Sow’s Ear Poetry Review, B O D Y, Comstock Poetry Review, Riddled with Arrows, Heron Tree, CHEST, Spillway, and Rappahannock Poetry Review. Kattywompus Press publishes her three chapbooks, Burrowing Song, Eggs Satori, and Kafka’s Cat. Kelsay Books publishes The Book of Knots and their Untying. She co-curates Fourth Saturdays, this very poetry series in Claremont, California. Find links to her work at: www.cloudslikemountains.blogspot.com/.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, tickets, guidelines, and details on this event.
Where: Claremont Public Library
Date: Saturday the 23rd
Time: 2 pm – 4 pm
Address: 208 N. Harvard Ave., Claremont, CA 91711
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/1490515311378487/
Lacie Waldon IN-PERSON Book Launch & From the Jump at The Ripped Bodice Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join us to celebrate the launch of From the Jump, by Lacie Waldon, in conversation with Falon Ballard. A book signing will follow.
A chronic yes-woman finally admits to what—and who—she really wants in this unforgettable and heartfelt romantic comedy, by the author of The Layover.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details on this event.
Where: Ripped Bodice Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 23rd
Time: 2 pm – 3:30 pm
Address: Main Street at Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
Saturday Afternoon Poetry Readings & Open Mic – In-Person at Truly Fresh J & Online Via Zoom
Join us at Saturday Afternoon Poetry off-site at Truly Fresh J for print and internet workshops and poetry readings.
Print & Internet Publishing Workshops led by SEAN HILL and LEAH MUELLER and those published in Four Feathers Press’ THE POETRY LOTTERY 4 (winner announced) and SOUNDS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: POETRY OF MUSIC read their poetry
All events are curated by Don Kingfisher Campbell.
Where: Saturday Afternoon Poetry at Truly Fresh J
Date: Saturday the 23rd
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm.,
Where: 411 E. Huntington Dr., Arcadia. CA
Website: http://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/
Somewhere We Are Human Anthology: Reyna Grande & Sonia Guiñansaca & Guests with an introduction by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen. – In-Person at LibroMobile
Join us at LibroMobile to hear editors Reyna Grande and Sonia Guiñansaca, introduce the new anthology Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival and New Beginnings, which an introduction by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen.
Guest readers and contributors for this event include:
Reyna Grande is the author of the memoirs The Distance Between Us and A Dream Called Home, and the novels Across a Hundred Mountains, Dancing With Butterflies, and A Ballad of Love and Glory. Her books have been adopted as the common read selection by schools, colleges, and cities across the country.
Her other works include the novels, Across a Hundred Mountains, (Atria, 2006) and Dancing with Butterflies (Washington Square Press, 2009) which were published to critical acclaim. The Distance Between Us is also available as a young readers edition from Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Division–Aladdin. Her books have been adopted as the common read selection by schools, colleges, and cities across the country. Her most recent titles are A Ballad of Love and Glory (Atria, 2022), a novel set during the Mexican-American War, and an anthology by and about undocumented Americans called Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival and New Beginnings (Harper, 2022).
Sonia Guiñansaca is an international award-winning queer migrant poet, cultural organizer and social justice activist. They emerged as a national leader in the migrant artistic and political communities where they coordinated and participated in groundbreaking civil disobedience actions. Guiñansaca helped build some of the largest undocumented organizations in the US, including co-founding some of the first artistic projects by and for undocumented writers and artists. Sonia has worked for over a decade in both policy and cultural efforts building equitable infrastructures for migrant artists. They have been awarded residencies and fellowships from Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation, Poetry Foundation, British Council, Creative Time, and the Hemispheric Institute for Performance & Politics. Guiñansaca has performed at the Met, the NYC Public Theater, Lehmann Maupin Gallery and has been featured on PEN American, Interview Magazine, Ms. Magazine, Teen Vogue, Diva Magazine UK, CNN, NBC, and PBS to name a few. Their migration and cultural equity work has also taken them to London and Mexico City to advise on migrant policy and arts programming. Consults for national social justice organizations, cultural institutions, and foundations on artists convening, cultural activations, and civic engagement. Past clients include: Fwd.us, Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, and The Rasmuson Foundation. They are currently the Program Director at Gender Justice LA, a 20 year old TGNC led organization (one of the first Trans led organization in LA).
Sonia self-published their debut mini chapbook Nostalgia and Borders in 2016. They are a contributor for the new edition of Colonize This! Anthology (2019 Seal Press), a contributor to Migrant Feelings, Migrant Knowledge Building a Community Archive (2022 University of Texas Press), featured on Stop Telling Women to Smile (2020 Seal Press), What Things Cost: An Anthology for the People (2023 The University Press of Kentucky). In April 2022 launched House of Alegría, a multi-fold creative project supporting emerging undocumented Queer/Trans/Non-binary artists. Guiñansaca is releasing their second chapbook #PapiFemme later in the year. Now, represented by Johanna Castillo at Writers House Agency, Sonia is also working on their first memoir, and recently co-edited the highly anticipated anthology “Somewhere We Are Human” (HarperCollins June 2022).
Francisco Aviles Pino. He is a Mexican writer, producer and journalist based on Los Angeles, whose work focuses on law enforcement, incarceration, migration and culture. They are currently a Producer and Reporter at LAist / KPCC where they are working on three Imperfect Paradise seasons.
They’ve reported on law enforcement, criminal justice movements and incarceration for The Intercept, The Appeal and Vogue and recently covered the Mayoral election for LA Taco. They’ve produced documentaries on movements and technology for Brave New Films and Apple. Francisco also has three poems in Somewhere We Are Human.
Where: Libro Mobile
Date: Saturday the 23rd
Time: 4 pm – 6 pm
Where: 1140 Bristol St, A5., Santa Ana. CA 92704
Website: https://www.libromobile.com/event-details/somewhere-we-are-human
Historical Fiction Book Club & A Gentleman in Moscow at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join the Historical Fiction Book Club to discuss the selection, A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles.
In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, book purchase, guidelines and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 23rd
Time: 5 pm
Address: 5225 Canyon Crest Dr., Suite 30A, Riverside, CA 92507
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/carbonalmana
Cahuenga Press Book Launch: Tangled Hologram by James Cushing & Guests at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – In-Person Event
Cahuenga Press is back at Beyond Baroque for an evening of poetry, celebrating the book launch of James Cushing’s new book Tangled Hologram with Phoebe MacAdams, Harry Northup, and Jeanette Clough.
James Cushing’s new collection from Cahuenga Press features poems that, as poet Marsha de la O said, ‘insist on a consciousness mediated by electronics and solitude, by dreams, by film noir, above all, by the rush of energy into Logos.’”
James Cushing, born 1953 in Palo Alto CA, holds a doctorate in English from UC Irvine. In the early 1980s, he hosted a live poetry radio program on KPFK-FM in Los Angeles which gave early exposure to Dennis Cooper, David Trinidad, Amy Gerstler, Wanda Coleman, Leland Hickman, and many others. From 1989-2020, he taught literature and creative writing at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and served as the community’s Poet Laureate for 2008 – 2010. Cushing’s poems have appeared in many journals, and his books include The Magicians’ Union, Solace, and, most recently, Tangled Hologram—all from Cahuenga Press in Los Angeles. His daughter is the New York-based poet Iris Cushing. www.jamescushingpoetry.com
Phoebe MacAdams was born and raised in New York City, but has lived in California most of her adult life, first in the poetry community of Bolinas in Northern California, and then in Ojai in Ventura County. She has been active in the Los Angeles literary community since her move here in 1986. She is a founding member of Cahuenga Press, the poets’ cooperative press (1989-present), with the poets James Cushing, the late Holly Prado and Harry Northup, and recently Jeanette Clough. Our goal “is to create fine books of poetry by poets whose work we admire and respect; to make poetry actual in the world in ways which honor both individual creative freedom and cooperative support.” For two years, Phoebe ran the Gasoline Alley reading series on Melrose Avenue with poet Bill Mohr. She taught English and Creative Writing at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights for twenty-six years until her retirement in 2011. She has published eight books of poetry: Sunday, Ever; and with Cahuenga Press, Ordinary Snake Dance, Livelihood, Strange Grace, Touching Stone, and her most recent Cahuenga title, The Large Economy of the Beautiful, New and Selected Poems. In 2017, Beyond Baroque Books published Every Bird Helps: A Cancer Journal. According to Amelie Frank, “What she reports back to us from her daily pilgrimages should give us hope: truth and beauty are at hand everywhere we look and always just as we need it most.” She lives in Pasadena with her husband, Ron Ozuna.
Harry E. Northup has had twelve books of poetry published, the last one is “Love Poem To MPTF” (Cahuenga Press, 2020). He received his B.A. in English from CSUN. where he studied verse with Ann Stanford. Northup has made a living as an actor for thirty-four years, acting in thirty-s even films, including “Taxi Driver,” Over the Edge,” and “The Silence of the Lambs.” He is the curator of Harry’s Poetry Hour, Creative Chaos MPTF.
Jeanette Clough’s poetry collection, Flourish, was a finalist in the Otis College of Art and Design and Eastern Washington University Blue Lynx book competitions. She is author of two artist books, Stone and Rx. Awards include Pushcart nominations and a Commendation in the Aesthetica Creative Works competition (UK). She edited for Solo, A Journal of Poetry, and reviewed for Poetry International. Recent journal credits are Colorado Review, The Laurel Review, and Bellevue Literary Review. A native of Paterson, N.J., she earned an M.A. from the University of Chicago, Division of the Humanities, and was an art librarian at the Getty Research Institute. Clough co-directed the Los Angeles Barnes & Noble and Rose Café poetry series, and currently hosts Poetry at Bell Arts in Ventura. She was artist-in-residence at Joshua Tree National Park where for many years taught outdoor desert poetry workshops.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and event details.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Saturday 23rd
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90291
La Palabra Readings & Open Mic with Angelina Saenz & Guests at Avenue 50 Studios – In-Person Event
La Palabra host Angelina Saenz is hosting her last event at La Palabra and will introduce the new La Palabra host. Features include:
Matt Sedillo & David Romero, just returned from Europe, will share their work and Iris De Anda will bring the fire. Angelina will feature for the first time. All features will have books to sell and sign. ¡Nos vemos!
Matt Sedillo has been described as the “best political poet in America” as well as “the poet laureate of the struggle” by academics, poets, and journalists alike. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, among other publications. He has spoken at Casa de las Americas in Havana, Cuba, at numerous conferences and forums such as the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education, and at over a hundred universities and colleges, including the University of Cambridge, among many others. He is the current literary director of the Instituto Cultural Mexicano, Los Angeles and author of Mowing Leaves of Grass (Flowersong Press, 2019), which is currently being taught at California State University at Northridge and Monterey Bay, as well as at Mission College. His Three Act Poem structure has been taught as capstones of coursework at UCLA and Occidental College. His new poetry collection, City on the Second Floor, is also from FlowerSong Press.
David Romero is a Mexican-American spoken word artist from Diamond Bar, CA. Romero is the author of My Name Is Romero (FlowerSong Press), a book reviewed by Gustavo Arellano (¡Ask a Mexican!), Curtis Marez (University Babylon), and founding member of Ozomatli, Ulises Bella. Romero has received honorariums from over seventy-five colleges and universities in thirty-three different states in the USA. Romero was a guest for the inaugural Elba Poetry Festival in Tuscany, Italy and has featured for Paris Lit Up in Paris, France. Romero’s work has been published in literary magazines in the United States, England, and Canada. Romero has opened for Latin Grammy winning bands Ozomatli and La Santa Cecilia. Romero’s work has been published in anthologies alongside poets laureate Joy Harjo, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Luis J. Rodriguez, Jack Hirschman, and Tongo Eisen-Martin. Romero has won the Uptown Slam at the historic Green Mill in Chicago; the birthplace of slam poetry. Romero’s poetry deals with family, identity, social justice issues, and Latinx culture.
Iris De Anda is a writer, activist, and practitioner of the healing arts. A womyn of color of Mexican and Salvadorean descent. A native of Los Angeles she believes in the power of spoken word, poetry, storytelling, and dreams. She has been published in Poetry of Resistance Anthology, Mujeres de Maiz Zine, Loudmouth Zine: Cal State LA, OCCUPY SF poems from the movement, The Border Crossed Us Anthology, Seeds of Resistance, In the Words of Women, Twenty: In Memoriam, Revolutionary Poets Brigade Los Angeles Anthology, Frontera Esquina, Brooklyn & Boyle, and online at La Bloga & La Tolteca. She is the author of CODESWITCH: Fires From Mi Corazon. and most recently Roots of Redemption: You Have No Right to Remain Silent (FlowerSong Press).www.irisdeanda.com
Angelina Saenz M. Ed, MFA is an award-winning public school teacher and poet whose work focuses on memory, mujeres and motherhood. She is a UCLA Writing Project fellow, an alumna of the VONA/Voices She is the host of the monthly poetry reading La Palabra at Avenue 50 Studio in Northeast Los Angeles. Her debut book of poetry Edgecliff was released in winter of 2021 with FlowerSong Press.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Avenue 50 Studio
Date: Sunday the 24th
Time: 2 pm – 4 pm
Address: 131 Avenue 50, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/1071312323819351/
Latinx Book Club & Reclaim the Stars at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join the Latinx List Book Club to read and discuss our July selection, Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space, by Zoraida Cordova, a collection of stories which takes the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world.
In this anthology, follow princesses warring in space, haunting ghost stories in Argentina, mermaids off the coast of the Caribbean, swamps that whisper secrets, and many more realms explored and unexplored; this stunning collection of seventeen short stories breaks borders and realms to prove that stories are truly universal.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and event details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore, Riverside, CA 92507
Date: Sunday 24th
Time: 2 pm
Address: 5225 Canyon Crest Dr., #30A, Riverside, CA 92507
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/latinx-book-club-reclaim-stars
Jen Maxfield & More After the Break at Diesel Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join us to hear Jen Maxfield present and discuss her book, More After the Break: A Reporter Returns to Ten Unforgettable News Stories.
In More After the Break: A Reporter Returns to Ten Unforgettable News Stories, Maxfield revisits the most memorable stories she has covered during her two-decade career, describing in heart-pounding detail how the events unfolded through the eyewitness perspectives and her own. Returning to the families years—even decades—after their stories were featured on the news gives Maxfield an opportunity to ask the burning question she had always pondered: what happened after the live truck pulled away? What is the rest of the story?
Jen Maxfield is an Emmy-award winning TV news reporter and anchor who has covered thousands of live news events around New York City since 2002. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she teaches broadcast journalism. Maxfield has had the opportunity to meet tens of thousands of people covering news over a wide range of topics, including politics, schools, criminal justice, health, business, weather, and human-interest stories.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Diesel Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 24th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 225 26th St., Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://www.dieselbookstore.com/event/jen-maxfield-author-signing
Author Panel: Crafting Middle Grade Novels at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Join authors Karina Evans (Grow Up, Tahlia Wilkins!), Aisling Fowler (Fireborn), and Melissa Seymour (A Smart Girl’s Guide: Making a Difference) who will connect in an author panel to discuss their novels for middle grade. All ages welcome, this event is perfect for ages 8-12!
Karina Evans studied English at the University of Delaware before going into a career in the entertainment industry. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California, and Grow Up, Tahlia Wilkins! is her first novel. You can visit her online at karinaevans.com
Aisling Fowler was born in 1985 and wishes that she had grown up in a magical, mountainous kingdom, but was actually raised in Surrey on a diet of books and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her early “adventure” stories involved surprisingly little action and her first novel (three pages long) was politely declined by publishers at age 11. After earning a BSc in Biology and working as a support worker and then a nurse, the idea for her debut novel, Fireborn, came to her as she moved back and forth between London and the US. Now based in Hackney, when she is not reading or writing, Aisling loves cooking and plotting adventures (for herself as well as her fictional characters).
Melissa Seymour writes middle grade fiction and nonfiction and has been passionate about women’s and girl’s stories for as long as she can remember. She created a blog where she went on to interview influential women such as Dr. Jane Goodall and Mariska Hargitay and has worked on over 100 pieces of middle grade magazine content. She currently works for Reese Witherspoon’s entertainment company, Hello Sunshine/Reese’s Book Club. When she isn’t writing or drinking coffee, she’s going for her 4th walk of the day with her husband and dog Belfast.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Village Well Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 24th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/event
At Skylight: Ron Shelton & The Church of Baseball at Skylight Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join Ron Shelton for a signing of his book, The Church of Baseball, before a special screening of “Bull Durham” at American Cinematheque.
From the award-winning screenwriter and director of cult classic Bull Durham, the extremely entertaining behind-the-scenes story of the making of the film, and an insightful primer on the art and business of moviemaking.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 24th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-ron-shelton-signs-church-baseball
Los Angeles Literature 