Fairfax Book Club: The Keeper of Lost Things at Fairfax Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join Fairfax Book Club Participants for a discussion of this month’s selection, The Keeper of Lost Things by author Ruth Hogan.
This novel tells the story of Anthony Peardew, the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced or accidentally left behind—and writing stories about them. In the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life’s mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Fairfax Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 17th
Time: 11 am
Address: 161 S. Gardener St., Los Angeles, CA 90036
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/fairfax-book-club
Story Writing Club: Teen Event at Jefferson Memorial Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Teen Event
Join the Story Writing Club for Teens. Draw, learn the art of storytelling, and discover your ideas with other teens. For ages 11 – 18.
This event is scheduled for every Monday and Thursday, 4:30 – 5:30 pm.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Jefferson Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 17th (and Thursday the 20th)
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/story-writing-club
Philosophical Horror Book Club: City of Ash and Red at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
The Philosophical Horror Book Club will discuss this month’s selection, City of Ash and Red: A Novel, by Hye-young Pyun, Sora Kim Russel (Translated by).
Distinguished for his talents as a rat killer, the nameless protagonist of Hye-young Pyun’s City of Ash and Red is sent by the extermination company he works for on an extended assignment in C, a country descending into chaos and paranoia, swept by a contagious disease, and flooded with trash. No sooner does he disembark than he is whisked away by quarantine officials and detained overnight. Isolated and forgotten, he realizes that he is stranded with no means of contacting the outside world. Still worse, when he finally manages to reach an old friend, he is told that his ex-wife’s body was found in his apartment, and he is the prime suspect. Barely managing to escape arrest, he must struggle to survive in the streets of this foreign city gripped with fear of contamination and reestablish contact with his company and friends in order to clear his reputation.
Hye-young Pyun was born in 1972. She made her literary debut in Korean in 2000 when she won Seoul Shinmun’s annual New Writer’s Contest with her short story “Shaking Off Dew.” She has gone on to publish four short story collections and five novels. She has received several of Korea’s most prestigious literary awards, including the Dong-in Literary Award in 2011, the Yi-sang Literary Award in 2014, and the Hyundae Munhak Award in 2015. She has published short stories in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, and Words Without Borders. City of Ash and Red was named Book of the Year when it was published in Poland, and it has been licensed to France, Turkey, China, and Vietnam as well. Her novel The Hole is a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award. She lives in Seoul, Korea.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Monday the 17th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 5225 Canyon Crest Dr., #30A, Riverside, CA 92507
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/philosophical-horror-book-club-city-ash-and-red
Capital & Main Presents: Alissa Quart, with Annabelle Gurwitch, & Bootstrapped at Chevalier’s Books – In-Person Event
Capital & Main presents author Alissa Quart, in conversation with Annabelle Gurwitch, to read and present her book, Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves From the American Dream.
In Bootstrapped Quart examines how we can shed the American obsession with self-reliance that has made us less healthy, less productive, and less fulfilled. A starred review in Publishers Weekly notes that, “Quart’s vision of America…is a breath of fresh air. This eloquent and incisive call to action inspires.”
Gurwitch is the New York Times bestselling author of You’re Leaving When: Adventures in Downward Mobility and Fired: Stories of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized and Dismissed and was the longtime host of Dinner & a Movie on TBS.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Chevalier’s Books
Date: Monday the 17th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Loid Lewis Book Signing at Octavia’s Bookshelf – In-Person Event
Loid Lewis will celebrate and sign his new book, Why Should Men Have All the Fun?
Where: Octavia’s Bookshelf
Date: Monday the 17th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 1361 North Hill Ave., Pasadena, CA 91104
Website: Loid Lewis Book Signing — Octavia’s Bookshelf (octaviasbookshelf.com)
Meditation Monday: Self Care for the Writer with Alex Petunia via L. A. Poet Society – Online Event
Meditation Monday: Self Care for the Writer is a workshop led by poet, writer, and author Alex Petunia, and includes breathing meditation self-care check-in, writing prompts, and affirmations.
The mission of the L. A. Poet Society is to create a bridge, fusing the communities of Los Angeles & Southern California Poets.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and details.
Where: L.A. Poet Society
Date: Monday the 17th
Time: 7 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: Online Event, Zoom: 840 2975 5764
Website: https://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesPoetSociety/
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 an Assistant Professor of Postcolonial and Transnational Literatures at California State University Channel Islands, teaching courses on creative writing and contemporary African literatures. Raquel has published poetry in Africology and The Arrow; fiction in Enculturation, The Daily Palette, The Womanist, and Crux; and non-fiction in Little Village; and has done readings with the Ventura County Poetry project. Raquel lives for talking about all things about the craft and social meanings of literature!
Where: Beyond Baroque – Online event
Date: Monday the 17th
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: Zoom Online Event (see site)
Website: https://beyondbaroque.org/free_workshops.html or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/monday-night-fiction-workshop-tickets-615650676747
Under the Mic Influence & Open Mic featuring WZA – In-Person Event
Join host Kuahmel Alyeeus KuahAllah and @djkevjam for poetry, Open Mic, rare grooves, cocktails, tasty bites.
Mr. WZA is in the chamber. And he can write and spit like no other!
Under the Mic Influence and Open Mic bring you poetry & battle rap dynamo @sistar_outspoken to set off 2023 in @lbunified with @djkevjam and yours truly. Vegan soul food from @anotherside0fsoul on deck all evening. BE THERE!
DM now to get at the #openmic!
NOTE: See site for RSVP, cost, and details.
Where: LB Unified Bar & Lounge
Date: Monday the 17th
Time: 7:30 pm; Mic at 8 pm
Address: 2222 E. Anaheim, Long Beach, CA 90804
Website: https://www.facebook.com/photo/
Adult Non-Fiction Book Club: River of the Gods at Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join Brentwood’s monthly non-fiction book club meetings on the third Tuesday of the month, facilitated by Judy Meadow. Books are read in advance of the meetings and are available to borrow from the Kaufman-Brentwood circulation desk.
This month’s selection for discussion is River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the NIle, by author Candice Millard.
“A lean, fast-paced account of the almost absurdly dangerous quest by [Richard Burton and John Speke] to solve the geographic riddle of their era.” —The New York Times Book Review
Where: Donald Bruce Kauffman – Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 1 pm – 2 pm
Address:11820 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/adult-nonfiction-book-club
Mysterious Book Club: Whose Body? at Palisades Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join the Palisades monthly Mysterious Book Club to read this month’s selection for discussion, Whose Body? by author Dorothy L. Sayers.
This book introduces Lord Peter Wimsey, Sayers’ detective. In Wimsey’s first case, he investigates the sudden appearance of a naked body of an architect in the bathtub at the same time a noted financier goes missing under strange circumstances. As the case progresses, it becomes clear that the two events are linked in some way!
We welcome new members.
Where: Donald Bruce Kauffman – Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 1 pm – 2 pm
Address: 861 Alma Real Dr., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/mysterious-book-club-whose-body
Virtual Book Launch: Mann Gabriel & Twelve Hours in Manhattan via Bel Canto Books – Online Event
Bel Canto Books will virtually celebrate the new romance novel Twelve Hours in Manhattan by Filipina American author Mann Gabriel. Maan will be joined in conversation by fellow Pinay romance author Elle Cruz (HOW TO SURVIVE A MODERN-DAY FAIRYTALE).
After a chance meeting in New York city, Bianca Curtis and “Eric,” better known as insanely famous Korean actor Park Hyun Min, spend twelve perfect hours together—only to be torn apart at the end of the night by the inescapable realities of their very distinct worlds. But their story isn’t even close to over yet.
Maan Gabriel is a mom, wife, dreamer, writer, and advocate for women’s stories in literature. She earned her BA in communications from St. Scholastica’s College in Manila and MPS in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University. She has lived in Manila, Brussels, Dakar, and Mexico City. During the day, she works in strategic communications. She is the author of After Perfect; Twelve Hours in Manhattan is her second book. Gabriel, along with her husband and son, currently calls suburban Washington, DC, home.
Elle Cruz writes heartfelt, steamy contemporary romance. It all started when she got her hands on a historical romance novel at the tender age of thirteen, and there was no turning back. By day, Elle works in the healthcare industry, but at night she’s writing swoon-worthy stories that are passionate and fun all rolled into one. She is married to a sexy city official and is the mother of two gritty goofballs. She lives in Southern California.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and details.
Where: Bel Canto Books
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 6 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-book-launch-for-twelve-hours-in-manhattan-tickets-601515317507
Book Talk: Amy Spaulding, with Britta Lundin, & No Boy Summer at Chevalier’s Books – In-Person Event
Author Amy Spaulding, in conversation with Britta Lundin, will discuss her most recent book, No Boy Summer.
Lydia Jones and her younger sister Penny have had it with boy drama. Last year was marred by relationship disasters for both of them, threatening Lydia’s standing with her school’s theater tech club and Penny’s perfect GPA. Penny has, naturally, diagnosed the problem and prescribed a drastic solution: a summer off from boys.
Even when they spent hours, days, weeks dissecting their various boy drama, Lydia’s never felt this connected to her sister before, and it makes her wonder what else in her life could be different. She finds herself drawn to a group of friends she meets through her Grounds Control coworker, Margaret, as well as an intriguing customer, Fran, an aspiring filmmaker and—while not the first girl Lydia finds herself attracted to—the first girl who has mutual feelings for her. But she’s not breaking her pledge to Penny, right? That was just about boys. Even though in her heart Lydia knows she’s bending the rules, she hasn’t had a connection with anyone as strong as her connection with Fran, so she thinks it can’t be wrong. And Penny won’t mind as long as she’s happy . . . Right?
Amy Spalding is the author of several beloved YA novels including The Summer of Jordi Perez (a NPR Best Book Pick of 2018) and We Used to Be Friends. In February she will release her first adult novel, For Her Consideration – in April she’ll be releasing her next YA novel, NO BOY SUMMER.
Britta Lundin is the author of two young adult novels about queer teenage girls, most recently LIKE OTHER GIRLS. She’s also a TV writer who wrote the episode of Riverdale with that “I’m weird, I’m a weirdo” line. Currently she writes for the ABC crime drama WILL TRENT which has all those billboards right now with the guy and the chihuahua.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Chevalier’s Books
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-talk-amy-spaldings-no-boy-summer-tickets-596294682447
The Third Tuesday Book Club: The Lincoln Highway at Playa Vista Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join the Third Tuesday Book Club participants in a discussion of this month’s selection, The Lincoln Highway, by author Amor Towles,
The Lincoln Highway might just be one of the best novels of this decade, which is a feat considering A Gentleman in Moscow, also holds that distinction (in this reviewer’s mind, anyway). Set in the 1950s, The Lincoln Highway is filled with nostalgia as well as the gentle naïveté and hijinks of those who are young, optimistic, and on a mission. The story follows four boys who set out to travel the country in search of a fresh start: Emmett and Billy want to find their mother who left them when they were young, and Duchess and Woolly are on the hunt for a stashed wad of cash. Sometimes their dreams are aligned but often they are not. In other words, adventure ensues: There’s train hopping and car stealing, and with that comes the inevitability of trouble sparked from both good and bad intentions. Each of these young men is chasing his dreams, but their pasts—whether violent or sad—are never far behind. A remarkable work of storytelling that is a 2021 favorite. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
Where: Playa Vista Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 6400 Playa Vista D., Los Angeles, CA 90094
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/3rd-tuesday-book-club
Classic Detectives Book Club: Murder by an Aristocrat at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
The Classic Detectives Book Club will discuss this month’s selection, Murder by an Aristocrat, by Mignon G. Eberhart.
A thrilling mystery set in the rarified world of a wealthy Midwestern family, Murder by an Aristocrat renders its pulse-pounding suspense and puzzling crimes with eloquent prose, exemplifying why Eberhart was widely known, in her day, as “the atmosphere queen.” It is the fifth installment in the Nurse Keate series, which can be read in any order.
Mignon G. Eberhart (1899–1996) wrote dozens of mystery novels over nearly sixty years. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, she published her first novel, The Patient in Room 18, in 1929 and by the end of the 1930s she was one of the most popular mystery writers on the planet. Eight of her books—including Murder by an Aristocrat—were adapted for film; later in her career, she was awarded the Grand Master Award by the Mystery Writers of America for lifetime achievement.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 5225 Canyon Crest Dr., #30A, Riverside, CA 92507
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/classic-detectives-book-club-murder-aristocrat
Pre-Order & Launch Event: Carlyn Greenwald & Sizzle Reel at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Event
The launch event will present the queer coming-of-age rom-com, Sizzle Reel, by author Carlyn Greenwald.
In Sizzle Reel, aspiring cinematographer Luna Roth finds that coming out as bisexual at twenty-four is proving more difficult than she anticipated. Sure, her best friend and fellow queer Romy is thrilled for her—but she has no interest in coming out to her backwards parents, she wouldn’t know how to flirt with a girl if one fell at her feet, and she has no sexual history to build off. Not to mention she really needs to focus her energy on escaping her emotionally-abusive-but-that’s-Hollywood talent manager boss and get working under a real director of photography anyway.
When she meets twenty-eight-year-old A-list actress Valeria Sullivan around the office, Luna thinks she’s found her solution. She’ll use Valeria’s interest in her cinematography to get a PA job on the set of Valeria’s directorial debut—and if Valeria is as gay as Luna suspects, and she happens to be Luna’s route to losing her virginity, too . . . well, that’s just an added bonus. Enlisting Romy’s help, Luna starts the juggling act of her life—impress Valeria’s DP to get another job after this one, get as close to Valeria as possible, and help Romy with her own career moves.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, details.
Where: pages: bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/launch-event-carlyn-greenwald
Book Club: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida at Village Well Books & Coffee– In-Person Event
Village Well Book Club will read this month’s selection, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by author Shehan Karunatilaka, winner of the 2022 Booker Prize.
Colombo, 1990. Maali Almeida—war photographer, gambler, and closet queen—has woken up dead in what seems like a celestial visa office. His dismembered body is sinking in the serene Beira Lake and he has no idea who killed him. In a country where scores are settled by death squads, suicide bombers, and hired goons, the list of suspects is depressingly long, as the ghouls and ghosts with grudges who cluster round can attest. But even in the afterlife, time is running out for Maali. He has seven moons to contact the man and woman he loves most and lead them to the photos that will rock Sri Lanka.
Ten years after his prize-winning novel Chinaman established him as one of Sri Lanka’s foremost authors, Shehan Karunatilaka is back with a “thrilling satire” (Economist) and rip-roaring state-of-the-nation epic that offers equal parts mordant wit and disturbing, profound truths.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/24186
Jessamyn Violet, with Jacob Givens, & Secret Rules to Being a Rockstar at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Jessamyn Violet, in conversation with Jacob Givens, will discuss her book, Secret Rules to Being a Rockstar.
Acclaimed musician Jessamyn Violet’s debut LGBTQA+ novel sizzles with a coming-of-age story set in an industry of ambition, secrets, lies, and utter joy.
Eighteen-year-old Kyla Bell dreams of one day being a professional musician…but gets little to no support from her parents. Still, she practices every day and performs locally, harboring her own secret hopes. One night, her dreams are answered in the form of sultry rocker Ruby Sky, the magnetic frontwoman of her favorite band, Glitter Tears. Ruby hears Kyla perform and asks her to join the band on keys for their upcoming tour.
In order to accept, Kyla must drop out of her Western Massachusetts high school and move to Los Angeles immediately to live with a renowned yet highly volatile producer who has agreed to put her through “rock star boot camp” in a matter of weeks. Blindsided by her emerging feelings for Ruby Sky, Kyla tumbles through the lights and shadows of the 90s music scene in Los Angeles.
Jessamyn’s band, Movie Club, will be performing at The Viper Room following her Book Soup event.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/Jessamyn-Violet
At Skylight: J. Ryan Stradal, with Meg Howrey, & Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper at Skylight Bookstore – In-Person Event
J. Ryan Stradal, in conversation with Megan Howrey, will discuss and launch his novel, Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper.
Mariel Prager needs a break. Her husband Ned is having an identity crisis, her spunky, beloved restaurant is bleeding money by the day, and her mother Florence is stubbornly refusing to leave the church where she’s been holed up for more than a week. The Lakeside Supper Club has been in her family for decades, and while Mariel’s grandmother embraced the business, seeing it as a saving grace, Florence never took to it. When Mariel inherited the restaurant, skipping Florence, it created a rift between mother and daughter that never quite healed.
Ned is also an heir—to a chain of home-style diners—and while he doesn’t have a head for business, he knows his family’s chain could provide a better future than his wife’s fading restaurant. In the aftermath of a devastating tragedy, Ned and Mariel lose almost everything they hold dear, and the hard-won victories of each family hang in the balance. With their dreams dashed, can one fractured family find a way to rebuild despite their losses, and will the Lakeside Supper Club be their salvation?
In this colorful, vanishing world of relish trays and brandy Old Fashioneds, J. Ryan Stradal has once again given us a story full of his signature honest, lovable yet fallible Midwestern characters as they grapple with love, loss, and marriage; what we hold onto and what we leave behind; and what our legacy will be when we are gone.
J. Ryan Stradal is the author of New York Times bestseller Kitchens of the Great Midwest and national bestseller The Lager Queen of Minnesota. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Granta, The Rumpus, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. His debut, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, won the American Booksellers Association Indie’s Choice Award for Adult Debut Book of the Year. Born and raised in Minnesota, he now lives in California with his family.
Meg Howrey is the author of the novels THEY’RE GOING TO LOVE YOU, THE WANDERERS, THE CRANES DANCE, and BLIND SIGHT. She is also the coauthor, writing under the pen-name Magnus Flyte, of the New York Times Bestseller CITY OF DARK MAGIC and CITY OF LOST DREAMS. Her non-fiction has appeared in Vogue and The Los Angeles Review of Books. She currently lives in Los Angeles.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, details.
Where: Skylight Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1818 V. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Tananarive Due, with Lynell George, & The Wishing Pool and Other Stories at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Tananarive Due, in conversation with Lynell George, will present and discuss her collection of stories, The Wishing Pool and Other Stories.
In her second collection of stories, Due offers horror, science fiction, and suspense—all genres she wields masterfully. From the mysterious, magical town of Gracetown to the aftermath of a pandemic to the reaches of the far future, Due’s stories all share a sense of dread and fear balanced with heart and hope.
In some of these stories, the monster is racism itself; others address the monster within, each set against the supernatural or surreal. All are written with Due’s trademark attention to detail and deeply drawn characters.
In addition to previously published work, this collection contains brand-new stories, including “Rumpus Room,” a supernatural horror novelette set in Florida about a woman’s struggle against both outer and inner demons.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/emily-tesh-conversation-olivie-blake-some-desperate-glory
The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic with Shawna + The Light via Online Zoom Event
The Virtual Cobalt Poets Series, presented by Rick Lupert via Zoom, will feature an Open Reading and guest Shawna + The Light.
NOTE: Details and Zoom link at event link.
Where: Cobalt Poets – Online Zoom Event
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: http://poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/calendar.html
The Sunless Sea Open Mic: Poetry and Spoken Word Show – In-Person Event
The Sunless Sea Open Mic: Poetry and Spoken Word Show is offered every week at the Unurban Coffee House. Hosted by DeForest Wright, all are invited to attend.
NOTE: Details at event link.
Where: Unurban Coffee House
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: 3301 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405
Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1699147113818899
Danny Trejo, with Josh Kun, & Trejo’s Cantina at LiveTalks L. A. – In-Person Event
Danny Trejo, in conversation with Josh Kun, will discuss his new book, Trejo’s Cantina: Cocktails, Snacks & Amazing Non-Alcoholic Drinks from the Heart of Hollywood.
In his Trejo’s Cantina: Cocktails, Snacks & Amazing Non-Alcoholic Drinks from the Heart of Hollywood, the actor-turned-restauranteur reminisces about his upbringing in Los Angeles, from barhopping with uncles on Olvera Street to his memories of sneaking into movie theaters to cool off while watching films wide-eyed and inspired—memories sandwiched between recipes and drinks that celebrate his traditions and his spirit.
Actor Danny Trejo has starred in dozens of films, including Desperado, Heat, From Dusk Till Dawn, Con Air, Boba Fett, Grindhouse, and Machete. A Los Angeles native, Trejo began building his restaurant empire in L.A. in 2016. He now has six locations. This is his third book.
Josh Kun is an author, curator, and cultural historian. A MacArthur Fellow, he is a professor in the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He is an author and editor of many books and anthologies, and the curator of numerous art, music and public humanities projects. His book To Live and Dine in L.A.: Menus and the Making of the Modern City, was based on the special collections of the Los Angeles Public Library.”
NOTE: See site for RSVP, tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: William Turner Gallery, Bergamot Arts Station
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 8 pm
Address: 2525 Michigan Ave., E-1, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Website: https://livetalksla.org/events/danny-trejo/
Da Poetry Lounge Open Mic Night at Greenway Court – In-Person Event
The nation’s largest weekly Open Mic event is 25 years strong. They hold open mic nights. At an open mic, all are welcome to share their poetry or sit in their audience.
Every Tuesday (except for 3rd Tuesdays which is Slam Night) we hold open mic nights. At an open mic, all are welcome to share their poetry or sit in our audience.
TIME LIMIT: Each artist has 3 minutes at the mic, and if you go over, our DJ will scratch you. Please be respectful of the time limit as we try to accommodate as many people as possible.
$10 donation. Do NOT line up prior to 7:30 p.m. Free parking adjacent to theatre.
See sites for details.
$10 donation. Do NOT line up prior to 7:30 p.m. Free parking adjacent to theater.
Masks are encouraged. All ages are welcome.
Where: Greenway Court Theatre and YouTube Live Stream
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 9 pm – 11 pm
Address: 544 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/ChLUBSRPCFb/ or
https://www.dapoetrylounge.com/events/open-mic-night
New Neverspeak Tuesdays Open Mic & Ravina at DiPiazza’s – In-Person Event
The New Neverspeak Tuesdays Open Mic at DiPiazza’s with Shy But Flyy, will feature guest poet Ravina + an open mic.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: DiPiazza’s Pizza
Date: Tuesday the 18th
Time: 9 pm
Address: 5205 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, CA 90814
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-mic-w-shy-but-flyy-music-poetry-tickets-533965133087
Coffee Time Book Club: Birnam Wood and Foster at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Event
Coffee Time Book Club participants will discuss this month’s selections, Birnam Wood, by author Eleanor Cotton and Foster by Claire Keegan.
In Birnam Wood author Eleanor Cotton writes a multilayered thriller of great insight into what drives us to survive. This book is Shakespearean in its drama, Austenian in its wit, and, like both influences, fascinated by what makes us who we are. A brilliantly constructed study of intentions, actions, and consequences, it is a mesmerizing, unflinching consideration of the human impulse to ensure our own survival.
Eleanor Catton is the author of the international bestseller The Luminaries, winner of the Man Booker Prize and a Governor General’s Literary Award. Her debut novel, The Rehearsal, won the Betty Trask Award, was short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award and the Dylan Thomas Prize, and was long-listed for the Orange Prize. She is also the screenwriter of Emma, a 2020 feature film adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel. Born in Canada and raised in New Zealand, she now lives in Cambridge, England.
In Foster, author Claire Keegan presents a piercing contemporary classic in a heartbreaking story of childhood, loss, and love. In a hot summer in rural Ireland, a child is taken by her father to live with relatives on a farm, not knowing when or if she will be brought home again. In the Kinsellas’ house, she finds an affection and warmth she has not known and slowly, in their care, begins to blossom. But there is something unspoken in this new household—where everything is so well tended to—and this summer must soon come to an end. This is a story of astonishing emotional depth.
Claire Keegan was raised on a farm in Ireland. Her stories have won numerous awards and are translated into thirty languages. Antarctica won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature and was a Los Angeles Times Book of the Year. Walk the Blue Fields won the Edge Hill Prize for the finest collection of stories published in the British Isles. Foster won the Davy Byrnes Award, then the world’s richest prize for a story. These works have been published in the New Yorker, Paris Review, Granta, and Best American Stories. Small Things Like These was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice and shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize, awarded for the finest book in any genre published in the English language. Foster is now part of the school syllabus in Ireland.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, details.
Where: pages: a 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-16
Book Club: Carnegie’s Maid at Granada Hills Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
The Granada Hills Book Club participants will discuss this month’s selection, Carnegies’ Maid: A Novel, by author Marie Benedict.
Carnegie’s Maid is a book of fascinating 19th century historical fiction. Discover the story of one brilliant woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie’s transformation from ruthless industrialist to the world’s first true philanthropist.
Please email grnhls@lapl.org for Zoom access to the discussion.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, link, and details.
Where: Granada Hills Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 1:30 pm – 3 pm
Address: 10640 Petit Ave., Granada Hills, CA 91344
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-carnegies-maid
Write Your Novel Event at Platt Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
The Platt Branch Library invites you to write your novel at their library.
Is writing one of your New Year’s resolutions for 2023? Is completing a book on your bucket list? Whether you shouted an emphatic yes or mumbled a hushed maybe to either of those questions, our new novel writing support group is for you. This new group will be a place to learn, practice, and receive support from other writers. We will use LinkedIn Learning courses available on lapl.org to guide us through the novel writing process one step at a time. With weekly goals and the encouragement of your peers, you can spend the year working your way toward a completed novel.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Platt Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Address: 23600 Victory Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/write-your-novel
Middle Grade Book Club: On Air with Zoe Washington at pages: a bookstore – In-Person MG Event
Middle Grade Book Club participants will discuss this month’s selections, On Air with Zoe Washington, by author Janae Marks, the sequel to her book From the Desk of Zoe Washington.
Two years ago, Zoe Washington helped clear Marcus’ name for a crime he didn’t commit. Now her birth father has finally been released from prison and to an outpouring of community support, so everything should be perfect.
When Marcus reveals his dream of opening his own restaurant, Zoe becomes determined to help him achieve it—with her as his pastry chef of course. However, starting a new place is much more difficult than it looks, and Marcus is having a harder time re-entering society than anyone expected.
Set on finding a solution, Zoe starts a podcast to bring light to the exonerees’ experiences and fundraise for their restaurant. After all, Zoe knows full well the power of using her voice. But with waning public interest in their story, will anyone still be listening?
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, details.
Where: pages: a 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-15
Creative Writing Workshop at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Express yourself! Get feedback on your writing in a fun, supportive environment.
Novelist and journalist Robert Rifkin will conduct a free weekly writing workshop in Meeting Room A on the first floor of the Central Library.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Central Library, LAPL, Meeting Room A
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/weekly-creative-writing-workshop
Book Club for Adults at Studio City Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Book Club for Adults participants will discuss this month’s selection, This Time Tomorrow, by author Emma Staub.
This time travel novel asks the question: what if you could take a vacation to your past?
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, link, and details.
Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 12511 Moorpark St., Studio City, CA 91604
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-adults
Kevin Tatar & Tasty Healthy Cheap at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Event
Author Kevin Tatar will present his book, Tasty Healthy Cheap.
Join Kevin Tatar (@KWOOWK) for delicious recipes that help you save money and build confidence in the kitchen!
KWOOWK is all about fun and flavor without breaking the bank. As a self-taught home cook, Kevin has made it his mission to help students and young adults in the pursuit of healthy, affordable, and approachable home cooking.
This book is a companion to his shorts and videos, featuring both signature recipes and recent favorites.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, details.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Don Winslow & City of Dreams at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Don Winslow will present and discuss his book, City of Dreams: A Novel.
From the shores of Rhode Island to the deserts of California where bodies disappear, from the power corridors of Washington where the real criminals operate to the fabled movie studios of Hollywood where the real money is made, City of Dreams is a sweeping saga of family, love, revenge, survival and the fierce reality behind the dream.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/Don-Winslow
Spoken Herb Writer’s Salon & Open Mic at The Studio Lounge – In-Person Event
Brian Sonia-Wallace will host the Spoken Herb Writer’s Salon & Open Mic at The Studio Lounge.
Featuring spoken word artists Matthew “Cuban” Hernandez and Meliza Bañales, with live painter Giovanni Rodriguez and musician Loren LeBlanc. Writers will perform or read selected work (including assigning actors for screenplays) and have a chance to try their material in front of an audience, collaborate with musicians, ask questions and get feedback in a supportive salon environment. For tickets priced at $10, visit the eventbrite link below.
Sign up to share (5 min) or just come and listen.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details. $10
Where: The Studio Lounge
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 7 pm – 10 pm
Address: 8625 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spoken-herb-spoken-word-night-at-the-studio-lounge-tickets-600875985247
New SOM Wednesdays Open Mic at Roscoe’s Lounge – In-Person Event
The New SOM Open Mic will be held Wednesdays (not Tuesdays) at the “new” venue Roscoe’s Lounge with music, comedy, and poetry + an open mic.
Hosted by Chris Severs @somopenmichost
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Roscoe’s Lounge
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 7 pm (Sign-ups at 6:30 pm)
Address: 730 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90814
Website: https://www.facebook.com/somopenmic/
Cindy Lin & Creatures of the In-Between at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Cindy LIn will present and discuss her novel, Creatures of the In-Between.
Prince Jin is running out of time.
He must find a monster companion before his thirteenth birthday or lose the throne completely.
And that means travelling to the only place where monsters still live: the legendary, dangerous Whisper Island.
But untold perils await Jin there. The magical creatures he seeks are not so easily swayed, and an even greater threat looms on the horizon—one that could threaten everything Jin hopes to achieve.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/cindy-lin-discusses-creatures-between
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.
- 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm — Formal workshop;
- 8:30 pm – 9:00 pm — Reading: William Hawkins;
- 9:05 pm – 10:00 pm — 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
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: 4321 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: https://www.theworldstage.org/events.html
Wednesday Night Poetry Workshop at Beyond Baroque – Online Zoom Event
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. Please be prepared to share one poem. This workshop will be hosted via the Zoom video-conferencing platform. Please sign up for each workshop session at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, and you will be contacted with instructions on how to join the meeting.
The new facilitator for this workshop is Tom Laiches, author of Three Hundred Streets of Venice California (FutureCycle Press, 2023), Sixty-Three Photographs from the End of a War (3.1 Press, 2021), and Empire of Eden (The High Window Press, 2019). His recent work has appeared or is forthcoming in Salt, Jabberwock, Blue Unicorn, Softblow, Disquieting Muses Quarterly, Stand, and elsewhere. He lives in Venice, California.
Please spend some time before the workshop learning how to share documents via Zoom. It will keep the session moving if you’re able to make your poem viewable quickly and easily. Here’s an instructive video that might help.
The workshop can sometimes reach high levels of attendance, which means not everyone will get a chance to read every session.
NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, and information.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://www.beyondbaroque.org/free_workshops.html
Poetry Reading & Open Mic by Two Idiots Peddling Poetry with Ben Trigg & Nadia Alamah at The Ugly Mug – In-Person Event
Join host Ben Trigg and Two Idiots Peddling Poetry at the Ugly Mug on Wednesday Night for our Reading & Open Mic, with feature Nadia Alamah.
Nadia Alamah (she/they/llama) is an uncertified hooligan who indulges in creative projects because she knew she was never going to last in medical school, law school, engineering school, business school, or school, let alone nudge the idea of being well-adjusted, and because making macaroni art is fun.
A mother of cats and crafts (un)alike, this llama is a second-generation Lebanese American who arrived into this existence by crawling out of the Midwestern gothic crow-infested cornfields while shrieking “OPE HABIBI!” to the tornado-streaked skies, shawarma in hand.
This llama has been far too happily squirrel-brained to try her hand at publishing, but when they have done so in the last few years, it was with Pear-Shaped Press, Shuruq 4.5, Libromobile, the Rachel Corrie Foundation and Qua, among others. Self-made publications include “Yalla Habibi: poems in 3arabeezi” and “baladi” out of attempts to patch together the tattered tapestry of her spite-bacon-laced identity.
The format is to welcome a featured poet for an individual reading, as well as an Open Mic reading.
$4 cover fee, cash only.
NOTE: See site for further details, guidelines & information.
Where: The Ugly Mug, Orange
Date: Wednesday the 19th
Time: 8 pm
Address: 261 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA 92866
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Two-Idiots-Peddling-Poetry/ or https://www.facebook.com/events/897651044869867?ref=newsfeed
CORE Healing Arts Festival: Keynote Speaker & Writer Jimmy Santiago Baca at Pasadena City College – In-Person Event
The CORE Healing Arts Festival and the CORE Scholars Program will be held all day, from 12 pm – 4:30 pm.
The CORE Scholars Program and the Creative Writing Program and multiple parties on campus co-sponsor this event.
The Keynote guest speaker will be writer Jimmy Santiago Baca, who will be presented to read and discuss his work from 12:30 – 1:30 pm.
Jimmy Santiago Baca first came to write poetry as a young man in prison. First came reading (from an anthology stolen from a jail guard). Shortly after experiencing the exhilarations of reading lyric poetry, he discovered the even more dynamic liberating powers that come with writing poems. He found that “through language I was free.”
His books include: When I Walk Through That Door, A Place to Stand, a Glass of Water, and Feeding the Root of Self Expression.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, details.
Where: Pasadena City College, V Building – Room 110
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 12:30 pm – 1:30 (Keynote speaker)
Address: 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91106
Website: https://pasadena.edu/calendars/?id=21681
2nd & 3rd Grade Book Club & Best Wishes at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
The 2nd & 3rd Grade Book Club participants will discuss the book, Best Wishes, by author Sarah Mlynowski.
Because you’re blue
This bracelet is now for you.
Speak one wish to make it true. . .
So begins this enchanting new adventure from Sarah Mlynowski, the New York Times bestselling author and co-author of the Whatever After and Upside-Down Magic series. When different girls around the country receive a wish-granting bracelet in the mail, magical mayhem ensues! Filled with delightful illustrations, friendship, and humor, this series is like American Girl…with magic.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, details.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/2nd-and-3rd%C2%A0grade-book-club
The Third Tuesday Book Club: The Lincoln Highway at Playa Vista Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join the Venice Branch LIbrary Book Club participants for a discussion of this month’s selection, Interior Chinatown, by author Charles Yu.
Interior Chinatown is an ambitious Hollywood satire and a deeply personal novel about race, pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping the roles we are forced to play.
Where: Venice Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 501 S. Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90291
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/venice-library-book-club
West Los Angeles Book Club: Moonwalking with Einstein at West Los Angeles Regional Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join the West Los Angeles Book Club participants for a discussion of this month’s selection, Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, by author Joshua Foer.
This book is the blockbuster phenomenon that charts an amazing journey of the mind while revolutionizing our concept of memory.
Where: West Los Angeles Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 6 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/west-la-library-book-club-2
Mystery Book Club: Death on Gokumon Islandat Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
The Mystery Book Club will discuss this month’s selection, Death on Gokumon Island, by Seishi Yokomizo.
This book is one of the Detective Kindaichi Mysteries, a classic locked room mystery.
Detective Kosuke Kindaichi arrives on the remote Gokumon Island bearing tragic news—his friend and fellow soldier, the son of one of the island’s most important families has died, on a troop transport ship bringing him back home after the Second World War. But Kindaichi has not come merely as a messenger—with his last words, the dying man warned that his three step-sisters’ lives would now be in danger. The scruffy detective is determined to get to the bottom of this mysterious prophecy, and to protect the three women if he can.
As Kindaichi attempts to unravel the island’s secrets, a series of gruesome murders begins. He investigates, but soon finds himself in mortal danger from both the unknown killer and the clannish locals, who resent this outsider meddling in their affairs.
Loosely inspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, the sensational second outing of Japan’s most famous detective is perhaps the most highly regarded of all the great Seishi Yokomizo’s classic Japanese mysteries.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 5225 Canyon Crest Dr., #30A, Riverside, CA 92507
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/classic-detectives-book-club-murder-aristocrat
A Celebration of Books with Aida Salazar & Calling the Moon at LibroMobile – In-Person Event
Author Aida Salazar will present a celebration of books,featuring Calling The Moon 16 Period Stories from BIPOC Authors and Jovita Wore Pants The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter.
Aida Salazar is an award-winning author, arts activist, and translator whose writings for adults and children explore issues of identity and social justice. She is the author of the critically acclaimed middle grade verse novels, THE MOON WITHIN (International Latino Book Award Winner) and LAND OF THE CRANES (Américas Award, California Library Association Beatty Award, Northern CA Book Award, NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor, Jane Addams Peace Honor, International Latino Book Award Honor). Her most recent novel A SEED IN THE SUN releases on Oct. 25, 2022. Her other works include the picture book anthology, IN THE SPIRIT OF A DREAM: 13 Stories of Immigrants of Color; and the forthcoming bio picture book JOVITA WORE PANTS: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter (Spring, 2023). Aida is a founding member of LAS MUSAS – a Latinx kidlit author collective. Her story, By the Light of the Moon, was adapted into a ballet production by the Sonoma Conservatory of Dance and is the first Xicana-themed ballet in history. She lives with her family of artists in a teal house in Oakland, CA.
About Jovita Wore PantsThe Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter:
The remarkable true story of Jovita Valdovinos, a Mexican revolutionary who disguised herself as a man to fight for her rights!
Jovita dreamed of wearing pants! She hated the big skirts Abuela made her wear. She wanted to scale the tallest mesquite tree on her rancho, ride her horse, and feel the wind curl her face into a smile! When her father and brothers joined the Cristero War to fight for religious freedom, Jovita wanted to go, too. Forbidden, she defied her father’s rules – and society’s – and found a clever way to become a trailblazing revolutionary, wearing pants! This remarkable true story about a little-known maverick Mexican heroine is brought vividly to life by her great-niece and Américas Award-winner Aida Salazar, and Eisner Award-honoree Molly Mendoza.
About Calling The Moon: 13 Period Stories by BIPOC Authors:
An essential, highly relatable collection of short fiction and poems around the topic of menstruation, written exclusively by authors who are Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color.
For Angela, it came on the basketball court—while playing on the boys’ team. For Penny, it came on a lakeside field trip, inspiring some cringeworthy moments of humor. And to Layla’s disappointment, it came at the start of her first fasting Ramadan, mandating that she take a “holiday.” Whether their period’s coming spurs silence or celebration, whether they are well prepared for it or totally in the dark, the young people in these sixteen stories find that getting a period brings not only changes to their bodies, but also joy, sorrow, and self-discovery. Featuring BIPOC contributors who are some of today’s most talented authors in middle-grade fiction, Calling the Moon offers coming-of-age stories and poetry as varied as the phases of the moon, from funny to heartbreaking to powerful, all of them reassuring readers that they are not alone in their period journey. With contributions by: Hilda Eunice Burgos * Veeda Bybee * Susan Muaddi Darraj * Saadia Faruqi * Nikki Grimes * Leah Henderson * Mason J. * Erin Entrada Kelly * Guadalupe Garcia McCall * Elise McMullen-Ciotti * Yamile Saied Méndez * Emma Otheguy * Aida Salazar * Christina Soontornvat * Padma Venkatraman * Ibi Zoboi
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and further information.
Where: LibroMobile
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 11500 S. Bristol St., A3., Santa Ana, CA 92708
Website: https://www.libromobile.com/event-details/a-celebration-of-books-with-author-aida-salazar
Laura Cathcart Robbins & Stash at Octavia’s Bookshelf – In-Person Event
Laura Cathcart Robbins will present and sign her new book. STASH: My Life in Hiding.
This book is a memoir about the journey to sobriety, and self-love amidst addiction, privilege and racism, and self-sabotage.
Where: Octavia’s Bookshelf
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 1361 N. Hill Ave., Pasadena, CA 91104
Website:
Laura Cathcart Robbins Book Signing “Stash” — Octavia’s Bookshelf (octaviasbookshelf.com)Rally the Comrades: Protest Poetry Workshop with Matt Sedillo at Tomorrow Today Books – In-Person Event
Join a Poetry Protest Workshop titled Rally the Comrades, led by Matt Sedillo, “Poet Laureate of the Struggle.”
Matt Sedillo is a poet and performance artist, and the author of the collections Mowing Leaves of Grass and City on the Second Floor.
This is a donation-based workshop.
Where: Tomorrow Today Books
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 937 Sun Mun Way, Chinatown, CA 90012
Website: N/A
Double Book Launch: Karina Evans and Aisling Fowler at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Kids & MG Event
Village Well will host a double book launch for Karina Evans and Aisling Fowler, who will present Audrey Covington Breaks the Rules and Fireborn: Phoenix and the Frost Palace, respectively.
Karina Evans’ Audrey Covington Breaks the Rules is a fun, humorous middle-grade novel about breaking rules, growing up, and finding yourself, for fans of Wendy Mass’s Willow Falls and James Patterson’s Jacky Ha-Ha.
Aisling Fowler’s Fireborn: Phoenix and the Frost Palace contains twelve journeys to new lands and embarks on even more perilous adventures in this sequel to Fireborn, which B.B. Alston praised as “the best kind of children’s fantasy story.”
Karina Evans is a children’s author from Santa Barbara, California. She is represented by Jessica Mileo at InkWell Management. Karina studied English at the University of Delaware before starting a career in the entertainment industry. Some of Karina’s favorite things include: See’s Candies, The Amazing Race, singing show tunes in the car, and volleyball. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her two mischievous cats, Sir Pounce and Taika.
Aisling Fowler wishes that she had grown up in a magical, mountainous kingdom, but was raised just outside London on a diet of books and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Fireborn, her debut middle grade series, is a bestseller and has been translated into over 20 languages. Now based in LA, when she is not reading or writing, Aisling loves cooking, pottery and plotting adventures (for herself as well as her fictional characters).
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/24187
Tananarive Due, with Steve Barnes, & The Wishing Pool & Other Stories at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Tananarive Due, in conversation with Steve Barnes, will discuss her book, The Wishing Pool & Other Stories.
In her second collection of stories, Due offers horror, science fiction, and suspense—all genres she wields masterfully. From the mysterious, magical town of Gracetown to the aftermath of a pandemic to the reaches of the far future, Due’s stories all share a sense of dread and fear balanced with heart and hope.
In some of these stories, the monster is racism itself; others address the monster within, each set against the supernatural or surreal. All are written with Due’s trademark attention to detail and deeply drawn characters.
In addition to previously published work, this collection contains brand-new stories, including “Rumpus Room,” a supernatural horror novelette set in Florida about a woman’s struggle against both outer and inner demons.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/Tananarive-Due
Art After Hours: Spoken Word Open Mic Night with A Mic and Dim Lightsat Benton Museum of Art – In-Person Event
After an absence of several years, Spoken Word Open-Mic Night is back at Art After Hours at the Benton with local spoken word venue A Mic and Dim Light.
Just as before, Besskepp will host and DJ JB will be on the 1s and 2s.
Sign-ups will start 10 minutes before 7 pm.
Where: Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 7 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: 120 W. Bonita Ave., Pomona, CA 91711
ALOUD Presents: Cheryl Strayed, with Liz Tigelaar, & Tiny Beautiful Things from the Page to Screen at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Cheryl Strayed, in conversation with Liz Tigelaar, will discuss her book Tiny Beautiful Things from the Page to the Screen.
Bestselling author Cheryl Strayed takes the ALOUD stage to discuss the transformation of her popular book, Tiny Beautiful Things, to the television screen with show creator and executive producer Liz Tigelaar.
Tiny Beautiful Things tells the story of Dear Sugar, a respected advice columnist whose own life is falling apart. Told in multiple timelines with intimacy and candor. Strayed is able to mine the beauty, struggle, and humor in her life to show us that we are not beyond rescue, and that our stories are ultimately our salvation. The eight-part series starring Kathryn Hahn debuts on Hulu on April 7.
Cheryl Strayed is the author of the number-one New York Times bestseller Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, which has sold more than four million copies worldwide and was made into an Oscar-nominated major motion picture. Tiny Beautiful Things was adapted as a play that has been staged in theaters across the country and as a Hulu television series airing in 2023. Cheryl is also the author of Brave Enough, which brings together more than one hundred of her inspiring quotes, and the debut novel Torch. She has hosted two hit podcasts, Sugar Calling and Dear Sugars. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Mark Taper Auditorium, Central Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://lfla.org/event/tiny-beautiful-things-from-the-page-to-the-screen/
Nicholas Dawidoff & “Ted Lasso” Writer Bill Wrubel Present: The Other Side of Prospect at The Ebell – In-Person Event
Nicholas Dawidoff and Ted Lasso Writer Bill Wrubel will discussThe Other Side of Prospect.
What happens when someone serves years in prison for a crime he did not commit? It’s a tragedy we read about all the time. In his new book, The Other Side of Prospect: A Story of Violence, Injustice, and the American City, Nicholas Dawidoff takes the case of one young man from New Haven convicted of a terrible murder, who finally proves his innocence and subsequently wins his release from years in prison.
But release isn’t always easy– it’s often horrifically painful notwithstanding freedom. Dawidoff examines his hard-fought and fraught journey from wrongful incarceration to re-entry into a society not ready to welcome back people who have done their time—even though they were proved innocent. The Other Side of Prospect weaves together the stories of the victim, the possible real murderer, and the innocent young man who was punished for something he did not do.
Dawidoff writes for The New Yorker, and The Atlantic. The Other Side of Prospect was named one of the best books of 2022 by The New Yorker and hit other “best” lists as well. He is the author of other books, including The Catcher Was A Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg.
In conversation with Bill Wrubel, whose writing credits include years on Modern Family, as well as the entirety of Ted Lasso.
Parking is available in adjacent lots or there is street parking (please read signs).
NOTE: See site for RSVP, tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Chevalier’s & Writer’s Bloc at The Ebell
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 741 South Lucerne Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90005
Website: https://writersblocpresents.com/main/nicholas-dawidoff/
In Prose: Peter Churches, Dennis Callaci & Juanita Mantz at Beyond Baroque – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
In Prose is a reading of fiction and memoir featuring fiction writer Peter Churches, joining us from Brooklyn, NY, and Southern California-based writers, Dennis Callaci & Juanita Mantz.
Cherches will read from his new Bamboo Dart Press chapbook, Things, as well as the recent collections Whistler’s Mother’s Son, which contains over 100 prose pieces with a style as playful as the pieces scattered across his body of work, and Masks: Stories From a Pandemic, which compiles 16 stories capturing the surreal experience of living through a global pandemic and all its attendant challenges.
He’ll be joined by Dennis Callaci, author of the experimental prose collections 100 cassettes (Pelekinesis Press) and Things (Bamboo Dart Press) and record label founder of Shrimper.
Memoirist Juanita Mantz will be reading from her memoirs Tales of an Inland Empire Girl (Los Nietos Press) and Portrait of a Deputy Public Defender, or how I became a punk rock lawyer (Bamboo Dart Press). A reception will be held with food & light refreshments before and after the performances. The authors will be signing books.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, tickets, and details.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Thursday the 20th
Time: 8 pm (Doors at 7:30 pm)
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90291
Author Talk: Brian Selznik Virtual School Book Talk & Big Tree via Children’s Book World – Online Event
Brian Selznik will present a special virtual book discussion about his newest creation, Big Tree. This is a school event, but the public is invited with a purchase of Big Tree from Children’s Book World.
The fate of all life on Earth may depend on the bravery of two little seeds in this epic adventure from the #1 New York Times bestselling creator and Caldecott Medalist of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznik.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, link, and details.
Where: Children’s Book World
Date: Friday the 21st
Time: 9 am
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.childrensbookworld.com/event/brian-selznick-virtual-school-book-talk-big-tree
Spectacular Storytime at Once Upon a Time Bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Spectacular Storytime is a weekly time to have fun with books with enthusiastic troubadour, Maddi!
Free to attend.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore
Date: Friday the 21st
Time: 9:30 am
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/spectacular-story-time-28
Your Author Series: Krystal Marquis & The Davenports via Central Library, LAPL – OnlineTeen Event
Your Author Series will host teen/YA author Krystal Marquis to present and discuss her book, The Davenports.
This totally escapist, swoon-worthy romance offers a glimpse into a overlooked period of African American history. Inspired by the real-life story of the Patterson family, The Davenports is the tale of four determined and passionate young Black women discovering the courage to steer their own path in life—and love.
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 details.
Where: Central Library, LAPL
Date: Friday the 21st
Time: 4 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/your-author-series-krystal-marquis
Bookish Discussion Event: Ari Shapiro and Sharon Gless, with host Sandra Tsing Loh via Once Upon a Time Bookstore & Southern California News Group – Online Event
Bookish, a monthly author discussion group hosted by Sandra Tsing Loh, will feature authors Ari Shapiro and Sharon Gless.
Ari Shapiro will present and discuss his new book, The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening.
Sharon Gless will present and discuss her new book, Apparently There Were Complaints: A Memoir.
Sandra Tsing Loh is the author of several books, including The Madwoman and the Roomba, the follow-up to her The Madwoman in the Volvo: My Year of Raging Hormones, which was selected as one of the New York Times’ 100 Most Notable Books. A well-known voice on NPR, she is the producer of the Loh Down on Science and a contributing editor at The Atlantic. Her previous book, Mother on Fire, was inspired by her hit solo show about Los Angeles public education. Her other solo shows include Aliens in America and Bad Sex with Budd Kemp.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore
Date: Friday the 21st
Time: 5 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/bookish-april-2023
La Ballona Student Reading with Kim Purcell and Erika Lewis at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
The students at La Ballona Elementary have written their own novels in a special novel-writing program run by Young Adult Author Kim Purcell. They will read from their books at this premier event. Special guest, Author Erika Lewis, a former La Ballona parent, will also read and sign her latest middle-grade book. A portion of the proceeds will go to support La Ballona Elementary
Kim Purcell is the author of This Is Not a Love Letter and Trafficked.
Erika Lewis is the author most recently of Kelcie Murphy and the Academy of the Unbreakable Arts.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Friday the 21st
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/25062
Celebrating the Seasons: 10 Years of CLI at Sims Library of Poetry – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
In this special event, hosted by Hiram Sims, there will be readings from seasons 1, 2, and 3 of Community Literature Initiative.
Featured poets include:
AKoldPiece is a spoken word artist, poet, writer, host, and the author of The Weather Report.
Charlie Becker is a poet and writer, and the author of Friends My Poems Gave Me.
Camari Carter Hawkins is a poet, writer, and founder of Mama’s Kitchen Press. book me speak at your next event · self-publishing services. She is the author of Death by Comb, a stellar body of poetry that seeks to normalize natural hair and find solid ground in an ever-changing world and Write Back to You, a guided journal for writing yourself back into your life. Camari leads journaling workshops all across Los Angeles and beyond. Her poetic works can also be found in Rise: An Anthology of Power and Unity by Vagabond Press and The Best of The Poetry Salon 2013-2018 Anthology.
Rykiell Rhea-Turner is a poet and writer and the author of forevEVOLve.
Angela Franklin is the author of Trevor’s Amgel: Cedar Springs Series, Chase’ Teacher, Kara’s Protector, Sophia’s Hero, among others.
Bryan Maldonado has been writing since the age of 13. He is a teacher, linguist, and the author of The Pursuit of Happiness.
Carolina Rivera Escamilla lives in Los Angeles, California. A Fellow of Pen America Emerging Voices, her first book of short stories, entitled …after… was published in 2015 (World Stage Press). And her first book of poetry entitled In a Corner of Your Country”was published in 2023 (Bellucci, palms & Carmichael. LLC Press). Born in El Salvador, Rivera Escamilla is a bilingual writer, and educator, who is currently writing a novel. www.carolinariveraescamilla.com
Jessica Gallion aka YELLAWOMAN is an author and poet from Natchitoches, Louisiana, raised in Los Angeles, CA. She is the author of Can’t No Woman, Woman Like Me, published by World Stage Press in Leimert Park. She is also the founder and facilitator for Creatin’ After Hours (a guided writing night cap) at The World Stage. She has performed and voiced-over commercials for Coca-Cola. She has appeared in Compton College, The Broad, Cafe Con Libros, FLYPOET, The Pasadena Lit Festival, un::fade::able, The Table Lit Readings, La Palabra, and many other venues around Los Angeles. Jessica recently opened for Rupi Kaur, Ed Mabrey and is the 2016 champion of the Spoken Word Voices Heard Poetry Slam. Jessica is a graduate of the Community Literature Initiative and WATTS WRITERS WORKSHOP. Her work takes you on a journey through self discovery, affirmations, colorism, trials and over-comings all smothered in her Creole culture and Louisiana roots.
Julayne Lee is an adopted Korean poet & artivist. Her debut collection of poems Not My White Savior was on Bitch Media’s Bitchreads: 15 Books Feminists Should Read in March and Entropy’s Best of 2018: Best Poetry Books & Poetry Collections. Not My White Savior has been taught globally in Freshman Lit, Race & Ethnicity, Asian/Pacific Islander American Women and US and Asia: Empire and Racial Liberalism university courses. Julayne has read and spoken on adoption at universities & symposiums in the U.S. & Korea. You can find her words in The Washington Post, The Nervous Breakdown & elsewhere @julayneelle www.julaynelee.com IG: @julayneelle https://www.instagram.com/julayneelle/
Ka’Lynn Youngblood is the author of Journeys of a Wombman, which documents the rural challenges a mother faces and the grace she uses to defeat them.
Kuahmel is the author of Peace in the Pocket, and the co-host of Under the Mic Influence Open Mic events.
Poetess P.R.Y.D.E. aka Marquitta Lloyd, is the author of P. R. Y. D. E. in Print.
Melaina Williams is a poet, vocalist and actor, and the author of Bless Your Sweet Bones and The Humble Commode.
Ashay Mathieu is a musician, educator, and poet. She is the author of Ashay Speaks.
Kuya Paul is a poet, photographer, podcaster, and the author of The Love Manifesto.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Sims Library of Poetry
Date: Friday the 21st
Time: 6 pm
Address: 2702 Florence Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90043
Website: https://www.simslibraryofpoetry.org/event-details/celebrating-the-seasons-10-years-of-cli
Book Launch: Marisa Crane & I Keep My Ekoskeletons to Myself at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event
Marisa Crane will celebrate the release of their debut novel, I Keep My Ekoskeletons to Myself.
Marisa Crane will be in conversation with guests Gabrielle Korn, along with readings from Jean Kyoung Frazier and Ilana Masad.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: Stories Books & Café
Date: Friday the 21st
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
The Post Up: Readings & Open Mic hosted by Brenda Vaca at Casa Verde LA – In-Person Event
Brenda Vaca hosts The Post Up Readings & Open Mic Event on every 3rd Friday of the month at Uptown Plants at Casa Verde LA.
Come for: Storytelling x Friends and Vendors x Vibes
This month’s features are Voth and Andrew Zaragoza.
Joseph Voth is the author of the debut collection of poems, Living with Noise.
Andrew Zaragoza is the author of XI: A Collection of Poetry on Being Human.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: Casa Verde LA
Date: Friday the 21st
Time: 7:30 pm – 9 pm
Address: 12909 Philadelphia St., Whittier, CA
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqlS6SUp8NM/?hl=en
A Poetry Reading with Jacqueline Osherow & Lynn Thompson at Beyond Baroque – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join Beyond Baroque for a reading with poet Jacqueline Osherow. She will be reading from her newest book Divine Ratios (LSU Press, 2023). A Distinguished Professor at The University of Utah, Osherow’s ninth collection is full of speed and mobility, not only physical―a traveler’s movement in a crowded, thrilling world―but imaginative, and its poetic idiom is no less varied, as a breezy conversational tone serves as a counterpoint to traditional form.
Osherow will be accompanied by Los Angeles Poet Laureate Lynne Thompson. The reading will be hosted by David St. John.
Lynne Thompson is Los Angeles’ 2021-22 Poet Laureate and a 2022 Poet Laureate Fellow of the Academy of American Poets. Thompson is the author of three collections of poetry: Beg No Pardon, Start With A Small Guitar, and most recently Fretwork, winner of the 2019 Marsh Hawk Poetry Prize. The recipient of multiple awards and fellowships including several Pushcart Prize nominations, Thompson sits on the Boards of Cave Canem and the Los Angeles Review of Books and recently completed her term as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Scripps College. Her recent work can be found or is forthcoming in Best American Poetry, New England Review, Black Warrior Review, Massachusetts Review, The Common, and Copper Nickel, among others.
Jacqueline Osherow’s ninth collection of poems, Divine Ratios, was published by LSU Press in 2023. She’s received grants from the John SimonGuggenheim and Ingram Merrill Foundations, the NEA, and the Witter Bynner Prize. Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, Paris Review, American Poetry Review, Best American Poetry, The Norton Anthology of Jewish-American Literature, The Penguin Book of the Sonnet and many other anthologies and journals. She’s Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Utah.
NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, link, and information.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm (Doors at 7:30 pm)
Address: 681 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
SWAAM Spoken Word Art & Music Event & Open Mic by Lorenzo Frank at Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center – In-Person Event
Join us to hear a featured poet, plus an Open Mic, hosted by Lorenzo Frank on the first and third Friday of the month.
Featured artist: Huggy Bear DA Poet.
Huggy Bear has graced the stages of venues from L. A. to Atlanta; to the Nuyorican Cafe in New York City to Busboys and Poets in the DC/VA area. He’s opened for such greats as Nikki Giovanna, Jill Scott, Fantasia, Rickey Smiley and a plethora of other phenomenal entertainers. Through his socially aware poetry, he has captivated and evoked social change in each and every venue he has performed. Although Nationally known and considered one of the top spoken word artists in the country he’s also credited with pioneering the modern spoken word movement along the Gulf Coast. He writes from the heart and performs from the soul. Huggy’s self-published book entitled Love, Laughter, Heartache and Pain, takes the reader on a journey through his own personal walk in life. He’s very active in his community and generously volunteers his time to do performances and workshops at churches, schools and mentoring programs all around the country.
His CDs Where I Was and New Growth followed the book to continue to entice his listeners with the raw truth. He spits poems of social resistance, as he captures the pain and triumph of being black in todays in AmeriKKKa. Through spoken word he hopes that social change will not be revolutionary, but evolutionary in the sense that it will be ultimate tool in our struggle to make Black America better.
Lorenzo Frank is the Arthur of ‘Nzinga Teaches/Learns a Lesson’ book series.
NOTE: See site for costs, guidelines, and details.
Where: Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center
Date: Friday the 21st
Time: 8 pm
Address: 4305 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park, Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: https://www.facebook.com/swaampoetry/ or https://www.depoet.info/swaam
Third Fridays Rapp Saloon Reading Series, with host Elena Secota, via Rapp Saloon – Hybrid In-Person & Online Event (Check to verify)
Third Fridays at Rapp Saloon Open Mic & Featured Readers is an event offered every 3rd Friday of the month, curated by host Elena Secota.
This is a HYBRID event, with a return to live in-person events while maintaining at HISUA Zoom option for our performers and guests.
All languages are welcome.
Featured guest poets and artists this month: James Ragan, Tara Vale Ragan, and Christopher M. Allport.
James Ragan is an internationally recognized poet, playwright, screenwriter, and essayist, distinguished for his role as a cultural ambassador with poetry readings for 7 international heads of state, 24 world ambassadors, and audiences in 34 nations. Nobel P, and Nobel nominee Miroslav Holub lauds his “domination of the art of poetic narration with insight that marks major poets.” Czech President Vaclav Havel has called him “an Ambassador of the Arts.” Ragan served on a 3 member International Jury to select the 2018 Vaclav Havel Disturbing the Peace Prize, presented in New York by Madeleine Albright.
With poems translated in 15 languages and published in 35 anthologies, he has authored 10 books of poetry including In the Talking Hours, Womb-Weary, The Hunger Wall, Lusions, Tallinn Selected Poetry, Too Long a Solitude, The World Shouldering I, The Chanter’s Reed, Nothing Disappears and Yevtushenko’s Collected Poems (co-editor), which the NY Times praised as “a passionate and essential edition.”
Tara Vale Ragan is the author of Reading the Ground. This book celebrates the powers of language, heritage, and family in this inventive first collection. Selected for the Hilary Tham Capital Collection by judge Jeanne Larsen, Reading the Ground, Larsen says, gives us “Lessons in the Slovak Language-which is to say, lessons in every mother’s tongue. They rise out of the great American tale of immigration, embrace the great American mill-town of the 20th century, and make the great American journey to an unknown old country.
Christopher M. Allport N/A
Share your voice at the Open Mic, where there is a time limit of 4 minutes max. Sign-ups are: 8 pm – 8:30 pm.
NOTE: See site for event details.
Where: Rapp Saloon at HISUA
Date: Friday the 21st
Time: 8:30 pm – 11 pm
Address: 1436 2nd St., Santa Monica, CA 90401 (Zoom link in bio @RappSaloon)
Website: https://www.facebook.com/therappsaloonpoetryreading/
Special Annual Event: L.A. Times Festival of Books at the University of Southern California – In-Person Event
The 27th annual L.A. Times Festival of Books returns to the University of Southern California for two days of indoor and outdoor literary events, featuring conversations on current issues, literature, and pop culture, plus readings, performances, and more! Dozens of prize-winning authors and cultural icons will entertain, speak and perform, including: poet laureates Lee Herrick and Lynne Thompson, and so many others, from Stacey Abrams to Joan Baez, so check the full schedule.
Gain early access to indoor panel reservations through their Friend of the Festival packages at the site. All outdoor stages and activities are free!
Readings include panel discussions, an outdoor Poetry Stage, and many specialized and general interest activities for all ages at various locations on the USC campus. Exhibitors and authors offer books and merchandise for purchase, and food stations/vendors will offer refreshments for purchase.
See complete FOB Schedule available at site for list of authors, exhibitors, and details.
NOTE: See site for updates, guidelines, tickets, and Schedule of Events.
Where: University of Southern California
Date: Saturday the 22nd (Day 1 of 2)
Time: 10 am – 6 pm
Address: University Park Campus, Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Website: https://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/schedule
Chelsea Lin Wallace & Ode to a Bad Day at Children’s Book World – In-Person Kids Event
Chelsea Lin Wallace will celebrate her newest picture book, Ode To A Bad Day, with storytime, pudding cups (to go), kids activity sheets, and book signing.
Sometimes the little bumps in our days can feel much bigger than they are. And when they start multiplying…oh, what a bad day it can become! Told in a series of dramatic odes to a day’s annoyances, Ode to a Bad Day lets children and caregivers alike find the humor and compassion in the days that could have gone better—and encourages readers to look forward to a better day…tomorrow.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Children’s Book World
Date: Saturday the 22nd
Time: 10:30 pm
Address: 10580 ½ W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064
Earth Day Storytime: Cheryl Gardner & The Thirsty Dragon at Flintridge Bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Cheryl Gardner will celebrate her new fantasy poem, The Thirsty Dragon, about a curious boy facing a distraught dragon who is himself in an unusual predicament! The explanatory tale reveals the dragon’s story and leads to a surprising conclusion – would you agree with the solution? Notes are included to encourage understanding and wider exploration of the story’s themes.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Flintridge Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 22nd
Time: 10:30 pm – 11:30 am
Address: 858 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011
Poetry Event: Neenach Poetry Festival: A Day of Poetry in the Desert for Everyone – In-Person Event
The first Neenach Poetry Festival will be held all day on Earth Day, April 22 2023 in the Antelope Valley at the Neenach Exit on Hwy 138 in Lancaster.
Organized by MarvinLouis Dorsey, Don Kingfisher Campbell, and others, it offers a full day and evening of literary readings and performances.
More than 50 poets from throughout SoCal will be featured and read from their work. See complete hourly schedule of poets at site.
Meals by Big Mama will be available for only $5. Indoor and outdoor restrooms are available, but bring your own chairs, tables and blankets for your comfort in the desert.
FREE admission. $1 parking donation.
Directions: Take Hwy 5 or 14 to Hwy 138 and go to Neenach exit. Address is 28101 West Avenue C6, Lancaster, CA 93536
NOTE: See site for updates, guidelines, and schedule of performers.
Where: Neenach Exit off Hwy 138
Date: Saturday the 22nd
Time: 11 am – 9 pm
Address: 28101 West Avenue C6, Lancaster, CA 93536
Website: https://neenachpoetryfestival.blogspot.com/
Queering the Arts Workshop Series: Write Where I Belong with Alex Petunia – Online Event
Spend Earth Day and enjoy breathing, journaling and generative creative prompts. Have time to share poems aloud (only if comfortable). Participants will also create a group poem of affirmations that they will take home with them! $20, sign up today!
NOTE: See site for RSVP, cost, and details.
Where: Queering the Arts
Date: Saturday the 22nd
Time: 1 pm – 4 pm
Address: 5471 Huntington Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90032
Website: https://form.jotform.com/230816208725152
Fourth Saturdays Poetry: Cynthia Tuell & Ron Dowellat Claremont Library – In-Person Event
The Fourth Saturdays Poetry Reading event for April will feature poets and writers Ron L. Dowell and Cynthia Tuell.
Cynthia Tuell taught writing for 40+ years, most recently at UC Riverside. Her poems and short stories have been published in The Seattle Review, Kayak, and Psychological Perspectives, among other journals.
Ron L. Dowell is the author of Watts Uprise, a poetry collection released by World Stage Pres in 2022. A very public love letter to Watts, the collection honors the Watts Towers and its creator Sabato Rodia. Watts Uprise is a finalist for the 2022 Press 53 Award for Poetry, and “Compton, an Energy-Fueled Dark Star” was nominated for a 2021 Pushcart Prize. His poetry has been published in numerous literary journals.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Claremont Library
Date: Saturday the 22nd
Time: 2 pm – 4 pm
Address: 208 N. Harvard Ave., Claremont, CA 91766
Website: https://www.instagram.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/fourthsaturdayspoetry/?paipv=0&eav=AfaORXWuG0ARG_6TpjnktmM0z4sxRg5zaEwz7lquq8T2Nfvb0JMOxRoKk9KPOF3_yoA
Saturday Afternoon Poetry: Event Cancelled to Attend Neenach Poetry Festival in Lancaster, CA
Saturday Afternoon Poetry celebrates the Neenach Poetry Festival and will go there to see the Four Feathers Press Poets and Spectrum Poets showcases.
Where: Saturday Afternoon Poetry CANCELLED TO ATTEND Neenach Poetry Festival
Date: Saturday the 15th
Time: All Day
Address: Neenach Exit in Lancaster CA
Website: http://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/
Historical Fiction Book Club: Kaikeyi at Cellar Door Books – In-Person Event
The Historical Fiction Book Club will discuss this month’s selection, Kaikeyi: A Novel by author Vaishnavi Patel.
I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions—much good it did me.
So begins Kaikeyi’s story. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on legends of the gods: how they churned the vast ocean to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land of Bharat prospers, and how they offer powerful boons to the devout and the wise. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, listens as her own worth is reduced to how great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear.
Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. With this power, Kaikeyi transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat, and most favored queen, determined to carve a better world for herself and the women around her.
But as the evil from her childhood tales threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family. Kaikeyi must decide if resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak—and what legacy she intends to leave behind.
Vaishnavi Patel is a lawyer specializing in civil rights. She likes to write at the intersection of Indian myth, feminism, and anticolonialism. She grew up in and around Chicago and, in her spare time, enjoys activities that are almost stereotypically Midwestern: knitting, ice-skating, drinking hot chocolate, and making hotdish. Kaikeyi is her debut novel.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 22nd
Time: 5 pm
Address: 5225 Canyon Crest Dr., #30A, Riverside CA 92507
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/historical-fiction-book-club-kaikeyi
Book Release: Estela Victoria-Cordero & Huitzilopochtli at Sims Library of Poetry – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
In this special event, hosted by Hiram Sims, there will be a celebration of the release of Huitzilopochtli by author Estela Victoria-Cordero.
At fourteen, Estela Victoria-Cordero’s dying mother told her she’d become a hummingbird to keep Estela safe throughout her life. Named after the hummingbird warrior guide that led the Mexicas to Tenochtitlan, present day Mexico City, Huitzilopochtli is a beautiful journey of discovery — of self, of what her mother wanted for her, of hope through emotionally strenuous times and, finally, of triumph. This debut collection of poetry is a testament to the profound guidance and faith that has shaped her life. It is about cultura and familia from both sides of the Mexican border. About being a survivor of parental alcoholism and becoming a caretaker prematurely in life. About surviving never-ending loneliness. About being a wife and mama. This book is for all and any who need something to believe in. It is encouragement to never stop searching for what’s meant to be.
A married mother of four, Estela Victoria-Cordero was born and raised in the hillside neighborhood of El Sereno/Lincoln Heights area of East Los Ángeles. She’s a dental hygienist, graduate of USC and an entrepreneur. Estela published her first poem in the Coiled Serpent Anthology by Los Angeles Poet Laureate Luis Rodriguez and Tia Chucha’s Press in 2016. She subsequently has been published in the anthology Los Angeles Poets for Justice by Los Angeles Poet Society Press and in Drylandla’s Hombre Lobo Stories by Ponte Las Pilas Press. Estela has also translated several children’s books to Spanish, including The Big Scary Virus by B.Me., released in Summer 2020. She’s an alum of the Community Literature Initiative, through the Sims Library of Poetry.
Guest poets include:
Conney Williams is a poet, performer, ordained minister, community activist, and the former artistic director of The World Stage Performance Gallery. He is the author most recently of The Distance of Observation.
Andy Sanchez is a queer/trans Mexican poet, advocate, and traveler. He migrated to the U.S. at the age of 5 and grew up in Southern California and Las Vegas, NV. Andrés has been featured in over a dozen open-mics in the LA area and has hosted workshops, talks, and readings for diverse communities. Sanchez is the author of This Body.
Jessica Wilson is a Chicana Poet born in East Los Angeles, CA, USA. A true mix of the many lands, Jessica, came of age in the Inland Empire; surrounded by multiple races that couldn’t make heads or tails of her…brown skin with an Irish surname was a tough hand to be dealt to a girl growing up alone. She has been a writer since age 11 and founded the Pos Angeles Poet Society in 2009. Her books include: What Breathes, Raw Kit, Marie Morrison, and most recently, Serious Longing, published by Swan World Press in Paris, France.
Lupe Montiel is an author, poet, scriptwriter, filmmaker, art and music curator.
David Morin N/A
Brenda Vaca is a poet, publisher, author of Riot of Roses and the children’s book Buttonz Finds her MOJO. She curates literary events and performs at a variety of venues in Southern California.
Alex Petunia is a poet and writer and the author of Tending My Wild. She hosts Meditation Mondays through LA Poet Society as well as other writing workshops.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Sims Library of Poetry
Date: Saturday the 22nd
Time: 6 pm – 9 pm
Address: 2702 Florence Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90043
Website: https://events.humanitix.com/huitzilopochtli
Writing Workshop: Hannah Eko & So You Want to Write A Memoir: A Practical, Bold Way to Get Started at The Pop Hop – In-Person
If you want to start writing your memoir the chill, kind, and even sexy way, this is the writing workshop for you. Hannah Eko, author of Honey is the Knife, will help you transform your “what will my mom think?” and “where do I even start?” anxieties into ease, compassion, and focus. Writing may be hard work, but your creative process can be sweet. Come to this workshop to find out how…
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: The Pop Hop Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 22nd
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 5002 York Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90042
Get Lit’s 12th Annual Classic Teen Poetry SLAM at The Theatre at The Ace Hotel – In-Person Event
The two-day Classic Slam is the largest Classic Poetry Slam in the world and includes hundreds of young poets from schools throughout California. Young poets come together to perform Classic poems and original Spoken Word Response pieces live for a panel of world-renowned judges, including Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Juan Felipe Herrera, Lee Herrick, Mila Cuda, and Salome Agbaroji!
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details. Ages 5+ are welcome.
Where: The Theatre at The Ace Hotel
Date: Saturday the 22nd
Time: 7 pm – 10 pm (Doors at 6;30)
Address: 929 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Website: https://www.axs.com/events/474647/get-lit-s-12th-annual-classic-slam-tickets
Gold Standard Readings & AAPI Voices, with Arriana Lady Basco at Greenway Court Theatre – In-Person Event
The Get Down Festival presents the Gold Standard Reading Event hosted by Arianna Lady Basco.
This musical poetry performance event celebrating AAPI voices through these gold narratives’ adversity and honoring of culture, family, and love.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Greenway Court Theatre
Date: Saturday the 22nd
Time: 8 pm
Address: 544 North Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles CA 90036
Website: https://greenwaycourttheatre.org/la-get-down/ or https://www.ticketsource.us/greenway-court-theatre/gold-standard-evening/e-jgxarl
Griot Café Open Mic with Sistah Shy & Samuel Rain & Featured Guest TBA at Shades of Africa, Long Beach – In-Person Event
Sistah Shy & Samuel Rain host the Griot Café Open Mic & Poetry event every Saturday evening at Shades of Africa in Long Beach. See site to subscribe for reminders, etc.
Where: Griot Café at Shades of Africa
Date: Saturday the 22nd
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 1001 E. 4th St., Long Beach, CA 90802
Website: https://shadesofafrika.com/griot-cafe-open-mic-poetry/
Special Annual Event: L.A. Times’ Festival of Books (2 Days) at the University of California – In-Person Event
The 27th annual L.A. Times Festival of Books returns to the University of Southern California for two days of indoor and outdoor literary events, featuring conversations on current issues, literature, and pop culture, plus readings, performances, and more!
Gain early access to indoor panel reservations through their Friend of the Festival packages at the site. All outdoor stages and activities are free!
Readings include panel discussions, an outdoor Poetry Stage, and many specialized and general interest activities for all ages at various locations on the USC campus. Exhibitors and authors offer books and merchandise for purchase, and food stations/vendors will offer refreshments for purchase.
See complete FOB Schedule available at site for list of authors, exhibitors, and details.
NOTE: See site for updates, guidelines, tickets, and Schedule of Events.
Where: University of Southern California
Date: Sunday the 23rd (Day 2 of 2)
Time: 10 am – 5 pm
Address: University Park Campus, Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Website: https://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/schedule
826LA@Hammer: Cuentas From Mi Barrio with Giovanni Ortega at The Hammer Museum – In-Person Kids Event
In this workshop, students will learn to craft stories from beginning, middle, and end casting themselves as the main characters and reflecting on their own life experiences. Everyone has a cuento to tell!
Led by DEAI educator, professor, and multi-disciplinary artist Giovanni Ortega.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Hammer Museum
Date: Sunday the 23rd
Time: 11 am – 1 pm
Address: 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Website: https://hammer.ucla.edu/programs-events/2023/826lahammer-cuentos-mi-barrio
Children’s Storytime with Meera Sriram & A Garden in My Hands at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Kids Event
Meera Sriram will present her children’s book, A Garden in My Hands, a touching picture book which celebrates the custom of applying henna for special occasions through a mother and daughter who share family memories and stories.
Meera Sriram is the author of several picture books, including A Gift for Amma, which School Library Journal called an “excellent story for young readers to enhance their understanding of color and an aspect of traditional Indian culture” in a starred review. An electrical engineer in her past life, she now enjoys writing for children and advocating for early and multicultural literacy.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Sunday the 23rd
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/24188
Latinx Book Club: The Family Izquierdo at Cellar Door Books – In-Person Event
The Latinx Book Club will discuss this month’s selection, The Family Izquierdo: A Novel, by author Rubén Degollado.
The tight-knit Izquierdo family is grappling with misfortunes none of them can explain. Their beloved patriarch has suffered from an emotional collapse and is dying; eldest son Gonzalo’s marriage is falling apart; daughter Dina, beleaguered by the fear that her nightmares are real, is a shut-in. When Gonzalo digs up a strange object in the backyard of the family home, the Izquierdos take it as proof that a jealous neighbor has cursed them—could this be the reason for all their troubles? As the Izquierdos face a distressing present and an uncertain future, they are sustained by the blood that binds them, a divine presence, and an abiding love for one another. Told in a series of soulful voices brimming with warmth and humor, The Family Izquierdo is a tender narrative of a family at a turning point.
Rubén Degollado is an educator from Texas and the author of The Family Izquierdo: A Novel and the young adult novel Throw. His fiction has appeared in Beloit Fiction Journal, Gulf Coast, Hayden’s Ferry Review, and Image.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 23rd
Time: 2 pm
Address: 5225 Canyon Crest Dr., #30A, Riverside, CA 92507
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/latinx-book-club-family-izquierdo
Good Earth Workshop III with Sheila Sadr at Greenway Court Theatre – In-Person Event
The L.A. Get Down Festival presents Good Earth Workshop III led by Sheila Sadr.
This workshop explores the intersections between being a writer, community relationships, and well-being.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Greenway Court Theatre
Date: Sunday the 23rd
Time: 2 pm
Address: 544 North Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles CA 90036
Website: https://greenwaycourttheatre.org/la-get-down/
1619 Speaks: An Anthology of African American Poets at Sims Library of Poetry – In-Person Event
Since August 20, 1619, African American poets have expressed the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of their people’s resilience. The incredible poets included in 1619 Speaks stand on the shoulders of giants, embodying their imagination, inspiration, and investigation.
Our readers:
Flyy High is a first generation, jamaican-american writer and poet, based in los angeles. her passion for writing began early in childhood and continued through her studies at prairie view a&m university and in her work as a former high school teacher. flyy’s poetic influences and inspirations include names such as audre lorde, d’bi young anintafrika, lucille clifton, and staceyann chin. similarly, her work speaks to her journey into womanhood, encompassing themes such as childhood trauma, healing, and liberation. she hopes to provoke thought and lead others to taking inspired action, directed towards becoming the best version of themselves, via self awareness, discovery, and daily consciousness practices. she is currently working on her first collection of poetry called metamorphosis, set to release in 2023. to keep up with her, follow her on instagram @flyyhigh2wise.
James Coats is an author, poet, and educator born in Los Angeles and raised in the Inland Empire. He received his BFA from Cal Poly Pomona and his MBA from Cal State San Bernardino. As a creative change agent he believes the arts can inspire the youth and influence positive change in the world. His first poetry collection If I had Lived was published in 2018. He is the winner of the 2021 San Gabriel Poetry Slam. In 2021 he founded the organization Lift Our Voices Education which hosts an award-winning workshop monthly called Be The Change: Social Justice Writing Workshop. He became the Artist in Residence at The Garcia Center for the Arts in 2022. His newest poetry collection Midnight & Mad Dreams is published by World Stage Press. You can find him attending poetry readings throughout California or follow his poetry via his Instagram @MrLovingWords.
Tyren Thompson is a Los Angeles, California based poet who studies cultures and the people who make them exciting – then write about it! His previous work has been featured in the Rise Up Review, Rigorous Magazine, and the George Floyd Poetry Anthology. When he is not writing, he is a resourceful human behind a computer screen. Some of his work is shared on Instagram @_TyWriter.
Tekira Briscoe is a blogger and poet who believes in the power of the written word. She began her journey in poetry by reading Maya Angelou books and now dreams of being a respected writer and poet. Her biggest accomplishment to date has been completing her first poetry collection which will be released in 2022. Tekira lives in Los Angeles with her devoted husband, Kim, and homeschools her two kids, Micah and Aniyah. To keep up with Tekira and her upcoming book, you can follow her @naturallkira.
Tommy Domino is a member of the Stillwater’s Writers Collective, the Watts Writers Workshop II, and poetry collective Never Speak Long Beach. In 2022, he was Community Literature Initiative’s Teacher of the Year.
Hosted by Woodrow Bailey. Woodrow Bailey was born in New Orleans and raised in South Central Los Angeles and from the time he could pick up a pencil to put his ideas on paper he has explored his environment. Every aspect of his life has been a canvas to create his vision of his surroundings. His main thrust is to represent those with no voice or choice in this society. Woodrow Bailey’s philanthropy, his professional career, his writing with filmmaking has given a window to open toward the neglect that his neighborhood has experienced. As that neighborhood continues to suffer that ongoing film he sees brings his writing to an awareness few have witnessed. “I probe my environment for answers to questions long ignored or overlooked.” His education did not allow him to turn his back but build bridges going forward. These lessons fuels what he stands for: Peace and Faith.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details. FREE.
Where: Sims Library of Poetry
Date: Sunday the 23rd
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 2702 W. Florence Ave., Los Angels, CA 90043
Website: https://www.simslibraryofpoetry.org/event-details/1619-speaks-in-person-launch-reading
Historical Romance Book Club: The Duke Who Didn’t at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
The Ripped Bodice presents the Historical Romance Book Club, to discuss the selected book, The Duke Who Didn’t, by author Courtney Milan.
Orders manager Katie S. leads this book club that focuses on all historical romance titles, all eras, both new and old. Ballrooms, carriages, and corsets oh my!
Miss Chloe Fong has plans for her life, lists for her days, and absolutely no time for nonsense. Three years ago, she told her childhood sweetheart that he could talk to her once he planned to be serious. He disappeared that very night. Except now he’s back. Jeremy Wentworth, the Duke of Lansing, has returned to the tiny village he once visited with the hope of wooing Chloe. In his defense, it took him years of attempting to be serious to realize that the endeavor was incompatible with his personality. All he has to do is convince Chloe to make room for a mischievous trickster in her life, then disclose that in all the years they’ve known each other, he’s failed to mention his real name, his title… and the minor fact that he owns her entire village. Only one thing can go wrong: Everything.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Sunday the 23rd
Time: 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: Main Street, Culver City, CA 90323
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
Los Angeles Literature 