Evening Book Club: Homeseeking at Manhattan Beach Library, LACL – In-Person Event

Patrons can enjoy a facilitated discussion of fiction and nonfiction titles. A limited amount of titles are available for attendees at the library. For adults.

September selection: Homeseeking by Karissa Chen

Haiwen is buying bananas at a 99 Ranch Market in Los Angeles when he looks up and sees Suchi, his Suchi, for the first time in sixty years. To recently widowed Haiwen it feels like a second chance, but Suchi has only survived by refusing to look back. Suchi was seven when she first met Haiwen in their Shanghai neighborhood, drawn by the sound of his violin. Their childhood friendship blossomed into soul-deep love, but when Haiwen secretly enlisted in the Nationalist army in 1947 to save his brother from the draft, she was left with just his violin and a note: Forgive me.

Where: Manhattan Beach Library, LACL

Date: Monday the 15^th

Time: 5 pm – 6 pm

Address: 1320 Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

In this raw and lyrical folk horror novel, a journalist sent to a small town begins to unravel a dark secret that the women of the town have been keeping for generations.

Marshall is still trying to put the pieces together after the death of her husband. After she is involved in a terrible accident, her editor sends her to the small, backwards town of Raeford to investigate a clearly ridiculous rumor: that a horse has given birth to a healthy, human baby boy.

When Marshall arrives in Raeford, she finds an insular town that is kinder to the horses they are famous for breeding than to their own people. But when two horribly mangled bodies are discovered in a field—one a horse, one a human—she realizes that there might be a real story here.

As she’s pulled deeper into the town and its guarded people, her sense of reality is tipped on its head. Is she losing her grip? Or is this impossible story the key to a dark secret that has haunted the women of Raeford for generations?

Unbearably tense and utterly gripping, this atmospheric tale of female rage, bodily autonomy, and generational trauma hails the arrival of a masterful storyteller.

Where: Cellar Door Bookstore

Date: Monday the 15^th

Time: 6 pm

Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508

Alternating Mondays, 9/15, 9/29, 10/13, 10/27, and 11/10, 6:00-7:30 pm, on ZOOM.

This workshop will include art exercises, music and listening, somatic movements, and breath work to bring us back to play and the joy of writing. We will draw with our non-dominant hand, write to music, as well as scribble scrabble to increase neural plasticity and create new neural pathways through the exploration of imperfection, and hopefully release some self-judgments. Then we will close with a journal exercise. Sharing is not mandatory, but it is highly encouraged

Gina Rae Duran is an interdisciplinary Xicanx artist, and trauma informed educator. She is Editor of The White Picket Fence anthology, forthcoming FlowerSong Press, author of, “…and so, the Wind was Born,” FlowerSong Press, radio personality of The Collective, and founder of IE Hope Collective; an outreach for disadvantaged youth.

Where: Inlandia Online via Zoom

Date: Monday the 15^th

Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm

Address: Online Zoom Event (see site)

Website: https://inlandiainstitute.org/fall-2025-writing-workshops/

QTBIPOC Write Night at Chevalier’s – In-Person Event

We are pleased to welcome you to the first of our recurring Write Night series, exclusive to those who identify as QTBIPOC (Queer, Transgender, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).

Safe spaces and safe places do not come into being on their own; they require nurturing, care, and constant growth. Chevalier’s Books is committed to offering a safer space for all our neighbors and community members, and we recognize the need to cultivate dedicated opportunities for historically marginalized writers to flourish, in life and creatively.

For queer and trans writers, for Black and Brown writers, and for writers who hold multiple, overlapping identities, a protected space is vital not just for creativity to flourish, but for true freedom of expression to blossom.

All Write Nights are donation based. QTBIPOC Write Nights require free advanced registration and, for the safety of all guests, will be facilitated by a QTBIPOC-identifying staff member.

We do not tolerate bigotry or harassment in any form.

Where: Chevalier’s

Date: Monday the 15^th

Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004

Every Monday from 7 pm to 9 pm. Sign-ups are at 6:30 pm 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 15^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 3575 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92501

Following a young woman over the course of one outrageous and insufferable downtown dinner party at the home of her estranged best friends—an artist and curator couple, whom she now realizes stand for everything she detests—Happiness and Love is a piercing debut novel about brazen materialism, self-obsession, and the empty careerism of so-called cultural elites.

Years after escaping New York and the center of its artistic world—a group of self-important, depraved, and unscrupulous artists, curators, and hangers-on—our narrator is back in town. With no plans to see anyone she once knew, she’s wandering around the Lower East Side, thinking about the recent death of her former best friend, Rebecca, when she runs into Eugene, one half of the artist-curator couple at the heart of her old social set. Despite her better judgement, she accepts his invitation to a dinner party. And though the party is held only hours after Rebecca’s funeral, it not a memorial of Rebecca but a dinner held in honor of a young, newly famous actress whose lateness delays the party by hours.

When the guest of honor finally does arrive, she sets in motion a disastrous end to the evening, laying bare the depravity and decadence of the hosts’ empty little lives—a hollowness that the narrator herself knows all too well.

Zoe Dubno is a writer from New York. She attended Oberlin College and has an MFA from Rutgers University, Newark. Her fiction has appeared in Granta and Muumuu House and NY Tyrant, her nonfiction in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Review of Books, The Guardian, The Nation, Vogue, BOMB, and elsewhere. She lives in New York and London. Happiness and Love is her first novel.

Where: Book Soup

Date: Monday the 15^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069

Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/zoe-dubno-conversation-chris-kraus-discusses-signs-happiness-love

LA Book Event: Britney S. Lewis, with Dahlia De La Vega, & Blood Moon at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event

Join us to celebrate Britney S. Lewis’ romance novel Blood Moon, In conversation with Dahlia De La Vega.

There will be a book signing to follow with the author. This is a ticketed event.

Where: The Ripped Bodice

Date: Monday the 15^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 3806 Main St., Culver City, CA 90232 

A whipsmart, blazingly funny novel about heartbreak, unconventional love, and the way society could be, from National Book Award finalist Alejandro Varela

The narrator of Middle Spoon appears to be living the dream: He has a doting husband, two precocious children, all the comforts of a quiet bourgeois life—and a sexy younger boyfriend to accompany him to farmers markets and cocktail parties. But when his boyfriend abruptly dumps him, he spirals into heartbreak for the first time and must confront a world still struggling to understand polyamorous relationships. Faced with the judgment of friends and the sting of rejection, he’s left to wonder if sharing a life with both his family and his lover could ever truly be possible.

With a big heart and just the right dose of the anxieties that define the modern era, Middle Spoon skewers the unspoken rules we still live by—from taboos around intimacy to the shortcomings of Oscar season, pop culture, and gluten-free food—offering a surprising perspective on love, loss, and reinvention. Equal parts heart-wrenching and uproariously funny, This novel is for anyone who has longed, nursed a broken heart, or grappled with love at its messiest.

Alejandro Varela’s (he/him) debut novel, The Town of Babylon, was a finalist for the National Book Award. His short story collection, The People Who Report More Stress, was one of Publishers Weekly’s best works of fiction in 2023, a finalist for the International Latino Book Awards, and longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize, The Story Prize, and the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award. Varela, who is based in New York, is an editor-at-large of Apogee Journal and holds a master’s in public health from the University of Washington.

Rasheed Newson is the author of the national bestseller My Government Means to Kill Me. The novel was a Lambda Literary finalist for Gay Fiction and was named one of the “The 100 Notable Books of 2022” by The New York Times. His forthcoming novel, There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood, is slated for publication by Flatiron in 2026. Recently, Rasheed was selected as a 2025–26 American Library in Paris Visiting Fellow.

Rasheed is also a television drama writer, producer, and showrunner. Along with his screenplay writing partner, T.J. Brady, he co-developed and is an executive producer of Bel-Air. The drama series has won two NAACP Image Awards and has been nominated several times for Best Drama Series. Additionally, Rasheed has worked on The Chi, Animal Kingdom, and Narcos, among other drama series. Rasheed was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a graduate of Georgetown University. He currently lives with his husband and their two children in Pasadena.

Where: Skylight

Date: Monday, the 15^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027

Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-alejandro-varela-presents-middle-spoon-w-rasheed-newson

Santa Monica Main Library Book Group: Mornings in Jenin via Santa Monica Main Library – Online Event

This community-led, book discussion group meets virtually at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of the month. This book discusses a wide range of books, chosen by the members. To register, email library@santamonica.gov.

The titles include:

September 2025: Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa.

Where: Santa Monica Main Library

Date: Monday, the 15^th

Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm

Address: Online Event (see site)

A college history professor must solve her superstar colleague’s murder before she becomes the next target in this funny, romantic debut mystery.

As a newly minted junior professor, Daphne Ouverture spends her days giving lectures on French colonialism, working on her next academic book, and going on atrocious dates. Her small world suits her just fine. Until Sam Taylor dies.

The rising star of Harrison University’s anthropology department was never one of Daphne’s favorites, despite his popularity. But that doesn’t prevent Sam’s killer from believing Daphne has something that belonged to Sam—something the killer will stop at nothing to get.

Between grading papers and navigating her disastrous love life, Daphne embarks on her own investigation to find out what connects her to Sam’s murder. With the help of an alluring former-detective-turned-bookseller, she unravels a deadly cover-up on campus.

This well-crafted, voice-driven mystery introduces an unforgettable crime fiction heroine.

Zoe B. Wallbrook is a recently tenured professor whose academic research has appeared in outlets such as the New York Times and The New Yorker. She was selected for mentorship by LA Times bestseller Elizabeth Little, and History Lessons, her first novel, was a runner-up for the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award. Zoe’s hobbies include beginning all emails with, “My sincerest apologies for my slow reply,” pretending to understand how astrological signs work, and crying at the end of every Call the Midwife episode. She and her husband live with their stalker, a black lab/pittie mix named Sophie.

Where: Vroman’s

Date: Monday, the 15^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101

Website: https://vromansbookstore.com

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 is passionate about discussing everything related to the craft and social significance of literature!

Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – Online event

Date: Monday the 15^th

Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Address: Zoom Online Event (see site)

Do you want to write professionally or for personal satisfaction and healing but aren’t sure where to start and 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 followed by free writing and Q&A. Come be a part of the supportive Lit Angels writing community and consider writing a story to share at our Valentine’s event on 2/7 for possible submission in Lit Angels Journal.

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/

Where: Village Well Books & Coffee

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 10 am – 11 am

Address: 9900 Culver Blvd.,1B, Culver City, CA 90232

Website: https://shop.villagewell.com

Tuesday Tales: A Travelin’ Storytime (Hispanic Heritage Month), Session 1 at Pico Branch Library, SMPL – In-Person Kids Event

This fun and engaging weekly series, featuring stories, songs, and rhymes, travels to a different library location each week. Limited space; free tickets available. For ages 3 – 5.

Where: Pico Branch Library, SMPL

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 10:30 am – 11 am

Address: 2201 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405

Website: https://www.santamonica.gov/events

Tuesday Tales: A Travelin’ Storytime (Hispanic Heritage Month), Session 2 at Pico Branch Library, SMPL – In-Person Kids Event

This fun and engaging weekly series, featuring stories, songs, and rhymes, travels to a different library location each week. Limited space; free tickets available. For ages 3 – 5.

Where: Pico Branch Library, SMPL

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 11:30 am – 12 pm

Address: 2201 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405

Website: https://www.santamonica.gov/events

Virtual Book Club: Isola via La Crescenta Library, LACL – Online Event

Join us weekly on Zoom on Tuesday mornings at 11 am for the Virtual Book Club. In September we will be discussing Isola by Allegra Goodman. For adults.

Please contact Marta Wiggins at mwiggins@library.lacounty.gov for your invite to join the Zoom discussion and other details about the Virtual Book Club. You can pick up your copy of Isola at the La Crescenta Library Customer Service Desk. Below is the breakdown for the weekly discussion.

Tuesday, September 16: Pages 178 – 260, Chapter 23 through Chapter 33

Tuesday, September 23: Pages 261 – end of the book, Part VI, Chapter 34 to end of the book

Tuesday, September 30: Final discussion of Isola and free flow discussion for book, movie, video recommendations

France, 1531. Orphaned by the age of five, Marguerite de la Rocque was heir to a chateau with its own village and lands. But her guardian, Jean Francois de la Rocque de Roberval, sells Marguerite’s property to embark on an expedition to New France, bringing Marguerite and her maidservant with him. Aboard the ship, the women are limited to the company of the captain, the navigator, Roberval, and his secretary—a man whose musical talent, literary knowledge, and dark eyes intrigue Marguerite. It isn’t long before the two of them are meeting secretly to declare their love for one another. When Roberval discovers this transgression, he is furious, seeing their affection as betrayal. As punishment, he maroons them on a small island off the coast, condemning them to certain death

Where: La Crescenta Library, LACL

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 11 am – 12 pm

Address: Online Zoom Event (see site)

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/14499061

Books and Bagels: This Is Happiness at Venice – Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event

Love books and good company? Join us for a lively discussion of our current selection over fresh bagels and coffee. New members are always welcome! Copies of the current book are available at the front desk.

September 16: This Is Happiness, by Niall Williams

Where: Venice – Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 12:30 pm

Address: 501 S. Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291

Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/books-and-bagels-2

Before the Ban Book Club: Speak at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event

Participants will discuss Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

“Speak up for yourself―we want to know what you have to say.” From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, an outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, Melinda becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back―and refuses to be silent.

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author of many award-winning books including the groundbreaking modern classic Speak, a National Book Award finalist which has sold over 3.5 million copies and been translated into 35 languages. In 2023, Anderson was named the laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which is given annually to authors, illustrators, oral storytellers, and reading promoters “for their outstanding contribution to children’s and young adult literature.” In 2009, Anderson was selected by the American Library Association for the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her “significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature.” A passionate spokesperson for the need to combat censorship and promote diversity in publishing, she has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English. Mother of four, grandmother of dragons, and wife of one, she lives in Pennsylvania.

Where: Cellar Door Bookstore

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 1 pm

Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508

Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/ban-book-club-speak

Agoura Readers Book Club: The Lion Women of Tehran at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Event

Join us to discuss M. Kamali’s The Lion Women of Tehran. For adults.

Where: Agoura Hills Library, LACL

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 2 pm – 3 pm

Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301

A chilling classic thriller from the 1930s in which a young woman is stalked about an isolated country house by a murderer.

The Summit—a mansion buried deep in the countryside, on the Welsh Borders. Somewhere outside, a murderer lurks in the darkness. Four young women have already been killed, and each murder has been closer to the house than the last. . .

Now a storm is coming. Professor Warren decides to batten down the hatches for the night. No one may come in or go out until morning. But what if the killer is already inside?

This atmospheric classic brought Ethel Lina White to the attention of the world and went on to be adapted for the screen three times (1946, 1961, 1975).

A creepy, gothic thriller, this is another sensational rediscovery of the classic crime genre. The author, Ethel Lina White, was one of the best-known crime writers of the 1930s and 40s, ranking alongside greats of the Golden Age such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. Many of her thrillers were adapted for film, most famously The Lady Vanishes (originally titled The Wheel Spins) which became one of Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest triumphs as a director.

About the Author

Born in Abergavenny in 1876, Ethel Lina White was one of the best-known crime writers of the 1930s and 40s, ranking alongside greats of the Golden Age such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. Many of her thrillers were adapted for film, most famously The Lady Vanishes originally titled The Wheel Spins) which became one of Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest triumphs as a director. Originally published as Some Must Watch in 1933, The Spiral Staircase has since been adapted for the screen three times.

Where: Cellar Door Bookstore

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 6 pm

Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508

Cara Romero thought she would always work at the factory, but job loss forces her back into the job market. Set up with a counselor, Cara begins narrating her life: love affairs; relationships with her neighbor and her sister; struggles with debt and loss; and, what really happened with her son. As Cara confronts her secrets and regrets, we see a woman buffeted by life but still full of fight.

If you would like a copy of the book, please drop by Norwood Library to pick up a copy or get a digital copy here: https://tinyurl.com/HowNotToDrown

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: Norwood Library, LACL

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 6 pm – 7 pm

Address: 4550 Peck Rd., El Monte, CA 91732

September’s Pick: Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver. Refreshments will be served.

Where: Lawndale Library, LACL

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 6 pm – 7 pm

Address: 14615 Burin Ave., Lawndale, CA 90260

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/14275538

Book Club: Bless Me Ultima at Pico Rivera Library, LACL – In-Person Event

Join us as we read and discuss Rudolfo Anaya’s classic novel Bless Me Ultima for Hispanic Heritage Month. For adults.

Antonio Marez is six years old when Ultima, a folk healer or cuarendera, comes to stay with his family in New Mexico. Under her guidance and wisdom, Tony finds the courage to face childhood bigotry, diabolical possession, the moral collapse of his brother, and many violent deaths. Tony explores the ties that religion, both pagan and Catholicism, connects him to his family and to his culture.

Where: Pico Rivera Library, LACL

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 6 pm – 7 pm

Address: 9001 Mines Ave., Pico Rivera, CA 90660

Alternating Tuesdays. 9/16, 9/30, 10/14, 10/28, and 11/11, 6:00-8:00 pm, on ZOOM.

In this workshop participants submit prose for critique and receive feedback from other participants in a modified “Milford” format. Submissions may be short stories or excerpts of longer works. Instructor may provide brief lectures and exercises on various topics, both pre-planned and based on stories critiqued, such as how to give and receive feedback, character, worldbuilding, endings, use of violence, novel “plot breaking,” “verb poetry,” flash fiction, “The 10% Solution,” and the genre fiction industry. Instructor may also recommend short stories or novels by living authors that tie into lectures or participants’ stories.

RM Ambrose received his MFA in Creative Writing with concentrations in Popular Fiction and Scriptwriting from Stonecoast at University of Southern Maine. He attended the Taos Toolbox workshop with Hugo-winning instructors Walter Jon Williams, Nancy Kress, and George R. R. Martin. He edited Inlandia book Vital: The Future of Healthcare, including one Best American SFF story and two award-winners for disability representation in Speculative Fiction. He guest-edited the medical issue of Future SF Digest, including two Years Best SF reading list stories. He was Assistant Fiction Editor at the Hugo-winning StarShipSofa Podcast. His story, “Olive Branch,” appears in Friends Journal.

Where: Inlandia Online via Zoom

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 6 pm – 8 pm

Address: Online Zoom Event (see site)

Website: https://inlandiainstitute.org/fall-2025-writing-workshops/

Agoura Readers Book Club: The Lion Women of Tehran at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – Online Event

Join us to discuss M. Kamali’s The Lion Women of Tehran. For adults.

To attend this meeting virtually, contact Nina Hull at 818-889-2278 or nhull@library.lacounty.gov

Where: Agoura Hills Library, LACL

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Address: Online Event (see site)

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/14206414

The 3^rd Tuesday Book Club: Hello Beautiful at Playa Vista Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event

Join us or a discussion of Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. All are welcome!

Where: Playa Vista Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Address: 6400 Playa Vista Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90094

A must-read action plan to reclaim your focus, direct your attention, and save your mind in an era of endless distraction.

Our brains are wired for focus. We are designed for it, we crave it, and yet in our current age of overload, we often feel like our minds are bolting from one distraction to the next, with sustained focus always just out of reach. Finding Focus is an empowering guide to reclaiming your most precious resource: your attention. Leading behavioral scientist Dr. Zelana Montminy unveils the science behind focus and distraction, revealing how our hyperconnected reality and the endless flux between digital and physical life fragments our thoughts and diminishes our well-being. Finding Focus equips you with powerful strategies.

If we can control our attention and be present, if we choose when and how we engage, we have a greater sense of wellbeing, deeper fulfillment, and a clear purpose. Finding Focus invites you to ask the question “Where do I want to direct my focus today?” It is a call to arms for anyone yearning to break free from the grip of distraction and live a life brimming with purpose and connection.

Dr. Zelana Montminy is a renowned behavioral scientist pioneering a transformative approach to mental health and resilience. Named one of Maria Shriver’s “Architects of Change,” she combines cutting-edge research with practical insights to challenge outdated paradigms and empower individuals to thrive in a world relentlessly competing for their attention. Dr. Montminy is the author of the acclaimed 21 Days to Resilience (HarperOne).

Where: Diesel, A Bookstore

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm

Address: 225 26^th St., Santa Monica, CA 90402

Website: https://dieselbookstore.com/event/2025-09-16/dr-zelana-montminy-finding-focus-own-your-attention

Book Club: Perfection at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event

Join us for our monthly book club! This September we’re discussing Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico.

About the book:

A scathing, provocative novel about contemporary existence by a rising star in Italian literature.

Anna and Tom, an expat couple, have fashioned a dream life for themselves in Berlin. They are young digital “creatives” exploring the city, freelancers without too many constraints, who spend their free time cultivating house plants and their images online. At first, they reasonably deduce that they’ve turned their passion for aesthetics into a viable, even enviable career, but the years go by, and Anna and Tom grow bored. As their friends move back home or move on, so their own work and sex life—and the life of Berlin itself—begin to lose their luster. An attempt to put their politics into action fizzles in embarrassed self-doubt. Edging closer to forty, they try living as digital nomads only to discover that, wherever they go, “the brand of oat milk in their flat whites was the same.”

Perfection—Vincenzo Latronico’s first book to be translated into English—is a scathing novel about contemporary existence, a tale of two people gradually waking up to find themselves in various traps, wondering how it all came to be. Was it a lack of foresight, or were they just born too late?

Where: Village Well Books & Coffee

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm

Address: 9900 Culver Blvd.,1B, Culver City, CA 90232

Open Mic Readings Every Tuesday at the Aftermath Bar, Sherman Oaks – In-Person Event

CALLING ALL WRITERS! Every Tuesday we’ll be having Open Mic Readings open to the public! Read your poems, fiction, and spoken word at our open mic reading EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT from 7 pm – 10 pm!

Read your poetry, fiction, spoken word, or lyrics.

Free event. 21+

Note: Please RSVP at site.

Where: The Aftermath Bar

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 7 pm – 10 pm

Address: 14537 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Website: https://www.instagram.com

P Moss & Screwing Sinatra at Book Soup – In-Person Event

P Moss will discuss and sign Screwing Sinatra.

Join the Rat Pack in this stylish crime-thriller novel that showcases the glitz, glamor, and grime of Las Vegas’ early years from the author who captures the atmosphere of Sin City’s heyday like no other! It’s 1960, and Frank Sinatra, the king of showbiz, is conspiring with Jack Kennedy and gangster Sam Giancana to steal the presidential election. Then, in a mind-blowing twist, Sinatra’s perfect world comes crashing down on him as he is betrayed by JFK and finds himself in the crosshairs of a mob assassin!

P Moss is an author whose twisted crime novels seamlessly blur the line between fact and fiction. A film noir and pulp fiction enthusiast, he owns bars in Las Vegas and New York City and is an avid supporter of Scunthorpe United FC.

Where: Book Soup

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069

Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/p-moss-discusses-signs-screwing-sinatra

North Figueroa Bookshop Book Club: The Crying of Lot 49 at North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Event

Book Club participants will read and discuss The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon.

Where: North Figueroa Bookshop

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 6040 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042

Select any second chance romance (this could be a second chance for the same couple or a second chance for a main character after a big life change, such as divorce or death) – while not an exhaustive list, click link at website for suggestions

Facilitated by Lisa Becker.

Note: Please RSVP at site.

Where: pages, a bookstore

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90042

Website: https://pagesabookstore.com/kiss-tell-romance-book-club-rsvp

Mystery & Thriller Book Group: Rachel Howzell Hall & We Lie Here via Santa Monica Library – Online Event

This community-led, monthly book discussion group meets virtually at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month. This book group discusses domestic and international titles in the mystery and thriller genres. To register, email library@santamonica.gov.

September 2025: We Lie Here by Rachel Howzell Hall – Author, Rachel Howzell Hall, will be joining the group from 7:30 – 8:00 p.m. to talk about the book and answer questions.

Note: Please RSVP at site.

Where: SMPL

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

Address: Online Event

Website: https://www.santamonica.gov/events

At Skylight: Karen Palmer, with Matthew Specktor, & She’s Under Here at Skylight – In-Person Event

Karen Palmer, in conversation with Matthew Specktor, will discuss She’s Under Here: A Memoir.

In 1989, shortly after her second marriage, Palmer and her new husband quit their jobs without notice. They pulled her two young daughters out of school and buckled them into the rear seat of a used car purchased with cash. The trunk was packed with clothing and toys, pillows and blankets, four place settings, one pot, one pan, and a sack that contained every penny they had. Living with the fear of Palmer’s dangerous ex-husband had become untenable: This was DIY witness protection.

In this searingly honest and heart wrenching account, Palmer examines why she ended up trapped, how she escaped, and the ongoing perils of life constructed around a false identity. She ruthlessly explores the lines between desire and fear, victim and perpetrator, captivity and freedom, and exposes myriad aspects of what it means to make difficult choices as a woman, when none of the options are good. She’s Under Here is a haunting meditation on themes of disappearance, betrayal, and private violence, and it is utterly unforgettable.

Karen Palmer is a Pushcart Prize winner and has received grants from the NEA and Colorado Council on the Arts. She’s Under Here grew out of her award-winning essay “The Reader Is the Protagonist,” first published in Virginia Quarterly Review and selected by Leslie Jamison for inclusion in Best American Essays 2017. More recently her short story “Birds of Paradise” won the 2022 Emily Clark Balch Prize for Fiction. Her writing has appeared in The Rumpus, The Kenyon Review, Arts & Letters, and Kalliope, among others. She lives in Los Angeles.

Matthew Specktor is the author of the memoirs The Golden Hour and Always Crashing in the Same Car, and of the novel American Dream Machine. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, GQ, The Paris Review, and numerous other periodicals and anthologies. He is a founding editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books

Where: Skylight

Date: Tuesday, the 16^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027

Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-karen-palmer-presents-shes-under-here-w-matthew-specktor

Dark Olympus Book Club at Underdog Bookstore Off-site at M.t Lowe Brewing Co., Arcadia – In-Person Event

Join us for book talks and brews as we read our way through Dark Olympus!

Katee Robert’s Dark Olympus series is a spicy collection of standalone dark romance books inspired by different Greek mythology tales.

Whether you read all, some, or none of the books, all are welcome!

Find the full meeting schedule and reading order at website.

Where: Mt. Lowe Brewing Co.

Date: Tuesday the 16^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

Address: 150 East Saint Joseph St., Arcadia, CA 91006

Website: https://www.underdogbookstore.org/events

Latinx Comix Panel: Angela Sanchez, Pablo Leon, Diego Salazar, with Jen Hurler at Vroman‘s – In-Person Event

Comic art has long been used as an avenue to address social issues and has given voice to marginalized groups through their stories and the artists who create them. As Hispanic Heritage Month begins in a tumultuous time with vulnerable Latinx communities being targeted by current US policies, this panel features comic creators whose work focuses on social commentary and bringing visibility to human rights issues and perspectives across the Latinx/e/a/o spectrum.

Featured books include: From Cocinas to Lucha Libre Ringsides: A Latinx Comics Anthology and Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan Genocide.

Bios:

Angela M. Sánchez (she/they)is a Mexican American writer from Los Angeles. Angela was recently a staff writer for Disney Television Animation’s latest 6-11 series PRIMOS. Their freelance writing includes shows such as Spin Master’s PAW PATROL and its spin-off RUBBLE & CREW, Nickelodeon’s latest DORA & FRIENDS and KID COWBOY, PBS’ upcoming PHOEBE & JAY, AppleTV+’s Peabody Award-winning series STILLWATER, among others. Angela’s writing has also appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, SOLRAD, LAist, and the anthologies AS WE CONVENE by Inked in Gray Press and SOMOS XICANAS by Riot of Roses Publishing. Angela wrote and illustrated their own picture book series SCRUFFY & THE EGG, which addresses topics of family homelessness, and have co-edited the newly released comics anthology, FROM COCINAS TO LUCHA LIBRE RINGSIDES, and is currently working on a short film under the Latino Film Institute’s Spark Animated Short Grant, sponsored by Netflix.

Pablo Leon (he/him) is an author and artist from Guatemala, currently living in Los Angeles, California, and jumping between TV animation and comics. He’s an Eisner Award Nominee for his original comic The Journey, an account of an unaccompanied child coming from Central America to the U.S., and he was the illustrator for the exciting middle grade graphic novel series Miles Morales at Scholastic. He’s worked with Disney, Warner Bros, and Nickelodeon. His passion for capturing historical memory in his art and stories has led him to his writer/artist debut Silenced Voices at Harper Alley, and his first animated short film Remember Us, which qualified for consideration for Best Animated Short Film for the Academy Awards. When he’s not working, he enjoys cooking alongside his helper cats, Agave, Moth and Midna.

Diego Salazar Castro (he/him) is a Venezuelan-born writer of genre-bending graphic novels, film, and television—often filled with blood, dark comedy, spectacle, and a splash of social commentary. He was recently a staff writer on the Annie-nominated PRIMOS animated series at Disney and received a WarnerMedia OneFifty grant to develop his original concept THE EXTRA-ORDINARIES into a script, animated pilot, and comic book. He’s also developed an original feature with Monkeypaw. His work centers immigrant characters, experiences, and triumph. He enjoys surfing, drawing butts, and occasionally gets paid to travel the world watching soccer with FIFA.

Jen Hurler (she/her) MODERATOR

Jen is a Dominican American writer and creator with over a decade of experience in and around the animation industry. She’s worked at Warner Brothers Animation and Blue Sky Studios, has taught story structure at the university level, and has written for the prominent animation news site Cartoon Brew. Creative development and visual storytelling are both her profession and genuine passion.

Where: Vroman’s

Date: Tuesday, the 16^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101

Katie Dozier is passionate about the immense potential NFTs present for poetry and enjoys helping onboard traditional poets primarily through Twitter (@Katie_Dozier). Her poetry has recently been curated by Rattle, Frontier, One Art, and Frogpond. She maintains TheNFTPoetryGallery.com as a vehicle for showing the potential of CryptoPoetry, hosts the Twitter space/podcast “The Poetry Space_,” and frequently speaks at NFT/poetry conferences.

Timothy Green is editor of Rattle magazine, host of the weekly Rattlecast, and co-host of The Poetry Space_. His radio programming regularly appears on KPFK-Los Angeles and his articles on poetry in the Press-Enterprise newspaper. Timothy was born in Western New York in 1980.

Where: Cobalt Poets – Online Zoom Event

Date: Tuesday, the 16^th

Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Address: Online event (see site)

Website: https://www.poetrysuperhighway.com

Tuesday Night Café: Features & Open Mic at Tuesday Night Project, Aratani Courtyard/Union Center – In-Person & YouTube Hybrid Event

Tuesday Night Cafe is a flagship free public arts and performance series. Launched in 1999, TNC has since become one of the longest-running free arts series in Downtown LA and is the oldest Asian American mic series in the country.

The series runs on the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of each month, April through October, and features a curated program of multidisciplinary visual and performing art as well as an open mic section.

Come listen to some good music, hear some poetry, watch some magic, and connect with people✨ Bring in the cooler weather with friends and us!.

@obliviousnerdgrl (Labor of Love)

@audreykuo (Stone Lions Popular Library)

@eastwestplayers Costume Sale!!!!

DJ

@djwonbp

Want to perform for our Open Mic? Make sure to sign up for our lottery by 6:40 pm, there will only be 3 spaces available, two performances per performer per season please! We may ask to review your content. Please read the rules at https://www.tuesdaynightproject.org/how-to-perform.

As a reminder, masking is required in our space, and we will have masks available on site. If you can’t join us in-person, we will continue to stream our shows on YouTube in our link in bio.

Where: Tuesday Night Café

Date: Tuesday, the 16^th

Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Address: 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles, CA 90012

Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/DOcOFq7gf-N/?hl=en

Da Poetry Lounge Open Mic Night at Ora Café in Leimert Park – In-Person Event

The nation’s largest weekly spoken word Open Mic event is 26 years strong. DPL is a community space for every poet to be heard. They provide a platform to celebrate poetry while using it as the foundation for creativity, innovation, and expression across an array of media outlets.

$10 donation. Do NOT line up prior to 7:30 pm Free parking adjacent to the theater.

Masks are encouraged.

Where: Ora Café

Date: Tuesday, the 16^th

Time: 9 pm – 11 pm

Address: 4331 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park, CA 90008

Website: https://www.instagram.com/  or https://www.dapoetrylounge.com/

Lit Angels: Morning Writing with Francesca Lia Block at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event

Come write with us!

Many people believe that morning writing practice is key to finding your voice, your story and, in this case, your community! At the Village Well!

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 8:30 AM come join acclaimed author and writing instructor Francesca Lia Block for a brief intro and 40 minutes of free writing on any topic without judgement. Afterwards, you will be able to share a bit about your process and ask Francesca questions about your writing.

Where: Village Well Books & Coffee

Date: Wednesday the 17^th

Time: 8:30 am – 9:30 am

Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232

One summer night, Louisa and her father take a walk on the breakwater. Her father is carrying a flashlight. He cannot swim. Later, Louisa is found on the beach, soaked to the skin, barely alive. Her father is gone. She is ten years old.

Louisa is an only child of parents who have severed themselves from the past. Her father, Serk, is Korean, but was born and raised in Japan; he lost touch with his family when they bought into the promises of postwar Pyongyang and relocated to North Korea. Her American mother, Anne, is estranged from her Midwestern family after a reckless adventure in her youth. And then there is Tobias, Anne’s illegitimate son, whose reappearance in their lives will have astonishing consequences.

But now it is just Anne and Louisa, Louisa and Anne, adrift and facing the challenges of ordinary life in the wake of great loss. United, separated, and also repelled by their mutual grief, they attempt to move on. But they cannot escape the echoes of that night. What really happened to Louisa’s father?

Shifting perspectives across time and character and turning back again and again to that night by the sea, Flashlight chases the shock waves of one family’s catastrophe, even as they are swept up in the invisible currents of history.

Susan Choi is the author of Trust Exercise, which received the National Book Award for fiction, as well as the novels The Foreign Student, American Woman, A Person of Interest, and My Education. She is a recipient of the Asian-American Literary Award for fiction, the PEN/W. G. Sebald Award, a Lambda Literary award, the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. She teaches in the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Where: pages, a bookstore

Date: Wednesday the 17^th

Time: 10 am – 11 am

Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Website: https://pagesabookstore.com/event/2025-09-17/coffee-time-book-club

Author Talk: Gabe Henry & Enough Is Enuf via Virtual Program, LACL – In-Person Event

Have you ever wondered why the English spelling of words is sometimes…well…just weird? Come on a surprisingly hilarious journey with us and author Gabe Henry through the history of the English language.

Anyone who has the misfortune to write in English will, every now and then, struggle with its spelling. In our erratic system, choir and liar rhyme, daughter and laughter don’t, and somehow you and ewe can’t agree on a single letter. So why do we still use it? If our spelling is so inconsistent, why haven’t we tried to fix it?

In Enough is Enuf, Gabe Henry humorously traces the “simplified spelling movement” from medieval England to Revolutionary America, from the birth of standup comedy to contemporary pop music, and explores its lasting influence in words like color (without a U), plow (without -ugh), and the iconic ’90s ballad “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Finally, Henry brings us to the digital age, where the swift pace of online exchanges now pushes us all 2ward simplification.

Register now for this informative and entertaining conversation to find out why Gabe Henry thinks UR not a bad speller, the English language is.

Gabe Henry is the author of three books including the poetry anthology Eating Salad Drunk, a humor collaboration with Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Odenkirk, Mike Birbiglia, Margaret Cho, and other titans of comedy. Eating Salad Drunk was featured in The New Yorker in February 2022 (“A Smattering of Haiku for the Burnout Age”) and ranked one of Vulture’s Best Comedy Books of 2022. Henry’s work has been published in TIME, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, the Weekly Humorist, US News & World Report, and more. He has spent more than a decade exploring the strange and forgotten history of simplified spelling, which, by his own admission, has only made him a worse speller. He lives and works in New York. Learn more at http://www.gabehenry.com.

Where: Virtual Program, LACL

Date: Wednesday the 17^th

Time: 11 am – 12 pm

Address: Online Event (see site)

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/14511457

Book Club: The Boys in the Boat at Granada Hills Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event

Join us for a discussion of the book The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.

All are welcome!

Where: Granada Hills Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Wednesday the 10^th

Time: 1:30 pm – 3 pm

Address: 10640 Petit Ave., Granada Hills, CA 91344

Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-boys-boat

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 2^nd Monday of the month on KPFK Los Angeles 90.7 FM.

NOTE: See site for details.

Where: KPFK 90.7 FM

Date: Wednesday, the 16^th

Time: 2 pm – 2:30 pm

Address: On-air Event (live)

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Where: San Gabriel Library, LACL

Date: Wednesday the 17^th

Time: 3 pm – 4 pm

Address: 500 S. Del Mar Ave., San Gabriel, CA 91776 

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/14255662

Kids’ Creative Writing Workshop with Author Ashley Griffin at Fairview Branch Library, SMPL – In-Person Kids Event

Join Broadway writer, novelist and Santa Monica native Ashley Griffin for a creative writing workshop and reading from her second bestselling novel, Blank Paige. Find out what it takes to be a professional writer and find your own literary voice as we explore how to tell a story. For aspiring writers ages 9 – 12.

Date: Wednesday the 17^th

Time: 3:45 pm – 4:45 pm

Address: Fairview Branch Library, SMPL

RSVP:

To reserve a spot for your child, please complete the google form at website.

Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Wednesday, the 17^th

Time: 4 pm – 5 pm

Address: 12511 Moorpark Street, Studio City, CA 91604

Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/kids-creative-writing-workshop-1

Graphic Novel Club: Into the Bewilderness at Once Upon a Time, Monrose – In-Person Event

Join us to marvel at this month’s pick: Into the Bewilderness by Gus Gordon!

In the Bewilderness, life is good.

Best friends Luis (the large furry one) and Pablo (the small furry one) spend their days wandering through nature, playing songs on the guitar, and eating Slow Joe McNally’s pinecone porridge with their neighbors.

When dreamer Luis receives an unexpected invitation to attend a performance of The Weary Mermaid in the big, bustling city, he finds it hard to ignore the allure of the bright lights.

Humor! Adventure! Magic! Graphic novels have it all!

Celebrate our shared love of graphic novels and visual creativity! Iz and Apollo host our ever-popular book club.

Best for ages 8+.

This is a discussion-based club. Participants should come prepared to share their thoughts about that meeting’s book choice.

RSVP at Website.

Where: Once Upon a Time, Montrose

Date: Wednesday, the 17^th

Time: 4 pm – 5 pm

Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020

Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/2025-09-17/graphic-novel-club

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.

We read new releases of middle grade fiction. Book selection is done by voting at each meeting for the following month’s meeting.

Facilitated by Nedda Lewers.

Please RSVP to amy@pagesabookstore.com

Where: pages, a bookstore

Date: Wednesday the 17^th

Time: 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Website: https://pagesabookstore.com/event/2025-09-17/middle-grade-book-club

Book Club for Adults: Malas at San Fernando Library, LACL – In-Person Event

Join us for a book discussion of Malas by Marcela Fuentes.

Copies of the current title are available at the Information Desk. New members are always welcome! For adults

In 1951, a mysterious old woman confronts Pilar Aguierre in the small border town of La Cienega, Texas. The old woman is sure Pilar stole her husband and, in a heated outburst, lays a curse on Pilar and her family. More than forty years later, Lulu Muñoz is dodging chaos at every turn. When her beloved grandmother passes away, Lulu finds herself drawn to the glamorous stranger who crashed the funeral and who lives alone and shunned on the edge of town. Their unexpected kinship picks at the secrets of Lulu’s family’s past. As the quinceañera looms—and we move between these two strong, irascible female voices—one woman must make peace with the past, and one girl pushes to embrace her future. A love letter to the Tejano culture and community that sustain both of these women as they discover what family means.

Where: San Fernando Library, LACL

Date: Wednesday the 17^th

Time: 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Address: 217 N. Maclay Ave., San Fernando, CA 91340 

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/14217379

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 17^th

Time: 6 pm – 8 pm

Address: On-air Event (live at 101.5 FM)

Website: https://www.lapoetsociety.org/events

Rainbow Reads Book Club: I Wanna Be Your Girl at Once Upon a Time, Monrose – In-Person Event

Let’s chat about this month’s pick, I Wanna Be Your Girl by Umi Takase, and celebrate all the identities and stories!

Best for ages 13 and up.

Being in love with your childhood best friend can be complicated, especially when, right before high school, she transitions to living as a girl. Printed for the first time in English, this manga series tells a thoughtful story about the complications of first loves, friendship, and what it truly means to be an ally.

This is a discussion-based club. Participants should come prepared to share their thoughts about that meeting’s book choice.

RSVP at Website.

Where: Once Upon a Time, Montrose

Date: Wednesday, the 17^th

Time: 6 pm – 7 pm

Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020

Upcoming meetings:

September (9/17): Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Wednesday, the 17^th

Time: 6:30 pm

Address: 12511 Moorpark Street, Studio City, CA 91604

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 17^th

Time: 7 pm – 9:30 pm (Doors at 6:30 pm; Open Mic at 8 pm)

Address: 3200 W. Temple St., Ste. 100, Los Angeles, CA 90026

A woman embarks on an odyssey through the afterlife to help her son, who is literally and figuratively lost at sea: a hilarious and deeply moving voyage of the body and the mind.

Sandra dies suddenly at a death conference in Nepal attended by academics and mystics. Days later, back in America, her teenage son, Trip, runs away with a man who picks him up on the side of a road. Sandra tries to get a message back to Trip through the mystics, but the mystics are distracted, and her son and the strange man set out to sea.

Amie Barrodale’s first novel features restless souls, Buddhist deities, divorcees in recovery programs, arguing academics, uncomprehending school principals, and treatment centers for troubled teenagers. It journeys from body to body, through life and death and back again. It tells the story of a mother and son who find other people hard to understand and who are themselves misunderstood. Guiding this wild, unpredictable journey is deep devotion: the desire to save a child and to be a good mother despite it all.

Amie Barrodale’s stories and essays have appeared in The Paris Review, Harper’s Magazine, and other publications. In 2012 she was awarded The Paris Review’s Plimpton Prize for Fiction for her story “William Wei.” She is the author of You Are Having a Good Time: Stories.

Ottessa Moshfegh is the author of six books of fiction, including My Year of Rest and Relaxation, and, most recently, the novel Lapvona.

Where: Skylight

Date: Wednesday the 17^th

Time: 7 pm

Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027 

Featuring:

Claire Milligan has previously worked in the cultural heritage, events and administration sectors and has an MA (Hons) History of Art and English Literature degree from the University of Edinburgh. Claire is a misophonia advocate and book lover.

Honor Zetzer is a writer and artist in Los Angeles, and curator of the reading series The Vermicult.

Aiden Brown is an LA-based writer, multimedia artist, and Aquarius rising. Their work has appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books, Hobart Pulp, and Dream Boy Book Club among others. Their debut anthology, The Apple House, is forthcoming in 2025. Visit them online anytime at ajbrownarts.com.

Jake (the snake) Fraczek was the former co-host on Dash Radio’s Reigning Real and currently hosts the Damaged Goods Podcast. Recently, he released his latest book: The Waiting Room. The Waiting Room is a collection of essays that is a follow-up to his first book: Quicksand. Both books are autobiographical and grounded in the backstory of heartache, ego, and now in The Waiting Room, the painful loss of his father.

Chris Friend is a teacher, speaker, and podcaster specializing in simplifying and humanizing technology, by introducing newcomers to conversations around education, writing, and technology.

Christi Graff is an experimental surrealist multidisciplinary artist, writer, performer, and phantom of New York. Her poetry, artwork, and photography have been featured in publications across the UK and US. Christi has participated in art shows and readings

Gabby Sones is a sophomore and a first year writer in the opinion section for the Foothill Dragon Press. Her interest in social injustices inspired her to join opinion, and she’s eager to express her beliefs through her writing.

Derek LaPorte is a director and writer, known for Qualia (2012), The Pitch (2009) and Atlantic Rim (2013).

Emma Lee Benson is a Los Angeles-based artist. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film & Video from California Institute of the Arts. She has worked extensively with mixed media, film, and animation. Emma has written, produced, and filmed short films.

Sophie Appel is a poet, curator, & historical map archivist currently living in Los Angeles, California. Appel is the founder of Melrose Botanical Garden, an art gallery & project space.

Where: Skylight

Date: Wednesday the 17^th

Time: 7 pm

Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026 

Website: https://storiesla.com/events

Banned Books Club: How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent at Underdog Bookstore, Monrovia – In-Person Event

Our Banned Books Club is celebrating it’s 1 year anniversary!

We meet and discuss a new banned or challenged book every third Wednesday, in-store and online.

Our September pick, voted for by our @bookclubshq members, is:

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent by @writerjalvarez

Uprooted from their family home in the Dominican Republic, the four Garcia sisters – Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofia – arrive in New York City in 1960 to a life far removed from their existence in the Caribbean. For them, it is at once liberating and excruciating to be caught between the old world and the new. Here they tell their stories about being at home—and not at home—in America.

RSVP: bit.ly/readbannedbooks

Shop paperback & ebook: https://bookshop.org/a/91860/9781565129757

Listen to the audiobook: https://libro.fm/…/9781436101592-how-the-garcia-girls…

Thank you for supporting Underdog with your book purchases and donations!

Where: Underdog Bookstore

Date: Wednesday the 17^th

Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm

Address: 312 S. Myrtle Ave., Monrovia, CA 91016

Website: https://www.underdogbookstore.org/events/banned-books-club

D.J. Waldie & Elements of Los Angeles: Earth, Water, Air, Fire at Vroman‘s – In-Person Event

Acclaimed essayist D.J. Waldie will discuss Elements of Los Angeles: Earth, Water, Air Fire, exploring the foundations of the city with his trademark wisdom, elegance, and incisiveness.

D.J. Waldie continues his singular meditation on Los Angeles: a place of contradictions, dreams, and disquiet. With uncommon clarity and emotional depth, Waldie considers Los Angeles as a place of both promise and disillusionment, of civic memory and strategic forgetting, of natural beauty and environmental fragility. Each of the four classical elements forms the basis for a profound and poetic reassessment of the city’s image, exploring topics as diverse and resonant as the unlikely history of the Hass avocado, the St. Francis Dam disaster, an endurance contest that saw a young woman buried alive, and the sound of Vin Scully’s voice carried across the summer air.

Grounded in the physical and emotional geography of Los Angeles—its earth, its water, its fires, its air—this collection is a portrait of a city always in flux, and of those who try to make a life within it. For anyone who has ever lived in Los Angeles, or simply wondered what lies beneath its glittering surface, Elements of Los Angeles is a guide to seeing the city anew.

D.J. Waldie is the author of the acclaimed Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir and other books about everyday life in Southern California. In his essays and commentary, Waldie has sought to frame his experience of Los Angeles as a search for a sense of place.

Where: Vroman’s

Date: Wednesday, the 17^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101

Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2025-09-17/dj-waldie

Anansi 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. Hosted by Jessica Gallion aka “Yellawoman.”

• 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm — Formal workshop;
• 8:30 pm – 9:00 pm — TBA;
• 9:05 pm – 10:00 pm — Open mic.

Suggested: $10.00 Donation via PayPal: The World Stage Gallery.

NOTE: See site for further details and any change in the schedule. Contact on Instagram @ _yellawoman

Where: The World Stage (use left rear entrance)

Date: Wednesday, the 17^th

Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm

Address: 4321 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008

Website: https://www.instagram.com

Story Salon: Theme: Celebrity Etiquette at Art Parlor in Valley Village – In-Person & Virtual Hybrid Event

Los Angeles’s longest running storytelling venue now virtual!

An alternative to stand-up clubs + self-conscious performance spaces

#storysalon

Story Salon challenges you all to tell stories in 90 seconds! Can you do it? If you can, join us Wednesday 9/17!

Tickets can be purchased early with the link in bio or at storysalon.com

#storytelling #valleyvillage #storysalon #communitystories #LAthingstodo #northhollywood

Theme: Celebrity Etiquette.

Where: Art Parlor

Date: Wednesday the 17^th

Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm (Doors at 7 pm)

Address: 5302 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Valley Village, CA 91607 

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 on the site.

The workshop can sometimes reach high levels of attendance, which means not everyone will get a chance to read every session.

Jose Hernandaz Diaz is a 2017 NEA Fellow. He is the author of The Fire Eater (Texas Review Press, 2020) Bad Mexican, Bad American (Acre Books, 2024) The Parachutist (Sundress Publications, 2025) and Portrait of the Artist as a Brown Man (Red Hen Press, 2025). He has been published in Bennington Review, The Yale Review, The London Magazine, The Southern Review, Poetry Ireland Review, The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2011, and in The Best American Poetry 2025. He has taught creative writing at the University of California at Riverside. Currently, he is the Visiting Writer in Residence at the University of Tennessee.

NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, and information. 

Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center

Date: Wednesday, the 17^th

Time: 8 pm – 10 pm

Address: Online event (see site)

Website: https://www.beyondbaroque.org

Poetry Reading & Open Mic by Two Idiots Peddling Poetry with Ben Trigg and guest Sammy Herrera at The Ugly Mug – In-Person Event

Host Ben Trigg and Two Idiots Peddling Poetry welcomes featured guest Sammy Herrera.

Sammy Herrera is a Mexican-American poet from the San Gabriel Valley who accomplished much as a youth poet by competing in slams and competitions, performing a poem at a TedX event, working alongside the Say Word slam team, and featuring her work on various stages. After taking a break from open mics and performing to focus on her career as a teacher/educator, she makes a name for herself by placing 1st place in both the OC Poetry Slam in October and Pomona Slam in December.

$5 cover fee, cash only

$5 cover fee, cash only.

Where: The Ugly Mug, Orange

Date: Wednesday, the 17^th

Time: 8 pm – 10 pm

Address: 261 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA

Website: https://www.facebook.com/event

Lit Angels: Heal Through Writing with Francesca Lia Block at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event

Let Francesca help you with all aspects of your writing!

Do you want to write professionally or for personal satisfaction and healing but aren’t sure where to start and 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 followed by free writing and Q&A. Come be a part of the supportive Lit Angels writing community and consider writing a story to share at our Valentine’s event on 2/7 for possible submission in Lit Angels Journal.

About the instructor:

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/

Tuesdays & Thursdays @10AM | $15

Where: Village Well Books & Coffee

Date: Thursday the 18^th

Time: 10 am – 11 am

Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232

Website: https://villagewell.com

Mystery Book Club: We Solve Murders 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 on the 3rd Thursday of the month, with the exception of June this year. Copies are available at reference and as ebooks.

September 18: We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Light refreshments provided by Friends of the Palms Rancho Park Library.

Where: Palms – Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Thursday the 18^th

Time: 1:30 pm

Address: 2920 Overland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064

Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/mystery-book-discussion-1

Book Club for Adults: Pride and Prejudice at Chet Holifield Library, LACL – In-Person Event

Join us for a discussion of Pride and Prejudice by Jnae Austin. For Adults.

Whether you like historical fiction, sci-fi, romance, or memoirs, this book club reads it all. This month, join us for a discussion of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Pick up a copy of the book at the information desk today! For adults.

Where: Chet Holifield Library, LACL

Date: Thursday the 18^th

Time: 4 pm – 5 pm

Address: 1060 S. Greenwood Ave., Montebello, CA 90640

The author will be donating his share of proceeds to Grades of Green, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and empowering kids and the broader school community to protect the environment.

This is a free event but we hope you will consider supporting the author and our independent bookstore by ordering copies of the book through {pages}. Preorders and RSVPs are appreciated.

The book was inspired by a 2018 court decision on a murder that occurred in Greenwich, Conn. on October 30, 1975. The court decision came from the Connecticut Supreme Court, which vacated the conviction of Michael Skakel, who in 2002 had been convicted of murdering neighbor Martha Moxley when they were both 15.

The Connecticut Supreme Court reversed the conviction after concluding that Skakel’s original defense lawyer was so ineffective that Skakel was denied a fair trial. The reversal was driven by the so-called failure of Skakel’s attorney of ignoring a credible witness who could confirm Skakel’s alibi.

The book is set in 2018. The fictional story is told in the context of real news reports so that readers understand what was happening with the court proceedings. Early in the book, for example, readers see that Connecticut state prosecutors decide to appeal the Connecticut Supreme Court ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The story is told through the eyes of fictional New York Times reporter Marshall McDougal, the same protagonist featured in my previous novel, Simple Glory.

Highlights of the story:

Marshall achieves the near-impossible by securing access to the person convicted of the murder for a potential book deal and begins to get to know him.

Marshall tests reactions to the many theories of the murder (including some of Marshall’s own) among the convicted murderer and two journalists who have previously written books on the murder.

The long-missing piece of what is considered to be the murder weapon is delivered to Marshall’s in-laws’ on Thanksgiving night.

The other journalists, with whom Marshall has gentleman’s agreements to help him with context and not print anything he shares with them, begin threatening to go to print on the story.

In the meantime, Marshall’s editor is increasingly losing his patience with Marshall’s side deal, and he ultimately decides he wants the New York Times to go to print on the story.

The piece of the suspected murder weapon is then stolen from a lab after Marshall turns it over to be tested for touch DNA.

Marshall travels to Europe to track down the piece from the person suspected of having stolen it (this person is not the convicted murderer).

Marshall is constantly being followed by black SUVs throughout the book, and he ends up fleeing from would-be captors through the streets of New York, Boston and Connecticut.

Ultimately, a press conference is called to announce the results of the touch DNA tests. The books ends with Marshall and his fellow journalists departing for the press conference. The results are purposely left open for the reader to consider.

John Clendening is also the author of Love Letters to Sports: Moments in Time and the Ties That Bind (2011) and Simple Glory: The Search for the Soul of an American Town (2018). He is a founding principal of Clients First Marketing & Communications™, a co-host of the On the Offense podcast and an assistant professor of practice in advertising and brand strategy at the University of North Texas. Clendening and his wife, Jean, live in Dallas and are parents of their five human children and their three canine ones.

RSVP at website.

Where: pages, a bookstore

Date: Thursday the 18^th

Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

The ultimate story of the Scream movie franchise, featuring interviews from more than eighty key players and an in-depth exploration of the creation and legacy of the films that revived a dying genre.

In Your Favorite Scary Movie, entertainment journalist Ashley Cullins examines the making and impact of the Scream films with behind-the-scenes insight from cast, creators, and crew, as well as sharp analysis on how the movies’ special blend of gruesome violence and humorous self-awareness rewrote the horror playbook. This intimate and thorough history includes brand-new interviews from Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Kevin Williamson, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Jack Quaid, Parker Posey, Hayden Panettiere, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Radio Silence, Roger L. Jackson, and so many more.

Where: Book Soup

Date: Thursday the 18^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069

Website: https://www.booksoup.com/event/2025-09-18/ashley-cullins-conversation-rebecca-keegan-discusses-signs-your-favorite-scary

RSVP at site (Pay What You Want Donation)

Where: Heavy Manners Library

Date: Thursday the 18^th

Time: 7 pm

Address: 1200 N. Alvarado St., Unit D, Los Angeles, CA 90026 

Website: https://heavymannerslibrary.com/events/an-evening-of-poetry-and-prose-9-18

Margeaux Feldman and Mia Schachter & Touch Me, I’m Sick: A Memoir in Essays at North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Event

Join Margeaux Feldman and Mia Schachter to discuss Touch Me, I’m Sick: A Memoir in Essays.

RSVP at website!

Margeaux Feldman (they/them) is a writer, a public educator, and an artist. They hold an MFA in Creative Writing from CalArts and a PhD in English Literature and Sexual Diversity Studies from the University of Toronto. Their essays have been published in The Sonora Review, GUTS: A Canadian Feminist Magazine, PRISM, Rabble, and The Ex-Puritan, amongst others. They also run the popular Instagram meme account @softcore_trauma where they write about their experiences living with trauma and chronic illness. They currently live in Los Angeles with their 2 elderly cats. You can learn more about them on their website http://www.margeauxfeldman.com.

Hi, I’m Mia. I’m an author, multi-media artist, intimacy coordinator for TV, film, and theater, and Tinder’s Resident Consent Educator. It’s my mission to make consent education as digestible and widely available as possible so you can identify your desires, needs, and boundaries and authentically express them to others in your own unique voice.

Where: North Figeroa Bookshop

Date: Thursday the 18^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 6040 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042

The author explores the entanglement of militarism, imperialism, and liberal-democratic governance in East Africa today. Since Kenya’s invasion of Somalia in 2011, the Kenyan state has been engaged in direct combat with the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab, conducting airstrikes in southern Somalia and deploying heavy-handed police tactics at home. Al-Bulushi illustrates that the war against Al-Shabaab has become a means to produce new fantasies, emotions, and subjectivities about Kenya’s place in the world. Meanwhile, Kenya’s alignment with the U.S. provides cover for the criminalization, policing, and extrajudicial killings of the country’s Muslim minority population.

This talk will explore the contours of US militarism and imperialism in East Africa today, arguing that the US Military Command for Africa (AFRICOM) is only one aspect of a much wider set of power formations that shape the lifeworlds of people across the continent. Drawing on the work of feminist scholars of war, empire, and geopolitics, the author calls for a situated methodological approach—one that exceeds the geography of the military base, and that is more attuned to the sensorial, embodied knowledge formations of populations that have been caught in the crosshairs of the US-led “war on terror.”

Samar Al-Bulushi is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at UC Irvine. Her book, War-Making as World Making: Kenya, the United States, and the War on Terror, was published by Stanford University Press in November 2024. She is a non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and previously served as contributing editor for Africa Is a Country. She has published in a variety of public outlets on topics ranging from the International Criminal Court to the militarization of U.S. policy in Africa.

The event is free and open to the public, no tickets or reservations required

Where: Page Against the Machine

Date: Thursday the 18^th

Time: 7 pm

Join Tara Sanders Brooks for the release of It Will Last Longer. The author will read an excerpt of her debut novel, followed by a Q&A.

Synopsis: When a struggling photographer finds herself at the center of a strange and macabre creative scene, she is forced to choose between her conscious and passion, in the gripping descent into the seedy underbelly of art in Los Angeles that is It Will Last Longer.

Tara Sanders Brooks is a writer and cinematographer based in Los Angeles, where she lives with her wife and three cats. She has written for publications across the film industry, including American Cinematographer, Women in Media, and Fujifilm. It Will Last Longer is her debut novel. Tara used to get in trouble for writing stories instead of paying attention in sixth grade math. Now, she gets paid to write for a living and relies on her phone calculator for all else!

Where: The Pop Hop

Date: Thursday the 18^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 5002 York Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90042

To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from his college Film Club for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to any of them in sixteen years, not after what happened.

But who better than them to appreciate Alfred’s creation? And to help him finish it.

After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a body.

Stephanie Wrobel is the internationally bestselling author of The Hitchcock Hotel, This Might Hurt and Darling Rose Gold, which sold in twenty-one countries and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. She lives in Los Angeles.

Amy Meyerson is the bestselling author of The Bookshop of Yesterdays, The Imperfects, and The Love Scribe. Her books have been translated into eleven languages and are frequently chosen for best-of lists, including lists from Good Morning America, Publishers Weekly, The Christian Science Monitor, Library Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Texas Library Association’s Lariat List, among others. Meyerson completed her graduate work in creative writing at the University of Southern California, where she now teaches in the writing department. Her fourth novel—and first work of domestic suspense—The Water Lies will be published by Thomas & Mercer in January 2026.

Where: Sunny’s Bookshop (inside Shades of Petals floral & décor)

Date: Thursday the 18^th

Time: 7 pm

Address: 18604 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, CA 91356

Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/sunnys-bookshop-82689612663

All Women’s Open Mic Night 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 whether or not to bring children.

Get your tickets at website link!

Where: Village Well Books & Coffee

Date: Thursday the 18^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Chip Jacobs, in conversation with Sandra Tsing Loh, will discuss Later Days: A Novel.

In an evocative follow-up to his Los Angeles Times bestselling Arroyo, Chip Jacobs returns with a gripping tale of brotherhood, recklessness, and last-ditch redemption against the backdrop of a Southern California prep school in gender upheaval.

As the elite, all-boys institution transitions to coed, transforming the place from suburban Lord of the Flies to soap-operatic play, two unlikely friends—Luke Burnett and Denny Drummond—alternate rescuing the other from self-destruction and home lives gutted by loss and distracted parents. Eager to maximize their era as God-like Seniors at Stone Canyon Prep, the pair and their classmates act invincible. They commandeer Bob’s Big Boy and wander the secret world beneath Caltech, meeting a charismatic Nobel Prize physicist in the process. They sweat destiny-making S.A.T.s, grapple with fallout when two boys fall for the same girl and watch in horror as a playoff basketball game is upended by the chemistry lab. Just when our heroes barely graduate, en route to prized universities, their bond is severed by a wild gunshot that will haunt them for decades.

Twenty years later, Luke is a hard-charging journalist with an imploding career, while Denny is a visionary software engineer on the verge of a breakthrough—until a terminal diagnosis rewrites any happy ending. Their reunion forces both to confront the worst of themselves, a luminous female classmate who predicted her own death, and exactly how they squandered the potential Stone Canyon draped around them. As Denny’s time runs short, Luke races to make peace with his failures in a world shorn of the magic his teachers once heralded. In a final act of reckoning, with the famous Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in the mix, fate offers them one last chance to heal the other by confronting mortality and pleading for goodbyes slippery before.

Later Days is a powerful exploration of the ties that bind and break us. Perfect for readers drawn to fierce, flawed friendships, the currency of forgiveness, and the raw beauty of life skimming its edge. With rich insight into the secret histories of the late-seventies Pasadena area, and the psychological baggage of growing up in the shadows of “Great Men,” father, Jacobs second novel is as emotionally resonant as it is intellectually sharp.

Where: Vroman’s

Date: Thursday, the 18^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101

Beth Marquez has recent or upcoming publications in Lit Shark, Cathexis, October Hill, Spillway, Discretionary Love, and Cider Press Review. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee, a 2017 Pink Door Fellow, and holds three mathematics degrees. A freelance statistician, poet, and singer-songwriter, she lost her Altadena home in the Eaton Fire of 2025 and has since been living in Highland Park, Los Angeles.

Constant Laval Williams is from Los Angeles, CA. He received his bachelor’s from USC, where he received the Beau J. Boudreaux Poetry Award, and an MFA in Poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His poems have appeared in The Adroit Journal, Prairie Schooner, Lana Turner, Sixth Finch, The Florida Review and Blackbird, among others. Alongside poetry he creates goth music under the name Casket Cassette.

Duncan Cuervo is an Irish Mexican writer and librarian based in Alhambra, California. When not suffocated with the weight of writer’s block, they spend their time on the bus adventuring the underbelly of their home and cultivating dying plants. When crushed by the reality of needing a day job they find themselves working as a librarian trying to teach people how to use the Dewey Decimal system while also explaining its many shortcomings.

Luis Blackaller, born in Mexico City. Resident of Los Angeles. Luis is a self-made filmmaker, cartoonist, writer, archivist, and self-proclaimed 21st century luddite. He is interested in public space, the history and anthropology of narrative media—in particular comics and cinema.

NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, and information. 

Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center

Date: Thursday, the 18^th

Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm (Doors at 7 pm)

Address: 681 Venice Blvd. Venice Beach. Los Angeles, CA 90291

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 8:30 am come join acclaimed author and writing instructor Francesca Lia Block for a brief intro and 40 minutes of free writing on any topic without judgement. Afterwards, you will be able to share a bit about your process and ask Francesca questions about your writing.

About the instructor:

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/

Come make some magic at the Village Well! All genres and levels are welcome!

Where: Village Well Books & Coffee

Date: Friday the 19^th

Time: 8:30 am – 9:30 am

Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232

Website: https://shop.villagewell.com

Weekly Pajama Storytime at Once Upon a Time, Montrose – In-Person Kids & Family Event

Our most popular story time is ready to delight and dazzle! This is also the prime time to see Pippi Longstocking, our bookstore cat in action.

There is a large FREE parking lot off Florencita Dr. as well as metered parking along Honolulu Ave. and Montrose Ave.

Free to attend.

NOTE: Free to attend.

Where: Once Upon a Time, Montrose

Date: Friday, the 19^th

Time: 9:30 am

Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020

¡Hora de cuentos bilingüe! Exponer a tus hjijos a varios idiomas es de gran beneficio para su aprendizaje y desarrollo, y qué mejor que hacerlo en esta divertida actividad en donde leeremos un maravilloso cuento en inglés y en español.

Where: Village Well Books & Coffee

Date: Friday the 19^th

Time: 11 am

Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232

Website: https://shop.villagewell.com

Graphic Novel Book Club: Noodle & Bao at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Kids Event

Join us to discuss Noodle & Bao by Shaina Lu. Copies available at the Children’s Desk. For ages 8 – 12.

Momo has lived in Town 99 her entire life. But Town 99 is changing. Rent is becoming unaffordable for Momo and her parents, and even Noodle & Bao has been edged out of its storefront, which was just recently bought out by a new business—Fancé Cafe. Fancé is run by Ms. Jujube and her henchmen, who claim they’re only beautifying Town 99 with good business. Momo knows that’s not true, and knows that if she doesn’t do something, she’ll lose everything she loves about her neighborhood. Momo and Bao are on a mission to protect Town 99. Will they succeed before it’s too late? (For readers ages 8 – 12).

Where: Agoura Hills Library, LACL

Date: Friday the 12^th

Time: 4 pm – 5 pm

Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301

It’s the opening night of The Manor, the newest and hottest luxury resort, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles. The “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.

But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And it’s not too long before the local police are called. Turns out the past has crashed the party, with deadly results.

THE GIRLBOSS · THE HUSBAND · THE KITCHEN HELP · THE MYSTERY GUEST

Everyone’s got a secret. Everyone’s got an agenda. But not everyone will survive…The Midnight Feast.

Lucy Foley studied English Literature at Durham University and University College London and worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry. She is the author of seven novels, including The Midnight Feast, The Paris Apartment, The Guest List, and The Hunting Party. She lives in England.

Where: Cellar Door Bookstore

Date: Friday the 19^th

Time: 6 pm

Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508

Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com

Ticketed Event: Chris Colfer & Roswell Johnson Saves the Galaxy at Vroman‘s – In-Person Event

#1 NYT bestselling author and Golden Globe winning actor Chris Colfer will discuss & signs the second entry in his Roswell Johnson series!

Guardians of the Galaxy meets The Land of Stories in this sequel to Roswell Johnson Saves the World! Packed with humor, heart, and action, the second book in this adventure series will take middle grade readers on another epic journey, this time, to save the galaxy!

Something very strange is happening in our galaxy. People, spaceships, and whole stars are disappearing without a trace. The Milky Way Galactic Alliance can’t explain the bizarre phenomena, prompting Roswell and his alien friends to solve the mystery themselves. Along the way, Roswell discovers new technology that puts our entire solar system in grave danger, and he learns he’s closer to the problem than he ever thought possible.

Where: Vroman’s

Date: Friday, the 19^th

Time: 6 pm

Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101

Sign-ups start at 5:30 with @rodharrison66

Music starts at 6 pm

Spoken word and poetry are welcome!

Where: The Den Café

Date: Friday the 19^th

Time: 6 pm (Doors at 5:30 pm)

Address: 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, CA 9270

Website: https://www.instagram.com

Birthday Book Launch: Katherine Preza Leonor & Russeting Fruits at Bodevi Wine & Espresso Bar – In-Person Event

Join Katherine Preza Leonor to celebrate her birthday with a book launch of Russeting Fruits, a reading, Q&A, book signing, and birthday cake!

Katherine Preza Leonor is a Salvadoran American poet and editor, grant writer and social media coordinator at Los Angeles Poet Society Press. She is currently pursuing a BA in English with a minor in Latin American Studies from UCLA. Her debut collection is Russeting Fruits (Daxson Publishing, 2025).

Guests:

Sandy Shakes is a spoken truth artist home grown in Boyle Heights. She has shared microphones all over LA county, San Diego, New Mexico and El Paso. She has collaborated and performed for many poetic organizations and has had her work honored in their powerful anthologies. In the last few years she has led poetry workshops, spoken in classrooms, and has had her stories featured in podcasts. In 2024 she released her first poetry chapbook baptized Scribble Scrabbles.

La Poeta Violeta speaks on immigration reform/DACA, and youth power. She loves performing and building community across Los Angeles. You may have seen her at Avenue 50; Da Poetry Lounge or Beyond Baroque. She was featured at Tia Chuchas. She is a published poet who uses her words to cope with stressors in her life and to be an advocate for humanity.

Hope Cerna’s forthcomingdebut poetry collection is A Sentimental Garden.

Where: Bodevi Wine & Espresso Bar

Date: Friday the 19^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 909 San Fernando Rd., San Fernando, CA 91340

For the first time, director Rob Reiner provides the full behind-the-scenes story of This Is Spinal Tap, the rock ‘n’ roll comedy classic, and its sequel, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.

Since its release in 1984, This Is Spinal Tap has evolved from a beloved cult film into a cinematic landmark that has taken its place in the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry. It pioneered its entire genre, the mockumentary, and is one of the most quoted movies, from “These go to eleven” to “Hello, Cleveland!” Now you will learn of tales of this famous collaboration: how the fictitious band Spinal Tap came to be and how this low-budget indie film took on an unexpected, celebrated life of its own.

SMELL THE BOOK:

The majesty of rock, the mystery of roll, the humblest beginnings in Squatney, the improbably triumphs in Carnegie Hall, Glastonbury, Wembley Stadium, and the Royal Albert Hall…

Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins, and Derek Smalls hold nothing back in this revealing oral history of Spinal Tap, the world’s loudest and most punctual band. Conducted by their longtime interlocutor and frenemy, director Marty DiBergi, Smell the Book is packed with insights into Tap’s shallow existence. How much more packed can it be? The answer is none—none more packed.

Rob Reiner, a two-time Emmy Award–winning actor for his role in the landmark television series All in the Family, is also the acclaimed director of Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men, The American President, Ghosts of Mississippi, and The Bucket List. He recently directed the Emmy-nominated documentary Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, and The End Continues, the sequel to This Is Spinal Tap. As a dedicated political activist, he spearheaded a tobacco tax initiative in California to fund early childhood development programs and chaired the state commission to oversee its implementation. In 2008, he cofounded the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which paved the way for marriage equality nationwide.

Where: Book Soup Off-site atWriters Guild Theater

Date: Friday the 19^th

Time: 7 pm

Address: 135 S. Doheny Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Website: https://booksoup.com/event/2025-09-19/ticketed-offsite-rob-reiner

Evelyn Mc Donnell, with Mike Sonksen, & The World According to Joan Didion at Page Against the Machine – In-Person Event

Evelyn McDonnell, in conversation with Mike Sonksen, will discuss The World According to Joan Didion, recently released in paperback.

Joan Didion was a groundbreaking journalist, essayist, novelist, and screenwriter who reshaped the geography of American literature by redirecting readers’ attention away from the east and toward the way the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. Evelyn McDonnell, an acclaimed journalist, essayist, critic, feminist, native Californian, and university professor who regularly teaches Didion’s work, is uniquely attuned to interpret Didion’s vision for readers today. Inspired by Didion’s own words—from her works both published and unpublished—and informed by the people who knew Didion and those whose lives she shaped, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘰𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘯 is an illustrated journey through her life, tracing the path she carved from Sacramento, Portuguese Bend, Los Angeles, and Malibu to Manhattan, Miami, and Hawaii. The result is a creative meditation on the people, settings, and objects that propelled Didion’s prose and an invitation to journalists, storytellers, and all life adventurers to “throw themselves into the convulsions of the world,” as Didion herself once enjoined.

Long Beach-born, 3rd-generation Angeleno, Mike Sonksen, aka Mike the PoeT, is an acclaimed poet, professor, journalist, historian, and tour guide whose work has appeared in publications like the 𝘈𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘴, 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘢, 𝘗𝘉𝘚 𝘚𝘰 𝘊𝘢𝘭, 𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 and 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴. He has read poetry at over 100 academic institutions, appeared on radio and television and hosted events at the Grand Performances and Getty Center. His latest book, Letters to My City is published by Writ Large Press.

The event is free and open to the public, no tickets or reservations required.

Where: Page Against the Machine

Date: Friday the 19^th

Time: 7 pm

Address: 2714 E. 4^th St., Long Beach, CA 90814

Website: https://www.facebook.com

An Evening of Poetry at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event

Join is to hear an evening of poetry hosted by Tori Gesualdo, with featured guests:

Artemis Amenta Davis is a teacher, artist, writer, and innovator who uses words and pictures to light up the world with kindness.

Rhiannon Cielos Chavez is an L.A. native, currently living in North Hollywood. They love writing that breaks the barriers of traditional language—from experimental to downright bizarre! Additionally, Rhiannon loves work that features Los Angeles, whether that be through content or author. Be sure to check out their #bookrecs 📚 at The Scott Wannberg Bookstore at Beyond Baroque.

Earth to Jordi is a gender expanding, multidimensional artist, facilitator, and guide, weaving healing energy into all of their practices. Please explore Jordi’s website and all the ways you can support furthering their work.

Laura Sagrada is a single mom, mexicana, poet, and activist Los Angeles who has been displaced by fire.

Daryl Gussin is a writer and musician who has been awkwardly standing around at punk shows for the last twenty-something years. Thankfully at some point in his late teens he decided to become a little more productive, and has been working on zines, setting up shows, and playing in bands consecutively since then.

Milo Lam is a writer born in Vietnam, raised in Los Angeles, and based out of Washington DC. He and his family are refugees of Cambodia. Mylo’s poetry has been published in Barrelhouse, The Coachella Review, and elsewhere. His multimedia work won Palette Poetry’s Brush & Lyre Prize, and he was a 2019 Sesame Writers’ Room fellow.

Jeannetta Rich is a mother and poet based in Los Angeles. Her work focuses on the emotional lives of voiceless women, those who have been silenced through poverty and/or lack of education. Most recently she was featured in Texte zur Kunst’s 30th Anniversary issue, “The Feminist.”  Black Venus Fly Trap is her debut poetry collection from Deluge Books.

Music from: sadie ibrahim

Date: Friday the 19^th

Time: 7 pm

Address: 1716 W Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026

Website: https://storiesla.com/events

Open Mic Night at Underdog Bookstore, Monrovia – In-Person Event

We host an Open Mic Night at Underdog Bookstore on the third Friday of every month to showcase and celebrate the creative talents of our local community, including poetry, music, and more!

While walk-in sign-ups are welcome on the night, if you’d like to be listed as a featured performer and guarantee your spot, you can apply at website.

Where: Underdog Bookstore

Date: Friday the 19^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 312 S. Myrtle Ave., Monrovia, CA 91016

Website: https://www.underdogbookstore.org/events

HAUNT ME: Latine Poets Give Voice to Ancestors at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – In-Person Event

Join us for the book launch of José Enrique Medina’s award-winning poetry collection, featuring readings and conversation with Latine poets.

Award-winning Latine poets, Cynthia A. Briano, Melinda Palacio, and Luivette Resto reflect on their writing from ancestors as they celebrate the Los Angeles launch of José Enrique Medina’s book, Haunt Me, winner of the Rattle Prize.

How do you choose your hauntings? What can you do to give voice to missing knowledge and to trace unknown ancestors? Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and writing from heart, these poets give voice to their ancestors and other trailblazers who have influenced their work. West Hollywood Poet Laureate, Jen Cheng will be joining after the readings to moderate a conversation with the poets.

José Enrique Medina earned his BA in English from Cornell University. He is the author of Haunt Me, which won the 2025 Rattle Chapbook Prize. His poetry and fiction have appeared in Best Microfiction 2019, The Los Angeles Review, The Tahoma Review, Burnside Review, and many other publications. A Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation (VONA) fellow, he writes with heart, heat, and just the right amount of haunt. When he’s not wrangling words, he’s usually on his farm in Whittier, chasing after bunnies and baby chicks—and loving every minute of it.

Jen Cheng is the Poet Laureate of West Hollywood, author of a poetry collection Braided Spaces, a California Arts Council Fellow, and a Tin House Workshop alumna. She is a multidisciplinary artist who blends East-West influences as Feng Shui Poetry. Jen is the creator and facilitator of Palabras Literary Salon, a BIPOC-centered series. Her writing is in Passengers Journal, The Cafe Review, FlowerSong Press, and Colossus Press. With stories for tween audiences, mystery detective fans, and queer love, Jen is a cross-pollinator and community curator. Connect with her on social media @JenCvoice or at http://www.JenCvoice.com

Cynthia Alessandra Briano is Director of the Rapp Saloon Reading Series and Founder of Love On Demand Global. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, grew up in Southeast L.A., and at 14, attended boarding school in Massachusetts. She earned a B.A. from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and a Master in Fine Arts in Poetry from UC Riverside. Cynthia teaches at Cal. State University Fullerton in the African American Studies Department as part of the Ethnic Studies Program. She has been recipient of the Lois Morrell & J. Russell Hayes Poetry Prize and finalist in the James Hearst Poetry Prize.

Melinda Palacio is Santa Barbara’s 10th Poet Laureate (2023-2025). She holds two degrees in Comparative Literature. Her poetry chapbook, Folsom Lockdown, won Kulupi Press’ Sense of Place 2009 award. Her first full-length poetry collection, How Fire Is a Story, Waiting, (Tia Chucha Press 2012) was a finalist for the Milt Kessler Award, the Paterson Prize, and received First Prize in Poetry at the 2013 International Latino Book Awards. In 2015, her work was featured on the Academy of American Poets, Poem-a-Day Program. Her latest collection is Bird Forgiveness. Read her Poetry Connection Column in the Independent and La Bloga.com.

Luivette Resto is an award-winning poet, a mother of three revolutionary humans, and a middle school English teacher. She was born in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, and was proudly raised in the Bronx, New York. She is a CantoMundo and Macondo Fellow. Her books of poetry include Unfinished Portrait (2008) and Ascension (2013), both published by Tía Chucha Press, as well as Living on Islands Not Found on Maps (FlowerSong Press, 2022). Resto is the associate editor of Tía Chucha Press, and she serves on the boards of Women Who Submit and Beyond Baroque. She lives in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles.

NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, and information. 

Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center

Date: Friday, the 19^th

Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm (Doors at 7 pm)

Address: 681 Venice Blvd. Venice Beach. Los Angeles, CA 90291

Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/haunt-me-latine-poets-give-voice-to-ancestors-tickets-1528151013819?aff=oddtdtcreator

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: TBA

NOTE: See site for details.

Where: Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center

Date: Friday, the 19^th

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.

First Friday: Cynthia Alessandra Briano

Second Friday: Russell Greene

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 19^th

Time: 8 pm – 11 pm

Address: 1436 2nd St., Santa Monica, CA 90402

September’s selection is Brownstone by Samuel Teer & Mar Julia.

Where: Bel Canto Books

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 10 am

Address: Online Event (see site)

Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/graphic-novel-book-club-2025-hosted-by-bel-canto-books-tickets-1105110026839

We Are Not Numbers READ-A-THON (All Day) at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event

Do not allow Palestinian voices to be erased. Do not allow the billions of dollars poured into making you feel powerless succeed.

On Saturday, September 20th, at Cellar Door Bookstore, we pledge to read, aloud or silently, the voices of Palestinian writers all day. Please sign up by calling our store (951) 787-7807 to either read and/or log your donation to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund—we’ll add your name to the list of donations!

10:30AM-11:30AM – Story Time Palestinian Books including Everything Grows in Jiddos Garden by Jenan Matari

12 pm – 1 pm – Readings from We Are Not Numbers

2 pm – 3 pm – Readings from Palestinian poets

4 pm – 5 pm – Readings from murdered Palestinian journalists

Order your books from the list below or place an order for books you don’t see here!

Where: Cellar Door Bookstore

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 10 am – 5 pm

Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508

Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com

Get Lit Free Poetry Club: Every Saturday, July through September 27^th – In-Person Teen Event

Get Lit Poetry Club is offered every Saturday through September 27^th, for teens ages 13 – 19.

Link in bio! Every Saturday starting July 19 from 10 am – 1 pm, teens are invited to a free poetry club at the Get Lit office in Los Angeles. This weekly space offers hands-on training in the craft of poetry, performance, and editing.

Writers will receive one-on-one support to help polish their work, connect with a diverse and passionate community, and explore real-world opportunities to share their voice.

Where: Get Lit Office 

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 10 am – 1 pm

Address: 672 S. La Fayette Park Pl. #10, Los Angeles, CA 90057

Facts Matter! Calling all inquisitive minds to join Once Upon A Time in observing the world, asking questions, and reading books about science all day long. For our Science Saturday celebrations, we will have three different authors sharing their new science-focused books. Each author will present, answer questions from the audience, and then be available to sign books.

If you can’t make it to the event, you can order signed books in advance at website.

Kirsten W. Larson at 11 am: This Is How Your Know

Encourage curiosity and build confidence in asking questions with the beautifully illustrated ode to science, This is How You Know, written by Kirsten W. Larson. Best for ages 4+.

About Kirsten W. Larson:

Kirsten W. Larson used to work with rocket scientists at NASA. Now she writes books for curious kids, including Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane, A True Wonder; The Comic Book Hero Who Changed Everything; and The Fire of Stars: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of. Originally from Virginia, Kirsten lives near Los Angeles with her husband, lhasa-poo, and two curious kids. She invites you to find her at kirstenwlarson.com or on social media @KirstenWLarson.

James Burks at 1 pm: Box Tales

Box Tales: Grow Strawberries Grow is a funny and imaginative new series of early reader how-to stories drawn by local animator James Burks. Best for ages 5+.

James Burks has spent his life eating, breathing, and drawing. In addition to writing and illustrating graphic novels like Gabby and Gator (Yen Press), Agent 9 (Penguin/Razorbill), and the seven-book Bird & Squirrel series (Scholastic/Graphix), he’s also worked on animated feature films and television shows for Disney, Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network.

Jorge Cham at 4 pm: Oliver’s Great Big Universe

Get ready to laugh and learn with the newest book in the bestselling series by author-scientist Dr. Jorge Cham, Evolution Changes Everything (Oliver’s Great Big Universe #3). Best for ages 8+.

Jorge Cham is the bestselling, Emmy Award-nominated creator of…many things: from the hit PBS show Elinor Wonders Why to the hit nonfiction book for adults called We Have No Idea to the podcast ScienceStuff and the popular webcomic PHD Comics. He is, without a doubt, an expert on explaining things about the world in interesting and fun ways. He obtained his PhD in robotics from Stanford University and was an instructor and research associate at Caltech from 2003 to 2005. He is originally from Panama and is now based in Los Angeles.

Where: Once Upon a Time, Montrose

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 10 am – 6 pm

Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020

Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/science-saturday

Poetry and Garden Zine Workshop at Altadena Library – In-Person Event

Participants in this workshop led by Xitlalic Guijosa will focus on exploring poetry alongside the theme of plants and gardens in our community and beyond.

All workshops are free and open to the public with priority being given to Altadena residents. Participating poets, as well as other community members, are invited to share their work at monthly open mics.

Where: Altadena Library

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 11 am – 1 pm

Address: 600 E. Mariposa St., Altadena, CA 91001

Where: Central Library, LAPL, Mark Taper Auditorium

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 11 am – 2:30 pm

Address: 630 W. 5^th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071

The selection for September is The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce.

When a letter from a dying acquaintance sparks a long-forgotten connection, Harold Fry embarks on an impromptu 600-mile walk across England, believing his journey can somehow save her life.

Where: Gardena Mayme Dear Library, LACL

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 11 am – 12:30 pm

Address: 23519 West Civic Center Way, Malibu, CA 90265

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/14317113

View Park Library Book Club: The Madonnas of Echo Park at View Park Library, LACL – In-Person Event

We will read and discuss The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse. For adults.

Where: View Park Library, LACL

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 11 am – 12:30 pm

Address: 3854 W. 54th St., Los Angeles, CA 90043

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/14533275

Poetry Writing Studio with Charlotte Ward at Malibu Library, LACL – In-Person Event

Join Malibu Poet Laureate Charlotte Ward for a generative poetry writing studio where we will cycle with each other’s energies, read and discuss poems to stimulate our imaginations, & write original poems from prompts or personal impetus. For adults.

We’ll explore, express, and celebrate all forms of energy.

This studio environment provided by the City of Malibu is designed for everyone, regardless of experience. Come prepared with pen, notepad, and fervor. Led by Malibu Poet Laureate Charlotte Ward.

Where: Malibu Library, LACL

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 11 am – 1 pm

Address: 23519 West Civic Center Way, Malibu, CA 90265

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/14244539

DA Poetry Lounge Workshops: The Art of Getting to Know Yourself at Art Share L.A. – In-Person Event

Matthew ‘Cuban’ Hernandez will present the workshop The Art of Getting to Know Yourself at Art Share L.A.

Check out Da Poetry Lounge’s September workshops for the month!

Where: Art Share L.A.

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 11 am – 1 pm

Ashely Yates will present her children’s book The Stinkt.

Our life is perfect until one day a new smell enters our home, PEE EWW! This playful children’s book follows an English Bulldog as he navigates life with his new very stinky baby sister. A heartwarming tale about home life changes shown through quirky illustrations and vivid language.

Perfect for parents to read to their kids or for kids to read to their pets. The perfect addition to any child’s bookshelf!

Come early! Local balloon artist, Shana from Sharp Balloons, will be creating a custom balloon sculpture before the event! Shana will be making simple dog balloons for young readers to take home after the reading and book signing.

Where: Vroman’s

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 11 am – 12 pm

Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101

Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2025-09-20/ashlee-yates

Creative Writing Workshop at Lake View Terrace Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event

You can go anywhere through your imagination. Where do you want your creative writing to take you? Are you writing short stories or a screenplay? Share your work in this Writer’s Circle or just listen.

Where: Lake View Terrace Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 12 pm – 1:30 pm

Address: 12002 Osborne Street, Lake View Terrace, CA 91342

With Insert Press, Make Bow Books, nueoi press, Material Editions, X Artists’ Books, Semiotext(e), and HEXENTEXTE.

And readers: Diane Ward, Christopher Soto, Corina Copp, Jos Charles, Deborah Meadows, Syd Staiti, Rosie Stockton, Elaine Kahn, Sophia Le Fraga, Sarah Yanni, Feliz Lucia Molina, Anthony McCann, Sophie Appel, Kyle Dacuyan, Anahid Nersessian, Emji Saint Spero, Emily Simon, Mathew Timmons, Ara Shirinyan, Tom Comitta, Danny Snelson, Brian Kim Stefans, Angela Peñaredondo, Ben Segal, Brian Ang, Johanna Drucker, Gabrielle Civil, Ted Dodson, Brent Armendinger, Tilghman Goldsborough, Isabel Boutiette, Giulia Bencivenga, Jeanetta Rich, Jack Skelley, Nikki Ochoa, Ivanna Baranova, Carson Jordan, Nata Perla-Ward, Mary Clark, John Tottenham, imogen xtian smith, Zara Schuster, David Horvitz, Kim Calder, Paul Maziar, Alex Gootter, Hedi El Kholti, Jolie Mayers, Mashinka Firunts-Hakopian, Matias Viegener, Chloe Watlington, Larkin Higgins, Diana Arterian, Emily Joyce, Cleo Abramian, Amanda Ackerman, Aaron Winslow + more.

T-shirts by Chariot Wish

Posters by Mark Allen

Purchase Tickets (from $15) at website

Tickets are tax-deductible donations

And don’t miss Friday’s film program, What Is Poetry to You? curated by Rotations

Where: Poetic Research Bureau

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 12 pm – 7 pm

Address: 2220 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057

We encourage attendees of all ages to bring along their own special and loved stuffies to share in the story of POCKET, the most brave, loyal, and kind stuffed bear ever. KATHERINE APPLEGATE has created another classic for the ages.

Katherine Applegate is a #1 New York Times-bestselling author who has written many children’s books, including The One and Only Ivan, which won a Newbery Medal; The One and Only Bob; Wishtree; and the Doggo and Pupper series. Her novel, Odder, spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list; she adapted that story for the picture book, Odder: An Otter’s Story, illustrated by Charles Santoro. She is also the coauthor, with Gennifer Choldenko, of Dogtown and Mouse and His Dog: A Dogtown Book. Katherine Applegate lives in Nevada with her loyal husband and her naughty dog.

About POCKET BEAR: Meet Pocket, created as a good luck charm for soldiers going into battle, whose bravery and loyalty lives on long after the war. Thimble-born from tip to toe, Pocket Bear remembers every moment of his becoming: the glimmering needle, the silken thread, the tender hands as each careful stitch brought him closer to himself. Born during the throes of WWI, he was designed to fit into the pocket of a soldier’s jacket, eyes sewn a bit higher than normal so that he always gazed upward. That way, glancing at his pocket, a soldier would see an endearing token of love from someone back home, and, hopefully, a good luck charm. Now, over a century later, Pocket serves as unofficial mayor of Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured, where stuffed toy animals are refurbished and given a fresh opportunity to be loved. He and his best feline friend Zephyrina, known far and wide as “The Cat Burglar,” have seen it all, and then some. An unforgettable tale of bravery, loyalty, and kindness, Pocket reminds us all that love comes in many forms (sometimes filled with fluff), and that second chances are always possible.

Where: Children’s Book World 

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 1 pm

Address: 10580 ½ W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064

Website: https://childrensbookworld.com/event/2025-09-20/katherine-applegate-person-book-launch-pocket-bear-saturday-september-20th

Manga Magic: A Storytelling Workshop into the Creative World of Manga with Sebraé Harris via Inlandia Institute – Online Event

(All Ages)

Alternating Saturdays, 9/20, 10/4, 10/18, 11/1, and 11/15, 1:00 – 3:00 pm PT, at Riverside Main Library Carnegie Room. Registration required. https://tinyurl.com/Fall2025CWW

This creative workshop introduces participants to the inner workings of the Japanese comic medium, Manga. Explore the terminology, story, character design, and paneling you need to create your own one shot or series! Art supplies will be provided. Presented by animator and mangaka, Sebraé Harris.

Registration required. https://tinyurl.com/Fall2025CWW

Where: Inlandia Online via Zoom

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 1 pm – 3 pm

Address: Online Zoom Event (see site)

Website: https://inlandiainstitute.org/fall-2025-writing-workshops/

Leslie Adame, with Tamika Brugess, & Chloe Vega and the Agents of Magic #1 at Vroman’s – In-Person MG Event

Leslie Adame, in conversation with Tamika Burgess, will present her children’s book Chloe Vega and the Agents of Magic #1.

A new Latinx middle grade fantasy debut where a secret magical academy, an evil sorcerer, and a powerful, coveted gem awaits one girl in her quest to reunite her family. Perfect for fans of Claribel A. Ortega and B. B. Alston!

Twelve-year-old Chloe Vega’s biggest fear is that her undocumented parents will be detained by immigration. That is, until she learns that her parents are actually part of a secret magical society…and that the suspicious looking police officers who have been hanging around their block are henchmen for an evil sorcerer determined to settle a decades-old score.

Just when Chloe discovers that she has powers, too, her parents are kidnapped. In order to rescue them, she’ll need to harness her abilities at an elite academy, run by the very agency who exiled her parents from the magical world.

Finding herself in the center of a magical war that might destroy everything she has ever known, Chloe can’t shake the feeling that the Agents of Magic are hiding secrets. With her parents’ lives hanging in the balance, she must uncover who is truly on her side and fast to save her family—and the world itself.

Where: Vroman’s

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 1 pm – 2 pm

Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101

Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2025-09-20/leslie-adame-conversation-tamika-burgess-presents-signs-chloe-vega-and-agents

Celebrating Jan Wesley & It Wasn’t Always Like This at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – In-Person Event

Join us at Beyond Baroque for a special celebration of Jan Wesley’s life and the release of her book published by What books Pres20She is also part of the Fred Dewey Legacy Project, a group created to promote the life work of Fred Dewey. Most recently, she has performed at the Broad Museum and the Wende Museum (2022), continuing with her project Among Nations (Mostly).

We invite you to celebrate the posthumous release of It Wasn’t Always Like This by the late Jan Wesley (1950–2025). A radiant poet, Jan left behind a body of work that captures both the fragility and resilience of living. Her writing appeared in Askew, The Iowa Review, Rattle, Spillway, and many other journals and anthologies. Known for her adventurous life, Jan embodied the very boundlessness her work continues to reflect.

This gathering will feature readings by Gail Wronsky, David St. John, Jim Natal, Mariano Zaro, Sarah Maclay, Jeanette Clough, Marjorie Becker, Holaday Mason, and Paul Lieber, followed by a reception in the Poets’ Garden. Join us to honor Jan’s life, her poetry, and her enduring presence in the literary community.

Jan Wesley (February 1, 1950 – March 2, 2025) was the author of It Wasn’t Always Like This, Only So Much, Living in Freefall, A Closeness of Vision, and Running Out of Altitude. Her poems appeared in Askew, Blue Mountain Review, The Iowa Review, Rattle, Spillway, Beyond Words, and anthologies, among others. Whether she was jumping out of airplanes, backpacking across Europe, or reading poetry on a rooftop, Jan was a radiant presence who hurtled fearlessly through her 75 years on earth and ultimately could not be bound by something as pedestrian as gravity.

Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 2 pm – 6 pm (Doors at 1:30 pm)

Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90291

Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrating-jan-wesley-book-release-reading-it-wasnt-always-like-this-tickets-1528151515319?aff=oddtdtcreator

Inlandia Book Launch: Carloe E. Cortez & Scouts Honor at Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation, Rancho Cucamonga – In-Person Event

Carlos E. Cortez will discuss Scouts Honor at his second book launch event.

Dead bodies hadn’t been all that common at Boy Scout Camp Matulia. Nestled in the rugged, forested, relentlessly hilly southwestern corner of Missouri, it was an accident waiting to happen. Consider the odds. Four hundred and fifty young teenagers arriving every other Monday for a twelve-night camping session. Of course, mishaps occurred. The death of Boy Scout Harry Vincent would wreak havoc on the lives of those who tried to put the death behind them. 

Reading Scouts’ Honor is like descending into a Hieronymus Bosch painting that has been repurposed for the mid-twentieth-century United States. The story begins in 1948 with the discovery of a young teenager’s dead body at a Midwestern Boy Scout summer camp. The novel then develops as a raucous coming-of-age story, a perplexing maybe-murder mystery, a carnival of off-beat characters, and a communal cover-up involving, in some cases, reluctant collaborators.

Time: 3 pm – 4:30 pm

Address: 5131 Carnelian St., Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91701

Website: https://inlandiainstitute.org/scouts-honor-launch-2-sept-20/

Saturday Afternoon Poetry: Published Book Readings: at Lamanda Park Branch Library, Pasadena – In-Person Event

Published books readings by Maria A. Arana & Calokie (celebrating his 91st birthday) + poets published in Four Feather Press SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ALIENATION.

Don Kingfisher Campbell hosts and curates these events.

Where: Saturday Afternoon Poetry at Lamanda Park Branch Library

Date: Saturday, the 20^th

Time: 3 pm – 5 pm

Address: 140 S. Altadena Dr., Pasadena, CA 91107

Website: https://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com

L.A. Themed Reading Club: Parable of the Sower at Malabar Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event

Love L.A. and reading about it? Join us for our L.A.-themed reading club. We will be discussing Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler.

Parable of the Sower follows the life of Lauren Olamina through her diary. At 15, she is fortunate to live within a gated community located in Los Angeles County. She lives in a future world that has little to no government and a neighborhood in constant fear of the outside. Any traveling is dangerous, and parents teach their children to hunt and defend themselves. Those who can afford it have guards at their gates. Those who can’t become victims of crime and unspeakable acts outside those secure walls. One terrible night brings the worst of her fears—the walls come down, and now she must face the outside world with little help and only her studies to guide her.

Pick up your copy at the service desk.

Where: Malabar Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Address: 2801 Wabash Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033

Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/la-themed-reading-club-1

Educate to Empower Book Club: Brownstone at Bel Canto Books – In-Person Event

More information coming soon!

Where: Bel Canto Books, KUBO Long Beach

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 4 pm – 6 pm

Address: 3976 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807

Website: https://belcantobooks.net/events

Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Club: How High We Go in the Dark at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event

Participants will read and discuss How High We Go in the Dark: A Novel by Sequoia Nagamatsu.

In 2030, a grieving archeologist arrives in the Arctic Circle to continue the work of his recently deceased daughter at the Batagaika Crater, where researchers are studying long-buried secrets now revealed in melting permafrost, including the perfectly preserved remains of a girl who appears to have died of an ancient virus.

Once unleashed, the Arctic plague will reshape life on Earth for generations to come, quickly traversing the globe, forcing humanity to devise a myriad of moving and inventive ways to embrace possibility in the face of tragedy. In a theme park designed for terminally ill children, a cynical employee falls in love with a mother desperate to hold on to her infected son. A heartbroken scientist searching for a cure finds a second chance at fatherhood when one of his test subjects—a pig—develops the capacity for human speech. A widowed painter and her teenaged granddaughter embark on a cosmic quest to locate a new home planet.

From funerary skyscrapers to hotels for the dead to interstellar starships, Sequoia Nagamatsu takes readers on a wildly original and compassionate journey, spanning continents, centuries, and even celestial bodies to tell a story about the resilience of the human spirit, our infinite capacity to dream, and the connective threads that tie us all together in the universe.

Sequoia Nagamatsu is a Japanese American writer and managing editor of Psychopomp Magazine, an online quarterly dedicated to innovative prose. Originally from Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay Area, he holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Southern Illinois University and a BA in Anthropology from Grinnell College. His work has appeared in such publications as Conjunctions, The Southern Review, ZYZZYVA, Fairy Tale Review, and Tin House. He is the author of the award-winning short story collection Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone and teaches creative writing at St. Olaf College and the Rainier Writing Workshop Low-Residency MFA program. He currently lives in Minnesota with his wife, cat, and a robot dog named Calvino.

Where: Cellar Door Bookstore

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 5 pm

Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508

Where: North Figueroa Bookshop 

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 6040 N. Figueroa St,, Los Angeles, CA 90042

Where: Lopez Urban Farm

Date: Saturday the 20^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

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 11 am – 5 pm.

All poems are donation based, so you name your price.

NOTE: Check every Sunday for story time and reading events

Where: Melrose Trading Post, Greenway Main Stage at Fairfax HS

Date: Sunday, the 20^th

Time: 10 am – 5 pm (market); 11 am – 5 pm (poets on demand)

Address: 7850 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046

Website: https://www.instagram.com

Brazilian Storytime at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event

Join us for a special storytime presented by Tapioca Stories, featuring two award-winning picture books from Brazil: Aaahhh! and The Collector of Heads.

Families will enjoy lively read-alouds, followed by a fun craft activity inspired by the stories. A joyful way to discover Brazilian culture and spark kids’ imaginations!

Reserve your seat on EVENTBRITE!

Where: Village Well Books & Coffee

Date: Sunday the 21^st

Time: 11 am – 12 pm

Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232

We are ONE WEEK AWAY from building together in ways you didn’t know you needed in your life! Swing on over to @palmgrovesocial for the goodness and refresh yourself in more ways than one! Details on flyer. Ask what you need to here or in DMs.

Where: Palm Grove Social

Date: Sunday the 21^st

Time: 12 pm – 2 pm

Free writing class with this poetry reading on the theme of “water” in September. RSVP now for limited space. Link in comments.

Colossus Current readers include

Sara Biel, editor, is a poet, visual artist and social worker living in Oakland, CA. Sara is co-editor of the Colossus anthology series. Colossus’s next anthology Colossus: Freedom explores the impact of incarceration on individuals and families.

Jen Cheng, a multidisciplinary artist, is from the San Francisco Bay Area and is the eldest daughter of Hong Kong immigrants. She has a master’s degree in public policy. Cheng is the author of the poetry collection Braided Spaces (Wokelicious Press, 2023).

Teresa Mei Chuc is a Vietnamese American poet whose work explores the impacts of the Vietnam War on her family, identity, and the environment. She immigrated to the U.S. with her mother and brother after the war while her father was in a “re-education” camp for nine years. Chuc holds a BA in Philosophy and an MFA in Creative Writing and is the author of several collections of poetry, including Invisible Light, Keeper of the Winds, and Red Thread. She is also a certified Domestic Violence Advocate, a founder of Shabda Press, and a member of the Regenerative Collective.

K.R. Morrison: devoted 17 years to an English classroom as a sea captain for the teens, at SF’s Galileo High School. Using creative writing and literature, Morrison worked with countless students, earning the name “Mama Mo” with many who left her classroom, armed with writing and literacy tools for healing. Morrison continues her work in education through the juvenile hall system and online teaching. Morrison has featured on both coasts, and her poetry can be found in a variety of anthologies and publications.

Where: Studious Coworking & Events

Date: Sunday, the 21^st

Time: 2 pm – 3:30 pm

Address: 418 Bamboo Lane, Los Angeles, CA 90012

The great Dorothy L. Sayers is considered by many to be the premier detective novelist of the Golden Age, and her dashing sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey, one of mystery fiction’s most enduring and endearing protagonists. Acclaimed author Ruth Rendell has expressed her admiration for Sayers’s work, praising her “great fertility of invention, ingenuity, and wonderful eye for detail.” The third Dorothy L. Sayers classic to feature mystery writer Harriet Vane, Gaudy Night features an introduction by Elizabeth George, herself a crime fiction master. Gaudy Night takes Harriet and her paramour, Lord Peter, to Oxford University, Harriet’s alma mater, for a reunion, only to find themselves the targets of a nightmare of harassment and mysterious, murderous threats.

Where: Cellar Door Bookstore

Website: https://www.cellardoorbookstore.com/event/bucket-list-book-club-gaudy-night

ND Stevenson & Scarlet Morning, Book 1 at Diesel, A Bookstore – In-Person Event

ND Stevenson will discuss his book Scarlet Morning, Book 1.

From the powerhouse creator of Nimona comes a breathtaking illustrated novel, the start of a duology, following two orphans who leave the only home they’ve ever known to sail with an eccentric crew of pirates.

Viola and Wilmur have been waiting for their parents for fifteen boring years in the colorless town of Caveat. Their lives are a drudge of salt, trash, pirate stories, and what-ifs…until one very stormy night, when Captain Cadence Chase breaks down their door. They cut a deal with the captain: Chase can take their most prized possession, a mysterious book, but only if she takes them, too. After all, if their parents aren’t coming, Viola and Wilmur might as well have a grand adventure to find them.

Setting sail into the treacherous and beautiful world beyond Caveat, the two inseparable friends must uncover the facts behind legend—and the key to saving all of Dickerson’s Sea from obliteration—before the truth tears them apart.

Wickedly funny, deeply emotional, and sharply incisive, Scarlet Morning is a tale of love, betrayal, and the extraordinary lengths we’d go to save a world broken beyond repair.

ND Stevenson is the award-winning, bestselling author and illustrator of Nimona and The Fire Never Goes Out and the cocreator of Lumberjanes and was the showrunner for the award-winning Netflix series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Where: Diesel, A Bookstore

Date: Sunday the 21^st

Time: 3 pm

Address: 225 26^th St., Santa Monica, CA 90402

Website: https://dieselbookstore.com/event/2025-09-21/nd-stevenson-scarlet-morning-book-1

Book Talk: Eric C. Wat, with D. Hideo Maruyama, & Daddy Issues: Stories at Bel Canto KUBO, Long Beach – In-Person Event

Bel Canto Books is delighted to host a conversation with Eric C. Wat, author of Daddy Issues: Stories, in conversation with D Hideo Maruyama at KUBO LB.

Winner of the Barbara DiBernard Prize in Fiction, Daddy Issues is a collection of moving and complex—yet simply and directly told—stories of queer Asian American experiences in Los Angeles. In many of these stories, the protagonists are artists and writers and other creative thinkers living on the fringe of survival, attempting to align a life of the imagination with the practical considerations of career, income, and family: a gay father who hasn’t come out to his young son; a social worker, numbed by the destitution of his clients, who finds himself lost in self-destruction; a trans man who returns home to a father with dementia to help his family pack as they are pushed out by gentrification; a husband who can only stand aside as his wife heals from a miscarriage; and a broke writer who learns to love his stories again. The stories in Daddy Issues offer different contemplations on solitude—the good and the bad of it. Ultimately, this collection by Eric C. Wat is full of hope, and it shows how we can find the connections we need once we allow ourselves to become vulnerable.

Eric C. Wat is the author of four books, including his Los Angeles Times-bestselling debut novel Swim (2019). His last book, Love Your Asian Body: AIDS Activism in Los Angeles won the outstanding award in History from the Association of Asian American Studies in 2023. His second novel manuscript Drive was a finalist of the Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing contest in 2022. Eric has a long history of working with nonprofit community-based organizations, and he continues to support many progressive organizations through his consulting and volunteer practice.

D Hideo Maruyama obtained his MFA in Creative Writing from Long Beach State. For about a decade from the 90s to 2000s, he was the editor of the AAPI-focused dIS*orient Journalzine. Recently, he was included in the anthologies Voices of Leimert Park Redux (2017), Long Beach Spits Fire (2024), and In Praise of Libraries (2024). His poetry was published on Discover Nikkei (2025). His first book of poetry, Taiko Quartz Beat, was published by the World Stage Press in 2024 through the Community Literature Initiative. Follow his Instagram accounts for his documentation of the Los Angeles poetry scene on dISorient Journalzine, and his observational poetry and photography on Roninpoet.

Where: Bel Canto KUBO, Long Beach

Date: Sunday the 21^st

Time: 4 pm – 6 pm

Address: 3076 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA 90807 

Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eric-c-wat-in-conversation-with-d-hideo-maruyama-tickets-1520051859029?aff=oddtdtcreator

September Focus on Craft Book Club: Sonora Reyes, with Aaron H. Aceves, & The Golden Boys Guide to Bipolar at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event

Focus on Craft Romance Book Club welcomes author Sonora Reyes, in conversation with Aaron H. Aceves, to discuss The Golden Boys Guide to Bipolar.

Seventeen-year-old Cesar Hores is finally ready to win back his boyfriend. Everything would be perfect if it wasn’t for The Thoughts—the ones that won’t let his Catholic guilt stay buried.

A book signing will follow.

Where: The Ripped Bodice

Date: Sunday the 21^st

Time: 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm

Address: 3806 Main St., Culver City, CA 90232 

Website: https://www.therippedbodice.com/events-and-tickets