Writers Group at Robertson Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Calling all writers! Get those creative juices flowing and join our writers group as everyone shares their work and gives feedback.
This group mostly meets in person, but email rbrtsn@lapl.org if you’d prefer to join via Zoom.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Roberton Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday, the 23rd
Time: 11 am – 12:30 pm
Address: 1719 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/writers-group-1
Senior Writing Group at Palisades Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Kathy Katims, founder of Saved by a Story, leads an ongoing writing group for seniors. New members are welcome to all or any sessions.
Write to prompts, share (if you would like to), connect with fellow seniors in the neighborhood, hone your writing skills, and find your story.
RSVP:
RSVP is recommended but not required. RSVP to palsds@lapl.org. We will send you a welcome packet, guidelines, and a reminder the day before the meeting.
Where: Palisades Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday, the 23rd
Time: 1 pm
Address: 861 Alma Real Dr., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/senior-writing-group-1
Book Adventure: Owl Babies at Lake Los Angeles Library, LACL – In-Person Kids Event
Come explore a book with friends! Join us as we celebrate the book Owl Babies by Martin Waddell with fun activities for toddlers and preschoolers ages 2 – 5! Play, laugh, and learn with a literacy expert.
Where: Lake Los Angeles Library, LACL
Date: Monday, the 23rd
Time: 5 pm – 5:45 pm
Address: 16921 East Avenue O, #A, Palmdale, CA 93591
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11617018
Author Talk: Antonio Gonzalez & The Architects Who Built Southern California at Van Nuys Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join author Antonio Gonzalez, who discusses his book The Architects Who Built Southern California, as he tells the stories of the people behind some of Southern California’s most iconic buildings.
You will learn about different architects including Harrison Albright, John Austin, Claud Beelman, Elmer Grey, Hudson & Munsell, A.C. Martin, Meyer & Holler, Julia Morgan, Morgan Walls & Clements, and Alfred F. Rosenheim.
Come and learn about our city’s historic past!
Where: Van Nuys Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday, the 23rd
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 6250 Sylmar Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91401
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/architects-who-built-southern-california-antonio-gonzalez
LGBTQIA+ Book Club: Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will discuss the debut novel Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend (The Mischief & Matchmaking Series #`1) by author Emma R. Alban.
It’s 1857, and anxious debutante Beth has just one season to snag a wealthy husband, or she and her mother will be out on the street. But playing the blushing ingenue makes Beth’s skin crawl and she’d rather be anywhere but here.
Gwen, on the other hand, is on her fourth season and counting, with absolutely no intention of finding a husband, possibly ever. She figures she has plenty of security as the only daughter of a rakish earl, from whom she’s gotten all her flair, fun, and less-than-proper party games.
Emma R. Alban is an author and screenwriter. Raised in the Hudson Valley, she now lives in Los Angeles, enjoying the eternal sunshine, ocean, and mountains. When she isn’t writing books or screenplays, she can usually be found stress baking with the AC on full blast, skiing late into the spring, singing showtunes at the top of her lungs on the freeway, and reading anywhere there’s somewhere to lean. She is the author of Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend and You’re the Problem, It’s You.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Monday, the 23rd
Time: 6 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/lgbtq-book-club-dont-want-you-best-friend
Book Club: L.A. Weather via Sherman Oaks Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Participants will discuss the novel L.A. Weather by author María Amparo Escandón.
Oscar, the weather-obsessed patriarch of the Alvarado family, desperately wants a little rain. L.A. is parched, dry as a bone, and he’s harboring a costly secret that distracts him from everything else. His wife, Keila, desperate for a life with a little more intimacy and a little less Weather Channel, feels she has no choice but to end their marriage.
Their three daughters―Claudia, a television chef with a hard-hearted attitude; Olivia, a successful architect who suffers from gentrification guilt; and Patricia, a social media wizard who has an uncanny knack for connecting with audiences but not with her lovers―are left questioning everything they know. Each will have to take a critical look at her own relationships and make some tough decisions along the way.
With quick wit and humor, the author follows the Alvarado family as they wrestle with impending evacuations, secrets, deception and betrayal, and their toughest decision yet: whether to stick together or burn it all down.
NOTE: Please email shrmno@lapl.org for the Zoom link.
Where: Sherman Oaks Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday, the 23rd
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/sherman-oaks-book-club-la-weather-maria-amparo-escandon
Honoring Our Ancestors: Workshop with James Coats via Inlandia Institute – Online Event
(All Levels)
Alternating Mondays, 9/9, 9/23, 10/7, and 10/21, 6:30-8:30 PM PT, on Zoom, plus Saturday, 11/2, in person at White Park, Riverside.
$50. Registration required. To register: https://tinyurl.com/Fall2024CWW
Honoring Our Ancestors is a workshop designed to celebrate loved ones we have lost. We will be writing elegy and celebration of life pieces as well as learning performance skills. The workshop will culminate with a reading/performance at this year’s Day of the Dead event on Saturday, November 2 at White Park in Riverside.
James Coats is a poet, performer, and educator born in Los Angeles and raised in the Inland Empire. You can take a poetry workshop with him through his organization Lift Our Voices Education, which hosts an award-winning workshop monthly called Be the Change. He is the author of four poetry collections. His most recent is Midnight & Mad Dreams.
Where: Inlandia Institute
Date: Monday, the 23 (through 11/2)
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm & White Park time to be determined.
Address: Online Event (and 1 meeting at White Park)
Website: https://inlandiainstitute.org/my-calendar/?mc_id=2347
Roger Nygard & The Documentarian at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Roger Nygard will present and discuss his book, The Documentarian:The Way to a Successful and Creative Professional Life in the Documentary Business
“I have a great idea for a documentary. Now what?” The Documentarian is the ultimate go-to source for making and selling documentaries, answering every question and containing crucial strategies every filmmaker needs to know to succeed as a documentarian. Included are insights from experts, agents, publicists, festival directors, and award-winning documentary filmmakers.
“Where the f*#! was this book when I started making documentaries? Do not film one frame until you’ve read this book!” Jordan Brady, Documentarian, I Am Comic
“You have all you need in this treasure trove of advice, tips, and warnings. It will save you time, money, and psychoanalysts’ bills.” Alan Miller, Editor, First Frame Magazine
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Monday, the 23rd
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/roger-nygard
K. Bromberg & Twisted Knight at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
K. Bromberg will discuss her novel Twisted Knight in conversation with a TBD guest.
There will be a book signing to follow.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Monday, the 23rd
Time: 7 pm
Address: 3806 Main St., Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
R.U.P.O. Open Mic at Back to the Grind in Riverside – In-Person Event (Check to Verify)
RUPO Open Mic is every Monday Night at Back to the Grind in Riverside.
Every Monday at: 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 23rd
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 3575 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92501
Website: https://www.facebook.com/backtothegrind
At Skylight: Reza Farazmand & Hope It All Works Out: A Poorly Drawn Lines Collection at Skylight Books – In-Person Event
Reza Farazmand will present and discuss his book for comic lovers of all kinds. Hope It All Works Out offers a deep dive into the Poorly Drawn Lines comics of this New York Times bestselling author.
This author-curated collection of new comics and greatest hits showcases the unique and charming world of these small animals and the amusing gap between their tough guy images and animal innocence. Familiar to millions of readers of the Poorly Drawn Lines webcomic and Hulu animated series, this book collection includes character profiles and dozens of never-before-seen comics.
Reza Farazmand is a New York Times-bestselling author, comedy writer, and creator of the popular internet comic series Poorly Drawn Lines. He has published four books, including the graphic novel City Monster and the comic and essay collection Poorly Drawn Lines: Good Ideas and Amazing Stories, along with two follow-up collections: Comics for a Strange World and Poorlier Drawn Lines. His work has been featured in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Adventure Time comics, Buzzfeed, NPR, and on Comedy Central. He lives and draws in Los Angeles.
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Skylight
Date: Monday the 23rd
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Lit Angels – Outlining Your Screenplay with Joshua Malkin at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Yes, 3-Act-Structure is “really a thing.” But it’s there to help you, it needn’t be confining rigid or complicated, and in the end – is really all about emotion. Over the course of an hour, we’ll examine how traditional structure can be a tool in the development and execution of your screen story from the ground up.9900
Joshua Malkin is a screenwriter, a professor of creative writing at University of California Riverside and Chapman University and co-wrote the acclaimed comic Graphic Novel Unikorn with Don Handfield, currently in pre-production with Stampede Entertainment. He and his wife live in Los Angeles, the proud and bewildered parents of twins.
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Monday the 23rd
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd, #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/41989
Nora Lange, with J. Ryan Stradal and Graham Moore, & Us Fools at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Nora Lange, in conversation with J. Ryan Stradal and Graham Moore, will discuss her novel Us Fools.
Us Foos is a tragicomic, intimate American story of two precocious sisters coming of age during the Midwestern farm crisis of the 1980s.
Joanne and Bernadette Fareown are raised on their family farm in rural Illinois, keenly affected by their parents’ volatile relationship and mounting financial debt, haunted by the cursed history of the women in their family. Largely left to their own devices, the sisters educate themselves on Greek mythology, feminism, and Virginia Woolf, realizing they must find unique ways to cope in these antagonistic conditions, questioning the American Dream as the rest of the country abandons their community in crisis.
As Jo and Bernie’s imaginative solutions for escape come up short against their parents’ realities, the family leaves their farm for Chicago, where Joanne—free-spirited, reckless, and unable to tame her inner violence—rebels in increasingly desperate ways. After her worst breakdown yet, Jo goes into exile in Deadhorse, Alaska, and it is up to Bernadette to use all she’s learned from her sister to revive a sense of hope against the backdrop of a failing world.
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Monday the 23rd
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/nora-lange-discusses-us-fools
Monday Night Fiction Workshop at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – Online Event
This free Monday Night Community Writing Workshop led by Raquel Baker is a workshop in which participants are asked to bring copies of 2-3 pages of fiction to read, and to use for critique and discussion. Registration is required.
Raquel Baker earned a PhD in English Literary Studies from the University of Iowa and an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Postcolonial and Transnational Literatures at California State University Channel Islands, teaching courses on creative writing and contemporary African literatures. Raquel has published poetry in Africology and The Arrow; fiction in Enculturation, The Daily Palette, The Womanist, and Crux; and non-fiction in Little Village; and has done readings with the Ventura County Poetry project. Raquel lives for talking about all things about the craft and social meanings of literature!
Where: Beyond Baroque – Online event
Date: Monday the 23rd
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: Zoom Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.beyondbaroque.org/free_workshops or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/monday-night-fiction-workshop-tickets-1021692940087
Live Talks LA: Connie Chung, with Lisa Ling, & Connie: A Memoir at Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Live Talks LA Presents Connie Chung, in conversation with Lisa Ling, to discuss her book Connie: A Memoir.
Trailblazing broadcast journalist Connie Chung pulls no punches in her sharp, witty memoir that chronicles her incredible life and career.
The American-born daughter of Chinese immigrants, legendary journalist Connie Chung delves into her storied career and how she broke into an overwhelmingly white, male-dominated television news industry at a time when women were relegated to roles behind the scenes.
Connie Chung is a pioneering news anchor and reporter. She began her career in 1969 in local television news in her native Washington, DC and went on to captivate viewers as an anchor at the local CBS affiliate in Los Angeles. She later became the first woman to co-anchor the CBS Evening News—the first Asian to anchor any news program in the United States.
Lisa Ling is currently a special contributor to CBS News. For nine years, she executive produced and hosted “This is Life” on CNN. She’s also been seen on ABC News’ Nightline, OWN, National Geographic, and The View. She is the co-author of two books with her sister, Laura
NOTE: See site for tickets and details.
Where: Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre at New Roads School
Date: Monday the 23rd
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 3131 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404
(Free Parking available at the venue)
Website: https://livetalksla.org/events/connie-chung/
No Pulp Open Mic at Work Evolution Laboratories, Long Beach – In-Person Event
No Pulp Open Mic is offered every 2nd and 4th Monday for All Ages.
Doors open at 7 pm.
More info at https://www.instagram.com/nopulp_media
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Work Evolution Laboratories
Date: Monday the 23rd
Time: 8:30 pm – 11 pm
Address: 235 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802
Website: https://www.lbpoetry.com/
Celena’s Scribes: Workshop with Wil Clarke via Inlandia Institute – Online Event
(All Levels)
Alternating Tuesdays, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 11/5, 11/12, and 11/19/24, 11:30 AM-1:00 PM PT, on Zoom.
Registration required. To register: https://tinyurl.com/Fall2024CWW
Participants respond to prompts about universal themes related to the human condition and are encouraged to explore all genres of writing. Individual writing is shared with a friendly, supportive group who do their best to encourage each member’s success.
Wil Clarke was born in Africa to missionary parents. He lived a total of 27 years in Africa. He is a career mathematician and is enjoying writing memoirs of his various experiences. His motto is, “You only live life once, so you may as well enjoy it the first time around and do all the good you
Where: Inlandia Institute
Date: Monday, the 23(through 11/19)
Time: 11:30 am
Address: Online Event
Website: https://inlandiainstitute.org/events/ or https://inlandiainstitute.org/my-calendar/?mc_id=2383
Special Author Lunch: Laura Dave & The Night We Lost Him at pages: Off-site at Tin Roof Bistro – In-Person Event
Join us for a special Author Luncheon with bestselling author, Laura Dave, in conversation with Rebecca Serle, at Tin Roof Bistro, celebrating the publication of her new novel, The Night We Lost Him.
Laura Dave is the author of the #1 New York Times Bestselling novel, The Last Thing He Told Me which was a Reese’s pick and made into a limited series on Apple TV+. Laura will be in conversation with Rebecca Serle, the New York Times bestselling author of Expiration Dates and more. The luncheon will be held at 11:30 am at Tin Roof Bistro and will include a three-course luncheon and a signed copy of The Night We Lost Him.
This novel is a love story wrapped in a riveting mystery about what it means to be a witness to someone’s life.
NOTE: See site for tickets and details.
Where: pages: at Tin Roof Bistro
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 11:30 am
Address: 3500 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/special-author-luncheon-laura-dave-tin-roof-bistro
Before the Ban Book Club: Transformer: Too Bright to See at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will discuss Too Bright to See by author Kyle Lukoff.
NOTE: THIS DATE IS THE UPDATED SEPTEMBER MEETING DATE. BEFORE THE BAN BOOK CLUB MOVED FROM SEPTEMBER 17TH TO SEPTEMBER 24TH ONLY FOR THIS MONTH.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 1 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/ban-book-club-too-bright-see
Special Author Visit: Stuart Gibbs & Spy School Goes Wild at pages: a bookstore– In-Person Kids & MG Event
Join pages: a bookstore for a special visit with bestselling middle grade author Stuart Gibbs on Tuesday, September 24 at 4:00 pm in our courtyard.
We are thrilled to have Stuart Gibbs return to celebrate the release of Spy School Goes Wild, his twelfth book in the Spy School Series! This is a free event but we hope you will consider purchasing your copy of the book from pages. Books purchased from pages can be signed and personalized at the event OR order ahead and pick-up either at the store or the event! In “order comments” make any personalization requests and note if you would like to pick up at the event (otherwise we will have the book ready for pickup at our store and you will be notified when your book is ready for pickup). We ask that anyone in the signing line purchase a copy of Spy School Goes Wild.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/special-author-visit-stuart-gibbs
Zoom Book Club: via Venice – Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join us the last Tuesday of each month for a discussion of our current selection. Copies available at the front desk. For Zoom link email venice@lapl.org.
Participants will discuss Hello Beautiful by author Ann Napolitano.
Where: Venice – Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 5 pm
Address: Online Zoom Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/zoom-book-club-0
Persian Poetry Forum of Los Angeles at Mar Vista Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
The Persian Poetry Forum of Los Angeles (PerPForm LA) is a library-founded, library-centered programming framework for people of all backgrounds to come together to learn about Persian poetry. The emphasis of the group is to build bridges, engender dialogue, and create a sense of community and well-being in the Los Angeles area by sharing an interest in Persian poetry. We encourage the understanding, interpretation, and discussion of the deeper meanings of Persian poetry in day-to-day life for the development of a community, promotion of mental and enhancement of emotional health and well-being. Our forum promotes a platform to share and discuss both classical and modern Persian poetry and encourages both well-versed and amateur poets to also come and share their poetry. Our programs are mostly presented in the Persian language.
For more information, please email Persian@lapl.org.
Where: Mar Vista Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 12006 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/los-angeles-persian-poetry-forum
Sharing True Stories via Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Tell us about one of your adventures, or just listen and enjoy. The stories can be funny, sad or simply slice-of-life. This is your opportunity to express yourself!
RSVP:
To receive a Zoom invitation, please contact wwood@lapl.org
Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 1246 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/sharing-true-stories
Banned Book Bingo, presented by Bel Canto Books x Alder & Sage – In-Person Event
Join the fight against book banning at our first ever Banned Book Bingo fundraiser, presented by Bel Canto Books x Alder & Sage!
Our special guest bingo caller is Long Beach native and National Book Award finalist Elana K. Arnold. Sixteen of her books have been banned or challenged.
The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has released new data documenting book challenges throughout the United States, finding that challenges of unique titles surged 65% in 2023 compared to 2022 numbers, reaching the highest level ever documented by ALA.
Join us at Banned Book Bingo to show your support for the freedom to read, raise funds for banned books, learn how you can get involved, and win some great banned book prizes!
Early bird tickets, $45 per person through 9/13, include:
wine + snack pairing from Alder & Sage
bingo playing card
bingo prize
$10 donation to a local nonprofit
Tickets after 9/13 will be $50 per person.
Where: Bel Canto Books at Alder & Sage
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 366 Cherry Ave., Long Beach, CA 90814
Phy-Sci Book Club: Transformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will discuss Transformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death by author Nick Lane.
From the renowned biochemist and author of The Vital Question, an illuminating inquiry into the Krebs cycle and the origins of life.
“Nick Lane’s exploration of the building blocks that underlie life’s big fundamental questions—the origin of life itself, aging, and disease—have shaped my thinking since I first came across his work. He is one of my favorite science writers.”—Bill Gates
Transformer unites the story of our planet with the story of our cells—what makes us the way we are, and how it connects us to the origin of life. Enlivened by Lane’s talent for distilling and humanizing complex research, Transformer offers an essential read for anyone fascinated by biology’s great mysteries. Life is at root a chemical phenomenon: this is its deep logic.
Nick Lane is professor of evolutionary biochemistry at University College London and an award-winning author of five books. He codirects UCL’s Centre for Life’s Origins and Evolution (CLOE) and lives in London. Bill Gates calls him “one of my favorite science writers.”
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Mystery Book Club: The Night She Disappeared at Playa Vista Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the novel The Night She Disappeared by author Lisa Jewell.
Where: Playa Vista Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 6400 Playa Vista Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90094
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/mystery-book-club-53
Conchas y Café Zine Workshop with DSTL Arts – Online Event
Be a part of a new fall bilingual writing workshop series with DSTL Arts online.
2024 – 2025 Publishing Year
Conchas y Café Zine; Vol. 10
Series/Issue 1: 9/3/24–12/17/24
Theme: Life’s Paths/Los caminos de la vida
Google Classroom Enrollment Code: rvdizwy
See links for details.
Where: DSTL Arts
Date: Tuesday, the 24th (through 12/17/24)
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: Online Google Classroom Event (see site)
Website: https://www.dstlarts.org/calendar or https://www.dstlarts.org/conchasycafezine
Laura Dave, with Jessica Knoll, & The Night We Lost Him at Diesel, A Bookstore – In-Person Event
Laura Dave, in conversation with Jessica Knoll, will discuss her new novelThe Night We Lost Him.
From the author of The Last Thing He Told Me —the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster.
Liam Noone was many things to many people. To the public, he was an exacting, self-made hotel magnate fleeing his past. To his three ex-wives, he was a loving albeit distant family man who kept his finances flush and his families carefully separated. To Nora, he was a father who often loved her from afar—notably, a cliffside cottage perched on the California coast where he fell to his death. The authorities rule the death accidental, but Nora and her estranged brother Sam have other ideas.
Where: Diesel, A Bookstore
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 225 26th St., # 33, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://www.dieselbookstore.com/event/Laura-Dave-September-24-Author-signing
Ian Brennan, with Gary Phillips, & Missing Music: Voices from Where the Dirt Road Ends at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Ina Brennan, in conversation with Gary Phillips, will discuss his book Missing Music: Voices from Where the Dirt Road Ends.
Grammy-winning music producer and author Ian Brennan’s ongoing quest to provide musical platforms for underrepresented nations and populations around the world.
In a compact and quick-read format, Missing Music collects the latest narratives from Brennan’s field-recording treks.
This edition features a greater emphasis on storytelling and an even greater abundance of photos from his wife, Italian-Rwandan photographer/filmmaker Marilena Umuhoza Delli. Together, they meet the elderly shamans of the world’s most musical language, Taa, a tongue that sadly is dying, with fewer than 2,500 speakers left.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/ian-brennan-gary-phillips
On Black-Palestinian Solidarity at Scribble – In-person Event
A conversation on Black and Palestinian solidarity, featuring:
Dr. Robin Kelley distinguished professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History, one of the world’s most respected specialists in social movements, African American history, and cultural studies for whom Palestine has long occupied a central place in his thinking and writing.
Celine Qussiny an activist in various pro-Palestinian organizations, including Students for Justice in Palestine and the Palestinian Youth Movement.
Adrian Chen a Jewish-American writer and activist. A former staff writer at The New Yorker, Gawker and Slate. He advocates for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and a stoppage of the genocide.
Maya Binyam an award-winning author whose debut novel, Hangman, was named a recognized as a National Book Foundation “5 under 35”. She is currently a Visiting Lecturer in Literature at Claremont McKenna College.
Safia Elhillo a Sudanese-American poet and novelist whose work has received numerous accolades, including the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets and a Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Honor.
Amanee Izhaq is a Palestinian-American poet, producer, and director; the daughter of a Palestinian family that was driven from their home in 1948.
Where: Scribble
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 5541 York Boulevard, Highland Park, CA 90042
Website: https://www.palfest.org/full-schedule/a-conversation-on-black-and-palestinian-solidarity
Non-Fiction Book Club: The Presidents and The People at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss The Presidents and The People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It by author Corey Brettschneider (appearing by Zoom).
American presidents have often pushed the boundaries established for them by the Constitution; this is the inspirational history of the people who pushed back.
Imagine an American president who imprisoned critics, spread a culture of white supremacy, and tried to upend the law so that he could commit crimes with impunity.
In this propulsive and eminently readable history, constitutional law and political science professor Corey Brettschneider provides a thoroughly researched account of assaults on democracy by not one such president but five.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/nonfiction-book-club-5
Author Talk: Yazmin Monet Watkins, with Melina Abdullah & A Vessel Born to Float at Reparations Club – In-Person Event
Poet and multi-hyphenate Yazmin Monet Watkins, in conversation with Melina Abdullah, will discuss her debut collection A Vessel Born to Float.
Yazmin Monet Watkins is a poet, comedian, writer, actress, educator, and organizer whose body of work weaves art and activism, exploring the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, self-love, and all things Black Girl Magic. A Posse scholar and a graduate of Dickinson College, Watkins’ work can be seen on NBC’s Grand Crew and Comedy Central, alongside Paul Downs, Lucia Aniello, and the all-Black female comedy group, Obama’s Other Daughters. Watkins serves as the co-chair of the Arts & Culture committee for Black Lives Matter Los Angeles. Once, Beyoncé said she liked her hair.
Melina Abdullah is Professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State LA’s College of Ethnic Studies, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter – Los Ángeles and Black Lives Matter Grassroots, where she is also Director. She is a leader in the California Faculty Association (the faculty union), both locally and statewide, and mama of three. Dr. Abdullah earned her Ph.D. from University of Southern California in Political Science and her B.A. from Howard University in African American Studies. Abdullah has authored numerous articles and book chapters. Known by the moniker, Doc Melly Mel, she is creator, host, and producer of the radio programs Move the Crowd on KPFK 90.7 FM and This Is Not a Drill! on KBLA Talk 1580, and is a recognized expert on race, gender, class, and social movements. In April 2024, Abdullah was announced as vice-presidential pick for Dr. Cornel West in his run for president of the United States on a platform of “Truth, Justice, and Love.” She is the first Muslim to run for the vice-presidency.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Reparations Club
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 3054 S. Victoria Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90266
Website: https://rep.club/products/yazmin-monet-watkins-event
Sci-Fi Fantasy Book Club: The Employees at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss The Employees by author Olga Ravn.
This event is for the Tolkien nerds, SJM stans, and R.F. Kuang enjoyers, this group is for you! On the fourth Tuesday of every month, we will come together and discuss a story that falls within the realms of either science fiction or fantasy (or sometimes both!). To join our emailing list, reach out to events@villagewell.com.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Tuesday the 24th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/42055
Bob Wiess & Dream Chasing at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Bob Wiess will discuss his book Dream Chasing: My Four Decades of Success and Failure with Walt Disney Imagineering.
The author recounts working on and overseeing projects that took him from Anaheim, California, to the swampy wetlands of Central Florida, and even on to Paris; Washington, D.C.; Russia; Tokyo; Shanghai; and the massive shipyards of Papenburg, Germany.
Bob Weis is a dreamer who believes that if you can imagine it, you can do it. He was an Imagineer over a forty-year span, from 1980 to 2023. In those years, Bob worked on every Disney park and resort around the world. He was president of Walt Disney Imagineering from 2016 to 2022, and a Disney Global Imagineering Ambassador after that. His passion for storytelling and creative collaboration, new technologies, and for the vibrancy of the guest experience has driven him through projects from Tokyo Disneyland (and later its accompanying park, Tokyo DisneySea) and Disney Hollywood Studios to the reinvention of Disney California Adventure and on to Shanghai Disneyland. Weis also led the creative development of the new Triton class of cruise ships, the first of which was the critically acclaimed Disney Wish. Outside of Disney, Weis has served as a consultant to the Kennedy Space Center, Smithsonian, New York City’s Rockefeller Center, U. S. Navy, and Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91001
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/bob-weis-discusses-dream-chasing
Muse of Fire Open Mic at The Wicked Wolf, Long Beach – In-Person Event
Hosted by Philosophy!
Ages 21+
Follow https://www.instagram.com/philosophystyle/ for more info.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: TheWicked Wolf
Date: Tuesday the 24th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 2332 Pacific Ave., Long Beach, CA 90806
Website: https://www.lbpoetry.com/
The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic: Rick Lupert & Guest LB Sedlacek – Online Zoom Event
The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic with host Rick Lupert presents guest reader LB Sedlacek and an open mic.
LB Sedlacek is a poet, writer, and poem critic. Her poetry books and chapbooks include: Unresponsive Sky, Night Swim, Swim, Simultaneous Submissions, Words and Bones, The Poet Next Door, and The Architect of French Fries. She is also author of the short stories books The Jackalope Committee and Other Tales and Four Thieves of Vinegar & Other Short Stories. She published “The Poetry Market E-zine,” a free monthly resource for poets for 20 years. L.B. also created @poetryinla on FB which inspired the poetry book “Poetry in LA – Only in LA.” She has taught poetry to elementary and middle school students.
Where: Cobalt Poets – Online Zoom Event
Date: Tuesday, the 24th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt
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 24th
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
Mystery Book Club: A Bitter Feast at Once Upon a Time, Montrose – In-Person Event
Start your morning with a lively discussion of Deborah Crombie’s A Bitter Feast A Novel (Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novels #18).:
Whether you loved it, hated it, or haven’t finished it, we want to see you at our Mystery Book Group at America’s Oldest Children’s Bookstore!
We will be meeting to discuss the book outside of the shop in the circle in front of Star Cafe. You may still email your thoughts to share with our club if you are unable to attend in-person.
Where: Once Upon a Time
Date: Wednesday, the 25th
Time: 9 am
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/mystery-book-group-bitter-feast-deborah-crombie
Coffee Time Book Club: The Safekeeper at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss The Safekeeper by author Yael Van Der Wouden.
An exhilarating, twisted tale of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961—a powerful exploration of the legacy of WWII and the darker parts of our collective past.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Wednesday, the 25th
Time: 10 am
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/coffee-time-book-club-31
Wednesday Book Club: The Light of Paris at Westchester – Loyola Village Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the novel The Light of Paris by author Eleanor Brown. New members welcome!
Where: Westchester – Loyola Village Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday, the 25th
Time: 12 pm
Address: 7114 W. Manchester Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90045
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/wednesday-book-club-9
Classics Book Club: A Separate Peace at Westchester – Granada Hills Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Participants will discuss the novel A Separate Peace by author John Knowles. New members welcome!
RSVP:
Please email grnhls@lapl.org for the Zoom link.
Where: Westchester – Loyola Village Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday, the 25th
Time: 1 pm
Address: 7114 W. Manchester Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90045
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/classics-book-club-separate-peace
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 25th
Time: 2 pm – 2:30 pm
Address: On-air Event (live)
Website: https://www.kpfk.org/on-air/poets-cafe/
Iacoboni Book Club: This Tender Land at Angleo M. Iacoboni Library, LACL – Online Event
Join us for our monthly book club! This month we’ll be discussing This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. Copies of the book will be available at the customer service desk. This program is for adults.
Where: Angelo M. Iacoboni Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday, the 25h
Time: 3 pm – 4 pm
Address: 4990 Clark Ave., Lakewood, CA 90712
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11829610
Author Talk: Katherine Applegate, with Gennifer Choldenko, & Dogtown, a Mouse and His Dog at Manhattan Beach Library, LACL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko will discuss their NEW book Dogtown, a Mouse and His Dog: A Dogtown Book
Mouse lives in Dogtown, a dog shelter for real dogs and robot dogs, and is determined to help his best friend Buster find his forever home. But the world is big and Mouse is only a mouse, so what can he do to help?
Where: Manhattan Beach Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday, the 25th
Time: 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Address: 1320 Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11428094
Sci-Fi Book Club: A Princess of Mars at Van Nuys Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Observe the one-year anniversary of the Van Nuys Branch Library’s Science Fiction Book Club. We will discuss A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Copies of this novel are available at the library.
Plot: Former Civil War soldier John Carter must contend with warlike alien tribes on the surface of the desolate world of Barsoom, known to humans as Mars.
Where: Van Nuys Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday, the 25th
Time: 5 pm – 6 pm
Address: 6250 Sylmar Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91401
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/sci-fi-book-club-princess-mars-edgar-rice-burroughs
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 25th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: On-air Event (live at 101.5 FM)
Website: https://www.lapoetsociety.org/events
All Genres Workshop with Victoria Waddle via Inlandia Institute – Online Event
(All Levels)
Alternating Wednesdays, 9/11, 9/25, 10/9, 10/23, and 11/6/24, 6:00-9:00 PM PT, on Zoom.
$50. Registration required. To register: https://tinyurl.com/Fall2024CWW
In this multi-genre workshop, participants submit poetry and prose for biweekly critiques and receive feedback from other group members. Discussions include the craft of writing and the challenges writers face. The workshop leader provides biweekly articles and links related to participants’ work, particularly to problems that were discussed in the previous session.
Victoria Waddle is a Pushcart Prize-nominated writer, with fiction and nonfiction published in literary journals and anthologies, including in Best Short Stories from The Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction Contest. A collection of her short fiction, Acts of Contrition, is available from Los Nietos Press and her chapbook, The Mortality of Dogs and Humans, is available from Bamboo Dart Press. Her YA novel about a teen escaping a polygamist cult is coming from Inlandia Books. Previously the managing editor of Inlandia: A Literary Journey, she helped to establish a yearly teen issue. In a previous life, she was a high school English teacher and librarian.
Where: Inlandia Institute
Date: Wednesday, the 25th
Time: 6 pm – 9 pm
Address: Online Event
Website: https://inlandiainstitute.org/my-calendar/?mc_id=2362
Jack Carlson & Rowing Blazers: Revised and Expanded Edition at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Jack Carlson will discuss his book Rowing Blazers: Revised and Expanded Edition.
Renowned designer and former US national team oarsman Jack Carlson’s revised and expanded edition of Rowing Blazers is an essential and glorious celebration of the classic garment.
This handsome, eye-catching ode to the classic rowing blazer is a must-have for anyone who has raced the rivers or cheered on their favorite crew. Classic American style was born in British boathouses, where the very first blazers were made for college rowing clubs. This book, now revised and expanded, was created by champion rower Jack Carlson, who offers an insider’s guide to the elaborately striped, piped, trimmed, and badged garments, as well as the stories, historic clubs, and races associated with them and, of course, the elite athletes themselves.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Wednesday, the 25th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/jack-carlson
Rebecca Faubian, with Bridget Morrissey, & The Lovers at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
Rebecca Faubian, in conversation with Bridget Morrissey, will discuss her novel The Lovers.
A second chance at love is in the cards for two women working a stylish California wedding in this debut romance novel.
There will be a book signing to follow.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Wednesday, the 25th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 3806 Main St., Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
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 25th
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
At Skylight: Mark Webber, with Simon Reynolds and Tosh Berman, & I’m With Pulp, Are You? at Skylight – In-Person Event
Mark Webber, in conversation with Simon Reynolds and Tosh Berman, will discuss his book, I’m With Pulp, Are You?
The book gathers material from Mark’s extensive collection of ephemera and objects accumulated over the last five decades of his involvement with the band. The lavishly illustrated pages combine images with Webber’s reminiscences to chronicle a history of the band told from the inside. It includes photographs, flyers, record covers, set lists, stickers, posters, press clippings, merchandise, and masses of promotional material. I’m With Pulp, Are You? also features a foreword by Jarvis Cocker, and newly commissioned essays by music writers Simon Reynolds and Luke Turner.
Mark Webber plays guitar and keyboards in Pulp. Having been a teenage fan of the band, he first worked for them as tour manager and fan club president before joining the group in 1995. Away from music, Mark is an established curator of artist’s film and video and has edited and published several books on cinema.
Simon Reynolds is the author of Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-84, Retromania: Pop Culture’s Addiction to Its Own Past, Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture, Shock and Awe: Glam Rock and its Legacy and Futuromania: Electronic Dream, Desiring Machines, and Tomorrow’s Music Today. A freelance contributor to Pitchfork and The Guardian, he also operates a number of blogs centered around Blissblog http://blissout.blogspot.com/. Born in the U.K., Reynolds currently lives in Los Angeles and teaches in the Experimental Pop program at the California Institute of the Arts.
Tosh Berman is a writer and poet who has three books released: TOSH: Growing Up in Wallace Berman’s World (City Lights), The Plum in Mr. Blum’s Puddng (Penny-ante Editions), and Sparks-Tastic (Rare Bird).
Where: Skylight
Date: Wednesday, the 25th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Vroman’s Fiction Reading Group: & Dr. No at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Participantswill discuss Dr. No by author Percival Everett.
The Vroman’s Fiction Reading Group meets the 4th Wednesday of every month at 7pm.
This event is free and open to the public.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Vroman’s, The Atrium
Date: Wednesday, the 25th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 709 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91001
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/vromans-fiction-reading-group-13
Esinam Bediako, with Jayne Allen, & Blood on the Brain at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Esinam Bediako, in conversation with Jayne Allen, will discuss here book Blood on the Brain.
Blood on the Brain is an impulsive, madcap, and newly concussed young woman comes of age as she navigates her Ghanaian American identity, her relationships, and the muddled landscape of history, memory, imagination, and delusion. It is a novel about the complications of family, romance, and culture—and how coming of age can feel like a blow to the head.
Esinam Bediako is a Ghanaian American writer from Detroit. She is the author of the Ann Petry Award-winning novel, Blood on the Brain (Red Hen Press, 2024), as well as the essay/poetry chapbook, Self-Talk (Porkbelly Press, 2024). You can find some of her recent work in Porter House Review, Cathexis Northwest Press, Great River Review, North American Review, and Southern Humanities Review. Esi lives in Claremont, CA with her husband and their two sons, who create stories, videos, and other artwork with enviable speed and imagination.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Wednesday, the 25th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91001
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/esinam-bediako-discusses-blood-brain
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 25th
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 Event
Beyond Baroque’s longest-running free poetry workshop is offered on Zoom and welcomes new and seasoned poets to share their work and provide feedback. Please be prepared to share one poem. This workshop will be hosted via the Zoom video-conferencing platform. Please sign up for each workshop session at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, and you will be contacted with instructions on how to join the meeting.
The workshop facilitator this quarter is 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 25th
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-1023628058077
Poetry Reading & Open Mic by Two Idiots Peddling Poetry with Ben Trigg and Guest Daved A. Romero at The Ugly Mug – In-Person Event
Host Ben Trigg and Two Idiots Peddling Poetry at the Ugly Mug on Wednesday Nights will feature David A. Romero.
David A. Romero is a Mexican American spoken word artist from Diamond Bar, CA. Romero is the author of My Name Is Romero (FlowerSong Press), a book reviewed by Gustavo Arellano (¡Ask a Mexican!), Curtis Marez (University Babylon), and founding member of Ozomatli, Ulises Bella. Romero has received honorariums from over seventy-five colleges and universities in thirty-three different states in the USA. Romero was a guest for the inaugural Elba Poetry Festival in Tuscany, Italy and has featured for Paris Lit Up in Paris, France. Romero’s work has been published in literary magazines in the United States, England, and Canada. Romero has opened for Latin Grammy winning bands Ozomatli and La Santa Cecilia. Romero’s work has been published in anthologies alongside poets laureate Joy Harjo, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Luis J. Rodriguez, Jack Hirschman, and Tongo Eisen-Martin. Romero has won the Uptown Slam at the historic Green Mill in Chicago; the birthplace of slam poetry. Romero’s poetry deals with family, identity, social justice issues, and Latinx culture.
$4 cover fee, cash only
NOTE: See site for further details.
Where: The Ugly Mug, Orange
Date: Wednesday, the 25th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 261 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA 92866
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events
All Genres Workshop with Mae Wagner Marinello via Inlandia Institute – In-Person Event
(All Levels)
*This workshop is full. No new registrations will be accepted at this time.
This ongoing writing workshop meets weekly at Redlands Community Center. Memoir writing, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction writing are all encouraged and welcome. Discover the pure joy of writing and creating with others in a supportive environment.
Mae Wagner Marinello has been a part of Inlandia since a 2008 writing workshop with Ruth Nolan. In 2014, she began facilitating a weekly writing workshop called Joslyn Joy Writers, at the Joslyn Senior Center in Redlands. During the pandemic lockdown, the weekly workshop continued on Zoom; it is now a hybrid class averaging between 10-20 combined participants on Zoom and in-person.
Where: Inlandia Institute
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 11 am – 1 pm
Address: Online Event
Website: https://inlandiainstitute.org/events/ or https://inlandiainstitute.org/my-calendar/?mc_id=2395
Book Discussion: Middlemarch at Sunland – Tujunga Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the novel Middlemarch by author George Eliot.
Join us for this community-led book discussion of George Eliot’s Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life. Published in serialized installments of eight books from Dec. 1871 to Dec. 1872, it is now widely considered one of the greatest English novels of all time. In this session, we will be discussing Books I through IV.
Book I: Miss Brooke
Book II: Old and Young
Book III: Waiting for Death
Book IV: Three Love Problems
Where: Sunland – Tujunga Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 1 pm
Address: 7771 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga, CA 91042
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-discussion-1
We Love L.A. Book Club: L.A. Weather at Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the novel L.A. Weather by author María Amparo Escandón.
We Love L.A. Book Club examines books and authors that weave the diversity and rich history of our city into their works.
The selection for September is L.A. Weatherby María Amparo Escandón. The book follows the Alvarado family during a year in Los Angeles as they wrestle with impending evacuations, secrets, deception, betrayal, and their toughest decision yet: whether to stick together or burn it all down.
The library will have copies to check out, or check our website’s e-media page for electronic access on Libby and hoopla.
Where: Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 5027 Caspar Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/we-love-la-book-club-14
Adult Literacy Poetry Night at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Celebrate the power of words with the Adult Literacy program, as our City of Seasons’ participants read their own work in the Mark Taper Auditorium. Enjoy an evening of poems, refreshments, and community. Reception to follow event.
RSVP:
Please RSVP by filling out this google form.
Where: Central Library, LAPL, Mark Taper Auditorium
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/adult-literacy-poetry-night
Sci-Fi Book Club: The Forever War with Guest Joe Halderman via Mark Twain Library – Online Event
The Sci-Fi Short Story Club is taking a break from short stories and reading one of the great SF novels with the author in tow! Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the seminal 1974 military science fiction novel The Forever War with sci-fi lovers from across the universe via Zoom.
We’ll be joined by the book’s author Joe Haldeman for the discussion on this special occasion.
The Forever War is available from the Library in print, eBook, eAudiobook and Book on CD.
RSVP:
RSVP here or email mtwain@lapl.org for the Zoom link.
Where: Mark Twain Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/sci-fi-book-club-forever-war-guest-joe-haldeman
Cover to Cover Book Club at Mid-Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join us for a discussion of the monthly book selection and check with library for special information on this meeting only.
Zoom Only. Email Midval@lapl.org for more information.
Where: Mid-Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 16244 Nordhoff St., North Hills, CA 91343
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/cover-cover-book-club
Book Talk: Stuart Eisenstat, with Michael Cantor, & The Art of Diplomacy at Chevalier’s Books – In-Person Event
Stuart Eisenstat, in conversation with Michale Cantor, will discuss his book, The Art of Diplomacy.
This new book examines significant international agreements from the last 50 years through the lens of diplomats who made them possible.
In one readable volume, diplomat and negotiator Stuart E. Eizenstat covers every major contemporary international agreement, from the treaty to end the Vietnam War to the Kyoto Protocols and the Iranian Nuclear Accord. Written from the perspective that only a participant in top level negotiations can bring, Eizenstat recounts the events that led up to the negotiation, the drama that took place around the table, and draws lessons from successful and unsuccessful strategies and tactics. Based on interviews with over 60 key figures in American diplomacy, including former presidents and secretaries of state, and major political figures abroad, Eizenstat provides an intimate view of diplomacy as today’s history. The Art of Diplomacy will be an indispensable volume to understand American foreign policy and provide invaluable insights on the art of negotiation for anyone involved in government or business negotiations.
Stuart Eizenstat served as the United States Ambassador to the European Union from 1993 to 1996 and as the United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001. He is currently the head of international trade and finance at the law firm of Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C.
Where: Chevalier’s
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Children’s Bilingual Book Club at Sorenson Library, LACL – In-Person Kids & Family Event (Join the Waitlist)
Join us for a bilingual (English/Spanish) book club that will allow you to practice reading aloud and improve your reading comprehension skills. For ages 5 – 12.
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we will read Dreamers/Soñadores by Yuyi Morales. The author tells her own immigration story. We will share our thoughts about the story over conchas, chocolate, and other snacks. Copies of the book will be distributed at the start of the book club and available for checkout afterwards.
Attendance is limited and advance registration is required. To sign up, see library staff, or register online at Visit.LACountyLibrary.org/Events and filter by location or event date.
Where: Sorenson Library, LACL
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 6934 Broadway Ave., Whittier, CA 90606
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11290866
Nervous Ghost Open Mic at Brewjeria Co., Pico Rivera – In-Person Event
Join us for Nervous Ghost Open Mic, with Community Guest Emcee K.R. Morrison.
Sin up today at links listed on site.
Where: Brewjeria Co.
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 4937 Durfee Ave., Pico Rivera, CA 90660
Website: https://www.nervousghostpress.org/openmic
Mary Bonnet & Selling Sunshine: Surviving Teenage Motherhood, Thriving in Luxury Real Estate, and Finally Finding My Voice at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Mary Bonnet will discuss her book Selling Sunshine: Surviving Teenage Motherhood, Thriving in Luxury Real Estate, and Finally Finding My Voice.
The fan-favorite star of Netflix’s hit reality series Selling Sunset recalls her life in and out of the spotlight, an inspiring and surprising chronicle of adversity, tragedy, trauma, and success.
Mary candidly reveals the most grueling and darkest moments of her personal journey. Becoming a mother at sixteen, she was forced to rely on her own resolve and tenacity, juggling multiple jobs while attending school and caring for her son. With vulnerability and grace, Mary reflects on how her crash-course in adulthood not only changed her, but prepared her for the trials to come, including two painful divorces and toxic relationships. Despite the pain, she kept moving forward even in the aftermath of terrifying trauma.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/mary-bonnet
An Evening with Author Trisha R. Thomas, with Jayne Allen, & The Secret Keeper of Main Street at Malik Books – In-Person Event
Trisha R. Thomas, In conversation with Jayne Allen, will discuss her new book The Secret Keeper of Main Street.
Trisha R Thomas is a highly acclaimed author known for her captivating debut novel, Nappily Ever After, chosen by Oprah Winfrey ‘O Magazine as a Book That Made A Difference. Nappily Ever After was adapted and released as a feature film on Netflix starring Sanaa Lathan as well as other notable actors who made history for having the first female Saudi director, Haifaa al-Mansour. Both, book and film were nominated for NAACP Image Awards. She is a Literary Lion Award honoree by the King County Library Foundation. She’s written for the Los Angeles Review of Books, Writer’s Digest, and used her depth of insight on national platforms such as CNN as a Cultural Analyst.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Malik Books (Westfield Culver City)
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 6000 Sepulveda Blvd., Ste. 2470, Culver City, Ca 90230
Website: https://malikbooks.com/events-1/ola/services/an-evening-with-author-trisha-r-thomas
Author Event: Taylor Hahn, with Kate Spencer, & A Home for the Holidays at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Event
Taylor Hahn, in conversation with Kate Spencer, will discuss her novel A Home for the Holidays.
This novel is a moving exploration of complicated grief, mother-daughter relationships, loving someone with addiction, and the redemptive power of opening one’s heart to love in all its forms. It’s a moving exploration of complicated grief, mother-daughter relationships, loving someone with addiction, and the redemptive power of love.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines and details.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/special-author-event-taylor-hahn-conversation-kate-spencer
GEN X | Over 40 Romance Panel Event at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
This panel event features authors Cathy Yardley, L.B. Dunbar, Jess K. Hardy, and Cindy Kehaglar, who will talk about their recent releases.
There will be a book signing to follow. This is a ticketed event.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 3806 Main St., Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
At Skylight: Lilliam Rivera, with Tanarive Due, & Tiny Threads at Skylight – In-Person Event
Lilliam Rivera, in conversation with Tanarive Due, will discuss her book, Tiny Threads: A Novel.
Fashion-obsessed Samara finally has the life she’s always dreamed of: A high-powered job with legendary designer Antonio Mota. A new home in sunny California, far away from those drab Jersey winters. And an intriguing love interest, Brandon, a wealthy investor in Mota’s fashion line.
But it’s not long before Samara’s dream life begins to turn into a living nightmare as Mota’s big fashion show approaches and the pressure on her turns crushing. Perhaps that’s why she begins hearing voices in her room at night—and seeing strange things that can’t be explained away by stress or anxiety or the number of drinks she’s been consuming.
And it may not be just Samara imagining things as her psyche unravels, because she soon discovers hints that her new city—and the House of Mota—may be built on a foundation of secrets and lies. Now Samara must uncover what hideous truths lurk in the shadows of this illusory world of glamour and beauty before those shadows claim her.
Lilliam Rivera is a MacDowell Fellow and an award-winning author of eight works of fiction: four young adult novels, three middle grade books, and a graphic novel for DC Comics. Her books have been awarded a Pura Belpré honor and featured on NPR and in The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and multiple “best of” lists. Her novel Never Look Back is slated for a movie adaptation. A Bronx, New York, native, Lilliam Rivera currently lives in Los Angeles.
Tananarive Due (tah-nah-nah-REEVE doo) is an award-winning author who teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA.
Where: Skylight
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-lilliam-rivera-presents-tiny-threads-w-tananarive-due
Wax Poetic Reading Series with host Nikolai Garcia at Sonida Del Valle DTLA – In-Person Event
Join us for the final Wax Poetic event at Sonida Del Valles, featuring:
Words by:
Mimi Tempestt is a multidisciplinary artist, poet, daughter of California, and is currently a doctoral student in the Creative/Critical PhD in Literature at UC Santa Cruz. Her debut collection of poems, the monumental misrememberings, is published with Co-Conspirator Press (2020). Her new collection The Delicacy of Embracing Spirals, is published by City Lights (2023). Her works can be found in Foglifter, Apogee Journal, Interim Poetics, and The Studio Museum in Harlem. A native of Los Angeles, she currently resides in Berkeley, CA.
Tauri/Rosie Alonzo is a poet and writer and editor of Acid Verse Literary Journal.
Laura Sermeno is a poet and writer, VONA participant, and in 2017, along with her womxn-centered writing circle, Las Lunas Locas, her poetry was published in an anthology. She never traditionally captured the art of poetry-making, instead relying on her inner beat and only the most raw inspiration with which to write. She claims celestial goddess power, speaks truth and hopes to give mexicana princesas a good name.
Esmeralda Barcena N/A
Sounds by: Los Tios Del Valle.
Special Performance by: The Paranoias.
Hosted by Nikolai Garcia.
Where: Sonida Del Valle
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 2108 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90033
Website: N/A
Book Launch: Isabella Israel & We Were Dolphins Together at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event
Join us for the book launch for Isabella Israel’s We Were Dolphins Together, featuring readings from:
Nada Alić is a Croatian Canadian writer based in Los Angeles. Her debut short story collection Bad Thoughts was published by Vintage Books in 2022. Bad Thoughts was a New York Times Editors’ Choice pick and a runner-up for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award in 2023.
Sawsan Ezz-Eidin is the creator of Disassociation Station on Substack.
Ember Knight is the creator of Ember Knight Wiki Show and Webtoon series.
Lily Lady is known for Sam’s World.
Sally Slum N/A
Where: Stories Books & Café
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
YA Book Discussion: Julie True Kingsley & The Space Between You and Me at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person YA Event
Celebrate the L.A. launch of Julie True Kingsley’s novel The Space Between You and Me.
For Clem, summers are for Maine—for wandering the blueberry barrens, helping her grandmother on the farm, and stargazing with her parents. But her grandmother is gone, she hasn’t talked to her mom in months, and her dad is devoted to the family business. Now, all Clem wants to think about is a dance audition that could get her into Juilliard. She doesn’t need another distraction. Then she meets Rico.
Julie Tru Kingsley will be joined by novelist Trish Lundy {The One That Got Away with Murder) to discuss the writing process, immigrant stories, and what it means to write YA in this lively discussion.
Julie True Kingsley is a lifelong Mainer passionate about changing the world with stories. She’s co-host of The Manuscript Academy podcast and co-founder of The Manuscript Academy. When she’s not actively writing, critiquing, podcasting, or reading too much, you might find her hugging a tree on a nice hike, enjoying a good paddle, or camping in the woods. She’s taught almost everything from preschool to grad school, but her very favorite thing to teach is writing.
Trish Lundy is an East Coast transplant who now calls California home. She received her BA in English from UCLA, where she fell in love with the craft of writing. She’s worked in the film industry, in marketing, and is also a former hospice & palliative care volunteer. The One That Got Away with Murder is her debut novel.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Get your tickets on EVENTBRITE!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/41964
Lit Angels – Write Because You Love It with Tracey Simmons at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
A new creative writing class that brings back the allure to writing. In our society we spend so much time doing what we’re “supposed to do,” rather than what we love. What about that yearning inside that’s begging to express itself creatively? Now is your chance to create a new habit and a world you would love to read on paper. To fall in love with writing again.
Tracey Simmons has an MFA in Creative Writing, from Antioch University LA. Her writing has been published in Aunt Chloe: A Journal of Artful Candor, Wussy Magazine, Reclamation Magazine, and Lit Angels, and she leads writing groups at various wellness and recovery centers. Tracey is currently finishing her debut novel, Specimen.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Get your tickets on EVENTBRITE!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/41777
Chris Nichols and Adriene Biondo & Bowlorama: The Architecture of Mid-Century Bowling at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Authors Chris Nichols and Adriene Biondo will present and discuss their book Bowlorama: The Architecture of Mid-Century Bowling.
Bowling alleys were modern palaces; companies constantly aimed to outdo each other, whether competing for the most spectacular architecture, the most luxurious lanes, the snazziest bowling balls, or the most exciting refreshments they could offer. Bowlarama brings back―in living color―all the excitement in its lavishly illustrated pages, packed with vintage photographs, exciting ephemera, and detailed hand-drawn architectural renderings that capture all the optimism, enthusiasm, and joie de vivre of the era.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91001
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/chris-nichols-and-adriene-biondo-discuss-bowlarama-architecture-mid-century-bowling
Skulls & Stairs Reading Event at Beyond Baroque – In-Person Event
Join Beyond Baroque for the third Skulls & Stairs reading event, to be held hearing poets reading in the staircase.
Skulls & Stairs is a reading series showcasing poets beyond text dwelling on the goth and the illuminating void.
This installment features performances in the staircase by poets Mateo Perez Lara, Lupita Limón Corrales, Mylo Lam, and music by PAiSLEY. Before and after the readings catch a short film by Lupita Limon Corrales screening in the Wanda Coleman Theater.
Mateo Perez Lara (they/them/theirs) is a queer, non-binary, Latinx poet from California. They have a pamphlet of poems, Glitter Gods, showcased with Thirty West Publishing House. They have an MFA in Poetry from Randolph College. Their poems have been published in EOAGH, The Maine Review, The Acentos Review, and elsewhere.
Lupita Limón Corrales is a poet, educator, party girl, organizer, interpreter, and karaoke DJ. Her work can be found in dozens of zines and handmade books, including: Protean Magazine, Longreads, and Huizache. ‘EARTH DEBT’ was previously featured on Street Views, a mutual aid newspaper by and for unhoused Angelenos, and ‘QUERUBIN/MOHAWK STREET’ was previously published on an email newsletter for TANC, a newsletter for the Tenant and Neighborhood Councils of the Bay Area.
Mylo Lam was born in Vietnam and currently lives in Los Angeles where he grew up. He and his family are refugees from Cambodia. Mylo’s work has been published or is forthcoming in The Margins, Beloit Poetry Journal, Nightboat Books, and elsewhere. His multimedia work won Palette Poetry’s Brush & Lyre Prize, his poetry won Blood Orange Review’s Emerging Writers Contest, and his chapbook AND NOT/AND YET was published by Quarterly West. He is currently pursuing his MFA in Poetry at Randolph College.
PAiSLEY is a trans Indigenous unhoused storyteller & anarchist street healer. He uses writing, music, and video as vehicles to process generational harm & build towards a collectively liberated future. You can stay connected with him online thru his independent street news channel R.V. T.V. (@rvtvshow) on Instagram.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 7:30 pm
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Pour Up the Poetry Party: Whiskey & Words Artist Showcase with LionLIkeMindstate & Judah 1– In-Person Event
Spoken Word and Live Musicians event hosted by Judah 1 in Pomona!
The Whiskey GamOlympics.
Full Bar and Bomb Food at @fuegorestaurantevents
Come Ealry for Food and Drink Specials.
PreSale Tickets and RSVP tickets available at Eventbrite.
Link in Bio.
Tony Award Winning, HBO Def Poet @poetrithepoet is Coming with his Unique Brand of Poetry.
Live Beat Set with @erozilla
Live Music Set with Duo @famlikelyofficial
And @justinhisprime is releasing his new BOOK
Note: See site link to purchase tickets.
Where: Fuego Cocina, Pomona
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 8 pm (Doors at 7 pm)
Address: 205 E. 2nd St., Pomona, CA 90036
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_4jbAGRqoh/?hl=en&img_index=1
Poetry in the Valley – Open Mic @ Fratelli’s Pizza
Join Poetry in the Valley for a night of pizza and poetry at Fratelli’s Poetry Open Mic—let your words flow in the valley! There are 20 slots available. Hosted by Karima J. “K2” Sphere.
Poetry in the Valley provides that Def Poetry experience for their Poetry Open Mic. If you have ever seen it on TV and wish to be a part of it, this is the Valley experience you need to witness live. Poetry in the Valley, aka “P-Valley,” is a family-friendly environment at Fratelli’s Pizzeria, the most fly in the Valley. It has 20 slots available for performance if you are interested. If you are not interested or don’t get here in time to make the list, enjoy the Poetry community of the Valley. All Donations go to making Poetry in the Valley the dopest local poetry spot you can visit.
Where: Fratelli’s Pizzeria
Date: Thursday, the 26th
Time: 8 pm – 11pm
Address: 16153 Parthenia Street Los Angeles, CA 91343
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-in-the-valley-open-mic-fratellis-pizza
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 27th
Time: 9:30 am
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event
Poetry Reading & Spoken Word at Bookman Bookstore, Orange – In-Person Event
An Open Mic for poetry and spoken word is offered every fourth Friday of the month at Bookman in Orange.
Check to Verify.
Where: Bookman Bookstore, Orange
Date: Friday, the 27th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 320 E. Katella Ave, Orange, CA 92867
Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/318666810220926/?locale=zh_HK
Black Lit Book Club: James at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Book Club participants will discuss the novel James by author Percival Everett.
When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.
Percival Everett is a Distinguished Professor of English at USC. His most recent books include Dr. No (finalist for the NBCC Award for Fiction and winner of the PEN/ Jean Stein Book Award), The Trees (finalist for the Booker Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction), Telephone (finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), So Much Blue, Erasure, and I Am Not Sidney Poitier. He has received the NBCC Ivan Sandrof Life Achievement Award and The Windham Campbell Prize from Yale University. American Fiction, the feature film based on his novel Erasure, was released in 2023 and was awarded the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the writer Danzy Senna, and their children.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Friday, the 27th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/black-lit-book-club-james
Poetry Night & Book Launch: Perry Janes, with Safia Elhillo and Cynthia Dewi Oka, & Find Me When You’re Ready at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Perry James, Safia Elhillo and Cynthia Dewi Oka, will celebrate his book Find Me When You’re Ready.
A powerful debut and a lyric coming-of-age narrative that interrogates the myths we carry.
In Find Me When You’re Ready, Perry Janes traces a sweeping journey from Detroit to Los Angeles. As he leaves home and forges toward California, the speaker in these poems considers how we learn and mis-learn ideas about manhood, confronts the aftershocks of childhood sexual abuse, and questions the human need for belonging. By embracing the touchstones of youth—movies, lore, graphic novels—these poems assert the speaker’s defiant right to childhood even amid damage.
In Girls That Never Die, award-winning poet Safia Elhillo reinvents the epic to explore Muslim girlhood and shame, the dangers of being a woman, and the myriad violences enacted and imagined against women’s bodies. Drawing from her own life and family histories, as well as cultural myths and news stories about honor killings and genital mutilation, she interlaces the everyday traumas of growing up a girl under patriarchy with magical realist imaginings of rebellion, autonomy, and power.
In her fourth poetry collection, A Tinderbox in Three Acts, Cynthia Dewi Oka performs a lyric accounting of the anti-Communist genocide of 1965, which, led by the Indonesian military and with American assistance, erased and devastated millions of lives in Indonesia. Under the New Order dictatorship that ruled by terror for over three decades in the aftermath, perpetrators of the killings were celebrated as national heroes while survivors were systemically silenced. Drawing on US state documents that were only declassified in recent years, Oka gives form and voice to the ghosts that continue to haunt subsequent generations despite decades of state-produced amnesia and disinformation.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Friday, the 27th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/perry-janes-safia-elhillo-cynthia-dewi-oka
Joint Book Event: Falon Ballard and Sophie Sullivan at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
Authors Falon Ballard and Sophie Sullivan will discuss their new novels: All I Want Is You and Can’t Help Falling in Love, respectively.
In All I Want Is You a couple who are both exes and professional rivals, find themselves stranded in a remote Inn a few days before Christmas.
In Can’t Help Falling in Love a struggling waitress and the heir to a major Seattle company stumble into a high-profile fake engagement while trying to keep up with their own love lives.
There will be a book signing to follow. This is a ticketed event.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Friday, the 27th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 3806 Main St., Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
The Definitive Soapbox: Open Mic & Feature Alysha Wise at Wrigley Coffee, Long Beach – In-Person Event
In the heart of Long Beach, California, a unique and vibrant poetry open mic event has been thriving since 2009. The Definitive Soapbox is a testament to the power of community, creativity, and expression. Celebrate 15 years of this community open mic with poet and performer, Alyesha Wise.
Alyesha Wise is an award-winning, published poet, educator & speaker from Camden, N.J. Currently residing in LA, she is the Director of Programming for Street Poets, Inc., an organization mostly serving juvenile injustice-involved youth with mentorship and arts programming. Alyesha has been featured on platforms and in publications such as OWN TV, BET, LA Times, Bustle, Afropunk, PBS, Buzzfeed and more. Other collabs include the ACLU, The Shabazz Center, The Nantucket Project, Brave New Films and the Google Interstellar Project.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: TDSB at Wrigley Coffee
Date: Friday, the 27th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm (Sign-ups at 6:30 pm)
Address: 437 W. Willow St. Long Beach, CA 90806
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_8Tt1bNFXF/
Merideth Hite Estevez, with Deepti Gupta, & The Artist’s Joy at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
In tis workshop and Q&A, Merideth Hite Estevez, oboist, podcast host, and speaker, guides you in transforming the challenges of balancing creativity with a full life. Learn how to manage your energy, shift your lens, and cultivate a sustainable creative practice to unlock lasting joy. Following an interactive workshop, Merideth will troubleshoot challenges and discuss her new book The Artist’s Joy in conversation with Audie award-winning narrator and actress Deepti Gupta.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Get your tickets on EVENTBRITE!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Friday, the 27th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/42314
Elizabeth Acevedo, with Yesika Salgado, & Family Lore: A Novel at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Elizabeth Acevedo, in conversation with Yesika Salgado, will discuss here novel Family Lore, a story of a Dominican family told through the voices of its women.
Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake—a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she’s led—her sisters are surprised. Has Flor foreseen her own death, or someone else’s? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila.
But Flor isn’t the only person with secrets: her sisters are hiding things, too. And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own.
Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo’s inimitable and incandescent voice, this is an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins, aunts and nieces—one family’s journey through their history, helping them better navigate all that is to come.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Friday, the 27th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91001
Anyhow, I Love You: Susan Hayden in Conversation with Steve Hochman at Beyond Baroque – In-Person & YouTube Online Hybrid Event
Join us for “Anyhow, I Love You,” a celebration exploring the vibrant soundtrack in Susan Hayden’s lyrical, hybrid memoir, Now You Are a Missing Person. Susan will share these songs and how they accompanied the writing of the book and have stayed vibrantly present with her today. The author will be in conversation with her husband, music journalist Steve Hochman, in the Wanda Coleman Theater. It promises to be as lively and poignant as it is tuneful!
Now You Are a Missing Person is brought to life with music — the sounds that accompanied and shaped the episodes of her life portrayed so vividly: from the Doors, to Cat Stevens, to Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, to Billy Eckstine, the Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Odetta, to the Village People. These are songs that shined through friendships, forged bonds with her dad, wove through her loves and losses, through her coming of age, through her motherhood and her immersion in and emergence from deep grief.
Book Singing & reception to follow after the readings.
NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, and information.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Friday, the 27th
Time: 8 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd Venice Beach Los Angeles, CA 90291
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/anyhow-i-love-you-susan-hayden-in-conversation-with-steve-hochman
The Poetic Convergence at Get Lit Office – In-Person Event
Join us for our biggest teacher training of the year with some amazing special guests & workshops. This year, we’ve got incredible speakers coming to share their wisdom with you: top vocal coach Roger Love and Marlene Carter of UCLA Writing Project!
You won’t want to miss this day of community connection, classroom strategy, creative sharing, and joy!
NOTE: Register at SITE link.
Where: Get Lit Office
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 9:30 am – 4 pm
Address: 672 La Fayette Park Place, #10, Los Angeles, CA 90057
Website: https://www.getlit.org/events
Los Angeles Libros Festival at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Kids Event
The 6th annual Los Angeles Libros Festival will offer a full day of entertainment featuring Spanish-language and bilingual storytelling, musical performances, authors, workshops, books, and community.
Free and open to the public.
RSVP:
Reserva tu entrada gratis para el festival en Eventbrite.
Reserve your free tickets for the festival on Eventbrite.
Where: Central Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 10 am – 4 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/los-angeles-libros-festival-saturday
How to Get Started When You Don’t Know Where to Start: Workshop with Renee Gurley via Inlandia Institute – In-Person Event
(All Levels)
Alternating Saturdays, 9/14, 9/28, 10/12, 10/26, and 11/9/24, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM PT, on Zoom.
$50. Registration required.
To register: https://tinyurl.com/Fall2024CWW
Do you want to start writing, but don’t know where to begin? Let Renee Gurley show you the way! Learn how to get your thoughts down on paper and expand them into clear ideas. Explore the basics of structure, language use, point of view, story, memoir, and more. “How to Get Started Writing When You Don’t Know Where to Start” will give you concrete tools to help you become the writer you’ve always wanted to be. Beginning and aspiring writers welcome!
Renee Gurley, MA, MFA, is a writer and English teacher with over 20 years of experience with words, whose works have appeared in Coping Magazine, Lehigh Valley Woman’s Journal, and Budget Press.
Where: Inlandia Institute
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 10 am – 12 pm
Address: Online Event
Website: https://inlandiainstitute.org/events/ or https://inlandiainstitute.org/my-calendar/?mc_id=2367
Book Club for Middle Grade Readers: Mexikid via Palisades Branch Library, LAPL – Online Kids Event
Middle-grade readers are invited to participate in our fun monthly book discussions.
This month, we will be reading Mexikid by Pedro Martin.
Former Hallmark artist and the creator of Asteroid Andy, Pedro Martin is the author and illustrator of Mexikid A Graphic Memoir from Dial Penguin.
Pedro also chronicles his life growing up Mexican American online in a series called Mexikid Stories (@Mexikidstories on Instagram, Facebook and Gocomics.com)
RSVP:
Please e-mail: akagan@lapl.org or gkim@lapl.org for the Zoom login information.
Where: Palisades Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 10:30 pm – 11:30 am
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-middle-grade-readers-mexikid-pedro-martin
BCB x TRAVELER’S BOOKS Pop Up + Journaling Workshop at Bel Canto Books – In-Person Event
Join us for a special two-day pop-up event with TRAVELER’S COMPANY USA at KUBO LB. This event is free to attend.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Bel Canto KUBO LB
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 11 am – 4 pm
Address: 3976 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807
Website: https://belcantobooks.net/events or https://travelerscompanyusa.com/travelers-books-reading-month-and-pop-up/
Author Storytime at Casita Books – In-Person Kids Event
Join us for an author storytime with Sheryl Recinos to hear her present her books.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Casita Bookstore
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 11 am
Address: 1440 E. 4th St., Long Beach, California 90803
Website: https://www.instagram.com/casitabookstore/
Suzanne Lang and Max Lang & Grumpy Monkey Play All Day at Children’s Book World – In-Person Kids Event
Suzanne and Max Lang presents their children’s book Grumpy Monkey Play All Day.
The New York Times bestselling Grumpy Monkey series returns with another delightful picture book featuring a stubborn Jim Panzee who only wants to play all day and ignore everything else. Children and parents alike will relate to this silly book about procrastination. One fine morning, Jim Panzee wakes up and decides that all he’s going to do is play all day. Whether it’s tidying his branch, finding bananas for lunch, or even taking a bathroom break, Jim wiggles out of it. For him nothing is more important than having fun. What happens when that’s all you do? Soon he finds out what happens when that’s all you do.
Join us for storytime, drawing activities, and lots of Grumpy fun & mischief!
Where: Children’s Book World
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 11 pm
Address: 10580 ½ W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064
Mystery Book Club: Blaze Me a Sun at Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Read the book and join our lively discussion!
Participants will discuss Blaze Me a Sun by author Christoffer Carlsson.
Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 11 am
Address: 1246 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/mystery-book-club-14 or https://www.instagram.com/p/C_ly_gny_8M/
Storytime with Jason Alexanderat Chevalier’s – In-Person Kids Event
With the election around the corner Jason Alexander will read from Duck for President and Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type by author Doreen Cronin and illustrator Betsy Lewin.
Where: Chevalier’s
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 11 am
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/storytime-with-jason-alexander-tickets-1006404351507?aff=oddtdtcreator
Glendale Poet Laureate Workshop Reading Seriesat Pacific Park Library, Glendale – In-Person Event
At this event we will develop poems, explore craft alongside featured poets:
Lory Bedikian’s collection The Book of Lamenting won the Philip Levine Prize in Poetry and her forthcoming book Jagadakeer: Apology to the Body won the 2023 Raz/Shumaker Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry, 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. Bedikian earned a BA from UCLA, with an emphasis in Creative Writing, Poetry and an MFA from the University of Oregon. She teaches poetry workshops.
Amanee Izhaq is the author of Indigenous Diaries. She is a Palestinian-American poet, producer, and director; the daughter of a Palestinian family that was driven from their home in 1948.
Carla Sameth is the Poet Laureate of Altadena, 2022-2024.
This workshop is free and open to the public, and all levels of experience and language backgrounds are welcome! Learn more at http://www.eglendalelac.org/poetlaureate.
Free and open to the public.
All levels of experience are welcome.
Light refreshments provided Activities: reading, writing, workshopping, discovery.
Learn more and submit poems for Jewel City Review Volume 2 at www.eglendalelac.org/poetlaureate
Where: Pacific Park Library, Glendale
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 11 am – 2 pm
Address: 501 S. Pacific Ave., Glendale, CA 91204
Website: https://glendaleca.libnet.info/event/11612542
Book Launch: The Yowlers Storytime with Molly Ruttan at Once Upon a Time Bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Grumble, huff, and fuss your way to a new perspective!
A nice gesture can go a long way in the expressive new picture book The Yowlers illustrated by Molly Ruttan. Molly will read her book, draw a monster or two, and then sign books. Best for ages 4+.
The Yowler family is always in a monstrously bad mood: Papa grumbles, Mama yells, Sara and Sonya bicker, and the baby fusses day and night. They’re so used to being grumpy that when their new neighbors smile at them, the Yowlers are puzzled and are immediately suspicious. And when the new kids ask Sara and Sonya to play? Well, that’s just plain odd. Then again, it does feel good to be treated kindly…and all of a sudden the sisters start acting nicer themselves, causing Mama and Papa to wonder if they’re coming down with something. But as it turns out, even the smallest acts of kindness can be powerful. The niceness is contagious—and it’s spreading!
Molly Ruttan’s titles include The Stray and Something Wild, which she wrote and illustrated, and I Am a Thief! and Violet and the Crumbs: A Gluten-Free Adventure, both written by Abigail Rayner.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 11 am
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/yowlers
Special Storytime: E. Katherine Kottaras and Vanitha Swaminathan & A Rainbow Inside My Body at Vroman’s – In-Person Kids Event
Learn yoga, breathing exercises, and mindfulness through the rainbow of the chakras!
When I need to know how I am feeling, I can close my eyes and breathe.
In an increasingly stressful world, it is more important than ever to help kids establish helpful tools to manage it. In this colorful meditation written by experts on healthy living, young readers will learn yoga poses, breathing exercises, and more through the colorful rainbow inside them: the chakras.
E Katherine Kottaras is the author of two critically acclaimed YA novels, How to Be Brave and The Best Possible Answer. Currently an Associate Professor of English at Pasadena City College, she is also a certified yoga teacher, personal trainer, and health coach. She holds master’s degrees in English and Kinesiology. She lives in Southern California.
Vanitha Swaminathan was raised in Eastern India and learned mindfulness practices from her parents. Twice a year, she returns to India to help her mother with her yoga practice. She graduated from the University of Sheffield, UK, with a master’s degree in education and has taught on two different continents for over forty years. She currently lives in California with her husband, two sons, and three grandchildren.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 11 am
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91001
Riverside Pride BBQ & Jam, with Cellar Door Bookstore Off-site at TruEvolution – In-Person Event
Join Riverside’s LGBTQ+ community at the Riverside Pride BBQ Jam on Saturday, September 28th from 12-8pm! This event will be FREE but will require tickets available only from the link at site. Otherwise, admission will be $10 at the gate on the day of the event.
Cellar Door will have a booth there and we’ll be selling our usual selection of amazing LGBTQ+ books so come and say hello! There will also be a panel of LGBTQ+ authors, including Justine Pucella Winans (The Otherwoods, Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything) and others TBA!
Where: Cellar Door at TruEvolution
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 12 pm – 8 pm
Address: 3838 Brockton Ave., Riverside, CA 92503
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/riversidepride2024
Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration: Performance by Lucky Diaz at Malik Books – In-Person Event
Enjoy vibrant dancing, live music, storytelling, book-siging, face painting, & more–a day of culture & fun for the whole family at Westfield Culver City on level 1 in center court!
This year’s highlighted event is Lucky Diaz hosted by Malik Books.
Lucky Diaz is thrilled to be back in front of kids and families! Lucky will spend the first 20-30 minutes of stage time delivering a slide lecture and then 20-30 minutes of singing songs and explaining the creative process, answering questions from audience members. Lucky has travelled the world from Shanghai to Monterrey, Mexico presenting to students in Pre-K through college. Lucky will focus on different creative topics, depending on the age group. Every age level will be excited and inspired by Lucky’s live presentation while he fields their questions! Lucky Diaz book-signing will take place inside Malik Books after the performance.
Lucky Diaz performance is free to the public. Lucky Diaz will perform at Center Court by Macy’s. Booksigning event is Ticketed and includes the book: La Guitarrista, the Rock Star: Bilingual English-Spanish
Ticked included copy of Lucky Diaz book: “La Guitarrista, the Rock Star: Bilingual English-Spanish.
NOTE: See site for tickets and details.
Where: Malik Books (Westfield Culver City)
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 1 pm
Address: 6000 Sepulveda Blvd., Ste. 2470, Culver City, CA 90230
Miriam’s Garden Poetry Reading: Iván Salinas Mike Sonksen, and Shirley Iicken at Hyde Park Miriam Matthews Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join us for “Miriam’s Garden,” a poetry reading series highlighting poets living and working in Los Angeles.
This month we feature Iván Salinas (@el_ivanooo), Mike Sonksen (@mikethepoetla) and Shirley Ilcken.
Come through and spend the afternoon with us in our garden!
Where: Hyde Park Miriam Matthews Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 2:30 pm
Address: 2206 W. Florence Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/miriams-garden-1 or https://www.instagram.com/p/C_ly_gny_8M/
Magic Multiplied: Emma Steinkellner and Callie C. Miller at Once Upon a Time Bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Get ready for a magical adventure with *TWO* local authors celebrating the release of their second books!
Emma Steinkellner’s new book is Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Tiny Forest Adventure.
Callie C. Miller’s new book is The Search for the Shadowsoul.
For this special event, both authors will be in conversation with bookseller Jessica to talk about all things magical! After the discussion the authors will be available to sign books. Best for fantasy fans ages 8+.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/magic-multiplied
Saturday Afternoon Poetry: Publishing Party for Maria A. Arana and Others at Lamanda Park Branch Library – In-Person Event
Publishing Party for Maria A Arana + Poets published in Four Feathers Press Dpors of Southern California: Portal Poetry.
Don Kingfisher Campbell hosts and curates these events.
Where: Saturday Afternoon Poetry at Lamanda Park Branch Library
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 140 S. Altadena Dr., Pasadena, CA 91107
Website: https://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/
Local Author Day: R.W. Meek, Sheldon Paul Herman, and S.Z. Estavillo at Vroman’s – In-Person Kids Event
R.W. Meek presents The Dream Collector: Sabrine & Vincent van Gogh – Book Two.
Sheldon Paul Herman presents It’s Late: Short Fiction and Poetry.
S.Z. Estavillo presents The Serpent’s Bridge.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91001
Website: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/local-author-day-sept-29-2024
Historical Fiction Book Club: A Girl Called Samson at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss A Girl Called Samson by author Amy Harmon
From New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon comes the saga of a young woman who dares to chart her own destiny in life and love during the American Revolutionary War.
In 1760, Deborah Samson is born to Puritan parents in Plympton, Massachusetts. When her father abandons the family and her mother is unable to support them, Deborah is bound out as an indentured servant. From that moment on, she yearns for a life of liberation and adventure.
Twenty years later, as the American colonies begin to buckle in their battle for independence, Deborah, impassioned by the cause, disguises herself as a soldier and enlists in the Continental Army. Her impressive height and lanky build make her transformation a convincing one, and it isn’t long before she finds herself confronting the horrors of war head-on.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event
Fun to Be Dead: The Poems of Bob Flanaganat Beyond Baroque – In-Person & Online Livestream Hybrid Event
Join us for the launch of the first complete collection of Bob Flanagan’s poetry, Fun to be Dead.
Fun to be Dead is the first complete collection of Bob Flanagan’s poetry. Known for his work on sadomasochism and lifelong struggle with cystic fibrosis, Bob Flanagan (1952–1996) was an American poet and performance artist.
His first volumes came into being in the context of a small contemporary poetry and art scene orbiting Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in the early 1980s, which included Dennis Cooper, Amy Gerstler, Ed Smith, Jack Skelley, and David Trinidad, amongst others. Flanagan’s body of work came to occupy a unique position within their cohort as the poems evoked a personal vocabulary of illness, death and restraint through the poet’s edgy, endearing, quirky sense of humor and mischievous spirit. Spirit Halloween, Americana, and pop culture act as the inexpressible backdrop for a performative, comic poetic practice in close dialogue with poets such as Charles Bukowski, Ted Berrigan, John Ashbery, Frank O’Hara, and Ron Koertge. Though a portion of the work remains unfinished in the wake of Flanagan’s death in 1996, the legacy left by these poems is undoubtedly one of the more important, surprising, heartbreaking, wacky, and profoundly original contributions to American verses of the period.
To honor Bob’s legacy, friends of Bob’s and artists of the literary scene who have remained active in the literary scene of Los Angeles will be reading Flanagan’s work and reflecting on their connections to the author throughout his life as well as emerging voices influenced by Bob’s poetics, including: Jack Grapes, Amy Scholder, Ellen Butler, Bill Mohr, Pam Ward, Lily Lady, Robin Carr, and Jack Skelley.
Fun to be Dead was edited by Sabrina Tarasoff and with contributions by Jack Skelley, Sheree Rose, Chiara Moioli, David Trinidad, Dodie Bellamy, and Dennis Cooper. Designed by Lauren Graycar and co-published with Pep Talk and Kristina Kite Gallery with support of Beyond Baroque Foundation.
The book compiles poetry from six published collections
NOTE: Livestream: If you can’t join us in-person the event will be livestreamed on Beyond Baroque’s YouTube channel at the scheduled time of the event. A Link will be sent to you 24 hours prior to the event after registering.
Bob Flanagan (1952–1996) was an American poet and performance artist known for his work on sadomasochism and lifelong struggle with cystic fibrosis. Flanagan’s first volumes came into being in the context of a small contemporary poetry and art scene orbiting the Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Venice, CA in the early 1980s, which included poets and writers such as Dennis Cooper, Amy Gerstler, Ed Smith, Jack Skelley, and David Trinidad, amongst others. Flanagan’s body of work came to occupy a unique position within their cohort as the poems evoked a personal vocabulary of illness, death and restraint through the poet’s edgy, endearing, quirky sense of humor and mischievous spirit. Spirit Halloween, Americana, and pop culture act as the inexpressible backdrop for a performative, comic poetic practice in close dialogue with poets such as Charles Bukowski, Ted Berrigan, John Ashbery, Frank O’Hara, and Ron Koertge. Though a portion of the work remains unfinished in the wake of Flanagan’s death in 1996, the legacy left by these poems is undoubtedly one of the more important, surprising, heartbreaking, wacky, and profoundly original contributions to American verses of the period.
NOTE: See site for bios, further details, tickets, and information.
Where: Beyond Baroque
Date: Saturday, the 28th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd Venice Beach Los Angeles, CA 90291
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 29th (Every Sunday)
Time: 10 am – 5 pm
Address: 7850 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
Website: https://melrosetradingpost.org/tickets/
Mindful Morning: Journaling Workshop at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Growth Club is a dynamic community for high achievers redefining success on their terms.
Join us for a weekly journaling event to reflect, write, and connect with our inner selves and each other. Designed for those who seek to slow down and find clarity in the chaos of everyday life.
We’ll guide you through prompts that inspire deep introspection and personal growth. Whether you’re a seasoned journaler or new to the practice, this event is a safe haven to express your thoughts, set intentions and uncover the wisdom within.
Bring your favorite journal and a pen and be ready to dive into an enriching experience that nurtures your mind, body, and soul.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Get your tickets on EVENTBRITE!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Sunday, the 29th
Time: 10 am – 11 am
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/42314
BCB x TRAVELER’S BOOKS Pop Up + Journaling Workshop at Bel Canto Books – In-Person Event
Join us for a special two-day pop-up event with TRAVELER’S COMPANY USA at KUBO LB. This event is free to attend.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Bel Canto KUBO LB
Date: Sunday, the 29th
Time: 11 am – 4 pm
Address: 3976 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807
Website: https://belcantobooks.net/events or https://travelerscompanyusa.com/travelers-books-reading-month-and-pop-up/
Holy Pepperoni Storytime at North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Kids Event
Join us for the return of our favorite storytellers, Pants and Jacket, for an all ages storytime, with their favorite books!
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: North Figueroa Bookshop
Date: Sunday, the 29th
Time: 11:30 am
Address: 6040 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://northfigbookshop.com/event/#calendar-8a0f87f6-17d6-4f10-9815-04df4c8251ba-event-m0bm5azp
Trumpets in the Sky: A Celebration of a Life in Poetry, of Jerry Garcia at Beyond Baroque – In-Person Event
Join Beyond Baroque for a celebration of Jerry Garcia’s life through poetry and the L.A. literary community.
This special tribute will be hosted by Rick Lupert as the literary community reads Jerry’s poems and shares a myriad of beloved memories. Readers include some of his closest friends and colleagues, as well as some of the poets and artists he avidly advocated for and cherished. They include Ashaki Jackson, Beth Ruscio, Bruce McBirney, Bryn Wickerd, E. Amato, Elizabeth Iannaci, Laurel Ann Bogen, Lisa Cheby, Mary Torregrossa, Michael C. Ford, Susan Hayden, & Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, amongst others.
Jerry Garcia was a poet, photographer, and filmmaker from Southern California. His poetry has been seen in Pratik, Oikos Poeti per il future, Spillway 28, Wide Awake: Poets of Los Angeles and Beyond, and The Chiron Review, among a variety of journals and anthologies, domestic and international. He was nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize and has published three books of poetry: Trumpets in the Sky (Moon Tide Press,) On Summer Solstice Road (Green Tara Press,) and the chapbook, Hitchhiking With the Guilty.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Sunday, the 29th
Time: 2 pm – 4 pm
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
William Cope Moyers, with Tommy Rosen, & Broken Open: What Painkillers Taught Me about Life and Recovery at Diesel, A Bookstore – In-Person Event
William Cope Moyers, in conversation with Tommy Rosen, will discuss his book Broken Open: What Painkillers Taught Me about Life and Recovery.
William Cope Moyers was a model of sober success. As his inspiring story of overcoming addiction was on its way to becoming a New York Times bestseller, everyone thought he had finally achieved the redemption promised by recovery—including him. But the perfect story that helped Moyers become a famous face of the recovery movement was already unraveling, revealing a yet-to-be healed chasm between his public persona and conflicted inner life. A follow-up to his 2006 memoir Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption, Broken Open: What Pain Killers Taught Me About Life and Recovery, is Moyers’s story of the ups and downs of life beyond the bright moments of early sobriety and what happened when a new crisis invaded what once seemed like a steady and secure recovery.
William C. Moyers is the vice president of public affairs and community relations at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. As the organization’s public advocate, Moyers carries the message about addiction, treatment, and recovery to audiences everywhere. Using his own story, Moyers highlights the power of addiction and the promise and possibility of recovery from it. He has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, and National Public Radio. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Newsweek. William has written four books, including Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption.
Tommy Rosen is the founder of Recovery 2.0, a global organization dedicated to inspire and unite people in recovery from addiction through the practice of yoga and meditation so that they can heal and thrive. Tommy’s work in the recovery world has extended to the training of coaches worldwide, recovery meetings open to anyone in any addiction in all time zones, and immersive retreats around the world. Over the past decade, the Recovery 2.0 community has grown to hundreds of thousands of followers, listeners, and members – in recovery from all forms of addiction – in all corners of the world.
Tommy is also the host of the In The Circle podcast, offering insights and inspiration to those on a path of discovery in recovery.
Where: Diesel, A Bookstore
Date: Sunday, the 29th
Time: 3:30 pm
Address: 225 26th St., # 33, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://www.dieselbookstore.com/event/William-Cope-Moyers-Tommy-Rosen-Author-signing
Live Talks LA: Yuval Noah Harari, with Ben Rhodes, & Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI at Robert Frost Auditorium – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Live Talks LA Presents Yuval Noah Harari, in conversation with Ben Rhodes, to discuss his book Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Sapiens comes the groundbreaking story of how information networks have made, and unmade, our world.
Information is not the raw material of truth; neither is it a mere weapon. Nexus explores the hopeful middle ground between these extremes, and in doing so, rediscovers our shared humanity.
Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and the bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, and the series Sapiens: A Graphic History and Unstoppable Us. He is considered one of the world’s most influential public intellectuals working today. Born in Israel in 1976, Harari received his Ph.D. from the University of Oxford in 2002. He is currently a lecturer at the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a Distinguished Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. Harari co-founded the social impact company Sapienship, focused on education and storytelling, with his husband, Itzik Yahav. Hariri appeared at Live Talks Los Angeles for his book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (video).
Ben Rhodes is a writer, political commentator, and national security analyst. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers After the Fall: Being American in the World We’ve Made, and The World As It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House. He is currently co-host of Pod Save the World; a contributor for MSNBC; a senior advisor to former President Barack Obama; and chair of National Security Action, which he co-founded with Jake Sullivan in 2018. From 2009-2017, Ben served as a speechwriter and Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama. His work has also been published in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Foreign Affairs.
NOTE: See site for tickets and details.
Where: Robert Frost Auditorium
Date: Sunday the 29th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 4401 Elenda St., Culver City, CA 90230
Website: https://livetalksla.org/events/yuval-noah-harari-2/
Mujeres de Maiz Culmination Celebration and Book Signing at El Mercado Collective – In-Person Event
This is the Culminating Celebration and Book Signing of Mujeres de Maiz Book Club’s September book Mujeres de Maíz en Movimiento: Spiritual Artivism, Healing Justice and Feminist Praxis! The anthology features 40 essays, testimonios, and poems as well as 20 works of art in color by artivists, authors, and academics spanning a variety of topics. It weaves together diverse stories with attention to their larger sociopolitical contexts. The book crosses conventional genre boundaries through the inclusion of poetry, visual art, testimonios, and essays. MdM’s political-ethical-spiritual commitments, cultural production, and everyday practices are informed by Indigenous and transnational feminist of color artistic, ceremonial, activist, and intellectual legacies.
Whether you’re a bookworm or just looking for a fun way to connect with other mujeres, this club is for you! Bring your thoughts, and questions. Let’s dive into the world of literature together!
Join them to discuss our book anthology documenting the deep decades-long herstory of Mujeres de Maiz!
Purchase you book at Monarca today!
All who register receive 10% off their entire purchase at The Monarca Collective Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Sunday the 29th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 696 E Colorado Blvd unit 19, Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mujeres-de-maiz-culmination-celebration-and-book-signing
Historical Romance Book Club: Bootlegger’s Bounty at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
September’s Continuing the Story Book Club is led by bookseller Taylor C, and participants will discuss the novel Catching Fire by author Suzanne Collins.
If you’re a fan of the Hunger Games series, please join us.
Everyone is welcome!
RSVP required.
NOTE: See site for tickets, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Sunday the 29th
Time: 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 3806 Main Street, Culver City, CA 90323
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
Los Angeles Literature 