Talking Hearts Writing Circle with L.A. Poet Societyat Bodevi Wine & Espresso Bar – In-Person Event
Join us every first Monday of the month for a safe writing space for all humans. No prior writing experience needed.
Writing prompts, pens, journals, & community.
Donations welcome.
Where: Bodevi Wine & Espresso Bar
Date: Monday the 2nd
Time: 5:30 pm – 7 pm
Address: 909 San Fernando Rd., San Fernando, CA
Website: https://www.instagram.com
Mystery Book Club: History Lessons at Lake Los Angeles Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join our book club as we discuss a different mystery book each month.
This month’s selection is History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook. Copies of the book are available at customer service desk for checkout. For adults.
Where: Lake Los Angeles Library, LACL
Date: Monday the 2nd
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 16921 East Avenue O, #A, Palmdale, CA 93591
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15481576
Rupo Open Mic at Back to the Grind in Riverside – In-Person Event
RUPO Open Mic is every Monday Night at Back to the Grind in Riverside.
Every Monday 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 2nd
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 3575 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92501
Website: https://www.facebook.com
Steven Underwood & Forever for the Culture: Notes from the New Black Digital Arts Renaissanceat Book Soup – In-Person Event
Steven Underwood will present and discuss Forever for the Culture: Notes from the New Black Digital Arts Renaissance.
Celebrate Black digital art in this essay collection revealing how Black artists have shaped everything from TikTok dances to viral memes.
Steven Underwood digs into the current Black digital arts movement that has shaped popular culture for the last decade. He connects this current space to historical influences, speaking to a “legacy of audacity and daring that presented us with the opportunity to redirect the conversations on Blackness back on its center. Back to Black people.” Written as a collection of thought-provoking essays pulling in social commentary, interviews, popular culture, and deep research, Underwood taps into a topic that is incredibly relevant but often unknown.
The nature of the internet is so ephemeral that sometimes we forget when we do something worth celebrating. For Black people particularly, that’s unforgiveable. Digital Black art has become increasingly more outspoken, introspective, and genre-defining. But it’s also vulnerable. Original phrases, tweets, dances, songs, and other content are often taken from a Black artist and attributed to a white influencer. And Black creators are paid less for their work, though their engagement is often higher than that of their white peers. There is also the added risk of backlash and hate that comes with publicly existing online. As an award-winning writer with a popular online presence, Underwood is no stranger to the experiences of Black digital artists. Using his own personal stories, he highlights the beauty, vulnerability, and innovation of the Black digital arts movement.
Shining a light on the curators of our culture. Forever for the Culture narratively follows the construction of a new Black art movement and how creators have defined a community when that community does not have a physical space.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Monday the 2nd
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 8818 W. Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://booksoup.com/event/2026-02-02/steven-underwood
Wellness Book Club: The Life Machines at pages, a bookstore – In-Person Event
This club will meet monthly to discuss a new book. Facilitated by Emanuel Rosen. TSRVP
Participants will discuss The Life Machines:How Taking Care of Your Mitochondria Can Transform Your Health by Daria Mochly-Rosen and Emanuel Rosen.
Where: pages, a bookstore
Date: Monday the 2nd
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Blvd., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://pagesabookstore.com/event/2026-02-02/wellness-book-club
At Skylight: Mehrsa Baradaran, with Aaron Thomas, & The Racial Wealth Gap at Skylight – In-Person Event
Mehrsa Baradaran, in conversation with Aaron Thomas, will discuss The Racial Wealth Gap.
A concise history that uncovers the roots of this most pernicious American divide and makes an urgent call for reparations.
Why has the racial wealth gap between the median white households and median Black households remained stagnant over the past century, never narrowing below six to one? Leading expert on race and financial equality Mehrsa Baradaran attempts to answer this question in this sweeping yet accessible history. She shows how decades of the laws rooted in white supremacy—from slavery and the broken Reconstruction-era promise of “40 acres and a mule,” to the racist policies of the Jim Crow and New Deal eras—have restricted Black access to capital, credit, homeownership, and other mechanisms of wealth creation while subsidizing the rising economic fortunes of white families.
In The Racial Wealth Gap, Baradaran outlines two tectonic forces that have driven apart the economic fortunes of white and Black families: wealth creation for white Americans, who have been systematically receiving financial subsidies in the century and a half since emancipation, and wealth destruction for Black Americans—either by vigilante violence or by official means, such as allowing Black banks to collapse or building highways through segregated Black communities. These forces, combined with the racist notion that Black communities fail to rise because of their own moral, intellectual, or economic shortcomings, have kept Black families behind their white counterparts, despite decades of civil rights activism and national economic growth—a deep injustice that can only be achieved through reparations.
An infuriating and compelling read, The Racial Wealth Gap offers a devastating analysis of one of America’s most pressing systemic issues.
Mehrsa Baradaran is a law professor at University of California, Irvine, and the acclaimed author of The Color of Money and How the Other Half Banks. She lives in Irvine, California.
Aaron Thomas is Senior Managing Director, Public Private Partnerships at Standard Communities. Mr. Thomas previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Accelerator for America; a national nonprofit co-founded by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2017. Guided by a network of mayors, labor leaders, corporate CEOs, and non-profit executives from across the country, the Accelerator develops solutions to economic insecurity for more than 70 cities nationwide. Previously, Mr. Thomas worked in investment banking, trading equity derivatives, and facilitating middle-market equity transactions. He is a graduate of Harvard University and received an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
Where: Skylight
Date: Monday the 2nd
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1818 N, Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
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
Date: Monday the 2nd
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: Zoom Online Event (see site)
Website: https://beyondbaroque.org
Lit Angels: Morning Writing with Francesca Lia Block at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Do you want to find creative inspiration and overcome writer’s block in a supportive and peaceful community setting? Are you interested in writing professionally or for personal growth and healing but unsure where to begin?
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.
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 3rd
Time: 10 am – 11 am
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com
NEW! Toddler Tuesdays: A Travelin’ Storytime – Session 1 at Ocean Park Branch Library, SMPL – In-Person Kids Event
This fun and engaging weekly series of stories, songs, and rhymes travels to different library locations. Limited space; first come, first served. For ages walking – 3 years.
Where: Ocean Park Branch Library, SMPL
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 10:30 am – 11 am
Address: 2601 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90405
Website: https://www.santamonica.gov/events
Virtual Book Club: Amity by Nathan Harris via La Crescenta Library, LACL – Online Event
Join us weekly on Zoom for the Virtual Book Club. In February we will be discussing Amity by Nathan Harris. For adults.
Please contact Marta Wiggins at mwiggins@library.lacounty.gov for your link to join.
Each week we read and discuss 1/4 of the book. Please see the weekly discussion breakdown below.
Week 1: February 3; Chapters 1 – 4 — Pages 3 – 89
Week 2: February 10: Chapters 5 – 8 — Pages 91 – 166
Week 3: February 17: Chapters 9 – 10 — Pages 167 – 219
Week 4: February 24: Chapters 11 – Epilogue — Pages 221 – to the end of the book
New Orleans, 1866. The Civil War might be over, but formerly enslaved Coleman and June have yet to find the freedom they’ve been promised. Two years ago, the siblings were separated when their old master, Mr. Harper, took June away to Mexico, where he hoped to escape the new reality of the post-war South. Coleman stayed behind in Louisiana to serve the Harper family, clinging to the hope that one day June would return. When an unexpected letter from Mr. Harper arrives, summoning Coleman to Mexico, Coleman thinks that finally his prayers have been answered. What Coleman cannot know is the tangled truth of June’s tribulations under Mr. Harper out on the frontier. And when disaster strikes Coleman’s journey, he is forced on the run with Mr. Harper’s daughter, Florence. Together, they venture into the Mexican desert to find June, all the while evading two crooked brothers who’ll stop at nothing to capture Coleman and Florence and collect the money they’re owed. As Coleman and June separately navigate a perilous, parched landscape, the siblings learn quickly that freedom isn’t always given—sometimes, it must be taken by force.
Where: La Crescenta Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: Online Zoom Event (see site)
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/
NEW! Toddler Tuesdays: A Travelin’ Storytime – Session 2 at Ocean Park Branch Library, SMPL – In-Person Kids Event
This fun and engaging weekly series of stories, songs, and rhymes travels to different library locations. Limited space; first come, first served. For ages walking – 3 years.
Where: Ocean Park Branch Library SMPL
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 11:30 am – 12 pm
Address: 2601 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90405
Website: https://www.santamonica.gov/events
Fiction Book Club at Donald Bruce Kaufman – Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Kids Event
Join us on the first Tuesday of each month to discuss a different work of fiction. We read a wide variety of styles, genres, and authors, so please make sure to check in with the branch for a list of what we’re reading.
Where: Donald Bruce Kaufman – Brentwood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 1 pm
Address: 11820 San Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/brentwood-fiction-book-club
The Darkest Hour Book Club: We Don’t Talk About Carol at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us to discuss We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry. Copies available at the library. For adults.
A dedicated journalist unearths a generations-old family secret—and a connection to a string of missing girls that hits way too close to home—in this gripping debut novel.
Where: Agoura Hulls Library LACL
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 2 pm – 3 pm
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15337277
Book Club: The Good Left Undone at Montebello Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us to discuss The Good Left Undone by Adrianna Trigiani. Copies available at the library. For adults.
Where: Montebello Library LACL
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 3 pm – 4 pm
Address: 1550 W. Beverly Blvd., Montebello, CA 90640
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15634847
Women and Books Book Club: The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls at West Hollywood Library, LACL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join the book club for a hybrid (in-person and online) discussion of The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray. For adults.
This is a hybrid event and will be hosted in-person in the Community Meeting Room at West Hollywood Library as well as on Zoom. Please register at the link below to receive the link to the meeting via email.
https://library-lacounty-gov.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtcOivqzwpGNDyGiDsipuoB54noYxGsxYg
Co-sponsored by the City of West Hollywood Women’s Advisory Board, Women and Books Book Club meets on the first Tuesday of the month to discuss literary works by and focused on women.
Please contact the library to borrow a print copy of the book. eBook and eAudiobook are available through Libby app/OverDrive.
Summary provided by the publisher:
The Butler family has had their share of trials—as sisters Althea, Viola, and Lillian can attest—but nothing prepared them for the literal trial that will upend their lives.
Althea, the eldest sister and substitute matriarch, is a force to be reckoned with and her younger sisters have alternately appreciated and chafed at her strong will. They are as stunned as the rest of the small community when she and her husband, Proctor, are arrested, and in a heartbeat the family goes from one of the most respected in town to utter disgrace. The worst part is, not even her sisters are sure exactly what happened.
As Althea awaits her fate, Lillian and Viola must come together in the house they grew up in to care for their sister’s teenage daughters. What unfolds is a stunning portrait of the heart and core of an American family in a story that is as page-turning as it is important.
Where: West Hollywood Library LACL
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15060299
Feminist Book Club: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil at Cellar Door Bookstore, Riverside – In-Pern Event
Join us to discuss Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by author V.E. Schwab.
Venessa Vida Kelley is a Nuyorican illustrator, sequential artist, and USA Today bestselling author of When the Tides Held the Moon, a Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist and Readers Digest Top 10 Books of the Year. Their work focuses on magical realism, fantasy, and romance in a culturally diverse world, and has been featured in The New York Times, Discovery Girls Magazine, Buzzfeed, and in board games and activism campaigns for Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, creator of the La Borinqueña comic series. They hold a BA and MA in English Literature with concentrations in film from the University of Delaware and George Washington University. They live in Washington, DC with their spouse and two sons, and can be found online at VenessaKelley.com.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://cellardoorbookstore.com/event/2026-02-03/feminist-book-club-bury-our-bones-midnight-soil
The Darkest Hour Book Club: We Don’t Talk About Carol at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us online to discuss We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry. Copies available at the library. For adults.
A dedicated journalist unearths a generations-old family secret—and a connection to a string of missing girls that hits way too close to home—in this gripping debut novel.
Where: Agoura Hills Library LACL
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15337290
Creativity Book Club: Making Comics at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
The Creativity Book Club is for those who get inspired by a book of reflections, or prefer an actual workbook with tasks and prompts? Do you wish you had more people to talk with about painting, poetry or pottery? Here is the time and the place; you just need to be here with us. Be a part of the start—and let 2025 be your most creatively satisfying year yet!
This month’s pick is Making Comics by Lynda Barry.
Hello students, meet Professor Skeletor. Be on time, don’t miss class, and turn off your phones. No time for introductions, we start drawing right away. The goal is more rock, less talk, and we communicate only through images.
For more than five years the cartoonist Lynda Barry has been an associate professor in the University of Wisconsin–Madison art department and at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, teaching students from all majors, both graduate and undergraduate, how to make comics, how to be creative, how to not think. There is no academic lecture in this classroom. Doodling is enthusiastically encouraged.
Making Comics is the follow-up to Barry’s bestselling Syllabus, and this time she shares all her comics-making exercises. In a new hand-drawn syllabus detailing her creative curriculum, Barry has students drawing themselves as monsters and superheroes, convincing students who think they can’t draw that they can, and, most important, encouraging them to understand that a daily journal can be anything so long as it is hand drawn.
Barry teaches all students and believes everyone and anyone can be creative. At the core of Making Comics is her certainty that creativity is vital to processing the world around us.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd.,1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/all-events
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 3rd
Time: 7 pm – 10 pm
Address: 14537 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Website: https://www.instagram.com
Official Book Launch: Sarah Vacchiano & Soft Launch: A Coming-of-Adulthood Novel at Chevalier’s – In-Person Event
In her captivating debut, author Sarah Vacchiano tells an exciting “coming of adulthood” story about a young woman who takes a bold new path in her early thirties, leaving her old life—and starter marriage—behind.
When Sam walked herself down the aisle at the age of twenty-two, she never imagined wanting more than the life she had in that moment. Seven years later, with the ink still drying on both her law degree and her divorce papers, she arrives in Manhattan ready to start adulthood over and chase her dreams of becoming an entertainment lawyer, determined to prove to herself that upending her life was worth it.
As Sam navigates the high-pressure world of Big Law—heady and demanding, and full of magnetic and powerful people—she finds an unexpected ally in her charming, supportive officemate, Charlie. But just as he begins to tear down the walls Sam has built around herself, she lands her first big client, a “Poker Princess” facing federal charges for running high-stakes games for Hollywood’s elite, and discovers just how high stakes “fake it till you make it” can be when you’ve given up everything to become someone new.
Emotionally nuanced and delightfully frothy, Soft Launch is a sharp, witty novel that explores the messy reality of starting over and finding yourself.
Note: Please RSVP at site.
Where: Chevalier’s
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 7 pm – 10 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://chevaliersbooks.com/event/2026-02-03/soft-launch-official-book-launch
Pasadena Literary Alliance Presents: Kaahana Cauley, with Irene Masrquette, & The Payback at Lineage Performing Arts Center, Pasadena – In-Person Event
Have you purchased your tickets for our first Open Book event of the year? Join novelist Kashana Cauley and independent producer Irene Marquette in conversation about The Payback. Visit http://www.tinyurl.com/FebOpenBook today!
Where: Lineage Performing Arts Center
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 6:30 pm Reception; 7:30 pm Program
Address: 920 E. Mountain St., Pasadena, CA 91104
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTvpFDAkltN/
Other Worlds Book Club at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Event
OTHER WORLDS BOOK CLUB: Meets monthly, generally on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm.
A new pages bookclub exploring the nooks and crannies of speculative fiction: fantasy, science fiction, alternative history, horror, and their intersections.
Facilitated by Leo Lukin
RSVP
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 7 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://pagesabookstore.com/event/2026-02-03/other-worlds-book-club
The Sunless Sea Spoken Word Show & Open Mic at Qusqo Bistro, West Los Angeles – In-Person Event
The Sunless Sea Poetry Show & Open Mic is hosted every first Tuesday of the month by De Forest Wright.
Where: Qusqo Bistro
Date: Tuesday, the 3rd
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 11633 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025
Website: https://www.instagram.com
Christina Hammonds Reed, with Kelly McWilliams, & The Johnson Four at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Christina Hammonds Reed, in conversation with Kelly McWilliams, will discuss The Johnson Four.
A 1960s teen pop group determined to conquer the music world must contend with the cost of fame—and a ghost with a grisly past—in this riveting family story from the New York Times bestselling author of The Black Kids.
Odysseus Johnson dreams of musical stardom for his three sons: Roman, the rebel, more interested in being a teenager than a performer; Rocco, arguably the most talented of the bunch but different in a way the world doesn’t understand; and dutiful River, the youngest, who dreams of fame just like his dad.
Driving back from another failed audition in Detroit, the Johnson boys encounter the ghost of Christmas Jones the Third, an effervescent, if lonely, little Black boy who carries the scars of his horrific past as an orphan and minstrel sensation. Desperate for family, Christmas begs the Johnsons to bring him home with them. When Odysseus refuses, Christmas stows away in the family Cadillac.
Despite their initial horror, Christmas becomes a part of the Johnson family. With the promise of opportunities in California, Odysseus moves the family out west, and the boys’ talent starts getting noticed. But just as the brothers are finally on the cusp of fame, Christmas commits a violent act that wreaks havoc on the Johnsons’ lives, and the family is torn asunder in the aftermath. Roman flees the country. Rocco is institutionalized. River’s solostar rises. Christmas disappears.
Spanning decades, roving from the rapacious music industry and the ravages of Vietnam to the dark corridors of a mental institution and the very planes of the afterlife, The Johnson Four is epic in scope. And at its beating heart is the unforgettable story of a family trying to find their way back to one another.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Tuesday the 3rd
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2026-02-03/christina-hammonds-reed
Books and Brews (Alcohol Optional) at Brews Brothers Brewpub, Burbank – In-Person Event
Join us for a laid-back gathering of book lovers and mindfulness enthusiasts at Brews Brothers Brewpub
Books & Brews brings people together to read, reflect, and discuss books that challenge how we think and see the world. Our gatherings are centered around respectful conversation, shared insights, and real human connection—hosted in welcoming spaces over drinks and food. This group is for anyone who enjoys intentional reading, open dialogue, and building community through ideas.
This time, we’re reading Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen. Join us for an engaging discussion on mindset, awareness, and self-reflection.
Where: Brews Brothers Brewpub
Date: Tuesday, the 3rd
Time: 7:30 pm – 9 pm
Address: 3000 West Olive Ave., Burbank, CA 91505
The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic: Rick Lupert & Elemen2al – Online Zoom Event
Cobalt Poets Reading & Open Mic and host Rick Lupert welcomes featured poet Elemen2al.
Elemen2al, a powerful voice in the realm of spoken word, embarked on his poetic journey at Glassless Minds in Oceanside back in 2014. Since then, his impact has rippled across the globe. The author of Calamity (2021), his words have transcended boundaries, reaching even the Department of Corrections.
As a contributor to notable anthologies like I Can’t Breathe Vol. 2, Once Upon A Poem, and Tribute to Black Men, Elemen2al amplifies his commitment to social justice, championing truth and equity through his verses.
His performances have graced renowned stages, from the heart of Houston at Write About Now and The Poetry Lounge to the iconic Nuyorican Poets Café in New York and the historic Langston Hughes House in Harlem. Elemen2al’s poetic resonance extends to venues like NJPAC in Newark, NJ, showcasing the breadth of his impact.
Not only a wordsmith on stage, Elemen2al has held pivotal roles as the former Head of Tech and Producer of The Poets Lighthouse and The Poetry News for the Poetry Global Network. His reach spans continents, having been featured on 2 Venues 1 Mic, broadcasted live from the UK, as well as Beatnix, hosted by the Nuyorican Poets Café, and the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
In addition, Elemen2al is a key member of Team New York in the NJPAC North 2 Shore Festival and a part of The Pandemic Poets. His influence is felt in the virtual realm too, as a former host of the Monday Night Online Open Mic and current host of The Online Open Mic, presented by the Nuyorican Poets Café. His leadership extends to his role as the former president of the Performance Writers Club at Mira Costa College. Elemen2al’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of poetry and its ability to ignite change on both local and global scales.
Where: Cobalt Poets – Online Zoom Event
Date: Tuesday, the 3rd
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://www.poetrysuperhighway.com
Da Poetry Lounge: Open Mic Night at COC – COMMUNITY OWNED CENTER 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 suggested donation. Pay what you can. Do NOT line up prior to 7:30 pm Free parking adjacent to the theater.
Masks are encouraged.
Where: COC – COMMUNITY OWNED CENTER, New Leimert Park Location
Date: Tuesday, the 3rd
Time: 9 pm – 11 pm (Doors at 8:15 pm)
Address: 4276 Crenshaw Blvd., Leimert Park, CA 90008
PARKING:
Street parking: Crenshaw and Degnan
Parking Lot: 3416 W 43rd St Leimert Park, Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: https://www.instagram.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 a 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.
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/
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 9 am – 10 am
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com
Book Party Book Club: Heaven & Earth Grocery Store at San Dimas Senior Center, LACL – In-Person Event
Held the first Wednesday of each month at the San Dimas Senior Center, 201 E Bonita Ave. This month’s selection is Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. Copies are available for check out at the circulation desk. For Adults.
Where: San Dimas Senior Center
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Address: 201 E. Bonita Ave., San Dimas, CA 91773
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15293029
Afternoon Book Club: Dream Count at Westlake Village, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us for a rousing discussion of this month’s book. Be prepared to share opinions, insights, and observations with a fun group of fellow readers. Copies of the book can be checked-out at the library. For ages 18 and up
Participants will discuss Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche.
Where: Westlake Village Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 12 pm – 1 pm
Address: 31220 W. Oak Crest Dr., Westlake Village, CA 91361
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15616299
Book Club: The Clock Maker’s Daughter at Chatsworth Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join us to discuss The Clock Maker’s Daughter by Kate Morton – Fiction – 2018 – 485 pages. The story of a love affair and a mysterious murder that occurred in Victorian England.
The events have cast a shadow across generations from the 1860’s to the present. Come and join our popular book club.
RSVP:
Please email sstamm@lapl.org for Zoom link if needed.
Where: Chatsworth Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 1:30 pm
Address: 21052 Devonshire St., Chatsworth, CA 91311
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/chatsworth-library-book-club-clock-makers-daughter
Book Club: A Slowly Dying Cause at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us to discuss Elizabeth George’s A Slowly Dying Cause. For adults.
Where: Agoura Hills Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 2 pm – 3 pm
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15337312
Poets Café via KPFK 90.7 FM – Live On-Air Event
Poets Café celebrates Poetry. This program is a weekly half-hour literary arts discussion and reading program featuring guest authors and their works.
Poetry From Around the World is a segment of this series offered monthly on the 2nd Monday of the month on KPFK Los Angeles 90.7 FM.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: KPFK 90.7 FM
Date: Wednesday, the 4th
Time: 2 pm – 2:30 pm
Address: On-air Event
Website: https://www.kpfk.org/on-air/poets-cafe/
Social Justice Book Club for Kids: Swimmy at Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL – Online Kids & Family Event
Books can transform the way we look at the world. Join children’s librarians from the Library to discuss kid-friendly books related to topics of social justice. This is an all-ages book club for the whole family. Check out the book of the month at your local library and bring your thoughts and feelings to the conversation.
We will be reading and discussing the following book:
February 4 – The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Alko and Sean Qualls
RSVP:
Please register here, and for more information email cquinn@lapl.org
Where: Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 5027 Caspar Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/social-justice-book-club-kids
Classics Book Club: James at East Los Angeles Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us to discuss Percival Everett’s James. For adults.
For Black History Month, we discuss the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner, Percival Everett’s James.
When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. Brimming with electrifying humor and lacerating observations, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim’s agency, intelligence, and compassion.
Copies of the book will be available at the circulation desk. The program will take place in the Chicano Resource Center. Space is limited to ten participants, so pick up your copy soon!
Where: East Los Angeles Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15545715
Be the Change: Social Justice Writing Workshop with James Coats – Online Event
Be the Change, a Social Justice Writing Workshop, is held every 1st Wednesday of the month and led by poet and author James Coats.
Workshop is free: name your own price.
NOTE: See site for RSVP and details.
Where: Online Event
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: Online Zoom Event Zoom ID: 826 5843 0669 Password: justice
Website: https://www.instagram.com
Creative Writing Workshop With Tony DuShaneat Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join us for a free writer’s workshop presented by UCLA instructor Tony DuShane, screenwriter of the film Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk, based on his novel of the same name. This workshop is open to adults only.
Where: Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6 pm
Address: 1874 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/creative-writing-workshop-tony-dushane-16
The Real World Nonfiction Book Club: Josephine Baker’s Secret War at Culver City Julian Dixon Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us to discuss Josephine Baker’s Secret War by Hanna Diamond.
For Adults.
Before the Second World War, Josephine Baker (1906-1975) was one of the most famous performers in the world. She made her name dancing on the Parisian stage, but when war broke out she decided not to return to America. Instead, Baker turned spy for the French Secret Services.
In this engaging, deeply researched study, Hanna Diamond tells the full story of Baker’s actions for the French and Allied powers in World War Two. Drawing on previously unseen material, Diamond reveals the vital role Baker played throughout the war, from counterintelligence work for the Allied landings in North Africa to serving in the French Air Force in 1944-45. A woman of color operating in a white male environment, Baker exploited her celebrity to enable her war work across France, Spain, Portugal, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Where: Culver City Julian Dixon Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 4975 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA 90230
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15256187
Adult Book Club: The Deep at Littlerock Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Celebrate African American and Black History Month with Littlerock Library’s Adult Book Club as we discuss our latest selection, The Deep by Rivers Solomon. For adults.
If you would like to participate, please visit Littlerock Library to pick up a copy or Libby or Hoopla for a digital version.
Rivers Solomon’s acclaimed speculative novella, explores the powerful and haunting story of the wajinru, waterdwelling descendants of African women thrown overboard during the transatlantic slave trade. Yetu, the designated historian of her people, carries all their memories: beautiful, brutal, and overwhelming. When she escapes to the surface to seek relief, she discovers long-buried truths about identity, trauma, and collective healing. To survive, the wajinru must reclaim their past and determine who they choose to become.
Where: Littlerock Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 35119 80th St. E., Littlerock, CA 93543
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15337422
History Book Club: Black Writers of the Founding Era at Cellar Door Bookstore, Riverside – In-Person Event
Join us to discuss Black Writers of the Founding Era (LOA #366): A Library of America Anthology. Edited by James G. Basker.
Black Writers of the Founding Era is the most comprehensive anthology ever published of Black writing from the turbulent decades surrounding the birth of the United States. An unprecedented archive of historical sources––including more than 200 poems, letters, sermons, newspaper advertisements, slave narratives, testimonies of faith and religious conversion, criminal confessions, court transcripts, travel accounts, private journals, wills, petitions for freedom, even dreams, by over 100 authors––it is a collection that reveals the surprising richness and diversity of Black experience in the new nation.
Here are writers both enslaved and free, loyalist and patriot, female and male, northern and southern; soldiers, seamen, and veterans; painters, poets, accountants, orators, scientists, community organizers, preachers, restaurateurs and cooks, hairdressers, criminals, carpenters, and many more. Along with long-famous works like Phillis Wheatley’s poems and Benjamin Banneker’s astonishing mathematical and scientific puzzles are dozens of first-person narratives offering little-known Black perspectives on the events of the times, like the Boston Massacre and the death of George Washington.
From their bold and eloquent contributions to public debates about the meanings of the revolution and the values of the new nation–– writings that dramatize the many ways in which protest, activism, and community organizing have been integral to the Black American experience from the beginning—to their intimate thoughts preserved in private diaries and letters, some unseen to the present day, the words of the many writers gathered here will indelibly alter our understandings of American history.
A foreword by Annette Gordon-Reed and an introduction by James G. Basker, along with introductory headnotes and explanatory notes drawing on cutting edge scholarship, illuminate these writers’ works and to situate them in their historical contexts.
A 16-page color photo insert presents portraits of some of the writers included and images of the original manuscripts, broadside, and books in which their words have been preserved.
James G. Basker, editor, is President of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and Richard Gilder Professor of Literary History at Barnard College, Columbia University. He has written and edited many books including, for Library of America, American Antislavery Writings: Colonial Beginnings to Emancipation (2012).
Nicole Seary is Senior Editor at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
here: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://cellardoorbookstore.com/event/2026-02-04/history-book-club-black-writers-founding-era
Special Author Event: Jasmine Iolani Hakes, with Amy Howarth, & The Pohaku at pages, a bookstore – In-Person Event
Jasmine Iolani Hakes, in conversation with Amy Howarth, will present and discuss The Pohaku: A Novel, the follow-up to her debut, Hula.
From the award-winning author of Hula, a dazzling saga about the generations of women tasked with protecting the history and place that made them.
A young woman lies comatose in a hospital, watched by her estranged grandmother. Mystery surrounds the woman’s fall—did she jump off the cliff, or was she swept away by a wave? Her grandmother suspects it is linked to the pōhaku, an ancient stone that their family was tasked with protecting.
In this novel spanning generations across Hawai`i and California, it soon becomes clear that the pōhaku’s story must survive if there is to be any hope of the family’s reconciliation with their home, with nature, and with each other.
Reminiscent of Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, and Tommy Orange’s There, There, The Pōhaku is an immersive and bold novel about the history, perseverance, and resilience of the Hawaiian people.
Jasmin Iolani Hakes was born and raised in Hilo, Hawai’i. She is the author of the novel Hula, and her essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and the Sacramento Bee. She is the recipient of the Best Fiction award from the Southern California Writers Conference, a Squaw Valley LoJo Foundation Scholarship, a Writing by Writers Emerging Voices fellowship, and a Hedgebrook residency. She worked throughout college as a professional luau dancer. She lives in
Jasmine will be in conversation with pages friend and customer, former mayor and current council member, Amy Howorth.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://pagesabookstore.com/event/2026-02-04/special-author-event-jasmin-iolani-hakes
Poetry Club: Love Is a Dangerous Word at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Join us for the newest book club at Village Well: The Poetry Club!
Each month, members will read the chosen poetry book and bring their favorite selections to share and discuss. Participation is free; just come with an open mind! Whether poetry is daunting or your passion, we’d love to have you!
Our selection for February is Love Is a Dangerous Word by Essex Hemphill.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd.,1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events/all-events
Shut Up and Write in Los Feliz at Big Bar, The Alcove – In-Person Event
Join Los Feliz writers again every Wednesday to WRITE | HANG | REPEAT at Big Bar, The Alcove in Los Feliz, every Wednesday evening in February (on the 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th).
February 4th will be guest hosted by @tracychabala since @literarypixie (Sammy Ginsberg) will be at another event to see George Saunders.
All writing levels and forms are welcome.
Where: Big Bar, The Alcove
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm
Address: 1929 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz, CA 90027
Website: https://www.instagram.com/losfelizwriters/
ALOUD Reading Series: George Saunders, with Kelly Corrigan, & Vigil at The Aratani Theatre – In-Person Event
Join Aloud Reading Series and Skylight Books for an evening with celebrated author George Saunders, in conversation with Kelly Corirgan, to discuss his new novel Vigil.
Featuring readings by Stephan Root and Judy Greer.
George Saunders is the author of thirteen books, including the novel Lincoln in the Bardo, which won the Man Booker Prize, and five collections of stories, including Tenth of December, which was a finalist for the National Book Award, and the recent collection Liberation Day (selected by former President Obama as one of his ten favorite books of 2022). Three of Saunders’s books—Pastoralia, Tenth of December, and Lincoln in the Bardo—were chosen for The New York Times’s list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. Saunders hosts the popular Story Club on Substack, which grew out of his book on the Russian short story, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. In 2013, he was named one of the world’s 100 Most Influential People by Time. He teaches in the creative writing program at Syracuse University.
Kelly Corrigan is the author of 4 New York Times bestsellers about family life and hosts the podcast Kelly Corrigan Wonders.
Stephen Root, one of today’s most prolific character actors, has built a career in creating memorable characters in film, television, theatre and animation. Recent credits include, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, BOMBSHELL, FOUR GOOD DAYS w/Glenn Close, SEBERG w/ Kristen Stewart, And an EMMY nomination for his work on HBO’s BARRY. While most recognized for portraying the character Milton in the cult favorite OFFICE SPACE, Root has an impressive and extensive list of film credits. This list includes the Academy Award nominated film SELMA, J. EDGAR, THE LONE RANGER, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?,THE COMPANY YOU KEEP, THE CONSPIRATOR, DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY, CEDAR RAPIDS, LEATHERHEADS, RED STATE, along with such animation favorites as RANGO, ICE AGE and FINDING NEMO
Judy Greer has had a prolific career in both film and television, appearing in nearly two- hundred roles to date including the Blumhouse reboot of Halloween, directed by David Gordon Green, starring alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and the sequel, Halloween Kills. Greer also stars in Eric Larue, Michael Shannon’s directorial debut released by Magnolia Pictures. Indiewire describes it as a “standout film with a career-best performance from Greer.” Her independent film Aporia debuted to critical acclaim at the Fantasia International Film Festival with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating. In television, she has most recently wrapped the second season of The Last Thing He Told Me, opposite Jennifer Garner. She can currently be seen on the Apple TV+ series Stick opposite Owen Wilson and Stick season 2 set to premiere this April 2026. She was nominated for an Astra TV award for her work on the HBO limited series White House Plumbers opposite Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux for director David Mandel. She also received a Hollywood Critics Association nomination in 2022 for her role as “Leah Askey” in NBC’s The Thing About Pam. For her most recent work in film, Judy can be seen in the Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk
Where: The Aratani Theatre
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 224 S. San Pedro St., Little Tokyo, CA 90012
Website: https://lfla.org/event/vigil-george-saunders/
Malibu Library Speaker Series: Dion Leonard & Gobi at Littlerock Library, LACL – In-Person Event (FULL; Join the Waitlist)
Author and ultramarathon runner Dion Leonard will discuss his book Finding Gobi: A Little Dog With a Very Big Heart. For adults.
The Malibu Library Speaker Series presents author and ultramarathon runner Dion Leonard and his dog Gobi at Malibu Library on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at 7 pm.
Leonard’s book Finding Gobi is the miraculous tale of Dion Leonard, a seasoned ultramarathon runner who crosses paths with a stray dog while competing in a 155-mile race through the Gobi Desert in China.
The lovable pup, who would later earn the name Gobi, proved that what she lacked in size, she more than made up for in heart, as she went step for step with Dion over the Tian Shan Mountains, across massive sand dunes, through yurt villages and the black sands of the Gobi Desert, keeping pace with him for nearly 80 miles.
As Dion witnessed the incredible determination and heart of this small animal, he found his own heart undergoing a change as well. Whereas in the past these races were all about winning and being the best, his goal now was to make sure he and Gobi’s friendship continued well after the finish line. He found himself letting Gobi sleep in his tent at night, giving her food and water out of his own limited supply, and carrying her across numerous rivers, even when he knew it would mean putting him behind in the race, or worse, prevent him from finishing at all.
Although Dion did not cross the finish line first, he felt he had won something even greater—a new outlook on life and a new friend that he planned on bringing home as soon as arrangements were made. However, before he could take her home, Gobi went missing in the sprawling Chinese city where she was being kept. Dion, with the help of strangers and a viral outpouring of assistance on the internet, set out to track her down, and reunite forever with the amazing animal that changed his life and proved to him and the world that miracles are possible.
RSVPs required. Malibu Village Books will sell Finding Gobi at the event, and a book signing will follow the talk.
Where: Malibu Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday the 4t7
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 23519 West Civic Center Way, Malibu, CA 90265
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15337494
Poet Grant Chemidlin & In the Middle of a Better World at Chevalier’s – In-Person Event
Grant Chemedlin will present and discuss his collection In the Middle of a Better World.
What do we risk by living our most authentic lives? More importantly, what do we gain?
In the Middle of a Better World is a queer guide to love and identity, a collection both formally inventive and infused with a bright, shimmering imagination. Part elegy, part battle cry, this highly anticipated new collection by Grant Chemidlin is unabashedly joyous in its exploration of desire, human connection, and community—those we’re born into and those we build ourselves.
Grant Chemidlin is a queer poet and author. He was a finalist for the Gival Press Oscar Wilde Award and the Philip Levine Prize for Poetry and has had work published in Quarterly West, Iron Horse Literary Review, Tupelo Quarterly, and River Heron Review, among others. His newest collection, What We Lost in the Swamp, unpacks his closeted youth, his coming out, and his ongoing journey to becoming unabashedly himself. Grant lives in Los Angeles with his husband and his aloof cat, Teddy. Find more of his work on Instagram @grantcpoetry.
Note: Please RSVP at site.
Where: Chevalier’s
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 7 pm – 10 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://chevaliersbooks.com/event/2026-02-04/poet-grant-chemidlin
Book Event: Amy DuBois Barnett, with Ryan Michelle Bathé, & If I Ruled the World at Reparations Club Off-site at The Gathering Spot – In-Person Event
Join us for a discussion on the novel If I Ruled the World by Amy DuBois Barnett, in conversation with Ryan Michelle Bathé.
It’s 1999, and Nikki Rose is the only Black editor on the staff of a prestigious fashion magazine she once thought would be her ticket to becoming a respected editor-in-chief. But after being told one too many times by her boss that “Black girls don’t sell magazines,” she walks away to take over Sugar, a struggling hip-hop music and lifestyle magazine with untapped potential.
Thrown into an entirely new world of wealth, decadence, and debauchery, Nikki has just six months to save Sugar—and her own dreams. As she pulls all-nighters at the office and parties with the era’s most influential bad boys, Nikki must prove she has what it takes to lead. But her most dangerous challenge is evading Alonzo Griffin, her very married, very powerful ex-boyfriend and former boss, who’s determined to destroy both her and Sugar. Along the way, Nikki leans on a circle of loyal friends, and navigates unexpected romances that force her to reckon with what—and who—she truly wants.
Where: Rep Club Offsite at The Gathering Spot
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 5211 W. Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016
RECESS Open Mic at SIPA HQ, Palms Up Academy – In-Person Event
RECESS Open Mic is at SIPA HQ on Wednesdays.
Standard mic RSVP, rules and entry apply.
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.
Host: Lady Basco
NOTE: Only self-sign-ups are allowed.
20 slots available; 15 slots for dinner served; remaining slots for faculty.
See site for further details,
NOTE: See site for RSVP, cost, guidelines, and details.
Where: SIPA HQ
Date: Wednesday, the 4th
Time: 7 pm – 9:30 pm (Doors at 6:30 pm; Open Mic at 8 pm)
Address: 3200 W. Temple St., Ste. 100, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://www.instagram.com
Robert Kalman, with Rasheed Newson, & What’s It Like for You to Be an American? at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Robert Kalman, in conversation with Rasheed Newson, will discuss What’s It Like for You to Be an American?
Portraits of 76 representative Americans who offer their handwritten thoughts and feelings about being American.
With a live demonstration of how these American portraits were created.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2026-02-04/robert-kalman:
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 4th
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: 4321 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: https://www.instagram.com
Story Salon at Art Parlor: California in Valley Village – In-Person & Virtual Hybrid Event (Check to Verify)
Los Angeles’s longest running storytelling venue is now a hybrid event!
An alternative to stand-up clubs + self-conscious performance spaces
Story Salon challenges you all to tell stories in 90 seconds! Can you do it? If you can, join us!
Tickets can be purchased early with the link in bio or at storysalon.com.
Theme: Please Freestyle Responsibly
Where: Art Parlor
Date: Wednesday the 4th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm (Doors at 7 pm)
Address: 5302 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Valley Village, CA 91607
Website: https://www.instagram.com
Wednesday Night Poetry Workshop with Martin Jago via Beyond Baroque – Online Event
The West Coast’s longest-running free poetry workshop is offered by Beyond Baroque on Zoom and welcomes new and seasoned poets to share their work and provide feedback. Please be prepared to share one poem. This workshop will be hosted via the Zoom video-conferencing platform. Please be prepared to share one poem.
Please spend some time before the workshop learning how to share documents via Zoom. It will keep the session moving if you’re able to make your poem viewable quickly and easily. An instructive video is available on the site.
The workshop can sometimes reach high levels of attendance, which means not everyone will get a chance to read every session.
Martin Jago is a British American poet based in Los Angeles. Author of Photofit (Pindrop Press, 2023) and a forthcoming chapbook, Black Plastic Blues (Finishing Line, 2026), his writing has appeared widely in literary magazines like Agenda, Acumen, The Moth, LIT Magazine, Presence, The Penn Review, The High Window, The Indianapolis Review, Tupelo Quarterly, and Sierra Nevada Review, among others. He holds a Master’s in Creative Writing from the University of Oxford where he was an F.H. Pasby Prize finalist.
NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, and information.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Wednesday, the 4th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://beyondbaroque.org
Poetry Reading & Open Mic by Two Idiots Peddling Poetry with Ben Trigg and GuestMargaret Elysia Garcia at The Ugly Mug – In-Person Event
Host Ben Trigg welcomes Margaret Elysia Garcia for a reading and open mic.
Margaret Elysia Garcia is an award-winning author of the poetry collections Iconistas! (Lit Kit Collective, 2025), the daughterland poems (El Martillo Press, 2023), and Burn Scars, (LKC, 2022). She is the author of the short story collection Graft (Tolsun Books, 2022), and the forthcoming collection Chicana Noir Stories (El Martillo Press, 2026). She’s the co-editor Red Flag Warning: Mutual Aid and Community in California’s Fire Country, (AK Press, June 2025). She’s also a grandmother extraordinaire.
$5 cover fee, cash only
Where: The Ugly Mug, Orange
Date: Wednesday, the 4th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 261 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA 92866
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events
Lit Angels: Morning Writing with Francesca Lia Block at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Come write with us!
Many people believe that a 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.
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: Thursday the 5th
Time: 10 am – 11 am
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com
Book Walk and Talk at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join participants for a bi-monthly book & talk.
This month we will walk from the 5th Street entrance to Gloria Molina Park and back.
This month we celebrate African American History month.
Book Selections: Barbaar Fant’s Joy in the Belly of a Riot and/or Jordan Chiles’ I’m That Girl.
Where: Central Library, LAPL
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Address: 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: INSERT LINK HERE
Book Club: Lovely One at Hermosa Beach Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join participants to discuss Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson For adults.
Books are available for check out at the library.
Where: Hermosa Beach Library, LACL
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Address: 550 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15422718
Author Talk: Vanessa Riley & Fire Sword and Sea via virtual Event, LACL – Online Event
Join us for an unforgettable experience as we chat with Vanessa Riley about her newest book, Fire Sword and Sea, based on the folk story of the female pirate Jacquotte Delahaye.
The Caribbean Sea, 1675. Jacquotte Delahaye is the mixed-race daughter of a wealthy tavern owner on the island of Tortuga. Instead of marriage, Jacquotte dreams of joining the seafarers and smugglers whose tall-masted ships cluster in the turquoise waters around Tortuga. In Haiti she becomes Jacques, a dockworker, earning the respect of those around her while hiding her gender.
Jacquotte discovers that secret identities are fairly common in the chaotic world of seafaring, which is full of outsiders and misfits. As Jacques, Jacquotte falls in love with Lizzôa d’Erville, a beautiful courtesan who deals in secrets and sex. While others see their work clothes as a disguise, Lizzôa’s true self is as a woman.
For the next twenty years, Jacquotte raids the Caribbean, making enemies and amassing a fortune in stolen gold. When her fellow pirates decide to increase their profits by entering the slave trade, Jacquotte turns away from piracy and the pursuit of riches. Risking her life in one deadly skirmish after another, she instead begins to plot a war of liberation.
Don’t miss out on this exciting discussion! Register now to embark on a seafaring journey of self-discovery and reclamation of personal power.
About the Author: Vanessa Riley is an award-winning author and proud recipient of the 2024 Georgia Mystery/Detective Fiction Author of the Year. She writes Sagas and Book Club Fiction that brings to life the hidden narratives of Black women and women of color in novels like Island Queen and Queen of Exiles. Her stories celebrate strong sisterhoods, diverse communities, and resilience across historical fiction, romance, and mystery genres. Her work has been featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and The New York Times.
Where: Virtual Event, LACL
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 4 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15211270
Book Launch: Gordon Korman & Hypergifted at Children’s Book World – In-Person Event
Join us for an afternoon with #1 New York Times bestselling author and beloved author Gordon Korman talking about his newest book in the Ungifted series, Hypergifted. Signing his recent fan favorites, Old School, The Fort, Masterminds, Restart, and more.
School has never been a problem for twelve-year-old super-genius Noah Youkilis—at least not until he gets an admission letter to the prestigious Wilderton University. The last thing Noah wants is to go straight from eighth grade into college. Will his life ever just be normal?!
Meanwhile, Noah’s best friend, Donovan, has been looking forward all year to a summer of doing nothing. But when Wilderton allows Noah to bring a friend for the summer term, Donovan’s parents jump at the chance. Suddenly, Donovan’s summer of slack has turned into hanging with Noah and working as a summer camp counselor for professors’ kids.
Once they arrive on campus, Noah’s determined to fit in—and to him, that means joining the top-secret Society of the Gavel. But becoming a Gaveler is harder than it seems, and it’s made all the harder when Noah and Donovon smuggle Wilderton’s mascot, a two-hundred-pound pig named Porquette, into their dorm. Now Noah and Donovan must combine all their middle-school smarts to keep their pig-sized secret, fix a haywire AI program before it pretty much ends the world, and keep track of Donovan’s campers.
It’s going to be a summer to remember in the newest book from #1 New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman.
Where: Children’s Book World
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: 10580 1/2 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064
Website: https://childrensbookworld.com/events/2026/02
Monthly Open Mic: Featuring Sofia Aguilar at Anaheim Central Library – In-Person Event
Join us every first Thursday of the month from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for Open Mic Night at the Anaheim Central Library. Poets, singers, songwriters, storytellers, writers, comedians, dancers, supporters, and listeners are welcome! Each event includes a featured performance by a published poet or musician. Performer sign-ups begin at 4:15 p.m. The event is held in the multi-purpose room on the basement level. Hope to see you there!
Featured poet this month is Sofia Aguilar. She is the author of the collection Amor and co-author of Queer Latine Heroes: 25 Changemakers from Latin America and the U.S., from History and Today
Where: Anaheim Central Library
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Address: 500 W. Broadway, Anaheim, CA 92805
Website: https://anaheim.libcal.com/event/15552895
Writers Block: Creative Writing & Meaningful Connection at Octavia’s Bookshelf, Pasadena – In-Person Event
Calling all creative writers!
If you would like to connect with other writers and have dedicated time for creative writing (poetry, short stories, novels, songs, screenplays, etc.), this is for you! We are holding space for writers to free-write, share and receive positive feedback, and make meaningful connections. All levels are welcome. This space is offered freely!
ZAHIDA is a proud Seattle native and poet who made her way to Southern California by way of everywhere. Her previous writing has centered on culture, belonging, and wellness for Bustle, Healthline, Well and Good, Afropunk, and Blavity, among others.
Where: Octavia’s Bookshelf
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1353 North Hill Ave., Pasadena, CA 91104
Website: https://www.octaviasbookshelf.com/events
Special Author Event: Lindsey Goldstein & Gap Year at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Event
Lindsey Goldstein will present and discuss Gap Year, a heartfelt and hilarious women’s fiction book about a woman redefining herself.
It’s her turn to have the adventure of a lifetime…Jane’s life is turned upside down within forty-eight hours: her only child leaves for a year abroad, her husband abandons her for another woman, and her boss issues her an ultimatum. She makes a bold, impulsive choice—she’s leaving it all behind for an adult version of her daughter’s “gap year.”
Once a hopeful young ecologist, Jane dreams of climbing a volcano and working in the Galapagos—but life got in the way. Now, nothing stands between her and the adventure she abandoned years ago.
Sleeping in a hostel bunk bed surrounded by people at least twenty years younger, she befriends Laura, a fellow traveler determined to scale the volcano. Together, they doggedly train for the summit. Jane also meets Mark, a charming tour guide whose quick wit and sparkling eyes threaten to derail her identity quest.
As Jane pushes her physical and emotional limits, she seeks answers to the burning question: “What the hell should I do with the rest of my life?” Jane navigates the world of travel to repair her broken heart.
Gap Year is a relatable and inspiring story about a resilient woman rebuilding her life in the face of empty nesting and divorce. Lindsey Goldstein’s debut novel is a breath of fresh air that will sweep you into a world of travel and self-reinvention.,
Lindsey Goldstein has always loved coming-of-age stories, from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn to many of Judy Blume’s novels. After redefining herself several times, Lindsey wanted to tell a fresh coming-of-age story about someone in her forties who sees a chance to start over and takes it. In general, she enjoys writing about Gen X characters who find themselves at a crossroads in their lives. She lives in Southern California, and when she’s not writing, she works as a physical therapist and as a chauffeur. Ahem, kidding. She shuttles her kids around.
Where: pages: a bookstore
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Website: https://pagesabookstore.com/event/2026-02-05/special-author-event-lindsey-goldstein
Romance Book Launch: Lee Taylor & A Satchel of Richards at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Join us fora reading and discussion with author Lee Taylor and LA actress Kate Orsini, in celebration of Lee’s recently released novel, A Satchel of Richards.
Novelist Bridget Stanton’s life needs a massive rewrite. Between the mortgage on her first home, a perfect if teensy beach cottage, and the cost of feeding her horse-sized dog, she’ll never be able to quit her day job. Until it quits her.
Suspended for teaching the suddenly and inequitably banned A Wrinkle in Time, her childhood favorite, she is desperate for a book advance. So she throws herself at the mercy, literally, of her brand new, witty, suave, unflappably charming agent, who has reluctantly inherited her.
His advice: skip the Lit Fic and write steamy romance instead. Has he met her? Actually, no. But Bridget knows nothing about passionate sex. Ever ready with advice, he proposes a solution: research-she needs to get herself a satchel of Richards.
Lee Taylor lives and writes in one of the most bewitching forests in the Appalachians. She has taken classes and studied through the Great Smokies Writing Program, with North Carolina author and teacher Katey Schultz, and through the Accountability Workshop with Annie Hartnett and Tessa Fontaine. You will find her most mornings before dawn in her “Yome Sweet Yome” (think “yurt” but better), loving all the tropes, particularly the ones she turns on their heads. When not writing or hiking, she travels for a day job she loves, always on the lookout for an indie bookstore. A Satchel of Richards is her debut novel.
Born in Talladega, Alabama, Kate Orsini moved to New York right after high school. Then armed with a double major in French Literature and Theatre (Phi Beta Kappa, from Vassar, which has helped approximately zero times), she headed to LA. On screen, she’s been, among other things, Maria Bello’s ex, Robert Patrick’s hooker nemesis, Hank Azaria’s hooker nemesis, Hayden Panettiere’s lawyer nemesis, Gina Rodriguez’ yuppie nemesis, Ed Begley Jr.’s angry daughter, Malcolm McDowell’s homicidal daughter, Octavia Spencer’s needy patient, and the fertility specialist for everyone’s favorite biracial transgender couple. Her original translation and adaptation of Moliere’s “Tartuffe,” set in Roy-Moore-era Alabama, has played for two seasons at Birmingham’s Virginia Samford Theatre. She’s performed Shakespeare on stage, Chekhov on film, and her own material in every medium available, culminating in the zoom episodic she’s just co-written and starred in, “The Corona Dialogues,” for which she just won Best Actress at The Indie Fest Awards.
Get your tickets on EVENTBRITE!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com
Martyn Burke, with Jonathan Kirsch, & The Gossip Columnist at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Martyn Burke, in conversation with Jonathan Kirsch, will discuss The Gossip Columnist.
A gossip columnist’s pursuit of the truth in Nazi Germany…
When twenty-something Bella lands a job she doesn’t really want-as the gossip columnist for Berlin’s largest newspaper-she’s thrust into a new, glamorous world. Then the Nazis take over, and her job turns into a lethal assignment.
As the Nazis rise swiftly to power, Hitler’s top aide, Josef Goebbels, ruthlessly takes control-from the information printed in gossip columns to the city’s movie industry, where Goebbels earns a reputation as a rampant predator.
To escape their deadly authority, Bella and her editor, Paul, flee to a brothel. There, they collect scraps of information and repackage them as gossip that weaves through wartime Berlin, sending the Nazis into an enraged search for the source. But as they fight to share truth amidst endless propaganda, Bella and Paul find out the hard way that the truth can be deadly, too.
Romantic, propulsive, and relentlessly vivid, The Gossip Columnist is a sharp, cinematic novel that’s as shocking as gossip and as real as history.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 8818 W. Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://booksoup.com/event/2026-02-05/martyn-burke
At Skylight: Alia Hanna Habib, with Doree Shafrir, & Take It From Me at Skylight – In-Person Event
Alia Hanna Habib, in conversation with Doree Shafrir, will discuss Take It From Me.
From the literary agent behind some of today’s most successful authors comes a narrative guide geared specifically to the needs of aspiring and working nonfiction writers, demystifying the world of publishing and offering a practical roadmap to getting your book published.
Alia Hanna Habib remembers what it was like to be on the outside of the publishing world, looking in. Arriving in New York, a first-generation college student with a love of reading and loads of ambition, she had no idea how to break into the business of books. Now, years later, in her career as an agent, she hears from prospective clients who, whether they’re experts at the top of their fields or wholly new to the writing game, consider finding success in publishing to be a mysterious and daunting endeavor. Ever determined to flout the stereotype of agent as gatekeeper, however, Habib is prepared to hand emerging writers the key.
Drawing on wisdom from her star-studded list of clients, including Hanif Abdurraqib, Judy Batalion, Merve Emre, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Clint Smith, Habib provides context and clarity to each step of the publishing process, from the germination of a book idea to finding an agent to represent it, from crafting an engaging proposal to navigating the perils of publicity. Readers will find real-life samples of her authors’ pitch letters and book proposals, as well as templates writers can use when querying agents or promoting their work on social media. She also incorporates the advice of trusted industry colleagues—attorneys, accountants, editors, publishers, publicists, and more—gifting readers with a full team of experts to answer all the questions they’ve had about the publishing world, but were too afraid, or didn’t know, to ask.
Essential for both the aspiring novice and the seasoned professional, Take It from Me is a guidebook writers will return to again and again. At times laugh-out-loud funny, at others brutally honest about her own experiences in publishing and in life, Habib offers a clear-eyed look at the challenges facing today’s aspiring nonfiction writers and then gives them the comprehensive, expert guidance they need to put those roadblocks in the rearview mirror.
Alia Hanna Habib is a Vice President and literary agent at The Gernert Company, where she represents MacArthur Fellows, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, National Book Award finalists, and numerous New York Times bestselling authors. She lives in Brooklyn, NY
Doree Shafrir is the author of Startup: A Novel and Thanks for Waiting: The Joy & Weirdness of Being a Late Bloomer, and the host of the Forever35 Podcast. She also writes the “Good Job” column for Slate. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.
Where: Skylight
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-alia-hanna-habib-presents-take-it-me-w-doree-shafrir
David Romero, with Gustavo Arellano, & The Enemy Sleeps at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
David Romero, in conversation with Gustavo Arellano, will discuss his debut novelThe Enemy Never Sleeps.
Spoken word artist and publisher David A. Romero releases his debut novel, The Enemy Sleeps, a supernatural thriller. Readings followed by Q&A with a Special Guest Gustavo Arellano.
Who killed Eliza Vazquez? As a Mexican American family moves from Boyle Heights, Los Angeles into the sleepy suburban town of Harper, they are met with suspicion. Who is the so-called “Harper Murderer?” Is it Michael Martinez, a construction supervisor with a quick temper and an anti-immigrant bias, Robert Parsons, a known racist with a number of secrets kept from his family and community, or Kenton Weaver, a disgraced former teacher who is haunted by the ghost of one of his former students? Grievances, both new and old emerge as members of the Martinez family, the Parsons family, and Weaver become tangled in a disastrous chain of events before a shocking conclusion.
Original cover art by Art Carrillo. Advance reviews from Bram Stoker Award-winning author Pedro Iniguez, Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author Naomi Hirahara, American Book Award-winning author Tim Z. Hernandez, American Book Award-winning author Lorna Dee Cervantes, Sergio Troncoso Award-winning author Marisol Cortez, Louis Meriwether Award-winning author Claudia D. Hernández-Warwas, McAllen, TX Poet Laureate Edward Vidaurre, and Pomona, CA Poet Laureate Natalie Sierra.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Thursday the 5th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2026-02-05/david-romero
L.A. Book Launch Reading: Tim Xonnelly & The Invasion of Pantomime at Beyond Baroque – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
A reading and book launch with poets from the Bay area
Join us for an evening in the Wanda Coleman Theater celebrating the release of The Invasion of Pantomime, a book by Tim Xonelly composed of themes such as dream imagery and queer pride.
Featured poets are writer and educator, antmen pimentel mendoza and therapist, poet and performer, Roberto F. Santiago. Reception and book signings to follow.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Thursday, the 5th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm (Doors at 7 pm)
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90291
Lit Angels: Morning Writing with Francesca Lia Block at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Come write with us!
Many people believe that a 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.
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: Friday the 6th
Time: 9 am – 10 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
Date: Friday, the 6th
Time: 9:30 am
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com
Book Club: A Most Remarkable Creature at Claremont Helen Renwick Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join participants to discuss A Most Remarkable Creature by Jonathan Meiburg. For adults.
Where: Claremont Helen Renwick Library, LACL
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 10:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Address: 208 Harvard Pl., Claremont, CA 91711
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15564797
Bilingual Storytime at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Bilingual Storytime! Exposing your children to multiple languages is highly beneficial for their learning and development, and what better way to do it than through this fun activity where we will read a wonderful story in both English and Spanish.
¡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 6th
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com
Writing Gets Lonely: Open Writing Studio at Heavy Manners Library – In-Person Event
Join host Katja Bartholmess for an open writing studio at Heavy Manners Library from 1-3! No frills, no prompts, just write!
Manuscripts, Screenplays, Articles … whatever you’re working on, let’s do it in each other’s company!
Drop in and stay a while!
RSVP at website (Pay What You Want Donation)
Where: Heavy Manners Library
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 1 pm – 3 pm
Address: 1200 N. Alvarado St., Unit D, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://heavymannerslibrary.com/events/writing-gets-lonely-open-writing-studio-2-6
Athena Vas & This Is My Era at Book Soup – In-Person Event
Author Athena Vas presents This Is My Era:The Glow-Up Blueprint is the courage to stop pretending and start becoming.
Once a high school math teacher with big dreams, Athena lost it all—her career, her home, her relationship, her stability—and rebuilt herself from the ground up. In under four years, she transformed into a nationally recognized TV personality, champion Olympic athlete, author, keynote speaker and global empowerment figure. Through that rebirth, she created her signature ATHENA Formula (TM), a proven system to awaken your power, transform your mindset, and become the woman you were always meant to be.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 8818 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://booksoup.com/event/2026-02-06/athena-vas
Comics O’ClockReading at Heavy Manners Library – In-Person Event
This Comics Reading event is hosted by Mikey Heller, and features:
Nathan Bulmer (https://www.instagram.com/natemorebikes/)
Trevor Alixopulos (https://www.instagram.com/clubtrev/)
Sonja Von Marensdorff (https://www.instagram.com/sonja_von_m/)
Demi Naito (https://www.instagram.com/pagesbydemi/)
Coco Fox (https://www.instagram.com/cocofoxcomics/)
Woody Fu (https://www.instagram.com/woodyfu/)
Jared D. Weiss (https://www.instagram.com/jdweiss25/)
Alex Siple (https://www.instagram.com/alexsipleart/)
NOTE: Pay what you want tickets at website.
Where: Heavy Manners Library
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1200 N. Alvarado St., Unit D, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://heavymannerslibrary.com/events/comics-o-clock-a-comic-reading-2-6
Lyrical Flames Reading Series:Time Doesn’t Wait on Youat Shafranski Art FDN – In-Person Event
Lida Parent Harris hosts Lyrical Flames: Time Doesn’t Wait on You, featuring:
Bill Ratner, poet, is a Poets & Writers Readings and Workshops Grant recipient, 9-time winner of The Moth StorySLAM, 2-time winner of Best of The Hollywood Fringe Extension Award for Solo Performance, and one of America’s best known voice actors—”Flint” in the cartoon G.I.
Lee Boek, storyteller
Nikolai Gsrcia, poet, has been published in various anthologies and is the author of Nuclear Shadows of Palm Trees and All the Sad Music.
Richard McDowell, storyteller
Damion Mikol Wagner, musician
Where: Shafranski Art FDN
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 130 E. 4th St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: Facebook
Open Mic Nightat Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural y Bookstore, Sylmar – In-Person Event
Join us for our first Open mic of the year, Friday, February 6, from 7 pm – 9 pm! Come by and share a song, dance, poem, or whatever form of expression you’ve got under your sleeve. February’s open mic will be hosted by our very own Zacarias and Xuca!
No registration needed. Sign-ups at the door.
Where: Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 12677 Glenoaks Blvd., Sylmar, CA. 91342
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTyOVTMEoUB/?hl=en&img_index=1
Jasmine Iolani Hakes, with Diane Marie Brown, & The Pohaku at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Jasmine Iolani Hakes, in conversation with Diane Marie Brown, will discuss The Pohaku.
From the award-winning author of Hula, a dazzling saga that moves from Hawaii to California and back, about the generations of women tasked with protecting the history and place that made them.
A young woman lies in a hospital bed in a coma, watched over by her estranged grandmother. Some say she jumped off the cliff; others say she was swept away by a wave. But her tutu at her bedside suspects something else is wrong, that the reason for the hardship and heartbreak in their family history is tied to a story that she’s never told—one about a powerful stone, the pohaku, that her family was tasked with protecting generations ago. In fits and starts, the grandmother begins…
We travel back in time to the eighteenth century, when the explorer James Cook becomes the first European to visit the Hawaiian Islands. Cook arrives in pursuit of an ancient prophecy, a key that would unlock the mysteries of the world, but he is killed before he can learn about the mysterious stone—a stone born alongside future Hawaiian royalty, the key to something even more powerful than Cook could have imagined.
So begins a thrilling family saga of the women charged with protecting the pohaku, as it is taken from Hawai’i to California and possibly beyond, bringing fortune to the well-intentioned and misfortune to the bad. But with each successive generation, the fractures caused by its displacement widen until it becomes clear that the pohaku’s story must survive if there is to be any hope at all of the family’s—and a nation’s—reconciliation with their home, with nature, and with each other.
Reminiscent of Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, and Tommy Orange’s There, There, The Pohaku is an immersive and bold novel about the history, perseverance, and resilience of the Hawaiian people.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Friday the 6th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2026-02-06/jasmin-iolani-hakes
A Celebration of Three New Poetry Collections: Elline Lipkin, Patty Seyburn, Lin Nelson Benedek at Beyond Baroque – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join us for an evening of poetry in celebration of Elline Lipkin, Patty Seyburn, Lin Nelson Benedek and their new releases.
Join three LA poets as they launch their fall 2025 books of poetry:
Elline Lipkin with Girl in a Forest (Trio House Press);
Lin Nelson Benedek with Two Cats in the Yard, (Kelsay Books);
Patty Seyburn with Jukebox (What Books Press).
About the authors:
Elline Lipkin is a poet, nonfiction writer, and academic. She holds an MFA and a PhD in Creative Writing and for fifteen years was a Research Scholar with UCLA’s Center for the Study of Women. Her first book, The Errant Thread, was chosen by Eavan Boland for the Kore Press First Book Award. Part of the Seal Studies series, her second book, Girls’ Studies, explores contemporary girlhood. Her third is Girl in a Forest, released in October 2025 by Trio House Press. A finalist for the AWP Kurt Brown prize, she has also been a mentor for Writer to Writer and served on the committee for the Kate & Kingsley Tufts Poetry Awards. The Proem is her monthly Substack. For two years, she served her community as editor of the Altadena Poetry Review and Poet Laureate.
Patty Seyburn has published six books of poems: Jukebox (What Books Press, 2025), Threshold Delivery (Finishing Line Press, 2019); Perfecta (What Books Press, Glass Table Collective, 2014); Hilarity, (New Issues Press, 2009), Mechanical Cluster (Ohio State University Press, 2002) and Diasporadic (Helicon Nine Editions, 1998). She earned a BS and an MS in Journalism from Northwestern University, an MFA in Poetry from University of California, Irvine, and a Ph.D. in Poetry and Literature from the University of Houston. She is a professor at California State University, Long Beach, and was a 2024 Fulbright Scholar in Iasi, Romania. Featuring Jukebox, this collection moves from poems about music made by people to poems about music made by birds to poems that must live on their own music.
A third-generation Californian, Lin Nelson Benedek lives with her husband, Tom, in Altadena, and wrote these poems under the spell of wild flowers, orange blossoms and the San Gabriel Mountains. A longtime psychotherapist, Lin is passionate about the importance of human connection and believes in the power of poetry to heal, connect and enchant us. Lin earned her MFA in Writing at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. She has had poems published in numerous journals, in six anthologies and in four full-length collections: I Was Going to Be a Cowgirl (2017); When a Peacock Speaks to You in a Dream (2018); Singing Lessons (2020); and Two Cats in the Yard (2025), all published by Kelsay Books/Aldrich Press. Lin recently completed revisions on a memoir called Love-Starved Girl.
NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, and information.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Friday, the 6th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm (Doors at 7 pm)
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, CA 90291
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
Tickets at Eventbrite.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center
Date: Friday, the 6th
Time: 8 pm – 12 am
Address: 4305 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: https://www.depoet.info/swaam
First Fridays Rapp Saloon Reading Series & Open Mic with host Cynthia Alessandra Briano at Rapp Saloon, Santa Monica – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Frist Fridays at Rapp Saloon: Open Mic & Featured Readers, will be this week, and is offered every 1st Friday of the month.
First Friday: Cynthia Alessandra Briano
Second Friday: Russell Greene
Third Friday: Elena Secota
Fourth Friday: Jim Bolt
Fifth Friday: James Evert Jones
This is a hybrid event, live in-person while offering a Zoom option for our performers and guests.
Our featured guest poets and artists this month TBA.
NOTE: See site or flyer for details.
Where: Rapp Saloon at HISUA
Date: Friday, the 6th
Time: 8 pm – 11 pm
Address: 1436 2nd St., Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://www.facebook.com/RappSaloonReading or https://www.instagram.com/rappsaloon/?hl=en
Western Edge Writers at Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Writers and aspiring writers, join us for a group that supports writing endeavors of all genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and memoir.
Please email eaglrk@lapl.org for the writing prompt.
Where: Eagle Rock Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 10 am
Address: 5027 Caspar Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/western-edge-writers
Saturday Morning Book Discussion: at Palms – Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join us for wide-ranging conversations. Copies available at reference and as ebooks. We continue reading from the “100 Notable Books of the Year” from the New York Times.
Feb. 7, 10:30 a.m.*: Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company by Patrick McGee
*Note date and time change
Where: Palms – Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 10:30 am – 12 pm
Address: 2920 Overland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-persian
Book Club: If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating at Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join the discussion of If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating, by Alan Alda.
Where: Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 11 am
Address: 1874 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-7
Middle School Book Club: Candace, The Universe, and Everything at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person MG Event
Join us to discuss Candace, The Universe, and Everything by Sherri L. Smith. For ages 11 – 14.
On the first day of 8th grade, Candace opens her locker and is astonished when an unusual bird flies out. Soon after, a notebook mysteriously appears on the top shelf with a name and date written in it, Tracey Auburn 1988. On a whim, Candace writes in the notebook—and she’s shocked when Tracey writes back. Then an invitation appears from Loretta Young, who had the locker in 1948, and the three meet up in the present day. Tracey is now 53 and a college professor, and Loretta is 93 and a quantum physicist. Loretta tells them that her life’s work has been to study the portal and others like it across state of Illinois. But Loretta needs Tracey’s and Candace’s help to complete her research.
Where: Agoura Hills Library, LACL
Date: Saturday the 31st
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15364356
Persian Book Club at West Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
RSVP:
تماس بگیرید roya.rahimi@lapl.org برای اطلاعات بیشتر با ایمیل
Description:
:کتاب خود ا به اشتراک بگذارید
کتابی را که خواندید به دیگران هم معرفی کنید
تحلیل کتاب/ بحث و گفتگوی دوستانه
Where: West Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 11 am – 12:30 pm
Address: 19036 Vanowen St., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-persian
Drag Storytime at Northridge Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
It’s just what it sounds like! Join us for an extra sparkly storytime with a drag performer who brings costume, humor, and fun while reading inclusive children’s books. This program is designed to delight families and their kids of all ages as we celebrate diversity and individuality. Be yourself and bring your imagination!
Where: Northridge Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 11 am
Address: 9051 Darby Avenue, Northridge, CA 91325
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/drag-queen-story-hour-6
Books, Blooms & Brews: Grand Opening at The Reading Nook Mini Bookstore, Monrovia – In-Person Event
Join us in Old Town Monrovia for the Grand Opening of The Reading Nook Mini Bookstore, inside the Old Town Monrovia Mercantile Collective!
✨ Books, Blooms & Brews Grand Opening Celebration ✨
Join us in Old Town Monrovia for a whimsical Saturday celebrating the Grand Opening of The Reading Nook Mini Bookstore inside Mercantile Collective & the BeSpoke Hat Bar!
Immerse yourself in a cozy world of curated books, fresh florals, delicious sips, and community vibes. This pop-up experience brings together your favorite local small businesses for a day filled with creativity, connection, and charming finds.
Complementary tote bags & more. See site for details.
Where: Mercantile Collective & BeSpoke Hat Bar, The Reading Nook
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 11 am – 3 pm
Address: 128 E. Lemon St., Monrovia, CA
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/books-blooms-brews-tickets-1981813313971?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Storytime with Pedro Iniguez & The Fib at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Kids Event
Join us for a storytime with Pedro Iniguez, who will read and discuss The Fib.
The line between imagination and lie blur in The Fib by Bram Stoker and Elgin Award-winner Pedro Iniguez.
When Pepe struggles to find something exciting for show and tell, he spins a little lie about a magical creature with horns like a ram, claws like a bear, wings like a bat, eyes like an owl, and a tail like a lion. But, Pepe and his class soon discover that this harmless fib takes on a life of its own— literally— growing into a giant, uncontrollable monster that threatens to eat the entire school.
As chaos ensues, Pepe learns a valuable lesson: even the smallest fib can spiral out of control, but the truth holds the power to set things right. The Fib is a timeless story that weaves magic and morality into a powerful message about honesty, responsibility and the power of creativity.
Pedro Iniguez is a Mexican-American Bram Stoker Award-winning speculative fiction writer from Los Angeles. The Fib is his first picture book and he is the author of Mexicans on the Moon: Speculative Poetry from a Possible Future and the comic book Catrina’s Caravan, among several others. Apart from conducting writing workshops and speaking at several colleges, he has also been a sensitivity reader and has ghostwritten for award-winning apps and online clients. When he’s not reading, writing, daydreaming, or cooking, he likes to paint beside his Chihuahua, Cookie, and his turtle, Squirt.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com
Writers Supporting Writersat West Hollywood Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Looking for a place to connect with fellow writers and grow your craft? Join Writers Supporting Writers! For adults.
Writers Supporting Writers is a monthly library writing group that meets on the first Saturday of every month for writing exercises, thoughtful discussions of attendees’ works in progress, and engaging analysis of published works. We offer an inclusive and supportive environment for writers of every background and experience level to create, share, and grow.
Light refreshments provided by the Friends of the West Hollywood Library.
Where: West Hollywood Library, LACL
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 12 am – 2 pm
Address: 625 N San Vicente Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15293021
Book Reading & Signing: Diosa X. & MeXicana: poemas y mas poemas at Ramon Perlata Adobe, Anaheim – In-Person Event
Join us for an early evening of profound poetry.
Diosa Xochiquetzalcóatl will present her new book. MeXicana: poemas y mas poemas, and welcome two guest readers:.
Ellen Webre is a poet and social media specialist for Two Idiots Peddling Poetry and Moon Tide Press. She is a recent graduate of UCI’s Masters in Teaching program, and has a BA in screenwriting from Chapman University. She has been most recently published in Moon Tide Press’ Sh!t Men Say to Me Anthology, DARK INK: A Horror Anthology and Voicemail Poems.
David A. Romero is a Mexican-American poet, novelist, and publisher from Diamond Bar, CA. He is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of El Martillo Press. Romero is the author of the novel The Enemy Sleeps (El Martillo Press, 2026) and the books of poetry My Name Is Romero (FlowerSong Press, 2020) and Diamond Bars 2 (Moon Tide Press, 2024). Romero has received honorariums from nearly a hundred colleges and universities in thirty-four different states in the USA and has also performed live in Mexico, Italy, and France. His poem, “You Were Born a Tree” was sent to the Moon by NASA in 2025 as part of the Lunar Codex.
Free event for the whole family!
Everyone in attendance will walk away with little token of appreciation.
Where: Ramon Perlata Adobe
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 12 pm
Address: 6398 E. Santa Ana Canyon Rd., Anaheim, CA 92605
Website: https://www.instagram.com
Kids Graphic Novel Book Club: The Space Cat at Cellar Door Bookstore, Riverside – In-Person Kids Event
Participants will discuss Space Cat: A Graphic Novel by author Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford (illustrator)
Invaders from outer space have descended on Nigeria. They have no idea whose home they’re messing with.
Ah, yes, the luxurious life of a well-loved cat. It’s the best. And Periwinkle has it the cushiest. But there’s more to this pampered pet than meets the eye. He’s not just a house cat. He’s a space cat. By day, he’s showered with scritches, cuddles, and delicious chicken fillets. By night, he races through the cosmos in his custom-built spaceship.
Between epic battles with squeaky toys and working on ways to improve his ship, Periwinkle is never bored. And when his humans decide to leave the United States and move to the small but bustling town of Kaleria, Nigeria, he’s excited to explore his new home—even after he learns that many Nigerians hate cats. After all, a born adventurer like Periwinkle doesn’t shy away from new experiences. But not everything in Kaleria is as it seems. Soon enough, Periwinkle finds himself on his most out-of-this-world adventure yet, right here on Earth.
Nnedi Okorafor is an award-winning, New York Times-bestselling writer of mostly science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. Her debut novel, Zahrah the Windseeker, won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. Nnedi has since won World Fantasy, Nebula, Locus, Eisner, Hugo, Lodestar, and Nommo Awards, amongst others, for her work. Nnedi has also written comics for Marvel, including Black Panther: Long Live the King and the Shuri series. She holds a PhD in literature, master’s degrees in journalism and literature, and lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her daughter, Anyaugo.
Tana Ford is a Hugo and Eisner award–winning artist. She has illustrated comics for Marvel, Dark Horse, Vertigo and IDW. You can find her work on LaGuardia, Silk, The Amazing Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, New Warriors, Jem and the Holograms, Star Trek, and Black Panther: Long Live the King. Tana is a recipient of the Prism Comics Queer Press Grant and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. She lives in a seaside cottage in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where she is presently obsessed with birds.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 1 pm – 2 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://cellardoorbookstore.com/event/2026-02-07/kids-graphic-novel-book-club-space-cat
Book Club: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass at Will & Ariel Durant Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an autobiography detailing his life from birth into slavery in Maryland to his escape to freedom and his subsequent career as an abolitionist leader. The book exposes the brutal reality of slavery, highlights the power of literacy as a path to self-knowledge and resistance, and chronicles his harrowing experiences with various slaveholders and his ultimate, successful escape in 1838.
Series:
African American History Month, Inspiring Journeys.
Where: Will & Ariel Durant Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 2 pm
Address: 7140 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-narrative-life-frederick-douglass
When AI Takes the Hippocratic Oath: A Sci-Fi Thriller Discussion with Author Justin C Key and Actress Jamila Webb at The Gathering Spot – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
What happens when artificial intelligence doesn’t just assist medicine—it controls it entirely? And what happens to those who resist?
Join us for a mind-bending conversation with Justin C Key, author of the acclaimed The World Wasn’t Ready for You and his latest thriller set in a chillingly plausible near future, The Hospital at the End of the World. In his new novel, society is governed by a global AI system controlled by the all-powerful Shepherd Organization, which oversees every medical school in the country—except one renegade institution in New Orleans that still believes in human-led medicine. When a young medical student named Pok enrolls to uncover the truth behind his father’s mysterious death, he discovers a fatal illness plaguing those who grew up under AI rule. The deeper he digs, the more dangerous the answers become.
Alongside actress and cultural curator Jamila Webb, Member Justin C Key will unpack the urgent questions at the heart of this story:
How close are we to surrendering control to AI systems—in healthcare, governance, and beyond?
What does corporate consolidation of medicine mean for patient autonomy and human connection?
When technology promises efficiency, what do we lose in humanity?
What mysteries lie in the bodies and minds of those raised entirely under algorithmic rule?
Where are we headed—and is resistance still possible?
This isn’t just speculative fiction. It’s a mirror reflecting our present moment of AI advancement, corporate mega-mergers, and the erosion of human-centered care. If you’ve ever wondered whether we’re writing the origin story of a dystopia, this conversation is for you.
Where: Rep Club Off-site at The Gathering Spot
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 2 pm – 4:30 pm
Address: 5211 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016
Website: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/tgsevents/2032595
L.A. Book Launch: Suzanne Jill Leveine, with Eric Noonan, & Unfaithful: A Translator’s Memoir at Beyond Baroque – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join us for the launch, and a reading and conversation between Suanne Jill Leveinroonan, to discuss Unfaithful: A Translator’s Memoir.
In this witty and incisive memoir, Suzanne Jill Levine—winner of the 2024 PEN/Ralph Manheim Award for Translation—establishes a new way of writing about a translator’s life. The author will be joined in conversation with Erik Noonan, author of the poetry collections, Stances and Haiku d’Etat, in The Wanda Coleman Theater at Beyond Baroque. Book signings and reception to follow.
In Unfaithful: A Translator’s Memoir, Levine interweaves her personal history and translation history in an important period. Levine analyzes how her openness to another culture and new experiences, along with a knack for translating the most difficult Latin American novels and positive interactions with her authors, took her from a modest New York background into a whole new literary and linguistic world. She also writes about how her friendship and then long relationship with Uruguayan writer and intellectual Emir Rodríguez Monegal helped her develop her career, and how translating creatively subversive Guillermo Cabrera Infante and Manuel Puig—taking on the task of making spoken Cuban and Argentine into a new literary language in translation—was her true entry into the world of writing.
It is now common for translation scholars to talk about the “embodied” nature of the act of translation. Levine fleshes out that embodiment in provocative detail, with humor and style.
NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, and information.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm (Doors at 2:30 pm)
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, CA 90291
Saturday Afternoon Poetry: Poetry Writing Workshop – Online Zoom Event
Poetry Writing Workshop led by DKC (Submit up to 3 poems totaling no more than 150 lines including the subject of or at least mentioning love for Four Feathers Press online edition: LOVE emailing donkingfishercampbell@gmail.com by 11:59 pm, February 20th)
Don Kingfisher Campbell hosts and curates these events.
Where: Saturday Afternoon Poetry Online
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 3 pm – 4:30 pm
Address: Online Zoom Event
Website: https://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/
Petra Lord, with Marie Lu, & Queen of Faces: Deluxe Edition at Vroman’s – In-Person Event
Petra Lord, in conversation with Marie LU, will discuss Queen of Faces: Deluxe Edition.
This limited deluxe edition is printed with one-of-a-kind etched, gold foil edges, stunning foil on the case, and a striking printed endpaper map!
This dark academia fantasy follows a desperate girl at a cutthroat magical academy who faces a choice between life and death: become an assassin for the enchanted elite or watch her decaying body draw its last breath. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, Brandon Sanderson, Lev Grossman, and R.F. Kuang.
Anabelle Gage is trapped in a male body, and it’s rotting from the inside out. But Ana can’t afford to escape it, even as the wealthiest in Caimor buy and discard expensive designer bodies without a thought. When she fails to gain admittance to the prestigious Paragon Academy—and access to the healthy new forms the school provides its students—her final hope implodes. Now without options, Ana must use her illusion magic to try to steal a healthy chassis—before her own kills her.
But Ana is caught by none other than the headmaster of Paragon Academy, who poses a brutal ultimatum: face execution for her crime or become a mercenary at his command. Revolt brews in Caimor’s smog-choked underworld, and the wealthy and powerful will stop at nothing to take down the rebels and the infamous dark witch at their helm, the Black Wraith.
With no choice but to accept, Ana will steal, fight, and kill her way to salvation. But her survival depends on a dangerous band of renegades: an impulsive assassin, a brooding bombmaker, and an alluring exile who might just spell her ruin. As Ana is drawn into a tangled web of secrets, the line between villain and hero shatters—and Ana must decide which side is worth dying for.
This is a non-ticketed event, free RSVP event. Please note: an RSVP does not guarantee seating if we reach capacity. Please plan on arriving early.
Where: Vroman’s
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
Sesentañera for Serros: Celebrating the Life and Work of Michele Serrosat Beyond Baroque – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join us for a celebration of the life and legacy of Oxnard poet, Michele Serros
Join us for Sesentañera for Serros, A Celebration of the Life and Work of Michele Serros. Author of Chicana Falsa and How to Be a Chicana Role Model, Michele Serros, was a Gen X poet, performer, rock star role model, and dear friend. Born February 11, 1966, Serros would have been 60 this year, but the world lost her light in January 2015 at the age of 48 due to cancer. We celebrate Serros’ 60th birthday in a way she would have loved with poofy dresses, poetry, stories, music, and laughter.
The event will feature a community of readers, including Steve Abee, Luis Alfaro, Maya Chinchilla, Jesenia Chavez, Consuelo G. Flores, Mona Alvarado Frazier, Maricela J. Becerra García, liz gonzález, Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, Georgina Guzman, Lucy Rodriguez-Hanley, and Joseph Rios.
The evening will be hosted by Luivette Resto and Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo.
DJ Set by Metro Sessions and live music by Necia.
NOTE: See site for further details, tickets, and information.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, CA 90291
Book Reading & Signing: Diosa X. & MeXicana: poemas y mas poemas at The Untold Story Bookstore, Anaheim – In-Person Event
Join us for an early evening of profound poetry.
Diosa Xochiquetzalcóatl will present her new book. MeXicana: poemas y mas poemas, and welcome three guest readers:.
Brenda Vaca is a Xicana poet, author, and independent publisher from Sejatnga, Unceded Tongva Territory, known as South Whittier, CA. She earned her B.A. in English at UC Berkeley with a Minor in Creative Writing. Riot of Roses is her debut collection of poetry published by her indie house, Riot of Roses Publishing House. She is currently working on her first children’s book, Buttonz Finds His Mojo, under the imprint Oh My Gatos Books.
Paola Gutierrez is a preschool teacher, born and raised in México, currently living in Orange County, California. She’s an active member of her community, always participating and volunteering in Orange County. She is the author of a picture book, “I don’t like broccoli” “No me gusta el brócoli” (5-12) and a poetry collection, LA NIÑA DE MIS OJOS a collection of poems in Spanish; a love letter to her grandfather and to her inner child.
Camille Hernandez is a Black and Filipina writer, ethicist, and poet. She blends leadership development and trauma-informed pastoral care to help survivors know their voice, be nourished in community, and develop self-compassion practices to birth new liberated realities into existence. She is the author of the collection Motherlands.
Free event for the whole family!
Everyone in attendance will walk away with little token of appreciation.
Where: The Untold Story Bookstore
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 301 N. Anaheim Blvd., Ste. D, Anaheim, CA 92605
Website: https://www.instagram.com
Pondwater Society Reading Series: Matt Sedillo & Ceasar K. Avelar at Private Residence, Covina – In-Person Event
This is the PondWater we need now!
Matt Sedillo has been described as the “best political poet in America” as well as “the poet laureate of the struggle.” He is the co-founder and CEO of El Martillo Press. His work has drawn comparisons in print to Bertolt Brecht, Roque Dalton, Amiri Baraka, Allen Ginsberg, Carl Sandburg and various other legends of the past.
Ceasar K. Avelar is the second poet laureate of Pomona, CA. His poems speak the truth, not only to people in a position of power, but also to the everyday person that views the working class as a stigmatized identity.
Every First Saturday of the month. Hosted by Joanne Qualley Baines.
RSVP
Where: Pondwater Society
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 5 pm – 8 pm
Address: 16504 E. Masline St., Covina, CA 91722
Monthly Open Mic at LibroMobile, Santa Ana – In-Person Event
Monthly Open Mic with Reggie Peralta at LibroMobile, Santa Ana.
Whether you’re a poet, musician, storyteller, or just here to listen, this space is for you. Step up to the mic or come support local voices!
Every First Saturday of the month.
RSVP
Where: LibroMobile
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1150 S. Bristol St., A3, Santa Ana, CA 92704
Website: https://www.libromobile.com/events or https://www.libromobile.com/event-details/monthly-open-mic-with-reggie-peralta-2026-02-07-18-00
Graphic Novel Event: Christopher Greenstate, with David M. Booher, & Genre with a Beating Heart: Queen Kodiak at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Join us to celebrate with author Christopher Greenstate, in conversation with David M. Booher, to discuss his graphic novel Genre with a Beating Heart: Queen Kodiak.
Following in the massive footsteps of legends like Godzilla and King Kong, comes QUEEN KODIAK, a colossal, super-charged Kodiak grizzly bear…one who survived from the ice-age and who’s been irreversibly enhanced by a mysterious geothermal energy pulsing in the unknown depths of an Alaskan ice cave. And although QUEEN KODIAK’s been asleep for thousands of years, melting ice and subsequent tectonic activity has disturbed her hibernation. And in her debut graphic novel, she wakes up to find her only cub missing.
But as much as we want to meet her and watch her wreck shop on the Pacific northwest (sorry Seattle), our story actually centers on JOEY FOX, an embattled 17-year-old girl, and natural empath, who befriends Queen Kodiak’s cub after a tectonic shift in her own life — the recent passing of her mother. As a result, Joey’s been sent to Alaska’s Kodiak Island to live with the man who left them ten years ago, her state trooper father. In many ways, it’s a story about how families survive overwhelming odds.
Christopher Greenslate is an award-winning writer/director whose work in film and television has played at film festivals worldwide, been published by Hachette Books, and highlighted by NPR, TIME Magazine, and the New York Times. Queen Kodiak is his debut graphic novel.
David M. Booher is a multiple Eisner and GLAAD nominated writer of comics, television, and film. His comics include Eisner and GLAAD-nominated Killer Queens (Dark Horse), Eisner-nominated Rain (Image/Syzygy), and the all-ages fantasy series CANTO (Dark Horse). He has also written stories for Firefly, Dungeons & Dragons, and Ghostbusters. His LGBTQ-led Killer Queens was featured in the New York Times as a must read in honor of Pride Month.
Reserve your seats on EVENTBRITE!
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Saturday the 7th
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com
Poetry After Dark: Gown & Sexy Open Mic at Café con Libros, Pomona – In-Person Event
James Coats presents Poetry After Dark: Grown & Sexy Open Mic at Café con Libros in Pomona on February 7, 2026.
Featured poets include: James, Cynthia, Juan, Doisa X., Antonio.
Join us at Café con Libros for an unforgettable evening of poetic expression! Our Grown and Sexy Open Mic event is the perfect opportunity to showcase your spicy work or simply enjoy the sensual words of others. Whether you’re a seasoned poet or just curious to explore the world of spoken word, this event promises to arouse your interest and leave you wanting more.
At Poetry After Dark, the stage will feature some of the most talented artist who wants to share their hottest thoughts, stories, and emotions through poetry. So, grab your friends, grab a drink, and get ready for an evening filled with music, passion, laughter, and fiery performances.
Located at Café con Libros, this cozy venue provides the perfect ambiance for an intimate and engaging poetry experience. With its mature atmosphere and sultry vibes, you’ll feel right at home as you immerse yourself in the passionate spoken word performances.
Don’t miss out on this incredible night of artistic expression! Mark your calendars and join us at Poetry After Dark: Grown and Sexy Open Mic. Let your words shine and be a part of this vibrant community of poets. We can’t wait to see you there!.
RSVP: Tickets available through Eventbrite
Where: Café con Libros, Pomona
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 6:30 pm – 9 pm
Address: 280 W. 2nd St., Pomona, CA 91766
Website: https://www.instagram.com or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-after-dark-grown-and-sexy-open-mic-tickets-1979193965429
Barrio Poetry Club Open Mic & Featured Poets at Barrio Fuerza, San Bernardino – In-Person Event
Join us for Barrio Poetry Club Open Mic: La Ultima, Vol. 3: Cosecha.
Our last event! Bring something for the potluck, pick up a souvenir, and be in community one last time at Barrio Fuerza. It’s been hard but it’s been fun. Thank you to everyone who has been supporting our space all these years.
Guest Poets:
Donato Martinez: @donatomartinez1
Ericka Guinaldo: @erickaguinaldo
Peter Lehuga: @handsomeherbivore
N/A: @maia.vik.villa
And more TBA
Free entrance. Community Potluck
Doors open at 7:30 pm; Sign-ups 7:30 pm – 9 pm: Open Mic 8 pm – LATE (5 min. time slots)
Where: Barrio Fuerza, San Bernardino
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 8 pm (Doors 7:30 pm)
Address: 395 N. E. St., Suite 102, San Bernardino, CA 92401
Website: https://www.instagram.com/barriofuerza/
The Griot Café Monthly Open Mic at Shades of Afrika, Long Beach – In-Person Event
Good vibes, spoken word, poetry, music and more.
Celebrate Black History Month!
Hosted by Tommy Domino
Feature: Subject Matter
Music Vibes: DJ PW
Every First Saturday of the month.
$10 cash
Where: Shades of Afrika
Date: Saturday, the 7th
Time: 8 pm (Doors 7:30 pm)
Address: 1001 E/ 4th St., Long Beach, CA 90802
Website: https://www.instagram.com/dizztommy/ or https://www.instagram.com/shadesofafrika/?hl=en
Melrose Trading Post: L.A. Poet Society at Greenway Arts Alliance at Melrose Trading Post at Fairfax H.S. – In-Person Event
The Melrose Trading Post is a pioneering arts-based marketplace held every Sunday at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, CA with 275 local creative small business vendors, delicious food booths, and local live music.
MTP was founded in 1997 with a mission to champion small businesses, art, and community. The market funds Greenway Arts Alliance’s arts education programming and provides employment and leadership development opportunities for students at Fairfax High School.
JOIN us for Poetry on Demand 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 8th
Time: 10 am – 5 pm (market); 12 pm – 5 pm (poets on demand)
Address: 7850 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
Website: https://www.instagram.com
826LA@Hammer: Screenwriting: Writing with Conflict at The Hammer Museum – In-Person Kids Event
Want to write your own script? Then get ready for some conflict! In this workshop, students will learn how to construct engaging conflict-driven scenes that they can take to the screen.
Led by writer/director Marisa Hardwicke, who recently completed her directorial debut, a coming-of-age short called “The Summer After.”
FREE: See site for guidelines.
Where: Hammer Museum
Date: Sunday the 8th
Time: 11 am – 1 pm
Address: 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Website: https://hammer.ucla.edu/programs-events/2026/826lahammer-screenwriting-writing-conflict
Book Event: Arielle Friedtanzer & How to Say Goodbye at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person MG Event
Arielle Friedtanzer will discuss How to Say Goodbye: Talking to (Grand)children About Death.
One of the biggest challenges that parents face in anticipation, or the aftermath, of a tragedy is the dilemma of if, how, and when to speak to their (grand)children about death. Through discussion and children’s literature, this session will explore how to determine what is appropriate for children at any given age to know about death and how to answer the questions we may never have answers to.
Arielle Friedtanzer, M.A., has spent the last eight years trying to convince people of all ages that talking about death will not make it happen any sooner. Trained as an interfaith chaplain with a background in Judaic Studies, Bioethics, and Social Work, Arielle has offered countless opportunities to individuals of all ages and backgrounds to explore their experiences with advanced-care planning, loss, death, and grief. Arielle hosted a weekly Facebook Live series, Millennials and Mortality Mondays, during the pandemic, when she also began facilitating virtual memorials and celebrations of life. Arielle is determined to reduce the stigma around aging and the fear of death by helping people have these thoughtful conversations early and often, and she feels tremendous privilege in being present with individuals and families during these difficult, but intimate moments.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Sunday the 8th
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://shop.villagewell.com
Books and Brunch at El Torito, Lakewood – In-Person Event
Books & Brunch: Join Us Sunday February 8th
#sundayfunday #social #goodvibes #makeconnections #bookish
Tickets at Eventbrite.
Where: El Torito, Lakewood
Date: Sunday the 8th
Time: 11:30 am – 2 pm
Address: 5442 Lakewood Blvd., Lakewood, CA 90024
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/books-and-brunch-tickets-1979626725827
Special Storytime: Meet Clifford the Big Red Dog at Once Upon a Time, Montrose – In-Person Event
Dream Big with Clifford!
Imagine having a dog bigger than a house! In the original story that has sparked the imaginations of young readers for generations, a little girl named Emily Elizabeth gets a tiny puppy who grows up to be the biggest dog in the whole world. He’s so big that he can fetch robbers…and their car! Most importantly, Clifford is a good friend who’s always cheerful and ready to play and help.
Come listen to a special storytime featuring Dream Big Clifford and be inspired to dream and read with Clifford. Best for ages 3+.
RSVP is required. $5 for 1 adult and 1 child.
Where: Once Upon a Time, Montrose
Date: Sunday the 8th
Time: 2 pm
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/meet-clifford-big-red-dog
Readings at Sunset ~ An Evening of Queer Poetry at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza – In-Person LGBTQIA Event
Live poetry readings featuring local queer + trans poets!
Cuties Los Angeles presents Readings at Sunset! Readings at Sunset is a monthly live poetry event at LA LGBT Center hosted by Adrianne D. Embry. “Readings” features a lineup of local LGBTQ+ poets sharing pieces about a selected theme. This month the theme is LOVE!
If you’d like to read, please don’t purchase a ticket and sign up to read at website. Poets get free entrance and a +1!
Doors open at 3 and poetry will begin at 3:30! Please arrive early to grab a seat and meet other Cuties. Our friends at Lé Trois Apothecary will be joining us offering tea and other plant medicines, & Dear Mama LA will have vegan Mexican food for sale.
Ticketed event.
Where: The Village at Ed Gould Plaza (LA LGBTQ Center)
Date: Sunday the 8th
Time: 3 pm
Address: 1125 N. McCadden Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90038
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/readings-at-sunset-an-evening-of-queer-poetry-tickets-1981227403497
Book Reading & Signing: Diosa X. & MeXicana: poemas y mas poemas at Ramon Perlata Adobe, Anaheim – In-Person Event
Join us for an early evening of profound poetry.
Diosa Xochiquetzalcóatl will present her new book. MeXicana: poemas y mas poemas, and welcome a guest reader:
Join us in Redlands on Sunday, February 8th from 4 pm to 5 pm.
Meet children’s author, José Chavez, my special guest!
José Chavez writes bilingual poetry for children. His current book is Dancing Fruit, Singing Rivers, Baila la Fruta, Cantan los Rios. It focuses on healthy eating for children and taking care of Mother Earth.
Come and watch me perform a select number of poems from my newest poetry collection MeXicana:poemas y más poemas. Book signing immediately following performance.
Freebies for the whole family!
Where: The Frugal Frigate’s A Room of One’s Own
Date: Sunday, the 8th
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: 9 N. 6th St., Redlands, CA 92373
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTdJ7L6lX6f/?hl=en
Second Sunday Poetry Series at The Studio Theatre at St. Denis Building – In-Person Event
Alex M. Frankel hosts Second Sunday Poetry Series which features three poets this month:
Rachel Kaufman is a poet, teacher, and PhD candidate in Latin American and Jewish history at UCLA. Her work explores diasporic memory, transmission, and violence and argues for the power of poetry as historical method. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming on poets.org and in The Georgia Review, Harvard Review, AGNI, Los Angeles Review of Books, Rethinking History, Colonial Latin American Review, and elsewhere. The author of poetry collection, Many to Remember (2021), she was a 2023 Helene Wurlitzer poet-in-residence, a 2025 Willapa Bay AiR poet-in-residence, and a Fulbright-Hays Scholar.
Aryeh Cohen is a Rabbi and Professor of Rabbinic Literature at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies of the American Jewish University. He is the vice-president of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. He is also a co-convener of the Black Jewish Justice Alliance, and the past-president of the Society of Jewish Ethics. His latest book is Justice in the City: An Argument from the Sources of Rabbinic Judaism. His poetry has appeared in Kerem, Tikkun, Cobra Milk, and The Ilanot Review.
Erin Mizrahi is a writer, educator, collaborator, and co-founder of Cobra Milk. Erin holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture from the University of Southern California and has received fellowships from Asylum Arts and The Institute for Jewish Creativity. Erin is author of the forthcoming chapbooks To What End: (Ethel Press) and I’m Doing My Best To Make Everything Holy (Faint Line Press) and co-author of the micro-chapbook, If We Break, Where We Break, How We Break (Ghost City Press 2023).
Where: The Studio Theatre at St. Denis Building
Date: Sunday the 8th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 3433 Cahuenga Blvd West, Los Angeles 90068
(Near Universal Studios)
Website: https://www.secondsundaypoetry.com/
Library Girl Reading Series at Ruskin Group Theatre, Santa Monica – In-Person Event
Susan Hayden hosts the Library Girl Reading Series at the Ruskin Theatre Group every 2nd Sunday of the month.
Library Girl presents: You Walked In and My Life Began
Deluxe Pre-Valentine’s Show. Featuring Jeff Greenstein, Nancy Spiller, Nora MacIntyre, Steven Reigns, Stephen Kalinich, bridgette bianca, Steve Hochman + Michael C Ford.
Jeff Greenstein is an American television writer, producer and director who served as a writer for Will & Grace.
Nancy Spiller is a writer and artist living on the wild western edge of Los Angeles with her husband, Tom, and miniature American shepherd, Sadie. A fourth generation California native, she was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she earned a B.A. in English, with emphasis in Creative Writing, from San Francisco State University. She has studied painting at the San Francisco Academy of Art, Art Center College of Design and UCLA.
Nora MacIntyre N/A
Steven Reigns is an American poet, artist and activist known for his poetry publications, his work as West Hollywood’s first City Poet, his participatory art projects, his LGBT activism, and his scholarly work on Anaïs Nin. He is the author most recently of Outliving Michael.
Stephen Kalinich is an American poet mostly known for his songwriting collaborations with Brian and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. In 1969, he recorded his only album, A World of Peace Must Come, with production by Brian Wilson. It was unreleased until 2008.
bridgette bianca is a poet and professor from South Central Los Angeles. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Howard University and her Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Otis College of Art & Design. bridgette bianca has performed her poetry all around Southern California. bridgette bianca’s work as a writer and an educator seeks to serve the people and moments most forget or ignore. Her first book of poetry, be/trouble, was released by Writ Large Press in 2020.
Steve Hochman is a veteran music journalist and critic with over 30 years of experience covering popular and eclectic music, notably as a core team member of the Los Angeles Times from 1985 to the late 2000s. He contributes to BuzzBandsLA, Music Aficionado, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Variety, specializing in in-depth artist profiles and global music trends.
Michael C Ford was born on the Illinois side of Lake Michigan. His debut spoken word vinyl [on SST] LANGUAGE COMMANDO earned a Grammy nomination in 1986. His book of Selected Poems EMERGENCY EXITS was honored by a 1998 Pulitzer Prize nomination. Besides publishing music journalism, essays and assays on other aspects of American cultural history, he’s served as judge and panelist for literary arts organizations and publishers.
He’s been called into service to teach in USA county area middle-schools and high-schools through the PEN in the Classroom program: also at many nationwide universities; and to recite at various venues: many times with musical accompaniment.
Music by Abby Posner.
GET TIX NOW!! https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=rgt
Where: Ruskin Group Theatre (new address)
Date: Sunday the 8th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 2800 Airport Ave, Santa Monica (just two doors down from the old space)
Website: https://www.facebook.com
Stories Books x Beyond Baroque presents jimmy vega & Zirconium Ash at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event
An evening of beyond baroque poetics celebrating the publication of jimmy vega’s new book Zirconium Ash.
Iván Salinas is a Mexican writer & zinester based in the San Fernando Valley (unceded Tongva-Tativiam territory). He received a BA in English, Creative Writing, from Cal State Northridge. He is the co-founder of Drifter Zine and Paloma Press, highlighting artists of the 818 and beyond. His writings and translations have appeared in Revista Generación, The Acentos Review, Mobile Data Mag, Broken Lens Journal, The Ana, and elsewhere. Iván is Programs Manager at Beyond Baroque.
Genesis Perez , a queer Chicana poet and performer from Oxnard, California, is the Program and Bookstore Assistant at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center. From 2019 to 2020 they were the Youth Poet Laureate of Ventura County. They released their debut collection of poetry Flash Photography in 2021. Perez has performed at Paak House, Medicine for Nightmares, and Da Poetry Lounge.
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—open Fridays and Saturdays—or online at the Beyond Baroque BookShop.org.
Barbara Fant is an acclaimed poet, educator, and artistic director for Street Poets with over 15 years of experience in performance and healing-centered, trauma-informed workshops for marginalized communities. A 9-time National Poetry Slam competitor and World Poetry Slam finalist, she is the author of Paint, Inside Out (2010), Mouths of Garden (2022), and Joy in the Belly of a Riot (2025).
Zoe Edeskuty is Beyind Baroque’s newest Development & Fundraising Intern! A passionate writer with a love for short fiction and poetry, she’s currently studying creative writing at Chapman University, where she also runs an experimental literary arts journal.
jimmy vega is the child of Mexican immigrants, a Chicano Los Angeles poet, educator, and interdisciplinary artist. vega is the author of zirconium ash (what books press, 2025). He holds a BA from UCLA in English and an MFA in creative writing from CalArts. vega’s poems have appeared or are forthcoming in diode, dunce codex, maintenant, and elsewhere. vega is currently the interim executive director of beyond baroque literary/arts center. he lives and works in Los Angeles. more @jimmyyvega or jimmy-vega.com
Where: Stories Books & Café
Date: Sunday the 8th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://storiesla.com/events
Fantasy Romance Book Club: House of Hunger at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
Bookseller Grace leads our fantasy and paranormal romance book club.
Meets on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 7:15 pm. No membership is necessary, but RSVP is required.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Sunday the 8th
Time: 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 3806 Main St,, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: https://www.therippedbodice.com/events-and-tickets
Poetry Suite “Sultry Sundays” Open Mic – In-Person Event
Star Logan presents a night to remember where poetry meets sensuality for a night it vulnerable, raw, intimate spoken word
Featuring Kerm and Anika!
Poetry suite has been going over 4 years now. This is an intimate open mic, intimate crowd, very supportive. Want to get on the list? Purchase your ticket here, then DM us on instagram @Poetry_Suitee with your name & we will put you on the list. This particular open mic is bringing the sexy vibes, so come ready to experience.
Ticketed event
Where: Thee V Suite
Date: Sunday the 8th
Time: 7:30 pm – 11 pm
Address: 463 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-suite-sultry-sundays-tickets-1980996204976
Los Angeles Literature 