Storytime with Oliver Chin at Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Kids Event
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with children’s book author Oliver Chin. This storytime is great for younger readers; special activity sheets and coloring pages will be available for families after the program.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 12th
Time: 10:30 am
Address: 1246 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/storytime-oliver-chin-01
Robertson Writers Group at Robertson Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Calling all writers! The Robertson Writers Group meets every Monday. Get those creative juices flowing and join the group as everyone shares their work and gives feedback.
This group mostly meets in person, but email rbrtsn@lapl.org if you’d prefer to join via Zoom.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Robertson Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 12th
Time: 11 am
Address: 1719 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/robertson-writers-group
Storytime with Oliver Chin & The Year of the Dragon at Studio City Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Kids Event
Join us to celebrate Lunar New Year. Author Oliver Chin will read from his book The Year of the Dragon, talk about the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, and teach you how to draw a dragon. Enjoy activity sheets based on the zodiac animals. This program is intended for children ages four and older.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 12th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 12511 Moorpark St., Studio City, CA 91604
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/year-dragon-family-storytime
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 2, Session 1: MFA Reading – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
MFA Reading of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, screenwriting, and playwriting, hosted by Katie Ford and featuring MFA CANDIDATES:
Aaron Chan, Kelsey Ferrell, Rae Whitfield, Victoria Hurtado-Angulo, Frances McCann, Debbie Ou, Kristen Herbert, Cait Johnson, Corey Spanner, Hanna Pachman, Lily Felsenthal, Cixous LeComte, and Elizabeth DeWolf.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Monday the 12th
Time: 3 pm – 4:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
Sun Valley Book Club: Castle in the Sky via Sun Valley Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Book Club participants will discuss Castle in the Sky by author Tim Murphy.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Sun Valley Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 12th
Time: 4:45 pm
Address: Online Event
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/sun-valley-branch-book-club-3
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 2, Session 2: Readings by Jessica Johns, Marcie Rendon & Andrea Rogers – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Jessica Johns is a queer nehiyaw aunty with English and Irish ancestry and a member of Sucker Creek First Nation. Her debut novel, Bad Cree, was shortlisted for the Amazon First Novel Award, won the MacEwan Book of the Year award, and is on the 2024 CBC Canada Reads longlist.
Her fiction, poetry, and nonfiction has been published in Cosmonauts Avenue, Glass Buffalo, CV2, SAD Magazine, Red Rising Magazine, Poetry is Dead, Bad Nudes, Grain, The Fiddlehead, Canadian Art, C Magazine, Brick, Reissue, Maisonneuve, The Globe and Mail, Best Canadian Essays 2019, among others. She has spoken at various literary and arts festivals such as The Bay Area Book Festival, WORD Vancouver, Vancouver Writers Fest, FOLD Festival, Victoria Festival of Authors, London’s Literary and Creative Arts Festival, and Blue Metropolis.
Her visual art has been featured at the 2022 Rhubarb Festival, grunt gallery, and at Latitude 53.
Marcie R. Rendon is an author, poet, playwright and consultant, and the author of Cash Murder Mystery Series, #3: Sinister Graves.
Set in 1970s Minnesota on the White Earth Reservation, Pinckley Prize–winner Marcie R. Rendon’s gripping new mystery follows Cash Blackbear, a young Ojibwe woman, as she attempts to discover the truth about the disappearances of Native girls and their newborns.
Andrea Rogers is the author of Man Made Monters.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Monday the 12th
Time: 5 pm – 6:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
Book Launch: My Stutter: Life of Verbal Turbulence at Octavia’s Bookshelf – In-Person Event
Proud Sutterer presents a reading of its new comic book, My Stutter: Life of Verbal Turbulence, and a panel of speakers sharing stories about growing up with a stutter in L.A.
Join podcaster Maya Chupkov of Proud Stutter, speech and language pathologist Alan Mendoza, along with a panel of participants, for a night of spoken word and sharing.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Octavia Bookshelf
Date: Monday the 12th
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 1365 N. Hill St., Pasadena, CA 91104
Website: https://www.octaviasbookshelf.com/events/proud-stutter-comic-book-reading
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 2, Session 3: Mike Davis Readers: Tim Z. Hernandez, Maceo Montoya – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Tim Z. Hernandez is an award-winning multi-disciplinary artist, author, and performer. His work includes poetry, novels, historical fiction, memoir, and screenplays, many of which have received international acclaim. His work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, C-Span, and highlighted in NPR’s Latino USA, All Things Considered and Alt.Latino. In 2013, Public Radio International hailed his book, Mañana Means Heaven, as a Book of the Year, and in 2011 he was selected among the “New American Poets” by the Poetry Society of America.
His debut collection of poetry, Skin Tax received the American Book Award, and his debut novel, Breathing, In Dust received the 2010 Premio Aztlan Prize. His second collection of poetry, Natural Takeover of Small Things, received the 2014 Colorado Book Award, and his novel, Mañana Means Heaven, received the 2014 International Latino Book Award in historical fiction. His book, All They Will Call You, is a genre bending work of non-fiction based on the song by Woody Guthrie, “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee).” This book is the first installment of the plane crash series. The second installment, a memoir based on his search, will be released in fall 2024. His most recent book is a collection of poetry, Some of the Light: New & Selected Poems, with Beacon Press (2023), for which he was featured in People Magazine.
Maceo Montoya is the author of Preparatory Notes for Future Masterpieces: A Novel. He isa Professor in ChIcano Studies at UC Davis and the winner of the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Monday the 12th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
Dulce Sloan & Hello Friends: Stories of Dating, Destiny, and Day Jobs at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Author Dulce Sloan will discuss her memoirHello Friends: Stories of Dating, Destiny, and Day Jobs.
This memoir is organized into essays from her life. From a childhood moving between cities, starting her own business selling toys at a Miami flea market, to being a Black kid in a predominately white school, she’s always used her masterful wit to challenge the status quo. Her purpose in comedy unfolded while navigating clubs and the set of The Daily Show. Have you ever dated an adult who roller skated, or went out with a mechanic just to get free auto service? Yup, she’s got that story for you. Her stories are both wildly entertaining and culturally resonant.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Monday the 12th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/dulcé-sloan
Monday Night Fiction Workshop at Beyond Baroque – Online Zoom 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 12th
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-825135180537
RESCHEDULED FROM February 5TH: Celebrating Black Operated Presses with L.A. Poet Society at 33RD HILL – In-Person Event
Celebrating Black Operated Presses with Los Angeles Poet Society will feature:
From Mama’s Kitchen Press @mamaskitchen.press:
Sakile Odimo has been writing them truths since 1996. She’s not only a poet, but also an observer and wanderer.
Tekira Briscoe is a millennial mother who published the collection of poems, stories and experiences, from the point of view of a young, Black girl who grew up in a conservative Christian home, Sown in the Light (Mama’s Kitchen Press, 2023).
Alexander James is the author of the poetry collection Just Be Honest: a poetic invitation to liberation (Mama’s Kitchen Press, 2024).
From Writing Journey 101 Press @writingjourney101press:
Andrea Lee is a poet, chef, and author known for her works such as The Power to Change the Way to Love Yourself and the upcoming Connections Between Us & Expressions of Love, Feelings of Love, Courage & Betrayal.
Sha’quan Lewis was born and raised in Los Ángeles. Her journey as a writer began as a means to cope with the profound loss of her beloved grandfather. She is the author of the poetry collection A Journey Through Love.
Plus, Open Mic 4 the People, hosted by Juan Cardenas @juan_c4rdenas
Join us at 6:30 for a JAM SESSION with the 33rd Hill house band, led by Juan Flautista @thejuanflautista
Come on through to join the party, in the heart of DOWNTOWN LA!
No cover! Donations are welcome.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details of this FREE event.
Where: 33RD HILL
Date: Monday the 12th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 3226 S Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90007
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/C22_Xqiujmv/
Mixed Fuit: A Poetry & Improv Show, hosted by Soul Stuf at The Glendale Room – In-Person Event
Mixed Fruit: A Poetry & Improv Show is hosted by Soul Stuf with Improve by Sini Gang.
Get ready to laugh, cry, and be all up in your feelings with a show that combines some of the most vivid poetry and whip-smart improv that Los Angeles has to offer! Curated by Soul Stuf and inspired by “The Bridge: Between Improv & Poetry” from The Bay Area.
Featuring poetry by:
Gahl Liberzon
Joseph Bricker
& Magdalena
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: The Glendale Room
Date: Monday the 12th
Time: 8:30 pm (Doors at 8 pm)
Address: 127 Artsakh Avenue Glendale, CA 91206
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mixed-fruit-a-poetry-improv-show-tickets-825731855207
Storytime with Oliver Chin & The Year of the Dragon at West Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Kids Event
Come join us for a special storytime to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The author, Oliver Chin, will introduce and read his newest children’s picture book, The Year of the Dragon. We will talk about the 12 animals of the zodiac, learn how to draw a dragon, and color the zodiac animals-themed coloring pages.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 13th
Time: 10:30 am – 11 am
Address: 19036 Vanowen St., Reseda, CA 91335
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/year-dragon-storytime
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 3, Session 2: Poets Place/Writers Resist Reading – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Frances McCann hosts this event. Poets Place/WRITERS RESIST R’Garden Students read Louder Together for Free Expression. Student & MFA Candidate Readers TBA
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Tuesday the 13th
Time: 2 pm – 3:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 3, Session 3: Readings by Rilla Askew, Lou Berney, Robert Roensch – Online Event
Rilla Askew received a 2009 Arts and Letters Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her first novel, The Mercy Seat, was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, a Boston Globe Notable Book, and received the Oklahoma Book Award and the Western Heritage Award in 1998. Her seminal novel about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Fire in Beulah, received the American Book Award and the Myers Book Award from the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights in 2002.
A 2004 fellow at Civiella Ranieri in Umbertide, Italy, Askew received the 2011 Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Center for the Book. Her essays and short fiction have appeared in a variety of journals, and her story “The Killing Blanket” was selected for Prize Stories 1993: The O. Henry Awards. Askew’s third novel, Harpsong, about dispossessed wayfarers during the Great Depression, received the Oklahoma Book Award, the Western Heritage Award, the WILLA Award from Women Writing the West, and the Violet Crown Award from the Writers League of Texas. Her novel Kind of Kin, a story about the complicated bonds of family, faith, and state immigration laws, was a finalist for the Western Spur Award, the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award, and was long-listed for the Dublin IMPAC Prize.
Askew’s collection of creative nonfiction, Most American: Notes from a Wounded Place, spotlights the complex history of her home state: from the Trail of Tears to the Tulsa Race Massacre to the Murrah Federal Building bombing, Oklahoma appears as a microcosm of our national saga. Most American was longlisted for PEN America’s award for the art of the essay. Askew’s most recent novel, Prize for the Fire, moves back in time and across the pond to Tudor England for an historical biographical novel about the Early Modern writer and martyr Anne Askew. A new collection of short fiction, The Hungry and the Haunted, is forthcoming from Belle Point Press in 2024.
Lou Berney is the Edgar Award winning author of November Road and the author of Dark Ride: A Thriller, The Long and Faraway Gone, Whiplash River, and Gutshot Straight.
Robert Roensch is the author of In the Morning, The City is the Prairie (Belle Point Press, 2023).
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Tuesday the 13th
Time: 3:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
Poetry Open Mic at Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Westwood Branch Book Club hosts an online Poetry Open Mic with emcee Wyatt Underwood.
Share a poem you wrote or a poem you love! You are also welcome to just listen and enjoy.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 13th
Time: 6 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/poetry-open-mic
So Emotional Book Club: Mama’s Last Hug at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
So Emotional Book Club participants will discuss Mama’s Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us About Ourselves, by author Frans de Waal.
This is a fascinating exploration of the rich emotional lives of animals, beginning with Mama, a chimpanzee matriarch who formed a deep bond with biologist Jan van Hooff. Her story and others like it—from dogs “adopting” the injuries of their companions, to rats helping fellow rats in distress, to elephants revisiting the bones of their loved ones—show that humans are not the only species with the capacity for love, hate, fear, shame, guilt, joy, disgust, and empathy. Frans de Waal opens our hearts and minds to the many ways in which humans and other animals are connected.
Frans de Waal, author of Mama’s Last Hug, is C. H. Candler Professor Emeritus of Primate Behavior at Emory University and the former director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 13th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/so-emotional-book-club-mamas-last-hug
Ron Drabkin & Beverly Hills Spy at Diesel, A Bookstore – In-Person Event
Ron Drabkin presents his book, Beverly Hills Spy: The Double-Agent War Hero Who Helped Japan Attack Pearl Harbor.
This n the spirit of Ben Macintyre’s greatest spy nonfiction, the truly unbelievable and untold story of Frederick Rutland—a debonair British WWI hero, flying ace, fixture of Los Angeles society, and friend of Golden Age Hollywood stars—who flipped to become a spy for Japan in the lead-up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Plied with riches and given a salary ten times the highest-paid admiral, shuttled between Los Angeles and Tokyo where he lived in large mansions in both Beverly Hills and Yokohama, and insinuating himself into both LA high society and Japan’s high command, Rutland would go on to contribute to the Japanese navy with both strategic and technical intelligence. This included scouting trips to Pearl Harbor, investigations of military preparedness, and aircraft technology. All this while living a double life, frequenting private California clubs and hosting lavish affairs for Hollywood stars and military dignitaries in his mansion on the Los Angeles Bird Streets.
Ronald Drabkin is the author of Beverly Hills Spy and peer-reviewed articles on Japanese espionage. His obsession with espionage history started when he was a student at Brentwood Elementary just down the street from Diesel. He vaguely understood that his father had been working for the US military in counterintelligence. His voyage of discovery into previously classified documents on three continents unearthed a true story of espionage that happened, primarily in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Hollywood. His career prior to writing was at earl-stage startups in the US, where he was an early adopter of Google and Facebook advertising. He currently lives in Tokyo.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Diesel, A Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 13th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 225 26th St., Suite 33., Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://www.dieselbookstore.com/event/Ron-Drabkin-Author-signing
Conchas y Café Zine Writing Workshop via DSTL Arts – In-Person Event Conchas y Café
Conchas y Café is a DSTL Arts bilingual community writing workshop series for adults that produces a biannual zine by the same name, featuring artwork and creative writing produced by our community and program participants.
The goal of Conchas y Café is to bring together our community under the arts, building skills and arts-literacy, so that more adults may appreciate the cultural and economic value the arts bring to our lives. The content taught through this workshop series is primarily for new and emerging poets and writers, or people returning to creative writing after a long-term absence from the craft.
The Conchas y Café workshop series spans 15 weeks, and is an ongoing program offered every trimester. Our program participants write on a new theme for their zine every trimester and celebrate its release with a public reading.
Enrollment via Google Classroom required for workshop participation and full access to session handouts.
For any questions regarding Conchas y Café, feel free to contact us directly by email at Info@DSTLArts.org.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: DSTL Arts
Date: Tuesday the 13th (through April the 30th)
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.dstlarts.org/conchasycafezine
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 3, Session 4: Readings by Marie Alohalani Brown, Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, Leah Myers – Online Event
Marie Alohalani Brown is a professor award-winning author, public speaker, educator. and cultural consultant.She is a specialist in Hawaiian religion, culture, history, and literature. She is the author of Ka Poʻe Moʻo Akua: Hawaiian Reptilian Water Deities and Facing the Spears of Change: The Life and Legacy of John Papa Ii.
Megan Kamalei Kakimoto is the author of Every Drop Is A Man’s Nightmare, and it’s both a fierce love letter to Hawaiian identity and mythology, and a searing dispatch from an occupied territory threatening to erupt with violent secrets.
Leah Myers is a member of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe of the Pacific Northwest. She earned her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of New Orleans, where she won the Samuel Mockbee Award for Nonfiction two years in a row. She now lives in Alabama, with roots in Georgia, Arizona, and Washington. Her work has previously appeared in The Atlantic, Craft Literary Magazine, Fugue Journal, and elsewhere. Her debut memoir, THINNING BLOOD, is published by W.W. Norton and received a rave review in the New York Times.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Tuesday the 13th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
ALOUD Reading Series: Sheila Heti, with Michelle Tea, & Alphabetical Diaries at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Sheila Heti, in conversation with Michelle Tea, will discuss her book. Alphabetical Diaries, a thrilling confessional.
Over a 10-year period, Heti kept a record of her thoughts, then arranged the sentences from A to Z. Known for her experimental literary works —passionate and reflective, joyful and despairing—Heti masterfully structures her diary entries into a pastiche of unconventional structure that keeps the reader entirely engaged.
Sheila Heti is the author of 11 books, including the novels Pure Colour, Motherhood , and How Should a Person Be?, which New York Magazine deemed one of the “New Classics” of the 21st century. She was named one of the “New Vanguard” by The New York Times book critics, who, along with a dozen other magazines and newspapers, chose Motherhood as a top book of 2018. Her books have been translated into 24 languages. She lives in Toronto.
Michelle Tea is the author, most recently, of Knocking Myself Up: A Memoir of My Infertility. She is a creator of Drag Queen Story Hour, a recipient of awards from PEN/America and the Guggenheim Foundation, and the publisher of DOPAMINE Books.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: ALOUD Series, Mark Taper Auditorium, Central Library,.LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 13th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://lfla.org/event/alphabetical-diaries/
Casey Sherman, with Terence Winter, & A Murder in Hollywood at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Author Casey Sherman, in conversation with Terence Winter, will discuss his novelA Murder in Hollywood.
New York Times bestselling author Casey Sherman pulls back Tinseltown’s velvet curtain to reveal the dark underbelly of celebrity, rife with toxic masculinity and casual violence against women, and tells the story of Lana Turner and her daughter, who finally stood up to the abuse that plagued their family for years. A Murder in Hollywood transports us back to the golden age of film and illuminates one of the 20th century’s most notorious true crime tales.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Tuesday the 13th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/casey-sherman
Adult Book Group: Love & Saffron at Once Upon a Time – In-Person & Online Hybrid Zoom Event
Adult Book Group participantswill discuss the novelLove & Saffron: A Novel of Friendship, Food and Love by author Kim Fay.
In the vein of the classic 84, Charing Cross Road, this witty and tender novel is a sensuous experience of food and a deep friendship between two very different women in 1960s America.
This book club has been going strong for 40+ years and loves to see new faces! Find out what the next book is at the website.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Once Upon a Time
Date: Tuesday the 13th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/adult-book-group-love-saffron-kim-fay-hybrid
Communicator Series No. 2 Event at Poetic Research Bureau – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Communicator Series returns to Poetic Research Bureau on Tuesday February 13th for an evening of research performance and hybrid dis-identifcations by Wye Coday and Emily Lucid, and a video screening with live voice-over by Patty Gone.
For this event, Emily Lucid will debut Ghost, a poetic dance experiment that juggles notions of the divine and demonic self through pop and subcultural themes such as Buffalo Bill, the memory play, and the ‘ghost’.
Patty Gone is a performer, poet, video artist, and scholar. She is the author of Love Life (Mount Analogue, 2019) and her writing has appeared in publications including The Believer, Art Papers, Hyperallergic, and Boston Review. She has performed or exhibited her work at the Queens Museum, The Poetry Project, Mass MoCA, Human Resources, REDCAT, and Porn Film Festival Berlin. She lives in Los Angeles.
Wye Coday will read passages from THE ABOMINATION, a chimeric multimedia lecture performance that examines the hormonal condition known as begging along with the devastating repercussions of having one’s reproductive organs removed or surgically modified at birth.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Poetic Research Bureau
Date: Tuesday the 13th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 2220 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057
Website: https://www.poeticresearch.com/events
At Skylight: Sarah Tomlinson, with Kate Micucci, & The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers at Skylight Books – In-Person Event
Sarah Tomlinson, in conversation with Kate MIcucci, will discuss her bookThe Last Day of the Midnight Ramblers, a debut about the complicated legacy of a legendary rock band and the ghostwriter telling their story.
Three Rock & Roll icons. Two explosive tell-all memoirs. One ghostwriter caught in the middle.
Anke Berben is ready to tell all. A legendary model and style icon, she reveled in headline-grabbing romances with not one but three members of the hugely influential rock band the Midnight Ramblers. The band members were as famous for their backstage drama as for their music, and Anke is the only one who fully understands the tangled relationships, betrayals, and suspicions that have added to the Ramblers’ enduring appeal and mystique. That is most evident in the mystery around Anke’s role in the death of Mal, the band’s founder and Anke’s husband, in 1969.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Skylight
Date: Tuesday the 13th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Environmentalist Book Club: Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butlerat Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Village Well welcomes the Environmentalist Book Club participants to discuss Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.
Are you passionate about the environment? Do love to read? Do you want to engage in meaningful discussions about pressing environmental issues with likeminded folks? Look no further! The Central Group and West LA Group of the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter are thrilled to announce the launch of its Environmentalist Book Club!
We will read capaciously, and will discuss books old and new, fiction and nonfiction, sobering and hopeful.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Thursday the 13th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/33554
Iris Yamashita, with Naomi Hirahara, & Village in the Dark at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Iris Yanashita, in conversation with Naomi Hirahara, will discuss her novel Village in the Dark.
On a frigid February day, Anchorage Detective Cara Kennedy stands by the graves of her husband and son, watching as their caskets are raised from the earth. It feels sacrilegious, but she has no choice. Aaron and Dylan disappeared on a hike a year ago, their bones eventually found and buried. But shocking clues have emerged that foul play was involved, potentially connecting them to a string of other deaths and disappearances.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Thursday the 13th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91001
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/iris-yamashita-discusses-village-dark
The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic + Featured Reader Garland Thompson – Online Zoom Event
The Virtual Cobalt Poets Series, presented by Rick Lupert via Zoom, will feature an Open Reading and guest Garland Thompson.
Garland Thompson has been a working Poet since 1990 when he rediscovered the poetry inside of him.
NOTE: Details and Zoom link at event link.
Where: Cobalt Poets – Online Zoom Event
Date: Tuesday the 13th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: http://poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/calendar
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. Check to Verify.
Where: Unurban Co6ee House
Date: Tuesday the 13th
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 SLAM Open Mic 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 and special events) they hold open mic nights.
Featured poet: Mecca Verdell
NOTE: See sign-ups, details, and guidelines at website link.
$10 donation. Do NOT line up prior to 7:30 p.m. Free parking adjacent to theatre.
Masks are encouraged. All ages are welcome.
Where: Greenway Court Theatre
Date: Tuesday the 13th
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
Mystery Book Club: Evergreen at West Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Mystery Book Club participants will discuss the novel Evergreen (A Japantown Mystery Book 2), by author Naomi Hirahara.
A Japanese American nurse’s aide navigates the dangers of post-WWII and post-Manzanar life as she attempts to find justice for a broken family in this follow-up to the Mary Higgins Clark Award–winning Clark and Division.
RSVP:
Please email wvally@lapl.org with “Mystery Book Club” in the subject line for information on the title to be discussed and the Zoom link.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: West Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 14th
Time: 10:30 am
Address: 19036 Vanowen St., Reseda, CA 91335
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/mystery-book-club-43
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 3, Session 1: Readings by: Laird Hunt, Matthew Shenoda, Eleni Sikelianos, Marc Vincenz, with Hosts Hanna Pachman & Cait Johnson – Online Event
Readings by Laird Hunt, Matthew Shenoda, Eleni Sikelianos, Marc Vincenz and hosted by Hanna Pachman & Cait Johnson.
Laird Hunt is the author of eight novels, and NBA finalist for ZORRIE–FLOAT UP, SING DOWN.
Matthew Shenoda is the author of The Way of the Earth.
Eleni Sikelianos’ most recent book is Your Kingdom–her 12th.
Marc Vincenz is the author of 30+ books of poetry, fiction, translation, including The Pearl Diver of Irunmani.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Wednesday the 14th
Time: 11 am
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 3, Session 2: Readings by: Elena Karina Byrne, Marsha De La O, Melissa Studdard & Lisa Teasley – Online Event
Readings by Elena Karina Byrne, Marsha De La O, Melissa Studdard, Lisa Teasley.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Wednesday the 14th
Time: 1 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 3, Session 3: Readings by: Aaron C. Boothby, Lizzie Davis, Tanya Frank & Adrian Matejka – Online Event
Readings by Aaron C. Boothby, Lizzie Davis, Tanya Frank, Adrian Matejka.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Wednesday the 14th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
Creative Writing Workshop with Tony DuShane at Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join a creative writing workshop for adults led by UCLA instructor Tony DuShane, screenwriter of the film Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk, based on his novel of the same name.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 14th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 1874 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/creative-writing-workshop-tony-dushane-26
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 3, Session 4: Readings by: Leah Myers – Online Event
Reading by Leah Myers: A member of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe of the Pacific Northwest, she earned her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of New Orleans, where she won the Samuel Mockbee Award for Nonfiction two years in a row. She now lives in Alabama, with roots in Georgia, Arizona, and Washington. Her work has previously appeared in The Atlantic, Craft Literary Magazine, Fugue Journal, and elsewhere. Her debut memoir, THINNING BLOOD, is published by W.W. Norton and received a rave review in the New York Times.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Wednesday the 14th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
RECESS Open Mic Is Backat SIPA HQ, Palms Up Academy – In-Person Event
Join RECESS Open Mic at SIPA HQ for a dynamic open mic. This is the most accessible public program in Palms Up Academy’s curriculum and manifests their mission statement in a physical space.
Join them at the intersection of Historic Filipinotown & The World: Search to Involve Pilipino Americans.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, cost, guidelines, and details.
Where: SIPA
Date: Wednesday the 14th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm (Doors at 6:30)
Address: 3200 W. Temple St., Ste. 100, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://www.palmsupacademy.com or https://docs.google.com/forms
HYPE Book Club: Night Shift at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
February’s HYPE Book Club is led by bookseller Paola, and talks about books everyone is talking about, This month’s selection is Night Shift by author Annie Crown.
This story is about a sweet encounter between a bookworm and a basketball player turns steamy in the stacks after hours . . .
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Wednesday the 14th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: Main Street, Culver City, CA 90323
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
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 — Featured Guests:
The Poetry of Joy, with Carlton the Messenger alongside Jessica “Yellawoman” Gallion and Mike Bonifer - 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 14th
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
Beyond Baroque’s longest-running free poetry workshop is offered on Zoom and welcomes 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 L.A. Johnson, the author of the chapbook Little Climates (Bull City Press, 2017). She holds an MFA from Columbia University and a PhD from the University of Southern California, where she is currently a Mellon Humanities and University of the Future postdoctoral fellow. The winner of the 2022 Mississippi Review Poetry Prize, the 2022 Greensboro Review Poetry Prize, the 2021 Arts & Letters Rumi Poetry Prize, her poems appear in The Atlantic, Poetry Magazine, and The Slowdown. She’s received support for her writing from Vermont Studio Center, Community of Writers, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and elsewhere. Find more about her at http://www.la-johnson.com
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. There’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 14th
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-828622701807
Poetry Reading & Open Mic by Two Idiots Peddling Poetry with Ben Trigg & Guest Feature Christina Brown at The Ugly Mug – In-Person Event
Host Ben Trigg and Two Idiots Peddling Poetry at the Ugly Mug on Wednesday Nights offers a Reading & Open Mic, with featured guest Christina Brown.
Christina Brown is a poet and educator living in Long Beach, CA. She is the managing editor at Pear Shaped Press and cohost of The Bi Pod: A Queer Podcast. In her free time, you’ll find her writing pop culture think pieces no one asked for, experiencing deep, short-lived obsessions, and trying not to kill her houseplants. Her first poetry collection, Girl Teeth, published by innateDIVINITYpress, is available now.
$4 cover fee, cash only.
NOTE: See site for further details.
Where: The Ugly Mug, Orange
Date: Wednesday the 14th
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://www.facebook.com/events/358198546837506
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 4, Session 1: Readings by: Emily Marie Passos Duffy & Katherine Vaz – Online Event
Readings by:
Emily Marie Passos Duffy Is the author of the debut poetry collection by the Disquiet alum and 2020 Luso-American Fellow, Hemorrhaging Want & Water.
Katherine Vaz is the author of, Above the Salt, a historical tale about what lovers overcome to fulfill their destinies and become their best selves.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 10 am
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 4, Session 2: Readings by: Jose Hernandez Diaz, Sandra Meek & Jesse Nathan – Online Event
Readings by:
Jose Hernadez Diaz Is the author of four poetry collections, including Bad Mexican, Good American and The Fire Eater.
Sandra Meek is the author of the collection Still, which re-imagines the Renaissance concept of the studiolo, a room displaying cabinets of wonder.
Jesse Nathan is the author of the collection Eggtooth, an image that stands in for the violence of birth and rebirth.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 1:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 4, Session 3: Readings by: Brendan Shay Bashem, Erik Bitsui & Stacie Denetsosie – Online Event
Readings by:
Brendan Shay Bashem Is the author of the poetry collection Swim Home to the Vanished.
Erik Bitsui is the author of the collection Moshpit Etiquette Volume One: Secrets of a 21st Century Navajo.
Stacie Denetsosie is the author of the collection The Missing Morning Star.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 3:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
Lunar New Year Storytime: Wish Soup at Chinatown Branch Library, LAPL – Online Kids Event
Children’s Librarian Miss Rita will read Wish Soup: A Celebration of Seollal by Junghwa Park.
This book is suitable for ages 4-8, and children of all ages are welcome with parental supervision.
Please register at site for the Zoom link will be shared closer to the program date.
This story follows Sohee, who’s favorite part of the New Year is eating tteokguk—a traditional Korean rice cake soup. This year, Sohee wants to eat as many bowls of tteokguk as she can so she can finally be considered a “big girl” by her family. However, Sohee soon learns that being a big girl is more than just about how many bowls of tteokguk one can eat.
Park Junghwa is a Korean American author and illustrator who lives in New Jersey. She graduated with a BFA in Illustration and was the Grand Prize Winner of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’s Winter 2020 Portfolio Showcase. Wish Soup marks her debut as a North American author-illustrator, following the publication of several works in Korea.
Note: See site for details.
Where: Chinatown. Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 4 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/lunar-new-year-virtual-storytime-camla
Brentwood Writing Workshop: Wish Soup at Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Bring any project that you’re working on to our weekly writing group. Poetry, novels, short stories, memoirs, and essays are all welcome. You will have free time to write and even lots of support from our great group of local writers.
Note: See site for details.
Where: Brentwood. Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/brentwood-writing-workshop
Mystery Book Club: As You Look at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Mystery Book Club participants will discuss As You Look, by author Veronica Gutierrez.
Former LAPD cop-turned private investigator Yolanda Vila blames herself for her mother’s death. If she’d only followed her cop instincts instead of the juju—her random prophetic dreams—the perpetrator would have been off the streets and her mother would still be alive. The only salve against her guilt is Yolanda’s vow to reject that juju crap, and to solve cases using only good solid detective work.
But when her godson is kidnapped and his parents are suspected of murder, Yolanda finds herself caught between what she feels and what she knows. And with the escalation of the case comes the escalation of her dreams. Until she can no longer ignore their importance.
If she wants to overcome the guilt and deal with her pent-up grief, Yolanda must confront the juju and learn to trust its place in her life. If she doesn’t, she risks losing yet another loved one. And she can’t possibly let that happen.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/mystery-book-club-you-look
West L.A. Book Club: The Man from the Future at West Los Angeles Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Book Club Participants will discuss The Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of Jon Von Neumann by Ananyo Bhattacharya.
RSVP:
For the Zoom link, please contact Carrie at cdavies@lapl.org.
Note: See site for details.
Where: West Los Angeles Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/west-la-book-club
Comic Book & Graphic Novel Discussion for Adultsat Palms-Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Book Club Participants will discuss and rotate between indie titles and titles from Marvel & DC. A great starting point for new readers or devoted fans of the genre.
This program meets via Zoom. Please RSVP at site.
This month’s selection is Catwoman: Lonely City (2022) written and illustrated by Cliff Chiang.
Copies are available at the reference/information desk or as ebooks (Hoopla and/or Overdrive.
Note: See site for details.
Where: Palms-Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/comic-book-graphic-novel-discussion-adults-0
Book Talk: Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez, with Elio Morillo, & My Side of the River at Chevalier’s Bookstore – In-Person Event
Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez, in conversation with Elio Morillo, will present and discuss her debut memoir, My Side of the River.
Born to Mexican immigrants south of the Rillito River in Tucson, Arizona, Camarillo Gutierrez was a star student, ranked number one as she entered high school. Her parents, determined to give her the best education possible, instilled in her at an early age that she had to be the best. When Camarillo Gutierrez was fifteen, her parents’ visas expired and they were forced to return to Mexico. She had to make an impossible choice—return to Mexico with her parents or stay in the U.S. as an unaccompanied homeless youth, a status affecting thousands of underage victims of family separation due to broken immigration laws.
Camarillo Gutierrez stayed, taking on the responsibility of her own education as well as her younger brother’s. Determined to break the cycle of being a “statistic,” she knew that even though her parents couldn’t stay, there was no way she could let go of the opportunities the U.S. could provide. Armed with only her passport and sheer teenage determination, she forged ahead with the life her parents had dreamed of for her, eventually working as one of the few Latina women on the Wall Street trading floor. Fueled by a desire to make her brother’s dreams easier to achieve than her own, her story is a reminder of the boundless love that can carry families through the most difficult of circumstances.
Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, as a second-generation immigrant. She graduated from high school at the top of her class and, in 2018, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics. She worked as a banking analyst at Wells Fargo and is now a product manager at a big tech company, where she uses her background and knowledge to empower communities. She has been featured on NPR’s Latino USA and delivered a viral TED Talk on finding opportunity and stability in the United States.
Elio Morillo, born in Ecuador and raised in both Puerto Rico and NYC, is a space systems engineer engaged in cutting-edge missions within the lunar and Martian programs. With a solid foundation in mechanical, electrical, and space systems engineering from the University of Michigan, Elio has played a pivotal role in groundbreaking missions such as NASA-JPL’s Mars 2020. Here, he contributed to the success of the Perseverance rover and the initial flights of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars. Most recently, he has worked on Blue Origin’s lunar lander, the Blue Moon MK-1. Elio is driven by a profound passion for exploration, expansion, and creating equal opportunities for everyone to access the wonders of space. He shares his insights through inspiring keynote speeches, volunteer work, coaching, and mentorship.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Chevalier’s Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Playa Vista Book Club: Sister Stardust at The Book Jewel Bookstore – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will discuss February’s selection, Sister Stardust by author Jane Green.
In her first novel inspired by a true story, Jane Green re-imagines the life of troubled icon Talitha Getty in this transporting story from a forgotten chapter of the Swinging ’60s.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: The Book Jewel, Westchester
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 6259 W. 87th St., Los Angeles, CA 90045
Website: https://www.meetup.com/playa-vista-ladies-book-club/events/298100525/
Poetry Party: Nicelle Davis, with Amy Gerstler and Cecilia Wolach, & The Language of Fractions at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Nicelle Davis, with poets Amy Gerstler and Cecilia Wolach, will read their work and discuss her collection of awkward love poems The Language of Fractions.
Nicelle Davis’s collection The Language of Fractions explores the question of whether we love wholly or only in parts. Employing found poetry, Davis raises issues of omphalophobia, love over time, missed communication, superficiality, and environmental destruction. Through her use of juxtaposing images and writing styles, Davis shows how love can be fragile and can often fail. The Language of Fractions does not simply comment on love, but also paints a picture of a broken world. It obsesses over the question: Do we love wholly or only in parts?
Amy Gerstler’s books of poems include Index of Women (Penguin, 2021), and Scattered at Sea, (Penguin, 2015). She received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2018. In 2019 she received a C.D. Wright Award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Her work has appeared in a variety of magazines and anthologies, including The New Yorker, Paris Review, American Poetry Review, Poetry, several volumes of Best American Poetry and The Norton Anthology of Postmodern American Poetry. She is currently working on a musical with actor/composer Steve Gunderson.
Cecilia Woloch is the author of six collections of poems and a novel. Her honors include fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, CEC/ArtsLink International, the California Arts Council and the Center for International Theatre Development, inclusion in the Best American Poetry series and a Pushcart Prize; her work has been published in translation in French, German, Polish, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Hebrew and Romanes. She collaborates regularly with musicians, dancers, visual artists, theatre artists and filmmakers. Born in Pennsylvania, raised in rural Kentucky, and based in Los Angeles, she travels the world as a writer, performer, and teacher. Most recently, she spent 2021-2022 as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Rzeszów in southeastern Poland.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/love-ish-galentine%E2%80%99s-day-poetry-party
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 4, Award Honorees: Dave Eggers, Rigoberto Gonzalez & Quincy Troupe – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Specia Awards Ceremony for 2024 Honorees:
Dave Eggers Is the author of many books, among them The Eyes and the Impossible, The Every, The Circle, The Monk of Mokha, Heroes of the Frontier, A Hologram for the King, Zeitoun, What Is the What, and The Museum of Rain. He is the founder of McSweeney’s, an independent publishing company, and co-founder of 826 Valencia, a youth writing center that has inspired over 70 similar organizations worldwide. Eggers is winner of the American Book Award, the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Education, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the TED Prize, and has been a finalist for the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is the 2024 John Newbery Medalist, for the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature for The Eyes and the Impossible. Eggers is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Rigoberto Gonzalez is currently teaching drawing and painting at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Gonzalez’s work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, the Konsthallen Bohuslan Museum in Uddevalla, Sweden, The Museum of Contemporary Art Branch of the National Museum in Wrocław, Poland, The Guildhall Art Gallery in London, England. Rigoberto has participated in artist residencies at the Roswell Artist Residency in Roswell, New Mexico, and at the Santa Fe Art Institute Artist Residency Program in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Quincy Troupe is an alumnus of the Watts Writers Workshop and, along with his friends Ishmael Reed, Amiri Baraka, Nikki Giovanni and others, associated with the Black Arts Movement. He was named California’s first poet laureate in 2002. Troupe’s Miles: The Autobiography is considered a contemporary classic of musical artist biography. Among his many other books are his collaboration on the autobiography of Chris Gardner, The Pursuit of Happyness, which became a popular film starring Will Smith. He also wrote James Baldwin: The Legacy and Earl the Pearl: My Story by Earl Monroe and Quincy Troupe. Troupe has published many volumes of his poetry over the years and has also published several children’s books.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/5tqb5s5z5ibt or https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
At Skylight: Blaise Agüera y Arcas, with Joanne McNeil, & Who Are We Now? at Skylight Books – In-Person Event
Blaise Agüera y Arcas, in conversation with Joanne McNeil, will discuss his book, Who Are We Now?
Join leading AI researcher Blaise Agüera y Arcas, in conversation with Joanne McNeil, for an exploration of how biology, ecology, sexuality, history, and culture have intertwined to create a dynamic “us” that can neither be called natural nor artificial.
Identity politics occupies the front line in today’s culture wars, pitting generations against each other, and progressive cities against the rural traditions of our past. Rich in data and detail, Who Are We Now? goes beyond today’s headlines to connect our current reality to a larger more-than-human story.
At the heart of the book is a set of surveys conducted between 2016 and 2021, asking thousands of anonymous respondents all over the United States questions about their behavior and identity, and especially about gender and sexuality. The resulting window into people’s lives is a bit like that of the Kinsey Reports, which scandalized postwar America more than 70 years ago. Today, the landscape is—In every sense—even queerer. Twentieth century heterosexual “normalcy” is on the wane, especially among young and urban people.
Blaise Agüera y Arcas is a frequent speaker at TED and many other conferences, winner of MIT’s TR35 Prize and Fast Company’s Most Creative People award, and a Vice President and Fellow at Google Research. He leads a 500 person team working on Artificial Intelligence (AI), large language models, smart devices, technology ethics, and privacy. Publicly visible projects from his team include Federated Learning, Artists and Machine Intelligence, Coral, Hollywood gender equality work with the Geena Davis Institute, and many AI features in Pixel and Android. In 2016 he wrote a widely read essay on the relationship between art and technology, and in 2017 he co-authored another popular essay on physiognomy and bias in AI and a refutation of claims that facial structure reveals sexual orientation. While Blaise’s role at Google focuses on AI, his career has often been at the intersection of computing with other disciplines in the sciences and humanities. He raised early alarms (starting in 2015) about fairness and bias in machine learning, which led to deeper study of the differential impacts of technology on people underrepresented in tech. His quest to map the changing landscape of human identification with minority and majority subgroups led to this book. He lives in Seattle, Washington.
Joanne McNeil was the inaugural winner of the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation’s Arts Writing Award for an emerging writer. She has been a resident at Eyebeam, a Logan Nonfiction Program fellow, and an instructor at the School for Poetic Computation.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Skylight Books
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
The Capacity Presents: Will Mountain Cox, Gideon Jacobs, Riley Quinn Scott, Brooks Sterritt, Yasi Salek & Simone Rembert at Stories Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
The Capacity (@the__capacity), a new small press and a monthly reading at Stories, presents new writing from Will Mountain Cox (author of Roundabout), Gideon Jacobs, Riley Quinn Scott, Brooks Sterritt (author of The History of America In My Lifetime), Yasi Salek, and Simone Rembert.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Stories Books & Coffee
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
Science Fiction Discussion: Our Cyberpunk Future with Jared Shurin and Anne C. Perry at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Few genres of fiction have turned out to be as prescient, or as relevant, as cyberpunk. Join editor Jared Shurin (The Big Book of Cyberpunk) and interviewer Anne C. Perry (Publishing Director, Quercus) for a discussion of science fiction and the near now.
They will discuss The Big Book of Cyberpunk, from Jared Shurin Madeline Ashby, and Maurice Broaddus.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/34197
Ticketed Event: Kiley Reid, with Traci Thomas, & Come and Get It at Vroman’s Off-site at All Saints Church – In-Person Event
Kiley Reid, in conversation with Traci Thomas,will present and discuss her book,Come and Get It.
From the celebrated New York Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age comes a fresh and provocative story about a residential assistant and her messy entanglement with a professor and three unruly students.
It’s 2017 at the University of Arkansas. Millie Cousins, a senior resident assistant, wants to graduate, get a job, and buy a house. So when Agatha Paul, a visiting professor and writer, offers Millie an easy yet unusual opportunity, she jumps at the chance. But Millie’s starry-eyed hustle becomes jeopardized by odd new friends, vengeful dorm pranks, and illicit intrigue.
Traci Thomas is the creator and host of The Stacks, a weekly podcast about books and the ways they shape our cultural understandings. Traci writes a monthly bookish advice column on shereads.com, is a contributor on NPR’s Here and Now, and created LAists live literary series, One for the Books
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Vroman’s at All Saints Church
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 132 N. Euclid Ave., Pasadena, CA 91001
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/Vromans-presents-Kiley-Reid-discussing-Come-and-Get-It
Ed Zwick, with Patty Jenkins, & Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood at Live Talks LA – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Ed Zwick, in conversation with Patty Jenkins, will discuss his book, Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood.
Acclaimed director and producer Ed Zwick, in conversation with Patty Jenkins, will discuss his heartfelt and wry career memoir. From the director of Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Legends of the Fall, About Last Night, and Glory, creator of the show thirtysomething, and executive producer of My So-Called Life, Zwick gives a dishy, behind-the-scenes look at working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Ed Zwick’s long career has spanned four decades of directing, producing, and writing projects that have collectively received eighteen Academy Award nominations (seven wins) and sixty-seven Emmy nominations (twenty-two wins). His filmography as director includes Glory, Legends of the Fall, Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Courage Under Fire, Love & Other Drugs, and Defiance; with producing credits including Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic and Shakespeare in Love, for which Zwick won the Academy Award.
Patty Jenkins is an award-winning writer and director best known for directing the blockbuster Wonder Woman and her debut Oscar-winning feature Monster. She also directed the pilot and series finale of AMC’s hit show The Killing, for which she received a Primetime Emmy nomination and the 2012 DGA Best Director Award. In 2017, Jenkins became the first woman in history to direct a live action film with a budget over $100 million with her critical hit Wonder Woman. Following the success of the first, Jenkins directed, wrote, and produced the equally successful sequel Wonder Woman 1984, making her the first woman to helm a live action film with a budget over $200 million. Up next, Jenkins is set to developing Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.
NOTE: See site for costs and details.
Where: New Roads School, Ann & Jerry Moss Theatre
Date: Thursday the 15th
Time: 8 pm
Address: 3131 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404
Website: https://livetalksla.org/events/ed-zwick/
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!
Open to all ages. Free to attend.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 9:30 am
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 5, Session 1: Kate Bolton Bonnici, Donato Martinez & Kati Porter, Jason Magabo Perez – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Readings by
Kate Bolton Bonnici Is the author of her second book, A True and Just Record. She is a professor at Pepperdine University.
Donato Martinez is the author of the collection Touch the Sky, and is a professor at Santa Ana College.
Kati Porter is the author of the collection, small mammals.
Jason Magabo Perez is a poet and activist, and the poet laureate for the city of San Diego. He is the author of I ask about what falls away.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 11 am – 12:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 5, Session 2: Reza Aslan, Minda Honey, Vickie Vertiz & Issam Zineh – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Readings by
Reza Aslan Is the author of An American Martyr in Persia, and a professor at UC Riverside.
Minda Honey is the author of the collection The Heartbreak Years: A Memoir.
Vickie Vertiz is the author of the collection, Auto/Body and is a professor at UC Santa Barbara.
Issam Zineh is the author of Unceded Land.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 1 pm – 2:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 5, Session 3: Kimberly Blaeser, Daisy Ocampo Diaz & Randi LeClair – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Readings by
Kimberly Blaeser Is the author of Ancient LIght, and a professor at University of Wisconsin, MIlwaukee.
Daisy Ocampo Diaz is the author of Where I Belong: Chemehueyl and Oaxcan Preservation of Sacred Mountains and teaches at CSU San Bernardino.
Randi LeClair is the winner of 2023 Storytellers Initiative (with Tod Fuller).
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 3 pm – 4:30 pm
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
Poetry Writing Workshop at Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Gubnit Ní Dhúinn will present five workshops, each focused on a different poetic form.
February 16: Sonnet
Equal time will be accorded to the discussion and composition of poetry. Those who come to relish the art form rather than create are also welcome.
This event is supported in part by Poets & Writers.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 1246 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/poetry-writing-workshop
Bookish Literary Event: Alexandra Jacobs and Philip Gefter – Presented by Southern California News Group via Once Upon a Time Bookstore – Online Event
Bookish Discussion this month is with Alexandra Jacobs and Philip Gefter and hosted by Sandra Tsing Loh, writer, actress and radio personality.
Alexander Jacobs is the author of Still Here: The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch.
Philip Gefter is the author of Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage and the Making of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/bookish-february-2024
UCR Writers Week 24: Day 5, Session 4: Fernaz Fatemi, Cindy Yuyoung Ok, Prageeta Sharma – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Readings by:
Fernaz Fatimi Is the author of Sister Tongue, winner of the Sta and Tom Wick Poetry Prize and Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate.
Cindy Yuyoung Ok is the author of Ward Toward, winner of the Yale Younger Poets Prize.
Prageeta Sharma is the author of the collection, Brief Sequence, and is a professor at Pomona College.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: UC Riverside, Interdisciplinary South (INTS) 1128
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7 p4
Address: 900 University Ave., Riverside CA 92521
Website: https://writersweek.ucr.edu/schedule2024
The World in Poetry: Dorothy Barresi Tribute at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – In-Person and Online Hybrid Event
Join us in celebrating the work and teaching of Dorothy Barresi!
The evening will feature tributes from poets, former students, and colleagues. The event will be MC’ed by Dan Murphy, and feature readings by writers Kim Young, Patty Seyburn, Suzanne Lummis, Lynne Thompson, Marsha De La O, Iván Salinas, Elena Karina Byrne (virtual), and Barresi, followed by a brief Q&A facilitated by poet Kim Young.
Dorothy Barresi is the author of What We Did While We Made More Guns (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018); American Fanatics (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2010); Rouge Pulp (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2002); Post-Rapture Diner (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1996), winner of the American Book Award; and All of the Above (Beacon Press, 1991), winner of the Barnard College New Women Poets Prize. She is also the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council. She teaches at California State University at Northridge and lives in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles.
Kim Young is a writer, teacher, and author of two books of poetry: Night Radio, winner of the Agha Ali Shahid Poetry Prize and finalist for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and Tigers, a collection of prose poems. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Alta, Los Angeles Review of Books, TriQuarterly, The Cincinnati Review, and elsewhere. For many years, she edited the literary journal Chaparral, which features interviews and new writing from Maggie Nelson, Jericho Brown, Victoria Chang, and many others. She is currently at work on a hybrid book of memoir, journalism, and biography on the late poet Lee McCarthy.
Patty Seyburn has published five collections of poems: Threshold Delivery (Finishing Line Press, 2019); Perfecta (What Books Press, Glass Table Collective, 2014); Hilarity, which won the Green Rose Prize given by New Issues Press (Western Michigan University, 2009); Mechanical Cluster (Ohio State University Press, 2002); and Diasporadic (Helicon Nine Editions, 1998), which won the 1997 Marianne Moore Poetry Prize and the 2000 American Library Association’s Notable Book Award. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and publications, including The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry, Wide Awake: Poetry of Los Angeles and Beyond, The Paris Review, Poetry, New England Review, and Boston Review. She is a Professor at California State University, Long Beach.
Suzanne Lummis was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Her collections include Idiosyncrasies (1984), In Danger (1999), and Open 24 Hours (2014), which received the Blue Lynx Poetry Prize from Lynx House Press. Her poems have appeared in Ploughshares, New Ohio Review, Hudson Review, Antioch Review, Plume, and The New Yorker. She was the co-editor of The Pacific Coast Poetry Series from Beyond Baroque Books, editor of its first publication, Wide Awake: Poets of Los Angeles and Beyond. Lummis was a 2018-19 City of Los Angeles Fellow, an endowment from the Cultural Affairs Department allowing mid-career visual artists and writers to complete major projects.
Lynne Thompson is the former 2021 Los Angeles Poet Laureate and 2022 Poet Laureate Fellow of the Academy of American Poets. She is the author of four collections of poetry: Beg No Pardon; Start With a Small Guitar; Fretwork; winner of the 2019 Marsh Hawk Poetry Prize; and Blue on Blue Palette, which will be published by BOA Editions in April 2024. The recipient of multiple awards and fellowships including several Pushcart Prize nominations, Thompson sits on the Boards of Poetry Foundation, Cave Canem, and Los Angeles Review of Books, and she is the most recent Chair Emerita of the Board of Trustees at Scripps College. Her recent work can be found or is forthcoming in Best American Poetry, New England Review, Black Warrior Review, Massachusetts Review, The Common, and Copper Nickel, among others.
Elena Karina Byrne is a freelance editor, lecturer, Programming Consultant & Poetry Stage Manager for The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, and Literary Programs Director for the Ruskin Art Club. Pushcart Prize & Best American Poetry recipient, Byrne’s five collections include If This Makes You Nervous (Omnidawn, 2021), No Don’t (What Books Press, 2020), Squander (Omnidawn, 2016), MASQUE (Tupelo Press, 2008), and The Flammable Bird (Zoo Press/Tupelo Press, 2002). Poems, reviews, and interviews can be found in Poem-a-Day, Plume, POETRY, The Paris Review, The Adroit Journal, Los Angeles Review of Books, Kenyon Review, BOMB, Verse Daily, Poetry Daily, Narrative, NPR’s KNAU Poetry Snaps Morning Edition / All Things Considered, and elsewhere. Byrne currently is writing screenplays while completing her collection of hybrid essays entitled Voyeur Hour.
Marsha de la O’s new book, Creature, came out from Pitt Poetry Series this January. Her previous book, Every Ravening Thing, also from Pitt, came out in 2019. Antidote for Night won the 2015 Isabella Gardner Award and was published by BOA Editions. Her first book, Black Hope, was awarded the New Issues Press Poetry Prize and was published by New Issues Press. She holds an MFA in Poetry from Vermont College and has published extensively in journals and anthologies, including two recent poems in The New Yorker and a poem selected by Tracy K. Smith for The Slowdown.
Dan Murphy is a former elementary school teacher and author of two chapbooks: The Book of False Rhyme and Seasick Serenade (forthcoming). His writing has been published in Field, Beloit Poetry Journal, Spillway, Zyzzyva, Image, Los Angeles Review, North American Review, Cortland Review, and other worthy journals. Murphy lives in Los Angeles with his family and relentless caffeine addiction.
Iván Salinas is an undocumented poet, co-editor of Drifter Zine, and Programs Manager at Beyond Baroque. His work has been published in The Acentos Review, Litstack, La Raiz Magazine, and elsewhere. He is publishing a bilingual zine-turned-chapbook, Dealer: prosa poetica for a carcacha, in 2024. He lives in Panorama City with Madi and their dog Rocket.
NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, and information.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-world-in-poetry-dorothy-barresi-tickets-794892333367
Ron Kovic, with John Densmore & A Dangerous Country at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Ron Kovic, in conversation with John Densmore, will discuss his book, A Dangerous Country: An American Elegy.
A Dangerous Country: An American Elegy completes Kovic’s Vietnam Trilogy, delving deep into his long and often agonizing journey home from war—his physical, sexual, and psychological struggles; his bitterness, loss of faith in God and country, and eventual healing, forgiveness, and spiritual redemption.
When eiyhteen-year-old RON KOVIC enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in the fall of 1964, he couldn’t foresee that he would return from Vietnam paralyzed and in a wheelchair for life. His best-selling 1976 memoir Born on the Fourth of July is an antiwar classic and was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Tom Cruise as Kovic. His follow-up, Hurricane Street, chronicled his advocacy for Vietnam veterans’ rights, including a seventeen-day hunger strike in the office of the late California senator Alan Cranston.
The book opens with Kovic’s never-before-revealed Vietnam diary (July 7, 1967–July 26, 1968). Deeply troubled by the growing antiwar movement in 1967, Kovic decided to set his own example of patriotism by returning to Vietnam for a second tour of duty. His entries from this period portray a patriotic young soldier with a strong moral and religious conscience, unburdened by the foreknowledge of the terrible events to come. His third memoir is ultimately the inspirational story of a young man finding a way to rise above his depression and despair, forgiving his enemies and himself, growing deeply committed to a new life.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/ron-kovic-john-densmore
Aida Zilelian Book Launch/Reading: with Guests Lori Bedilian, Arthur Kayzakian, Shahe Mankerian, Raffi Wartanianat North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Event
Aida Zilelian is a first generation American-Armenian writer, educator and storyteller from Queens, NY. She is the author of The Legacy of Lost Things, which was the recipient of the Tololyan Literary Award. She has been performing at storytelling events (NYC’s Finest Storytelling, QED, Awkward Teenage Years and others) and was recently featured on the RISK! Radio Hour Podcast and the Volume Knob. She has also been featured in the Huffington Post, NPR’s Takeaway, Poets & Writers, Kirkus Reviews, among other reading series and print outlets. Her short story collection These Hills Were Meant for You was shortlisted for 2018 Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction. Her short story “The Piano” won first prize in the Lighthouse Weekly contest. She is currently working on completing her short story collection Where There Can Be No Breath At All.
Lory Bedikian’s second book Jagadakeer: Apology to the Body won the 2023 Prairie Schooner Raz-Shumaker Book Prize forthcoming in September 2024 from the University of Nebraska Press and her first collection The Book of Lamenting won the Philip Levine Prize for Poetry. Several of Bedikian’s poems received the First Prize Award in the Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry as part of the 2022 Nimrod Literary Awards. Her work is published in Miramar, Tin House, The Los Angeles Review, Northwest Review, BOULEVARD, The Adroit Journal, Literary Matters, Orion, wildness, and was featured on Pádraig Ó Tuama’s Poetry Unbound podcast.
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 the 2023 creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is also the winner of the PS Straosse award for poems in Prairie Schooner 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, CA, and the director of mentorship at the International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA). He has been the co-director of the Los Angeles Writing Project and has received the Los Angeles Music Center’s BRAVO Award, which recognizes teachers for innovation in arts education. Mankerian’s inaugural poetry collection, History of forgetfulness, was published in 2021 by Fly on the Wall Press in the UK. The collection was a semifinalist for the prestigious Khayrallah Prize and a finalist in the Bibby First Book Competition, the Crab Orchard Poetry Open Competition, Julie Suk Award, 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 in 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 albums of original compositions: Critical Distance (2019) and Pushkin Street (2013).
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: North Figueroa Bookshop
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 6040 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://northfigbookshop.com/event/#calendar-8a0f87f6-17d6-4f10-9815 04df4c8251ba-event-lrqxnm9r
Maura Cheeks, with Diane Marie Brown, & Acts of Forgiveness at Reparations Club – In-Person Event
Maura Cheeks, in conversation with Diane Marie Brown, will discuss her debut fiction novel, Acts of Forgiveness, about ambition, race and class.
Maura Cheeks’ work has been published in the Paris Review, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, Tin House, Lenny Letter, and others. In 2018 she was selected to attend Tin House’s Winter Workshop and was one of seven people selected to attend Jamel Brinkley’s Tin House Craft Intensive. In 2019 she was awarded the Masthead Reporting Residency for The Atlantic’s first residency program where she worked on the feature article that would later inspire the idea for her novel, Acts of Forgiveness.
Diane Marie Brown is a professor at Orange Coast College and a public health professional for the Long Beach Health Department. She has a BA and MPH from UCLA and a degree in fiction from USC’s Master of Professional Writing Program. She grew up in Stockton and now lives in Long Beach, California, with her husband, their four daughters, and their dog, Brownie. Black Candle Women is her debut novel.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Reparations Club
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 3054 S. Victoria Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90016
Website: https://rep.club/products/maura-cheeks-event
Book Launch: Marisa Meyer, with Stephan Lee, & With a Little Luck at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
Marisa Meyer, in conversation with Stephan Lee, will discuss her novel, With a Little Luck.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: Main Street, Culver City, CA 90323
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
At Skylight: Mathieu Cailler, with William R. Hincy, & Forest for the Trees at Skylight Books – In-Person Event
Mathieu Cailler, in conversation with William R. Hincy, will discuss his book, Forest for the Trees & Other Stories.
This diverse collection of fifteen shorts perfectly captures characters steeped in their own troubles. With clear and pointed prose, Cailler creates a conduit through which readers experience the characters’ sufferings, losses, revelations, their moments of connection, and their snippets of happiness. The author’s experimentation with voice and point of view makes this collection honest and accessible, allowing readers to feel true compassion by better understanding others and the imperfect world we all inhabit.
Mathieu Cailler is the author of seven books: one novel, two short story collections, two volumes of poetry, and two children’s titles. His stories, poems, and essays have appeared in over one hundred publications, including the Saturday Evening Post and the Los Angeles Times. He is the recipient of numerous awards, most notably the Shakespeare Award, the Short Story America Prize, the New England Book Festival Award, the Los Angeles Book Festival Prize, and the Paris Book Festival Prize. Feel free to connect with him on social media @writesfromla or at mathieucailler.com.
William R. Hincy’s unflinching, empathetic eye helped him earn an American Fiction Award, be named a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award, and be honored with multiple International Book Awards for his collection of short fiction, Without Expiration. Hincy’s other full-length works include But the Ripping Apart, a novel about hoarding, and A Fire for Christmas, a satirical collection of stories set during the coronavirus pandemic, which won the International Book Award and two American Fiction Awards. He now hosts the popular Writers Drinking Whiskey podcast and lives outside Los Angeles with his wife and kids.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Skylight Books
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-mathieu-cailler-presents-forest-trees-w-william-r-hincy
Judah 1 & Community Open Mic at Mildred Sheets Art Center, Pomona – In-Person Event
Lion Like MIndstate hosts a community Open Mic every 3rd Friday of the month featuring poetry, art, and community.
Judah 1 leads this Community Open Mic and LionLike MindState Poetry and Art Series is back every 3rd Friday at the Millard Sheets Art Center and the Community is Welcome to the Mic. Bring your Poem, Your Song, Your Short Story – Share and Be Heard and Appreciated.
This is a Family Friendly Event. Pick Your Words Wisely.
Parents this is a PG-13 event. Well behaved Children are Welcome.
Parental GUIDANCE. We are Not responsible for what everyone says on the Mic.
Sign Up for the Open Mic at the Door.
$10 Entry – $5 for Students.
$6 snack plate – Hungry, why wait.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, cost, guidelines, and details.
Where: Mildred Sheets Art Center
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 7 pm – 10 pm
Address: 1101 W. McKinley Ave. at Fairplex, Pomona, CA
Barrio Poetry Open Mic Night with Alma Rosa Rivera at Barrio Fuerza, San Bernardino – In-Person Event
Barrio Fuerza Open Mic Night is held every 3rd Friday of the month, featuring poetry, spoken word, group poems and community.
Alma Rosa Rivera leads this Community Open Mic every 3rd Friday at Barrio Fuerza. Bring your poetry, experimental and instrumental poems, and art.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Barrio Fuerza
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 7 pm – 10 pm
Address: 395 N. E St., Suite 102, San Bernardino, CA 92401
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/C2xjX9Wvw4J/
SWAAM Spoken Word Art & Music Event & Open Mic by Lorenzo Frank at Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center – In-Person Event
Join us to hear a featured poet, plus an Open Mic, hosted by Lorenzo Frank on the first and third Fridays of the month.
Featured artist TBA
Lorenzo Frank is the author of ‘Nzinga Teaches/Learns a Lesson’ book series.
NOTE: See site for costs, guidelines, and details.
Where: Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 8 pm – 11 pm
Address: 4305 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park, Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: https://www.facebook.com/swaampoetry
Third Fridays Rapp Saloon Reading Series, with host Elena Secota, via Rapp Saloon – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Third Fridays at Rapp Saloon Open Mic & Featured Readers is an event offered every 3rd Friday of the month, curated by host Elena Secota.
RSVP and details at site.
Featured guest poets and artists this month: Juan Marie Spieuzza, Gary Justice, Mike M. Mollett, Mona Jean Cedar, Jeff Boynton, Josie Roth (violist/vocals),plus Surprise Guests.
Share your voice at the Open Mic, where there is a time limit of 4 minutes max. Sign-ups are: 8 pm – 8:30 pm.
NOTE: See site for event details.
Where: Rapp Saloon at HISUA
Date: Friday the 16th
Time: 8:30 pm – 11 pm
Address: 1436 2nd St., Santa Monica, CA 90401 (Zoom link in bio)
Website: https://www.facebook.com/therappsaloonpoetry
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 and details.
Where: Central Library, LAPL, Literature & Fiction Study Rooms
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 11 am – 1 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/poetry-workshop-1
LGBTQ Book Club: Outlawed at Silver Lake Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join the LGBTQ Book Club participants to discuss Outlawed: A Novel, by author Anna North.
RSVP:
Email silver@lapl.org for the Zoom link.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: Silver Lake Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 11 am
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/lgbtq-book-club
Generative Workshop: Jose Hernandez Diaz & Writing the Surreal and the Strange at Beyond Baroque – In-Person Event
This generative poetry workshop led by Jose Hernandez Diaz will begin with close readings and discussions of established masters of the surreal and strange like James Tate, Marosa di Giorgio, Shivani Mehta, Will Alexander, and others—as well as engage attendees with surreal and strange prompts, to write their own innovative work. The instructor will also share some of his own work responding to the prompts for guidance and inspiration. Participants should expect to draft 2-5 poems in this workshop.
Jose Hernandez Diaz is a 2017 NEA Poetry Fellow. He is the author of The Fire Eater (Texas Review Press, 2020), Bad Mexican, Bad American (Acre Books, 2024), and The Parachutist (Sundress Publications, 2025). He teaches generative workshops for Hugo House, Lighthouse Writers Workshops, The Writer’s Center, Beyond Baroque, and elsewhere. Additionally, he serves as a Poetry Mentor in The Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program.
NOTE: See site for tickets, costs, and details.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 11 am – 2 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd Venice Beach Los Angeles, CA 90291
Vroman’s Special Storytime: Mauricio Abril & Programmed to Paint at Vroman’s – In-Person Kids Event
Author Mauricio Abril will read his children’s book, Programmed to Paint.
Join Pintro the robot’s journey as he learns how to create art!
Pintro is a robot who is practically perfect. He knows all there is to know about how to garden, how to bake, and especially everything about math. But the one thing Pintro does not know how to do? Make art!
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91001
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/special-storytime-mauricio-abril-programmed-paint
Graphic Novel Book Club: Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? via Bel Canto Books – Online Event
Graphic Novel Book Club participants will discuss Frizzy written by Claribel A. Ortega and illustrated by Roise Sousamra.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, Zoo link, and details.
Where: Bel Canto Books
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 12 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3BDeBWvLQf/ or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/graphic-novel-book-club-2024-hosted-by-bel-canto-books-tickets-780868577937
Felicia’s Free Form Writing Workshop via Sims Library of Poetry – Online Event
Felicia’s Free Form Writing Workshop is offered monthly online.
Theme: My Journey.
Felicia Taylor E. is a poet, actress, author, writer and arts educator. She’s performed with the Award-winning companies, Deaf West Theater and Dallas Children’s Theater. And toured with companies in California performing Shakespeare, Contemporary plays and Poetry. As an Arts Educator, she’s worked within the community creating worksho9ps and performances for museums, schools, libraries, and colleges. Her belief is that “writing and journaling is healing.” Her book “Southern Spiced: A Brown Girl’s Tale,” is a Reader’s Choice Book Award Finalist.
NOTE: See site for cost, Zoom link, and details.
Where: Sims Library of Poetry
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 12 pm – 1:30 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.simslibraryofpoetry.org/event-details/felicias-free-form-drop-in-writing-session-14
Noel Alumit, with Chris Santiago, & Music Heard in Hi-Fi & Other Stories at Echo Park Library – In-Person Event
Noel Alumit, in conversation with Chris Santiago, will present and discuss his book Music Heard in Hi-Fi & Other Stories for the Carlos Bulosan Bookclub, Echo Park Library, 1410 W. Temple. FREE.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: Echo Park Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 2 pm – 3 pm
Address: 1410 W. Temple, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/C20FPo2J72p/
Pages of the City: Poetry Event with Mike Sonksen & Guests at Downey City Library – In-Person Event
Join us for a journey into the world of poetry at the Downey City Library’s inaugural bi-monthly poetry series, “Pages of the City.” Hosted by the charismatic Mike Sonksen, also known as Mike the Poet, this unique celebration of community, poetry, and the interconnected stories that weave the tapestry of our cities, will feature three generations of poets sharing the same stage and being on the same page.
Featured poets include: Obed Silva, Gabriel Lopez, and Donato Martinez, plus surprise guests.
Admission is free, and everyone of all ages is welcome to join this literary celebration.
This program is made possible with generous support from Poets & Writers.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: Downey City Library
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 3 pm – 4pm
Address: 11121 Brookshire Ave., Downey, CA 90241
Website: https://www.downeylibrary.org/calendar-of-events/city-pages
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 and banish (at least temporarily) those Lonely Writer Blues!
RSVP:
Please RSVP by emailing fiction@lapl.org today.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: Central Library, LAPL, Literature & Fiction Study Rooms
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://www.lapl.oeg/whats-on/events/writers-group-0
Expressions L.A. Poetry Reading and Open Mic at Studio City Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join us in-person or via Zoom for Expressions L.A. Poetry Reading Series, featuring poetry readings and open poetry mic, every 1st & 3rd Saturday of the month.
RSVP:
Please RSVP by emailing fiction@lapl.org today.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 12511 Moorpark St., Studio City, CA 91604
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/expressions-la-poetry-reading-series-and-open-mic-3
Saturday Afternoon Poetry: Featured Readings & Four Fathers Press – Online Event
Hosted by DKC & JRT, featured: Lynne Bronstein, Jack G. Bowman & Hilary Cruz Mejia + Poets published in Four Feathers Press online edition: City Living
Don Kingfisher Campbell hosts and curates these events.
Where: Saturday Afternoon Poetry
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: Online Zoom Event
Website: http://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/
Poet Nobody Flowers at Spoken Word Fest, 32nd Pan African Film and Arts Festival at Crenshaw Plaza Bridge – In-Person Event
Diverse Verses hosts Poet Nobody Flowers at the Pan African Spoken Word Fest at the Crenshaw Plaza Bridge. See him perform LIVE.
The 32nd Pan African Film & Arts Festival, a two week-long celebration of film, art and culture, will take place February 6-19, 2024, in Los Angeles at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills & XD and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza with film screenings, industry panels and social events all centered around the Black experience. PAFF will present more than than 140 film screenings, including Q&As and in-depth discussions with attending filmmakers from all over the globe.
Learn more: https://www.paff.org/
Where: Crenshaw Plaza Bridge
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 6:30 pm – 9 pm
Address: 3650 West Martin Luther King Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: N/A
Dual Book Launch: ire’ne lara silva & Angelina Saenz present: the eaters of flowers & Maiestra at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – In-Person Event
Celebrate new collections by ire’ne lara silva and Angelina Sáenz.
Beyond Baroque is proud to present a dual book launch and reading by Chicana poets ire’ne lara silva and Angelina Sáenz in celebration of their new poetry collections! The fifth collection by 2023 Texas State Poet Laureate ire’ne silva, the eaters of flowers (Saddle Road Press), compiles poems exploring family and personal grief following the death of her brother. The second collection by Angelina Sáenz, Maestra (FlowerSong Press), navigates the current public school landscape through poems highlighting narratives of mentors, students, and working class parents of color.
The poets will be joined by Chicana poet and scholar Jen Yáñez-Alaniz, whose research focuses on academic decolonization, and Inglewood-born-and-raised poet féi hernandez, author of Hood Criatura. Book signings will follow the readings.
ire’ne lara silva is the 2023 Texas State Poet Laureate and the author of five poetry collections, furia, Blood Sugar Canto, CUICACALLI/House of Song, FirstPoems, and the eaters of flowers; two chapbooks, Enduring Azucares and Hibiscus Tacos; and a short story collection, flesh to bone, which won the Premio Aztlán. ire’ne is the recipient of a 2021 Tasajillo Writers Grant, the 2021 Texas Institute of Letters Shrake Award for Best Short Nonfiction, a 2017 NALAC Fund for the Arts Grant, and the final Alfredo Cisneros del Moral Award, and was the Fiction Finalist for AROHO’s 2013 Gift of Freedom Award. Currently a Writer at Large for Texas Highways magazine, ire’ne is working on a second collection of short stories titled the light of your body. Her first comic book, VENDAVAL, will be released by the Chispa Imprint of Scout Comics in April 2024. http://www.irenelarasilva.wordpress.com
Angelina Sáenz, M. Ed, MFA, is an award-winning public school teacher and poet whose work focuses on memory, mujeres, and motherhood. She is a UCLA Writing Project fellow, an alumna of the VONA/Voices Workshop for Writers of Color, and a Macondo Writer’s Workshop Fellow. Her poetry has appeared in outlets such as Diálogo, Split this Rock, Out of Anonymity, Angels Flight | literary west, Every Other, Cockpit Revue Paris, and The Acentos Review. Her debut book of poetry, Edgecliff, and her second collection, Maestra, are published by FlowerSong Press.
Jen Yáñez-Alaniz, a Chicana Mestiza activist, educator, poet, and PhD Fellow in Culture, Literacy, and Language at UT San Antonio, co-founded Welcome: A Poetry Declaration to promote language justice and equity through poetic translingualism. Her research focuses on ChicanaMestiza researcher positionality and poetry autoethnography. Yáñez-Alaniz has contributed to various journals, anthologies, and works like “Matrilineal Poetics: Toward an Understanding of Corporeality and Identity” featured in Latinas in Hollywood Herstories. She authored the poetry chapbook Surrogate Eater and was featured in the forthcoming Corazón Collective anthology. Her upcoming chapter in Decolonizing Academic Writing through Translingualism explores academic writing’s sensual, surrogate, and consumptive aspects.
féi hernandez (b. 1993, Chihuahua, Mexico) is a trans, Inglewood-raised, formerly undocumented immigrant. féi is the author of the full-length poetry collection, Hood Criatura (Sundress Publications, 2020). They are a 2023 LAMBDA LITERARY fellow and 2022 Tin House Scholar. féi has been published in Poetry Foundation, Poets.Org, Autostraddle, PANK Magazine, Somewhere We are Human, TransLash Media & Narrative, and more. féi is the founder of The House of Etéreo and within it, Spirit School for the Divinely Gifted, a spiritual learning space for trans and queer BIPOC spiritual practitioners.
NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, and information.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm (doors at 6:30)
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dual-book-launch-the-eaters-of-flowers-maestra-tickets-800354049507
Poetry After Dark: Grown and Sexy Open Mic at Café con Libros, Pomona – In-Person Event
James Coats hosts Poetry After Dark: Grown and Sexy Open Mic, at Café con Libros in Pomona.
This event will feature an array of stellar SoCal artists:
Alma Rosa Rivera, Mr. Chai Tea, Cynthia Young, Soul Stuf, Lady K Day, and Ceasar Avelar.
This event is the perfect opportunity to showcase your spicy work or simply enjoy the sensual words of others.
Whether you’re a seasoned poet or just curious to explore the world of spoken word, this event promises to arouse your interest and leave you wanting more.
NOTE: Tickets available at Eventbrite
Where: Café con Libros, Pomona
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 7 pm (Doors at 6:30 pm)
Address: 280 W. 2nd St., Pomona, CA 91766
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-after-dark-grown-and-sexy-open-mic-tickets-797102303447
Black Woman’s Open Mic with Kaelani Amputch-Curtis at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Village Well is partnering with philanthropist and former Miss Culver City USA, Kaelani Amputch-Curtis, to provide a platform for black female poets, musicians, storytellers, and comedians. While all are welcome to attend, this is an event that aims to amplify black women’s voices only.
Acts are limited to 3-5 minutes in length. Sign ups begin at 6:30 pm and conclude at 7:00 pm!
Also, please note that not all material may be considered “family-friendly” so please use discretion when deciding whether or not to bring children.
RSVP on EVENTBRITE!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Saturday the 17th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/34292
Storytime with C. M. Harris: What If We Were All the Same at Bel Canto Books, KUBO – In-Person Event
Storytime with author C.M. Harris will feature a reading of her book What If We Were All the Same.
Would you believe that being different is something to be celebrated? In What If We Were All The Same!, readers are transported to a world full of vibrant colors and characters that embrace our differences. From the bright red hair of one child to the wheelchair of another, no two people are the same! Not only are people not the same, but animals are different, and so is our food! Readers will learn that our world has variety and diversity, we all have unique qualities making us special – no two people are the same and that’s something to be celebrated! We can be friends with many different people!
With fun rhymes and vivid illustrations, this book is a must-have for parents and teachers alike.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: Bel Canto Books, KUBO
Date: Sunday the 18th
Time: 11 am – 12:30 pm
Address: 3976 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA 90807
Holy Pepperoni Reading Hourat North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Event
Join us for our monthly children’s storytime, hosted by Pants and Jacket, the stars of the new children’s TV show, Holy Pepperoni!
Pants and Jacket will read some of their favorite picture books followed by a fun and magical activity.
The Holy Pepperoni Reading Hour is free and open to kids of all ages!
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: North Figueroa Bookshop
Date: Sunday the 18th
Time: 11 am
Address: 6040 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://northfigbookshop.com/event/#calendar-8a0f87f6-17d6-4f10-9815-04df4c8251ba-event-lr6tebj6
Bucket List Book Club: Giovanni’s Room at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Bucket List Book Club participants will discuss Giovanni’s Room, by author James Baldwin.
David is a young American expatriate who has just proposed marriage to his girlfriend, Hella. While she is away on a trip, David meets a bartender named Giovanni to whom he is drawn in spite of himself. Soon the two are spending the night in Giovanni’s curtainless room, which he keeps dark to protect their privacy. But Hella’s return to Paris brings the affair to a crisis, one that rapidly spirals into tragedy.
James Baldwin (1924–1987) was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, appeared in 1953 to excellent reviews, and his essay collections Notes of a Native Son and The Fire Next Time were bestsellers that made him an influential figure in the growing civil rights movement. Baldwin spent much of his life in France, where he moved to escape the racism and homophobia of the United States. He died in France in 1987, a year after being made a Commander of the French Legion of Honor.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 18th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/bucket-list-book-club-giovanni%E2%80%99s-room
Roar Shack Reading Event at 826 LA Echo Park – In-Person Event
David Rocklin is back with the Roar Shack Reading Event and the February show features writers:
Louise Moore, Dayna Lynne North, Kate Maruyama, Carla Sameth, Jim Ruland, and Susan Hayden.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: 826LA Echo Park Time Travel Mart
Date: Sunday the 18th
Time: 4 pm – 6 pm
Address: 1714 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: N/A
Oaf Night Zine Party at North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Event
North Figueroa hosts a wild and wacky party celebrating issue 3 of local comedy zine THE OAF! We’ll have readings and collage supplies so you can laugh + craft the night away.
Join us for a wild and wacky party celebrating issue 3 of local comedy zine THE OAF! We’ll have readings and collage supplies so you can laugh + craft the night away.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: North Figueroa Bookshop
Date: Sunday the 18th
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 6040 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://northfigbookshop.com/event/#calendar-8a0f87f6-17d6-4f10-9815-04df4c8251ba-event-lrs77kl6
The Poetry Brothel Event at El Cid – In-Person Event
As the lights dim, the stage transforms into a haven of desire, adorned with the essence of mystery and seduction. The air is thick with anticipation, as the first notes of poetic ecstasy fill the room. Renowned poets of Los Angeles, masters of the written word, take the stage to weave tales of love, passion, and the forbidden.
Sweet Tarts offers an tantalizing experience where passion is not just felt but savored. It’s a celebration of the senses, an exploration of the erotic, and a journey into the art of pleasure that will linger in your memory long after the final curtain falls. Join us for a night of enchantment, where the sweetest of temptations beckon and the boundaries between art and desire blur into an unforgettable tapestry of indulgence…
NOTE: Ages 21+
Where: El Cid
Date: Sunday the 18th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1233 N. Vine St., Los Angeles, CA 90038
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-poetry-brothel-la-sweet-tarts-tickets
Reading Featuring: Jasmine Johnson, Bri Stokes, Maestro and Ivan Salinas with host Tori Gesualdo and music from Sera Bonnie and Steve Francell at Stories Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
From poet and host Tori Gesualdo – a group reading featuring Jasmine Johnson, Bri Stokes, Maestro, and Ivan Salinas. With music by Sera Bonnie and Steve Francell.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Stories Books & Coffee
Date: Sunday the 18th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
Focus on Craft Book Club at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
February’s Focus on Craft Book Club participants will discuss Technically Yours, by author Denise Williams
Development editor and teacher Jeanne De Vita leads this book club. Please join us.
No membership is necessary, feel free to show up!
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Sunday the 18th
Time: 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: Main Street, Culver City, CA 90323
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
Los Angeles Literature 