Memoir Writing: Paint Your Portrait with Words at Venice-Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Your life is your legacy. Whether writing shorts clips for your family, archives, or a full-fledged memoir, this workshop will help you get started. You’ll learn different methods for writing entries that will help you paint your portrait and invaluable feedback on style and content.
Where: Venice-Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 25th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 501 S. Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/memoir-writing-paint-your-portrait-words
Creep Event: Myriam Gurba, with Carribean Fragoza, & Creep at Octavia’s Bookshelf – In-Person Event
Octavia’s Bookshelf will host author Myriam Gurba, in conversation with author Carribean Fragoza, to discuss her book, Creep: Accusations and Confessions.
Creep, from the author of Mean, is an essay collection that tackles the pervasive, creeping oppression and toxicity that has wormed its way into society. Gurba implicates everyone from Joan Didion to her former abuser, from Mexican stereotypes to the carceral state, and argues for a new way of conceptualizing oppression. She is a fierce explorer of intersectional Latinx identity.
The speaking event will be followed by an author signing.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Octavia‘s Bookshelf
Date: Monday the 25th
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 1361 North Hill Ave., Pasadena CA 91104
Website: https://www.octaviasbookshelf.com/events/creep-event
The Vanguard of Knowledge: A Racial Justice Book Club: Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will discuss Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting, by author Vijay Prashad.
This captivating read explores the cultural influences of martial arts and how they intersect with identity and society. Delving into the world of Kung Fu, the book sheds light on its impact on individuals and communities, offering unique insights into self-discovery and empowerment.
Where: Central Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 25th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/vanguard-knowledge-racial-justice-book-club-1
At Skylight: C Pam Zhang, with Rachel Khong, & Land of Milk and Honey at Skylight Books – In-Person Event
C Pam Zhang, in conversation with Rachel Khong, will discuss her book, Land of Milk and Honey.
This is a unique novel about a young chef whose discovery of pleasure alters her life and, indirectly, the world. Land of Milk and Honey lays provocatively bare the ethics of seeking pleasure in a dying world. It is also it is a love letter to food and to the transformative power of a woman embracing her own appetite.
C Pam Zhang is the author of How Much of These Hills Is Gold, winner of the Academy of Arts and Letters Rosenthal Award and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, long-listed for the Booker Prize, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award and the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, and one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of the year. She is a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree and a New York Public Library Cullman Fellow.
Rachel Khong is the author of the novels Goodbye, Vitamin, and Real Americans, forthcoming from Knopf in spring 2024.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Skylight
Date: Monday the 25th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-c-pam-zhang-presents-land-milk-and-honey-w-rachel-khong
Sara Kuburic, with Yung Pueblo, & It’s On Me: Accept Hard Truths, Discover Yourself, and Change Your Life at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Sara Kuburic, in conversation with Yung Pueblo, will present and discussIt’s On Me.
So many of us feel lonely, unfulfilled, or trapped—in our roles and relationships, in cycles of self-sabotage and bad decisions, by our patterns and misguided attempts to feel happy or to feel something. According to existential psychotherapist Sara Kuburic, it doesn’t have to be so difficult. Really.
Sara Kuburic shows how we can stop sleepwalking our way through the lives we don’t want and step into our most vibrant, authentic, and meaningful Self. In doing so, we unlock a deep sense of connection to our innermost being, and to those around us. (Dial Press)
Diego Perez is a meditator and #1 New York Times bestselling author who is widely known on Instagram and various social media networks through his pen name, Yung Pueblo. Online he has an audience of over 3 million people. His writing focuses on the power of self-healing, creating healthy relationships, and the wisdom that comes when we truly work on knowing ourselves. His first two books, Inward and Clarity & Connection were both instant bestsellers. Diego’s third book, Lighter, debuted as a #1 New York Times best seller. He has sold over 1 million books worldwide that have been translated into over 25 languages. Diego’s fourth book, The Way Forward, will be released on October 10th, 2023.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Monday the 25th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 695 E, Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA., 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/Sara-Kuburic-discusses-It%E2%80%99s-On-Me
Monday Night Fiction Workshop at Beyond Baroque – Zoom Online Event
This free Monday Night Community Writing Workshop led by Raquel Baker is a 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 25th
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: Zoom Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.beyondbaroque.org/free_workshops or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/monday-night-fiction-workshop-tickets-722106388647
Tell It Slant: Poetry Revision Workshop via Surprise the Line – Online Event
Tell It Slant is a small group, craft-focused, poetry revision workshop focused on supporting each other’s writing goals with revision strategies and feedback and offered over four Tuesday mornings in September.
Three facilitators will allow more people to join this workshop. Participants will be randomly assigned to a group, and that group will rotate facilitators throughout the 4 weeks.
Workshop is limited to 18 participants. Advance registration is required.
Sliding Scale: Please choose an option that works for you between $40-100 ($10-$25 per session).
Nancy Lynée Woo is a poet, organizer, and climate activist who harbors a wild love for the natural world. Her debut poetry collection is I’d Rather Be Lightning (GASHER Press, March 2023). Nancy is a 2023 recipient of the California Creative Corps grant, and she has received fellowships from Artists at Work, PEN America, Arts Council for Long Beach, California Center for the Book, Idyllwild Writers Week and Literary Women. Her work has been published in The Shore, Tupelo Quarterly, Stirring, Radar Poetry, and others. Nancy has an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University and a BA in sociology from UC Santa Cruz. Find her cavorting around Long Beach (Tongva land) in California, and on social media @fancifulnance.
Shelly Holder is a poet, bookclub and workshop facilitator who is working on founding a library of literary magazines. She is a Women Who Submit chapter lead for the San Gabriel Valley. Her poetry can be found (in various formats) at Iron Horse Literary Review, One Art, and Gyroscope Review, among others, as well as on YouTube. You can follow up by visiting http://www.shellyholder.com or her Facebook profile /shellyholderpoet. Shelly lives in what she calls an “outer-outer-outer” suburb of Los Ángeles, where she struggles to get an orange tree to fruit.
Matthew Feinstein is a neurodivergent poet originally from Tracy, California. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing, Poetry from Randolph College, a BA in English – Creative Writing from CSU Long Beach, and an AA from Butte College. His poems have appeared in Poetry Online, HAD, Inflectionist Review, Kissing Dynamite, and elsewhere. He served as a poetry reader for Revolute Magazine and co-founded Plum Recruit Magazine. He serves as a poetry reader for Pidgeonholes. Website: http://www.matthewfeinsteinwriter.com
Where: Surprise the Line – Online
Date: Tuesday the 26th
Time: 10 am – 11:30 am
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://allevents.in/online/tell-it-slant-poetry-revision-workshop/10000696658824297
Creative Writing Community: A Writing Class with Lesley Hyattat Skirball Cultural Center – Online Event
Experiment with in-class writing prompts, give and receive supportive feedback, and take your work to the next level in a welcoming small-group environment.
New to creative writing or looking for a playful and productive environment to develop your craft? This class offers the opportunity to explore and experiment with a variety of genres, including fiction, poetry, and personal essay. Experiment with in-class writing prompts, give and receive supportive feedback, and take your work to the next level.
Instructor: Lesley Hyatt teaches writing and mindfulness to students of all ages. She holds an MFA in English and fiction writing and is the author of myriad essays, short stories, and poems. Hyatt received an Outstanding Instructor award for her work as a creative writing instructor at UMass, Amherst. She is a former Fulbright Scholar.
NOTE: See site for costs, guidelines, and details.
Where: Skirball Cultural Center
Date: Tuesday the 26th (through November 7)
Time: 12 pm – 2 pm
Address: 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049
Website: https://www.skirball.org/programs/creative-writing-community
Sara J. Mass, with Christina Lauren, & House of Sky and Breath via Live Talks LA – Online Event
Sarah J. Mass, in conversation with Christina Lauren, will present and discuss his book, the paperback edition of House of Sky and Breath, the second book in Sarah J. Maas’s sexy, groundbreaking, New York Times bestselling Crescent City series! Join us for a detailed discussion (including the ending!).
Tin this book Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal-they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.
The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels’ plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been very good at staying silent.
In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode-and the people who will do anything to save it.
Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Crescent City, Court of Thorns and Roses, and Throne of Glass series. Her books have sold millions of copies and are published in thirty-eight languages. She lives with her family in New York City.
Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of longtime writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the New York Times and internationally bestselling authors of the Beautiful and Wild Seasons series, Dating You/Hating You, Autoboyography, Love and Other Words, Roomies, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, My Favorite Half-Night Stand, The Unhoneymooners, Twice in a Blue Moon, The Soulmate Equation, Something Wilder, and The True Love Experiment. Visit their website and on Instagram.
NOTE: See site for tickets, link, and details.
Where: Live Talks LA Online
Date: Tuesday the 26th
Time: 5 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://livetalksla.org/events/sarahjmaas-hosab/
Venice Branch Book Club: The Sympathizer via Venice-Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Venice Branch Library Book Club participants will discuss The Sympathizer by author Viet Thanh Nguyen. The Sympathizer won the author the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1015 and was his debut. It explores living a life between two worlds and examines the legacy of war.
Where: Venice-Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 26th
Time: 5 pm
Address: Online Event
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/venice-book-club-1
Sharing True Stories at Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Come share something that happened to you. You can read a piece that you wrote or speak off-the-cuff. You are also welcome to just listen. The stories can be funny, sad, or simply slice-of-life. This is your opportunity to express yourself!
RSVP:
To receive a Zoom invitation, please contact wwood@lapl.org
Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 26th
Time: 6 pm
Address: Online Event
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/life-stories-open-mic
Phy-Sci Book Club: The Reign of Wolf 21 (with virtual guest Rick McIntyre!) at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Phy-Sci Book Club participants will discuss this month’s selection, The Reign of Wolf 21 with author Rick McIntyre, who will be attending virtually.
In this compelling follow-up to the national bestseller The Rise of Wolf 8, Rick McIntyre profiles one of Yellowstone’s most revered alpha males, Wolf 21. Leader of the Druid Peak Pack, Wolf 21 was known for his unwavering bravery, his unusual benevolence (unlike other alphas, he never killed defeated rival males), and his fierce commitment to his mate, the formidable Wolf 42.
Rick McIntyre has spent more than 40 years watching wolves in America’s national parks, 25 of those years in Yellowstone, where he has accumulated over 100,000 wolf sightings and educated the public about the park’s most famous wolves. He has spoken about the Yellowstone wolves with 60 Minutes, NPR, and CBC, and he is profiled extensively in Nate Blakeslee’s American Wolf and in international publications. He lives in Silver Gate, Montana.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 26th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Book Talk: Lisa Teasley & Fluid: Stories at Chevalier’s Books – In-Person Event
Lisa Teasley will read and discuss her new book, Fluid: Stories.
Fluid is a fascinating collage of short stories that explore a kaleidoscope of intriguing characters with vastly differing perspectives, as they navigate their lives within society’s most challenging contemporary issues.
Lisa Teasley is a graduate of UCLA and a native of Los Angeles. Her critically acclaimed debut, Glow In The Dark, is the winner of the Gold Pen Award and Pacificus Literary Foundation awards for fiction. She has also won the May Merrill Miller and the National Society of Arts & Letters Short Story awards. Her novels Heat Signature and Dive published by Bloomsbury have been praised in publications such as the New York Times Book Review, the Los Angeles Times, the Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Teasley’s work has been translated into Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese and Arabic; her stories and essays have been much anthologized including in the W.W. Norton Anthology Flash Fiction America, 2023 and Europa Editions The Passenger: California, 2022.
Where: Chevalier’s Books
Date: Tuesday the 26th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fluid-stories-by-lisa-teasley-tickets-696438766097?aff=oddtdtcreator
Mystery Book Club: The Temptation of Forgiveness at Playa Vista Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Mystery Book Club participants will discuss The Temptation of Forgiveness.by author Donna DeLeon.
New Members are always welcome!
Where: Playa Vista Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 26th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 6400 Playa Vista Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90094
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/mystery-book-club-20
Conchas y Café Zine Workshop: Fall Semester Theme: “Out of Place” at DSTL Arts – Online Event
This is a virtual only writing workshop. Register now atGoogle Classroom (app or web). Registration code: kdcmthg.
For more information: DSTLArts.org/conchasycafezine.
Where: DSTL Arts
Date: Tuesday the 26th (through 12/19/23)
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw0cb1GLt-6/
Tristan Taormino & A Part of the Heart Can’t Be Eaten: A Memoir at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Tristan Taormino will discuss her new memoir, A Part of the Heart Can’t Be Eaten.
In this coming-of-age story, the author reveals how her radical sexuality and unconventional career grew out of an extraordinary queer father-daughter relationship. Raised by a hard-working single mother on Long Island, Tristan got her sex ed from the 1980s TV show Solid Gold and The Joy of Sex. She spent summers at drag shows in Provincetown with her father, Bill, who had come out as gay in the mid-1970s. Her sexual identity bloomed during her college years at Wesleyan University, where she discovered her desire for butches and kinky sex.
After a lifetime of outrageous adventures, Tristan reflects on the bonds, loss, and mental-health struggles that shaped her. She weaves together history from her father’s unpublished memoir, exploring the surprising ways their personal patterns converge and diverge. Bracingly emotional and erotically charged, A Part of the Heart Can’t Be Eaten reveals the transformative power of queer pleasure and defiance. (Duke University Press)
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Tuesday the 26th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/tristan-taormino
Group Reading & Launch Party: Midnite Snack Issue 3 at North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Event
This literary event is a group reading by contributors to Midnite Snack Issue 3.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: North Figueroa Bookshop
Date: Tuesday the 26th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 6040 N Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://northfigbookshop.com/event/#calendar-8a0f87f6-17d6-4f10-9815-04df4c8251ba-event-lm9qin7b
At Zipper Hall: Lauren Groff, with Melissa Chadburn, & The Vaster Wilds at Skylight Books off-site at Zipper Hall – In-Person Event
Lauren Groff, in conversation with Melissa Chadburn, will discuss her new novel, The Vaster Wilds at Zipper Hall.
A servant girl escapes from a colonial settlement in the wilderness. She carries nothing with her but her wits, a few possessions, and the spark of god that burns hot within her. What she finds in this terra incognita is beyond the limits of her imagination and will bend her belief in everything that her own civilization has taught her.
Lauren Groff’s new novel is at once a thrilling adventure story and a penetrating fable about trying to find a new way of living in a world succumbing to the churn of colonialism. The Vaster Wilds is a work of raw and prophetic power that tells the story of America in miniature, through one girl at a hinge point in history, to ask how—and if—we can adapt quickly enough to save ourselves.
Lauren Groff is a three-time National Book Award finalist and the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Monsters of Templeton, Arcadia, Fates and Furies, and Matrix, and the short story collections Delicate Edible Birds and Florida. She has won the Story Prize and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, and has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Groff ’s work regularly appears in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and elsewhere.
Melissa Chadburn’s debut novel A Tiny Upward Shove was longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Debut Novel award. Her extensive reporting on the child welfare system appears in the Netflix docuseries The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez. Melissa is a worker lover and through her own labor and literary citizenship strives to upend economic violence. She received a Ph.D. in Creative Writing at the University of Southern California, and lives in greater Los Angeles. Her mother taught her how to sharpen a pencil with a knife and she’s basically been doing that ever since.
This is a ticketed, offsite event held at Zipper Hall. To buy a ticket to this event, please visit the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/686267754327?aff=oddtdtcreator
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Skylight at Zipper Hall
Date: Tuesday the 19th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 200 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/zipper-hall-lauren-groff-presents-vaster-wilds-w-melissa-chadburn https://www.eventbrite.com/e/686267754327?aff=oddtdtcreator
Broken Lens Journal Presents: A Poetry Reading with Jos Charles, Lucy Murrey, Claire Schwartz, Tori Gesualdo, Yazmenne Archer & Theo Meranze at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event
Adam Stutz’s Broken Lens Journal presents a night of poetry from Jos Charles, Lucy Murrey, Claire Schwartz, Tori Gesualdo, Yazmenne Archer, and Theo Meranze.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Stories Books & Café
Date: Tuesday the 26th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
An Evening of Poetry:Jodie Hollander, Bruce Bond, and Boris Dralyuk at Vroman’s – Online Crowdcast Event
Vroman’s Live will present An Evening of Poetry with poets: Jodie Hollander, Bruce Bond, and Boris Dralyuk.
Jodie Hollander’s work has appeared in journals such as The Poetry Review, The Yale Review, The Harvard Review, PN Review, The Kenyon Review, Poetry London, The Hudson Review, The Dark Horse, The New Criterion, The Rialto, Verse Daily, The Best Australian Poems of 2011, and The Best Australian Poems of 2015. Her debut full-length collection, My Dark Horses, was published with Liverpool University Press & Oxford University Press. Her second collection, Nocturne, was published with the Liverpool & Oxford University Press in the spring of 2023.
Bruce Bond is the author of 35 books including, most recently, Patmos (Juniper Prize, UMass, 2021), Behemoth (New Criterion Prize, 2021), Liberation of Dissonance (Schaffner Award for Literature in Music, Schaffner, 2022), Choreomania (MadHat, 2023), and Invention of the Wilderness (LSU, 2023), plus two books of criticism, Immanent Distance (UMichigan, 2015) and Plurality and the Poetics of Self (Palgrave, 2019). Among his forthcoming books are Therapon (inspired by Emmanuel Levinas and co-authored with Dan Beachy-Quick, (Tupelo), Vault (Richard Snyder Award, Ashland), and The Dove of the Morning News (Test Site Poetry Prize, U. of NV). Other honors include the Crab Orchard Award, Elixir Press Poetry Award, Tampa Review Book Prize, two TIL Best Book of Poetry awards, fellowships from the NEA and the Texas Institute for the Arts, and seven appearances in Best American Poetry. Presently he teaches part-time as a Regents Emeritus Professor of English at the University of North Texas and performs jazz and classical guitar in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Boris Dralyuk is the author of My Hollywood and Other Poems (Paul Dry Books, 2022) and the translator of volumes by Isaac Babel, Andrey Kurkov, Leo Tolstoy, and other authors. His poems, translations, and criticism have appeared in the NYRB, the TLS, The New Yorker, and elsewhere, and he is the recipient, most recently, of the 2022 Gregg Barrios Translation Prize from the National Book Critics Circle. Formerly editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Review of Books, he is currently an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Tulsa.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Tuesday the 26th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 695 E, Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA., 91101
The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic with Vayl Luella Larkin – Virtual Zoom Event
The Virtual Cobalt Poets Series, presented by Rick Lupert via Zoom, will feature an Open Reading and guest Vayl Luella Larkin
Vayl Luella Larkin is a trans/enby, wheelchair-enhanced writer and all-purpose nerd. An upstate New York native whose past employment has ranged from opera singer to exotic dancer, they have settled happily in Pittsburgh, where they write poetry, short fiction, theater, and sometimes impassioned essays. Their creative work often explores scientific ideas and metaphors, as well as their experience as part of historically marginalized communities. Social justice, both for people and the planet, is a prominent theme. They have been published in Drunk Monkeys and the anthology Love Letters to Gaia, and their work has been featured in the webseries Tales from the Trail and the Bay Area podcast Phynnecabulary. This past spring, Larkin was named a Brooklyn Poets Fellow for study in Gregory Crosby’s workshop on The Poetic Sequence.
NOTE: Details and Zoom link at event link.
Where: Cobalt Poets – Online Zoom Event
Date: Tuesday the 26th
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 26th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: 3301 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405
Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups or https://www.facebook.com/events/213407634459999/?active_tab=discussion
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.
Masks are encouraged. All ages are welcome.
Where: Greenway Court Theatre and YouTube Live Stream
Date: Tuesday the 26th
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
Mustafa Suleyman & The Coming Wave at Live Talks LA at New Roads School– In-Person Event
Mustafa Suleyman will present and discuss his book, The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century’s Greatest Dilemma.
This book is an urgent warning of the unprecedented risks that AI and other fast-developing technologies pose to global order, and how we might contain them while we have the chance—from a co-founder of the pioneering artificial intelligence company DeepMind.
Mustafa Suleyman is the co-founder and CEO of Inflection AI. Previously he co-founded DeepMind, one of the world’s leading AI companies. After a decade at DeepMind, Suleyman became vice president of AI product management and AI policy at Google.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre at New Roads School, Herb Alpert Educational Village
Date: Tuesday the 26th
Time: 8 pm
Address: 3131 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404
Website: https://livetalksla.org/events/mustafa-suleyman/
Wednesday Morning Book Club: The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey at Granada Hills Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
The Wednesday Morning Book Club participants will discuss the novel The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, by author Walter Mosley.
Ptolemy Grey is ninety-one years old and has been all but forgotten-by his family, his friends, even himself-as he sinks into a lonely dementia. His grand-nephew, Ptolemy’s only connection to the outside world, was recently killed in a drive-by shooting, and Ptolemy is too suspicious of anyone else to allow them into his life. until he meets Robyn, his niece’s seventeen-year-old lodger and the only one willing to take care of an old man at his grandnephew’s funeral.
Mosley captures the compromised state of his protagonist’s mind with profound sensitivity and insight and creates an unforgettable pair of characters at the center of a novel.
New members welcome.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Westchester-Loyola Village Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 11:30 am
Address: 7114 W. Manchester Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90045
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/wednesday-morning-book-club-2
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 27th
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
New Sci-Fi Book Club: Redshirts at Van Nuys Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
The Van Nuys Branch Sci-Fi Book Club participants will discuss Redshirts, by author John Scalzi, moderated by John Tommasino.
Redshirts is about Ensign Andrew Dahl, who is thrilled to be assigned to the spaceship Intrepid, until he notices that lower-ranking members of his crew are usually the casualties of alien encounters. Dahl then makes another startling discovery.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Van Nuys Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 5 pm – 6 pm
Address: 6250 Sylmar Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91401
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/sci-fi-book-club-redshirts-john-scalzi
Double Book Launch: Cory Doctorow with The Internet Con and Brian Merchant with Blood in the Machine at Chevalier’s Books – In-Person Event
Cory Doctorow will present and discuss his new -book, The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation.
When the tech platforms promised a future of “connection,” they were lying. They said their “walled gardens” would keep us safe, but those were prison walls.
The platforms locked us into their systems and made us easy pickings, ripe for extraction. Twitter, Facebook and other Big Tech platforms hard to leave by design. They hold hostage the people we love, the communities that matter to us, the audiences and customers we rely on. The impossibility of staying connected to these people after you delete your account has nothing to do with technological limitations: it’s a business strategy in service to commodifying your personal life and relationships.
Brian Merchant will present and discuss his new book, Blood in the Machine.
In Blood in the Machine, the story in modern tech begins not in Silicon Valley but two hundred years ago in rural England, when workers known as the Luddites rose up rather than starve at the hands of factory owners who were using automated machines to erase their livelihoods.
The answers lie in Blood in the Machine. Brian Merchant intertwines a lucid examination of our current age with the story of the Luddites, showing how automation changed our world—and is shaping our future.
Cory Doctorow (craphound.com) is a science fiction author, activist, and journalist. His latest book is The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation, a Big Tech disassembly manual; his latest novel is Red Team Blues, a technothriller about finance crime. He is the author of the international young adult Little Brother series. He is also the author of Checkpoint Capitalism (with Rebecca Giblin), about creative labor markets and monopoly; How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism, nonfiction about conspiracies and monopolies; and of Radicalized and Walkaway, science fiction for adults, a YA graphic novel called In Real Life; and other young adult novels like Pirate Cinema. He maintains a daily blog at Pluralistic.net. He works for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is a MIT Media Lab Research Affiliate, is a Visiting Professor of Computer Science at Open University, a Visiting Professor of Practice at the University of North Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group. Born in Toronto, Canada, he now lives in Los Angeles.
Brian Merchant is the technology columnist for the Los Angeles Times and the author of the national bestseller The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone. He’s the co-founder of Terraform, Vice’s science fiction outlet, and the founder of Gizmodo’s Automaton project examining AI and the future of work. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wired, The Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine, Fast Company, and beyond. He lives in Los Angeles.
Where: Chevalier’s Books
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Poetry Under the Stars: Armenian American Poets Read Their Work at The Fowler Museum – In-Person Event
Join us on the Fowler terrace for an evening of poetry that will transport guests to the primordial homeland of Armenia.
Following the Armenian genocide of 1915, survivors settled into their forced homelands in the Middle East, where different cultures met and intertwined. Many of those survivors emigrated again to the New World, America, where they arrived with two suitcases and heavy hearts filled with the intangible materiality of traditions and customs from the homeland.
Five published and award winning Armenian American poets—Shahé Mankerian, Tina Demirdjian, Raffi Joe Wartanian, Arthur Kayzakian and Armine Iknadossian—will converse with each other through their poems. Their evocative dialogues will be punctuated by interludes by poet-musician Raffi Joe Wartanian, who will infuse the warm timbre of the oud, a Middle Eastern string instrument into the gathering.
Refreshments will be served.
Tina Demirdjian has taught poetry in schools, museums, businesses and libraries for more than 30 years in Los Angeles. She is also an artist, culture bearer, arts educators, and founder and co-director of the Armenian Dress & Textile Project. She is the recipient of numerous grants, including the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and Durfee Foundation. She is the author of IMPRINT, and a contributor to Birthmark: A Bilingual Anthology of Armenian-American Poetry and has published in numerous journals. Demirdjian is a Board Member of the Brand Associates supporting public programming at the Brand Library & Art Center and is a participant in the art and poetry workshop, ARTful Conversations, also at Brand Gallery.
Armine Iknadossian was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Her family fled to California when she was four years old to escape the civil war. After graduating from UCLA, Iknadossian earned an MFA in Creative Writing at Antioch University while teaching full time. She is the author of All That Wasted Fruit. Her poetry is featured in Five South, HyeBred, Armenian Poetry Project, Whale Road Review, South Florida Poetry Journal, Cultural Weekly, San Diego Reader, The Nervous Breakdown and the American Journal of Poetry. Iknadossian has received fellowships and grants from the Arts Council of Long Beach, Idyllwild Arts, the Los Angeles Writing Project, and Otis College of Art and Design. She participates in Project 1521, which brings together artists, writers, and scholars to generate visual and literary works as acts of resistance. Her other passion project is collaborating with the International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA) where she serves on the advisory board and volunteers her time for their mentorship program.
Arthur Kayzakian is the winner of the 2021 inaugural Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series for his collection, The Book of Redacted Paintings, which was also selected as a finalist for the 2021 Philip Levine Prize for Poetry. He is the recipient of a 2023 creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is also the winner of the Prairie Schooner Strousse award for poems and winner of the Open Chapbook Competition for his chapbook My Burning City. He serves as the Poetry Chair for the International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA). His work has appeared in several publications, including The Adroit Journal, Portland Review, Chicago Review, Cincinnati Review, The Southern Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, and Witness Magazine.
Shahé Mankerian is the principal of St. Gregory Hovsepian School in Pasadena and director of mentorship at the International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA). He has been the co-director of the Los Angeles Writing Project, and a recipient of the Los Angeles Music Center’s BRAVO Award, which recognizes teachers for innovation in arts education. In 2021, Mankerian’s inaugural poetry collection, History of Forgetfulness, was published by Fly on the Wall Press in the UK. The collection was a semifinalist for the prestigious Khayrallah Prize, and a finalist at the Bibby First Book Competition, the Crab Orchard Poetry Open Competition, the Quercus Review Press Poetry Book Award, and the White Pine Press Poetry Prize.
Raffi Joe Wartanian is a writer, musician, and educator who teaches writing at UCLA and serves as the inaugural Poet Laureate for the City of Glendale, California. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, University of Texas Press, No Dear magazine, and elsewhere. As a musician, Raffi has released two original albums: Critical Distance (2019) and Pushkin Street (2013).
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Fowler Museum at UCLA
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 198 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Website: https://fowler.ucla.edu/events/poetry-under-the-stars/
Mystery Book Club: Nothing Ventured at Palms-Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
The Mystery Book Club participants will discuss Nothing Ventured – William Warwick Novels, 1 (2019) by Jeffrey Archer.
Mystery book discussion is back and online. Join us for engaging conversation about these books. This program meets via Zoom and you may register at site.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, link, and details.
Where: Palm-Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 6 pm
Address: Online Event
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/mystery-book-discussion
Mystery & Thriller Book Club: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone at Studio City Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Mystery & Thriller Book Club participants will discuss Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, by Benjamin Stevenson.
RSVP:
Please email studio@lapl.org for details.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 12511 Moorpark St., Studio City, CA 91604
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/mystery-thriller-book-club
Kat Calvin & American Identity in Crisis at Diesel, A Bookstore – In-Person Event
Kat Calvin will discuss her book,American Identity in Crisis.
American Identity in Crisis weaves together three remarkable stories: the making of an activist in the wake of the 2016 presidential election; the fight against the onerous rules that are being used to keep vulnerable and targeted populations from participating in all facets of American life -from obtaining jobs and housing to going to the polls- and how we can solve a problem that impacts millions of American adults.
Kat Calvin ties all of these threads together in profound ways. In American Identity in Crisis, she takes us on a cross-country tour as she and her team uncover one of the biggest secrets in America and learn how to solve it. We meet veterans, the unhoused, and senior citizens, and learn the story of the fierce advocate who insists on recognizing their humanity and seeing them as souls who are resilient and striving for change.
Told in a voice that is strong and vulnerable; funny and fearless, confident and self-deprecating, this book is a defense of human dignity and everyone’s right to have access to the pursuit of happiness.
Kat Calvin is one of the TIME Magazine 16 People and Groups Fighting for a More Equal America, 2018 Fast Company 100 Most Creative People in Business, and has been a Business Insider 30 Under 30, The Grio 100, and more. Kat has been featured in the New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post, Atlantic, Essence, Glamour, NPR, PBS, BET, Marie Claire and many more print and digital outlets. She has been a guest commentator on MSNBC, CNN, Headline News, Sirius XM, and more. She is a frequent keynote speaker and a sought-after voice for her expertise and opinions on politics, voting, ID related issues, and more.
Where: Diesel, A Bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 225 26th St., Suite 33, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://www.dieselbookstore.com/event/Kat-Calvin-Author-signing
Timeless Stories: Brian Sonia-Wallace & Linda Ravenswoodat 826 LA Time Travel Mart – In-Person Event
Linda Ravenswood and Brian Sonia-Wallace present a night of prose and community.
Besties will talk about shoes, hair gloss, kayaks, boys, small batch sour straws, road trips the gym, that old See’s Candy shop in La Canada, typewriters, making a living in LA, doing art, and time travel.
Linda Ravenswood is a poet and performance artist, founder of Los Angeles Press, and the author most recently of Cantadora: Letters from California.
Brian Sonia-Wallace is the West Hollywood Poet Laureate, and the author most recently of Mazemouth.
This is a free community event.
Where: 826LA Time Travel Mart
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1714 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: N/A (Facebook)
Cidny Bullens & TransElectric: My Life as a Cosmic Rock Star at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Cidny Bullens will present and discuss their book, TransElectric: My Life as a Cosmic Rock Star.
From the depths of the ’70s rock ‘n’ roll excesses through unimaginable personal losses to an inspiring late-life transformation, Cidny Bullens’s story is an utterly compelling journey about living and singing with your authentic voice.
An androgynous gender-bending musician from the get-go, Bullens toured extensively with Sir Elton John and performed with Bob Dylan, undergoing a complete immersion in the drug-fueled excesses of 1970s rock ‘n’ roll. Despite getting sober, climbing the charts with the Grammy-nominated Survivor, as well as a Grammy nomination for his lead vocals in the soundtrack for the movie Grease, Bullens was unable to break out as a solo star in a world that allowed its artists to cross the gender line, but had much more narrow expectations about how women could behave and perform.
Finally, nine years ago, Cidny claimed his own healing and transitioned from female to male–finding unexpected love, becoming a new stepfather and a grandfather.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/cidny-bullens
Write to Read Presents: An Evening with Citric Acid Literary Journal at Chapman Crafted – In-Person Event
Citric Acid Literary Journal and Write to Read present three writers to read and share their work:
Mary Camarillo, award-winning author of the novel The Lockhart Women, will present and discuss her new book, Those People Behind Us.
Anna Leahy’s latest books are the poetry collections What Happened Was and Aperture and the nonfiction book Tumor. She is also the co-author of Generation Space and Conversing with Cancer. Her essays have won top prizes from the Mississippi Review, Los Angeles Review, Ninth Letter, and Dogwood.
Sandra E, De Anda is known for The Gold & the Beautiful (2009).
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Chapman Crafted
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 123 N. Cypress St., Orange CA 92866
Website: N/A
Myriam Gurba, with Christopher Soto, & Creep: Accusations & Confessions at Page Against the Machine – In-Person Event
Myriam Gurba, in conversation with Christopher Soto, will discuss her book, Creep: Accusations & Confessions, a deep dive into the dark recesses of the toxic traditions that plague the United States and create the abusers who haunt our books, schools, and homes.
Through cultural criticism disguised as personal essay, Gurba studies the ways in which oppression is collectively enacted, sustaining ecosystems that unfairly distribute suffering and premature death to our most vulnerable. Yet identifying individual creeps, creepy social groups, and creepy cultures is only half of this book’s project–the other half is examining how we as individuals, communities, and institutions can challenge creeps and rid ourselves of the fog that seeks to blind us. With her ruthless mind, wry humor, and adventurous style, Gurba implicates everyone from Joan Didion to her former abuser, everything from Mexican stereotypes to the carceral state. Braiding her own history and identity throughout, she argues for a new way of conceptualizing oppression, and she does it with her signature blend of bravado and humility.
Myriam Gurba is a writer and artist. She is the author of the true crime memoir Mean, a New York Times Editors’ Choice. 𝘖, The Oprah Magazine, ranked 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘯 as one of the best LGBTQ books of all time. Publishers Weekly describes Gurba as having a voice like no other. Her essays and criticism have appeared in The Paris Review, Time, and 4Columns. She has shown art in galleries, museums, and community centers. She lives in Pasadena, California.
Christopher Soto is a Salvadoran poet, activist, and abolitionist based in Tovaangar (Los Angeles, California). He is the author of Diaries of a Terrorist and the editor of Neplanta: An Anthology for Queer Poets of Color. Although he thinks accolades are boring, we’d be remiss not to mention that his work has been featured in The Nation, The Guardian, Los Angeles Review of Books, Poetry, American Poetry Review, anmayd Tin House, among others.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Skylight
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/798242455640133
Robeson Taj Frazier & Ben Caldwell, with Lynell George, & Kaos Theory: The Afrokosmic Arkat Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Robeson Taj Frazier & Ben Caldwell, in conversation with Lynell George, will present and discuss their book,Kaos Theory: The Afrokosmic Ark.
This book tells the story of filmmaker, educator and community activist Ben Caldwell and KAOS Network, the media-arts center he founded in Los Angeles’s Leimert Park neighborhood. Through vivid illustrations, archival media, and engaging storytelling, KAOS Theory shows how Ben crafted a life centered around the power of fellowship, community, and the use of art and media as a social force. The text takes a journey through history and time, beginning with Ben’s ancestors in the American southwest, up through Ben’s childhood in New Mexico, his experiences in Vietnam, his work as a filmmaker and pioneer of the L.A. Rebellion Film Movement, and as founder of KAOS Network. But KAOS Theory is more than just the story of one man’s life. It is a work of art, remembrance, and tribute. Encompassing music, film, art, and performance, KAOS Theory honors the vibrant and influential communities that continue to shape the cultural landscape of Los Angeles, the African Diaspora, and beyond.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 7 pm
Where: 695 E. Colorado Blvd.,Pasadena, CA., 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/Ben-Caldwell-and-Taj-Frazier-discuss-KAOS-Theory
Vroman’s Fiction Reading Group: The Lincoln Highway at Vroman’s Reading Room at the Atrium – In-Person Event
Vroman’s Fiction Reading Group participantswill discuss their 4th Wednesday of September selection,The Lincoln Highway, by author Amor Towles.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Vroman’s Meeting Room in the Atrium
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 7 pm
Where: 709 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 120,Pasadena, CA., 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/Vromans-Fiction-Reading-Group-September-2023
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 — Readings: St. Ice book release;
- 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@gmail.com or call (323) 293-2451
Where: The World Stage
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: 4321 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: https://www.instagram.com/anansiwritersworkshop/
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 workshop facilitator this quarter is James Fujinami Moore, whose debut poetry collection is indecent hours (Four Way Books, 2022), winner of the GLCA New Writers Award in Poetry and finalist for the Golden Poppy’s Martin Cruz Smith Award & the Lambda Literary Award in Bisexual Poetry. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Barrow Street’s 4×2, The Brooklyn Rail, Guesthouse, Jet Fuel Review, The Margins, the Pacifica Literary Review, and Prelude. He has received fellowships from Poets House, Bread Loaf, and the Frost Place, and received his MFA from Hunter College in 2016. He lives in Los Ángeles.
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 27th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://www.beyondbaroque.org/free_workshops or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wednesday-night-poetry-workshop-tickets-723357661237
Poetry Reading & Open Mic by Two Idiots Peddling Poetry with Ben Trigg & Featured Guest G. Murray Thomas 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 featured guest G. Murray Thomas.
For almost thirty years, G. Murray Thomas was a regular on the SoCal poetry scene, as poet, host, editor, publisher, and journalist. From 1994 to 1998 he published Next…Magazine, a monthly poetry calendar/newsmagazine. He is the author of two full-length collections of poetry, Cows on the Freeway (iUniverse) and My Kidney Just Arrived, and well as the editor of two anthologies, Paper Shredders (iUniverse) and News Clips and Ego Trips (Write Bloody).
In 2018 he left SoCal and moved to upstate NY to take care of his parents. He only recently reemerged into the world of poetry. In 2024 Moontide Press will publish his (as yet untitled) book about the experience of caring for parents with dementia.
$4 cover fee, cash only
The format is to welcome a featured artist for an individual reading, as well as an Open Mic reading.
$4 cover fee, cash only.
NOTE: See site for further details.
Where: The Ugly Mug, Orange
Date: Wednesday the 27th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 261 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA 92866
Website: https://www.facebook.com/people/Two-Idiots-Peddling-Poetry/ or https://allevents.in/north%20tustin/g-murray-thomas-at-the-ugly-mug/200024753004817?ref=cityhome
We Love L.A. Book Club: The Barbarian Nurseries at Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
We Love L.A. Book Club examines some of the many talented Los Angeles-based authors who incorporate the diversity and unique history of our city into their work.
The selection for September is The Barbarian Nurseries by Héctor Tobar.
The book follows Araceli, a live-in maid who takes her employers’ two boys on a journey through sprawling Los Angeles to locate their grandfather after their parents cannot be located.
The library will have copies to check out or check our e-media page for electronic access on Libby and hoopla.
Please bring book suggestions for future meetings.
Where: Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 28th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 5027 Caspar Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/we-love-la-book-club-2
Cover to Cover Book Club: Our Missing Hearts at Mid-Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Cover to Cover Book Club participants will discuss the September selection, Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng.
From the author of Little Fires Everywhere, this novel is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. It’s about the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children, and the power of art to create change.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Mid-Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 28th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 16244 Nordhoff St., North Hills, CA 91343
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/cover-cover-book-club-0
LGBTQ Book Club: In the Dream House at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
The LGBTQ Book Club participants will read and discuss Under In the Dream House, by author Carmen Maria Machado.
This memoir is about domestic abuse, by the award-winning author of Her Body and Other Parties.
NOTE: See sit e for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 28th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/lgbtq-book-club-dream-house
Sophie Diener and Lang Leav Present: Someone, Somewhere, Maybe and Others Were Emeralds at Vroman’s – Online Crowdcast Event
Sophie Diener will present and discuss her book,Someone, Somewhere, Maybe.
This debut poetry collection speaks to the joys and sorrows of finding your way as a young woman today. Poignant and beautifully written, TikTok fan favorite Sophie Diener’s collection takes readers on an introspective journey through first love, first heartbreak, first loss, identity, and self-worth.
Lang Leav will present and discuss her book, Others Were Emeralds.
The daughter of Cambodian refugees, Ai grew up in the small Australian town of Whitlam populated by Asian immigrants who once fled war-torn countries to rebuild their shattered lives. It is now the late 90’s and despite their parent’s harrowing past, Ai and her tightknit group of school friends: charismatic Brigitte, sweet, endearing Bowie, shy, inscrutable Tin, and politically minded Sying, lead seemingly ordinary lives, far removed from the unimaginable horrors suffered by their parents. But that carefree innocence is shattered in their last year of school when Ai and her friends encounter a pair of racist men whose cruel acts of intimidation spiral into senseless violence.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Thursday the 28th
Time: 6 pm
Where: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/Vromans-Live-presents-Sophie-Diener-and-Lang-Leav
Ignite the Mic Event at Get Lit, Words Ignite Office – In-Person Teen Event
Los Angeles-based nonprofit Get Lit ignites student engagement, literacy, and young voices around the globe using the power of spoken word, technology, and community.
Get Lit’s Ignite the Mic open mic, hosted by Raul Herrera every third Thursday of the month, is a low-pressure environment to share and experiment with your poetry. Feel free to read a poem or simply just watch and enjoy! This is a safe space to be inspired and connect with artists from across the world!
Free to attend.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Get Lit Office
Date: Thursday the 28th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 672 S. La Fayette Park Place #10, Los Angeles, CA 90057
Website: https://www.getlit.org/events
Book Launch: The Language of Fractions at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Join us for a Poetry Reading and Love Game!
This event celebrates the launch of The Language of Fractions.
Ten poets have written anonymous love poems to each other. Guess which poet the poem read is written for and win fabulous prizes.
Participating poets:
Nicelle Davis
Jose Rios
Nancy Woo
Brian Sonia-Wallace
Kim Dower
Victoria McCoy
Douglas Manuel
Lory Bedikian
Arthur Kayzakian
Jeremy Ra
Zachary Jensen
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Thursday the 28th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/29097
Lol Tolhurst, with Joe Wong, & Goth: A History at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Lol Tolhurst, in conversation with Joe Wong, will present and discuss his book, GOTH: A History.
The co-founder of The Cure and author of Cured delivers a fascinating deep dive into the dark romanticism of Goth music, a misunderstood genre and culture.
GOTH is an entertaining and engaging historical memoir, and a journey through Goth music and culture, exploring creative giants like The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Joy Division, and many more great bands that offered a place of refuge for the misfits of the ’80s and ever since. Written by Lol Tolhurst, co-founder of The Cure, this book offers a riveting retrospective of the genre’s iconic movers and shakers, infused with stories from Tolhurst’s personal trove of memories, as well as anecdotes about the musicians, magicians, and artists who made it all happen–the people, places, and things that made Goth an inevitable and enduring movement.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Thursday the 28th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/lol-tolhurst
Why It Matters: Hilton Als in Conversation with Karen R. Lawrence at The Huntington – In-Person & Hybrid Livestreamed Event
Hilton Als joins Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence in a conversation about his career as critic and curator, the relationship between visual and textual forms, and the endless inspiration found in The Huntington’s collections.
About the Featured Guest:
Critic and curator Hilton Als has been a writer for The New Yorker since 1989, where he is currently the lead theater critic. Als is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Among numerous other awards, he has received a Guggenheim for creative writing, the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism, the Lambda Literary’s Trustee Award for Excellence in Literature, the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, and the Langston Hughes Medal for his provocative contributions to the discourse on theatre, race, class, sexuality, and identity in America.
Als is a teaching professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Als has taught at Yale University, Columbia University, Wesleyan University, and Smith College. As a curator, his exhibitions include “Joan Didion: What She Means” for the Hammer Museum in October 2022 and three successive solo exhibitions at the Yale Centre for British Art and The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, where he is currently the inaugural Hannah and Russel Kully Distinguished Fellow in American Art.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Huntington, Rothenberg Hall
Date: Thursday the 28th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino, CA 91108
Website: https://huntington.org/why-it-matters
Sasha DiGiulian & Take the Lead at pages: a bookstore off-site at Sender One – In-Person Event
Sasha DiGiulian will present her book, Hanging On, Letting Go, and Conquering Life’s Hardest Climbs.
World champion climber Sasha DiGiulian shares the power of perseverance and positivity—from coming of age on social media, navigating a male-dominated sport, and tackling her most heart-stopping climbs.
At age six, Sasha DiGiulian stepped into a climbing gym for the first time and was competing within a year. Decked out in all-pink gear and with her blonde hair tied into pigtails, Sasha knew from an early age what is was like to be a girl in a traditionally male-dominated sport, vowing to never sacrifice her femininity to fit in. With a fierce love for the climb and incredible natural talent, Sasha soon won her first National Sport Climbing Championship at only seventeen, and a year later took the title of World Champion.
Take the Lead ultimately emphasizes the power of perseverance, fearlessness, and positivity in tackling some of the most daunting and fearsome climbs—on and off the wall.
Where: pages: a bookstore at Sender One
Date: Thursday the 28th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 11220 Hindry Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90045
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/sasha-digiulian-discusses-her-new-book-sender-one-lax
Double Book Launch At Skylight: Clio Quin & Alexandra Chang Present: Let’s Go Let’s Go Let’s Go and Tomb Sweeping at Skylight Books – In-Person Event
Cleo Qian will present and discuss her debut book, Let’s Go Let’s Go Let’s Go. She is a fiction writer and poet from California. She received her MFA from NYU. Her work has appeared in over 20 outlets; was a winner of the Zoetrope: All Story Short Fiction Competition; has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, twice longlisted for the DISQUIET Prize, and supported by Sundress Academy for the Arts. By day, she works at a nonprofit. She currently splits her time between Chicago and New York.
Alexandra Chang will present and discuss her book, Tomb Sweeping. She is the author of Days of Distraction and the forthcoming Tomb Sweeping. She is a National Book Foundation 5 under 35 honoree. Her writing has appeared in Zoetrope: All-Story, The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Guernica, and elsewhere. She currently lives in Ventura County, California with her husband, and their dog and cats.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Skylight
Date: Thursday the 28th
Time: 7 pm
Where: 1818 N. Vermont Ave.,Los Angeles, CA., 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-cleo-qian-presents-lets-go-lets-go-lets-go-alexandra-chang-presents-tomb-sweeping
Skulls & Stairs: jimmy vega, Ivanna Baranova, & Bucky Sinister at Beyond Baroque – In-Person Event
This event is a reading series where poets take over the infamous staircase of the original Venice City Hall building aka Beyond Baroque HQ.
Skulls & Stairs is a reading series showcasing poets beyond text dwelling on the goth and the illuminating void. This second installment features performances in the staircase from three L.A. poets, jimmy vega, Ivanna Baranova, and Bucky Sinister. A visual art installation will be on display in the theater for the night of the reading. And, who knows? The ghost of Scott Wannberg might show up and hang out at the bookstore spinning punk records and recommending stuff you should read. Hope to see you there!
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Thursday the 28th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd Venice Beach Los Angeles, CA 90291
V.E. Schwab, with J. Elle & The Fragile Threads of Power at Live Talks LA at The Aratani Theatre at JANM – In-Person Event
V.E. Schwab, in conversation with J. Elle, will present and discuss her book, The Fragile Threads of Power.
Victoria “V.E.” Schwab is the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed novel The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, the Shades of Magic series, Villains series, and the Monsters of Verity duology. Her work has received critical acclaim; been featured in The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post and more; been translated into more than a dozen languages; and been optioned for television and film. When she’s not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.
J. Elle is the New York Times bestselling author of young adult and middle-grade fantasy fiction and a 2022 NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth and Teens. The former educator credits her nomadic lifestyle and humble inner-city beginnings as inspiration for her novels. When she’s not writing, Elle can be found on the hunt for desserts without chocolate, looking for any excuse to get dressed up, and road-tripping her way across the country with her two dogs in tow.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Aratani Theatre
Date: Thursday the 28th
Time: 8 pm
Address: 244 S. San Pedro St., Downtown Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: https://livetalksla.org/events/ve-schwab/
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 29th
Time: 9:30 am
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/spectacular-story-time-51
Andrew Chan, with Molly Lambert, & Why Mariah Carey Matters at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Andrew Chan, in conversation with Molly Lambert, will discuss Why Mariah Carey Matters.
In this first book to critically examine the legacy of pop superstar Mariah Carey, author Andrew Chan goes beyond just numbers and examines the creative evolution and complicated biography of a true diva, making the case that, despite her celebrity, Carey’s musicianship and influence are insufficiently appreciated. A pioneering songwriter and producer, Carey pairs her vocal gifts with intimate lyrics and richly layered sonic details. In the mid-1990s, she perfected a blend of pop, hip-hop, and R&B with songs such as “Fantasy” and “Honey” and drew from her turbulent life to create the introspective masterpiece Butterfly.
Andrew Chan looks beyond Carey’s glamorous persona to explore her experience as a mixed-race woman in show business, her adventurous forays into house music and gospel, and her appeal to multiple generations of queer audiences. He also reckons with the transcendent ideal of the voice that Carey represents, showing how this international icon taught artists around the world to sing with soul-shaking intensity and a spirit of innovation. (University of Texas Press)
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Friday the 29th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/andrew-chan
Sci-Fi Thriller Book Launch: Emily Skrutskie and Tara Sim & The Salvation Gambit at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Emily Skrutskie, in conversation with Tara Sim, will present and discuss her new science fiction novel, The Salvation Gambit.
A hotheaded hacker must outwit the AI at the heart of a rogue warship–turned–penal colony if she and her crew of con women want to escape with their lives in this electrifying sci-fi thriller.
Emily Skrutskie is six feet tall. She lives and works in Los Angeles. Skrutskie is the author of Vows of Empire, Oaths of Legacy, Bonds of Brass, Hullmetal Girls, The Abyss Surrounds Us, and The Edge of the Abyss.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Friday the 29th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/29754
Evelyn McDonnell & The World According to Joan Didion at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Evelyn McDonnell will present and discuss her book,The World According to Joan Didion.
The World According to Joan Didion is a meditation on the people, places, and objects that propelled Didion’s prose and an invitation to journalists, storytellers, and life adventurers to “throw themselves into the convulsions of the world,” as she once said.
Evelyn McDonnell, the acclaimed journalist, essayist, critic, feminist, native Californian, and university professor who regularly teaches Didion’s work, is attuned to interpret Didion’s vision for readers today. Inspired by Didion’s own words–from her works both published and unpublished–and informed by the people who knew Didion and those whose lives she shaped, The World According to Joan Didion is an illustrated journey through her life, tracing the path she carved from Sacramento, Portuguese Bend, Los Angeles, and Malibu to Manhattan, Miami, and Hawaii. McDonnell reveals the world as it was seen through Didion’s eyes and explores her work in chapters keyed to the singular physical motifs of her writing: Snake. Typewriter. Hotel. Notebook. Girl. Etc.
One of the first books to be published after the revered writer’s death in 2021, The World According to Joan Didion is a literary companion for those embarking on new journeys and a guide to innovative ways of being.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Friday the 29th
Time: 7 pm
Where: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/Evelyn-McDonnell-discusses-The-World-According-to-Joan-Didion
Saturday Class: Allusion Poetry and Performance Workshop & GLP Practice Event at Get Lit, Words Ignite Office – In-Person Teen Event
Get Lit’s Saturday Class Workshop events are offered every Saturday for teens to expand their poetic and spoken word skills and are followed by GLP Practice sessions.
Free to attend.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Get Lit Office
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 10 am – 2 pm & 2 pm – 4 pm
Address: 672 S. La Fayette Park Place #10, Los Angeles, CA 90057
Website: https://www.getlit.org/events
Storytime Event: Joanna Ho & Say My Name at Children’s Book World – In-Person Kids Event
Joanna Ho will celebrate and present her latest children’s picture book, Say My Name.
This is a meaningful and diverse picture book about how names define us. Names reveal generational ties and histories, weaving an intricate tale of the past. Names–and correctly saying them–are important. Each one carries the hopes, dreams, and traditions of those that came before us. Six captivating kids connect with the reader, proudly celebrating their names, backgrounds, and ancestors.
Joanna Ho is passionate about equity in books and education. She has been an English teacher, a dean, and a teacher professional development mastermind. She is currently the vice principal of a high school in the San Francisco Bay Area. Homemade chocolate chip cookies, outdoor adventures, and dance parties with her kids make Joanna’s eyes crinkle into crescent moons. Her books for young readers include Eyes That Kiss in the Corners. Visit her at http://www.joannahowrites.com and @JoannaHoWrites.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Children’s Book World
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 10:30 am
Address: 10580 ½ W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064
Book Club for Middle Grade Readers: Fever, 1793 via Palisades Branch Library & Sun Valley Branch Library, LAPL – Online MG Event
Middle-grade readers are invited to participate in our fun monthly book discussion.
This month we will be reading: Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson.
RSVP: For participation details, please e-mail akagan@lapl.org or gkim@lapl.org.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and details.
Where: Palisades Branch Library & Sun Valley Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 10:30 am
Address: Online Event
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-middle-grade-readers-11 or https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-middle-grade-readers-16
Altadena Poets Laureate Present: Ode to the Land Workshop with Shonda Buchananat Altadena Main Library – In-Person Event
Altadena Poets Laureate invite you to attend the first “Ode to the Land“ workshop at the Altadena Main Library Community. “Ode to the Land” is a public poetry project that will pair senior citizens (55+) and high school students for poetry workshops and offer two public poetry readings focused on place, home, and odes in iconic natural and cultural settings in Altadena. The workshops will feature guest poets who have expertise in presenting the ode as well as other lyric and narrative forms of poetry.
Pushcart Prize nominee and Oxfam Ambassador, Shonda Buchanan’s work focuses on the intersections of race, identity, landscape, and language and meets this Kalamazoo, Mich., native’s mission to inspire, educate and heal. A USC Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities Fellow and City of Los Angeles (COLA) Department of Cultural Affairs Master Artist Fellow, Shonda Buchanan is the author of five books, including the award-winning memoir, Black Indian, which was chosen by PBS NewsHour as a “top 20 books to read” to learn about institutional racism.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and details.
Where: Altadena Library
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 11 am
Address: 600 E. Mariposa St., Altadena, CA 91001
Website: https://www.altadenalibrary.org/programs/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D169172416
Meet the Makers of Mostly Me at Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Kids Event
Mostly Me, is a new children’s picture book by author Collin Hall and illustrator Crystal Dawn Chaffee.
Independently published by local Gloo Books, this joyful and introspective picture book follows a blue-green narrator on a journey of self-discovery.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: 5027 Caspar Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/meet-author-mostly-me
Poetry Workshop at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join this inclusive, in-person poetry workshop where poets of all levels can come together, share their work, and foster a vibrant poetry community. Participants are invited to bring a poem, no longer than one page, to read and receive valuable feedback from fellow poets. Engage in thoughtful discussions and provide your own insights on the work of others. Whether you’re a seasoned poet or just starting out, this workshop offers a supportive environment to refine your craft, connect with like-minded individuals, and celebrate the power of words.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Central Library, LAPL, Literature & Fiction Study Rooms
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 11 am – 1 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/poetry-workshop-0
Storytime with Benson Shum & First Night of Howlergarten at Once Upon a Time Bookstore – In-Person Kids & Family Event
Storytime with children’s author Benson Shum features a new picture book presentation of First Night of Howlergarten.
First-day-of-school jitters take on a whole new meaning at howlergarten, where future werewolves prepare for their big transformation!
Benson will read his book, draw some magical transformations, and then sign books. Best for young werewolves ages 4+.
Benson Shum has illustrated a number of picture books, including Adam Lehrhaupt’s Sloth Went, Jennifer Sattler’s Go to Sheep, and his own Anzu the Great Kaiju. Benson is also an animator at the Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he has contributed to such films as Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Moana, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Frozen II, Raya and the Last Dragon, and Encanto. Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Benson now lives in sunny Southern California.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 11 am
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/first-night-howlergarten
Max Greenfield & I Don’t Want to Read This Book Aloud at Chevalier’s Books – In-Person Kids Event
Join Max Greenfield when he presents and reads his new hilarious picture book, which is dedicated to all introverts who face the horrors of reading aloud.
Max Greenfield is a New York-born actor who is best known for being interrupted by his two beautiful children, Lilly and Ozzie, as he writes this bio. Max tries to tell them that this is important and to please leave him alone, but neither child believes this, as they are certain that Mommy is the one with more important things to do and Daddy just acts silly on TV sometimes. He is the author of I Don’t Want to Read This Book and This Book Is Not a Present.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Chevalier’s Books
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 12 pm – 1 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
WriteGirl at the Downey Library Beyond the Book Event– In-Person Event
Join WriteGirl for a Poetry Reading and Zine-Making Workshop at this public event!
NOTE: See Downey Library site for details.
Where: Downey Public Library
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 12 pm – 6 pm
Address: 11121 Brookshire Ave, Downey, CA 90241
Website: https://www.writegirl.org/calendar
100 Thousand Poets for Change: Los Angeles Poetry Society Event & Open Mic at Sims Library of Poetry – In-Person Event
Hosted by Jessica M. Wilson & Angel Miguel Lopez, the 13th annual 100 thousand Poets for Change event has been pursuing justice, peace, and sustainability of planet Earth and features a tribute to Michael Rothenberg, Yvonne De La Vega, & Amy Uyematsu.
See flyer for details.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Sims Library of Poetry
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 12 pm – 4 pm
Address: 2702 Florence Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90043
Website: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=699829245521707&set=a.558140073023959
So You Want to Be a Writer: Workshop with James Coats at Riverside Main Library – In-Person Teen Event
Author and writer James Coats will lead a free writing workshop for teens ages 13-19 on Saturdays from September 9 through November 11, 2023.
This fall, Inlandia brings college-level creative writing workshops to teen-aged creatives thanks to a unique partnership with the City of Riverside Library. Led by James Coats, working writers drawn from the area community will lead teens through a ten-week progressive series. The program will be held at the Riverside Main Library on Saturdays beginning September 9, from 12:00 – 2:00 PM.
Workshop leader James Coats, himself an author, poet, and educator, will welcome a new guest writer each week, offering teens the opportunity to learn from professional working writers in a library environment. Topics will include: poetry, and the different modes of poetic expression; memoir and memory; fiction writing including micro fiction, flash, short stories, and long-form fiction; journalism and the newspaper industry; writing for magazines and periodicals; reading and performing your work for an audience; strategies for revising work toward publication; what it’s like to be an editor; and getting published. The final session will be a public reading and discussion.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Riverside Main Library
Date: Saturday the 30th (through November 11th)
Time: 12 pm – 2 pm
Address: 3900 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, CA 92501
Book Event: Emma Steinkellner & The Okay Witch and Nell of Gumbling at Children’s Book World – In-Person Graphic Novel Event
Emma Steinkellner, the author of the acclaimed graphic novel series, The Okay Witch, is launching her newest book, Nell of Gumbling, My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life.
Seventh grade is no fairy tale. From the bestselling author of Okay Witch comes an utterly enchanting graphic novel-diary hybrid about a twelve-year-old girl living an ordinary life in a magical land…disappointment, friend drama, adventure, mystery, and all!
Emma Steinkellner is an illustrator, writer, and cartoonist living in Los Angeles, California. She is a graduate of Stanford University and the illustrator of the Eisner-nominated comic Quince. She is the author and illustrator of The Okay Witch graphic novel series.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Children’s Book World
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 12:30 pm
Address: 10580 ½ W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064
Children’s Storytime with Gloo Books: Mostly Me, by Colin Hall & Crystal Dawn Chaffee at North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Kids & Family Event
This joyful and introspective picture book about navigating biracial identity follows a blue-green narrator on a journey of self-discovery. Written in playful rhyme, Mostly Me is an ode to readers of all ages that have felt out of place, questioning who they are. Navigating oft-asked questions like “Who am I? Do I belong?”, readers discover the most empowering answer of all: “I’m mostly me.” Written and illustrated by two biracial storytellers, author Collin Hall and artist Crystal Dawn Chaffee, this book creates a vibrant and uplifting message for anyone who feels like they’re in-between.
Collin Hall is a dad, creative and biracial Korean American living out of Austin, Texas with one dog, two children, three chickens and no time. Collin started writing Mostly Me shortly after his first daughter was born with the hope to provide her a foundational way to approach multiracial identity and learning to claim her own space. He is a decent gardener, mediocre fly angler, adequate husband, and bedtime story reader extraordinaire.
Crystal Dawn Chaffee is a biracial Filipino American artist based in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She loves to paint, make drawings, move, and drink a lot of coffee. Crystal has a passion for bringing stories to life with memorable characters both on the page and on screen. In her artwork, she takes inspiration from her observations of nature, everyday life, and her love for bold mid-century design. She enjoys exploring the use of shape, color, and texture, while also using her experience in animation to add rhythm in her illustration work.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: North Figueroa Bookshop
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 12:30 pm
Address: 6040 N Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://northfigbookshop.com/event/#calendar-8a0f87f6-17d6-4f10-9815-04df4c8251ba-event-llwymvdb
In Conversation with Award-Winning Author Reyna Grande at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Teen & Adult Event
Don’t miss this insightful conversation with award-winning memoir author Reyna Grande. Discover her remarkable journey, from life in Mexico to her arrival in the United States as an undocumented child immigrant. She will share her experiences and stories of resilience that shaped her life.
Reyna Grande is the author of The Distance Between Us and A Dream Called Home, and the novels Across a Hundred Mountains, Dancing With Butterflies, and A Ballad of Love and Glory. Her books have been adopted as the common read selection by schools, colleges, and cities across the country.
For ages 10 and up.
RSVP: Reserva tu espacio en el festival mediante este formulario. Reserve your space at the festival using online form.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Central Library, LAPL, Mark Taper Auditorium
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 1 pm – 1:45 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/conversation-award-winning-author-reyna-grande
Poetry with Yesika Salgado: A Workshop at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Teen & Adult Event
Series: Latinx Heritage Month, Los Angeles Libros Festival
Language: English
RSVP: Reserva tu espacio en el festival mediante este formulario. Reserve your space at the festival using this form.
Descubre tu poeta interior y crea estrofas originales con la poeta local Yesika Salgado. Discover your inner poet and create original stanzas with local poet Yesika Salgado.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Central Library, LAPL, Teen Scape
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 2 pm – 3:45 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/poetry-yesika-salgado-workshop
Creative Writing Group at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Calling all writers of fiction, screenplays, poetry, etc. Get feedback on your writing in a fun, supportive environment. Meetings include a writing prompt/exercise, snacks, and a rollicking good time! Whether you are just starting out or well on your way to glory, join us every other Saturday afternoon from 3:00-5:00 p.m. and banish (at least temporarily) those Lonely Writer Blues!
RSVP: fiction@lapl.org today!
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Central Library, LAPL, Literature & Fiction Study Rooms
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/writers-group-0
Cedric the Entertainer & Flipping Boxcars at Malik Books, Westfield Culver City Mall – In-Person Event
Cedric the Entertainer aka Cedric Kyles will present and discuss his debut novel Flipping Boxcars.
The first novel from one of the original Kings of Comedy, Cedric “The Entertainer,” is an engaging and entertaining crime caper that is a valentine to close-knit black families and tightly woven communities struggling to get by during the Depression and World War II.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Malik Books at Westfield Culver City Mall
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 6000 Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 2470, Culver City, CA 90323
Website: https://malikbooks.com/events
Saturday Afternoon Poetry: Print & Internet Publishing Workshop led by Riot of Roses + Four Feathers Press – In-Person Event
Print & Internet Publishing Workshop led by Riot of Roses (Anastasia Fenald, Paola Gutierrez, Carlos Ornelas, Diosa X, Brenda Vaca) + Poets published in Four Feathers Press Leaves of Southern California: Fall Poetry.
Anastasia Fenald is the author of Help Me, I’m Here: Poems to Myself, and her forthcoming book will be released by Riot of Roses Press.
Paola Gutierrez is the author of the self-published Children’s book, No me gusta el brócoli/I Don’t Like Broccoli. She is the creative genius behind El Libro Feliz y Yo & La Piedrita Feliz. She is currently finalizing the manuscript for her first full length poetry collection.
Carlos Ornelas is the author of the poetry and Art book titled, Ketchup: Sopa de Gato, is an English major (Rhetoric and composition) who is working on his second poetry book.
Diosa X, a multilingual and multidimensional, 3x slam/spoken word champion and international poetiza and workshop presenter, is author most recently of West of the Santa Ana and Other Sacred Places brought to you by Riot of Roses Publishing.
Brenda Vaca is a Xicana poet, author, and independent publisher from Sejatnga, Unceded Tonga Territory, known as South Whittier, CA. Riot of Roses is her debut collection of poetry. She is also the author of a children’s book, Buttonz Finds His Mojo, under the imprint Oh My Gatos Books, which is set to release Fall 2023.
NOTE: RSVP at site.
Don Kingfisher Campbell hosts and curates these events.
Where: Saturday Afternoon Poetry in Thelma’s Backyard
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 1438 Atchison St, Pasadena, CA
Website: http://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/
Vroman’s Local Author Day: Anthony Henderson, Shannon Alter, Peter McBride at Vroman’s Bookstore – In-Person Event
Anthony Henderson presents The Old Ones.
T is enslaved, but his soul is his own. God, the Devil nor any master can lay claim to it as he moves through his world with a fierce confidence and steely resolve. When a personal awakening compels him to carve a family out of his unimaginable pain, into his embrace comes a woman plagued by mental illness borne of torture and rape and a man who tried to keep his faith in God no matter what he saw and felt. They experience revelations about spiritual and sexual identities that are hard-fought and ultimately life affirming. In the end they navigate the horrors of bondage to create a family for which there was no blueprint.
Shannon Alter presents Be Influential: Surefire Ways to Improve Your Presentation Skills.
Imagine…you’re getting ready for your next client presentation, or you’re a first-time on the conference stage. You can already feel your nerves tingling, and you feel the anxiety increasing, wondering if you’ll remember everything you want to say.
Instead, imagine how it would feel if you knew you would nail your next presentation. Be Influential gives you the surefire skills to become more influential in any presentation, any situation, and any conversation.
Here’s the secret to your success: It all boils down to confidence, preparation, and editing what you say.
Peter McBride presents Dropping In On the Waves of Life.
Young adults will find that these true stories, some related to surfing, serve as a “wake up call” for what’s ahead and how (and how not) to handle matters—from first love’s joys along with that broken heart to coping with bullies to developing self-confidence…and more! Older adults will find the stories cause them to ruminate and reevaluate previous experiences. Teachers will find the book a valuable resource and great discussion starter and writing prompt.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 4 pm
Where: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/Vromans-Local-Author-Day-September-2023
The State of the Southland: Mike Sonksen & D.J. Waldie at Page Against the Machine – In-Person Event
Join authors Mike Sonksen and D.J. Waldie for a reading and discussion of The State of the Southland: Past, Present & Future.
Mike Sonsen is the author most recently of Letters to My City, 2nd Edition. D.J. Waldie is the author most recently of Becoming Los Angeles: Myth, Memory, and a Sense of Place. Both are longtime chroniclers of Southern California history and culture.
Mike Sonsen aka Mike the PoeT is a Long Beach-born, 3rd-generation Southern Californian poet, professor, journalist, historian, and tour-guide who currently teaches at Woodbury University. His over 500 published essays and poems have appeared in numerous publications including the Academy of American Poets, Alta, Poets & Writers Magazine, Wax Poetics, Southern California Quarterly, LA Weekly, OC Weekly, LA Alternative Press, Los Angeles Review of Books, Angel City Review, LA Taco, LA Parent, and others. He has been honored by the Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center for his “Distinguished Service to the Los Angeles Poetry Community.” He is the editor and author of several books, most recently the revised second edition of Letters to My City, published in May 2023 by Writ Large Press.
D.J. Waldie is a cultural historian, memoirist, and translator best known for Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir—his now-classic account of growing up in Lakewood in the 1950s. In books, essays, and online commentary, he has sought to frame the suburban experience as a search for a sense of place. His work ranges widely over the history of suburbanization and its cultural effects. Waldie writes about the small details of everyday life, but he also addresses larger themes—the meaning of place and the changing identity of southern California. He has been called “one of the most artful authors writing about Los Angeles today.” His most recent book is Becoming Los Angeles: Myth, Memory, and a Sense of Place, published by Angel City Press in 2020.
This event is free and open to the public.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Page Against the Machine
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 1714 E. 4th St., Long Beach, CA 90814
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/
El Martillo Press & the Los Angeles Press Authors, with Matt Sedillo & David A. Romero at The Pop Hop – In-Person Event
Join authors of El Martillo Press & The Los Angeles Press Authors for a night of readings. Hosted by El Martillo Press Founders Matt Sedillo & David A. Romero.
Authors for the night include: Ceasar K. Avelar, Christina Cha, Margaret Elysia Garcia, Donato Martinez, Linda Ravenswood and Janet Sarbanes.
Ceasar K. Avelar is the second poet laureate of Pomona, CA. As a poet, Ceasar is dedicated to the working class. His poems speak the truth, not only to people in a position of power, but also to the everyday person that views the working class as a stigmatized identity. His debut poetry collection is God of the Air Hose.
Christina Cha is a writer of short fiction and creative nonfiction.
Margaret Elysia Garcia is the author of Graft, a collection of short stories published by Tolsun Books (2022), the poetry collection the daughterland published by El Martillo Press (2023), and the poetry memoir chapbook Burn Scars. Together with Dani Burlison, she’s the co-editor of the forthcoming anthology Red Flag Warning: Northern Californians Living with Fire to be published by HeyDay Books in 2024. Margaret’s work has been featured in the Akashic Noir Series Santa Cruz Noir, PM Press’ All of Me: Stories of Love, Anger, and the Female Body, and Catamaran Literary Reader, among other places. She’s currently editing a second collection of stories and working on a novel, among other projects large and small.
Donato Martinez was born in in small pueblo, Garcia de la Cadena, Zacatecas, Mexico and immigrated into the USA at six years old. He teaches English Composition, Literature, and Creative Writing at Santa Ana College. He has also taught classes in Chicano Studies. He is the author of Touch the Sky, which mines the everyday for the profound.
Linda Ravenswood is founder of Los Angeles Press and the author most recently of Cantadoras: Letters from California. Other publications include The Stan Poems (Pedestrian Press, 2022), the forthcoming a poem is a house (FlowerSong Press, 2023), and If we never meet again: A Pandemic diary (X Artists’ Books, 2023).
Janet Sarbanes is the author of the short story collections Army of One and The Protester Has Been Released, and a book of essays, Letters on the Autonomy Project, which explores autonomy as a political and aesthetic concept and practice. The recipient of a Creative Capital/Andy Warhol art writer’s grant, Sarbanes has published art criticism and other critical writing in museum catalogs, anthologies, and journals including East of Borneo, Afterall, and the Los Angeles Review of Books.
This event is free and open to the public.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Pop Hop
Date: Saturday the 30th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 5000 York Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Griot Café Open Mic with Sistah Shy & Samuel Rain & Featured Guest 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 30th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 1001 E. 4th St., Long Beach, CA 90802
Website: https://shadesofafrika.com/griot-cafe-open-mic-poetry/
Mónica Mancillas at The Cheech: The Worry Balloon at Cellar Door Bookstore off-site at The Cheech – In-Person Kids Event
Maybe you recall author Mónica Mancillas when she was at Cellar Books celebrating her first book, Mariana and Her Familia, and now she has two more wonderful picture books, The Worry Balloon and How to Speak Spanglish.
Cellar Door has the books in store, so you’re welcome to come buy them so that you can read along with Mónica at The Cheech!
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore at The Cheech
Date: Sunday the 1st
Time: 12 pm
Address: 3581 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, CA 92501
Inlandia Institute Presents El Martillo Press Authors at The Riverside Art Museum – In-Person Event
The Inlandia Institute is a lively center of literary activity serving the 29,000 sq. mile inland Southern California Region. It grew out of the highly acclaimed anthology Inlandia: A Literary Journey through California’s Inland Empire, published by Heyday Books in 2006 with the active participation of the Riverside Public Library. The cultural programming that supported the anthology led to the development of the Inlandia Institute in 2007.
El Martillo Press publishes writers whose pens strike the page with clear intent; words with purpose to pry apart assumed norms and to hammer away at injustice. El Martillo Press proactively publishes writers looking to pound the pavement to promote their work and the work of their fellow pressmates. There is strength in El Martillo. Founded in Los Angeles in 2023 by Matt Sedillo and David A. Romero, and launched with a diverse group of celebrated and hardworking writers who embody our working-class intellectual spirit, El Martillo Press maintains an editorial board that makes its selections for publishing.
Donato Martinez was born in the small pueblo, Garcia de la Cadena, Zacatecas, Mexico and immigrated into the USA at six years old. He teaches English composition, Literature, and Creative Writing at Santa Ana College. He has also taught classes in Chicano Studies. He has a self-published collection with three other Inland Empire poets, Tacos de Lengua. His full collection of poetry, Touch the Sky, was published by El Martillo Press in June 2023.
Ceasar K. Avelar is the current Poet Laureate of Pomona. He is the writer in residence of Cafe con Libros Press, and the founder of Obsidian Tongues open mic. Avelar writes through the sociological lens of a blue-collar worker. He is the author of God of the Air Hose and Other Blue-Collar Poems (El Martillo Press, 2023). Avelar will graduate this summer from Cal Poly Pomona with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology.
Sonia Gutiérrez is the author of Spider Woman / La Mujer Araña and the recipient of the Tomás Rivera Book Award 2021 and the International Latino Book Awards 2022 for her novel, Dreaming with Mariposas.
Margaret Elysia Garcia is the author of the short story collection Graft, the chapbook Burn Scars, and the daughterland (El Martillo Press, 2023). She’s the co-editor of the anthology Red Flag Warning: Northern Californians Living with Fire out on HeyDay Books in 2024. She writes about family, culture and surviving climate change disasters.
Matt Sedillo has been described as the “best political poet in America” as well as “the poet laureate of the struggle.” His work has drawn comparisons in print to Bertolt Brecht, Roque Dalton, Amiri Baraka, Alan Ginsberg, Carl Sandburg and various other legends of the past.
David A. Romero is a Mexican American spoken word artist from Diamond Bar, CA. Romero is the author of My Name Is Romero (FlowerSong Press), a book reviewed by Gustavo Arellano (¡Ask a Mexican!), Curtis Marez (University Babylon), and founding member of Ozomatli, Ulises Bella.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Riverside Art Museum
Date: Sunday the 1st
Time: 1 pm – 3 pm
Address: 3425 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501
Book Launch Event: Myisha Cherry & Failures of Forgiveness at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Myisha Cherry returns to Cellar Door to launch her new book, Failures of Forgivelness: What We Get Wrong and How to Do Better.
Myisha Cherry teaches us the right ways to deal with wrongdoing in our lives and the world Sages from Cicero to Oprah have told us that forgiveness requires us to let go of negative emotions and that it has a unique power to heal our wounds.
Myisha Cherry is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside. She is also the Director of the Emotion and Society Lab. Her research interest lies at the intersection of moral psychology and social and political philosophy. More specifically, she is interested in the role of emotions and attitudes in public life. Cherry’s books include: The Moral Psychology of Anger co-edited with Owen Flanagan (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018) and Unmuted: Conversations on Prejudice, Oppression, and Social Justice (Oxford University Press, 2019). Her recent book, The Case for Rage: Why Anger is Essential to Anti-Racist Struggle (Oxford University Press: 2021) makes a case for anger at racial injustice. It was recently featured in the New Yorker and The Atlantic. It has received a starred review from Publishers’ Weekly. And according to Kirkus Reviews, it is “a well-reasoned case for not holding one’s tongue in the presence of injustice.” After a 10-way auction, Princeton University Press won North American rights to her book “The Failures of Forgiveness.” It is slated for a September 2023 release. Her forthcoming book includes “How to Love” currently under contract at Riverhead Books (US) and Basic Books (UK). Cherry has also written about emotions and race in such journals as Hypatia, Radical Philosophy Review, and Critical Philosophy of Race.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 1st
Time: 2 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/
L.A. Times Book Club: Walter Isaacson & Elon Musk at El Segundo Performing Arts Center – In-Person Event
Bestselling author Walter Isaacson, in conversation with LA Times columnist Ariata Chabria, will present and discuss his newest biography of Elon Musk.
Isaacson shadowed the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and, most recently, Twitter (now known as X) for two years to research the book. The author attended Musk’s meetings, walked his factories, and spent hours interviewing the South Africa-born mogul, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is a revealing inside story, filled with tales of triumphs and turmoil.
Isaacson also is the author of biographies of Apple founder Steve Jobs, biochemist Jennifer Doudna, artist Leonardo da Vinci, inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin and theoretical physicist Albert Einstein. He is a history professor at Tulane University and was CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair of CNN and editor of Time. In 2023 he was awarded the National Humanities Medal.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: El Segundo Performing Arts Center
Date: Sunday the 1st
Time: 2 pm
Address: 640 Main St. El Segundo, CA 90245
Book Launch: mahogany by erica lewis + readings from Morgan Parker and A.H. Jerriod Avant at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event
Readings from authors erica lewis, Morgan Parker, and A.H. Jerroid Avant celebrate the launch of lewis’ new poetry collection mahogany.
Each poem here takes its title from a line of a Diana Ross and the Supremes song, and songs from Ross’s successful solo career. lewis writes short, abbreviated, lines; a kind of Ashbery-an stream of consciousness that proceeds vertically down the page. As postmodern psalms, these poems connect dailyness to timelessness, merging the historical and the beloved through reverence for roots, family, music, and pop culture, and the life we actually live. mahogany is a lyric lament about the passing of time and unimaginable loss, and at the same time it models the daily search for joy, and the deep shine that can arise from the darkest times.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Stories Books & Café
Date: Sunday the 1st
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
Happily Everyone After Book Club & Bitter Medicine at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
The Happily Everyone After Book Club participants will discuss Bitter Medicine, by author Mia Tsai. This story is an enchanting paranormal debut about how a Chinese immortal and a French elf try to balance new romance, familial loyalty, and workplace demands.
This book club is led by bookseller Binta. Participants read widely across the romance genre. No membership is necessary, feel free to show up!
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Sunday the 1st
Time: 7:15 pm
Address: Main Street, Culver City, CA 90323
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
Los Angeles Literature 