World Literature Book Club at West Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join us for a spirited and engaging discussion of the world’s best short stories! All selections are from The Ecco Anthology of Contemporary American Short Fiction (HarperCollins, 2008), eds. Joyce Carol Oates and Christopher R. Beha. This month’s selections are:
August 5 – Old Boys, Old Girls by Edward P. Jones
August 12 – Adina, Astrid, Chipewee, Jasmine by Matthew Klam
August 19 – Baboons by Sheila Kohler
August 26 – Once in a Lifetime by Jhumpa Lahiri
We meet every Monday morning (excluding holidays).
RSVP:
For the Zoom link, please send an email request to wvally@lapl.org with “World Literature” in the Subject line.
Where: West Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 5th
Time: 10 am
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/world-literature-book-club-39
Special Storytime: Nell Cross Beckerman & Volcanoes at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Join us for a special storytime with local author Nell Cross Beckerman to celebrate her latest nonfiction picture book Volcanoes.
Volcanoes is a gorgeous, poetic exploration of a kid-friendly topic. The nonfiction text allows for deeper learning and understanding. Extensive backmatter includes an author’s note, illustrator’s note, and additional information on volcanic eruptions and volcanologists’ big questions.
Nell Cross Beckerman writes books for children to inspire wonder and celebrate adventure. A former reality/documentary TV producer, she is the author of the acclaimed book Caves, which received three starred reviews. She is also the author of Down Under the Pier, When the Sky Glows, and more to come. Nell lives in Culver City, California, with her husband, two daughters, and their beloved pooch, Teddy. Visit her at NellCrossBeckerman.com.
Kalen Chock is an illustrator and a senior concept artist working in video games, feature animation, and film for over 10 years. He has worked for studios like EA/Glu Mobile, DreamWorks, Warner Bros, The Mill, Ember Lab, and ILM.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Monday the 5th
Time: 10:30 am
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/special-storytime-local-author-nell-cross-beckerman
Book Talk & Signing: Mary Jones, with Mary Otis, & The Goodbye Princess at Chevalier’s Books – In-Person Event
Join us for a book talk and signing with Mary Jones, in conversation with Mary Otis, to discuss The Goodbye Princess.
Where: Chevalier’s Books
Date: Monday the 5th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://www.chevaliersbooks.com/calendar
Patricia Rust & I Wish I Had a Tail at Book Soup – In-Person Kids Event
Patricia Rust will discuss her children’s book I Wish I Had a Tail.
I Wish I…Had a Tail! is a fun, educational picture book that ignites the imagination and creative powers of children as they explore the amazing world of animals! It’s fun and funny as the children are invited to see animals in their natural world and see what they do with their TAILS! As the book goes further,
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Monday, the 5th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/patricia-rust
R.U.P.O. Open Mic at Back to the Grind in Riverside – In-Person Event
RUPO Open Mic is every Monday Night at Back to the Grind in Riverside.
Every Monday at a new time: 7pm to 9pm. Sign-ups are at 6:30pm and in person only, $4 cash admission. See you then!
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Back to the Grind, Riverside
Date: Monday the 5th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 3575 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92501
Website: https://www.facebook.com/backtothegrind
Dr. Ramani Durvasula and Dr. Frank Anderson Present: It’s Not You and To Be Loved, respectively, at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Dr. Ramani Durvasula will discuss her book It’s Not You.
It’s not always easy to tell when you’re dealing with a narcissist. One day they draw you in with their confidence and charisma, the next they gaslight you, wreck your self-confidence, and leave you wondering, What could I have done differently?
As Dr. Ramani Durvasula reveals in It’s Not You, the answer is: absolutely nothing. Just as a tiger can’t change its stripes, a narcissist won’t stop manipulating and invalidating you. To heal in the aftermath of their abuse and protect yourself from future harm, you first have to accept that you are not to blame.
Dr. Frank Anderson will discuss his book To Be Loved.
Rarely does a trauma therapist disclose their own trauma history…yet it’s the untold, brutally honest, incredibly heartbreaking story of Dr. Frank Anderson that made him the world-renowned trauma expert he is today.
Known for his magnetic and radiant personality, Frank spends his time training thousands of clinicians around the world on how to help clients with complex trauma make sense of their suffering. But underneath this charismatic exterior are his dark family secrets, including the marks of child abuse from his father and the invisible scars of shame.
After enduring six years of therapy as a child in the 1970s, he was programmed to be something that he wasn’t for decades, and became driven to create the perfect life—until it all fell apart.
It was only then that he realized resilience, forgiveness, and facing his trauma were the keys to living an authentic life—and finally knowing what it feels like to be loved.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Monday, the 5th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/Dr-Ramani-Durvasula-and-Dr-Frank-Anderson-discuss-Its-Not-You
Monday Night Fiction Workshop at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – Online Zoom Event (Check to Verify)
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 5th
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: Zoom Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.beyondbaroque.org/free_workshops.html
Virtual Book Club at La Crescenta Library, LAPL – Online Event
The La Crescenta Library Virtual Book Club meets weekly on Tuesdays at 11am on Zoom. Please contact Marta Wiggins at mwiggins@library.lacounty.gov for your Zoom invite to attend the book club. For adults.
In July we will be reading Love Clancy, Diary of a Good Dog by W. Bruce Cameron. You’ve probably never met someone like Clancy. He’s keeping a diary, he’s falling in love, there are rivals for his affections, he lives with his best friend and his worst enemy – even taken together, these factors are maybe not that unusual, except that Clancy is a dog.
In August we will be discussing the book in weekly sections of several chapters each. See site for details
Where: La Crescenta Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 6th
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11078913
Fiction Book Club: Homegoing at Donald Bruce Kauffman – Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
This lively group of avid readers meets on the first Tuesday of each month to discuss a work of fiction. Books selected for discussion can be new or old and come from a wide array of genres, styles, and authors.
Participants will discuss the novel Homegoing by author Yaa Gyasi.
Copies of the book for the upcoming month can be borrowed from the Brentwood Branch Library’s circulation desk.
Where: Donald Bruce Kauffman – Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 6th
Time: 1 pm
Address: 11820 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/fiction-book-club
The Darkest Hour Book Club at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss California Bear by author Duane Swierczynski. Copies available at the library. For adults.
Where: Agoura Hills Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 6th
Time: 2 pm – 3 pm
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11078918
Journaling for Teens at Vermont Square Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Teen Event
Teens who have finished their Summer Reading come in and pick up your journal. Also tell the librarian what programs you want for this coming school year!
Where: Vermont Square Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 6th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 1201 W. 48th St., Los Angeles, CA 90037
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/journaling-teens
Storytelling Workshop at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Teen Event
Join us for an afternoon of art and storytelling. We’ll discuss the finer points of creative writing and how to create compelling stories and characters, then collaborate as a group to write an original narrative. For ages 13 – 17.
Where: Carson Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 6th
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: 151 E. Carson St., Carson, CA 90745
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11262521
Feminist Book Club: Lilliana’s Invincible Summer at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will discuss the Pulitzer Prize winning book Lilliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice, by author Cristina Rivera Garcia.
In October 18, 2019. Cristina Rivera Garza travels from her home in Texas to Mexico City, in search of an old, unresolved criminal file. “My name is Cristina Rivera Garza,” she writes in her request to the attorney general, “and I am writing to you as a relative of Liliana Rivera Garza, who was murdered on July 16, 1990.” It’s been twenty-nine years. Twenty-nine years, three months, and two days since Liliana was murdered by an abusive ex-boyfriend. Inspired by feminist movements across the world and enraged by the global epidemic of femicide and intimate partner violence, Cristina embarks on a path toward justice. Liliana’s Invincible Summer is the account—and the outcome—of that quest.
Using her skills as an acclaimed scholar, novelist, and poet, Rivera Garza collected and curated evidence—handwritten letters, police reports, school notebooks, interviews with Liliana’s loved ones—to document her sister’s life. Through this remarkable and genre-defying memoir, she confronts the trauma of losing her sister and examines how this tragedy continues to shape who she is—and what she fights for—today.
Cristina Rivera Garza is the award-winning author of The Taiga Syndrome and The Iliac Crest, among many other books. Her memoir Liliana’s Invincible Summer won the Pulitzer Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Award. A recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize, Rivera Garza is the M. D. Anderson Distinguished Professor in Hispanic Studies, and director of the PhD program in creative writing in Spanish at the University of Houston.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Tuesday, the 6th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/feminist-book-club-liliana%E2%80%99s-invincible-summer
Booked and Busy Masterclass with James Coats – Online Event
Booked and Busy Masterclass is a 4-week professional development workshop for writers, to learn about the business of being a writer, its professional expectations, and how to create one’s own opportunities.
If you are interested in turning your words into more dollars this workshop is for you. Class size is limited.
NOTE: See site for registration, cost, and details.
Where: Online Zoom Event
Date: Tuesday, the 6(and Tuesday the 13th, 20th, & 27th)
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: Online Zoom Event (see above)
Website: Contact: James Coats #writingcommunity
Dual Book Launch: Jessia Knoll and Sarah Pekkanen with: Bright Young Women and House of Glass, respectively at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Jessica Knoll will present and discuss her book Bright Young Women.
The book opens on a Saturday night in 1978, hours before a soon-to-be-infamous murderer descends upon a Florida sorority house with deadly results. The lives of those who survive, including sorority president and key witness, Pamela Schumacher, are forever changed. Across the country, Tina Cannon is convinced her missing friend was targeted by the man papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer—and that he’s struck again. Determined to find justice, the two join forces as their search for answers leads to a final, shocking confrontation.
Jessica Knoll is the New York Times bestselling author of Bright Young Women, The Favorite Sister and Luckiest Girl Alive—now a major motion picture from Netflix starring Mila Kunis. She has been a senior editor at Cosmopolitan and the articles editor at Self. She grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and graduated from the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their bulldog, Franklin.
Sarah Pekkanen will present and discuss her book House of Glass.
On the outside they were the golden family with the perfect life. On the inside they built the perfect lie.
A young nanny who plunged to her death, or was she pushed? A nine-year-old girl who collects sharp objects and refuses to speak. A lawyer whose job it is to uncover who in the family is a victim and who is a murderer. But how can you find out the truth when everyone here is lying?
Rose Barclay is a nine-year-old girl who witnessed the possible murder of her nanny—in the midst of her parent’s bitter divorce—and immediately stopped speaking. Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney, appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. She never accepts clients under thirteen due to her own traumatic childhood, but Stella’s mentor, a revered judge, believes Stella is the only one who can help.
Sarah Pekkanen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 4 co-authored and 10 solo novels. Her books are sold in 36 countries, with several optioned for TV and film. Sarah also co-wrote the screenplay for The Wife Between Us for Amblin Entertainment. She serves on the board of directors of International Thriller Writers and is the founder of a nonprofit that rescues injured and abused street dogs in India. She lives just outside of Washington, D.C.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Diesel, A Bookstore
Date: Tuesday, the 6th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 225 26th St., Suite 33, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://www.dieselbookstore.com/event/Jessica-Knoll-Sarah-Pekkanen-Author-signing
Creativity Book Club: Catching the Big Fish at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Do you think of yourself as creative, or wish that you were? Do you get inspired by a book of reflections, or do you prefer an actual workbook with tasks and prompts? Do you wish you had more people to talk with about painting, poetry or pottery? Here is the time and the place; you just need to be here with us.
Be a part of the start—and let 2024 be your most creatively satisfying year yet! We will read and discuss Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch.
About the book club leader:
Judith Martin-Straw has been teaching creativity classes, yoga and meditation for almost 20 years. She is also the Publisher of CulverCityCrossroads.com, a daily local news website. Her poetry has been published in the Beyond Baroque anthology Echo 681, and has been featured in the “Readers Write’ section of The Sun.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Tuesday, the 6th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/40594
Women and Books: If I Had Your Face at West Hollywood Library, LACL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join the book club for a hybrid (in-person and online) discussion of If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha. For adults.
This is a hybrid event and will be hosted in-person in the Community Meeting Room at West Hollywood Library as well as on Zoom. Please register at the link below to receive the link to the meeting via email.
Where: West Hollywood Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 6th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/10749604vromans
Ismet Prcic, with Michelle Latiolais, & Unspeakable Home at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Ismet Prcic, in conversation with Michelle Latiolais, will discuss his novel Unspeakable Home.
In this novel an award-winning Bosnian refugee and writer, decades after escaping his war-torn home country, looks back on his childhood, imploded relationships, and battles with addiction—offering powerful insight into the human cost of conflict.
It’s been two years since the narrator divorced his beloved and lost his safest and most adoring home when he fled Bosnia as a teenager. The marriage couldn’t survive his brokenness, the trauma so entrenched and insidious that it became impossible to communicate to anyone outside of himself—even the person he loved most. But, as he writes in the first of many courageously candid fan letters to the comedian Bill Burr, he knows he must try.
A linguistically adventurous, structurally ambitious, and emotionally brave odyssey, Unspeakable Home takes us through the memories and confessions of our refugee narrator as he reflects on his bomb-ravaged childhood, the implosion of his relationships, and an agonizing battle with alcoholism. As multiple narrators surface in fragments with increasingly tenuous connections to reality, Prcic unearths the psychological cost of exile and shame.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Tuesday, the 6th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/ismet-prcic
Stephanie L. Canizales, with Fidel Martinez, & Sin Padres, Ni Papeles at North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Event
Stephanie L. Canizales, in conversation with Fidel Martinez, will discuss here book Sin Padre, Ni Papeles.
Each year, thousands of youths endure harrowing unaccompanied and undocumented migrations across Central America and Mexico to the United States in pursuit of a better future. Drawing on the firsthand narratives of migrant youth in Los Angeles, California, the author shows that while a lucky few do find reprieve, many are met by resource-impoverished relatives who are unable to support them, exploitative jobs that are no match for the high cost of living, and individualistic social norms that render them independent and alone.
Sin Padres, Ni Papeles illuminates how unaccompanied teens who grow up as undocumented low-wage workers navigate unthinkable material and emotional hardship, find the agency and hope that is required to survive, and discover what it means to be successful during the transition to adulthood in the United States.
Stephanie L. Canizales, PhD, is a researcher, author, and professor currently appointed to the Department of Sociology at the University of California at Berkeley, and a Resident Scholar with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her research specializations include international migration and immigrant integration; children, youth, and families; inequality, poverty, and mobility; and race and ethnicity. She uses in-depth interviews and ethnographic research methods to understand the causes of Latin American-origin migration to the U.S. and how immigrant children, youth, and families fare once there. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Stephanie is the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants whose experiences growing up as unaccompanied youth in Los Angeles inform her scholarship and motivate her commitment to public scholarship.
Fidel Martinez writes the Latinx Files, a weekly newsletter that focuses on the American Latinx experience. He started at The Times in 2018 as an audience engagement editor, focusing on sports. Previously he worked as politics editor for Mitu, as a social storytelling producer for Fusion Media Group and content curator and managing editor for Break Media. He is a proud Tejano who will fight anyone who disparages flour tortillas.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: North Figueroa Bookshop
Date: Tuesday, the 6th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 6040 N. Figeroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://northfigbookshop.com/event/#calendar-8a0f87f6-17d6-4f10-9815-04df4c8251ba-event-lxwd13q8
Brandon Hoàng, with Van Hoang, & The Crossbow of Destiny at Once Upon a Time – In-Person Event
Brandon Hoàng, in conversation with Van Hoang, will discuss and present his fun fantasy adventure debut, The Crossbow of Destiny.
Author Brandon Hoàng takes readers on a high-stakes adventure through Vietnam in search of an ancient magical crossbow in this debut middle-grade fantasy that Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender calls “a must-read”!
When Vietnamese American Freddie Lo finds herself in Vietnam for the first time since she was little, she’s not quite sure how to feel. The memories of her extended family are more like distant echoes; she has a tough time speaking Vietnamese; and she can’t help but feel like she just isn’t Vietnamese enough. Still, this is her chance to reconnect with her family, especially her Ong ngoai—or grandfather—who is receiving a big award.
That’s when Ong ngoai reveals his secret: He knows the location of an ancient legendary crossbow, one with the power to decimate armies—and he’s hidden it away from those who intend to use its magic for evil. But when Ong ngoai is kidnapped, it’s up to Freddie, her cousin Lien, and a mysterious boy named Duy to get to the crossbow before it ends up in the wrong hands.
In this Indiana Jones-style adventure, readers will travel through Vietnam—from its seaside villages, to the swamps of the Mekong Delta, to the majestic Marble Mountains of Da Nang—as Freddie learns what it takes to be a hero.
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Brandon Hoàng grew up coveting The Baby-Sitters Club books and slurping noodles. Before he was a writer, Brandon spent ten years as an animation executive. He has worked on series such as Avatar: The Legend of Korra, SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Ghost and Molly McGee. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Once Upon a Time
Date: Tuesday, the 6th
Time: 7 pm
Addr7 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/crossbow-destiny
At Skylight: Sidney Raz & Life Hacks, Tips and Tricks at Skylight – In-Person Event
Sidney Raz will present and discuss his book Life Hacks, Tips and Tricks: And More Things I Didn’t Know Until I Was in My 30s.
Packed with more than 200 shortcuts and tricks, this might just be the most helpful book you will ever own.
When Sidney Raz hit 30, he realized there was so much advice no one had ever bothered to tell him. So, Sid went on a mission to make his life as easy as humanly possible. He began posting his discoveries online and quickly built a following of millions, all eager for his next hacks. This book is a culmination of that work, presenting Sid’s greatest tips, tricks, and life hacks to make cooking, chores, and life in general far more efficient. It’s all stuff you wish someone had already told you, and now they have. Share them with everyone you know!
Where: Skylight
Date: Tuesday, the 6th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-sidney-raz-presents-life-hacks-tips-and-tricks
Liz Climo & Life in the Present: A Joyful Collection of Comics About Living in the Moment at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Liz Climo will present and discuss her book Life in the Present: A Joyful Collection of Comics About Living in the Moment.
Every page of Life in the Present is brimming with Liz Climo’s patented blend of humor and warm-hearted wisdom, and her adorable bears, otters, bunny rabbits, and hamsters (among others) help us all to see the beauty in life’s least significant occasions. Whether they’re grabbing for a slice of pizza that’s just out of reach or trying to gather the energy to go out on a Friday night, the delightful animal characters depicted in these comics—75 of which are brand new and never-before-seen—are guaranteed to brighten your day.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Tuesday, the 6th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/Liz-Climo-discusses-Life-in-the-Present
The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic: Rick Lupert & Guest Reader: Matthew Olzmann – Online Zoom Event
The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic with host Rick Luper presents guest reader Matthew Olzmann and an open mic.
Matthew Olzmann is a poet and author of three collections of poems from Alice James Books: Mezzanines, which was selected for the Kundiman Prize, Contradictions in the Design, and Constellation Route. His writing has appeared in Best American Poetry, Kenyon Review, New England Review, Brevity and elsewhere. He’s been awarded fellowships from the Kresge Arts Foundation, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and the MacDowell Colony. Currently, he teaches at Dartmouth College and in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College.
Where: Cobalt Poets – Online Zoom Event
Date: Tuesday, the 6th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt
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 Inurbane Coffee House. Hosted by Deforest Wright, all are invited to attend.
Guest poet of the month: TBA
NOTE: Details at event link. Check to Verify.
Where: Unurban Coffee House
Date: Tuesday, the 6th
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/groups/1699147113818899/
Tuesday Night Café Open Mic at Tuesday Night Project at Little Tokyo – In-Person Event
Join us for Tuesday Night Café Open Mic and featured readers and performers, and another evening of art, community, friends and vibes.
Featuring: Seastarya @seastarya & Open Lottery.
Sign-ups start at 6:30 pm.
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 the theater.
Masks are encouraged.
Where: Tuesday Night Café
Date: Tuesday, the 6th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: 120 Judge John Aliso St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: https://www.tuesdaynightproject.org/tnc-schedule
Da Poetry Lounge Open Mic Night at Greenway Court – In-Person Event
The nation’s largest weekly Open Mic event is 25 years strong. They hold open mic nights. At an open mic, all are welcome to share their poetry or sit in their audience.
Every 5th Tuesday of the month we celebrate Women and Femme voices only on the mic. This open mic is hosted by Yesika Salgado and Jasmine Williams, with music and vibes by DJ Faucet.
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 the theater.
Masks are encouraged. All ages are welcome.
Where: Greenway Court Theatre
Date: Tuesday, the 6th
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
Book Party Book Club: Paper Palace at San Dimas Senior Center – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the novel Paper Palace by Miranda Crowly Hller.
Held the first Wednesday of each month at the San Dimas Senior Center, 201 E Bonita Ave. This month’s selection is Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller. Copies are available for check out at the circulation desk. For Adults.
Where: San Dumas Senior Center
Date: Wednesday, the 7th
Time: 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Address: 201 E. Bonita Ave., San Dimas, CA
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11028619
Author Talk: Dr. Jennifer Levasseur & Behind the Scenes at the Space Station via L.A. County Library– Online Event
Participants will discuss Behind the Scenes at the Space Station by Dr. Jennifer Levasseur.
Revealing a new perspective into the world of space exploration and the daring astronauts who make it possible, Dr. Levasseur will guide you through the Smithsonian’s Behind the Scenes at the Space Station and take you on a once-in-a-lifetime virtual tour of the International Space Station.
You will learn what the astronauts do once they make it to the space station, from experiments to repairs and so much more! Have you ever wondered if plants could grow in outer space? Or how the space station doesn’t break down in outer space? Or how astronauts go to the toilet in microgravity?
Behind the Scenes at the Space Station is a treasure trove of information. Did you know that during a 24-hour period, the space station completes 16 orbits of Earth and the astronauts on board see 16 sunrises and sunsets every day? Or that the International Space Station is so enormous that it was launched in pieces and constructed in orbit?
Dr. Jennifer Levasseur is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan (BA, 1999). She received an MA from George Washington University (2002) and a PhD from George Mason University (2014). Her first book, published in 2020, examined the cultural significance of astronaut photography. She is the responsible curator for the Museum’s astronaut cameras, chronographs, the Space Shuttle, and International Space Station programs. In 22 years at NASM, Jennifer has worked on artifact loans, a biennial museums conference, and numerous digital projects. She curated the 2015 exhibit Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity, co-curated One World Connected, and is lead curator for the forthcoming At Home in Space gallery.
Where: L.A. County Library
Date: Wednesday, the 7th
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11155607
Afternoon Book Club: Let Us Descend at Westlake Village Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the novel Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward. For adults.
Copies of the book are available for check-out at the library. New members welcome!
Where: Westlake Village Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday, the 7th
Time: 12 pm – 1 pm
Address: 31220 W. Oak Crest Dr., Westlake Village, CA 91361
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11116032
Book Club: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women at Chatsworth Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join us as we read, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women: A Novel by Lisa See – 2023 – 352 pages. – Sent into an arranged marriage, Tan Yunxian, forbidden to continue her work as a midwife-in-training as well as see her forever friend Meiling, is ordered to act like proper wife and seeks a way to continue treating women and girls from every level of society in fifteenth-century China
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Chatsworth Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 7th
Time: 1:30 pm
Address: 21052 Devonshire St., Chatsworth, CA 91311
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/chatsworth-book-club-9
Poets Café: Celebrating Poetry via KPFK 90.7 FM – Live On-Air Event
Poets Café celebrates Poetry. This program is a weekly half-hour literary arts discussion and reading program featuring guest authors and their works.
NOTE: Poetry From Around the World is a segment of this series offered monthly on the 2nd Monday of the month on KPFK Los Angeles 90.7 FM.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: KPFK 90.7 FM
Date: Wednesday, the 7th
Time: 2 pm – 2:30 pm
Address: On-air Event (live)
Website: https://www.kpfk.org/on-air/poets-cafe/
Social Justice Book Club: The Oldest Student via Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Participants will meet to discuss the book The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by author Rita L. Hubbard.
Check out the book of the month at your local library and bring your thoughts and feelings to the conversation. Books can transform the way we look at the world. Join children’s librarians from the Library to discuss kid-friendly books related to topics of social justice. This is an all-ages book club for the whole family.
RSVP:
Please register here and for more information, email cquinn@lapl.org.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday, the 7th
Time: 4 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/social-justice-book-club
Classics Book Club: The Talented Mr. Ripley at East Los Angeles Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith.
Copies of the book will be available at the circulation desk. The program will take place in the Chicano Resource Center. Space is limited to ten participants.
Light refreshments provided courtesy of Los Amigos of East Los Angeles Library.
Where: East Los Angeles Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday, the 7th
Time: 4 pm – 5:15 pm
Address: 3224 Tyler Ave, El Monte, CA 91731
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11104402
2nd & 3rd Grade Book Club: Invisible Isabel at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Join pages for their 2nd & 3rd Grade Book Club held every first Wednesday of the month. Participants will discuss Invisible Isabel by author Sally J. Pla.
This is an illustrated middle grade novel about introverted Isabel Beane, who learns to speak up to quiet her worries. This thoughtful, earnest story is perfect for fans of Elana K. Arnold and Leslie Connor.
Isabel Beane is a shy girl who lives in a home full of havoc and hubbub and hullabaloo. With five siblings, there is always too much too much-ness.
At school, there’s a new girl who is immediately popular, but she’s also not very nice to one person—Isabel.
Isabel has never felt more invisible. She begins to get bombarded by fears, like being abandoned by her classmates and taking the upcoming Extremely Important standardized test. Her fears feel like worry-moths that flutter in her belly. With every passing day, they seem to get stronger and stronger. How can Invisible Isabel make people listen?
Sally J. Pla is the author of three acclaimed novels—The Someday Birds; Stanley Will Probably Be Fine; and The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn—and a picture book, Benji, the Bad Day, and Me. She is an autism/neurodiversity advocate who has worked as a business journalist and in public education. She lives with her family in Southern California, not too far from the ocean. Visit her online at sallyjpla.com.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 7th
Time: 4:30 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/2nd-3rd-grade-book-club-7
Be the Change: Social Justice Writing Workshop with James Coats – Online Event
Be the Change, a Social Justice Writing Workshop, is held every 1st Wednesday of the month and led by poet and author James Coats.
Workshop is free: name your own price.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: Online Zoom Event Zoom ID: 826 5843 0669 Password: justice
Date: Wednesday, the 7th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: Online Zoom Event Zoom ID: 826 5843 0669 Password: justice
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1qCfCyPfKm/?hl=en
Reading in Bed with Jessica: L.A. Poet Society via 101.5 FM – Live On-Air Event
Reading in Bed with Jessica hosts poets and writers in conversation and is aired weekly on 101.5 FM.
Jessica Wilson Cardenas is the founder of the Los Angeles Poet Society.
Guests TBA
This program is offered weekly on radioollin Los Angeles 101.5 FM.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: 101.5 FM
Date: Wednesday the 7th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: On-air Event (live at 101.5 FM)
Website: https://www.lapoetsociety.org/events
History Book Club: Before the Storm at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will discuss the book Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus by authorRick Perlstein.
Acclaimed historian Rick Perlstein chronicles the rise of the conservative movement in the liberal 1960s. At the heart of the story is Barry Goldwater, the renegade Republican from Arizona who loathed federal government, despised liberals, and mocked “peaceful coexistence” with the USSR. Perlstein’s narrative shines a light on a whole world of conservatives and their antagonists, including William F. Buckley, Nelson Rockefeller, and Bill Moyers. Vividly written, Before the Storm is an essential book about the 1960s.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Wednesday, the 7th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Matthew Kennedy & On Elizabeth Taylor: An Opinionated Guide at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Matthew Kennedy will discuss his book On Elizabeth Taylor: An Opinionated Guide.
In this book the author provides an admiring but not idolatrous career biography of a monumental Hollywood star, one of the biggest ever, who brought unparalleled magnetism to the screen.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Wednesday, the 7th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/matthew-kennedy
Long Beach Poets: Open Call Poetry Auditions at Sims Library of Poetry – In-Person Event
Open Call for Long Beach Poets for auditions to be held at the Sims Library of Poetry.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Sims Library of Poetry
Date: Wednesday, the 7th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 2702 W. Florence Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90043
Website: www.communitylit.org
RECESS Open Mic is at SIPA HQ, Palms Up Academy – In-Person Event
RECESS Open Mic is at SIPA HQ on Wednesdays.
This dynamic open mic is the most accessible public program in the Palms Up Academy curriculum and manifests their mission statement in a physical (and digital) 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 HQ
Date: Wednesday, the 7th
Time: 7 pm – 9:30 pm (Doors at 6:30; Open Mic at 8 pm)
Address: 3200 W. Temple St., Ste. 100, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://www.palmsupacademy.com
Sexy Unique Reading Series at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event
Reading series including:
Ryan Aliapoulious is a writer, editor, poet and creative based out of LA, CA. His creative experience includes freelance video production and editing for Indigenous Media’s Webby Award-nominated series 60 Second Docs, as well as journalism for Meaww, Looper, SBLY Media, and The Fix. His poetry has appeared in print in the Bullshit Lit Anthology Vol. 2 and Dirt Children Vol. 4 and online in SPECTRA, Corporeal, Pamplemousse, Graphic Violence Lit, and BRUISER.
Miryam Jivotovski is a writer, producer, and product manager based in Los Angeles, California. She writes personal essays, short stories, poems, and screenplays. In her free time she likes to boulder, brew kombucha, watch movies, read, do some yoga, and figure out ways to teach her 10 lb. chihuahua to stop barking.
Danielle Clough is an embroiderer from South Afrika.
Kate Ehrenberg lives in Queens, NY. Her writing has appeared in the Second Bullshit Anthology and BRUISER. @tompeepington on Instagram.
Mal Young N/A
Giulia Benecivenga is the author of GIULIA BENCIVENGA IS A MANIAC, Unreasonable Whole, and CUD. Their work appears in Prelude Magazine, Peach Mag, Wonder, Adriadne Mag, Blush Lit, and other places. Their poem “Nook” was a nominee for Best of the Net in 2019. Their work has been translated into Italian. They run the reading series Two Snake in Los Angeles (@twosnakela) and host virtual poetry workshops.
Hosted by: Carson Jordan
Where: Stories Books & Café
Date: Wednesday, the 7th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
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 — TBA;
- 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 7th
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: 4321 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: https://www.instagram.com/anansiwritersworkshop/ or https://www.facebook.com/anansiwritersworkshop/
Wednesday Night Poetry Workshop at Beyond Baroque – Online Zoom
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 Rooja Mohassessy, an Iranian-born poet and educator. She is a MacDowell Fellow and an MFA graduate of Pacific University, Oregon. Her ekphrastic debut collection, When Your Sky Runs Into Mine (Feb 2023) was the winner of the 22nd Annual Elir Poetry Award. Rooja has been featured on NPR, The Hive Poetry Collective, and other poetry podcasts and radio stations. Her poems and reviews have appeared in Narrative Magazine, Nimrod, Poet Lore, RHINO Poetry, Southern Humanities Review, CALYX Journal, Ninth Letter, Cream City Review, The Adroit Journal, New Letters, The Rumpus, The Journal, Verse Daily, Poetry Daily, and elsewhere. Her work is also anthologized in California Fire & Water, A Climate Crisis Anthology, and Colossus: Body, a compilation of writings by Californians writing on the themes of bodily autonomy and reproductive rights. Rooja is an editorial assistant at the journal Prairie Schooner.
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 7th
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-970439720327
Poetry Reading & Open Mic by Two Idiots Peddling Poetry with Ben Trigg and Featured Guest: Levi Duren at The Ugly Mug – In-Person Event
Host Ben Trigg and Two Idiots Peddling Poetry at the Ugly Mug on Wednesday Nights.
Levi Duren is a lifelong musician who has re-entered the Orange County music scene as a solo artist through songs that explore his experiences in personal change and growth, as well as observations on contemporary society.
$4 cover fee, cash only
NOTE: See site for further details.
Where: The Ugly Mug, Orange
Date: Wednesday, the 7th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 261 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA 92866
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events
Book Club for Adults: Blood Orange at Lawndale Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Participants will meet to discuss the novel Blood Orange by author Susan Wittig Albert.
Join China Bayles in solving a mystery involving a disastrous divorce, medical misdeeds, and murder in matrimony. Copies are available for checkout at the customer service desk or online at LACountyLibrary.org.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Lawndale Library, LACL
Date: Thursday, the 8th
Time: 11 am – 12 am
Address: 14615 Burin Ave, Lawndale, CA 90260
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11256562
Not So Secret Society Book Club: We Deserve Monuments at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will discuss the book We Deserve Monuments by author Jas Hammonds.
Family secrets, a swoon-worthy romance, and a slow-burn mystery collide in We Deserve Monuments, a YA debut that explores how racial violence can ripple down through generations.
What’s more important: Knowing the truth or keeping the peace?
Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she’s uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery’s mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she’s turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two.
While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town’s most prominent family—whose mother’s murder remains unsolved.
As the three girls grow closer—Avery and Simone’s friendship blossoming into romance—the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery’s family in ways she can’t even imagine. With Mama Letty’s health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she’s built in Bardell—or if some things are better left buried.
Jas Hammonds was raised in many cities and between the pages of many books. They have received support for their writing from Lambda Literary, Baldwin for the Arts, and the Highlights Foundation. They are also a grateful recipient of the MacDowell James Baldwin Fellowship. Their debut novel, We Deserve Monuments, won the 2023 Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent, among many other accolades.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Thursday, the 8th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/not-so-secret-society-we-deserve-monuments
Mystery Book Club via Venice – Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join us on Zoom the second Thursday of each month for a thoughtful discussion of our latest selection. Copies available at the front desk. For Zoom link and more information please email venice@lapl.org
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Venice – Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday, the 8th
Time: 5 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/mystery-book-club
Brentwood Writers Workshop at Donald Bruce Kauffman – Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Are you a writer looking for creative ways to manifest your story and, most importantly, keep moving forward? Are you interested in collaborating with others to explore:
What makes a story interesting?
Why do audiences invest in characters?
How to inject insight into your stories?
How to strengthen story elements?
The Brentwood Writers Workshop is looking for fellow writers to gather, brainstorm, and bring their experience and skills to their fellow writers. They’re here to workshop ideas, coach each other through challenges, and support and inspire one another, all with the goal of making traction on their writing projects.
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Donald Bruce Kauffman – Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday, the 8th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 11820 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/brentwood-writing-group
Thrival Open Mic Night at Hot Java, Long Beach – In-Person Event
All arts community open mics & community plugs. All ages. More info on Instagram @thrivalopenmic.
Where: Hot Java
Date: Thursday the 8th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 2101 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90803
Website: https://www.lbpoetry.com/
Guy J. Jackson & It’ll Be Fun to See You at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Guy J. Jackson will discuss his book It’ll Be Fun to See You: A Short Story Collection.
Guy J. Jackson is a would-be moviemaker currently dwelling in Los Angeles, though his essence can also be found on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. He wrote and starred in a feature film regarding the former of those places and thus aptly entitled Los Angeles Overnight. His first book of short stories was Drink The Rest Of That, and it can still be found in several of the places where short stories are sold.
NOTE: See site for tickets and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Thursday, the 8th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/guy-j-jackson
The Main Squeeze Open Mic at The No Pulp Juice Box, Long Beach – In-Person Event
A NEW MONTHLY POETRY SHOW!
At The No Pulp Juicebox – 237 Long Beach BLVD
Featuring:
Malory Padilla, Tony Godino, Abeni, and Theron James
Hosted by Dan
Doors at 7 pm – Show at 8 pm
$5 at the door
Where: The Main Squeeze at The No Pulp Juice Box
Date: Thursday the 8th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 237 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802
Website: https://www.lbpoetry.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/nopulppoetryclub?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D
L.A. Book Launch: Danica Nava, with Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegermund Broker, & The Truth About Ember at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
Danica Nava, in conversation with Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegermund Broker, will discuss her Indigenous rom-com The Truth About Ember.
A book signing will follow the discussion.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Thursday the 8th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 3806 Main Street, Culver City, CA 9032
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
At Skylight: Caitlin Schneiderhan, with Mackenzi Lee, & Medici Heist at Skylight – In-Person YA Event
Caitlin Schneiderhan, inconversationwith Mackenzi Lee, will discuss her book, Medici Heist.
A sharp-witted teenage thief leads a team of skilled misfits in a dangerous and daring heist for fortune, freedom and revenge against a corrupt Pope in Renaissance Italy in the author’s clever YA debut, Medici Heist.
Welcome to Florence, 1517, a world of intrigue and opulence, murder and betrayal. Seventeen-year-old conwoman Rosa Cellini arrives in the city the same day that the Medici Pope, Leo X, returns to take up the reins of power. This is not a coincidence. The new Pope is extorting a mountain of indulgence money from the people of Florence to bolster his power and standing, and Rosa has a plan to take it back.
Caitlin Schneiderhan, author of Medici Heist, is a genre-loving writer on the hit Netflix show STRANGER THINGS. Originally hailing from Silver Spring, Maryland, Caitlin hatched from a cocoon of Terry Pratchett novels when she was 13. She spent her teenage years scribbling stories during class instead of paying attention (you can’t prove she wasn’t just taking notes). Eventually, she decided to chase that storytelling bug all the way out to sunny Los Angeles, where she spent a few years scribbling scripts at assistant jobs instead of paying attention (you can’t prove she wasn’t just taking notes). She has been named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s 25 Screenwriters to Watch and has projects in development with multiple production companies around Hollywood.
Mackenzi Lee is the New York Times-bestselling author of ten books, including The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she manages an independent bookstore that is not Skylight, drinks too much diet coke, and caters to the whims of her human-sized dog.
Where: Skylight
Date: Thursday, the 8th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1818 N, Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90027
Tonalli Open Mic via Los Angeles Poet Society – In-Person Event
This reading event is held every 1st Thursday of the month by the L.A. Poet Society.
Host and features TBA.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Tonalli Open Mic
Date: Thursday, the 8th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: Online Event: Zoom: 897 1039 1895
Website: https://www.instagram.com/losangelespoetsociety/ or https://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesPoetSociety/
Sci-Fi Writers Panel at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Join us at Village Well Books & Coffee for a lively discussion on science fiction! Authors Matt Conant, Lauren Cipollo, and Brian Fitzpatrick discuss what goes into writing a sci-fi series, influences on their respective trilogies, the pros and cons of writing with a partner, and answer important questions like: what comes first, worldbuilding or character? To be followed by a reading from the cyberpunk space adventure Parallax: Origin and a Q&A.
Get your tickets on EVENTBRITE!
About the authors:
Matt Conant is a film and TV writer (Mystery Science Theater 3000), and has optioned and sold original TV projects to HBOMax, Amazon Studios, and A&E.
Lauren Cipollo is a writer, illustrator, and former polar bear keeper at the San Diego Zoo, whose dystopian short story “We Used to Fly” won a Silver Honorable Mention from Writers of the Future. As co-authors, their debut novels, sci-fi trilogy Parallax, published by Aethon Books, debuted in spring 2024 and the first book, Parallax: Origin, was a #1 AmazonBesteller in Science Fiction.
Brian Fitzpatrick is the author of the bestselling science fiction trilogy Mechcraft and the co-screenwriter for the upcoming science fiction film The Simian Trials. Recently, his new cyberpunk horror short story “Deus Ex Synthetica” was published in the anthology Blood Fiction, v.2. He also completed an epic fantasy adventure novel set in the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons campaign, The Black Ballad, from Storytellers Forge, which will be published later this year. His current project is the highly anticipated next tale in the Mechcraft saga: The Tragedy of Sasha.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Thursday, the 8th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/40254
Spencer Quinn & Farewell to Arfs at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Spencer Quinn will present and discuss his book Farewell to Arfs: A Chet & Bernie Mystery.
Chet the dog, “the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction” (Boston Globe) and his human partner PI Bernie Little are on to a new case, and this time they’re entangled in a web of crime unlike anything.
Their elderly next door neighbor, Mr. Parsons, thought he was doing the right thing by loaning his ne’er do well son, Billy, some money to help get himself settled. But soon, Mr. Parsons discovers that his entire life savings is gone. A run-of-the-mill scam? Bernie isn’t so sure that the case is that simple, but it’s Chet who senses what they’re really up against.
Only Billy knows the truth, but he’s disappeared. Can Chet and Bernie track him down before it’s too late? Someone else is also in the hunt, an enemy with a mysterious, cutting-edge power who will test Chet and Bernie to their limit—or maybe beyond. Even poker, not the kind of game they’re good at, plays a role.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Thursday, the 8th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/Spencer-Quinn-discusses-A-Farewell-to-Arfs
Spectacular Storytime at Once Upon a Time Bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Spectacular Storytime is our most popular story time and is ready to delight and dazzle! This is also the prime time to see Pippi Longstocking, our bookstore cat in action.
Open to all ages. Free to attend.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore
Date: Friday, the 9th
Time: 9:30 am
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/spectacular-story-time-88
Dreaming in Poetry at Sun Valley Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
This is a fun, 6-week program to write poetry. Improve your English reading, writing, and presentation skills too! At the end of the program, we will present your poem(s) to an audience. Everyone is welcome; different age groups are encouraged.
For all ages.
Where: Sun Valley Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Friday, the 9th (through August 18)
Time: 3 pm
Address: 7935 Vineland Ave., Sun Valley, CA 91352
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/dreaming-poetry
Anime and Manga Club: L.A. Weather at El Monte Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Otakus unite! Join us as we stream and discuss popular anime and manga. For Teens, ages 13 – 17.
Where: El Monte Library, LACL
Date: Friday, the 9th
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: 4625 W. Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90619
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/10240736
Word Theater: Somos Los Angeles: Chicano Hearts at William Turner Gallery, Santa Monica – In-Person Event
Immerse yourself in the Chicano culture of Los Angeles through the lens of some of LA’s finest authors. Step into their stories with Richard Cabral, Diana Maria Riva, and Remy Ortiz. Books will be available for sale from Small World Books. Join us for a complimentary drinks & reception prior to the performances. Pick up copies of these authors books, available courtesy of Small World, one of the great Independent Booksellers.
Join us at The William Turner Gallery in Santa Monica at 5:30 pm. Taco truck (food for purchase) an a complimentary drinks reception and book signings. Meet and mingle with authors Daniel Olivas just days after the publication of his new book, My Chicano Heart: New and Collected Stories, plus former Poet Laureate of Los Angeles Luis Rodriguez, and writer and poet Estella González! Performances of their stories begin at 6:30 pm. Actors include Richard Cabral, Diana Maria Riva & Remy Ortiz.
NOTE: See site for tickets and details.
Where: William Turner Gallery
Date: Friday, the 9th
Time: 5:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 2525 Michigan Ave., E-1, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Website: https://wordtheatre.org/events/somos-los-angeles-chicano-hearts/
Self-Care Book Club: It’s Not You at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will discuss the book It’s Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People by author Dr. Ramani Durvasula.
In this book the author offers a guide to protecting and healing yourself from the daily harms of narcissism.
It’s not always easy to tell when you’re dealing with a narcissistic person. One day they draw you in with their charm and charisma, the next they gaslight you, wreck your self-esteem, and leave you wondering, What should I have done differently? As Dr. Ramani explains in It’s Not You, the answer is: absolutely nothing.
Thriving after, or even during, a narcissistic relationship can be challenging, but this book shows you it is possible. The author invites you to stop blaming yourself and trying to change the narcissistic person, and to start giving yourself permission to let go of their hold on you and finally embrace your true self.
Dr. Ramani Durvasula is a licensed clinical psychologist, Professor Emerita of Psychology at California State University Los Angeles, and the Founder and CEO of LUNA Education, Training & Consulting. She discusses narcissism on her popular YouTube channel, on social media as @DoctorRamani, her popular online program on healing from narcissistic abuse, and as the host of the podcast Navigating Narcissism with Dr. Ramani. This is her fourth book.
NOTE: See for details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Friday, the 9th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/self-care-book-swingclub-it%E2%80%99s-not-you
Book Talk: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, with Myriam Gurba, & Catalina at Chevalier’s Bookstore – In-Person Event
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, in conversation with Myriam Gurba, will discuss her book Catalina.
A year in the life of the unforgettable Catalina Ituralde, a wickedly wry and heartbreakingly vulnerable student at an elite college, forced to navigate an opaque past, an uncertain future, tragedies on two continents, and the tantalizing possibilities of love and freedom.
When Catalina is admitted to Harvard, it feels like the fulfillment of destiny: a miracle child escapes death in Latin America, moves to Queens to be raised by her undocumented grandparents, and becomes one of the chosen. But nothing is simple for Catalina, least of all her own complicated, contradictory, ruthlessly probing mind. Now a senior, she faces graduation to a world that has no place for the undocumented; her sense of doom intensifies her curiosities and desires.
She infiltrates the school’s elite subcultures—internships and literary journals, posh parties and secret societies—which she observes with the eye of an anthropologist and an interloper’s skepticism: she is both fascinated and repulsed. Craving a great romance, Catalina finds herself drawn to a fellow student, an actual budding anthropologist eager to teach her about the Latin American world she was born into but never knew, even as her life back in Queens begins to unravel. And every day, the clock ticks closer to the abyss of life after graduation. Can she save her family? Can she save herself? What does it mean to be saved?
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is the author of the National Book Award finalist The Undocumented Americans. Her work, which focuses on race, culture, and immigration, has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue, Elle, n+1, The New Inquiry, Interview, and on NPR.
Myriam Gurba is a writer and activist. Her first book, the short story collection Dahlia Season, won the Edmund White Award for debut fiction. O, the Oprah Magazine, ranked her true crime memoir Mean as one of the best LGBTQ books of all time. Creep, her most recent book, was a finalist for a National Book Critics’ Circle award in criticism, and won the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction. The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Vox, and Paris Review have published her work. She is a co-founder of Dignidad Literaria, a grassroots organization committed to combatting racism in the book world. She is active in the anti-rape movement.
NOTE: See for details.
Where: Chevalier’s
Date: Friday, the 9th
Time: 6 pm – 7 :30 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Swing Set Open Mic Night at The Center Long Beach – In-Person Event
Swing Set Open Mic is back! It’s time to join in community for another Swing Set Open Mic night @centerlb.
They’re calling all poets, musicians, comedians, storytellers for another magical night. Performers and artists of all kinds, come through!
Swing Set isn’t just about performance–it’s about real connection and finding mirrors in the people all around you. They’re so excited to share space with everyone again.
RSVP via the Eventbrite link in our bio. See you at 6:30 pm. Performance sign-ups (and vibes) start at 6!
Swipe and visit Eventbrite for more information. Feel free to DM us any questions.
SIGN UP: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/swing-set-open-mic-64793621533
Where: The Center Long Beach
Date: Friday the 9th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 2017 E. 4th St., Long Beach, CA 90814
Website: https://www.lbpoetry.com/
Thrival Open Mic Night at Confidential Coffee, Long Beach – In-Person Event
All arts community open mics & community plugs. All ages. More info on Instagram @thrivalopenmic.
Where: Confidential Coffee
Date: Friday the 9th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 137 W. 6th St., Long Beach, CA 90802
Website: https://www.lbpoetry.com/
Kelly Hill & A Home for Friendless Women at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Kelly E. Hill will present and discuss her novel A Home for Friendless Women.
In Victorian-era Louisville, the Home for Friendless Women is run by benevolent benefactors with one mission: to reform the fallen women who live there into pious mothers and wives through religious lessons and hard work.
As Minnie prepares for the Home’s silver anniversary party, she finds herself questioning the true cost of good intentions—and grappling with a terrible secret that has the power to unravel the Home entirely.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Friday, the 9th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/kelly-hill
L.A. Book Launch: Nalini Singh, with Gretchen Schreiber, & Primal Mirror at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
Nalini Singh, in conversation with Gretchen Schrieber, will discuss her novel Primal Mirror.
This Psy-Changeling novel takes us into a family dark with secrets as the world hangs on the edge of a final catastrophic collapse.
A book signing will follow the discussion.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Friday the 9th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 3806 Main Street, Culver City, CA 9032
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
Open Mic Night at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Calling all musicians, poets, authors, and comedians for our bi-monthly open mic night!
This all-inclusive event will create space for local artists of any medium to share their talents with the community. Come hang out, as an audience member, or a performer, and meet some talented locals!
Sign-ups for performers are at the door, day of, 30 minutes prior to the event. Sets are limited to 5-10 minutes. All performances must be family-friendly.
We will provide two microphones and two mic stands. Please bring any other equipment you will need.
This event is free, no registration is required!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Friday, the 9th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/40554
Elizabeth Eaves, with Kate Brody, & The Outlier at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Elizabeth Eaves, in conversation with Kate Brody, will discuss her psychological thriller The Outlier, in which finding the killer is only one of two mysteries to unravel.
Cate Winter, at 34, is a wildly successful neuroscientist and entrepreneur who has invented a cure for Alzheimer’s that will improve the lives of millions. On the verge of selling her biotech company for an obscene sum, she is also about to become very rich.
But Cate has a secret that keeps her deeply uneasy about everything she is and does. When she discovers the existence of another ex-patient and outlier who might prove that her success isn’t a fluke, she breaks the rules and drops everything to track him down. And when she finds him, living under an assumed name in Baja California, she believes here, at last, is her mirror, her ultimate collaborator, the possible answer to the enigma of her nature.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Friday, the 9th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91001
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/Elisabeth-Eaves-discusses-The-Outlier
2024 Women Who Submit Conference: Beyond the Writing at Plaza de la Raza – In-Person Event
Writers! Women Who Submit presents Beyond the Writing: Building Community, Advocacy, and a Literary Career to take place on Saturday, August 10, 8:30-6pm at Plaza de la Raza.
The conference will feature a day of literary panels, workshops, performances, and vendors that center women and nonbinary writers, editors, publishers, community members, and business owners.
Special Event: 5pm – 6pm:
No Bios Poetry Performance with: Taz Ahmed, bridgette bianca, traci-kato-kiriyama, Lynne Thompson, and Diosa Xochiquetzalcóatl.
Full Conference Program available at website link.
Register in advance on Eventbrite!
Where: WWS at Plaza de la Raza, DTLA
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 8:30 am – 6 pm
Address: 3540 North Mission Rd., Northeast Los Angeles, CA, 90031
Website: https://www.plazadelaraza.org/news/2024/7/15/women-who-submit-beyond-the-writing-literary-conference or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-the-writing-building-community-advocacy-and-a-literary-career-tickets-925621206947
Book Club for Adults: The Lost City of the Monkey God at Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will read and discuss The Lost City of the Monkey God by author Douglas Preston.
Upcoming selection: Woman of Light by Kalie Farjado-Anstine.
Please be aware that refreshments will be served at this program. A list of ingredients will be available.
Where: Hacienda Heights Library, LACL
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 10:30 am
Address: 16010 La Monde St., Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11378366
Poetry Workshop: Sagacious Syllables with Lory Bedikian at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center– In-Person Event
As poets, we think we are experiencing writer’s block when really it is just that we have too much material that needs control, form and measure. In this workshop we will consider what it means, looks and sounds like to write in syllabics or to compose syllabic verse (s.v.). We’ll look at the question of can these poems be viewed as verse at all? We’ll look at what the New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics has to offer — how Robert Bridges, Marianne Moore, Dylan Thomas are often the examples given for this form, however Moore kicks poetic behind in s.v.
Specifically, we will analyze poems from Marilyn Hacker’s fantastic collection Names, which is mainly constructed in syllabics (alongside ghazals). We’ll discuss how writing in syllabics can assist us greatly when we feel stuck, however we need to be aware of the dangers of using this device and losing musicality of the line, etc. We need to use the form as a guide, but then make sure to adjust the pattern when it’s significant, strategic, etc. Beginning with smaller exercises, we’ll do our best to patch it together and exit with a working draft written with syllables leading the way!
Lory Bedikian’s collection The Book of Lamenting won the Philip Levine Prize and her forthcoming book Jagadakeer: Apology to the Body won the 2023 Prairie Schooner Raz-Shumaker Book Prize, forthcoming September, 2024 from the University of Nebraska Press. 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. Her poem “The Mechanic,” is included in the anthology Border Lines: Poems of Migration, KNOPF, 2020. Bedikian’s manuscript-in-progress received a 2021 grant from the Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund. New work is forthcoming in Gulf Coast, Guesthouse and Massachusetts Review’s “Revisiting WOMAN: An Issue, 50 Years Later.” Bedikian earned an MFA from the University of Oregon. She teaches poetry workshops in Los Angeles.
NOTE: See site for tickets and details.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 11 am – 2 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd Venice Beach Los Angeles, CA 90291
DOUGHNUT Storytime: Dozens of Doughnuts at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Cellar Door will be hosting a storytime that’s DOUGHNUT THEMED!!
Doughnuts and books are better when shared. PLEASE join them for a special storytime (with doughnuts!) on Saturday, August 10th at 11:00am!
They have signed copies of Carrie Finison’s picture book, Dozens of Doughnuts for you to purchase as well!
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 11 am
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event
Book Club: Mountains Beyond Mountains at Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will read and discuss Mountains Beyond Mountains by author Tracy Kidder.
Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 11 am
Address: 1246 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-3
Book Club: Land of Milk and Honey at Palms – Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will read and discuss Land of Milk and Honey by author C. Pam Zhang.
Where: Palms – Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 11 am
Address: 2920 Overland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/saturday-book-discussion
Special Storytime: Christopher Rivas & You’re a Good Swimmer at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Christoopher Rivas will present his children’s picture book, You’re a Good Swimmer, which is authored by Rivas and illustrated by Ariel Boroff.
Dive into the journey of life with You’re A Good Swimmer, a captivating picture book that answers the age-old question: Where do babies come from?
The author will bring families together, engaging readers across ages as it explores the miracle of life alongside the complexity of reproduction, birth, and biology. The story reminds us that the journey to our existence is nothing short of a miracle.
With timeless and inspiring artwork alongside straightforward and lively text, You’re A Good Swimmer emphasizes that taking our very first breath is the grand prize of the greatest race of all.
This STEM book is suitable for children aged five and up, and goes beyond the simple and well-represented “Mommy + Daddy = You” narrative. Instead, it explores the miraculous nature of birth, focusing on inclusive imagery and language without restricting these experiences to specific gender identities or narratives.
You’re A Good Swimmer invites readers to celebrate the wonder of life itself, promoting a deeper understanding of our shared human experience and the beauty of diversity.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 11 am
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91001
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/Christopher-Rivas-discusses-Youre-A-Good-Swimmer
SoCal Manga Book Club at Little Tokyo Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join our book club dedicated to uniting manga and anime enthusiasts. Each month, we cover a different series and focus on the first volume. Come by and suggest your favorite series that rarely gets discussed.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Little Tokyo Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 1 pm
Address: 203 S. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/socal-manga-book-club
Kids Book Club: Spy School: Project X at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Book Club participants will discuss Spy School; Project X, by author Stuart Gibbs.
In the tenth book in the New York Times bestselling Spy School series, Ben Ripley races against time and across state lines—by car, train, boat, and plane—to avoid his new cyber enemies and track down Murray Hill.
Ben Ripley’s longtime nemesis, Murray Hill, has put a price on Ben’s head and accused him of being at the center of a conspiracy on the internet. Now Ben finds himself in his greatest danger yet, on the run from both assassins and conspiracy theorists.
Ben must find Murray before his machinations catch up to Ben—but with so much at stake, even some of Ben’s most trusted friends might not be at the top of their game, leaving Ben to be tested like never before.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 1 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/kids-book-club-spy-school-project-x
Zine Fiesta 3 at South Gate Museum & Art Gallery – In-Person Event
Join us at Zine Fiesta 3 for activities, art, history, and to shop and trade zines.
What is a Zine? (Pronounced ZEEN) Long before the Internet, zines allowed people to create networks, share ideas and collaborate on writing and artwork! Join the South Gate Museum and Art Gallery on Saturday, August 10 for our 3rd annual Zine Fiesta, where you’ll learn more about zines, create and shop for them! This event is also in conjunction with the opening reception of Oír de Nuevo/ Press Repeat a group art exhibit that plays with music and memories.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: South Gate Museum & Art Gallery
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 1 pm – 5 pm
Address: 8680 California Ave., South Gate, CA 90280
Website: https://www.cityofsouthgate.org/Events-directory/Zine-Fiesta-3
Creators in Residence Showcase at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Come meet Shing Yin Khor and Andy Crocker, the Los Angeles Public Library’s 2024 Creators in Residence!
Shing’s Creators in Residence project resulted in four unique maps and one marionette which were all inspired by library staff of collections. Shing will be leading a panel discussion with photographer Louis Jacinto, and Library staff members Robyn Myers and Nydya Mora, who all served as inspiration for these maps, which are currently on view in the First Floor Galleries at Central Library.
For her project, Andy has created a series of playful installations at Central Library and six branches that encourage patrons to explore their neighborhood branches while embodying stories that could only take place in a library. At this event, Andy will be facilitating a playful, experiential introduction to the world of her project. Participants can expect meditative mischief and people-powered storytelling.
About the Creators in Residence program: The library, in partnership with the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, has established a residency program, Los Angeles Public Library Creators in Residence, designed to engage creative Angelenos from a multitude of disciplines. The program supports local interdisciplinary creators and inspires new work informed or enhanced by the Los Angeles Public Library’s collections and services while also highlighting the impact of the library as a creative haven.
Where: Central Library, LAPL, Mark Taper Auditorium
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 2 pm
Address: 601 W. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster, CA 93534
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/creators-residence-showcase
Zine Workshop: Simone Leigh at California African American Museum – In-Person Event
Create a zine with educators from Able ARTS Work—a nonprofit offering opportunities in the creative arts for people of all abilities—inspired by Simone Leigh. This exhibition offers visitors a timely opportunity to gaze at Leigh’s artistic, scholarly, and social contributions, inspired by legacies of creativity, survival, and documentation by Black femmes throughout the world.
NOTE: See site for RASVP and details.
Where: CAAM
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 2 pm – 3:30 pm
Address: 600 State Drive Los Angeles, CA 90037
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/zine-workshop-simone-leigh-tickets-940059973687?aff=erelexpmlt or https://caamuseum.org/programs/talks-and-workshops/zine-workshop-simone-leigh
Book Club for Adults: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone at Lancaster Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will discuss Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by author Benjamin Stephenson. For adults.
In the Everything Book Club we read a variety of genres; we wish to expand our horizons and try to include many perspectives.
In a twist on the classic locked-room mystery, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone sees a family of confirmed killers gathering at a ski resort to celebrate the release of one of their number from prison. When a body is discovered under mysterious circumstances, the black sheep of the family is thrust into the role of detective. He promises to be an honest narrator, but how much can we really trust him?
Attendance is limited, and advance registration is required. (see site)
Where: Lancaster Library, LACL
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 3 pm – 4 pm
Address: 601 W. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster, CA 93534
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11078941
Saturday Afternoon Poetry: Deep Critique Workshop with Don Kingfisher Campbell – Online Zoom Event
Deep Critique Poetry Workshop will be led by DKC. Online.
(Submit up to 3 poems totaling no more than 150 lines including the subject of or at least mentioning school or shoes for Four Feathers Press online edition: School Shoes by emailing donkingfishercampbell@gmail.com by 11:59pm, August 16th)
Don Kingfisher Campbell hosts and curates these events.
Where: Saturday Afternoon Poetry
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: Online Event (See site)
Website: http://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/
Poetry Workshop: A Letter to Palestine at LibroMobile, Santa Ana – In-Person Event
Learn about Palestinian poets and write your own poems as a Letter to Palestine. Led by local author Cindy El with LibroMobile.
Letter to Palestine – A poetry workshop is a way to learn about Palestinian poets and write your own poems as a Letter to Palestine.
Cindy El grew up in Victorville, CA. Cindy holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and Drama from the University of California Irvine. Throughout her time in college Cindy pursued creative writing which lead to her writing plays, poetry, and short stories that gained publications. Cindy’s writing themes revolve around her culture and strives to spread awareness of social injustices. Cindy is featured in the Santa Ana Literary Association Zoo-fi, El Queztal Canta, UCI poetry awards and Lucid publication.
RSVP
Where: LibroMobile
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 1150 S. Bristol St. A3, Santa Ana, CA 92704
Website: https://www.libromobile.com/event-details/letter-to-palestine-a-poetry-workshop
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, with Jean Guerrero, & Catalina at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, in conversation with Jean Guerrero, will present and discuss her debut coming-of-age novel Catalina.
When Catalina is admitted to Harvard, it feels like the fulfillment of destiny: a miracle child escapes death in Latin America, moves to Queens to be raised by her undocumented grandparents, and becomes one of the chosen. But nothing is simple for Catalina, least of all her own complicated, contradictory, ruthlessly probing mind. Now a senior, she faces graduation to a world that has no place for the undocumented; her sense of doom intensifies her curiosities and desires. She infiltrates the school’s elite subcultures—internships and literary journals, posh parties and secret societies—which she observes with the eye of an anthropologist and an interloper’s skepticism: she is both fascinated and repulsed. Craving a great romance, Catalina finds herself drawn to a fellow student, an actual budding anthropologist eager to teach her about the Latin American world she was born into but never knew, even as her life back in Queens begins to unravel. And every day, the clock ticks closer to the abyss of life after graduation. Can she save her family? Can she save herself? What does it mean to be saved?
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is the author of the National Book Award finalist The Undocumented Americans. Her work, which focuses on race, culture, and immigration, has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue, Elle, n+1, The New Inquiry, Interview, and on NPR.
Jean Guerrero is a contributing writer for the New York Times, formerly an opinion columnist at the Los Angeles Times. An award-winning investigative journalist, essayist and speaker, Guerrero is the author of Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump and the White Nationalist Agenda. Her first book, Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir, won a PEN Literary Award and was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2019. Her writing is featured in Vanity Fair, Politico, The Nation, Wired, the New York Times, The Washington Post, Best American Essays 2019 by Rebecca Solnit and more. She won the 2022 “Best Commentary” award from the Sacramento Press Club. As an investigative border reporter at KPBS, she won an Emmy, contributed to NPR, the PBS NewsHour and more. Months before Trump’s family separations captured national attention, her PBS reporting on the practice was cited by members of Congress. She started her career at the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires as a foreign correspondent in Mexico and Central America. She was named one of the California Chicano News Media Association’s most influential Latina journalists.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Reparations Club
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 3054 S. Victoria Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90016
Website: https://rep.club/products/karla-cornejo-villavicencio-event
Obsidian Tongues Open Mic at Café con Libros Press, Pomona – In-Person Event
Obsidian Tongues Open Mic is offered every 2nd Saturday of the month from 7:30 – 9 pm.
Ceasar Avelar hosts and welcomes special guests. Open Mic Night is for everyone-play a song on your guitar, read a poem, or share a story. The spoken word is celebrated!
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Café con Libros, Pomona
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9 pm
Address: 280 W 2nd St, Pomona, CA 91766
Website: https://cafeconlibrospress.org/event-calendar/
Public Works Improv Presents: STORYPHILE at Harmony Room at St. Be’s – In-Person Event
Host Lee Boek presents a Storyphile event, featuring:
Jack Landron, musician, singer
Pas d’ASL, dance of all sign languages
Circuity & Poetry, Mona Jean Cedar and Jeff Boynton
“two words” – Jill and Amnon Dante
A special touring dance team
A Fool or The Retired Sea Captain
A scene from an Unwritten Vaudeville Play by Anton Chekhov
Directed by Darryl Larson
Cark Weintraub and Laurie O’Brien
Where: Harmony Room at St. Be’s
Date: Saturday, the 10th
Time: 8 pm
Address: 2109 Chickasaw Ave. Los Angeles, CA, 90041
Website: N/A
Melrose Trading Post Event by Greenway Arts Alliance at Melrose Trading Post at Fairfax H.S. – In-Person Event
The Melrose Trading Post is a pioneering arts-based marketplace held every Sunday at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, CA with 275 local creative small business vendors, delicious food booths and local live music.
MTP was founded in 1997 with a mission to champion small businesses, art and community. The market funds Greenway Arts Alliance’s arts education programming and provides employment and leadership development opportunities for students at Fairfax High School.
NOTE: Check every Sunday for story time and reading events
Where: Melrose Trading Post, Greenway Main Stage at Fairfax HS
Date: Sunday, the 11th (Every Sunday)
Time: 10 am – 5 pm
Address: 7850 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
Website: https://melrosetradingpost.org/tickets/
Cellar Door Book Club: Hestia Strikes a Match at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the novel Hestia Strikes a Match by author Christine Grillo.
Christine Grillo’s Hestia Strikes a Match is the slyly funny story of a woman looking for love and friendship in the midst of a new American civil war.
The year is 2023, and things are bad—bad, but still not as bad as they could be. Hestia Harris is forty-two, abandoned by her husband (he left to fight for the Union cause), and estranged from her parents (they’re leaving for the Confederacy). Yes, the United States has collapsed into a second civil war and again it’s Unionists against Confederates, children against parents, friends against friends.
Hestia has left journalism (too much war reporting) for a job at a Baltimore retirement village on the Inner Harbor (lots of security). She’s single and adrift, save for her coworkers and Mildred, an eighty-four-year-old, thrice-happily-married resident who gleefully supports Hestia’s half-hearted but hopeful attempts to find love again in a time of chaos and disunion. She reckons with the big questions (How do we live in the midst of political collapse? How do we love people who believe terrible things?) and the little ones (How do I decorate a nonworking fireplace? Can I hook up with a mime?), all while wrestling with that simmering, roiling, occasionally boiling feeling that things are decidedly not okay, but we have to keep going, one foot in front of the other, because maybe, just maybe, we can still find the kinds of relationships that sustain a person through anything.
This story is an irreverent, incisive, laugh-out-loud interrogation of modern love of all kinds, in all its messy beauty. Equal parts wise and hilarious, it fills the heart, fortifies the spirit, and will surely help to fend off despair. In the face of the everyday wildness of our times, it asks and answers that newly constant question: How do we make a full, wonderfully ordinary life when the whole mad world is clattering down around us?
Christine Grillo is a writer and editor covering food systems, agriculture, and climate change, whose nonfiction has been published in outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic: CityLab, Audubon, NextTribe, and Real Simple. Her short fiction has appeared in Story Quarterly, The Southern Review, and LIT. Hestia Strikes a Match is her debut novel.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Sunday, the 11th
Time: 2 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event
Alejandra Campoverdi, with Al Madrigal, & First Gen at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Author Alejandra Campoverdi, in conversation with Al Madrigal, will present and discuss her memoir First Gen.
Alejandra Campoverdi has been a child on welfare, a White House aide to President Obama, a Harvard graduate, a gang member’s girlfriend, and a candidate for U.S. Congress. She’s ridden on Air Force One and in G-rides. Living a life of contradictory extremes often comes with the territory when you’re a “First and Only.” It also comes at a price.
With candor and heart, Alejandra retraces her trajectory as a Mexican American woman raised by an immigrant single mother in Los Angeles. Foregoing the tidy bullet points of her resume and instead shining a light on the spaces between them, what emerges is a powerful testimony that shatters the one-dimensional glossy narrative we are often sold of what it takes to achieve the American Dream. In this timely and revealing reflection, Alejandra draws from her own experiences to name and frame the challenges First and Onlys often face, illuminating a road to truth, healing, and change in the process.
Part memoir, part manifesto, First Gen is a story of generational inheritance, aspiration, and the true meaning of belonging—a gripping journey to “reclaim the parts of ourselves we sacrificed in order to survive.”
Co-sponsored by Tepito Coffee:
Tepito Coffee is committed to providing hope, training, and employment for formerly incarcerated individuals while also building bridges between México and the U.S., one origin, one person, one coffee at a time.
Our story is rooted in Mexican culture giving back to our communities by building direct-to-farmer supply chains that seek to improve farmer livelihoods, empower communities across the U.S. and México, while providing the most memorable coffee experience imaginable.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Sunday, the 11th
Time: 2 pm
Address: 695 E Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/Alejandra-Campoverdi-discusses-First-Gen
Voices of Color: Lynne Thompson in Conversation via Los Angeles Poet Society – Instagram Live Event
Voices of Color consists of real talk that amplifies the Black and Brown experience. Follow us, watch the interview, and meet new creatives!
Lynne Thompson, former Poet Laureate of Los Angeles and the author most recently of the collection Blue on a Blue Palette, will be in conversation with Miss B via Instagram live.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Los Angeles Poet Society
Date: Sunday, the 11th
Time: 3 pm PST Live
Address: IG Event @losangelespoetsociety
Website: https://www.instagram.com/losangelespoetsociety
Obscenesters Book Club with Tina Horn at North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Event
Join North Figueroa Bookshop for the second meeting of OBSCENESTERS, a book club focusing on the erotic, the abject and the queerly unclassifiable, hosted by Tina Horn!
For the second meeting, we’ll be discussing MAKE THE GOLF COURSE A PUBLIC SEX FOREST by Lyn Corelle.
What started as a Minneapolis intervention has blossomed into an international movement.* Now they are proud to present a shameless slutty book of porn, history, and more from your favorite viral campaign. Featuring 28 stories and essays engaging with their call to take over the golf courses of the world.
Edited by Lyn Corelle and jimmy cooper, self-published under their imprint Maitland Systems Engineering.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: North Figueroa Bookshop
Date: Sunday, the 11th
Time: 5 pm – 7 pm
Address: 6040 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://northfigbookshop.com/event/#calendar-8a0f87f6-17d6-4f10-9815-04df4c8251ba-event-lxwdcl45
Second Sunday Poetry Series: Gregory Bell at The Studio at St. Denis Building – In-Person Event
This Open Mic poetry show, hosted by Alex M. Frankel, happens on the second Sunday of every month. Great poets perform their work, sell and sign books, plus mingle with audience members and open mic participants.
Gregory Bell grew up in the multi-cultural caldo de res of West Texas. He’s a recovering actor who’s never taken a creative writing class, but he claims to have studied at the feet of the masters—Aeschylus & Shakespeare, Saroyan & Tennessee Williams. He writes because life’s too short to confine oneself to filling their belly and remembering to tie their shoelaces. He’s written a couple of award-winning plays, has a book of poetry out, ‘Looking for Will: My Bardic Quest with Shakespeare,’ and he’s garnered a couple poetry awards. He’s most recently published in Scientific American (April 2024.) He facilitates Green Poets Workshop at Beyond Baroque, Venice, CA. and is honored to have had a poem of his selected to hop the NASA Polaris mission to the moon November of this year. Says he, ‘We are the witnesses, the Jiminy Crickets, the agents of change. Ándale!’
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: The Studio Theatre at St. Denis Building
Date: Sunday the 11th
Time: 5 pm – 7 pm
Address: 3433 Cahuenga Blvd West, Los Angeles 90068
Website: https://www.secondsundaypoetry.com/
Library Girl Reading Series: Celebrate The Doors at The Ruskin Theatre – In-Person Event
Susan Hayden presents Into This House We’re Born, which is co-curated with Michael C Ford and Jim Coke.
Featuring words and music by some of the most vibrant writers and musicians in the Los Angeles Arts Community and Beyond. Now in its 14th year! This event takes place on the 2nd Sunday night of every month at the Ruskin Group Theatre.
Come celebrate the lyrical essence of The Doors at Library Girl Presents: Into This House We’re Born. Curated alongside Michael C Ford and Jim Coke.
Featuring: Willie Aron, Ingrid Calderon Collins, Joan Jobe Smith, Steve Hochman, Fred Voss, Susan Hayden, Olive Gamble, Alexandra Nagler, Michael C Ford and, in town from Nashville, Mason Summit! Also: special guests!
Tickets, go to ruskingrouptheatre.com – Click Shows, Look for Library Girl icon. $20 inc. free parking and dessert.
NOTE: SOLD OUT. See site for waiting list and details.
Where: The Ruskin Group Theatre
Date: Sunday the 11th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 3000 Airport Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90405
Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/288785622940/
Fantasy Romance Book Club: The Hunger Games at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
August’s Fantasy Romance Book Club is led by bookseller Taylor C, and participants will discuss the novel The Hunger Games (Book #1) by author Suzanne Collins.
Everyone is welcome!
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Sunday the 11th
Time: 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 3806 Main Street, Culver City, CA 90323
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
Poetik L.A.: Community Art & Poetry: Religion & Politics Event – In-Person Event
August’s @poetikla offers hard-hitting subjective opinions to support non-biased objective journalism.
Charitable proceeds from this event go to the Associated Press – one of the most reliable objective news sources. Look it up – @apnews
Also see BBC, NPR, ProPublica, etc.
(ALL THEMES ARE MERELY SUGGESTIONS)
2nd Sunday is an all-skill level donation-based event held for the community by Poetik L.A. collective 🙌
Please DM us at @poetikla if you’d like to sign up.
$10 – SUGGESTED DONATION
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: Silver Lake Community Church
Date: Sunday the 11th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 2930 Hyperion, Silver Lake, CA 90027
Los Angeles Literature 
Dear Brian,Thank you so much for the shoutout and for all you do to make LA LIT great.Really appreciate it. All my best, SH
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