Kids Storytime at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Join us on Mondays at 10:30 am for a fun half hour of songs and stories! Miss Amy shares brand new gems and long-time favorites, along with songs, crafts and activities. We meet in the courtyard.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Monday the 13th
Time: 10:30 am –11 am
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/2025-01-13/kids-storytime
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 13th
Time: 11 am
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/robertson-writers-group-0
Seniors Writing Group at Studio City Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Danny Stone, a member of Saved by a Story, leads an ongoing writing group for seniors. New members are welcome to all or any sessions.
Write to prompts, share (if you want), connect with fellow seniors in the neighborhood, hone your writing skills and find your story.
RSVP:
An RSVP to studio@lapl.org is recommended but not required. If you RSVP we will send you a welcome packet, guidelines, and a reminder the day before the meeting.
Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 13th
Time: 1 pm – 2:30 pm
Address: 12511 Moorpark St., Studio City, CA 91604
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/senior-writing-group-2
L.A. Zine Club with Drifter Zine! via Van Nuys Branch Library, LAPL – Online Teen Event
Please join us online for an L.A. Zine Club session with Drifter Zine!
Drifter Zine is an independent publication based in the San Fernando Valley dedicated to showcasing up-and-coming artists, writers and journalists. The publication is a theme-based print and online zine that highlights a social justice issue or communities through a multitude of works including visual art and writing.
Drifter Zine started in April 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic to create a community space for artists that was vastly needed during this solitary time and has continued to grow since then. The publication is a two-person operation run from home by Co-Editors Madi Parsley and Iván Salinas who are both artists and writers themselves.
During this virtual Zine Club session, participants can co-work, chat, and exchange inspiration for their projects. Whether you’re making, sharing, or discovering zines, this is a space to connect with like-minded creators. Come prepared to share your favorite zines, discuss works-in-progress, and even explore music to create by.
Bring pens, paper, scissors, glue sticks, magazines and other supplies to make a zine.
RSVP:
Visit http://bit.ly/laplzineclub for the Zoom link.
Where: Van Nuys Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 13th
Time: 4 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/la-zine-club-drifter-zine
Kitty Felde & Civics 101 at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Kitty Felde asks: How much does your child (or you) know about democracy?
Kitty Felde is the author of several books for children of all ages, including:
State of the Union; Losing Is Democratic; and Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Monday, the 13th
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. 1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events
Evening Book Club: The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife at Manhattan Beach Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Patrons can enjoy a facilitated discussion of fiction and nonfiction titles. A limited quantity of titles are available for attendees at the library. For adults.
January Selection: The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston.
Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he’d return it washed, with a full tank of gas. Denise Simms is a middle-aged mom and caregiver at Bernard’s facility, her crumbling marriage and daughter’s health concerns are suffocating her joy for life. When unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise rediscover their sense of purpose and learn how to return a broken life to mint condition.
Where: Manhattan Beach Library, LACL
Date: Monday the 13th
Time: 5 pm – 6 pm
Address: 1320 Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12045201
Mystery Book Club: Velvet Was the Night at Lake Los Angeles Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join our book club as we discuss a different mystery book each month. This month’s selection is Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Copies of the book are available at customer service desk for checkout. For adults.
Where: Lake Los Angeles Library, LACL
Date: Monday the 13th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 16921 East Avenue O, #A, Palmdale, CA 93691
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12538208
Book Club for Adults: Stealing Home at Sorensen Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us for a lively discussion of Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between by Eric Nusbaum.
Books are available for checkout at the library. For adults.
Where: Sorensen Library, LACL
Date: Monday the 13th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 6934 Broadway Ave., Whittier, CA 90606
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12583017
YA for Adults Book Club: Ember in The Ashes at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the fantasy novel, An Ember in the Ashes by author Sabaa Tahir.
There’s a power struggle between the Scholars, the Martials, the students at Blackcliff, and the will of the Augurs, and Elias and Laia are caught in the middle. Elias is a new graduate from Blackcliff, making him a Mask in full. Masks are brutal and elite Martial warriors, trained from the age of six in the arts of survival, cunning and killing. Then there is Laia, a poor Scholar living a simple life, but when a Mask comes after her family in a Martial raid, Laia is forced to turn to the Scholar Resistance for help. In this twisted world there is no easy path for either person.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Monday the 13th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/ya-adults-book-club-ember-ashes
Writing for Children Workshop with José Chávez via Inlandia Institute – Online Event
(All Levels)
Alternating Mondays, 1/13, 1/27, 2/10, 2/24, and 3/10/25, 6:00-8:00 PM PT, on Zoom.
$50. Registration required. https://tinyurl.com/Winter2025CWW
This workshop is designed to meet the needs of those who wish to write or are writing for children. We’ll explore the writing voice for children, define a “picture book,” story arc, story introductions, appropriate vocabulary, children’s poetry, and more. There will be time to flex our writing muscles and develop the beauty and strength of our “voice” for children.
José Chávez is a retired bilingual teacher who dedicates his life to writing. His poetry has been published in the Multilingual Educator Journal, Acentos Review, and the Inlandia anthology, and he is the author of two award-winning bilingual poetry books for children. José lives in Riverside, California, is married, and has three grown children.
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Inlandia Institute
Date: Monday the 13th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://inlandiainstitute.org/my-calendar/?mc_id=2472
Kim Dower, with guests, & What She Wants: Poems on Obsession, Desire, Despair, Euphoria at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Kim Dower will present and discuss her new collection, What She Wants: Poems on Obsession, Desire, Despair, Euphoria.
With a special introduction by Terry Wolverton and guest readings by poets Brendan Constantine & Steven Reigns!
Obsessive love has never been so much fun! What She Wants: Poems on Obsession, Desire, Despair, Euphoria is a powerful tribute to the intensity of obsessive love, told through the trademark humor and heartbreak of bestselling poet Kim Dower.
Following the commercial and literary success of her bestselling poetry collection, I Wore This Dress Today for You, Mom: Poems on Motherhood, Kim Dower delivers What She Wants: Poems on Obsession, Desire, Despair, Euphoria—turning her keen eye, vibrant imagination, trademark insight, and humor to the intensity of obsessive love. These steamy and provocative poems, combining humor and heartache, run through the four phases of Limerence, the state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person: Infatuation, Crystallization, Deterioration, and Ecstatic Release. From the opening poem, “She’ll do anything for food,” to the sexy title poem, “What She Wants,” the painfully funny, “His Other Girlfriend,” to the longing in “Visiting Baudelaire,” and the sad, sweet final poem, “Fish’s Lament,” Kim Dower captures the essence of what it means to be stuck on someone—even on a squirrel! Her eclectic, growing readership will savor these poems that can be read in one sitting, like a story with an arc, or separately, each one recalling the moment of falling in or out of love, the moment our hearts skipped a beat.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Monday the 13th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/kim-dower-2025
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 13th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 3575 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92501
Website: https://www.facebook.com/backtothegrind
Robert Crais & The Big Empty at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Robert Crais will present and discuss his new thriller, The Big Empty.
Elvis Cole and his enigmatic partner, Joe Pike, race to find a terrifying, unidentified killer in this twisting, unpredictable thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Crais.
Traci Beller was thirteen when her father disappeared in the sleepy town of Rancha, not far from Los Angeles. The evidence says Tommy Beller abandoned his family, but Traci never believed it. Now, ten years later, Traci is a high-profile influencer with millions of followers and the money to hire the best detective she can find: Elvis Cole.
Elvis heads to Rancha where an ex-con named Sadie Givens and her daughter, Anya, might have a line on the missing man. But when Elvis finds himself shadowed by a gang of vicious criminals, the missing persons cold case becomes far more sinister.
Elvis calls his ex-Marine friend, Joe Pike, for help, and they follow Tommy Beller’s trail into the depths of a monstrous, hidden evil. The case flips on its head, victims become predators, predators become prey, and the question becomes: Can Elvis Cole save them all from this nightmare?
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Monday the 13th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2025-01-13/robert-crais-discusses-big-empty
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 13th
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-1117030631689
No Pulp Open Mic at Work Evolution Laboratories, Long Beach – In-Person Event
Join us for No Pulp Open Mic every 2nd and 3rd Monday (8th Floor).
All ages. Doors open at 7:30 pm.
More info at https://www.instagram.com/nopulp_media/
Where: Work Evolution Laboratories, Long Beach
Date: Monday the 13th
Time: 8:30 pm – 11 pm
Address: 235 E. Broadway, Suite 800, Long Beach, CA 90802
Website: https://www.lbpoetry.com/
Lit Angeles: Morning Writing with Francesca Lia Block at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Do you want to write creatively but aren’t sure where to start and just need some inspiring tips and support? Do you have a project that needs revision? Are you feeling stuck creatively? Join acclaimed author and writing instructor Francesca Lia Block for a discussion of her 12 Questions process followed by free writing and Q&A. Come be a part of the supportive Lit Angels writing community!
All levels/all genres welcome!
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/
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Tuesday, the 14th
Time: 10 am – 11 am
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., 1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/1582520250114
Celena’s Scribes Workshop with Wil Clarke via Inlandia Institute – Online Event
Tuesdays, beginning 1/7/25, 11:30 AM-1:00 PM PT, on Zoom.
Free. Registration required. https://tinyurl.com/Winter2025CWW
Participants respond to prompts about universal themes related to the human condition and are encouraged to explore all genres of writing. Individual writing is shared with a friendly, supportive group who do their best to encourage each member’s success.
Wil Clarke was born in Africa to missionary parents. He’s lived a total of 27 years in Africa. He is a career mathematician and enjoys writing memoirs of his various experiences. His motto is, “You only live life once, so you may as well enjoy it the first time around and do all the good you can.”
NOTE: All Levels. See site for link and details.
Where: Inlandia Institute
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 11:30 am – 1 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://inlandiainstitute.org/my-calendar/?mc_id=2488
Nonfiction Book Club: The Wide Wide Sea at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Customers meet in-person to discuss Hampton Sides’ book The Wide Wide Sea For adults.
Where: Agoura Hills Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 2 pm – 3 pm
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12371667
Book Club for Adults: The Housemaid at Bell Gardens Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss The Housemaid by author Freida McFadden. For adults.
Copies of this title are available at the Information Desk. Light refreshments will be served. A list of ingredients will be available.
Where: Bel Gardens Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 7110 Garfield Ave., Bell Gardens, CA 90201
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event
Adult Book Club: Lucky at Norwood Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss Lucky by author Marissa Stapley. For adults.
When talented grifter Lucky Armstrong discovers that a lottery ticket she bought on a whim is worth millions, she must find a way to cash in the winning ticket without the police arresting her for her past crimes.
If you would like a copy of the book, please drop by Norwood Library to pick up a copy or get a digital copy.
Where: Norwood Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 4550 Peck Rd., El Monte, CA 91732
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event
Poetry Open Mic via Westwood Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Share a poem you wrote or a poem you love. You are also welcome to just listen and enjoy. Emceed by Wyatt Underwood.
RSVP:
To receive a Zoom invitation, please contact wwood@lapl.org.
Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 6 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/poetry-open-mic-0
Community in Conversation with ACLU: Highest Law in the Land at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Participants will be hosting the first conversation on Jessica Pishko’s The Highest Law in the Land, in partnership with the American Civil Liberties (ACLU)! We will only be discussing part of the book during this meeting.
In The Highest Law in the Land: How the Unchecked Power of Sheriffs Threatens Democracy a leading authority on sheriffs investigates the impunity with which they police their communities, alongside the troubling role they play in American life, law enforcement, and, increasingly, national politics.
Jessica Pishko is a journalist and lawyer with a JD from Harvard Law School and an MFA from Columbia University. She has been reporting on the criminal legal system for a decade, with a focus on the political power of sheriffs since 2016. In addition to her newsletter Posse Comitatus, her writings have been featured in The New York Times, Politico, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, The Appeal, Slate, and Democracy Docket. She has been awarded journalism fellowships from the Pulitzer Center and Type Investigations and was a 2022 New America Fellow. A longtime Texas resident, she currently lives with her family in North Carolina.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com
The Art and Craft of Writing Poetry with Romaine Washington via Inlandia Institute – Online Event
Alternating Tuesdays, 1/14, 1/28, 2/11, 2/25, and 3/11/25, 6:00-8:00 PM PT, on Zoom.
$50. Registration required. https://tinyurl.com/Winter2025CWW
Discover the art and craft of writing poetry with generative prompts and other forms of poetic inspiration. Brief group feedback will help you uncover images and language that resonate for you and for your audience.
Romaine Washington, M. Ed., is the editor of These Black Bodies Are…Blacklandia Anthology and the author of Purgatory Has an Address and Sirens in Her Belly. She has been published in various anthologies and periodicals. Ms. Washington is a graduate fellow of The Watering Hole, South Carolina, and the Inland Area Writing Project at the University of California, Riverside. She was a public school educator for over twenty years. The proud mother of two sons, Romaine Washington is a native Californian from San Bernardino who resides in the Inland Empire.
NOTE: All Levels. See site for link and details.
Where: Inlandia Institute
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://inlandiainstitute.org/my-calendar/?mc_id=2477
Book Club Tuesday: Hello Beautiful at Leland R. Weaver Library, LACL – in-Person Event
Join this book club for a facilitated discussion of Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano.
Copies of the current title are available to check out at the customer service desk while supplies last. New members are always welcome! This is an in-person event.
Where: Leland R. Weaver Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 4035 Tweedy Blvd., South Gate, CA 90280
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event
Nonfiction Book Club: The Wide Wide Sea via Agoura Hills Library, LACL – Online Event
Join this book club virtually to discuss The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides.
To attend this meeting virtually, contact Nina Hull at 818-889-2278 or email nhull@library.lacounty.gov.
Where: Agoura HIlls Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event
John Sayles & To Save the Man at Deisel, A Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join us to welcome John Sayles to discuss and sign To Save the Man.
In the vein of Never Let Me Go and Killers of the Flower Moon, one of America’s greatest storytellers sheds light on an American tragedy: the Wounded Knee Massacre, and the ‘cultural genocide’ experienced by the Native American children at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School …In September of 1890, the academic year begins at the Carlisle school, a co- educational military-style boarding school in Pennsylvania for Indians founded and run by Captain Richard Henry Pratt, who considers himself a champion of the country’s rapidly dwindling Native population. His motto, “To save the man, we must kill the Indian,” is enforced in both classroom and dormitory: speak only English, forget your own language and customs, learn to be white.
As the students navigate survival, they begin to hear rumors of the “ghost dance” moving its way through their home reservations on the Plains—tribal people dancing and chanting and reporting visions, all in the desperate belief that their efforts will cause the Creator to return the buffalo to the Plains, raise the Indian dead, and destroy all the white people with fire or flood. The yellow press hype the story with exaggeration and falsehood, spreading panic among local whites and forcing the deployment of federal troops onto Lakota land, a situation almost certain to end in slaughter. When news reaches Carlisle that legendary medicine man Sitting Bull has been killed by native police working for the government that holds them as “wards of the state,” each student, no matter what their tribe, must make a choice: to follow the white man’s path, or to be true to a way of life that may hold no future …
John Sales is an American independent film director, screenwriter, actor, and novelist. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, for Passion Fish (1992) and Lone Star (1996), and nominated for the National Book Award. He has written eight novels, the most recent being Yellow Earth (2020) and JAMIE MACGILLIVRAY: The Renegade’s Journey (2023), which was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice.
Note: Please RSVP at site. Seating is limited.
Where: Diesel, A Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 225 26th St., #33, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://www.dieselbookstore.com/event/John-Sayles-To-Save-the-Man-Author-signing
Adam Chandler, with Rina Raphael, & 99% Perspiration: A New Working History of the American Way of Life at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Adam Chandler, in conversation with Rina Raphael, will discuss & sign 99% Perspiration: A New Working History of the American Way of Life.
An enlightening and entertaining interrogation of the myth of American self-reliance and the idea of hard work as destiny.
“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” This phrase, arguably Thomas Edison’s most famous quote, has been drilled into the minds of generations of Americans. A fairly straightforward iteration of the idea that innovation, discovery, and ingenuity are the result of drive and grit above all, it has also come to represent much darker myths: that hard work always leads to success and that achievement is the product of individuals and not communities. In this model, those who come out on top are there because they earned it, and everyone else needs to buckle down, glove up, and, maybe one day, they’ll get there too.
As the wealth gap widens, communities crumble, and Americans work more for less, Adam Chandler raises the question: What happens when perspiration isn’t enough?
Where: Book Soup
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/adam-chandler
Open Mic Poetry at The Library Coffee House, Long Beach – In-Person Event
Join us for Open Mic Poetry at The Library Coffee House, hosted by Chad Brian Poetry.
All ages. Sign-ups at 6:45 pm.
Where: The Library Coffee House, Long Beach
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 3418 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90803
Website: https://www.lbpoetry.com/
Adult Book Group: Solito: A Memoir at Once Upon a Time – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join us for our discussion of Solito, Javier Zamora’s acclaimed memoir.
A young poet tells the inspiring story of his migration from El Salvador to the United States at the age of nine in this “gripping memoir” (NPR) of bravery, hope, and finding family.
This book club has been going strong for 40+ years and loves to see new faces.
Books are available in print, and when possible as an e-book and a digital audiobook.
Where: Once Upon a Time
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/adult-book-group-solito-javier-zamora
At Skylight: Sarah Sligar, with Janelle Brown, & Vantage Point: A Novel at Skylight – In-Person Event
Sarah Sligar, in conversation with Janelle Brown, will discuss her novel Vantage Point.
Succession meets Megan Abbott in this seductive, technological suspense about the dramatic downfall of one of America’s most affluent families.
The old-money Wieland family has it all—wealth, status, power. They’re also famously cursed.
Clara and her brother, Teddy, grew up on a small island in Maine in the shadow of their parents’ tragic deaths, haunted by rumors and paparazzi. Fourteen years later, they’ve mostly put their turbulent past to rest. Teddy has married Clara’s best friend, Jess, and the three of them have moved back home to take over the sprawling, remote family mansion known as Vantage Point.
Then Teddy decides to run for the Senate—an unnerving prospect made much worse when intimate videos of Clara are leaked online. The most frightening part is that she doesn’t remember filming any of them. Are the videos real? Or are they deepfakes? Is someone trying to take down the family once and for all?
Everyone thinks Clara is losing her grasp on reality. But she knows the truth: the videos are only the beginning. Years ago, the curse destroyed her parents. Now, it’s coming for her.
Sara Sligar, the critically acclaimed author of Take Me Apart, returns with a shocking family drama full of suspense. Brimming with palpable tension, Vantage Point carefully unravels a twisted web of family secrets and political ambition that raises questions about the nature of “truth” in our digital age.
Sara Sligar is an author and academic based in Los Angeles, where she teaches English and creative writing as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Southern California. She holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in History from the University of Cambridge. Her writing has been published in McSweeney’s, Quartz, The Hairpin, and other outlets. Her first novel, Take Me Apart, was published in 2020 and her new book, Vantage Point, is forthcoming from MCD x FSG in January 2025.
Janelle Brown is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels I’ll Be You, Pretty Things, Watch Me Disappear, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, and This Is Where We Live. Her books have been sold in two dozen countries around the world. Pretty Things – named a Best Book of 2020 by Amazon – and I’ll Be You are both currently being adapted for television.
Her journalism and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Vogue, Elle, Wired, Self, RealSimple, The Los Angeles Times, and numerous other publications. Previously, she worked as a senior writer at Salon and began her career as a staff writer at Wired during the dotcom boom years, working on seminal Web sites like HotWired and Wired News. In the 1990s, she was also the editor and co-founder of Maxi, an irreverent (and now, long-gone) women’s pop culture Webzine.
Where: Skylight
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-sara-sligar-presents-vantage-point-w-janelle-brown
Matthew Kennedy & On Elizabeth Taylor: An Opinionated Guide at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Matthew Kennedy will present and discuss his new book, On Elizabeth Taylor: An Opinionated Guide.
In the oceans of ink devoted to the monumental movie star/businesswoman/political activist Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (1932-2011), her beauty and not-so-private life frequently overshadowed her movies. While she knew how to generate publicity like no other, her personal life is set aside in this volume in favor of her professional oeuvre and unique screen dynamism. In On Elizabeth Taylor: An Opinionated Guide, her marriages, illnesses, media firestorms, perfume empire, violet eyes, and AIDS advocacy take a back seat to Elizabeth Taylor, the actress.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic: Rick Lupert & Guest Jen Cheng – Online Zoom Event
The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic with host Rick Lupert presents guest reader Jen Cheng.
Jen Cheng is a multi-disciplinary storyteller, weaving her skills as a poet, writer, musician, improvisor, and artist. She helps create your story and amplify under-represented stories. Jen is a community curator and cross-pollinator. She is currently the West Hollywood Poet Laureate and is the author of the collection Braided Spaces. She hosts the Palabras Literary Salon, a monthly reading series, and other literary events.
Where: Cobalt Poets – Online Zoom Event
Date: Tuesday, the 14th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt
Da Poetry Lounge Open Mic Night at Greenway Court – In-Person Event
The nation’s largest weekly Open Mic event is 25 years strong. At an open mic, all are welcome to share their poetry or sit in their audience.
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 14th
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/
Coffee Time Book Club at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Event
Coffee Time Book Club: Meets monthly, generally on third Wednesday of each month at 10:00am
We tend to read new-release literary fiction. At each meeting we discuss and vote on what we will read and discuss for the following month.
See site for details.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 10 am – 11 am
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/2025-01-15/coffee-time-book-club
Kids Story Time: Seth Fishman at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Kids Event
Join us every Wednesday and Saturday for a story time amongst the cozy bookstacks of Village Well!
Author Seth Fishman will present his children’s book, Brandon and the Totally Troublesome Time Machine.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Wednesday, the 15th
Time: 11 am
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., 1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events
Book Club: Hang the Moon at Granada Hills Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join us as we read Hang the Moon by author Jeannette Walls.
Copies of the book can be checked out at the library.
Where: Granada Hills Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 1:30 pm – 3 pm
Address: 10640 Petit Ave., Granada Hills, CA 91344
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-hang-moon
Poets Café 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.
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 15th
Time: 2 pm – 2:30 pm
Address: On-air Event (live)
Website: https://www.kpfk.org/on-air/poets-cafe/
Book Club for Adultsat San Gabriel Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Read a book that you would consider a classic. Then share with the group why you selected the book and how it qualifies as a classic. We will be discussing what characteristics make certain classic books so enduring and powerful over time.
Where: San Gabriel Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 3 pm – 4 pm
Address: 500 S. Del Mar Ave., San Gabriel, CA 91778
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event
Good Trouble Reading Group: Poems by June Jordan at Edendale Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join Dr. Andrea Liss on Zoom for our next Good Trouble Reading Group. We’ll be discussing a selection of poems by acclaimed Jamaican American poet and essayist June Jordan. From the 1960s onward, Jordan’s work championed civil rights, women’s rights, and sexual freedom, giving voice to her lived experience in a language that was both immediate and accessible. Her poems address bisexuality, racial identity, political oppression, family, and memory. Prolific and widely published, Jordan also taught at Yale and the University of California at Berkeley, where she founded the Poetry for the People program in 1991.
The Good Trouble Reading Group shares books that engage themes of social justice with love and family at their core. Our group leader, Dr. Andrea Liss, a local Echo Park resident, is a Professor Emerita of Visual Culture and Cultural Theory at California State University San Marcos. Her teaching and research focus on artwork, photography, and poetry that connect deeply with historical events and their echoes today in the fight for justice.
RSVP:
Email eden@lapl.org for the link to read the selection of poems online, as well as the Zoom link to attend.
Where: Edendale Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 4 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/good-trouble-reading-group-poems-june-jordan
Author Talk: Cerulean Chronicles with TJ Kluneat Los Angeles County Library, LACL – Online Event
Join us for a magical moment with New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune as he chats about his Cerulean Chronicles, with special emphasis on the newest book in the series, Somewhere Beyond the Sea.
If you’re new to the Cerulean Chronicles, that’s okay! Let us lay the groundwork. Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea introduces us to Linus Baker. A by-the-book caseworker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He’s tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world. Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light. The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place―and realizing that family is yours.
Klune’s most recent book in the Cerulean Chronicles, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, welcomes us back for Arthur’s story.
Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one. He’s the headmaster of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there. Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. Together, they will do anything to protect the children. But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it.
Where: Los Angeles County Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event
Graphic Novel Book Club: The Firelight Apprentice at Once Upon a Time – In-Person Kids Event
Graphic novels are the coolest kind of book there is. Do you think so too? If so, then our fabulous Graphic Novel Club is for you!! Join us to celebrate our shared love of graphic novels and visual creativity! Iz and Apollo will host our ever-popular book club.
Participants meet in-person to discuss The Firelight Apprentice by author Bree Paulson.
This is a discussion-based club. Participants should come prepared to share their thoughts about that meeting’s book choice.
Where: Once Upon a Time
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 4 pm – 4:45 pm
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/graphic-novel-club-firelight-apprentice-bree-paulsen
Middle Grade Book Club at pages: a bookstore – In-Person MG Event
Meets monthly, generally on the third Wednesday of each month at 4:30 pm.
Book: The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin.
Facilitated by Nedda Lewers
Where: pages: a bookstore (In the Courtyard)
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/2025-01-15/middle-grade-book-club
Book Club for Adults: A Killer on the Hill at San Fernando Library, LACL – In-Person Event
In January, we’re reading A Killing on the Hill by Robert Dugoni.
The Great Depression. High-level corruption. And a murder that’s about to become Seattle’s hottest mystery. It’s the kind of story that can make a reporter’s career. Seattle, 1933. The city is in the grips of the Great Depression, Prohibition, and vice. Cutting his teeth on a small-time beat, hungry and ambitious young reporter William “Shoe” Shumacher gets a tip that could change his career. There’s been a murder at a social club on Profanity Hill—an underworld magnet for vice crimes only a privileged few can afford. The story is going to be front-page news, and Shoe is the first reporter on the scene. In a city steeped in old west debauchery, Shoe’s following every lead to a very dangerous place—one that could bring him glory and fame or end his life.
Where: San Fernando Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Address: 217 North Maclay Ave., San Fernando, CA 91340
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12486130
Writing the Personal Essay with JD Mathes via Inlandia Institute – Online Event
(All levels)
Alternating Wednesdays, 1/15, 1/29, 2/12, 2/26, and 3/12/25, 6:00-8:00 PM PT, on Zoom.
$50. Registration required.
In this workshop, participants will explore moments from their lives and use research to uncover connections between themselves and the wider world – topics can include nature, science, travel, culture, history – to write personal essays that ring with humanity.
J.D. Mathes grew up a feral child in the deserts of the American Southwest who loved to read library books and take photographs. He is a 2019-2020 PEN America Writing for Justice Fellow, a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar alumnus, an award-winning author of four books, photographer, screenwriter, and arts reporter. Although Mathes still struggles with subject-verb agreement and where to put commas, he is finishing work on his memoir Of Time and Punishment.
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Inlandia Institute
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://inlandiainstitute.org/my-calendar/?mc_id=2482
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 15th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: On-air Event (live at 101.5 FM)
Website: https://www.lapoetsociety.org/events
Rainbow Reads: Teen LGBTQIA+ Book Club: I Shall Never Fall in Love at Once Upon a Time – In-Person Teen Event
Celebrate all the identities and stories!
Our Rainbow Reads Book Club celebrates diversity in Young Adult books as we read books featuring various identities and stories. This is a safe space welcome to teens of all identities and allies! Join Iz and Apollo for our proud book club.
Participants meet in-person to discuss I Shall Never Fall in Love by author Hari Conner.
This is a discussion-based club. Participants should come prepared to share their thoughts about that meeting’s book choice.
Limited space. No drop-ins. Purchase of book from Once Upon a Time required for RSVP.
Where: Once Upon a Time
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/graphic-novel-book-club-week-1
Lit Angels: Re-Write Your Life with Susy Porter at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Susy Porter is a seasoned Spiritual Life Coach, personally trained by Marianne Williamson. Her extensive experience in transformational storytelling is backed by years of training as an actress, musician, and writer. She combines memoir and creative writing in her signature program: “Re- Write Your Life.” The experience of writing and performing her solo show, “Wake Up Little Susy,” changed her life, and now she is passionate about helping others discover the transformative power within their stories. Susy’s approach is intuitive, engaging, and deeply supportive. Her classes are friendly, fun, and inviting—perfect for anyone looking to explore the magic and joy of creative writing. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover the power of YOUR story, and to shift painful narratives into empowering stories.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Wednesday, the 15th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd., 1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events
Book Club for Adults: Table for Two at Studio City Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join participants to discuss Table for Two by author Amor Towles.
RSVP:
Please email studio@lapl.org for participation details.
Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 12511 Moorpark St., Studio City, CA 91604
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-adults-2
Ed Kalegi, with Gary Goldstein, & It Was Great To Say Hello To…at Diesel, A Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join us to welcome Ed Kalegi, in conversation with Gary Goldstein, to discussIt Was Great To Say Hello To…A Curious Radio Host’s Conversations With Actors, Authors, and Newsmakers.
This engaging book is much more than a collection of celebrity interviews; it’s a journey through pop culture, history, and the art of conversation.
Ed Kalegi’s passion for radio began at a young age in his New Jersey bedroom, where he turned a simple walkie-talkie into his own personal broadcast station. Despite early career diversions into marketing and running his own business, Ed’s desire to be on the air never faded, leading him to pursue a diverse range of roles in the entertainment industry. Ed’s journey through the media world included appearances on LAW & ORDER, commercial voiceovers, and stints as an announcer for the New York Yankees’ minor league team and the New Jersey Devils. However, his true passion was realized in 2014 with the debut of his syndicated talk show, “America Weekend with Ed Kalegi,” later rebranded as “The Weekend with Ed Kalegi.”
Over the years, Ed has built a rich catalog of interviews with a wide array of guests, driven by his curiosity and love for conversation. Now, he continues to share these conversations, offering listeners a deep dive into the stories and lives of fascinating people.
Gary Goldstein is an award-winning writer for film, TV, and theatre, with more than 30 produced screen and stage credits. His first novel, the romantic comedy The Last Birthday Party, won an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence in Fiction. Gary’s second novel, the family drama The Mother I Never Had, was named one of the “Must-Read Books of Fall 2022” by Town & Country magazine. His latest book, the coming-of-age romantic dramedy Please Come to Boston, will be published on Sept. 10, 2024. A New York native, he resides in Los Angeles, where he is also a contributing film reviewer and arts feature writer for the L.A. Times.
Where: Diesel, A Bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 225 26th St., #33, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://www.dieselbookstore.com/event/Ed-Kalegi-Gary-Goldstein-Author-signing
Lisa Cheek, with Linda Schreyer, & Sit, Cinderella, Sit: A Mostly True Memoir at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Lisa Cheek, in conversation with Linda Schreyer, will discuss & sign her book Sit, Cinderella, Sit: A Mostly True Memoir.
In her debut memoir, Sit, Cinderella, Sit, Lisa Cheek shares her adventures in editing a film made on location in China-—-along the Tibetan border—where Mandarin was the only language spoken by everyone but her. Stuck in a house with fourteen men she couldn’t understand, literally, she yearned for conversation and coffee.
But there were moments of wonder and laughter. Lisa forged a bond with her translator and a woman named Sunny. She rescued one dog, and then another. “Everyone speaks Cinderella,” the director had assured her. Maybe he was right.
Told with humor and heart through a fairy tale lens, with flashbacks into the author’s not-always-happy childhood, Sit, Cinderella, Sit is a story about what can happen when you take a leap of faith, look and hear beyond people’s differences, and dare to believe in yourself.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/lisa-cheek
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 15th
Time: 7 pm – 9:30 pm (Doors at 6:30; Open Mic at 8 pm)
Address: 3200 W. Temple St., Ste. 100, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://www.palmsupacademy.com
At Skylight: Edward Underhill, with Emma R. Alban, & The In-Between Bookstore at Skylight – In-Person Event
Edward Underhill, in conversation with Emma R, Alban, will discuss her novel The In-Beteen Bookstore.
Join us for a poignant and enchanting novel about a magical bookstore that transports a trans man through time and brings him face-to-face with his teenage self, offering him the chance of a lifetime to examine his life and identity to find a new beginning.
The In-Between Bookstore is a stunning novel of love, self-discovery, and the choices that come with both, for anyone who has ever wondered what their life might be like if they had the chance to go back and take a bigger, braver risk.
Edward Underhill grew up in the suburbs of Wisconsin, where he could not walk to anything, so he had to make up his own adventures. He studied music in college, spent several years living in very small apartments in New York, and currently resides in California with his partner and a talkative black cat. He is the author of two young adult novels, Always the Almost and This Day Changes Everything, and a book for adults, The In-Between Bookstore. Visit him on Instagram @edwardunderhill.
Emma R. Alban is an author and screenwriter. Raised in the Hudson Valley, she now lives in Los Angeles, enjoying the eternal sunshine, ocean, and mountains. When she isn’t writing books or screenplays, she can usually be found stress baking with the AC on full blast, skiing late into the spring, singing showtunes at the top of her lungs on the freeway, and reading anywhere there’s somewhere to lean. She is the author of Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend and You’re the Problem, It’s You.
Where: Skylight
Date: Wednesday the 15th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Gayle Forman, with Lauren Oliver, & After LIfe at Vroman’s – In-Person YA Event
Gayle Forman, in conversation with Lauren Oliver, will present and discuss her new YA novel, After Life.
One spring afternoon after school, Amber arrives home on her bike. It’s just another perfectly normal day. But when Amber’s mom sees her, she screams.
Because Amber died seven years ago, hit by a car while on the very same bicycle she’s inexplicably riding now.
This return doesn’t only impact Amber. Her sister, Melissa, now seven years older, must be a new kind of sibling to Amber. Amber’s estranged parents are battling over her. And the changes ripple farther and farther out: Amber’s friends, boyfriend, and even people she met only once have been deeply affected by her life and death. In the midst of everyone’s turmoil, Amber is struggling with herself. What kind of person was she? How and why was she given this second chance?
This magnificent tour de force by acclaimed author Gayle Forman brilliantly explores the porous veil between life and death, examines the impact that one person can have on the world, and celebrates life in all its beautiful complexity.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Tuesday the 14th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Anansi Virtual Writers Workshop at The World Stage – In-Person Event
The Anansi Writers Workshop was founded in 1990 by Kamau Daáood, Akilah Oliver, Nafis Nabawi and Anthony Lyons. In 1993, Michael Datcher initiated the development of a three-part format for the workshop. Our tradition of a community workshop began in the late 1960s at the Watts Writers’ Workshop, where World Stage co-founder Kamau Daáood started his writing career. For general information and booking, contact V. Kali, the Anansi Writers Workshop Coordinator, at vkaliflowers@gmail.com.
- 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm — Formal workshop;
- 8:30 pm – 9:00 pm — TBA;
- 9:05 pm – 10:00 pm — Open mic.
Suggested: $5.00 Donation via PayPal: The World Stage Gallery.
NOTE: See site for further details and any change in the schedule. Contact kaliflowers@gmail.com or call (323) 293-2451.
Where: The World Stage
Date: Wednesday, the 15th
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.
NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, and information.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Wednesday, the 15th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://www.beyondbaroque.org/free_workshops
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 15th
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 Nikolai Garcia at The Ugly Mug – In-Person Event
Host Ben Trigg and Two Idiots Peddling Poetry at the Ugly Mug on Wednesday Nights and the January feature is Nikolai Garcia.
Nikolai Garcia grew up in South Central Los Angeles; works in East Hollywood; drinks in Downtown L.A.; and has been sleeping in Compton for 15+ years. His poems have been published in Huizache, Drunk Monkeys, Razorcake, Latino Book Review and various other journals and anthologies. His second chapbook, All the Sad Music, will be published by DSTL Arts. He is cohost, (with Mauricio Moreno), of Trenches Full of Poets, an open mic held in Long Beach.
$4 cover fee, cash only
NOTE: See site for further details.
Where: The Ugly Mug, Orange
Date: Wednesday, the 15th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 261 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA 92866
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events
Senior Writing Group at Palisades Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event (Check to Verify)
Kathy Katims, founder of Saved by a Story, leads an ongoing writing group for seniors. New members are welcome to all or any sessions.
Write to prompts, share (if you want), connect with fellow seniors in the neighborhood, hone your writing skills and find your story.
RSVP:
An RSVP to palsds@lapl.org is recommended but not required. If you RSVP we will send you a welcome packet, guidelines, and a reminder the day before the meeting.
Where: Palisades Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 16th
Time: 1 pm – 2:30 pm
Address: 861 Alma Dr., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/senior-writing-group-4
Mystery Book Discussion: Devil in a Blue Dress at Palms – Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join us for engaging conversation about whodunnits, thrillers, and cri-fi. Light refreshments will be provided by Friends of the Palms Rancho Park Library. We meet the 3rd Thursday of the month with the exception of June this year.
Participants will discuss Devil in a Blue Dress by author Walter Mosley.
Copies available at reference and as ebooks.
Where: Palms – Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 16th
Time: 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Address: 2920 Overland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/mystery-book-discussion-0
Book Club for Adults: First Gen at Chet Holifield Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss First Gen: A Memoir by author Alexandra Campoverdi.
Pick up a copy of the book at the information desk today! For adults.
Whether you like historical fiction, sci-fi, romance, or memoirs, this book club reads it all. No registration necessary.
Where: Chet Holifield Library, LACL
Date: Thursday the 16th
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: 1060 S. Greenwood Ave., Montebello, CA 90640
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12484275
Arroyo Writing Group at Venice – Arroyo Seco Regional Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Writers of any level of experience are invited to join our writing group for practice both writing short pieces across many genres and sharing your writing with others. Each month we will engage with a different writing prompt preparing our own short work in response and bringing it to share at our meeting.
If you are unable to join us in person you are welcome to join us virtually.
Where: Arroyo Seco Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 16th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 6145 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/arroyo-writing-group-0
Hollywood Creative Writing Club on Zoom via Frances Howard Goldwyn – Hollywood Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Kick-start your New Year’s resolution by joining our new creative writing club and getting the feedback and motivation to finish that masterpiece. Each month, members will meet online to discuss their progress and solicit critique from the group. Those who feel comfortable may share small portions of their work with the group ahead of time. We focus on novels, short stories and narrative non-fiction. Any genre is permitted. The host will also occasionally send literature to the members to facilitate discussion. This may include the work of acclaimed authors or writing advice.
Please email nneata@lapl.org to obtain the Zoom link.
The majority of the meetings will take place on Zoom but we may occasional meet in person at the Hollywood Library.
Where: Frances Howard Goldwyn – Hollywood Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 16th
Time: 6 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/hollywood-creative-writing-club-zoom
Online Book Club: A Group Poetry Reading via West Los Angeles Regional Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
The West LA Book Club meets on the third Thursday of each month. We alternate between fiction and nonfiction. Digital copies of selected titles are generally available on Libby or Hoopla three weeks prior to the discussion date.
January 16 – Florida by Laura Groff
Where: West Los Angeles Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 16th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 11360 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/online-book-club
Comic Book & Graphic Novel Discussion Group via Palms – Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join us each month for a graphic novel and comic book discussion. We read a little bit of everything, ranging from capes and cowls to independent titles. A great starting point for new or devoted fans of the genre. Physical copies are available at the Information Desk and online ebooks through hoopla and/or Overdrive.
January 16, 2025: I Kill Giants (2009) by Joe Kelly
Where: Palms Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 16th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/comic-book-graphic-novel-discussion-group-0
Mystery Book Club: Lavender House at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the novel, Lavender House (Evnader Mills #1), by author Lev AC Rosen.
A delicious story from a new voice in suspense, Lev AC Rosen’s Lavender House is Knives Out with a queer historical twist.
Lavender House, 1952: the family seat of recently-deceased matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. Irene’s recipes for her signature scents are a well-guarded secret—but it’s not the only one behind these gates. This estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide who they are. But to keep their secret, they’ve needed to keep others out. And now they’re worried they’re keeping a murderer in
Irene’s widow hires Evander Mills to uncover the truth behind her mysterious death. Andy, recently fired from the San Francisco police after being caught in a raid on a gay bar, is happy to accept—his calendar is wide open. And his secret is the kind of secret the Lamontaines understand.
Andy had never imagined a world like Lavender House. He’s seduced by the safety and freedom found behind its gates, where a queer family lives honestly and openly. But that honesty doesn’t extend to everything, and he quickly finds himself a pawn in a family game of old money, subterfuge, and jealousy—and Irene’s death is only the beginning.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 16th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/mystery-book-club-lavender-house
1,000 Words Writing Workshop with Jami Attenberg at Vroman’s – In-Person Ticketed Event
Jami Attenberg will be leading a workshop inspired by her book 1,000 Words starting at 6PM with a reading from her new novel A Reason to See You Again to follow.
Inspired by Jami Attenberg’s wildly popular literary movement #1000WordsofSummer, this “encouraging handbook” (Publishers Weekly) features essays on creativity, productivity, and writing from acclaimed authors including Roxane Gay, Lauren Groff, Celeste Ng, Meg Wolitzer, and Carmen Maria Machado.
In 2018, novelist Jami Attenberg, faced with a looming deadline, needed writing inspiration. Using a bootcamp model, she and a friend set out to write one thousand words daily for two weeks straight. They opened this practice to Attenberg’s online community and soon hundreds then thousands of people started using the #1000WordsofSummer hashtag to track their work and support one another. What began as a simple challenge between two friends has become a literary movement—write 1,000 words per day without judgement, or bias, or concerns about writer’s block, and see what comes of it.
1000 Words is the book-length extension of this movement. It is about becoming—and staying—motivated, discovering yourself and your creative desires, and approaching your craft from a new direction. It features advice from more than fifty well-known writers, including New York Times bestsellers, Pulitzer Prize winners, and stars of the literary world. Framing these letters are words of wisdom and encouragement, plus specific strategies, from Attenberg on how to carve out a creative path for yourself all year round.
Paired with vibrant word art illustrations, 1000 Words is an accessible and motivational craft book that allows you to open any page and get a quick and fulfilling hit of inspiration.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Thursday the 9th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2025-01-16/1000-words-writing-workshop-jami-attenberg
Children’s Bilingual Book Club: Martin Luther King, Jr. at Sorensen Library, LACL – In-Person Kids Event
Join us for a bilingual (English/Spanish) book club that will allow you to practice reading aloud and improve your reading comprehension skills. For ages 5 – 12.
Copies of the book will be distributed at the start of the book club and available for checkout afterwards.
In honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, we will read Martin Luther King Jr. by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara. Learn how he became one of the greatest African American civil rights leaders and worked to end segregation. We will share our thoughts about the story over conchas, chocolate, and other snacks.
Refreshments were generously donated by the Friends of the Sorensen Library.
*Parents and guardians: Please be aware that refreshments will be served at this program. A list of ingredients will be available.
Attendance is limited and advance registration is required. To sign up, see library staff, or register online at Visit.LACountyLibrary.org/Events and filter by location or event date.
Where: Sorensen Library, LACL
Date: Thursday the 16th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 6934 Broadway Ave., Whittier, CA 90606
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12472410
Bel Canto Book Club: Yellowface at Bel Canto Books Off-site at Union@Compound – In-Person Event
Join us for the Bel Canto Book Club hosted by Union @ Compund (1395 Coronado Avenue, Long Beach CA 90804). We’ll meet every third Thursday of the month at 6:30pm to discuss a book of contemporary fiction or non-fiction handpicked by bookstore owner Jhoanna Belfer of Bel Canto Books.
Free to attend; RSVP requested. Drink/food purchase recommended. Find their full dinner menu at website link.
Participants will discuss Yellowface: A Noval, by author R.F. Kuang.
Where: Union@Compound
Date: Thursday the 16th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 1395 Coronado Ave., Long Beach, CA 90804
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bel-canto-book-club-2025-hosted-by-union-compound-tickets-1106488349439
Sarah Hoover, with Stepanie Danler, & The Motherload: Episodes from the Brink of Motherhood at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Sarah Hoover, in conversation with Stephanie Danler, will discuss her memoir The Motherload: Episodes from the Brink of Motherhood.
An intimately honest memoir about motherhood that dares to ask, what happens when “what to expect when you’re expecting” turns out to be months of rage, anguish, brain fog, and a total surrender of sex, career, and identity.
It took the author months to discover that she was suffering from severe postpartum depression. And it took even longer to trace all the threads that came to inform her experience.
At its core, The Motherload is about learning to forgive yourself for not being what you’ve been told you must be and for not loving the way you’ve been told you should. It’s about the uniquely female experience of constantly grappling with expectation versus reality, no matter your circumstance, and a rejection of the cultural idea of the mother as a perfect being. It is a moving, exciting, roller coaster ride, and a propulsive addition to the canon of women’s literature.
Stephanie Danler is a novelist, memoirist, and screenwriter. She is the author of Stray and the international bestseller Sweetbitter. She is the creator and executive producer of the Sweetbitter television series on Starz. Her work has appeared in the Sewanee Review, The New York Times Book Review, Vogue, Airmail, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, The Paris Review Daily, Time, Travel & Leisure, CondeNast Traveler, and New York Magazine. Her nonfiction received an Honorable Mention in Best American Essays 2018 and 2019, and her criticism won the 2019 Robert B. Heilman award from the Sewanee Review.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Thursday the 16th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/sarah-hoover
Defrost: An Open Mic Reading Series at The Pop Hop – In-Person Event
Every Thursday until February 6!
Defrost, an open-mic prose series every Thursday January 16th to February 6th. Sign-ups begin at 7pm. Read aloud festering thoughts, completed pieces, poetry, essays, excerpts, grocery lists, and more. All are welcome. 5 min reading cap encouraged.
Where: The Pop Hop
Date: Thursday, the 16th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 5002 York Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://withfriends.co/event/22588779
At Skylight: Aria Aber, with Maya Binyam, & Good Girl at Skylight – In-Person Event
Aria Aber, in conversation with Mya Boinyam, will discuss her debut novel Good Girl.
Join us for an electric debut novel about the daughter of Afghan refugees and her year of self-discovery—“a stunning coming-of-age story” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) and a portrait of the artist as a young woman set in a Berlin that can’t escape its history
A girl can get in almost anywhere, even if she can’t get out.
In Berlin’s artistic underground, where techno and drugs fill warehouses still pockmarked from the wars of the twentieth century, nineteen-year-old Nila at last finds her tribe. Born in Germany to Afghan parents, raised in public housing graffitied with swastikas, drawn to philosophy, photography, and sex, Nila has spent her adolescence disappointing her family while searching for her voice as a young woman and artist.
Then in the haze of Berlin’s legendary nightlife, Nila meets Marlowe, an American writer whose fading literary celebrity opens her eyes to a life of personal and artistic freedom. But as Nila finds herself pulled further into Marlowe’s controlling orbit, ugly, barely submerged racial tensions begin to roil Germany—and Nila’s family and community. After a year of running from her future, Nila stops to ask herself the most important question: Who does she want to be?
A story of love and family, raves and Kafka, staying up all night and surviving the mistakes of youth, Good Girl is the virtuosic debut novel by a celebrated young poet and, now, a major new voice in fiction.
Aria Aber was born and raised in Germany and now lives in the United States. Her debut poetry collection, Hard Damage, won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize and the Whiting Award. She is a former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford and graduate student at USC, and her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, New Republic, The Yale Review, Granta, and elsewhere. Raised speaking Farsi and German, she writes in her third language, English. She recently joined the faculty of the University of Vermont as an assistant professor of Creative Writing and divides her time between Vermont and Brooklyn. Good Girl is her debut novel.
Where: Skylight
Date: Thursday the 16th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-aria-aber-presents-good-girl-w-maya-binyam
All Women’s Open MIc at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Village Well is partnering with local trauma-healing poet Kate Burns to provide a platform for female poets, musicians, storytellers, and comedians. While all are welcome to attend, this is an event that aims to amplify women’s voices only.
Acts are limited to 3-5 minutes in length. Sign-ups begin at 6:30 pm and conclude at 7:00 pm!
Also, please note that not all material may be considered “family-friendly” so please use discretion when deciding on whether or not to bring children.
NOTE: See Eventbrite for tickets.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Thursday, the 16th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. 1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events
Lit Angels: Meditation with Jan Becherer at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
About the instructor:
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 RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Thursday, the 16th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. 1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events
Jami Attenberg, with Maggie Shipstead, & A Reason to See You Again at Vroman’s – In-Person Ticketed Event
Jami Attenberg, in conversation with Maggie Shipstead, will discuss her novel, A Reason to See You Again.
This is a dazzling novel of family, following a troubled mother and her two daughters over forty years through a swiftly changing American landscape as they seek lives they can fully claim as their own.
The women of the Cohen family are in crisis. After the death of their patriarch, Rudy, the glue that held them all together, everyone’s lives soon take a dramatic turn.
But each woman must learn in her own way that running from the past can’t save you—and they must make life-altering decisions about what they want their family to be and what they need for themselves to move forward.
Beginning in the 1970s and spanning forty years, A Reason to See You Again takes the reader on a kaleidoscopic journey through motherhood, the American workforce, the tech industry, the self-help movement, inherited trauma, the ever-evolving ways we communicate with one another, and the many unexpected forms that love can take.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Thursday the 16th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
L.A Book Launch: Labor by Cecilia Woloch, with Harry Northrup, at Beyond Baroque – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Cecilia Woloch, in conversation with Harry Northrup, will present and discuss Labor: The Testimony of Ted Gall, an extended poem in the voice of coal miner and activist Ted Gall, weaving one man’s personal story into the history of work and justice in America.
Hear selections from LABOR featuring performances and multi-media art by Harry Northup and Cecilia Woloch, presented in the Wanda Coleman Theater.
Book signing and reception to follow the performances in the theater.
Cecilia Woloch comes from a long line of fortune tellers and labor activists. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and grew up there and in rural Kentucky, one of seven children of a homemaker and an airplane mechanic. She is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Fulbright Foundation, and the author of six previous collections of poems: Sacrifice, a Book Sense 76 Selection in 2001; Tsigan: The Gypsy Poem, which has been given multi-disciplinary presentations across the U.S. and Europe; Late, for which she was named Georgia Author of the Year in Poetry in 2004; Narcissus, winner of the Tupelo Press Snowbound Prize in 2006; Carpathia, a finalist for the Milton Kessler Award in 2010; Earth, winner of the 2015 Two Sylvias Press chapbook prize, as well as a novel, Sur la Route (On the Road). She collaborates regularly with musicians, dancers, visual artists and theatre artists. Her work has been translated and published in French, German, Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Hebrew, and Romanes. She’s based in Los Angeles.
Harry Northup, an original member of the free Wednesday night poetry workshop, which began early 1969, Northup’s first featured reading was with Michael C Ford at Beyond Baroque in 1974. A founding member of Cahuenga Press, a poet’s publishing cooperative, Northup has published 12 books of poetry including Enough the Great Running Chapel (Momentum Press, 1982), and his most recent, Love Poem to MPTF (Cahuenga Press, 2020). A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1976, Northup made a living as an actor for 34 years appearing in 37 films including Martin Scorsese’s first six movies, among them Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, and was the star of the acclaimed cult film Over the Edge directed by Jonathan Kaplan, and Fighting Mad, written and directed by Jonathan Demme. Harry was married to the late Holly Prado, poet, author, and teacher.
NOTE: See site for further information.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Thursday, the 16th
Time: 8 pm – 9:30 pm(Doors at 7:30 pm)
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Bilingual Storytime at the Venice Farmers Market with Venice Branch Library, LAPL Off-site – In-Person Event
Join Venice Children’s librarian and staff for a fun healthy food themed bilingual storytime and crafts program at the Venice Farmer’s Market.
Please note, this is an offsite event that takes place at the Venice Farmer’s Market located at 500 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291.
Where: Venice Farmers Market with Venice Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Friday, the 17th
Time: 9:30 am – 11 am
Address: 500 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/bilingual-storytime-venice-farmers-market
Poetry Writing Workshop at Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Irish poet Gubnit Ní Dhúinn will present workshops focused on different poetic forms. You are welcome to create or just enjoy the discussion.
January 17: Acrostic
Gubnit Ní Dhúinn holds honors degrees in Literature & Language from Trinity College, Dublin, and Oxford University, England.
Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Friday, the 17th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 1246 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/poetry-writing-workshop-1
Stranger Than Fiction Book Club for Kids at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Kids Event
The Stranger Than Fiction Book Club will read and discuss What is Color? The Global and Sometimes Gross Story of Pigments, Paint, and the Wondrous World of Art by Steven Weinberg. For ages 7 – 12 with parent or guardian.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: Agoura Hills Library, LACL
Date: Friday, the 17th
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event
The Open Slam: A Poetry Slam and Open Mic at Equator Coffees, Culver City – In-Person Event
Equator Coffees presents The Open Slam: A Poetry Salm and Open Mic, with brand new poems. One Round, one Winner: $150.
Free Entry. Two item purchase minimum.
DM @allfearsaside for sign-ups and details.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Equator Coffees
Date: Friday, the 17th
Time: 6:30 pm (Doors)
Address: 8900 Venice Blvd. Ste. 105, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://www.instagram.com/allfearsaside/p/DEsgUlqyhki/
Book Launch: Maureen Lee Lenker, with Kara Warner, & His Girl Hollywood at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
Maureen Lee Lenker, in conversation with Kara Warner, will discuss her new novel, His Girl Hollywood
There will be a book signing to follow, and this ticketed event includes a copy of the book.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Friday the 17th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 3806 Main Street, Culver City, CA 90323
Website: https://www.therippedbodicela.com/events-and-tickets
At Skylight: JoAnna Novak, with Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, & DOMESTIREXIA at Skylight – In-Person Event
JoAnna Novak, in conversation with Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, will discuss her book, DOMESTIREXIA.
A poetry collection contorting the idea of home away from being a site of comfort and nourishment by coaxing the reader to think about domesticity in knotty new ways.
Domestirexia goes beyond the entanglement of “domestic” and “anorexia” exploring a behind-closed-doors sensuality, borne in the concept of making home.
Quarantined at her in-law’s house during Covid, Novak wrote these poems while watching The Great British Baking Show, reading The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, skimming Grimm Brothers fairy tales, and babysitting an infant. These are poems about wanting to misbehave. Light voyeurism at home, with gin and cake.
JoAnna Novak’s memoir Contradiction Days was published by Catapult in July 2023. Her short story collection Meaningful Work won the Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest and was published by FC2. She is the author of the novel I Must Have You and three books of poetry: New Life; Abeyance, North America; and Noirmania. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, the New York Times, The Atlantic, and other publications.
Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and author of Incantation: Love Poems for Battle Sites (Mouthfeel Press) and Posada: Offerings of Witness and Refuge (Sundress Publications). A former Steinbeck Fellow and Poets & Writers California Writers Exchange winner, Bermejo’s poetry and essays can be found at Acentos Review, Huizache, LA Review of Books, The Offing, [Pank], Santa Fe Writers Project, and other journals. She teaches poetry and creative writing with Antioch University, MFA and UCLA Extension and is the director of Women Who Submit.
Where: Skylight
Date: Friday the 10th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Book Launch: Liz Pelly, with Katie Alice Greer, & Mood Machine at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event
Liz Pelly, in conversation with Katie Alice Greer, will discuss her book Mood Machine, an unsparing investigation into Spotify’s origins and influence on music, weaving unprecedented reporting with incisive cultural criticism, illuminating how streaming is reshaping music for listeners and artists alike.
Drawing on over a hundred interviews with industry insiders, former Spotify employees, and musicians, Mood Machine takes us to the inner workings of today’s highly consolidated record business, showing what has changed as music has become increasingly playlisted, personalized, and autoplayed.
With Liz Pelly a journalist living in New York. Her essays and reporting have appeared in The Baffler, where she is a contributing editor, as well as in The Guardian, NPR, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and many other outlets. She frequently speaks about music streaming on radio shows and podcasts, including appearances with The New York Times Popcast, NPR’s Morning Edition, and others. Pelly teaches in the recorded music program at New York University and has spent over a decade involved in all-ages show booking.
In conversation with Katie Alice Greer, an artist, songwriter, performer and producer in Los Angeles
Where: Stories Books & Café
Date: Friday the 17th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
Deb Miller Landau & A Devil Went Down to Georgia: Race, Power, Privilege, and the Murder of Lita McClinton at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Be Miller Landau will discuss her book, A Devil Went Down to Georgia, a riveting narrative that pieces together the life and murder of Black socialite Lita McClinton Sullivan—and the journey to bring her true killer to justice.
In A Devil Went Down to Georgia, award-winning writer Deb Miller Landau details the shocking events that followed Lita’s murder in 1987, including the surprising lack of evidence, racial bias in the justice system, and the international manhunt for Lita’s killer. Full of twists and turns, legal battles, and the McClinton family’s unrelenting dedication to justice, Landau’s rigorous investigation is the first complete account of this tragic American crime.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Friday the 17th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2025-01-17/deb-miller-landau-discusses-devil-went-down-georgia
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 guests: The Open Mic Artists
Tickets at Eventbrite.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center
Date: Friday, the 17th
Time: 8 pm – 12 am
Address: 4305 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: https://www.depoet.info/swaam
Third Fridays Rapp Saloon Reading Series & Open Mic with host Elena Secota at Rapp Saloon, Santa Monica – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Third Fridays at Rapp Saloon: Open Mic & Featured Readers, will be this week, and is offered every 1st Friday of the month by host Elena Secota.
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 17th
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
Lit Angels Bootcamp 01/18-19 at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
There are so many classes for your body but what about your mind?
Are you looking for affordable, all-levels writing classes in a lovely environment? Do you want to learn from accomplished instructors about how to write fiction, screenplays, YA and Middle grade books, plays, memoirs and more? We also have meditation classes to improve your writing and your life! Join us Saturday January 18th and Sunday January 19th for a Lit Angels Weekend Bootcamp and find community and creative inspiration at the Village Well! Packages available, too!
SEE VILLAGE WELL WEBSITE FOR DETAILS ON ALL THE SEPARATE, INDIVIDUAL EVENTS SCHEDULED THROUHGOUT THE DAY!
NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.
Get your tickets on EVENTBRITE!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Saturday, the 18th
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. 1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events
Harry Potter Book Club for Tweens at Lancaster Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Welcome to the Harry Potter Book Club! For this third session, we will be discussing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and making potions. Fun activities await! Costumes are welcomed. For ages 10 – 14.
Parents: Please be aware that snacks will be served. A list of ingredients will be available at the program.
Where: Lancaster Library, LACL
Date: Saturday the 11th
Time: 10:30 am – 12 pm
Address: 601 W. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster, CA 93534
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event
LGBTQIA Book Club via Silver Lake Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join us on the third Saturday of the month for an engaging book discussion.
We will be discussing the following title:
Jan. 18: Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington by James Kirchick.
RSVP:
Email silver@lapl.org for the Zoom link.
Where: Silver Lake Branch Library, LACL
Date: Saturday the 18th
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/lgbtq-book-club
Big Read Book Club: The House on Mango Street at Jefferson – Vassie D. Wright Memorial Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join us to discuss the Big Read Book of 2025, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.
RSVP:
RSVP to jfrson@lapl.org and receive a free copy of the book while supplies last!
Where: Jefferson – Vassie D. Wright Memorial Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 18th
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: 2211 W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/big-read-book-club-house-mango-street
Sisters in Crime LA Author Event: Angel City Beat Anthology at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us as we welcome authors from Sisters in Crime Los Angeles for readings from the newly released anthology, Angel City Beat, followed by a panel discussion. For adults.
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: Agoura Hills Library, LACL
Date: Saturday the 18th
Time: 1 pm – 2:30 pm
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12618368
Expressions L.A. Poetry Reading Series and Open Mic at Studio City Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join us in-person or via Zoom for Expressions L.A. Poetry Reading Series, featuring poetry readings and open poetry mic.
RSVP:
Please email studio@lapl.org for participation details.
Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 18th
Time: 1 pm – 3 pm
Address: 12511 Moorpark St., Studio City, CA 91604
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/expressions-la-poetry-reading-series-and-open-mic
Word Courage: Affirmation Poetry with Alex Petunia for The Fundraiser for YaNi Davis – Online Event
Relax and reflect with writing prompts to empower the self.
This event is in coordination with The Fundraiser for YaNi’s Kidneys to benefit fellow poet, YaNi Davis.
About This Event:
Relax and reflect with writing prompts to empower the self. The workshop includes a brief breathing exercise, journaling for self-reflection, and creating poetry from affirmations.
About the Facilitator:
Alex Petunia (she/they) is a nurse poet who published their first poetry collection Tending My Wild with World Stage Press in 2021. Alex has performed throughout California, New York, and as far as Paris. She hosts two monthly writing circles including Meditation Monday with the Los Angeles Poet Society and Under the Tree We Dream at Holy Grounds Coffee & Tea. Their favorite self-care activities include journaling with trees and reading aloud to their cuddly python, playful puppies, and a wildcat meowing for more poems. Alex loves typing poetry on demand for community wherever she roams.
About the Fundraiser:
This 3-day poetry/creative writing marathon benefits YaNi Davis @yanimeanspeace , a fellow poet who has been battling kidney disease and whose life is at risk due to kidney failure.
Several poets are coming together to host poetry workshops on topics they feel passionately about. All the workshop registrations are donation-based. ALL DONATIONS WILL GO DIRECTLY TO YANI’S LIVING AND MEDICAL EXPENSES.
If you would like to donate directly to YaNi’s GoFundMe campaign, do so here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-yani-davis-find-a-lifesaving-kidney
To learn more about YaNi, visit her website: https://www.yanimeanspeace.com/
Direct questions to Anne Marie Wells @AnneMarieWellsWriter or AnneMarieWellsWriter.com
Where: Online Event
Date: Saturday the 18th
Time: 1 pm – 2 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
AIRC Book Club: Spirit Run at Huntington Park Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us for January’s selection Spirit Run which follows the story of how one man dropped out of college to run with Indigenous peoples across North America from Canada to Guatemala. He shares personal accounts as well as the stories of others.
Copies of the book are available for checkout at Huntington Park Library and may also be downloaded as an eBook or audiobook at LACountyLibrary.org
Where: Huntington Park Library, LACL
Date: Saturday the 18th
Time: 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Address: 6518 Miles Ave., Huntington Park, CA 90255
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/12550066
Ansel Krut: 26 Random Words Arranged Alphabetically with 26 Unrelated Images at Beyond Baroque – In-Person Event
Join us for the opening of Ansel Krut’s 26 Random Words Arranged Alphabetically with 26 Unrelated Imagesin The Mike Kelley Gallery at Beyond Baroque. The exhibition displays the progress of the artist’s book of the same name, from the book’s initial conception through the various trial runs at the designers and printers till the final printing. Krut takes 26 randomly chosen words and matches them to his own drawings without assigning any obvious correlation between the word and the image. The exhibition includes the first texts, wet proofs, front and back cover options, original drawings and other leftovers as the book made its way towards publication.
Ansel Krut was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1959. He studied medicine for 2 years before switching to Fine Art and he graduated with a BA from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1982. After a scholarship to the Cite des Arts in Paris he completed an MA in painting at the Royal College of Art in London. He was the Abbey Major Scholar in Painting at the British School at Rome in 1986/87 and then stayed on in Italy for a subsequent 3 years, returning to London in 1990. He now lives and works in London. Krut was a visiting lecturer at the RCA from 2006 to 2014 and he has taught at many other art colleges throughout the UK. He was an artist-lecturer at the National Gallery in London from 2004 to 2012. His work remains informed by the years he spent growing up in South Africa, his art retaining what Ed Krčma in a catalogue essay called “an unapologetic will to insubordination” with imagery that has “arisen from a ferment of intermingled sources: from the enchanted collective narratives of folklore, to the differently dark ruins of history”.
NOTE: See site for further information.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Saturday, the 18th
Time: 2 pm – 4 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Writing From Our Immigrant Hearts Reading: Teresa Mei Chuc, Alicia Viguer-Espert, Lisbeth Coiman, with Dr. Thelma T. Reyna at Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Event
Three distinguished authors, Teresa Mei Chuc (Red Thread, Keeper of the Winds, Invisible Light), Alicia Viguer-Espert (various anthologies), and Lisbeth Coiman (I Asked the Blue Heron, Uprising/Alzamiento), share their journeys from their respective homelands (Vietnam, Spain, and Venezuela) to America. Dr. Thelma T. Reyna, PhD, will moderate a round-robin discussion about the authors’ personal stories, visions, dreams, and experiences as each left their original culture and started a new life in the U.S. Afterwards, the authors will read excerpts from their prose or poetry.
Though they come from distinct backgrounds, their powerful, moving writing reminds us that we all embody similar values, hopes and goals for what it means to be part of a harmonious, inclusive, just, respectful society.
A Q&A with the audience will follow the reading. Books will be available for sale and signing at the end of the program.
Where: Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 18th
Time: 2 pm – 4 pm
Address: 5027 Caspar Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/writing-our-immigrant-hearts
Christine Mari & Halfway There at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Christine Mari will discuss her YA graphic novel, Halfway There, a poignant memoir that follows one teen’s year abroad in Japan, as she seeks to reconcile both sides of her biracial identity.
Christine has always felt she is just half: Half American, half Japanese. As a biracial Japanese American who was born in Tokyo but raised in the US, she knows all too well what it’s like to be a part of two different worlds but never feeling as though you belong to either.
Now on the brink of adulthood, Christine decides it’s time to return to the place she once called home. So she sets forth on a year abroad in Tokyo, believing that this is where she truly belongs. After years of feeling like an outsider, now she will finally be complete.
Except…Tokyo isn’t the answer she thought it would be. Instead of fitting in, Christine finds herself a fish out of water, as being half of two cultures isolates her in ways she’d never imagined. All she can do is try to stay afloat for the rest of the year—still figuring out who she is, what she wants in life, and whether she’ll ever truly be more than halfway there.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Saturday the 18th
Time: 2 pm – 3 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2025-01-18/christine-mari-discusses-halfway-there
A (desert) poetry reading with Alexanda Martinez, Daryl Gussin, Ingrid M. Calderon, at Hi Desert Times – In-Person Event
Enjoy a desert poetry reading at Hi Desert Times in 29 Palms, featuring:
Alexanda Martinez is a Cuban-American writer based in Miami, with an interest in immigration, the economy, gender justice, and the environment. Her work has appeared in CNN, Vice, and Catapult Magazine, among others. Follow her on Twitter @alex__mar.
Daryl Gussin is a musician, writer, and managing editor of Razorcake, where his writing and interviews can be found on a regular basis.
Ingrid M. Calderon is an immigrant from El Salvador. She studied journalism at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA. Her work has been featured in Drunk Monkeys, Rabid Oak, and Rhythm & Bones Lit, among others. She is also the author of four volumes of poetry, Things Outside, Wayward, Zenith, and Ablution. She lives in Historic Filipinotown, CA with her husband, painter, and poet, John Collins.
Maestro Gamin Maestro Gamin, began developing his poetry sometime in 2009/2010 after attending Vibrations writer’s group. He soon began attending open mics across the southern los angeles and downtown areas, such as Lost Souls Cafe,The Monday Speakeasy, World Stage, DPL, Natural High (flight school), Our Mic, and Freedom of Speech Thursdays. To this day you cana catch him at an open mic aroung Greater Los Angeles.
Where: Hi Desert Times
Date: Saturday, the 18th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 73552 29 Palms Hwy #2, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/DEScODGv_pX/
Sound and Writing Workshop with Taleen Kali at The Pop Hop – In-Person Event
The Pop-Hop + Dum Dum Zine present a Sound Writing Workshop with Taleen Kali.
Crystal singing bowls and ambient frequencies will be played along with an array of experimental writing exercises designed to get your creativity flowing. We’ll explore everything from generative, meditative, automatic, and journal writing in our time together.
The intention of this event is to coregulate our nervous systems with sound in community to leave you feeling inspired to create more by the end of the event!
We’ll be set up on chairs and tables, so BYO notebook and writing utensils! Eye masks, water, and comfortable clothing are encouraged.
$15 (purchase tickets at website link)
Where: The Pop Hop
Date: Saturday, the 18th
Time: 3 pm – 4:30 pm
Address: 5002 York Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Website: https://withfriends.co/event/22583036
Saturday Afternoon Poetry: Publishing Party for Marvin Louis Dorsey + Poets published in Four Feathers Press Southern California Shadows – In-Person Event
Publishing Party for Marvin Louis Dorsey + Poets published in Four Feathers Press Southern California Shadows.
Marvin Louis Dorsey is a Southern California poet from The Antalope Valley. He has published numerious chaobooks and broadsides.
Don Kingfisher Campbell hosts and curates these events.
Where: Lamanda Park Branch Library
Date: Saturday, the 18th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Address: 140 S. Altadena Dr., Pasadena, CA
Website: https://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Club: The Wind’s Twelve Quarters at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the book The Wind’s Twelve Quarters by author Ursula K. LeGuin.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 18th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/sci-fi-fantasy-book-club-wind%E2%80%99s-twelve-quarters
Gathered Dreams: Poetry, Art, & Music from the Wild Orchid Collective at Beyond Baroque – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join us for Poems, Paintings, Photography and Music from the four members of the Wild Orchid Collective.
The four members of the Wild Orchid Collective, a Los Angeles interdisciplinary artist group, share their music, poetry and visual art in a one-hour program that interweaves readings of poems with the dream-like photographic imagery of Holaday Mason, paintings by James Cushing and Celeste Goyer and music by composer/musician Adrian Baer.
After the performances in the Wanda Coleman Theater, join us for a book signing and reception with light refreshments.
About the authors:
Holaday Mason is a poet, fine art photographer and analytic psychotherapist. Her six poetry collections include 2024’s As If Scattered from Giant Claw Press, The Weaver’s Body, and The Red Bowl, A Fable in Poems. Holaday is the poetry editor for Furious Pure Magazine with editor-in-chief DH Dowling. Her photographic work, Urn Series and Fairytale Series, appeared in a solo show in Venice, CA in 2016. She lives in Venice with her husband, the musician & educator Adrian Baer. www.holadaymason.com
Celeste Goyer is a poet and visual artist living in Los Angeles, CA. Her debut collection, The Shoes of Our Guests, was released by Giant Claw, an imprint of What Books, in 2023. She edited a literary quarterly for fourteen years and her poems have appeared in Aperçus, Times Times 3 and the Columbia Review, among others. Her studio practice encompasses painting, assemblage, and collage. www.celestegoyer.com
Poet and painter James Cushing, born 1953 in Palo Alto CA, holds a doctorate in English from UC Irvine. In the early 1980s, he hosted a live poetry radio program on KPFK-FM in Los Angeles which gave early exposure to Dennis Cooper, David Trinidad, Amy Gerstler, Wanda Coleman, Leland Hickman, and many others. From 1989-2020, he taught literature and creative writing at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and served as the community’s Poet Laureate for 2008-2010. Cushing’s poetry collections from Cahuenga Press include Tangled Hologram and Solace. His daughter is the New York-based poet Iris Cushing. www.jamescushingpoetry.com
Adrian Baer is Jellybird, a multi-instrumentalist and multi-genre composer whose experimental sound collages tap into the vibrational essences of the body, spirit and emotions. Using an eclectic combination of “found” sounds and more common instruments, Jellybird’s work ranges from rock to psychedelic soundscapes to horizontal meditations that clear the mind in the tradition of ancient works and modern compositions. Recent albums include Meditations, World Set Fire, Rise, and Kali Lullabies. www.jellybirdla.com
NOTE: See site for further information.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Saturday, the 18th
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm (Doors at 5:30 pm)
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Griot Café Open Mic and Poetry at Shades of Afrika – In-Person Event
The Griot Café Open Mic and Poetry event is held monthly at Shades of Afrika and 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}
All ages.
Where: Shades of Afrika, Long Beach
Date: Saturday the 188h
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 & L.A. Poet Society at 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.
JOIN us in space R18 each Sunday, from 11am-5pm.
NOTE: Check every Sunday for story time and reading events
Where: Melrose Trading Post, Greenway Main Stage at Fairfax HS
Date: Sunday, the 19th (Every Sunday)
Time: 10 am – 5 pm
Address: 7850 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
Website: https://melrosetradingpost.org/tickets/ or https://www.instagram.com/p/DC7Q7CxSFcj/
Lit Angels Bootcamp 01/18-19 at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
There are so many classes for your body but what about your mind?
Are you looking for affordable, all-levels writing classes in a lovely environment? Do you want to learn from accomplished instructors about how to write fiction, screenplays, YA and Middle grade books, plays, memoirs and more? We also have meditation classes to improve your writing and your life! Join us Saturday January 18th and Sunday January 19th for a Lit Angels Weekend Bootcamp and find community and creative inspiration at the Village Well! Packages available, too!
SEE VILLAGE WELL WEBSITE FOR DETAILS ON ALL THE SEPARATE, INDIVIDUAL EVENTS SCHEDULED THROUHGOUT THE DAY!
Get your tickets on EVENTBRITE!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Sunday, the 19th
Time: 11 am – 5 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. 1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events
Jenarda Makupson & Breaking Cycles at The Book Jewel and Westchester Farmer’s Market – In-Person Event
Meet author Jenarda Makupson to learn about Breakinng Cycles, an inspiring book about love, lust, money betrayal and how to cope with abuse.
NOTE: See site for details.
Get your tickets on EVENTBRITE!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Sunday, the 19th
Time: 11 am – 1 pm (check with store for exact time)
Address: 6259 W. 87th St., Westchester, CA 90045
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/DEVno3hz0TG/?hl=en&img_index=1
Banned Books Reading Group at West Los Angeles Regional Branch Library, LAPL– In-Person Event
The banned books reading group reads and discusses materials that have been historically challenged or are on the American Library Association’s “Banned and Challenged Books” lists. For current titles, please contact the West LA library at westla@lapl.org or 310-575-8323.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: West Los Angeles Regional Library, LAPL
Date: Sunday, the 19th
Time: 2 pm – 4 pm
Address: 11360 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/banned-books-reading-group-0
Bucket List Book Club: Far from The Madding Crowd at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the classic Far from the Madding Crowd: A Novel by Thomas Hardy.
Thomas Hardy’s impassioned novel of courtship in rural life
In Thomas Hardy’s first major literary success, independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene has come to Weatherbury to take up her position as a farmer on the largest estate in the area. Her bold presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, the soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy, and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and tragedy ensues, threatening the stability of the whole community. One of his first works set in the semi-fictional region of Wessex, Hardy’s novel of swift passion and slow courtship is imbued with his evocative descriptions of rural life and landscapes, and with unflinching honesty about sexual relationships.
The Penguin edition, based on Hardy’s original 1874 manuscript, is the complete novel he never saw published, and restores its full candor and innovation. Rosemarie Morgan’s introduction discusses the history of its publication, as well as the biblical and classical allusions that permeate the novel.
Thomas Hardy (1840–1928), whose writing immortalized the semi-fictional Wessex countryside and dramatized his sense of the inevitable tragedy of life, wrote fifteen novels, including The Return of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1895). He is also renowned as one of the greatest poets of his era.
Rosemarie Morgan is a professor of English at Yale. Her many works on Thomas Hardy include Women and Sexuality in the Novels of Thomas Hardy and Cancelled Words: Rediscovering Thomas Hardy.
Shannon Russell is an assistant professor of English at John Cabot University in Rome.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Sunday the 19th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/bucket-list-book-club-far-madding-crowd
Roar Shack Reading Series with David Rocklin at Echo Park Time Travel Mart – In-Person Event
Roar Shack is Back!
David Rocklin welcomes a stellar lineup, including:
Cara Lee Lopez, Amanda Fletcher, Ryane Nicole Granados, Tisha Marie Reichle-Aguilera, Nina Rota, and Shubha Venugopal. Don’t miss it!
Cara Lee Lopez is the author of the historical novel Candlelight Bridge and the memoir They Only Eat Their Husbands.
Amanda Fletcher is the author of Felt Tips.
Ryane Nicole Granados is the author of the debut collection The Aves.
Tisha Marie Reichle-Aguilera is the author most recently of the YA novel Breaking Pattern.
Nina Rota is a writer and film maker.
Shubha Venugopal is an associate professor at CSUN and an author.
Where: Echo Park Time Travel Mart
Date: Sunday the 19th
Time: 4 pm – 6 pm
Address: 1714 W. Sunset Blvd., CA 90026
Website: https://www.meetup.com/the-write-formula-workshop/events/305484365/
Focus on Craft Book Club: Pardon My Frenchie at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
January’s participants will discuss Pardon My Frenchie by author Farrah Rochon.
Developmental editor and teacher Jeanne De Vita will lead this discussion on examining popular romance novels from a wirer’s viewpoint.
Everyone is welcome.
NOTE: See site for RSVP, guidelines, and details.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Sunday the 19th
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 