Kids Storytime: Devin Elle Kurtz & The Bakery Dragon at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Join us to welcome artist and author Devin Elle Kurtz and celebrate her new release, The Bakery Dragon.
This story is the heroic tale of a tiny dragon with a heart of gold and a taste for treats! A scrumptious picture book for fans of funny fairytales and fantastic beasts.
Ember has always been different from the other dragons. His fearsome roar sounds more like a polite sneeze, and when he breathes fire, the villagers just pat his head and say awwww.
Ember fears he’ll never collect a respectable hoard of gold until a chance encounter with a baker causes his fortunes to turn (and his stomach to grumble). As the little dragon soon discovers, the gold you make is way better than the gold you steal—and gold that is shared? That’s best of all.
Devin Elle Kurtz lives in Pasadena with her dog, Kira, and her thirty-three houseplants. She’s been painting in Photoshop since the age of two when her artist mom first offered her a tablet pen. Her focus is magical scenes that combine fantasy elements with environments that feel visceral and real. She has worked in the animation industry as a background painter/designer and visual development artist since 2017. She was the lead background painter on “Disenchantment” at Rough Draft Studios from 2019-2021 and has contributed to publications such as Beasts of the Four Nations, Escape from Atlantis, How to Heal a Gryphon, and Mother of Sharks. The Bakery Dragon is her first picture book as an author-illustrator.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Monday the 2nd
Time: 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/2024-12-02/kids-storytime-special-guest-devin-elle-kurtz
Robertson Writers Group at Robertson Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Writing a book, poem, or screenplay?
Need deadlines? Want constructive feedback?
Then this is the place for you.
Bring 5 – 10 double spaced typed pages to read. Everyone will get a chance to read.
This group mostly meets in person, but email rbrtsn@lapl.org if you’d prefer to join via Zoom.
Where: Robertson Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 2nd
Time: 11 am
Address: 1719 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/robertson-writers-group-0
Christopher Bollen, with Mona Awad, & Havoc at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Christopher Bollen, in conversation with Mona Awad, will present and discuss his suspense novel, Havoc.
In this book, the war between age and youth has never been so vicious.
Eighty-one-year-old widow Maggie Burkhardt came to the Royal Karnak to escape. But not in quite the same way as most other guests who are relaxing at this threadbare luxury hotel on the banks of the Nile. Maggie, a compulsive fixer of other people’s lives, may have found herself in hot water at her last hotel in Switzerland and just might have needed to get out of there fast… But here at the Royal Karnak, under the hot Saharan sun, she has a comfortable suite, a loyal confidante in the hotel manager, Ahmed, and a handful of sympathetic friends, similar “long-termers” who understand her still-vivid grief for her late husband, Peter. Here, she is merely the sweet old lady in Room 309.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Monday the 2nd
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/christopher-bollen-mona-awad
R.U.P.O. Open Mic at Back to the Grind in Riverside – In-Person Event
RUPO Open Mic is every Monday Night at Back to the Grind in Riverside.
Every Monday at: 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 2nd
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 3575 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92501
Website: https://www.facebook.com/backtothegrind
Nonfiction Book Club: The Art Thief at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Event
Meets monthly, generally on the Fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm. We read nonfiction. Book selection is conducted via email prior to each meeting so that the following month’s book will be available at the preceding month’s meeting.
Participants will discuss The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession, by author Michael Finkel.
In this spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, Michael Finkel gives us one of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of our times, a riveting story of art, theft, love, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost.
Facilitated by Mark Polak.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Monday the 2nd
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/2024-12-02/nonfiction-book-club
Monday Night Fiction Workshop via Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – Online Zoom Event
This free Monday Night Community Writing Workshop led by Raquel Baker is a workshop in which participants are asked to bring copies of 2-3 pages of fiction to read, and to use for critique and discussion. Registration is required.
Raquel Baker earned a PhD in English Literary Studies from the University of Iowa and an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Postcolonial and Transnational Literatures at California State University Channel Islands, teaching courses on creative writing and contemporary African literatures. Raquel has published poetry in Africology and The Arrow; fiction in Enculturation, The Daily Palette, The Womanist, and Crux; and non-fiction in Little Village; and has done readings with the Ventura County Poetry project. Raquel lives for talking about all things about the craft and social meanings of literature!
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – Online event
Date: Monday the 2nd
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-1096176014969?aff=oddtdtcreator
Live Talks LA Presents: An Evening with Cher & Cher: The Memoir, Part One at The Saban Theatre – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
After more than seventy years of fighting to live her life on her own terms, Cher finally reveals her true story in intimate detail.
Cher’s remarkable career is unique and unparalleled. The only woman to top Billboard charts in seven consecutive decades, she is the winner of an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, and an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who has been lauded by the Kennedy Center. She is a tireless activist and philanthropist.
As a dyslexic child who dreamed of becoming famous, Cher was raised in often-chaotic circumstances, surrounded by singers, actors, and a mother who inspired her despite their difficult relationship.
With her trademark honesty and humor, Cher: The Memoir traces how this diamond in the rough succeeded with no plan and little confidence to become the trailblazing superstar the world has been unable to ignore for more than half a century.
Cher: The Memoir, Part One follows her extraordinary beginnings through childhood to meeting and marrying Sonny Bono—and reveals the highly complicated relationship that made them world-famous, but eventually drove them apart. Her memoir reveals the daughter, the sister, the wife, the lover, the mother, and the superstar.
Cher: The Memoir, Part Two will follow in 2025.
NOTE: See site for tickets and details.
Where: Saban Theatre
Date: Monday the 2nd
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Website: https://livetalksla.org/events/cher/
Lit Angeles – Morning Writing with Francesca Lia Block at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Francesca Lia Block is the author of more than thirty books of fiction, non-fiction, short stories and poetry, and has written screenplay adaptations of her work. She received the Spectrum Award, the Phoenix Award, the ALA Rainbow Award and the 2005 Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as other citations from the American Library Association, and from the NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, and PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY. Currently she teaches creative writing at UCLA Extension, Antioch University, Pocket MFA, and numerous workshops across the country. Francesca also edits LIT ANGELS, a literary journal available on Substack. Her latest novel is HOUSE OF HEARTS now out in paperback. https://www.francescaliablock.com/
About Lit Angels Writing Studio:
There are so many fitness classes available for the body, but what are you doing to exercise your creative mind?
Lit Angels offers classes that provide just that—a fun and freeing way to work out the creative muscles and eliminate the stumbling blocks that might be holding you back, not only in your writing, art, or performance projects, but in all areas of your life—uplifting and refreshing your mind and soul, improving relationships, work, and your outlook on the future. Taught by top-level working professionals, Lit Angels classes cultivate community and connection, something we all desperately need in these challenging times.
Come make some magic at the Village Well! All genres and levels are welcome!
NOTE: See site for tickets and details.
Get your tickets on EVENTBRITE!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Tuesday, the 3rd
Time: 10 am – 11 am
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. 1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/1430120241203
Virtual Book Club: Life Impossible via La Crescenta Library, LACL – Online Event
Participants will discuss December’s selection, Life Impossible by author Matt Haig.
From the best-selling author of The Midnight Library, Life Impossible is a story of wild adventure, deep transformation and gloriously heart-warming characters. It shows how a new outlook can burst into life at any moment and change everything.
Where: La Crescenta Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12061801
Fiction Book Club at Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join us on the first Tuesday of each month to discuss a different work of fiction. We read a wide variety of styles, genres, and authors, so please make sure to check in with the branch for a list of what we’re reading.
Where: Donald Bruce Kaufman – Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 1 pm
Address: 11820 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/brentwood-fiction-book-club
The Darkest Hour Book Club: The Maid’s Diary at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss December’s selection, The Maid’s Diary by author Loreth Anne White.
Copies available at the library. For adults.
When homicide cop Mallory Van Alst is called to a scene at a luxury waterfront home known as the Glass House, she’s confronted with evidence of a violent attack so bloody it’s improbable the victim is alive. But there’s no body. The homeowners are gone. And their maid is missing. The only witness is the elderly woman next door, who woke to screams in the night. As Mal begins to uncover the secret that has sent the lives of everyone involved on a devious and inescapable collision course, she realizes that nothing is quite as it seems. And no one escapes their past.
Where: Agoura Hills Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 2 pm – 3 pm
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12061807
Author Event: James T. Bartlett & The American Blonde at North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Nicknamed “the most beautiful woman in Alaska,” 31-year-old Diane Wells was bruised and bloodied when she screamed for help in the early hours of October 17, 1953. Her husband Cecil, a wealthy Fairbanks businessman, had been shot dead while he slept.
Join us as the author of The Alaskan Blonde, James T. Bartlett, shares the new evidence he uncovered on the scandal that was featured in Newsweek, Life, Ebony, Jet, and the pulp detective magazines at the time.
The book is available at the library or as an e-book at lapl.org if you’d like to read it before the author talk.
Where: North Hollywood – Amelia Earhart Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 5211 Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood, CA 91601
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/alaskan-blonde-author-talk-james-t-bartlett
Women and Books Discussion: The Barbizon at West Hollywood Library, LACL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Participants will discuss The Barbizon by author Paulina Bren.
Liberated after WWI from home and hearth, women flocked to New York City during the Roaring Twenties. But even as women’s residential hotels became the fashion, the Barbizon stood out; it was designed for young women with artistic aspirations and included soaring art studios and soundproofed practice rooms. More importantly still, with no men allowed beyond the lobby, the Barbizon signaled respectability, a place where a young woman of a certain class could feel at home. But as the stock market crashed and the Great Depression set in, the clientele changed, though women’s ambitions did not; the Barbizon Hotel became the go-to destination for any young American woman with a dream to be something more.
Please register at the link below to receive the link to the meeting via email.
https://library-lacounty-gov.zoom.us/meeting/register
Where: West Hollywood Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11526441
Iacoboni Book Club: The Thursday Murder Club at Angelo Iacoboni Library, LACL – In-Person & Event
Participants will discuss December’s book selection, The Thursday Murder Club by author Richard Osman.
Copies of the book will be available at the customer service desk. This program is for adults.
Where: Angelo M. Iacoboni Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 4990 lark Ave., Lakewood, CA 90712
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12028442
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 3rd (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
Creativity Book Club: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Judith Martin-Straw has been teaching creativity classes, yoga and meditation for almost 20 years. She is also the Publisher of CulverCityCrossroads.com, a daily local news website. Her poetry has been published in the Beyond Baroque anthology Echo 681, and has been featured in the “Readers Write’ section of The Sun.
About the book:
The Art of War meets The Artist’s Way in this no-nonsense, profoundly inspiring guide to overcoming creative blocks of every kind.
NOTE: See site for tickets and details.
Get your tickets on EVENTBRITE!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Tuesday, the 3rd
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. 1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/1432620241203
Mark Wilkerson, with Matt Pinfield, & Hollywood Dream, the Thunderclap Newman Story: Pete Townshend, a Band of Outsiders, and the Birth of British Indie Music at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Mark Wilkerson, in conversation with Matt Pinfield, will present and discuss his book, Hollywood Dream, the Thunderclap Newman Story: Pete Townshend, a Band of Outsiders, and the Birth of British Indie Music.
Thunderclap Newman stunned the music world in the summer of 1969 with the success of their wonderfully odd debut single ‘Something In The Air’, which ousted none other than the Beatles from the top of the charts. They followed up with an LP described by Nik Cohn as “one of the finest, most truly bizarre albums of the era” before disintegrating just a few months after its release. This is the story of one of the most unlikely combos in popular music history, and of the four disparate characters who formed its core: Pete Townshend, principal songwriter and guitarist for The Who; his best friend and driver, the singer/songwriter/drummer John ‘Speedy’ Keen; a fifteen-year-old wunderkind guitarist named Jimmy McCulloch; and finally, an enigmatic telephone engineer who also happened to be a brilliant improvisational jazz pianist: Andy ‘Thunderclap’ Newman.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/mark-wilkerson-matt-pinfield
Other Worlds Book Club: The West Passage at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Event
Meets monthly, generally on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm. A new pages book club exploring the nooks and crannies of speculative fiction: fantasy, science fiction, alternative history, horror, and their intersections.
Participants will discuss The West Passage by author Jared Pechacek.
When the Guardian of the West Passage died in her bed, the women of Grey Tower fed her to the crows and went back to their chores. No successor was named as Guardian, no one took up the fallen blade; the West Passage went unguarded.
Now, snow blankets Grey in the height of summer, foretelling the coming of the Beast. The too-young Mother of Grey House and the Guardian’s unnamed squire set out to save their people.
Their narrow shoulders bear a heavy burden. Before them lies the West Passage, home to horrors and delights that defy imagining.
None can say if they’ll reach their destinations, but one thing is for sure: the world is about to change.
Facilitated by Leo Lukin.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/2024-12-03/other-worlds-book-club
Book Launch: Gabrielle Korn, with Olivia Gatwood, & The Shutouts at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event
Gabrielle Korn, in conversation with Olivia Gatwood, will discuss her new novel, The Shutouts.
A brilliant queer dystopian novel from the author of Yours for the Taking, following a cast of characters on the margins of a strange and exclusive new society.
Gabrielle Korn is the author of three books and the former editor-in-chief of Nylon Media. Her debut novel, Yours for the Taking, was an Indie Next pick and a New York Times best book of December. Its sequel, The Shutouts, out December 3, 2024 from St. Martin’s Press, has been called “another winner” by Publishers Weekly and “a perfect blend of sadness and hope” by Kirkus. Her writing has appeared across the internet since 2011, with bylines in McSweeney’s, The Millions, Literary Hub, InStyle, Refinery29, Oprah Magazine, and more, as well as in the recent anthology Sluts, edited by Michelle Tea. Originally from New York, she now lives in LA with her wife where together they run the Pink Door Residency for artists and writers.
Olivia Gatwood is the author of two poetry collections, New American Best Friend and Life of the Party, and the co-writer of Adele’s music video for “I Drink Wine.” She has received international recognition for her poetry, writing workshops, and work as a Title IX Compliant educator in sexual assault prevention and recovery. Her performances have been featured on HBO, MTV, VH1, the BBC, and more. Her poems have appeared in The Poetry Foundation, Lambda Literary, and The Missouri Review. Originally from Albuquerque, she lives in Los Angeles.
Where: Stories Books & Café
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
Juhea Kim, with Katya Apekina, & City of the Night Birds at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Juhea Kim, in conversation with Katya Apekina, will discuss her book, City of the Night Birds.
This event is co-sponsored by the Korean Cultural Center of Los Angeles.
A once-famous ballerina faces a final choice—to return to the world of Russian dance that nearly broke her, or to walk away forever—in this incandescent novel of redemption and love
On a White Night in 2019, prima ballerina Natalia Leonova returns to St. Petersburg two years after a devastating accident that stalled her career. Once the most celebrated dancer of her generation, she now turns to pills and alcohol to numb the pain of her past.
She is unmoored in her old city as the ghosts of her former life begin to resurface: her loving but difficult mother, her absentee father, and the two gifted dancers who led to her downfall…
Juhea Kim‘s debut novel Beasts of a Little Land was a finalist for the 2022 Dayton Literary Peace Prize. It won the 2024 Yasnaya Polyana Award, the largest annual literary prize in Russia awarded by the Leo Tolstoy Museum-Estate. She donated the entire prize money to the conservation of Siberian tigers and Amur leopards. Beasts of a Little Land has been published in 14 countries to date. Beasts of a Little Land also has been optioned for a TV series, for which Juhea is serving as an executive producer. Her second novel City of Night Birds is forthcoming from Ecco (US) in November 2024 and Oneworld (UK) in January 2025.
About the Korean Cultural Center of Los Angeles:
Located at 5505 Wilshire Blvd., in the Miracle Mile District, the Korean Cultural Center is the axis of Korean heritage in Los Angeles. The Korean Cultural Center welcomes the general public to experience the rich traditions and history of Korea through specialized programs, sponsored events, and multiple learning resources.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic: Rick Lupert & Guest Keith Mar – Online Zoom Event
The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic with host Rick Lupert presents guest reader Keith Mar and an open mic.
Keith Mar is a Chinese American spoken word poet, psychotherapist, and professor who uses poetry to ask questions about race, identity, self-love, and social justice. He has used his poetry and personal stories to enhance the cultural sensitivity of his graduate students. Keith believes that the spoken word can comfort, heal, and confront the past, build bridges between communities, help celebrate roots, and inspire a sense of social connection at a time when our culture is urgently in need of it. Keith has been a featured poet on television and radio programs, literary readings, Open Mics, storytelling events, and at venues including NYU, Pacifica Graduate Institute, UCSB Multicultural Center, Antioch University, Santa BarbaraCommunity College Center for Equity, and the Chicago Literary Complex. He has co-hosted an annual Asian American, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month poetry celebration for the last 5 years. He also co-hosts a monthly virtual open mic, Yellow, centering Asian voices.
Where: Cobalt Poets – Online Zoom Event
Date: Tuesday, the 3rd
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt or https://www.facebook.com/events/551994407796812/
Da Poetry Lounge Open Mic Night at Greenway Court – In-Person Event
The nation’s largest weekly Open Mic event is 25 years strong. At an open mic, all are welcome to share their poetry or sit in their audience.
In celebration of Halloween and good fun, on the last Tuesday of October, we encourage performers and audience members to dress up in Halloween costumes for an exciting night full of poems, costumes, and prizes! Please note that there is no specific poetry theme for this night—it functions as a regular open mic night. All ages welcome.
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 3rd
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/
Author Talk: Unearthed: Exploring the Smithsonian National Gem Collection with Dr. Jeffrey Post via Virtual Program, LACL – Online Event
The emeritus curator of the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection, Dr. Jeffrey E. Post. He will be discussing The Smithsonian National Gem Collection Unearthed: Surprising Stories Behind the Jewels.
The Smithsonian’s Unearthed explores the scandals, mysteries, and human stories behind the world’s greatest gems. In this original book, the surprising stories behind this world-renowned gem collection are brought to life by Dr. Jeffrey E. Post, curator of the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection for over 30 years. In this webinar, fact is separated from fiction and Dr. Post will reveal fresh information and regale the viewers with anecdotes and tales of some of the world’s greatest and most famous gemstones. Inside the illustrious pages of Unearthed, Dr. Post tells the stories of the Smithsonian’s most famous gems, including the Hope Diamond, Star of Asia Sapphire, Carmen Lucia Ruby, Hooker Emerald, and Blue Heart Diamond and presents the tales, details, and fascinating facts surrounding rarely displayed gems from the Smithsonian vault and recent additions made to the collection.
Where: Virtual Program, LACL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12156177
Book Club: Comfort & Joy at Chatsworth Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Participants will discuss Comfort & Joy, by author Kristin Hannah.
This is the heartwarming story of a woman at a crossroads, caught between two lives, who finds a second chance at happiness.
If you are interested in attending by Zoom, please email sstamm@lapl.org.
Where: Chatsworth Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 1:30 pm – 3 pm
Address: 21062 Devonshire St., Chatsworth, CA 91311
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/chatsworth-branch-book-club-0
Mystery Book Club: All the Colors of the Dark at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Participants will meet in person to discuss Chris Whitaker’s All the Colors of the Dark.
Where: Agoura Hills, LACL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 2 pm – 3 pm
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12061816
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 4th
Time: 2 pm – 2:30 pm
Address: On-air Event (live)
Website: https://www.kpfk.org/on-air/poets-cafe/
Classics Book Club: The Stranger at East Los Angeles Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Participants will meet in person to discuss the existentialist masterpiece The Stranger, by author Albert Camus. For adults.
With the intrigue of a psychological thriller, The Stranger gives us the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach. Behind the subterfuge, Camus describes the condition of reckless alienation and spiritual exhaustion that characterized so much of twentieth-century life.
Where: East Los Angeles Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 4 pm – 5:30 pm
Address: 837 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90022
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12209981
Social Justice Book Club: We Are Water Protectors at Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Participants will discuss We Are Water Protectors, by author Carole Lindstrom.
Books can transform the way we look at the world. Join children’s librarians from the Library to discuss kid-friendly books related to topics of social justice. This is an all-ages book club for the whole family.
Where: Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 5027 Caspar Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/social-justice-book-club
Good Trouble Reading Group: A Selection of Stories at Edendale Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Participants will discuss A Collection of Stories, by author Truman Capote.
Join Dr. Andrea Liss for our next Good Trouble Reading Group. We’ll be discussing a selection of stories from Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Three Stories by Truman Capote. The stories we’ll be discussing are House of Flowers, A Diamond Guitar, and A Christmas Memory. Capote was a master of the short story form, and these stories are still admired for their intimacy, power of observation, and elegant prose.
RSVP:
Email us at eden@lapl.org and we’ll send you a link to read the story selection online, as well as the Zoom link to attend.
Where: Edendale Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 4 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/good-trouble-reading-group-selection-stories-truman-capote
Visiting Writer’s Series Event with Steph Cha via Otis College of Art & Design – Online Event
Steph Cha is the author of Your House Will Pay, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery and the California Book Award, and the Juniper Song crime trilogy: Follow Her Home, Beware Beware, and Dead Soon Enough. Cha is a critic whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, where she served as noir editor. She is the current series editor of the Best American Mystery & Suspense anthology. A native of the San Fernando Valley, Cha lives in Los Angeles with her family.
Where: Otis College of Art & Design
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 4 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.otis.edu/programs/undergraduate/first-year/liberal-arts-sciences/visiting-writers-series.html or https://otis.zoom.us/meeting/register
2nd & 3rd Grade Book Club: The Christmas Pig at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Meets monthly, generally on the first Wednesday of each month at 4:30 pm. We read new releases of early grade fiction. Book selection is done by voting at each meeting for the following month.
Participants will read and discuss The Christmas Pig by author JK Rowling.
Now in paperback with stained edges, a heartwarming, page-turning adventure about one child’s love for his most treasured thing, and how far he will go to find it. A tale for the whole family to fall in love with, from one of the world’s greatest storytellers.
Jack loves his childhood toy, Dur Pig. DP has always been there for him, through good and bad. Until one Christmas Eve something terrible happens—DP is lost. But Christmas Eve is a night for miracles and lost causes, a night when all things can come to life…even toys. And Jack’s newest toy—the Christmas Pig (DP’s replacement)—has a daring plan: Together they’ll embark on a magical journey to seek something lost, and to save the best friend Jack has ever known.
Please RSVP to amy@pagesabookstore.com
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/events/2024/12
Book Club for Adults: A Selection of Stories at Valley Plaza Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss A Collection of Stories, by author Truman Capote.
Join us for a lively literary discussion at our new monthly book club for adults! You may check out the book (or e-book) for free with your library card.
Participants will discuss A Man Called Ove by author Fredrik Backman.
Where: Valley Plaza Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 12311 Vanowen St., North Hollywood, CA 91605
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-adults-3
Be the Change: Social Justice Writing Workshop with James Coats – Online Event
Be the Change, a Social Justice Writing Workshop, is held every 1st Wednesday of the month and led by poet and author James Coats.
Free: name your own price.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: Online Zoom Event Zoom ID: 826 5843 0669 Password: justice
Date: Wednesday, the 4th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: Online Zoom Event, Zoom ID: 826 5843 0669 Password: justice
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1qCfCyPfKm/?hl=en
Reading in Bed with Jessica: L.A. Poet Society via 101.5 FM – Live On-Air Event
Reading in Bed with Jessica hosts poets and writers in conversation and is aired weekly on 101.5 FM.
Jessica Wilson Cardenas is the founder of the Los Angeles Poet Society.
Guests: TBA
This program is offered weekly on radio in Los Angeles 101.5 FM.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: 101.5 FM
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: On-air Event (live at 101.5 FM)
Website: https://www.lapoetsociety.org/events
History Book Club: Aftermath at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss Aftermanth: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich, 1945-1955 (Paperback), by author Harald Jahner and translator Shaun Whiteside.
How does a nation recover from fascism and turn toward a free society once more? This internationally acclaimed revelatory history of the transformational decade that followed World War II illustrates how Germany raised itself out of the ashes of defeat and reckoned with the corruption of its soul and the horrors of the Holocaust.
Featuring over 40 eye-opening black-and-white photographs and posters from the period.
Aftermath received wide acclaim and spent forty-eight weeks on the best-seller list in Germany when it was published there in 2019. It is the first history of Germany’s national mentality in the immediate postwar years. Using major global political developments as a backdrop, Harald Jähner weaves a series of life stories into a nuanced panorama of a nation undergoing monumental change. Poised between two eras, this decade is portrayed by Jähner as a period that proved decisive for Germany’s future—and one starkly different from how most of us imagine it today.
Harald Jahner is a cultural journalist and former editor of The Berlin Times. He has been an honorary professor of cultural journalism at Berlin’s University of the Arts since 2011. Aftermath, his first book, won the Leipzig Book Fair Prize in 2019.
Shaun Whiteside is a translator of French, Dutch, German, and Italian literature. He has translated many works of nonfiction and novels, including Manituana and Altai by Wu Ming, The Weekend by Bernhard Schlink, Serotonin by Michel Houellebecq, and Magdalena the Sinner by Lilian Faschinger, which won him the Schlegel-Tieck Prize for German translation in 1997.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event
Mystery Book Club: All the Colors of the Dark at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – Online Event
Participants will meet in person to discuss the mystery All the Colors of the Dark, by author Chris Whitaker. For adults.
To attend this meeting virtually, contact Nina Hull at 818-889-2278 or nhull@library.lacounty.gov
Where: Agoura Hills Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12061818
Write Nite: Writing Space/Group at Chevalier’s Books – In-Person Event
This is a twice-a-month space for folks to write in peace with books and lovely quiet writers and readers around them.
This event is free, but donations are appreciated.
Where: Chevalier’s Books
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://www.chevaliersbooks.com/event/2024-12-04/write
Special Author Event: Rosa Kwon Easton, with Natalie Obando, & White Mulberry at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Event
Rosa Kwon Easton, in conversation with Natalie Obando, will discuss her debut novel White Mulberry.
Inspired by the life of Easton’s grandmother, White Mulberry is a rich, deeply moving portrait of a young Korean woman in 1930s Japan who is torn between two worlds and must reclaim her true identity to provide a future for her family.
1928, Japan-occupied Korea. Eleven-year-old Miyoung has dreams too big for her tiny farming village near Pyongyang: to become a teacher, to avoid an arranged marriage, to write her own future. When she is offered the chance to live with her older sister in Japan and continue her education, she is elated, even though it means leaving her sick mother—and her very name—behind.
In Kyoto, anti-Korean sentiment is rising every day, and Miyoung quickly realizes she must pass as Japanese if she expects to survive. Her Japanese name, Miyoko, helps her find a new calling as a nurse, but as the years go by, she fears that her true self is slipping away. She seeks solace in a Korean church group and, within it, finds something she never expected: a romance with an activist that reignites her sense of purpose and gives her a cherished son.
As war looms on a new front and Miyoung feels the constraints of her adopted home tighten, she is faced with a choice that will change her life—and the lives of those she loves—forever.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/special-author-event-rosa-kwon-easton
Jack Carlson, & Rowing Blazers: Revised and Expanded Edition at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Jack Carlson will present and discuss his book Rowing Blazers: Revised and Expanded Edition.
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.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/jack-carlson
Book Launch & Signing: Rachel Howzell Hall & The Last One at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
Rachel Howzell Hall will present and discuss The Last One, in conversation with The Roomies Digest.
Book signing to follow,
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 3806 Main St., Culver City, CA 90232
Website https://www.therippedbodice.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 Filipino town & The World: Search to Involve Pilipino Americans.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, cost, guidelines, and details.
Where: SIPA HQ
Date: Wednesday, the 4th
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
Book Launch: Mike Fu, with Xuan Juliana Wang, & Masquerade at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event
Mike Fu, in conversation with Xuan Juliana Wang, will discuss his new coming-of-age mystery, Masquerade.
Where: Stories Books & Café
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
Vroman’s Fiction Reading Group: Death in Her Hands: A Novel at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the novel, Death in Her Hands by author Ottessa Moshfegh.
While on her daily walk with her dog in the woods near her home, Vesta comes across a chilling handwritten note. Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn’t me. Here is her dead body. Shaky even on her best days, Vesta is also alone, and new to the area, having moved here after the death of her husband. Her brooding about the note grows quickly into a full-blown who was Magda and how did she meet her fate?
Where: Vroman’s, 2nd Floor
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2024-12-04/vromans-fiction-reading-group
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 — Tommy Domino features;
- 9:05 pm – 10:00 pm — Open mic.
Suggested: $10.00 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 (Use rear entrance)
Date: Wednesday, the 4th
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
The West Coast’s longest-running free poetry workshop is offered by Beyond Baroque 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 be prepared to share one poem.
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. An instructive video is available at the site.
The workshop can sometimes reach high levels of attendance, which means not everyone will get a chance to read every session.
The workshop facilitator this quarter is Arthur Kayzakian.
Arthur Kayzakian is the finalist for the 2024 Kate Tufts Award, and the winner of the 2021 inaugural Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series for his collection, The Book of Redacted Paintings. He is also a recipient of the 2023 creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, and information.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Wednesday, the 4th
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-1091132329169
Kevin Killian’s Selected Amazon Reviews at Poetic Research Bureau – In-Person Event
Semiotext(e) presents Kevin Killian’s Selected Amazon Reviews, with an introduction by Wayne Koestenbaum and an afterword by Dodie Bellamy.
The evening will include a conversation between Dodie Bellamy and the editors of the book Hedi El Kholti and Robert Dewhurst, as well as selected readings from the book by Colm Tóibín, Miranda July, Constance Debré, Michelle Tea, Brian Kim Stephans, John Tottenham, Andrew Maxwell, Sheree Rose, Matias Viegener, and Luka Fisher.
*This event is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
Kevin Killian was a poet, author, editor, and playwright. For decades, he was a charismatic participant in San Francisco’s New Narrative writing circle. He was the co-founder of the Poets Theater, an influential poetry, stage, and performance group, and co-edited My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer (2009) with Peter Gizzi.
Dodie Bellamy is novelist, poet, and essayist, who, in her own words, champions “the vulnerable, the fractured, the disenfranchised, the fucked-up”. Recent books include Bee Reaved (Semiotext(e), 2021) and When the Sick Rule the World (Semiotext(e), 2015), among others. She and Kevin Killian edited Writers Who Love Too Much: New Narrative 1977-1997 (Nightboat, 2017). https://www.belladodie.com
Hedi El Kholti is a writer and editor based in Los Angeles. He is coeditor of Semiotext(e), alongside Chris Kraus, and editor of Semiotext(e)’s “occasional intellectual journal,” Animal Shelter.
Robert Dewhurst is a writer and editor. He holds a PhD in English from the University at Buffalo (SUNY), where he participated in the Buffalo Poetics Program. With Joshua Beckman and CAConrad, he coedited Supplication: Selected Poems of John Wieners (Wave Books, 2015), and he has since been writing a literary biography of Wieners. Other recent writings include an introduction to the expanded second edition of David Rattray’s How I Became One of the Invisible (Semiotext(e), 2019), and a foreword to Alice Notley’s The Speak Angel Series (Fonograf Editions, 2023). He lives in Altadena, CA.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, cost, guidelines, and details.
Where: Poetic Research Bureau
Date: Wednesday, the 4th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm (Doors at 7:30)
Address: 2220 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057
Website: https://www.poeticresearch.com/events/selected-amazon-reviews
Poetry Nights with East Los Soul at East Los Angeles Rising Youth Club – In-Person Event
East Los Soul presents Poetry Nights every Wednesday from 8 pm – 9:45 pm at East L.A. Rising Youth Club. Poetry starts at 8:15 pm.
Every 2nd Wednesday will be a poetry contest with a $200 prize for the poet winner, via unanimous vote.
Every 4th Wednesday will be an art contest with a $200 prize for the artist winner, via unanimous vote.
$2 entrance fee
Where: East Los Angeles Rising Youth Club
Date: Wednesday, the 4th
Time: 8 pm – 9:45 pm
Address: 324 N. McDonnell Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90022
Website: N/A
Poetry Reading & Open Mic by Two Idiots Peddling Poetry with Ben Trigg and Guest PK at The Ugly Mug – In-Person Event
Host Ben Trigg and Two Idiots Peddling Poetry at the Ugly Mug on Wednesday Nights will feature PK.
Pankaj Khemka, or P.K. as he is known to his friends, is a practicing physician who often turns to poetry as his creative outlet. He mostly writes about love and loss but has an alarming number of poems about cannibalism. You can often find him at local poetry readings. He lives in Orange with floyd, his ficus.
$4 cover fee, cash only
NOTE: See site for further details.
Where: The Ugly Mug, Orange
Date: Wednesday, the 4th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 261 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA 92866
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events or https://www.facebook.com/events/2192192307824106/
Book Club: The Wishing Game at Hermosa Beach Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss The Wishing Game, by author Meg Shaffer.
Books are available for check-out at the library.
Where: Hermosa Beach Library, LACL
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Address: 550 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12138822
Mar Vista Writing Club at Mar Vista Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Are you passionate about writing or looking for a creative outlet? Our club invites adults of all ages and backgrounds to come together and explore their creativity through writing prompts. Whether you’re an experienced writer or just getting started, our supportive and welcoming environment encourages participants to share ideas, improve their skills, and connect with fellow writers. Meetings are held in the cozy atmosphere of the library, where inspiration flows freely.
Bring your notebook, laptop, typewriter or just your ideas—everyone is welcome!
Where: Mar Vista Branch Library, LAPL, Community Room
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 1:30 pm
Address: 12006 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/mar-vista-writing-club
Writing Workshop with Hannah Eko at The Pop Hop – In-Person Event
The Honey Is the Knife Slow & Sweet Book Tour with Hannah Eko comes to The Pop Hop.
Join author and poet Hannah Eko to explore the healing power of storytelling. This workshop is a perfect way to prepare for the ups and downs of the holiday season, the next four years, and honoring our boundaries and humanity.
Where: The Pop Hop
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 5002 York Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://withfriends.co/event
Open Mic Night at Anaheim Central Library – In-Person Event
Calling all performers: join us every first Thursday of the month at 5:00 p.m. for Open Mic Night at the Anaheim Central Library! Hosted by Anaheim Poet Laureate Camille Hernandez.
Join us every first Thursday of the month at 5:00 p.m. for Open Mic Night at the Anaheim Central Library! Poets, singers, songwriters, storytellers, writers, comedians, supporters, and listeners are welcome! The event will include a featured reading or musical performance by a published poet or musician.
Performer sign-ups begin at 4:45 p.m. The event is held in the multi-purpose room on the basement level of the Anaheim Central Library, 500 W. Broadway, Anaheim CA 92805 (near the corner of Broadway & Harbor). Hope to see you there!
Where: Anaheim Central Library
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 5 pm – 6:30 pm
Address: 500 West Broadway Anaheim, CA 92805
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-mic-night-at-anaheim-central-library-tickets-699278188887
Writing Group at Donald Bruce Kaufman – Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
This group offers time to focus on your writing while providing accountability and encouragement to help you keep moving forward with your projects. We are looking for writers to bring their experience and skills to the table to help other writers flourish through the challenges that come with any writing project, big or small. We welcomes writers of all genres, styles, and experience levels.
Where: Donald Bruce Kaufman – Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 5:30 pm
Address: 11820 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/brentwood-writing-group-0
Much Gratitude Book Club Party! at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Calling all book club leaders and members! On Thursday, December 5th from 6:00pm-8:00pm, all book club folks are invited to a special evening filled with gratitude, food, and lots of other book nerds! The store will be open only for our book club participants. Join us for shopping and great conversations about your favorite and not-so-favorite books of the year!
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/much-gratitude-book-club-party
The Cheech Palabra Event: Featured Poets & Open Mic at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, Riverside – In-Person Event
Palabra @ The Cheech is a series that celebrates the wonderful tradition of floricanto, poesía, and the spoken word.
Join us for this new open mic poetry series co-hosted by Donato Martinez, featuring poets Meliza Bañales, Carlos Ornales, and Antoine Victorin.
Donato Martinez was born in in small pueblo, Garcia de la Cadena, Zacatecas, Mexico and immigrated into USA at six years old. He teaches English composition, Literature, and Creative Writing at Santa Ana College. He has also taught classes in Chicano Studies. He has also been a co-coordinator of the Puente Program for 25 years and has presented workshop sessions at both the regional and state level. He has also spoken at many motivational and educational conferences. He hosts and curates many artistic events that feature poetry and music at his campus or in the community. He is also a poet and writes about his barrio upbringing, his community, his culture, and his Chicano identity. He has a self-published collection with three other Inland Empire poets, Tacos de Lengua. His full-length collection of poetry, Touch the Sky, was published in 2023 by El Martillo Press. He loves the outdoors and is inspired by music and books and other artistic expressions, and his children, Gabriel and Abigail. He was recently recognized as the Distinguished Faculty of the Year at Santa Ana College in 2024. Instagram @donatomartinez1
Meliza Bañales aka Missy Fuego is the author of six books, a Lambda Literary Finalist, and a Slam Champion. She has written for the Washington Square Review, On Our Backs Magazine, Razorcake, Ladybox, and Encyclopedia Brittanica. Along with being the 2024 Los Angeles Erotica Slam Champion, they are also on the West Hollywood Slam Team who are the Chill List Slam Team Champions. They are a 2024 Tin House Fellow in Young Adult Fiction and a 2024 Los Angeles LGBTQIA Center Summer Resident. They live, write, and cause radical trouble in their hometown of Los Angeles. Instgram: @missyfuego.
Antoine Victorin is a son, uncle, brother, veteran, and free soul on a journey within. Coming from humble beginnings, Victorin recognizes the struggles we all face and wants to cultivate a community of love, kindness and compassion. Instagram: @antoinevee
Carlos Ornelas is a Mexican American Poet and the author of 2 poetry collections. He has been published in The San Diego Poetry Annual, Voices of Compton, the Myriad, and several anthologies and has been instrumental in the development of the CLI school of poetry. He has been recognized by the Los Angeles Library Commission as “one of the top rhythmic poets in L.A.” and he is dedicated to the advancement of the written arts and continues his work helping writers and poets find their poetic voice and becoming published authors. He recently published Villian’s Vernacular, a collection of poetry, with Riots of Roses Publishing. Instagram– @carlosornelaspoetry
Free
Sign-ups at 6 pm.
Featured poets begin at 7 pm.
Open Mic begins at 8 pm.
Where: The Cheech Marin Museum of Chicano Art & Culture
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 6 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 3581 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, CA 92501
Website: https://riversideartmuseum.org/event/palabra-the-cheech/
Poets Beyond Cages Part II: More Readings by Formerly Incarcerated Artists at Page Against the Machine – In-Person Event
This event is a return visit by an inspiring group of formerly incarcerated artists and activists sharing their intense and intimate experiences through the transformative art of poetry.
The evening will feature readings by Ra Avis, Ismael Guerrero, Asia Johnson, Kory Lamberts, Ndopada Xóchitl Quetzalcóatl, Kunlyna “K” Tauch, and Tony Koji Wallin-Sato.
Ra Avis is an award-winning author and a social justice educator. She is a co-founder of the Biggest Little Zine Fair and writes regularly at Rarasaur.com.
Ismael Guerrero is currently enrolled as a Sociology major at Cal State Long Beach and is a member of Project Rebound.
Asia Johnson is a writer, storyteller, and filmmaker. Her chapbook, An Exorcism, was released in 2018 and her directorial debut, Out of Place was released in 2022. When Asia isn’t helping to uplift the stories of those impacted by the criminal legal system and making her dream of a world without cages come true, she is writing poetry.
Kory Lamberts is a son, brother, abolitionist, and lover of life. He’s often in the ocean thinking of revolutionary frameworks to use when the current system fails and sometimes writes poetry at 3:16am when he’s occasionally crippled by bouts of anxiety and insomnia. He has worked with Project Rebound in Humboldt since 2020, volunteers with community groups like Negus in Nature in the Bay Area, and founded an LA-based non-profit, The Aquatic Futures Foundation.
Born in Mexico, raised in East LA, Ndopada Xóchitl Quetzalcóatl is a husband, son, and father who loves writing about social issues, mental health, and loss of culture. He is a 47-year-old justice-impacted creative writing major who works for Long Beach College Promise where his main goal is to create a better environment for at-risk youth and for adults lost in the criminal justice system.
Kunlyna “K” Tauch is a dedicated Community Organizer passionate about serving marginalized communities. Having served 18 years in prison before being resentenced, he understands the power of resilience and the importance of driving change. As a published author, he has shared his insights and experiences in prominent publications such as Harper’s Bazaar, The Marshall Project, Business Insider, and Cal Matters.
Tony Koji Wallin-Sato currently works with formerly and currently incarcerated students in higher education. He has hopped trains, built houses, painted siding, cooked ramen, sold drugs, stolen from banks, and written a few long form narratives as a journalist. He has two books of poems and is featured in over a few dozen publications and anthologies.
The event is free and open to the public, no tickets or reservations required!
Where: Page Against the Machine
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 2714 E. 4th St., Long Beach, CA 90814
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/1302269890770720
Herbie J. Pilato, with Guests, & Christmas TV Memories: Nostalgic Holiday Favorites of the Small Screen at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Herbie J Pilato, with special guests Tina Cole, Marc Copage, Stanley Livingston, & Barry Williams, will discuss his book Christmas TV Memories: Nostalgic Holiday Favorites of the Small Screen.
This is a tinsel-decked traipse down memory lane and chronicling animated classics, variety shows, made-for-TV features, and holiday-specific episodes of series like The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. With a Foreword by best-selling Free to Be You and Me author and That Girl star Marlo Thomas, along with commentary from other celebrities, historical quotes, and insights from entertainment journalists and archivists, Christmas TV Memories serves as the go-to companion to the small screen’s most cherished holiday programs.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/herbie-j-pilato-christmas-tv-memories
Book Event: Kindred Creation with Aida Mariam Davis + Robin D.G. Kelley at Reparations Club – In-Person Event
Celebrate the launch of Kindred Creation by Aida Mariam Davis.
Author, founder, and organizer, Aida Mariam Davis, will discuss her “love letter to Black futures”, Kindred Creation: Parables & Paradigms for Freedom. Aida will be joined in conversation with distinguished professor and fellow author, Robin D.G. Kelley.
Author, founder, and organizer Aida Mariam Davis is relentlessly committed to the dignity and distinction of the African and Black way of life. She is part of a long tradition of poets, philosophers, and prophets who participate in liberation movements in the US and abroad. Specifically, she is a descendant of anticolonial fighters who kept Ethiopia free from colonialism when virtually all of Africa was colonized.
Her life’s work has been to excavate the historical and ongoing impacts of settler colonialism, making explicit the ways in which extraction, oppression, and enslavement serve the goals of empire—not least by severing ancestral connections and disrupting profound and ancient relationships to self, nature, and community. Mariam Davis is the founder of Decolonize Design and Kindred Creation is her first book.
Robin D. G. Kelley is Distinguished Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History at UCLA. His books include, Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists During the Great Depression; Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination; Race Rebels: Culture Politics and the Black Working Class; Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original; and Our History Has Always Been Contraband: In Defense of Black Studies, co-edited with Colin Kaepernick and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. His essays have appeared in dozens of publications, including The Nation, New York Times, New Yorker, Village Voice, Dissent, Hammer and Hope, and The Boston Review, for which he also serves as Contributing Editor.
Where: Reparations Club
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 3054 S. Victoria Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90016
Yxta Maya Murray & A History of Hazardous Objects at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Yxta Maya Murray will present and discuss her novel A History of Hazardous Objects.
A story about family, love, risk, and science, A History of Hazardous Objects contemplates how experiencing trauma and pain may help us secure a safer and more just world.
Laura de León is a radar astronomer who studies Potentially Hazardous Objects (PHOs) such as threatening asteroids and comets at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California. In Los Angeles in 2020, several crises are coalescing. The first strain of SARS-CoV-2 triggers the lockdowns, the city roils with protests of Derek Chauvin’s murder of George Floyd and the police killing of Breonna Taylor, while the Bobcat Fire sweeps across the San Fernando Valley. In the midst of these emergencies, Laura is struggling to keep her family alive.
Simultaneously, Laura is trying to write the history section of a Congressional report titled the National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan. This report will advise Congress that it must develop a system to detect and deflect PHOs, and the section Laura is working on cites several historical meteorite impacts as proof that the Earth is now undefended against a significant impact event.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2024-12-05/yxta-maya-murray-discusses-history-hazardous-objects
Tonalli Open Mic via Los Angeles Poet Society – Online Event
This reading event is held every 1st Thursday of the month by the L.A. Poet Society.
Host Angel Miguel Lopez and features TBA.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Tonalli Open Mic
Date: Thursday, the 5th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: Online Event: Zoom: 897 1039 1895
Website: https://www.instagram.com/losangelespoetsociety/ or https://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesPoetSociety/
What Books Press/Giant Claw at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – In-Person & Live YouTube Hybrid Event
Join us for a launch of new book titles from authors in Southern California, including Holaday Mason, David Quiroz, and others.
In partnership with What Books Press, Beyond Baroque presents a program dedicated to uplifting a diverse array of writers, featuring David Quiroz, Stella Hayes, Paul Lieber, Holaday Mason, and Tamar Perla Cantwell. These selected readings explore a wide range of emotion – from within oneself to connections with a lover, to family, to community, to the world and beyond – these authors brilliantly showcase their deeply personal moments of the universal human experience.
Book signing & reception to follow after the readings.
David Quiroz, born in Mexico, arrived in the USA in 1995. He is a product of the afterschool program The Boys and Girls Club of San Fernando Valley. As an undocumented first-generation college graduate, David was reenergized after each political battle. Upon receiving DACA, David utilized every opportunity afforded to him. Dreamer Paradise, his first book, tells the story of one dreamer, as the DACA/immigrant experience is not universal.
Stella Hayes grew up in Brovary, a suburb outside of Kyiv, Ukraine, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Hayes earned an M.F.A. in poetry from NYU, where she taught in the undergraduate creative writing program. Her first collection is One Strange Country (What Books Press, 2020).
Tamar Perla Cantwell’s fiction has appeared in journals and anthologies including The Ilanot Review, The North American Review, Ascent, Monologues from the Road, ed. Lavonne Mueller, and Secrets, ed. Linny Stovall. Her nonfiction essay, “Transmissions and Transgressions of the Holy,” was a finalist in the New Letters Literary Awards. Tamar was a writer-in-residence at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program in Woodside, California. Tamar taught composition for ten years in San Diego, California, and currently, she is the assistant director of the Academic Resource Center at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.
Paul Lieber’s second collection, Interrupted by the Sea, was published by What Books Press. His first book, Chemical Tendencies (Tebot Bach) was a finalist in the MSR poetry contest. He received an honorable mention in the Allen Ginsberg Contest. Three times nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Paul produced and hosted “Why Poetry” on Pacifica radio. He taught Poetry at LMU and has facilitated the poetry workshop at Beyond Baroque. Paul teaches acting at AMDA in Los Angeles.
Holaday Mason is the author of five previous full-length collections & two chapbooks. As If Scattered is her 6th volume. She is currently the poetry editor of the online fine art zine Furious Pure. Multiple Pushcart nominee, her publication include Poetry International, Spillway, Solo, The River Styx among others. http://www.holadaymason.com
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 8 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90291
LiveTalks LA Presents: An Evening with Peggy Noonan & A Certain Idea of America at New Roads School – In-Person & Virtual Hybrid Event
From Pulitzer-prize winning Wall Street Journal columnist and New York Times bestselling author Peggy Noonan, a masterclass in how to see and love America.
Peggy Noonan is a Pulitzer-Prize winning opinion columnist at the Wall Street Journal where her column, Declarations, has run since 2000. She is the author of ten books on American history and culture, including the political classic What I Saw at the Revolution. She was a special assistant and speechwriter to President Ronald Reagan.
For a quarter century, Peggy Noonan has been thinking aloud about America in her Wall Street Journal column, and this new collection of her essential recent work demonstrates the erudition, wisdom and wit that have made her one of America’s most admired writers.
She calls balls and strikes on current politicians and honors great figures such as Bob Dylan, Billy Graham, Tom Wolfe, and the heroes of 9/11. She writes with clear-eyed urgency about the internal and external dangers facing our republic. She sometimes writes with indignation, but above all she writes with love—and an enduring faith that America can be its best self, that its ideals are worth protecting.
Since her time as Ronald Reagan’s speechwriter, and her subsequent first book, What I Saw at the Revolution, her column has cemented her position as a moral compass for Americans who value character, love of country, and civility. The book is a celebration of what America has been, is, and can be.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre at New Roads School
Date: Friday, the 5th
Time: 8 pm
Address: 3131 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404
(Free Parking available at the venue)
Website: https://livetalksla.org/events/peggy-noonan/
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 6th
Time: 9:30 am
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/spectacular-story-time-105
Book Club: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society at Claremont Helen Renwick Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by authors Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
For adults.
Where: Claremont Helen Renwick Library, LACL
Date: Friday, the 6th
Time: 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Address: 208 N. Harvard Ave. N., Claremont, CA 91711
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12233164
First Fridays Book Club: The House on Mango Street at Memorial Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss The House on Mango Street by author Sandra Cisneros, our new Big Read Selection.
Where: West Los Angeles Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Friday, the 6th
Time: 1 pm – 3 pm
Address: 4625 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90019
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/first-fridays-book-club-0
Adventures in Bookland: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library at Diamond Bar Library, LACL – In-Person Kids Event
Come join this brand-new book club for kids, where we will meet monthly to discuss the selected book and participate in journaling, crafting, or games. The selection this month is Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein.
For ages 9 – 12.
This program will take place in the Reading Garden.
Where: Diamond Bar Library, LACL
Date: Friday, the 6p
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: 21800 Copley Dr., Diamond Bar, CA 91765
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12249089
Jack Carlson, with Miles Fisher, & Rowing Blazers at Diesel, A Bookstore – In-Person Event
Jack Carlson, in conversation with Miles Fisher, 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.
Jack Carlson is a designer, archaeologist, and former member on the U.S. rowing team. He is the founder of the cult menswear brand Rowing Blazers, which he sold to Tory Burch co-founder Chris Burch earlier this year, and has led the revival of several heritage fashion brands, including British knitwear label Warm & Wonderful. As a designer, Jack has collaborated with a wide range of other brands, including Gucci, Seiko, Tag Heuer, Target, The Grateful Dead, and the NBA. His approach combines obsessive historical research with a slightly subversive take on “the classics.” A three-time member of the U.S. national rowing team, Jack won a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships and won Henley Royal Regatta in 2013. Jack has a doctorate in archaeology from Oxford and an undergraduate degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. He has worked as a field archaeologist in Italy and trekked to the South Pole with his seventy-two year-old dad. He is a Fellow of The Explorers Club and serves on the board of Row New York, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering young people through the sport of rowing regardless of background or ability.
Miles Fisher is a serial entrepreneur with expertise in linking culture and technology. His original viral videos have exceeded billions of views on social media. Fisher is Co-Founder of Metaphysic, a leading generative AI platform for Hollywood-grade content. Awarded TIME100 Most Influential Companies and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, Metaphysic has pioneered ethical AI where people own their biometric data and creativity thrives. In 2016, Fisher co-founded Coffee Direct LLC, the producer of international beverage brands like Chamberlain Coffee and Bixby. In 2022, his business was acquired by Westrock Coffee. A classically trained performer, Fisher has starred in over 50 films and TV shows and on stages in over 30 countries. Guests on his original podcast include business icons such as Jamie Dimon, Condoleezza Rice and Bob Iger. An honors graduate of Harvard, Miles lives in Los Angeles where he serves as Trustee of Saint John’s Hospital and on the Director’s Circle of LACMA.
Where: Diesel, A Bookstore
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 225 26th St., #33, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://www.dieselbookstore.com/event/Jack-Carlson-Miles-Fisher-Author-signing
Poetry Book Launch: Nikki Hart & Translating Love at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Nikki Hart, in conversation with Anita Avalos, will present her poetry collection, Translating Love.
In Nikki Hart’s debut collection of poetry, she tackles gracefully the reality that the discovery and understanding of love often come at surprising times, and rarely in ways that we want love lessons to unfold. Some lessons appear miraculously beautiful, others quite painful, and some, a bittersweet mix. The poems woven with melancholy magically open pathways to beautiful destinations of love and invite more it – firmly establishing grief as a pivotal shaman to higher grounds.
In tandem and with profound elegance, Nikki explores how we communicate our needs and wants, both with ourselves and those we love. This collection highlights that, sometimes, conversations between two people speaking the same language – or the ones we have internally, cloaked in silence – require the most translation: a truth Nikki met as she learned a second language. The poems – all in English and with five translated to Portuguese – read like love letters to poignant and transformative moments, giving them the chance to transform those that read this collection.
Nikki Hart has degrees from Georgetown, NYU and St. John’s. Nikki writes poetry, short stories, and screenplays, and her voice captures peace, wisdom, longing and love. While she writes primarily in English, Portuguese is woven into her work. Nikki lives in Venice with her three teenagers and Goldendoodle—making her home full of beautiful emotion! In addition to creative writing, Nikki works in the field of women’s sports.
Anita Avalos, “The Body-Food Relationship Coach”, is a Certified Eating Psychology Coach & Teacher, Educator, Body Image Expert, ACE Group Fitness Instructor, writer, and the creator of The Pleasure Path Retreat. Anita coaches and leads workshops on body image, ways of the Wild Woman, and finding food freedom. Through her yearly retreats to Italy, she encourages women to use travel, adventure, and pleasure as catalysts for lasting change.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. 1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/1446720241206
100 Venice Stories: Book Signing and Film Premiere at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – In-Person Event
Join us as Jason Hill celebrates the release of his 10+ year Venice Stories anthology of 100 stories with a book signing and film premiere!
Venice Stories has been continuously dedicated to showcasing the diverse community of Venice’s cultural landscape in an up-close and personal way. Since its inception in 2014, the series has shared the stories and experiences that help define who we are as a community through the lens of its inhabitants—artists, skaters, activists, entrepreneurs, and historical figures alike. Each month for the past ten years, Venice Stories has been published monthly in LA’s westside weekly, The Argonaut. For the first time, this new anthology compiles all 100 Venice Stories pages into one book, along with an introduction from author Jason Hill and a 12-page photo scrapbook of supplemental material.
Included are first-person accounts in their own words by local Venice icons, including Beyond Baroque founder, George Drury Smith, master muralist Rip Cronk, boardwalk performer Harry Perry, photographer Josh ‘Bagel’ Klassman, punk artist Ric Clayton surfboard shaper Guy Okazaki, skateboard legend Ray Flores, and many more. The series has covered historical figures in Venice like founder Abbot Kinney, actor Charlie Chaplin, director Orson Welles and author Ray Bradbury.
The event is open and free to the public and copies of the book will be available for purchase with a book signing by Venice Stories founder, Jason Hill. Attendees will get a first look at Episode 1 of the all-new Venice Stories Video Magazine, with a 1/2 hour film screening in The Wanda Coleman Theater at 8 PM.
Doors Open: 6:30 PM I Book Signing: 7:00 PM I Film Premiere 8:00 PM
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90291
Tom Culver & They Did It With Their Clothes On at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Tom Culver will present and discuss his book They Did It With Their Clothes On.
This book is a great reminder about “sex and seduction” on the Silver Screen in another time. The stars in these films have shined for a long time. And, yes, they sometimes did it with their clothes on!
Tom Culver resides in Southern California. He had a long film and television career as a Set Costumer. He is also an author. His first book was a cookbook with recipes from the cast and crew of MURDER, SHE WROTE. All the proceeds from the book were donated to the AIDS Foundation. Tom is currently working on his third book, which is about the famous costume designer, Yvonne Wood.
He worked on many films such as MOBSTERS and TOWN AND COUNTRY which starred Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Gary Shandling and Charlton Heston among others.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/tom-culver-discusses-signs-they-did-it-their-clothes
Book Launch: Joshua Mohr & Saint The Terrifying at North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Event
Joshua Mohr will present and discuss his book Saint The Terrifying, with music from SLUMMY.
Where: North Figueroa Bookshop
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 6040 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://northfigbookshop.com/event/#calendar-8a0f87f6-17d6-4f10-9815-04df4c8251ba-event-m3gclyp2
Joint Book Launch & Signing: Liz Tomforde & SJ Tilly at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
Liz Tomforde and SJ Tilly will engage in an author conversation about their new releases:
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 3806 Main St., Culver City, CA 90232
Website https://www.therippedbodice.com/events-and-tickets
Open Mic Night at Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join us for Tia Chucha’s monthly Open Mic night, offered every first Friday of the month.
Come express yourself in community as we get ready to transition into the winter season! Our December open mic will be hosted by Frank Escamilla.
All art forms welcomed, sign ups at the door!
Contact info: ZacarIas @ TIACHUCHA.ORG.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore
Date: Friday, the 6th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 12677 Glenoaks Blvd., Sylmar, CA 91342
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/DCnF0hESUQI/?hl=en&img_index=1
Jordan Harper, with Travis Woods, & The Last King of California at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Jordan Harper, in conversation with Travis Woods, will discuss his novel The Last King of California.
Sometimes to find yourself, you have to go back to where you came from.
You just might not like what you find.
After failing in his new life, Luke decides to go home, back to the one place where he’d once felt he belonged. But that was a long time ago and now he has to face the life that he chose to run away from: The Combine. The gang that his uncle now leads, but which his father still runs from prison. Brutal, unforgiving…family.
Reunited with his childhood friend Callie and tagging along on jobs with her and her boyfriend Pretty Baby, Luke soon discovers that he might have a place back home after all. When another gang try to encroach on their turf, The Combine and Luke must go to war to save all that they know.
But in trying to be someone you’re not, can you ever find out who you really are?
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
SWAAM Spoken Word Art & Music Event at Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center – In-Person Event
SWAAM Spoken Word Art & Music is offered every 1st & 3rd Friday of the month and hosted by Loranzo Frank.
Featured guest: TBA
Tickets at Eventbrite.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center
Date: Friday, the 6th
Time: 8 pm – 12 am
Address: 4305 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: https://www.depoet.info/swaam
First Fridays Rapp Saloon Reading Series & Open Mic with host Cynthia Alessandra Briano at Rapp Saloon, Santa Monica – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
First Fridays Reading Series at Rapp Saloon: Open Mic & Featured Readers is offered every 1st Friday of the month by host Cynthia Alessandra Briano.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
The Rapp Saloon Poetry Reading Series will return to its original format with each Friday hosted and curated as follows:
First Friday: Cynthia Alessandra Briano
Second Friday: Russell Greene
Third Friday: Elena Secota
Fourth Friday: Jim Bolt
Fifth Friday: James Evert Jones
This is a hybrid event, live in-person while offering a Zoom option for our performers and guests.
Our featured guest poets and artists this month TBA.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Rapp Saloon at HISUA – In-Person & Online Event
Date: Friday, the 6th
Time: 8 pm – 11 pm
Address: 1436 2nd St., Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://www.facebook.com/RappSaloonReading or https://www.instagram.com/rappsaloon/?hl=en
Western Edge at Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Writers and aspiring writers, join us for a group that supports writing endeavors of all genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and memoir.
Please email eaglrk@lapl.org for the writing prompt.
Where: Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 10 am
Address: 5027 Caspar Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/western-edge-writers-0
Lit Angeles – Half-Hour Morning Meditation with Jen Becherer at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
From Entertainment Executive to Mindful Leadership Coach, Jen Becherer helps her clients transition from burnout to living a life that’s more abundant, stress free, and on their terms. Through breathing techniques, guided visualization meditation, creative exercises, and group sessions she’s watched her clients’ limiting beliefs and creative blocks dissolve, being replaced with a renewed passion for life and their confident place of leadership within it. http://www.jenniferbecherer.com/
About Lit Angels Writing Studio:
There are so many fitness classes available for the body, but what are you doing to exercise your creative mind
Lit Angels offers classes that provide just that—a fun and freeing way to work out the creative muscles and eliminate the stumbling blocks that might be holding you back, not only in your writing, art, or performance projects, but in all areas of your life—uplifting and refreshing your mind and soul, improving relationships, work, and your outlook on the future. Taught by top-level working professionals, Lit Angels classes cultivate community and connection, something we all desperately need in these challenging times.
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Get your tickets on EVENTBRITE!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 10 am – 10:30 am
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. 1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/1430320241207
Book Club: The Berry Pickers at Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the novel The Berry Pickers by author Amanda Peters.
A four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a mystery that will haunt the survivors, unravel a family, and remain unsolved for nearly fifty years.
Where: Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 11 am
Address: 1874 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-23
Middle School Book Club: Greenwild at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person MG Event
Join us to discuss Greenwild by Pari Thomson.
Eleven-year-old Daisy Thistledown is on the run. Her mother has been keeping big, glittering secrets, and now she has vanished. Daisy knows it’s up to her to find Ma―but someone is hunting her across London. Someone determined to stop her from discovering the truth. So when Daisy flees to safety through a mysterious hidden doorway, she can barely believe her eyes―she has stepped out of the city and into another world. This is the Greenwild. Bursting with magic and full of amazing natural wonders, it seems too astonishing to be true. But not only is this land of green magic real, it holds the key to finding Daisy’s mother. And someone wants to destroy it.
Where: Agoura Hills Library, LACL
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 11 am
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12061857
Table Reading: What Is Freedom at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – In-Person Event
Join us for a table reading discussion of the “What Is Freedom?” chapter in Between Past and Future by Hannah Arendt.
This reading is the 17th installment of a series of Table Reading sessions as part of the Fred Rogers Dewey Legacy Project (FRDLP), hosted by Renée Petropoulos. For the last year we have delved into the final chapter of Fred Dewey’s book, the School of Public Life, reading the text “What Is Power?” This year we will read texts by Hannah Arendt coming back to the historic beginnings of this series of Table Readings initiated by Fred. This project involves participants reading aloud around a table and interpreting the text as each pulls meaning from it. The activity is a public interpretation of ideas, read together without “expertise,” but with mind and heart. There is no need to read anything ahead of time—the text will be passed out at the table. Just come, sit, and read with us.
We will follow Fred’s model for the Working Group, which entails that we, a group of interested individuals, will engage with a text with no prior knowledge of it. So, there is no need to read anything ahead of time—the text will be passed out at the table. Just come, sit, and read with us. We look forward to your presence.
About the facilitator:
Renée Petropoulos is an artist living in Venice, California. She has shown and performed her work internationally and is the recipient of many awards for her work. She is also part of the Fred Dewey Legacy Project, a group created to promote the life work of Fred Dewey. Most recently, she has performed at the Broad Museum and the Wende Museum (2022), continuing with her project Among Nations (Mostly).
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 11 am – 2 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/table-reading-what-is-freedom-tickets-1042355010897?aff=oddtdtcreator
Reading Club: The Barbarian Nurseries at Robert Louis Stevenson Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the novel The Barbarin Nurseries by author Hector Tobar, a sprawling, panoramic social novel about Southern California.
Tobar is a masterful storyteller, and his writing is propulsive, especially after a fight between the adult Torres-Thompsons leaves Araceli to look after two of the couple’s children, with devastating effects. But his portrait of Southern California as a multilayered landscape is as important as it is compelling, challenging preconceptions of class and culture, assimilation and identity, and how they operate. The Torres-Thompsons are a success story…until everything goes wrong. Beneath Tobar’s unflinching eye, The Barbarian Nurseries becomes a novel that is bigger than the sum of its parts, an exploration of the racial, economic, and social divides of Southern California, a territory in which everyone seems alienated from everyone else and no one can say, exactly, who they are.
Books are available at the service desk, ask a librarian for your copy.
Where: Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 1 pm – 2 pm
Address: 803 Spence St., Los Angeles, CA 90023
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/reading-club
Book Club for Adults: Happy Place at Live Oak Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us to discuss Happy Place by Emily Henry.
Synopsis: A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends.
Where: Live Oak Library, LACL
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 2 pm
Address: 22 W. Live Oak Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/11985790
Holiday Poetry Hotline Writing Workshop with City of West Hollywood Poet Laureate Jen Cheng at West Hollywood Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Jen Cheng for a workshop of poetry writing, inspired by The Poetry Pharmacy. For adults.
Holiday stress doesn’t need to get us down when we have poetry to connect to our shared humanity. In the first of this two-part workshop, discuss what type of poems might address certain “conditions” and be inspired by poems that might prompt your own writing. At the December 21 Participant Workshop, we will be answering live phone calls to deliver “poem prescriptions” for callers. No experience needed. Come with curiosity.
Jen Cheng is the Fifth West Hollywood Poet Laureate, a 2023 California Arts Council Fellow, and a multidisciplinary storyteller who amplifies under-represented voices. Jen is the founder of Palabras Literary Salon, celebrating BIPOC poets and writers. Jen blends East-West cultural influences in a new form, Feng Shui Poetry. With stories for tween audiences, mystery detective fans, and queer love, Jen is a cross-pollinator. Find her on X and IG @JenCvoice or JenCvoice.com.
Attendance is limited, and advance registration is required. Please register every individual in your party. This will be used to save your spots in the program. We cannot guarantee availability for any unregistered attendees.
Where: West Hollywood Library, LACL
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 2 pm – 4 pm
Address: 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12121744
Everything Book Club: Get a Life, Chloe Brown at Lancaster Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us to discuss Get a Life, Chloe Brown by author Talia Hibbert. For adults.
In the Everything Book Club we read a variety of genres; we wish to expand our horizons and try to include many perspectives.
Sheltered and chronically ill Chloe has a brush with death, and decides she needs to break out of her shell. She makes a list of spontaneous, daring things to do, but still needs some help being rebellious. Help comes in the form of Red, a rebellious handyman who needs some help of his own. As they discover hidden depths in one another, their pragmatic deal blossoms into something unexpected.
Attendance is limited, and advance registration is required. Please register every individual in your party, including kids. This will be used to save your spots in the program. We cannot guarantee availability for any unregistered attendees.
Where: Lancaster Library, LACL
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 3 pm – 4 pm
Address: 601 W. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster, CA 93534
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12061876
Creative Writing Group at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Calling all writers of fiction, screenplays, poetry, etc. Get feedback on your writing in a fun, supportive environment. Meetings include a writing prompt/exercise, snacks, and a rollicking good time! Whether you are just starting out or well on your way to glory, join us and banish (at least temporarily) those Lonely Writer Blues!
RSVP:
Please RSVP by emailing fiction@lapl.org today.
Where: Central Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/writers-group-0
Expressions L.A. Poetry Reading Series and Open Mic at Studio City Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Tell your story.
Join us in-person or via Zoom for Expressions L.A. Poetry Reading Series, featuring poetry readings and open poetry mic.
Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 12611 Moorpark St., Studio City, CA 91604
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/expressions-la-poetry-reading-series-and-open-mic-2
Book Launch: Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 10 via The Ripped Bodice – Online Facebook Page Event
To celebrate The Best Women’s Erotica of the Year Volume 10 we’re hosting a virtual event moderated by Rachel Kramer Russel, in discussion with author contributors Rebecca Chase, Katrina Jackson, and S.P. Jaffery.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 3 pm – 4 pm
Address: 3806 Main Street, Culver City, CA 90323
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
Saturday Afternoon Poetry: Poetry Writing Workshop with Josetter Siqueiros – Online Event
Join us online for a Poetry Writing Wrokdhop led by Josette Siqueiros.
Submit up to 3 poems totaling no more than 150 lines including the subject of or at least mentioning shooting or stars for Four Feathers Press online edition: Shooting Stars by emailing donkingfishercampbell@gmail.com by 11:59pm, December 20th).
Don Kingfisher Campbell hosts and curates these events.
Where: Saturday Afternoon Poetry
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: Online Zoom Event
Website: https://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/
Words: A Literary Reading & Open Mic at The Glendale Room – In-Person Event
Words…A Literary Reading & Open Mic is hosted by Eric Blumfeld.
Come hear LA’s finest writers share their words. Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Poetry. featured Spot + 10 Open Mic Spots (6 mins)
Where: The Glendale Room
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 3:30 pm – 5 pm
Address: 127 Artsakh Ave., Glendale, CA 91206
Website: https://www.theglendaleroom.com/calendar
Pondwater Presents: The Cure for the Wintertime Blues at The Pondwater Society in Covina – In-Person Event
December is different. No features, no planned dinner. A full-blown open reading and a potluck.
Bring your favorite poems, stories, songs, artworks. Bring something that you love to eat so much that you want to share it!
There will be a gift exchange. You know that game where you wrap a gift so pretty that people will fight over it and steal it? That’s the one, but here’s the thing:
There is no monetary limit. The gift needs to be consumable, not in the moment, but something that someone will enjoy and not have to be responsible for taking care of.
Such as: candles, lotion, soaps or all the bath things, candy, a prime rib steak, cookies, alcohol, canna things, well documented and labeled psychedelics, did I mention the no children rule?
We get to have this! Let’s do!
Event by Joanne Qualey Baines.
Where: Private Residence
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 16504 E. Masline St., Covina, CA
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events
Quarterly Open Mic Event on First Saturdays with Featured Guest Gustavo Hernandez & Host Kunthon “Katon” Meas at LibroMobile Bookstore, Santa Ana – In-Person Event
Join us for our open mic series, held quarterly on first Saturdays, and hosted by Local Poet Kunthon “Katon” Meas, he’ll be featuring local writers & hold the mic for all of you!
Featured poet: Gustavo Hernandez, Poet Laureate of Orange County.
RSVP
Where: LibroMobile Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1150 S. Bristol St., #A3., Santa Ana, CA 92704
Website: https://www.libromobile.com/event-details/libromobiles-quarterly-open-mic-2024-12-07-18-00
Book Event: We Belong: An All-Black/All Queer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Comics Anthology at Page Against the Machine – In-Person Event
This event is an anthology celebration with Victor T. Kearney and William O. Tyler, editors and contributors to We Belong: An All-Black/ All Queer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Comics Anthologyrecently published by Stacked Deck Press in association with Prism Comics earlier this year.
In an anthology unlike any other, We Belong brings together over 20 queer Black comic writers and illustrators to create a collection of sci-fi and fantasy comics and art from perspectives often shut out from popular fiction. From interdimensional and intergalactic exploration to tales of witches, merfolk, and monsters, the volume showcases a wide range of stories and styles that reflect the unlimited possibilities of afrofuturism.
Victor T. Kearney is an Associate Director of Student Life at Occidental College and is a writer and co-host and co-creator of MEGASHEEN, a podcast on geekdom and queer culture.
William O. Tyler is a writer and illustrator based in Southern California. His creations include the characters Ratboy and The Goth Queen from Carabosse Comics, as well as the webcomic WOT’s Cinephilia where he explores his love of film and the effect it has on him and the world at large.
We Belong features the works of Valerie Complex, Jay Hero, E.B. Hutchins, Paul Kellam, Rupert Kinnard, Ajuan Mance, and Joe Phillips, among others.
We are pleased to present this event in conjunction with Stacked Deck Press, a California-based publishing house specializing in comics and coloring books of LGBTQAIU interest. Explore their other offerings at https://stackeddeckpress.com/
The event is free and open to the public, no tickets or reservations required
Where: Page Against the Machine
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 2714 E. 4th St., Long Beach, CA 90814
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/549005437915715
One Poem Festival: Celebrating 20 Years of Letras Latinas with 20 Artists at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – In-Person & Online Livestream Hybrid Event
Letras Latinas, the literary initiative at the Institute for Latino Studies (ILS), has strived to enhance the visibility, appreciation and study of Latinx literature both on and off the campus of the University of Notre Dame. Since 2004, the organization has emphasized programs that support newer voices, foster a sense of community among writers, and place Latinx writers in community spaces.
One Poem Festival at Beyond Baroque culminates the nation-wide celebration of Letras Latinas’ 20th anniversary. Over the 2024 calendar year, events marking this special anniversary have taken place at Arts Club of Washington in Washington D.C., the Poetry Center at the University of Arizona, the Poetry Foundation in Chicago, Illinois, among others.
This grand finale event will take place at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in partnership with Alternative Field, Red Hen Press, and Tia Chucha Press, featuring a powerful gathering of twenty prominent and contemporary voices in Southern California, curated by Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo and Luivette Resto.
The line-up features Alicia Partnoy, Aleida Rodríguez, Annalicia Aguilar, William Archila, Rocío Carlos, Anatalia Vallez, Luis J. Rodriguez, Erika Ayón, Lisbeth Coiman, Yago S. Cura, Blas Falconer, Vickie Vértiz, Jenise Miller, Olga García Echeverría, Christopher Soto, Cynthia Guardado, Adolfo Guzman Lopez, and Raul Herrera Jr. The event will be MC’ed by poet and Letras Latinas associate, Brent Ameneyro.
Each performer will be offering one single poem in the Wanda Coleman Theater. A chapbook anthology will include all the poems from the reading and will be available on the evening of the performances, printed by Alternative Field.
Following the performances, join us for a reception with food & drinks.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
LPS Poetry Open Mic at The Book Jewel, Westchester – In-Person Event.
Join us for a Poetry Open Mic event at The Book Jewel.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: The Book Jewel
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 6259 W.87th St., Westchester, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/DCsdUnBzyus/?hl=en
Red Light Lit & Joe Bourdet at Lyric Hyperion Theater & Café – In-Person Event.
Join Red Light Lit & Joe Bourdet with The El Captain band on Dec 7 @ 7:30pm featuring Michelle Tea, Orenda Fink, Linda Ravenswood and more!
NOTE: See site for tickets and details.
Where: Lyric Hyperion Theater & Cafe
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9 pm
Address: 2106 Hyperion Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/red-light-lit-joe-bourdet-tickets-1075378689609?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Griot Café Open Mic Readings at Shades of Afrika, Long Beach – In-Person Event.
Griot Cafe Open Mic and Poetry. All ages. Hosted by Sistah Shy and Samuel Rain.
$5 Cover & bring a friend – Save $2. {$5.00 for 1st person and $3.00 for each addl. friend after that}
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Where: Shades of Afrika
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 1001 E. 4th St., Long Beach, CA 90802
Website: https://www.lbpoetry.com/ or https://shadesofafrika.com/griot-cafe-open-mic-poetry/
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 8th (Every Sunday)
Time: 10 am – 5 pm
Address: 7850 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
Website: https://melrosetradingpost.org/tickets/
Lit Angeles – Mindful Mornings: 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 8th
Time: 10 am – 11 am
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. 1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events
Transformation Reading: Women Who Submit Anthology at The Libros, Lincoln Heights – In-Person Event
Join WWS for the final anthology reading of the year at The Libros Lincoln Heights (3422 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90031) on Sunday, December 8, 2024 from 2pm-4pm.
Contributors will be reading essays, stories, dramas, and poems from our 2024 anthology, TRANSFORMATION.
NOTE: More details to come!
Where: The Libros, Lincoln Heights
Date: Sunday, the 8th
Time: 2 pm – 4 pm
Address: 3422 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90031
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/DCrx8fnSfhh/
Storytime: Sarah Mlynowski & A Dragon for Hanukkah at Once Upon a Time Bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Join in a special story time with local New York Times bestselling author Sarah Mlynowski as she reads A Dragon for Hanukkah – a story filled with wonder and imagination as a young girl explores the meaning behind the Jewish holiday. After the reading, Sarah will be able to sign books. Best for ages 4+.
On the first night of Hanukkah, my parents gave me a dragon…
So begins Hannah’s holiday adventure, as she receives eight magical presents—one for each night. There’s a playful dragon, a gleaming treasure chest, a time travel machine, some rowdy unicorns…and much more. But are the gifts what they seem to be? When Hannah gathers with family and friends to light the menorah, play dreidel, and eat delicious latkes, she’ll discover the true magic of the Festival of Lights.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore
Date: Sunday, the 8th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/dragon-hanukkah
Second Sunday Poetry Series at The Studio Theatre at St. Denis Building – In-Person Event
Join host Alex M. Frankel to welcome featured artist Christine Jordan to the Second Sunday Poetry Series.
Christine Jordan started life as a dancer, discovered runway modeling and writing poetry at about the same time, fulfilled her dream of being a choreographer as a dance professor at CSULA, landed in landscape design, and then came back around to performing her own writing from 2009 to the present. She has performed her solo shows and duo work with Story Chicks since 2013, combining her skills of choreography, prop and costume design, storytelling, and poetry and memoir writing with some success. She currently works with the LA County and LA Public Library systems performing her written recollections for adults, families and children, sharing excerpts from such ‘classics’ as Food for Thought, and Starstrucknotes on a country childhood. She is currently developing Model Behavior, her take on life as a high fashion runway model in the 1980’s, mining the humor of haute couture with a license to dazzle all while adroitly enacting her hair-raising true, vintage, fashion tales!
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: The Studio Theatre at St. Denis Building
Date: Sunday, the 8th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 3433 Cahuenga Blvd., West, Los Angeles, CA 90068
(Near Universal Studios)
Website: https://www.secondsundaypoetry.com/
Library Girl & Roar Shack Present: The Answer’s at the End at Ruskin Group Theatre – In-Person Event
Join this joint holiday show, an annual collaboration with David Rocklin and Susan Hayden for the last show of the year.
This stellar show will be featuring readings by: Bridgette Bianca, Parissa Ebrahimzadeh, Toni Ann Johnson, Kate Maruyama, Bruce McIntosh, David Rocklin, Iván Salinas, Timea Sipos and Deanne Stillman AND music by Jake Bluenote!
$20 includes show, free parking + dessert. LIMITED SEATING. Tickets available NOW at ruskingrouptheatre.com. Click SHOWS at top of page and look for Library Girl icon.
All box office proceeds donated to Ruskin Group Theatre. Library Girl is now in its 16th year. Created + produced every 2nd Sunday night of the month by Susan Hayden. Cover photo: Fire and Ice by Tom Chambers from his Still Beating Series (2017). Title of show from a song by George Harrison.
Santa Monica, California
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: The Ruskin Group Theatre
Date: Sunday, the 8th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 2986 Airport Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90405
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/529969256577750/?ref_source=NEWS_FEED&_rdr or https://www.ruskingrouptheatre.com/library-girl
Book Launch: Cary Baker & Down On The Corner at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event
Cary Baker will present and discuss his new book, Down On The Corner.
Drawing on years of interviews and eyewitness accounts, Down On The Corner introduces readers to a wide range of locations and a myriad of musical genres, from folk to rock’n’roll, the blues to bluegrass, doo-wop to indie rock. Some of the performers he features—Lucinda Williams, Billy Bragg, The Violent Femmes—went on to become international stars; others settled into the curbs, sidewalks, and Tube stations as their workplace for the duration of their careers. Anyone who has lived in or travelled through a city will have encountered street musicians of one kind or another. For the first time, veteran journalist and music-industry publicist Cary Baker tells the complete history of these musicians and the music they play, from tin cups and toonies to QR codes and PayPal.
Cary Baker is a writer based in the Southern California desert. Born on Chicago’s South Side, he began his writing career at age 16 with an on-spec feature about Chicago street singer Blind Arvella Gray for the Chicago Reader. His return to writing follows a 42-year hiatus during which Baker, by 1984 based in Los Angeles, directed publicity for six labels (including Capitol and I.R.S.) and two of his own companies, working with acclaimed artists and labels such as R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, the Smithereens, James McMurtry, the Mavericks, Bobby Rush, Willie Nile, and Omnivore Recordings. Prior to his PR years, Baker wrote for the Chicago Reader, Creem, Trouser Press, Bomp!, Goldmine, Billboard, Mix, Illinois Entertainer, and Record magazine. He has also produced and/or written liner notes for historical reissues from Universal, Capitol-EMI, Numero Group and Omnivore. He has been a voting member of the Recording Academy since 1979.
Where: Stories Books & Café
Date: Sunday the 8th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
Fantasy Romance Book Club: An Ember in the Ashes at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
December’s Fantasy Romance Book Club participants will discuss An Ember in the Ashes by author Sabaa Tahir.
General Manager Taylor C. leads this event and focuses on romance novels from fantasy and paranormal and other worlds.
Everyone is welcome.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Sunday the 8th
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 