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: Monday the 9^th

Time: 9 am – 10 am

Writing a book, poem, or screenplay? Need deadlines? Want constructive feedback? Then this is the place for you. Bring 5 – 10 double-spaced typed pages to read. Everyone will get a chance to read.

RSVP:

This group mostly meets in person, but email rbrtsn@lapl.org if you’d prefer to join via Zoom.

NOTE: See site for link and details.

Where: Robertson Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Monday the 9^th

Time: 11 am

Address: 1719 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035

Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/robertson-writers-group-2

Book Club: The Kingmaker via Sun Valley Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event

Join us for a lively book discussion. We meet online via Google Meet.

February – The Kingmaker by Kennedy Ryan

RSVP: Email ebarrera@lapl.org for the Google Meet link.

Where: Sun Valley Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Monday the 9^th

Time: 4:45 pm – 5:30 pm

Address: Online Event (see site)

Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/sun-valley-branch-book-club-0

Evening Book Club: Wild Dark Shore at Manhattan Beach Library, LACL – In-Person Event

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

February Selection: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore.

Where: Manhattan Beach Library, LACL

Date: Monday the 9^th

Time: 5 pm – 6 pm

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

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/14757518

YA for Adults Book Club: Their Vicious Games at Cellar Door Bookstore, Riverside – In-Person Event

Join us to discuss Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington.

A Black teen desperate to regain her Ivy League acceptance enters an elite competition only to discover the stakes aren’t just high, they’re deadly, in this “spine-chilling thriller” (Publishers Weekly).

You must work twice as hard to get half as much.

Adina Walker has known this the entire time she’s been on scholarship at the prestigious Edgewater Academy—a school for the rich (and mostly white) upper class of New England. It’s why she works so hard to be perfect and above reproach, no matter what she must force beneath the surface. Even one slip can cost you everything.

And it does. One fight, one moment of lost control, leaves Adina blacklisted from her top choice Ivy League college and any other. Her only chance to regain the future she’s sacrificed everything for is the Finish, a high-stakes contest sponsored by Edgewater’s founding family in which twelve young, ambitious women with exceptional promise are selected to compete in three mysterious events: the Ride, the Raid, and the Royale. The winner will be granted entry into the fold of the Remington family, whose wealth and power can open any door.

But when she arrives at the finish, Adina quickly gets the feeling that something isn’t quite right with both the Remingtons and her fellow competitors, and soon it becomes clear that this larger-than-life prize can only come at an even greater cost. Because the Finish’s stakes aren’t just make or break…they’re life and death.

Joelle Wellington grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where her childhood was spent wandering the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. Her love of the written word led her to a BA in creative writing and international studies. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading and when she’s not doing that, she’s attempting to bake bread with varying degrees of success or strengthening her encyclopedia-like pop culture knowledge. She’s the author of Their Vicious Games, The Blonde Dies First, and Girls Who Play Dead.

Where: Cellar Door Bookstore

Date: Monday the 9^th

Time: 6 pm – 8 pm

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

Website: https://cellardoorbookstore.com/event/2026-02-09/ya-adults-book-club-their-vicious-games

Robertson Readers Book Club: All the Light We Cannot See at Robertson Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event

Join us for the book club at the Robertson Branch. We will discuss the book and share other interesting books we have been reading. New members are welcome! Print copies of each book will be available for checkout in the branch beginning three weeks before the book club meeting date, while supplies last.

Upcoming meeting:

February 9: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

NOTE: See site for link and details.

Where: Robertson Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Monday the 9^th

Time: 6:30 pm

Address: 1719 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035

Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/robertson-readers

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 9^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 3575 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92501

Daikon is a sweeping and suspenseful novel of love and war, set in Japan during the final days of World War II, with a shocking historical premise: three atomic bombs were actually delivered to the Pacific—not two—and when one of them falls into the hands of the Japanese, the fate of a couple that has been separated from one another becomes entangled with the fate of this terrifying new device.

If you are unable to attend this book club meeting but would like to be added to our mailing list for future Books & Brews meetings, please email Jeff at jeff@pagesabookstore.com.

Where: Culture Brewing Co.

Date: Monday the 9^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

Address: 327 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Website: https://pagesabookstore.com/event/2026-02-09/books-and-brews-book-club

Main Library Book Group: Facism: A Warning via Santa Monica Mian Library – Online Event

Participants will discuss Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine K. Albright.

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

Where: Main Santa Monica Library 

Date: Monday the 9^th

Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm

Mac Barnett and Carson Ellis, in conversation with Jon Klassen, will discuss Rumpelstiltskin.

In the follow-up to the highly acclaimed, instant bestseller, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, comes the second ​brilliant and highly anticipated fairy tale retelling from the New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Award-winning creators, Mac Barnett and Carson Ellis.

Once upon a time there was a clever girl with a not-so-clever father. When her father claims she can spin straw into gold, the king forces the girl to perform this impossible task. She has no other choice than to accept a strange deal from a mysterious little man. But when he arrives and attempts to collect the debt, the fiendish trickster Rumpelstiltskin discovers that he is the one who has been tricked! This is the second in the groundbreaking new collection of masterfully retold fairy tales crafted by one of today’s most celebrated and esteemed authors, Mac Barnett, paired with the stunning illustrations of the acclaimed and award-winning creator, Carson Ellis.

Mac Barnett is the New York Times bestselling author of many picture books, including the New York Times bestseller The Three Billy Goats Gruff; The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse; the Caldecott Honor Book and E. B. White Read Aloud Award winner Sam and Dave Dig a Hole; the Shapes Trilogy (Triangle, Circle, and Square); and the Caldecott Honor Book and Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner Extra Yarn. Mac is also the author of the middle-grade series, Mac B., Kid Spy. He lives in Oakland, California.

Carson Ellis is the author and illustrator of the bestselling picture books Home and Du Iz Tak?, a Caldecott Honor book and the recipient of an E. B. White Read Aloud Award. She has illustrated a number of children’s books, including What Is Love? by Mac Barnett, The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, The Composer Is Dead by Lemony Snicket, and the Wildwood Chronicles series by her husband, Colin Meloy. She lives on a farm with her family in Oregon.

Where: Skylight

Date: Monday the 9^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

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

Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-mac-barnett-carson-ellis-present-rumpelstiltskin-w-jon-klassen

Maureen Goo, with Yulin Kuang, & One and Only at Vroman’s – In-Person Event

Maureen Goo, in conversation with Yulin Kuang, will discuss One and Only.

She knows what her happily ever after looks like. And it’s not him.

Cassia Park believes in soul mates. Fated love stories. It’s her family business, after all—for centuries, from Korea to Los Angeles, Park women have peered into clients’ past lives to find their one true love, their fated. This magical secret is why One & Only Matchmaking has a 100% guarantee…for everyone but Cassia.

For ten years, Cass has been searching for her fated, a man named Daniel Nam. But he’s still nowhere to be found.

And so, on the eve of her 40th birthday, Cass decides to do something for herself. She impulsively has a fling with Ellis. He’s twenty-eight, indecently handsome, and not destined to be the love of her life. But she’s surprised by their connection and their fling feels like something more—up to the moment he introduces her to his boss…Daniel Nam.

As she battles between fate and chance, head and heart, a family secret is revealed that will make her question everything she’s ever known. Cassia will have to decide if she’ll follow her fate…or make her own.

Where: Vroman’s

Date: Monday the 9^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

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

Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2026-02-09/maurene-goo-conversation-yulin-kuang-discusses-signs-one-only

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 9^th

Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Address: Zoom Online Event (see site)

Website: https://beyondbaroque.org/free_workshops.html

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 10^th

Time: 10 am – 11 am

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

Where: Pico Branch Library, SMPL

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 10:30 am – 11 am

Address: 2201 Pico Blvd., 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 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 10^th

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 Pico 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: Pico Branch Library SMPL

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 11:30 am – 12 pm

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

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

Nonfiction Book Club: Destiny of the Republic at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Event

Join us to discuss Destiny of the Republic by Candice Milalrd. Copies available at the library. For adults.

Where: Agoura Hulls Library LACL

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 2 pm – 3 pm

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

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15375564

Found Photo Fiction Workshop with 826LA at Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Teens Event

Join presenters from 826LA as they change the way you think about creativity! Come write stories and poems inspired by photos you find in the library. No prior experience of supplies is necessary.

This program is for teens and tweens 11-18 only.

Where: Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 4 pm

Address: 1874 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027

Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/brentwood-fiction-book-club

Poetry Open Mic via Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event

Share a poem you wrote or a poem you love. You are also welcome to just listen and enjoy.

RSVP:

To receive a Zoom invitation, please contact wwood@lapl.org.

Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 6 pm

Address: Online Event (see site)

Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/poetry-open-mic-0

Book Club Tuesday: Begin Again at Hollydale Library, LACL – In-Person Event

Join us to discuss Begin Again by Helly Acton. Copies available at the library. For adults.

Where: Hollyday Library LACL

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 6:30 pm – 7 pm

Address: 12000 Garfield Ave., South Gate, CA 90280

Whether you’re interested in writing a memoir for your family, a book to promote your business, or a novel for fun, sometimes you need a jumpstart.

Where: Culver City Julian Dixon Library LACL

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 6 pm – 7:15 pm

Address: 4975 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA 90230

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15285281

Book Club Tuesday: Begin Again at Hollydale Library, LACL – In-Person Event

Join us to discuss Begin Again by Helly Acton. Copies available at the library. For adults.

Where: Hollyday Library LACL

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 6:30 pm – 7 pm

Address: 12000 Garfield Ave., South Gate, CA 90280

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15634847

Activism Book Club: When We Walk By at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event

Join us for the newest addition to the Village Well Book Club family, the Activism Book Club!

Each month, we’ll dive into a book that informs and directs us about the state of the world, and how we can put what we learn into practice. We’ll have guest speakers, workshops, volunteer activities, and discussions on how we can positively impact the community. We’re looking forward to building a community that’s more connected around our collective well-being.

Our book choice for February is When We Walk By by Kevin F Adler and Donald W Burnes.

How to end homelessness in America: a must-read guide to understanding housing instability, supporting our unhoused neighbors, and reclaiming our humanity.

A deeply humanizing analysis that will change the way you think about poverty and homelessness—for the socially engaged reader of Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste and Matthew Desmond’s Evicted.

Think about the last time that you saw or interacted with an unhoused person. What did you do? What did you say? Did you offer money or a smile, or did you avert your gaze?

When We Walk By takes an urgent look at homelessness in America, showing us what we lose—in ourselves and as a society—when we choose to walk past and ignore our neighbors in shelters, insecure housing, or on the streets. And it brilliantly shows what we stand to gain when we embrace our humanity and move toward evidence-based people-first, community-driven solutions, offering social analysis, economic and political histories, and the real stories of unhoused people.

Authors Kevin F. Adler and Donald W. Burnes, with Amanda Banh and Andrijana Bilbija, recast chronic homelessness in the U.S. as a byproduct of twin crises: our social services systems are failing, and so is our humanity.

A necessary, deeply humanizing read that goes beyond theory and policy analysis to offer engaged solutions with compassion and heart, When We Walk By is a must-read for anyone who cares about homelessness, housing solutions, and their own humanity.

Where: Village Well Books & Coffee

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm

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 10^th

Time: 7 pm – 10 pm

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

Website: https://www.instagram.com

Book Event: Gregg Hurwittz, with David Ducholvny, & Antihero at Diesel, A Bookstore – In-Person Event

Gregg Hurwittz, in conversation with David Ducholvny, will discuss his latest novel, Antihero.

In next book in this New York Times best-selling series Orphan X, Evan Smoak takes on his most complex mission yet―one where he not only has to protect but also avenge and find a way to balance vengeance with mercy.

Once a black ops assassin for the government known as Orphan X, Evan Smoak broke with the program and went deep underground, using his operational rules and skills to help the truly desperate with nowhere else to turn.

When Luke Devine, one of the most powerful men in the world, has a psychological crisis, Evan flies to the East Coast to help him. While there, he learns of a young woman who was kidnapped off the New York City subway, clearly in danger and in need of aid. With no name and few clues, Evan and his team track down the missing woman, who was assaulted and abandoned. Evan offers his help―and sets out finding the young men responsible. But the woman insists that Evan abandon his usual methods―no vengeance and, in particular, no killing. Which will prove no easy feat given the mounting incoming threats from all sides. In a mission that takes Evan from coast to coast, from the poorest corners of society to the richest, Orphan X must figure out a way to protect the innocent, avenge the victimized, and balance justice with a measure of mercy.

Gregg Hurwitz is the New York Times, #1 internationally bestselling author of 23 thrillers, including the Orphan X series, and two award-winning thriller novels for teens. His novels have won numerous literary awards, graced top ten lists, and have been published in 33 languages. Gregg currently serves as the Co-President of International Thriller Writers (ITW).

David Duchovny is a two-time Golden Globe Award–winning and four-time Emmy-nominated actor, writer, director, bestselling author, podcast host, and musician. With an acclaimed career spanning more than three decades, he is internationally recognized for his iconic performances as Fox Mulder in FOX’s The X-Files and Hank Moody in Showtime’s Californication. Duchovny currently stars in Amazon Prime Video’s psychological thriller Malice, portraying the powerful patriarch of a privileged and secretive family. He will next appear in the Duplass Brothers’ film See You, premiering at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. His most recent feature, Reverse the Curse—which he wrote, directed, and stars in—premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival to strong critical acclaim.

Duchovny is a prolific and New York Times best-selling author who recently released his seventh published work, About Time, marking his poetry debut. It’s a deeply personal, existential, and insightful debut poetry collection covering a range of intimate themes, particularly his relationship with his father. His fourth and most recent novel, Truly Like Lightning, was published in February 2021. Truly Like Lightning is a heartbreaking meditation on family, religion, sex, greed, human nature, and the vanishing environment of an ancient desert. His previous novels include: the New York Times Best-Seller Holy Cow, Bucky F*cking Dent, and Miss Subways. The venerable Farrar, Straus & Giroux has published each of Duchovny’s books. Duchovny also recently released his first Audible Original, The Reservoir, which he both wrote and performed. Set in Manhattan in the early days of the pandemic, The Reservoir is a brilliantly conceived, darkly funny caper of conspiracy and madness that probes the nature of “virality” in our age. The Reservoir was published as a novella by Akashic Books alongside Duchovny’s chapbook Poems, Lyrics, Flip on June 7, 2022. Duchovny made his graphic novel debut with Kepler, an allegorical thriller of environmental disaster, colonialism, religion, history, and adolescence told through the eyes of a lonely outsider, which Dark Horse Comics published on December 27, 2022. He recently released his first book of poetry, About Time: Poems. The collection explores themes of love, loss and memory, delving into profound human experiences with an insightful and humorous touch. In 2024, Duchovny launched the hit Lemonada Media podcast Fail Better, featuring in-depth conversations with leading artists, thinkers, and public figures. The series has inspired a forthcoming book through Simon & Schuster.

Note: Please RSVP at site.

Where: Diesel, A Bookstore

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 225 26^th St., Suite 33, Santa Monica, CA 90402

Website: https://dieselbookstore.com/event/2026-02-10/gregg-hurwitz-david-duchovny-discusses-and-signs-antihero

Oxy Live Event: Robin Coste Lewis, with Alexandra Grant, in Poetry and Conversation at Occidental College – In-Person Event

National Book Award winner & former Poet Laureate of Los Angeles Robin Coste Lewis visits Occidental College for poetry and conversation.

Join us at Occidental College’s historic Thorne Hall for Oxy Live! on Tuesday, February 10th, with famed National Book Award winner and former Poet Laureate of Los Angeles Robin Coste Lewis. The evening will include poetry and thought-provoking conversation with Oxy Live’s host, celebrated visual artist and cultural collaborator Alexandra Grant.

Please join us after the conversation for a book signing hosted by Octavia’s Bookshelf, Pasadena’s beloved independent bookstore. Copies of Robin Coste Lewis’s books will be available for purchase, and attendees will have the opportunity to have their books personally signed by the author.

Presented by Occidental College, this series of conversations provides immersive, revelatory experiences that go beyond the classroom, fostering an environment of innovation and creativity. All conversations are open to the public at no cost, creating a space for diverse communities to join in the conversation and explore ideas together.

Born in Compton, California, Lewis’ Los Angeles poet laureateship focused on truth and reconciliation projects dealing with the city’s history.

Robin Coste Lewis’s debut poetry collection, Voyage of the Sable Venus (Knopf) won the National Book Award in poetry––the first time a poetry debut by an African American had ever won the prize in the National Book Foundation’s history, and the first time any debut had won the award since 1974. Critics called the collection “A masterpiece…” “Surpassing imagination, maturity, and aesthetic dazzle…” “remarkable hopefulness…in the face of what would make most rage and/or collapse…” “formally polished, emotionally raw, and wholly exquisite.” Voyage of the Sable Venus was also a finalist for LA Times Book Prize, the Hurston-Wright Award, and the California Book Award. The Paris Review, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Buzz Feed, and Entropy Magazine all named Voyage one of the best poetry collections of the year. Flavorwire named the collection one of the 10 must-read books about art. And Literary Hub named Voyage one of the “Most Important Books of the Last Twenty Years.”

Lewis’s writing has appeared in various journals and anthologies, such as Time Magazine, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Paris Review, Transition, and Best American Poetry. In 2018, MoMA commissioned both Lewis and Kevin Young to write a series of poems to accompany Robert Rauschenberg’s drawings in Thirty-Four Illustrations of Dante’s Inferno (MoMA, 2018). Knopf published Lewis’s second collection To the Realization of Perfect Helplessness in 2022. Lewis’s latest collection is Archive of Desire.

Where: Occidental College, Thorne Hall

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 7 pm

Address: Thorne Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90041

An unlikely duo ventures through France and Italy to solve the mystery of a child’s fate in this moving, page-turning novel.

For decades, Nick Burns has been haunted by a decision he made as a young soldier in World War I, when a French artist he’d befriended thrust both her paintings and her baby into his hands—and disappeared. In 1974, with only months left to live, Nick enlists Jenny, a college dropout desperate for adventure, to help him unravel the mystery. The journey leads them from Paris galleries and provincial towns to a surprising place: the Museum of Tears, the life’s work of a lonely Italian craftsman. Determined to find the baby and the artist, hopeless romantic Jenny and curmudgeonly Nick must reckon with regret, betrayal, and the lives they’ve left behind.

With characteristic warmth and verve, Ann Hood captures a world of possibility and romance through the eyes of a young woman learning to claim her place in it. The Stolen Child is an engaging, timeless novel of secrets, love lost and found, and the nature of forgiveness.

Whether you loved it, hated it, or haven’t finished it, we want to see you at our Adult Book Club that has been going strong for 40+ years at America’s Oldest Children’s Bookstore!

Where: Once Upon a Time, Montrose

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 7 pm – 10 pm

Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020

Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/2026-02-10/adult-book-group-stolen-child-ann-hood-hybrid

Mystery Book Club at pages: a bookstore – In-Person Event

MYSTERY BOOK CLUB: Meets every other month, generally on the second Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

We read new release mysteries. Book selection is done by email voting prior to each meeting so that the following month’s book will be available at the preceding month’s meeting.

Facilitated by Bobby McCue

Participants will read and discuss Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet.

Beth March’s sisters will stop at nothing to track down her killer—until they begin to suspect each other.

RSVP

Where: pages: a bookstore

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

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

A Carol Shields Prize winner for her collection of fictions Code Noir, Canesia Lubrin now brings readers a long-form poetic tribute to her mother, praised by Dionne Brand as “incandescent”

In this stunning new poem, Canesia Lubrin’s signature epic vision is distilled into an elegy to her mother, along an interwoven and unresolvable axis of astonishment that belongs as much to history as to today. Her lucid attention to what might be the oldest metaphor for grief is drawn from the searing gravity and resonance of the modern poet’s decisive, interior, and inexpressible meditation on love, time, and loss in the excesses of life’s ambitions.

Canesia Lubrin’s books include Voodoo Hypothesis and The Dyzgraphxst. Lubrin’s work has been recognized with the Griffin Poetry Prize, OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, the OCM Bocas Prize for Poetry, the Derek Walcott Prize, the Writer’s Trust of Canada Rising Stars prize, and others. Also a finalist for the Trillium Award for Poetry and Governor General’s Literary Award, Lubrin has held fellowships at the Banff Centre, Civitella Ranieri in Italy, Simon Fraser University, Literature Colloquium Berlin, Queen’s University, and Victoria College at University of Toronto. She studied at York University and the University of Guelph, where she now coordinates the Creative Writing MFA in the School of English & Theatre Studies. In 2021, Lubrin received a Windham-Campbell prize for poetry, and the Globe & Mail named her Poet of the Year. Born in St. Lucia, Lubrin now lives in Whitby, Ontario, and is poetry editor at McClelland & Stewart.

Jennifer Espinoza is the author of I’m Alive/It Hurts/I Love It, THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS, and I Don’t Want to Be Understood. Her work has been featured in Poetry magazine, American Poetry Review, The Nation, MoMA Magazine, Gulf Coast, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in poetry from UC Riverside and currently resides in Los Angeles.

Where: Skylight

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

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

Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-canisia-lubrin-presents-world-after-rain-annes-poem-w-jennifer-espinoza

Book Talk: Jacob Soboroff & Firestorm at Temple Isaiah Off-site with Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event

On Tuesday February 10 at 7 pm we are honored to welcome author and journalist Jacob Soboroff at Temple Isaiah for a conversation with Rabbi Jaclyn Cohen about his new book, Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster. This event is an opportunity to hear from Jacob about his experience covering the LA fires of early January 2025, his work on climate and immigration justice, and the Jewish values that ground him his work. We will also participate in a collective ritual together marking just over one year since the Palisades and Eaton Fires.

Jacob Soboroff is the Senior Political and National Reporter for MS NOW. He is the author of the forthcoming book Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster (January 2026) and the New York Times bestseller Separated: Inside an American Tragedy. Separated was adapted into an acclaimed film by Academy Award-winner Errol Morris. For his reporting on the Trump administration’s child separation policy, Soboroff received the Walter Cronkite Award for Individual Achievement by a National Journalist, the Hillman Prize for Broadcast Journalism and, in 2024, was named a recipient of the Yale University Poynter Fellowship in Journalism. He is also the recipient of a Ruben Salazar Journalism Award from the California Chicano News Media Association and was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy® Award for his reporting from Haiti. He lives in Los Angeles.

Rabbi Jaclyn Cohen serves as Associate Rabbi of Temple Isaiah. Born and raised in West LA, Rabbi Cohen earned her BA in Religious Studies & Music from UC Davis. As a musician, artist, and writer, Rabbi Cohen’s background is eclectic, creative, and representative of what it means to create a unique kind of 21st-century rabbinate. She has led rock bands, published educational curricula, launched programs grounded in innovation and inclusion, participated in fellowships focused on interfaith engagement, and proudly collaborates on initiatives that keep synagogue life relevant and meaningful for this generation and those to come. Since 2019 Rabbi Cohen’s collection of joyful Purim and Passover parody music videos have earned hundreds of thousands of views. Outside the synagogue she is a contributor to Kveller as well as the Jewish Daily Forward, Hey Alma and The Chalkboard Mag. She is one third of the musical collaboration project Kosi R’vayah (“my cup overflows”) with Gabriel Mann and Cantor Tifani Coyot. She is a fierce advocate for birth justice, reproductive freedom, Epilepsy awareness and maternal & mental health as well as a certified yoga teacher and aspiring electric guitar soloist.

Get your tickets at Village Well website!

Where: Temple Isaiah

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm

Christine Platt will discuss Less Is Liberation: Finding Freedom from a Life of Overwhelm.

From lifestyle trailblazer and author of The Afrominimalist’s Guide To Living with Less, a practical guide to move beyond decluttering your space and, instead, declutter your life.

Less Is Liberation welcomes those who are tired and weary to embark upon a journey of self-discovery. This is an invitation to understand the interconnectedness of overwhelm and our overall wellbeing.

For years, the constant pursuit of success silently wreaked havoc on Christine Platt’s happiness and health. While taking a personal pause, Christine discovered how her limiting beliefs about selfishness led to self-abandonment and a life of overwhelm. So, she decided to use the same intentional living strategy that helped her reduce overconsumption: choose less.

With the perfect balance of wit and wisdom, Christine shares the necessities to come into alignment with Self and offers a roadmap for anyone ready to do the same. Less Is Liberation is more than a self-help guide, it is a call-to-action to tap into our most underutilized superpower: being intentional with our choices.

Less Is Liberation is an invitation to pause and begin the beautiful work of choosing ourselves over the profit and pleasure of others. It invites us to let go of behaviors that hinder our growth. It is time to embrace less as a gateway to find freedom from our lives of overwhelm, and a pathway to the life we want and deserve. Because we are not here for a life of doing. We are here for a life of being.

Where: Vroman’s

Date: Tuesday the 10^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

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

Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2026-02-10/christine-platt

The Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic: Rick Lupert & Neil Daswani – Online Zoom Event

Cobalt Poets Reading & Open Mic and host Rick Lupert welcomes featured poet Neil Daswani.

Neil Daswani a naturalised Singaporean of Indian origin, struck a purple patch over mid-2020 to early 2022, authoring and publishing six volumes of poetry. His poetry has been showcased at the Singapore Writers Festival, Bangalore Literature Festival as well as Writers Shorts at the Jaipur Literature Festival and JLF Toronto.

His poem O Brave Soldiers won the runner up Prize awarded by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting under the aegis of the Defense Forces.

Where: Cobalt Poets – Online Zoom Event

Date: Tuesday, the 10^th

Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

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.

Where: COC – COMMUNITY OWNED CENTER, New Leimert Park Location

Date: Tuesday, the 10^th

Time: 9 pm – 11 pm (Doors at 8:15 pm)

Address: 4276 Crenshaw Blvd., Leimert Park, CA 90008

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: Wednesday the 11^th

Time: 9 am – 10 am

Join us for engaging discussions at our monthly Mystery Book Club meeting!

Below is the upcoming schedule:

Feb. 11, 2026: Holmes, Marple, & Poe by James Patterson & Brian Sitts

Where: West Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Wednesday the 11^th

Time: 10:30 am – 12 pm

Address: 19036 Vanowen Street, Reseda, CA 91335

Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/mystery-book-club-20

A Special Author Signing with Laura Dave & The Last Thing He Told Me at pages, a bookstore – In-Person Event

Welcome back best-selling author and favorite Laura Dave for a meetand greet Wednesday, Feb. 11 at noon. Laura will be signing books to celebrate the release of season 2 of The Last Thing He Told Me, Apple TV’s adaptation of her best-selling novel of the same name starring Jennifer Garner.

How far would you go for a second chance?

Five years after her husband, Owen, disappeared, Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter, Bailey, have settled into a new life in Southern California. Together, they’ve forged a relationship with Bailey’s grandfather Nicholas and are putting the past behind them.

But when Owen shows up at Hannah’s new exhibition, she knows that she and Bailey are in danger again.

Hannah and Bailey are forced to go on the run in a relentless race to keep their past from catching up with them. As a thrilling drama unfolds, Hannah risks everything to get Bailey to safety—and finds there just might be a way back to Owen and their long-awaited second chance.

RSVP

Where: pages, a bookstore

Date: Wednesday the 11^th

Time: 12 pm – 1 pm

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

Website: https://pagesabookstore.com/event/2026-02-11/special-author-signing-laura-dave

Poets Café via KPFK 90.7 FM – Live On-Air Event

Poets Café celebrates Poetry. This program is a weekly half-hour literary arts discussion and reading program featuring guest authors and their works.

Poetry From Around the World is a segment of this series offered monthly on the 2^nd Monday of the month on KPFK Los Angeles 90.7 FM.

NOTE: See site for details.

Where: KPFK 90.7 FM

Date: Wednesday, the 11^th

Time: 2 pm – 2:30 pm

Address: On-air Event

Website: https://www.kpfk.org/on-air/poets-cafe/

2^nd & 3^rd Grade Book Club: Rock Paper Incisors: A Skunk and Badger Story at pages, a bookstore – In-Person Kids Event

2ND & 3RD GRADE BOOK CLUB: Meets monthly, generally on the second Wednesday of each month at 4:30 pm.

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

Next Meeting: February 11th at 4:30 pm

Book: Rock Paper Incisors: A Skunk and Badger Story by Amy Timberlake

Facilitated by Whitney Howard.

RSVP

Where: pages, a bookstore

Date: Wednesday the 11^th

Time: 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm

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

Website: https://pagesabookstore.com/event/2026-02-11/2nd-3rd-grade-book-club

Malibu Library Book Club: Martyr! at Malibu Library, LACL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event

We will be discussing Kevah Akhbar’s Martyr, a wholly original story of addiction, displacement, martyrdom, belonging, homesickness and how we spend our lives seeking meaning—in faith, art, ourselves, and others. For adults.

The Malibu Library Book Club is now available on Zoom. Participate from the comfort of home! Contact the librarian at cfischer@library.lacounty.gov or call 310.456.6438 to be added to Zoom participation.

Where: Malibu Library, LACL

Date: Wednesday the 11^th

Time: 5 pm – 6:30 pm

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

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15404375

Sci-Fi Fantasy Book Club: Some Desperate Glory at Quartz Hill Library, LACL – In-Person Event

Join us to discuss Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh. For adults.

As part of the last remnants free from the alien conquest of Earth, Kyr has been raised with the mantra, “While we live, the enemy shall fear us.” But when she is relegated to child-rearing duty, she runs away to prove herself worthy by taking revenge for the fall of humanity. What she learns in the wider universe will challenge everything she thinks she knows.

Copies of the book will be available at the customer service desk.

Where: Quartz Hill Library, LACL

Date: Wednesday the 11^th

Time: 6 pm – 7 pm

Address: 5040 W. Ave. M 2, Quartz Hill, CA 93536

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15404392

Local Authors Panel: 6 Authors at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event

Six authors with wildly different books gather to talk about what unites their stories: compelling characters, rich themes, and busting out of conventions. A wide-ranging discussion on craft and why the lines between genres are blurrier than we think.

Reserve your tickets on EVENTBRITE!

Andrew Rubin is a filmmaker, writer, and cofounder of the mental health education company Symptom Media. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied Film Production and History, he has spent over a decade in the trenches of Hollywood development as a screenwriter. Andrew codirected the inspirational documentary Ride with Larry, about Parkinson’s, inspired by his father’s battle against the disease. The film’s segment exploring Parkinson’s and medical marijuana received global attention, and helped spark a broader conversation about dignity, treatment, and the role of alternative medicine. He is also the cofounder and president of Symptom Media, an innovative mental health education platform used by over 500 universities, hospitals, and medical schools worldwide to help train students and clinicians and destigmatize mental illness. Andrew lives in California, where he divides his time between San Diego and Los Angeles.

Christopher Farnsworth is a novelist, screenwriter, and journalist. His latest book, Robert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets, featuring the iconic Jesse Stone, was an instant USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller. His other works, including Blood Oath, The President’s Vampire, Killfile, and Flashmob, have been published in more than a dozen countries, translated into ten languages, and optioned for film and television. He was born and raised in Idaho and now lives in Los Angeles with his family. His next novel, Robert B. Parker’s Big Shot, will be out February 10.

Ken Pisani is an Emmy-nominated producer and screenwriter, novelist, playwright, and comic book creator. (Ken needs to learn how to focus.) His debut novel, Amp’d, published by St. Martin’s Press, was a Los Angeles Times bestseller and runner-up to Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime for the Thurber Prize for American Humor, and optioned for television. He’s also the writer-creator of the Geekie Award-winning sci-fi graphic novel Colonus, published by Dark Horse Comics, and the quirky murder mystery novella 4 Corners, also optioned for TV. Ken has sold network pilots and feature screenplays, events that expired with little fanfare. His credits include a screenplay co-written with David Seidler, Oscar-winner for The King’s Speech, and a PBS documentary on the early career of US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens that he hopes to develop as a feature. His fiction was short-listed for the 2025 HG Wells Prize and he’s also contributed to The Saturday Evening Post, The Louisville Review, Salon, Publishers Weekly, Huffington Post, Literary Hub, Carve, American Writers Review, and other publications, as well as the anthology More Tonto Short Stories, published in the US and UK. Ken has a new novel, The Defection and Subsequent Resurrection of Nikolai Pushkin (no pub date) and is currently working on a short story collection and a variety of film and TV projects. He lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife, Amanda.

Ryan Elizabeth Penske is a mix of a Midwest and Southern California upbringing, where she discovered her love for snowy Halloweens in Michigan and the everlasting California sun, but most importantly her love for reading in her early teens. Now, after writing her debut YA novel The Dreamers, she completed her MA in English Literature from Chapman University where she also received her BA in English Literature, Rhetoric, and Cultural Studies Between moments of writing and her academic pursuits, Ryan spends her days with her best buddy Indy, her Australian Shepherd. Together they enjoy hiking, going to bookstores, traveling, spending exuberant amounts of time of “BookTok,” and of course dreaming.

Stefanie Leder is author and TV showrunner and writer whose credits include the MTV teen dramedy Faking It, TBS comedy Men at Work, Netflix’s Boo, Bitch, and ABC Family comedy Melissa & Joey. She is also a frequent guest lecturer on television writing at the Low Residency MFA at UCR. Bilingual in English and Spanish, she spent a year abroad in Costa Rica, and has worked for a nonprofit on Fair Trade Coffee and anti-sweatshop campaigns. Love, Coffee, and Revolution is her first novel. You can also read her award-nominated short story, “Not a Dinner Party Person” in Eight Very Bad Nights; A Collection of Hanukkah Noir, or in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2025.

Susan Walter is a recovering screenwriter and film director who started writing books to kill people because it was frowned upon in real life. Her first two novels, Good as Dead and Over Her Dead Body are set in the movie business, but then she discovered there are places that are even more dangerous. She is now murdering people on airplanes, on ski hills, and in safehouses while on the run from organized crime. Her Netflix movie All I Wish, which she also wrote, stars Sharon Stone and Tony Goldwyn and won a screenwriting award that you have never heard of, but that she is proud of, nonetheless. You can learn more about Susan at http://www.susanwalterwriter.com.

Where: Village Well Books & Coffee

Date: Wednesday the 11^th

Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

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 4^th, 11^th, 18^th & 25^th).

All writing levels and forms are welcome.

Where: Big Bar, The Alcove

Date: Wednesday the 11^th

Time: 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm

Join us to discuss Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. For adults.

Where: Wiseburn Library, LACL

Date: Wednesday the 11^th

Time: 6:45 pm – 7:45 pm

Address: 5335 W. 135^th St, Hawthorne, CA 90250

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15519556

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 11^th

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

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

Website: https://www.instagram.com

Ticketed: Senlinyu & Alchemised at Vroman’s Off-site at Pasadena Presbyterian Church – In-Person Event

Senlinyu will present and discuss Alchemised.

In this riveting dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy—and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past.

Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed.

In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.

According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit?

To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own…secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.

Where: Pasadena Presbyterian Church

Date: Wednesday the 11^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm (Doors at 6 pm)

Address: 585 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101

Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2026-02-11/senlinyu

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 — No Feature;
• 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 11^th

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 11^th

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 11^th

Time: 8 pm – 10 pm

Address: Online event (see site)

Kathleen Florence

$5 cover fee, cash only

Where: The Ugly Mug, Orange

Date: Wednesday, the 11^th

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 12^th

Time: 10 am – 11 am

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

Website: https://shop.villagewell.com/events

Author Talk: Dr. Lindsey Stewart & The Conjuring of America via Virtual Program, LACL – Online Event

Feminist philosopher Dr. Lindsey Stewart’s book, The Conjuring of America tells the stories of Negro Mammies of slavery; the Voodoo Queens and Blues Women of Reconstruction; and the Granny Midwives and textile weavers of the Jim Crow era.

These women, in secrecy and subterfuge, courageously and devotedly continued their practices and worship for centuries and passed down their traditions.

Conjure informs our lives in ways remarkable and ordinary—from traditional medicines that informed the creation of Vicks VapoRub and the rise of Aunt Jemima’s Pancake Mix, to the original magic of Disney’s The Little Mermaid (2023), and the true origins of the all-American classic blue jean.

From the moment enslaved Africans first arrived on these shores, conjure was heavily regulated and even outlawed. Now, Stewart uncovers new contours of American history, sourcing letters from the enslaved, dispatches from the lore of Oshun and other African mystics. The Conjuring of America is a love letter to the real magic Black women used, their herbs, food, textiles, song, and dance, used to sow rebellion, freedom, and hope.

Join us to take part in the magic and celebrate the legacy of America’s founding Black women. Register for free today!

Lindsey Stewart is a Black feminist philosopher and an Associate Professor of philosophy at the University of Memphis. She is the author of The Politics of Black Joy. Her work has been featured in Blavity, Signs, Hypatia, and the British Journal for the History of Philosophy, and she holds a 2021 Michael Beaney Prize. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee.

Where: Virtual Program, LACL

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 11 am – 12 pm

Address: Online Event

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15542844

“Saved by a Story” Seniors Writing Group at Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event

Come enjoy creativity and community in a nonjudgmental environment. Discover the bounty of stories that lie within!

Please note that in April, the group meets on the fifth Thursday.

Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 1 pm – 2:30 pm

Address: 1246 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024

Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/saved-story-seniors-writing-group

Mystery Book Club: Flashlight at Culver City Julian Dixon Library, LACL – In-Person Event

Join us for Mystery Book Club to discuss Flashlight. For adults.

Summary provided by the publisher:

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

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

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

Where: Culver City Julian Dixon Library

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Address: 4975 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA 90230 

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15116429

Book Talk: Patrice D. Douglass & Engendering Blackness at USC, Taper Hall #420 – In-Person Event

Join us to hear Prof. Patrice D. Douglass in conversation about her latest book Engendering Blackness: Slavery and the Ontology of Sexual Violence.

In this incisive new book, Patrice D. Douglass interrogates the relationship between sexual violence and modern racial slavery and finds it not only inseverable but also fundamental to the structural predicaments facing Blackness in the present. Douglass contends that the sexual violability of slaves is often misappropriated by frameworks on sexual violence that privilege its occurrences as a question of ethics, sexual agency, and feminine orders of gendering. Rather, this book foregrounds Blackness as engendered by sexual violence, which forcefully (re)produces Blackness, corporeally and conceptually, as a condition that lacks the capacity to ontologically distinguish its suffering from what it means to be human.

Patrice D. Douglass is an Assistant Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at UC Berkeley. Her current book project, Race and Abortion Ethics: Antiblackness and the Opacity of Liberty, interrogates the (im)permissibility of abortion in US law and politics. Her research on Blackness, gender, afro-pessimism, reproductive justice, and Black philosophies appear in or forthcoming from Discourse: Journal for Theoretical Studies of Media and Culture, Political Theology, Journal of Legal Anthropology, Yale Journal of Law & Feminism, PRISM: Theory and Modern Chinese Literature, Souls, Journal of Visual Culture, Theory and Event, Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik: A Quarterly of Language, Literature and Culture (ZAA), and The Black Scholar. She holds a PhD and MA in Culture and Theory from the University of California, Irvine, a MA in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Riverside, and a BA in Feminist Studies and Legal Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Where: USC, Ide Room, Taper Hall 420

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 4 pm – 5:30 pm

Address: 3551 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90089

Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/engendering-blackness-book-talk-tickets-1981603493392

Mystery Book Club on Zoom: A Red Death at Venice – Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library, LAPL – Online Zoom Event

Calling all sleuths! Join us on the second Thursday of the month for a lively discussion of our latest selection. Email venice@lapl.org for Zoom link.

Feb. 12: A Red Death by Walter Mosely.

Where: Venice – Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 5 pm

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

A forbidden love between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd British politician makes for a tantalizing Victorian season.

Ana María Luna Valdés has strived to be the perfect daughter, the perfect niece, and the perfect representative of the powerful Luna family. So, when Ana María is secretly sent to London with her sisters to seek refuge from the French occupation of Mexico, she experiences her first taste of freedom far from the judgmental eyes of her domineering father. If only she could ignore the piercing looks she receives across ballroom floors from the austere Mr. Fox.

Gideon Fox elevated himself from the London gutters by chasing his burning desire for more: more opportunities, more choices. For everyone. Now, as a member of Parliament, Gideon is on the cusp of securing the votes he needs to put forth a measure to abolish the Atlantic slave trade once and for all—a cause that is close to his heart as the grandson of a formerly enslaved woman. The charmingly vexing Ana María is a distraction he must ignore.

But when Ana María finds herself in the crosshairs of a nefarious nobleman with his own political agenda, Gideon knows he must offer his hand as protection…but will this Mexican heiress win his heart as well?

Liana De la Rosa is a USA Today bestselling historical romance author who writes diverse characters in the Regency and Victorian periods. Liana is a graduate of the University of Arizona, and when she’s not writing, Liana is listening to true crime podcasts while she wrangles her spirited brood of children with her patient husband in Arizona.

Where: Cellar Door Bookstore

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 6 pm – 8 pm

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

Website: https://cellardoorbookstore.com/event/2026-02-12/diverse-romance-book-club-ana-maria-and-fox

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 freely write, share and receive positive feedback, and make meaningful connections. All levels are welcome. This space is offered freely!

Where: Octavia’s Bookshelf

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 6 pm – 8 pm

With the pop psychology of Malcolm Gladwell and the humor of Carrie Bradshaw, Romances & Practicalities combines a charming personal love story with research-backed self-help, including a set of 250 questions to help you foster deeper intimacy and get honest about what you’re really looking for in a partner.

A few months into Lindsay Jill Roth’s whirlwind transatlantic courtship with a handsome Englishman, he made a comment that hit her like a gut-punch: “I don’t know you well enough yet.” Despite hours on FaceTime and swoon-worthy dates in London and NYC, Roth realized he was right: they didn’t know each other very well. And their relationship, while certainly romantic, was hardly practical. Did they even have a shared vision for the future?

In the age of increasingly impersonal dating, how do you get off the dating hamster wheel and advance a relationship along the path to commitment? How do you know if you’re with “the one”?

Enter Romances & Practicalities, a set of 250 research-backed questions spread across twelve categories—from money to children to chores to sex—designed to help you identify your wants, needs, and non-negotiables, assess compatibility, initiate tricky conversations with grace, and build a deeper, stronger relationship. Questions range from seemingly light and casual to intimate and serious.

Where: Zibby’s Bookshop

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 6 pm – 7 pm

Address: 1113 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90403

Website: https://zibbymedia.com/pages/zibby-events-collection

Marigold Death Collective Book Club: Under the Whispering Door at Bel Canto Bookstore, Long Beach – In-Person Event

Marigold Death Collective Death and Dying Book Club participants will discuss Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune.

A book club about death, dying, grief and living hosted at Bel Canto Books every second Thursday of the month. Let’s chat about death!

Come chat with your favorite end of life baddies about death and dying, grief, end of life, and living. We’ve chosen some sweet books that will help this sometimes hard and scary conversation be more approachable and comfortable.

We will be meeting every second Thursday of every other month at 6:30 pm at the lovely Bel Canto Books.

Note: Please RSVP at site.

Where: Bel Canto Books, Retro Row

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 6:30 pm

Christopher Farnsworth will discuss and sign Robert B. Parker’s Big Shot.

Police Chief Jesse Stone finds himself in the crosshairs of a rich hedge fund manager dead set on making Paradise Jesse’s personal hell, in this latest installment of Robert B. Parker’s beloved series.

Fresh off an acquittal in a multibillion-dollar fraud case, Ramsey Devlin doesn’t think the law applies to him. This becomes apparent when Jesse finds him passed out, drunk, and on the side of the road in a McLaren worth more than most people’s homes. After Devlin takes a swing at him and Jesse swiftly dumps him in the drunk tank, Jesse realizes he’s made an enemy.

Devlin makes it his life’s mission to use his money and influence to provoke Jesse. And thanks to a few big campaign donations, he’s got Jesse’s nemesis, Gary Armistead, the mayor of Paradise, on his side. Devlin’s even got Molly Crane, Jesse’s deputy chief, wanting to act on her violent urges.

Jesse has every reason to want Devlin out of his town. But when he vanishes, and bloodstains are found on the carpet of his monstrous seaside mansion, Jesse finds himself the main suspect in Devlin’s disappearance. Suspended from his position as chief, Jesse must solve the case and prove his own innocence—or he might be the one to wind up behind bars.

Robert B. Parker was the author of seventy books, including the legendary Spenser detective series, the novels featuring Chief Jesse Stone, and the acclaimed Virgil Cole/Everett Hitch Westerns, as well as the Sunny Randall novels. Winner of the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award and long considered the undisputed dean of American crime fiction, he died in January 2010.

Christopher Farnsworth worked as a reporter in Arizona and California before selling his first screenplay. He now pens successful crime and thriller novels. His books have been published in a dozen countries, translated into ten languages, and optioned for film and television. A loyal reader of Robert B. Parker since his high school days, Farnsworth currently resides in Los Angeles with his family.

Note: Please RSVP at site.

Where: Diesel, A Bookstore

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 6:30 pm

Address: 225 26^th St., Suite 33, Santa Monica, CA 90402

Website: https://dieselbookstore.com/event/2026-02-12/christopher-farnsworth-robert-B-parkers-big-shot

RSVP: Kenny Stills, with Devi Brown, & Still Growing, Still Learning, Still Meat Book Soup – In-Person Event

Kenny Stills is a former NFL wide receiver, activist, and advocate for social justice. Over a nine-year career in the league, he made his mark not only as a deep-threat playmaker but also as a fearless voice for change. He used his platform to protest racial injustice, standing in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and others to push for systemic reform. His commitment to advocacy extended beyond the field, working with grassroots organizations and engaging in community outreach to create meaningful impact.

Despite his success, his journey led him to deeper questions about identity, purpose, and healing. After years of external accomplishments, he turned inward, prioritizing therapy, mindset, and self-discovery. Through personal reflection, psychedelics, and a commitment to mental well-being, he began a transformative path toward inner peace, learning that true fulfillment comes from within.

In Still Growing, Still Learning, Still Me, Stills shares his story, one of resistance, redemption, and renewal. He opens up about the highs and lows of his life, the lessons learned through activism, and the importance of prioritizing joy and self-care. His journey is an invitation to others to embrace growth, challenge societal expectations, and find their own path to healing.

Where: Book Soup

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

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

Rachel Kiskaddon (she/her) is a writer, artist, and educator who lives in the U.S. Her work is currently featured in anthologies by Moonstone Arts Center, Poet’s Choice, and Millennial Pulp Magazine. Her chapbooks, The First Third (2025) and Lavender Lines (2024), are available on her website and in bookstores. Rachel’s writing focuses on relationships, sexuality, mental health, injustice, and women’s experiences. To learn more, follow her @linesolavender or visit http://www.linesoflavender.com

Tommy Domino has been a member of the Stillwater’s Writers Collective since 2012 and a member of the Watts Writers Workshop II since 2018. His book Switches, Hot Weel Tracks & Extension Cords was published by World Stage Press (2018). He’s a member of the poetry collective, Never Speak Long Beach who featured at The House of Blues, Anaheim, and performed in the first episode of 𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 on Urban Soul TV. Collaborating with Diverse Verses, he co-produced and featured in 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘋𝘢𝘺 which was nominated for best documentary in the 2023 Glendale International Film Festival. He teaches the Long Beach Poetry Cohort for the Community Literature Initiative, and in 2022 was nominated for Teacher of the Year. He was Keynote Speaker at The Beach City Writers Conference (2025), and his second book, Closer in the Rearview, launched in October 2025. He produced/performed the poetry portion of the Long Beach Kwanzaa Festival 2025. He currently hosts open mic the Griot Cafe at Shades of Afrika and curates a monthly jazz/spoken word show at BLU Art & Wellness Center in Long Beach.

Taking its name from a Clash lyric, Trenches Full of Poets is a monthly poetry series created, curated, and hosted by Los Angeles-based poets and editors, Nikolai Garcia and Mauricio Andres Moreno, with the goal of supporting a diverse array of published SoCal authors and the local independent bookstores that carry their works.

The event takes place on the second Thursday of every month and is always free and open to the public, no tickets or reservations required!

Where: Page Against the Machine

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Shaped by different histories, countries, and generations, the poetry of Ahmad Shamlou (1925–2000) and Nadia Anjuman (1980–2005) emerges from a shared condition: the pressure placed on voice and imagination under political and social constraint. Bringing together two translators, this event explores how each poet forged a language that insists on truth and interior freedom even when expression carried risk.

Drawing on Elegies of the Earth: Selected Poems by Ahmad Shamlou and Smoke Drifts: Selected Poems of Nadia Anjuman (World Poetry Books, 2025), Niloufar Talebi and Diana Arterian reflect on translation as a form of cultural mediation and historical continuity, one that sustains poetic life beyond borders, regimes, and generations. The event includes bilingual readings and music, and considers how these poets offer vital models for writers today, including those in the West navigating increasingly subtle and systemic forms of censorship.

Niloufar Talebi is an author, award-winning translator, and interdisciplinary artist. She edited and translated Elegies of the Earth: Selected Poems by Ahmad Shamlou (World Poetry Books, 2025), the most comprehensive bilingual English edition of the Nobel Prize–nominated Iranian poet, supported by a National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship. Her Shamlou-related projects include the memoir Self-Portrait in Bloom and the opera Abraham in Flames (music by Aleksandra Vrebalov). Talebi is also the editor and translator of Belonging: New Poetry by Iranians Around the World. A Fulbright U.S. Scholar and TEDx speaker, she teaches writing at Stanford Continuing Studies.

Diana Arterian holds a PhD in Literature & Creative Writing from the University of Southern California and is the author of the poetry collections Agrippina the Younger (Northwestern University Press) and Playing Monster :: Seiche, which received a starred review in Publishers Weekly. Her work has been recognized with fellowships from the Banff Centre, Millay Arts, Yaddo, and others. A Poetry Editor at Noemi Press, she is the 2026 Lurie Distinguished Visiting Professor at San José State University. Diana writes “The Annotated Nightstand” column at Lit Hub and lives in Los Angeles.

Where: Poetic Research Bureau

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

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

Website: https://www.poeticresearch.com/events/contemporary-persian-poetry-in-translation-amp-song or https://www.instagram.com

Seen Issue 009 Contributors Roundtable at Reparations Club – In-Person Event

Ticket includes a copy of Issue 009 for pick-up at event, plus light food and drinks. If you are a subscriber or have previously ordered the issue, entry is free and you will receive a code via email.

Presented by Open Society Foundations.

Parking: Free street parking is available; Jefferson Ave has no parking restrictions.

Please note, you must pick-up your copy of Issue 009 at the event. Issues that are ordered via this event will not be mailed. Price includes sales tax.

Where: Reparations Club

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

In this breathtaking companion poetry collection, inspired by the evolution of our brightest star, Tramaine Suubi offers poems alluding to the history of how it came to be and its effects on each human life. Readers will discover poems exploring everything from the gimmicks of capitalism to the false promises of tranquility.

This is another brilliant collection that will only reinforce Suubi as a rising star of her generation.

Tramaine Suubi is a multilingual writer from Kampala, and a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She is the author of phases and stages. She has also published creative writing in over fifteen literary anthologies, journals, magazines, and reviews. Tramaine works towards the total liberation of all oppressed people by any means necessary.

Adedayo Agarau’s debut collection, The Years of Blood, won the Poetic Justice Institute Editor’s Prize for BIPOC Writers (Fordham University Press, Fall 2025). He is a Wallace Stegner Fellow ‘25, a Cave Canem Fellow and a 2024 Ruth Lilly-Rosenberg Fellowship finalist. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Agbowó Magazine: A Journal of African Literature and Art and a Poetry Reviews Editor for The Rumpus. He is the author of the chapbooks Origin of Name (African Poetry Book Fund, 2020) and The Arrival of Rain (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press, 2020).

Where: Skylight

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

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

Website: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-tramaine-suubi-presents-stages-w-adedayo-agarau

Techniques in Dialogue: Workshop with K. Andrew Turner at Underdog Bookstore – In-Person Event

Discover techniques to make your dialogue not only sound natural but also drive your story forward.

Students are encouraged but not required to share their work.

RSVP by donation at website.

Where: Underdog Bookstore

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm

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

Website: https://www.underdogbookstore.org/events/techniques-in-dialogue

Jacob Soboroff & Firestorm at Vroman’s – In-Person Event

Jacob Soboroff will discuss and sign Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster.

NOTE: The free RSVP for this event is full, but Vroman’s would still love for you to join us! We expect a large crowd for this event, please arrive early. Seating will be first come first served.

An account of the firestorm that consumed Los Angeles, from the MS NOW reporter and New York Times bestselling author of Separated, who covered the fires on the ground as an LA native.

On the morning of January 7, 2025, a message pinged the phone of Jacob Soboroff, a national reporter for MS NOW. “Big Palisades fire. We are evacuating,” his brother texted within minutes of the blaze engulfing the hillside behind the home where he and his pregnant wife were living. “Really bad.” An attached photo showed a huge black plume rising from behind the house, an umbrella of smoke towering over everything they owned. Jacob rushed to the office of the bureau chief.

“I should go. I grew up in the Palisades.”

Soon he was on the front line of the blaze—his first live report of what would turn out to be weeks covering unimaginable destruction, from both the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, in Altadena. In the days to come, Soboroff appeared across the networks of NBC News as Los Angeles was ablaze, met with displaced residents and workers, and pressed Governor Gavin Newsom in an interview on Meet the Press. But no story Soboroff has covered at home or abroad—the trauma of family separation at the border, the displacement of the war in Ukraine, the collapse of order in Haiti—could have prepared him for reporting live as the hallmarks of his childhood were engulfed in flames around him while his hometown burned to the ground.

But for Soboroff, questions remained after the fires were controlled: what had he just witnessed? How could it have happened? Is it inevitable something like it will happen again? This set Soboroff off on months of reporting—with firefighters, fire victims, political leaders, academics, earth scientists, wildlife biologists, meteorologists and more—that made him keenly aware of how the misfortune of seeing his past carbonize was also a form of time travel into the dystopian world his children will inhabit. This is because the 2025 LA fires were not an isolated tragedy, but rather they are a harbinger—”the fire of the future,” in the words of one senior emergency—management official.

Firestorm is the story of the costliest wildfire in American history, the people it affected and the deeply personal connection to one journalist covering it. It is a love letter to Los Angeles, a yearning to understand the fires, and why America’s new age of disaster we are living through portends that—without a reckoning of how Los Angeles burned—there is more yet, and worse, to come.

Where: Vroman’s

Date: Thursday the 12^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

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

Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jacob-soboroff-discusses-signs-firestorm-tickets-1981358311045?aff=oddtdtcreator

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 13^th

Time: 9 am – 10 am

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 13^th

Time: 9:30 am

Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020

Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/2026-02-13/weekly-pj-story-time

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 13^th

Time: 11 am – 12 pm

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

Website: https://shop.villagewell.com

Nonfiction Book Club: Careless People at Studio City Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event

Join us on the second Friday of every month for the nonfiction book club.

Upcoming meeting:

February (2/13): Careless People: a cautionary tale of power, greed, and lost idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams

Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Friday the 13^th

Time: 12 pm

Address: 12511 Moorpark Street, Studio City, CA 91604

Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/nonfiction-book-club

Self-Care Book Club: Book of Alchemy at Cellar Door Bookstore, Riverside – In-Person Event

Join us to discuss The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life by Suleika Jaouad.

A guide to the art of journaling—and a meditation on the central questions of life—by the bestselling author of Between Two Kingdoms, with contributions from Hanif Abdurraqib, Jon Batiste, Salman Rushdie, Gloria Steinem, George Saunders, and many more

A companion through challenging times, The Book of Alchemy is broken into themes ranging from new beginnings to love, loss, and rebuilding. Whether you’re a lifelong journaler or new to the practice, this book gives you the tools, direction, and encouragement to engage with discomfort, ask questions, peel back the layers, dream daringly, uncover your truest self—and in doing so, to learn to hold the unbearably brutal and astonishingly beautiful facts of life in the same palm.

Suleika Jaouad is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Between Two Kingdoms, which has been translated into more than twenty languages. She wrote the Emmy Award-winning New York Times column and video series “Life, Interrupted,” and her essays and feature stories have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Guardian, and Vogue, among others. She is also the subject, along with husband Jon Batiste, of the Oscar-nominated documentary American Symphony—a portrait of two artists during a year of extreme highs and lows.

Where: Cellar Door Bookstore

Date: Friday the 13^th

Time: 6 pm – 8 pm

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

Website: https://cellardoorbookstore.com/event/2026-02-13/self-care-book-club-book-alchemy

Mysty L. Heggeness & Swiftynomics at Book Soup – In-Person Event

Author Mysty L. Heggeness presents Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy.

A feminist romp through pop culture that illuminates how women influence and shape the economy.

Taylor Swift isn’t just a pop megastar. She is a working woman whose astounding accomplishments defy patriarchal norms. And while not all women can be Beyoncé or Dolly Parton or Reese Witherspoon, the successes of these trailblazing stars help us understand the central role of women in today’s economy.

Swiftynomics assesses the complex economic lives of everyday American women through the stories of groundbreakers like Taylor Swift, Misty L. Heggeness digs into the data, revealing women’s hidden contributions and aspirations—the unexamined value they create by pursuing their own ambitions. She highlights the abundance of productive activity in their daily lives and acknowledges the barriers they still face.

Exploring critical reforms regarding caregiving and gendered labor, this book offers advice for women to thrive in an economy that was not built for them.

Misty L. Heggeness is co-director of the Kansas Population Center, Associate Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at the University of Kansas, and former Principal Economist and Senior Advisor at the US Census Bureau. She is also creator of The Care Board, a dashboard of economic statistics built by and for caregivers that brings their economic contributions into the fold.

Where: Book Soup

Date: Friday the 13^th

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

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

Website: https://booksoup.com/event/2026-02-13/misty-l-heggeness

Book Talk: Alan Rothenberg & The Big Bounce: The Surge That Shaped the Future of Soccer at Chevalier’s – In-Person Event

Alan Rothenberg will discuss The Big Bounce: The Surge That Shaped the Future of Soccer.

A whirlwind, insider account of soccer’s hard-won growth in the United States as told by industry veteran and Major League Soccer founder Alan Rothenberg.

It took great belief as well as power, tenacity, and a willingness to approach the sport through the lens of big business.

In the crucial fifteen years when US soccer made its most important moves—from 1984 to 1999—the pivotal figure behind the scenes was Alan Rothenberg: soccer commissioner for the 1984 Olympics, chairman of the men’s World Cup in 1994, president of U.S. Soccer from 1990 to 1998, founder of Major League Soccer, and chairman of the 1999 Women’s World Cup.

Rothenberg tells his story for the first time in this definitive account of the Big Bounce that propelled American soccer out of its Wild West past and into the international elite ranks, sharing little-known details of what really happened and why, from the radical to the farcical.

As U.S. soccer fans gear up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil, The Big Bounce chronicles an era of foundational growth for this rapidly growing sport.

Where: Chevalier’s

Date: Friday the 13^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

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

Website: https://chevaliersbooks.com/event/2026-02-13/big-bounce-surge-shaped-future-us-soccer

Book Event: Bethany C. Morrow, with Tananarive Due, & The Body at Reparations Club – In-Person Event

Please join us for a discussion on The Body by author Bethany C. Morrow, in conversation with Tananarive Due.

Mavis broke from her parents’ congregation years ago, but she still hasn’t recovered. Their impossible expectations and soul-shredding critiques have dug deep into her mind, and she’s taunted by the knowledge that even when she’s done nothing wrong, she’ll never be right.

Now Mavis is afraid she’s about to lose the only thing she has: her husband, Jerrod. The man she’s always known was too good to be true. No one thinks she deserves him—not even after surviving the serial cheater they wanted her to stick by—and soon they’ll all find out they were right.

Mavis is already unraveling when a brush with death shows her what real fear looks like. Soon, she’s under constant attack from all directions. As the assaults turn increasingly vicious and bizarre, Mavis realizes that Hell isn’t reserved for the afterlife.

And sinner or not, no one is coming to save her.

Bethany C. Morrow is a national bestselling author. Her young adult novels include A Song Below Water, A Chorus Rises, and the Little Women remix, So Many Beginnings, and she is editor/contributor to the young adult anthology Take The Mic, which won the 2020 ILA Social Justice in Literature award. Her adult novels include Mem, Cherish Farrah, and The Body. Her work has been featured in The LA Times, Forbes, Bustle, Buzzfeed, and more. She is included on USA Today’s list of 100 Black novelists and fiction writers you should read.

Tananarive Due is an American Book Award-winning, Essence bestselling author of sixteen books, including the Blood Colony, The Living Blood, The Good House, Joplin’s Ghost, and Devil’s Wake. She was also a contributor to Jonathan Maberry’s middle grade anthology, Don’t Turn Out the Lights. She has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award. She teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Visit her website TananariveDue.com.

Where: Reparations Club

Date: Friday the 13^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Address: 3054 S. Victoria Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90016

Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-event-the-body-w-bethany-c-morrow-tananarive-due-tickets-1977521910267?aff=oddtdtcreator

Open Mic Nightat Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event

This all-inclusive event will create space for local artists of any medium to share their talents with the community. Come hang out, as an audience member, or a performer, and meet some talented locals! Sign-ups for performers are at the door, day of, 30 minutes prior to the event. Sets are limited to 5-10 minutes. All performances must be family friendly. We will provide two microphones and two mic stands. Please bring any other equipment you will need. This event is free, no registration is required!

Where: Village Well Books & Coffee

Date: Friday the 13^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

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

Website: https://shop.villagewell.com

Tom & Robert’s Back Porch Blues Event at Beyond Baroque – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event

An evening of Blues in The Wanda Coleman Theater

Join us in the Wanda Coleman Theater for Back Porch Blues, a live acoustic concert featuring lead vocalist Tom Nolan of The Tom Nolan Band and lead guitarist Robert Resnick of the band 1969. Expect classic blues songs, ranging from 1905 to the present. Tom Laichas and Jeffrey Graham will support and weigh in with some blue-sy poesy. Wine and cheese reception prior.

Livestream: If you can’t join us in person the event will be livestreamed on Beyond Baroque’s YouTube channel at the scheduled time of the event. If you are tuning in this way, no ticket purchase is necessary.

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

Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center

Date: Friday, the 13^th

Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm (Wine & Cheese reception at 6:30 pm)

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

Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tom-and-roberts-back-porch-blues-tickets-1978662544936?aff=oddtdtcreator

Book Club for Adults: Going Home in the Dark at Hacienda Heights Library, LACL – In-Person Event

Join our monthly book club for an engaging discussion of our latest selection, Going Home in the Dark by Dean Koontz.

New members are always welcome.  Copies of the Book Club books will be available for pick-up at the Ask Us Desk one month prior to the book club meeting date.

Please be aware that refreshments will be served at this program. A list of ingredients will be available.

Where: Hacienda Heights Library, LACL

Date: Saturday the 14^th

Time: 10:30 am – 11:30 pm

Address: 16010 La Monde St., Hacienda Heights, CA 91745

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15281510

Love is Love! Drag Story Hour With Pickle at Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Pickle for an extra sparkly storytime with a drag performer bringing costume, humor, and play to read inclusive children’s books to delight families and kids of all ages. Valentine’s Day crafts will immediately follow story hour.

Story Hour: 11 a.m. – 12 noon

Valentine crafts: 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Where: Los Feliz Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Saturday the 14^th

Time: 11 am

Address: 1874 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027 

Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/love-love-drag-story-hour-pickle

Book Club: I Am Malala at Westwood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event

Read the book and join our lively discussion!

February 14: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

Where: Westwood Branch Library, LAPL 

Date: Saturday the 14^th

Time: 11 am

Address: 1246 Glendon Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024 

Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-3

Caffeinated Verse: Poetry Open Mic at Malibu Library, LACL – In-Person Event

Join Malibu Poet Laureate Charlotte Ward to hear readings of original pieces written by local poets and bring a poem of your own to read during the open mic. For adults.

This event is part of the City’s free poetry workshops in partnership with Malibu Library, the Malibu Poet Laureate Committee, the Malibu Arts Commission, and the Friends of the Malibu Library, offering community members engaging, educational opportunities to find expression through poetry with a renowned local poet.

Where: Malibu Library, LACL

Date: Saturday the 14^th

Time: 11 am – 12:30 pm

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

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15616698

Storytime: Pierre & Penelope at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event

Throw on your beret and join us for a read-along of Pierre & Penelope, the yarn of two French cats who chase their showbiz dreams all the way from Paris to Hollywood! The book is fun for all ages: whether you’re a cat lover, a Francophile, in the entertainment industry, or just ready for a good laugh and life lesson!

Bienvenue to the whimsical world of Pierre & Penelope!

The yarn of two beret-wearing French cats who chase their showbiz dreams all the way from Paris to Hollywood. You can’t help but chuckle at the antics of the animal cast of characters and purr at the beautiful message – achieving dreams requires persistence, practice, and the willingness to accept help.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Allie Schneider has worked in NYC and LA in comedic television on Arrested Development, Silicon Valley, Party Down, Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, & more. Pierre & Penelope is her first published book, inspired by Allie and co-author Madeline’s adopted cats when they were roommates in LA.

Madeline Walker grew up in Austin and has made her way back there after a long stint in California. While working at an entertainment ad agency in Los Angeles and living with her friend Allie back in 2015—both navigating the wild world of “Teenseltown”—she adopted Pierre, and Allie adopted Penelope. The cats became the inspiration for Pierre & Penelope, a story that only took 10 years to finish. Madeline is a product designer in tech and lives in Austin with her husband, Dean, son, Ollie, and their menagerie of pets—Pierre, Paloma, Goose, and Hazel.

Claire Ferguson is a native Austinite. Unlike Allie and Madeline, she never left Austin. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Texas and has been a local artist ever since. You can find Claire designing invitations, creating oil paintings, and, most importantly, illustrating children’s books. She is the adopted mother of the many alley cats residing in the streets of Hyde Park.

Where: Village Well Books & Coffee

Date: Saturday the 14^th

Time: 11 am – 12 pm

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

Website: https://shop.villagewell.com

Happy Valentine’s Day Storytime at Central Library, LAPL – In-Person Kids Event

Celebrate love and friendship with stories, songs, and more! Intended for ages 3-8. For more information, please contact children@lapl.org

For ADA accommodations, call (213) 228-7430 at least 72 hours prior to the event.

Para ajustes razonables según la ley de ADA, llama al (213) 228-7430 al menos 72 horas antes del evento.

Where: Central Library, LAPL 

Date: Saturday the 14^th

Time: 2 pm

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

Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/happy-valentines-day-storytime

Dual Book Launch & Signing with Marla Frazee and Larissa Theule at Once Upon a Time, Montrose – In-Person Kids Event

Love is abundant in these brand new picture books by local creatives. Marla Frazee has illustrated Because of a Shoe written by Julie Fogliano. Larissa Theule has written The Sweater: A Story of Community illustrated by Teagan White. The two will read their books, chat about their creative process, answer questions from the audience, and then sign books. Best for ages 4+.

Marla Frazee is the recipient of a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Picture Book and a three-time Caldecott Honor winner. She has illustrated many acclaimed picture books, including All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, Stars by Mary Lyn Ray, and Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers, as well as her own Farmer Books trilogy, A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, and The Boss Baby, which inspired the DreamWorks Animation film. She is also the illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Clementine chapter books by Sara Pennypacker.

Larissa Theule holds an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and is the author of the picture books Kafka and the Doll, Born to Ride: A Story About Bicycle Face, A Way with Wild Things, and Mouseboat. She lives in Pasadena, California.

Where: Once Upon a Time, Montrose 

Date: Saturday the 14^th

Time: 2 pm

Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020 

Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/sweater-shoe-and-you-marla-frazee-and-larissa-theule

Teen Lit Book Club: A Study in Charlotte at Chatsworth Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Teen Event

Teens and adults are invited to attend our Teen Lit Book Club every second Saturday of the month at 3 p.m. This month we will discuss A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro.

Charlotte and Jamie, current day descendants of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, find themselves at the same Connecticut boarding schools and are compelled to team up and solve the mysterious murder of a fellow classmate.

Copies of the book are available at the Reference Desk after the previous month’s meeting or can be ordered in advance. Ask a librarian for assistance if needed. Also available as an e-book or e-audiobook via Libby.

Teens and adults welcome.

Where: Chatsworth Branch Library, LAPL 

Date: Saturday the 14^th

Time: 3 pm

Address: 21062 Devonshire St., Chatsworth, CA 91311 

Website: https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/teen-lit-book-club-0

Cellar Door Book Club: Playground at Cellar Door Bookstore, Riverside – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event

Participants will discuss Playground: A Novel by author Richard Powers.

The magisterial novel from the Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times best-selling author ofThe OverstoryandBewilderment.

Four lives are drawn together in a sweeping, panoramic novel from Richard Powers. Twelve-year-old Evie Beaulieu sinks to the bottom of a swimming pool in Montreal strapped to one of the world’s first aqualungs. Ina Aroita grows up on naval bases across the Pacific with art as her only home. Two polar opposites at an elite Chicago high school bond over a three-thousand-year-old board game; Rafi Young will get lost in literature, while Todd Keane’s work will lead to a startling AI breakthrough.

They meet on the history-scarred island of Makatea in French Polynesia, whose deposits of phosphorus once helped to feed the world. Now the tiny atoll has been chosen for humanity’s next adventure: a plan to send floating, autonomous cities out onto the open sea. But first, the island’s residents must vote to greenlight the project or turn the seasteaders away.

Set in the world’s largest ocean, this awe-filled book explores that last wild place we have yet to colonize in a still-unfolding oceanic game, and interweaves beautiful writing, rich characterization, profound themes of technology and the environment, and a deep exploration of our shared humanity in a way only Richard Powers can.

Richard Powers is the author of fourteen novels, including The Overstory, Bewilderment, and Orfeo. He is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Award. He lives in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Where: Cellar Door Bookstore

Date: Saturday the 14^th

Time: 3 pm – 4 pm

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

Website: https://cellardoorbookstore.com/event/2026-02-14/cellar-door-book-club-playground

Saturday Afternoon Poetry: Deep Critique Writing Workshop – Online Zoom Event

Deep Critique 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 14^th

Time: 3 pm – 4:30 pm

Address: Online Zoom Event

Website: https://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/

She can handle the press…but can she handle the Palace?

With the British monarchy reeling from a wave of scandals, young American politico Lauren Morgan is plucked from the White House press office to breathe new life into the Buckingham Palace communications team and improve the royal family’s streak of bad headlines. But the Palace is an institution steeped in tradition and strict protocol, and Lauren quickly discovers that change is far from easy, or welcome, especially when you’re dealing with culture clashes, displeased royal aides, and a risky new love interest—or two.

Just as Lauren finds her footing at work—and with a charming royal reporter who may be more than just a press contact—an unexpected encounter from her past threatens the career she’s worked so hard to build. And when scandal looms over the dashing duke who Lauren has developed a special bond with, she finds herself torn between duty, loyalty, success, and happiness.

*This is a non-ticketed, 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 14^th

Time: 3 pm

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

Website: https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2026-02-14/omid-scobie-robin-benway

Teen Book Club: The Maze Runner at Lawndale Library, LACL – In-Person Teen Event

Join us in reading and discussing novels with your peers at the library! A limited number of titles are available for attendees at the library. January’s title: The Maze Runner by James Dashner. For ages 13 – 17.

Where: Lawndale Library, LACL

Date: Saturday the 14^th

Time: 4 pm – 5 pm

Address: 14615 Burin Ave., Lawndale, CA 90260

Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/15426252

RSVP at website: Pay what you want Donation

Where: Heavy Manners Library

Date: Saturday, the 14^th

Time: 6 pm – 8 pm

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

Website: https://heavymannerslibrary.com/events/love-parade-a-valentine-s-day-reading

2026 PAFF Spoken Word Fest at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Bridge – In-Person Event

It’s a Special Evening of the Hottest Spoken Word Artists in the Country!

It’s ‘The Pan African Film Festival Spoken Word Fest!’

PAFF is excited to bring you an amazing show complete with local and renowned spoken word artists! Seasoned and emerging poets will be sharing their best poems! Bring the entire family to this HIGH ENERGY, INTERACTIVE SHOW!

Our featured poet is internationally known, 7X HBO Def Poetry Jam and Tony Award Winning POET/PERFORMER Tamika Harper, also known as GEORGIA ME!

Dress to impress to win prizes in ‘The ShoeGame,’ participate in our battle of Old School versus New School music and most importantly experience phenomenal Spoken Word!

This event is Co-Produced and Hosted by Diverse Verses LA.

Paul Mabon, Kooki, Philosophy, Dj S.O.U.L.- O, Marcheta and Quan the Poet!

$25 tickets available soon at PAFF.org

Where: Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Bridge

Date: Saturday the 14^th

Time: 6:30 pm – 9 pm

Joseph Paulson presents LPS Open Mic at The Book Jewel, in Westchester on Valentine’s Day.

Bring a date! Bring a friend! Bring a poem!

Where: The Book Jewel, Westchester

Date: Saturday, the 14^th

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Ceasar K. Avelar presents Obsidian Tongues Open Mic every 2^nd Saturday of the month at Café con Libros in Pomona.

An open mic dedicated to the working class.

Where: Café con Libros, Pomona

Date: Saturday, the 14^th

Time: 7:30 pm – 9 pm

The Melrose Trading Post is a pioneering arts-based marketplace held every Sunday at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, CA with 275 local creative small business vendors, delicious food booths, and local live music.

MTP was founded in 1997 with a mission to champion small businesses, art, and community. The market funds Greenway Arts Alliance’s arts education programming and provides employment and leadership development opportunities for students at Fairfax High School.

JOIN us 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 8^th

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

Book Signing: Nedra Glover Tawwab & The Balancing Act at Reparations Club – In-Person Event

Join Rep Club for a signing and meet + greet celebrating The Balancing Act by NYT-Bestselling author Nedra Glover Tawwab.

Every relationship in our lives—from love and close friendship to extended family and our wider social circle—is a balancing act. If we give too much, we begin to lose ourselves. If we protect ourselves too much, we lose the closeness we all need. Getting the balance right is how we find more connection, authenticity, and joy.

The Balancing Act is a roadmap for finding that balance. With her signature blend of clarity and compassion, therapist Nedra Glover Tawwab sheds light on healthy dependency, and how to achieve it. Along the way, she unpacks buzzwords and trending topics including codependency, attachment styles, inner family systems, and more—offering practical advice for recognizing our needs, navigating conflict, and finding more harmony with the important people in our lives.

Nedra Glover Tawwab is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Set Boundaries, Find Peace and Drama Free. A licensed therapist and sought-after relationship expert, she has practiced relationship therapy for more than fifteen years. Tawwab has appeared as an expert on The Red Table Talk, The Breakfast Club, Good Morning America, and CBS This Morning, to name a few. Her work has been highlighted in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Vice, and she has appeared on numerous podcasts, including Good Life Project, Sofia with an F, and Therapy for Black Girls. Tawwab runs a popular Instagram account where she shares practices, tools, and reflections for mental health and hosts weekly Q&As about boundaries and relationships. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family.

Where: Reparations Club

Date: Sunday the 15^th

Time: 12 pm – 2 pm

Address: 3054 S. Victoria Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90016

Meet Emilia Mondragon, get a signed copy of their Fantasy novel, Daywalkers and get a sneak peak at their new sequel!

Follow us on Instagram for event updates!

@theopenbook_pasadena

Where: The Open Book, Pasadena

Date: Sunday the 15^th

Time: 1 pm – 3 pm

Address: 300 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101

Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-the-author-emilia-mondragon-at-the-open-book-pasadena-tickets-1980593248723

Bucket List Book Club: Lady Windemere’s Fan at Cellar Door Bookstore, Riverside – In-Person Event

Join us to discuss Lady Windemere’s Fan, included in the Vintage edition of The Plays of Oscar Wilde.

Oscar Wilde’s plays demonstrate once again why their author must be seen as both an inaugurator and a master of modernism. In his best work, the subversive insights embedded in his wit continue to challenge our common assumptions. Wilde’s ability to unsettle and startle us anew with his radical vision of the artifice inherent in the self’s construction makes him our contemporary.

This edition is introduced by John Lahr, author of Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton. The plays included are Lady Windermere’s Fan, Salome, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest.

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an Irish writer, poet, and playwright. His novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, brought him lasting recognition, and he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era with a series of witty social satires, including his masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest.

Where: Cellar Door Bookstore

Date: Sunday the 15^th

Time: 3 pm – 5 pm

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

Website: https://cellardoorbookstore.com/event/2026-02-15/bucket-list-book-club-lady-windemeres-fan

Book Event: Peter Alan Lesser & Live at McCabe’s Guitar Shop: Santa Monica’s Legendary Music Venue at Diesel, A Bookstore – In-Person Event

Join us Sunday, February 15th at 3:00 pm as we welcome author Peter Alan Lesser, in conversation with award-winning L.A. podcaster, culture writer and music junkie Rico Gagliano as he discusses and then signs his new book Live at McCabe’s Guitar Shop: Santa Monica’s Legendary Music Venue. Musician, author, and owner of the legendary folk music booking agency Folklore Productions. Mitch Greenhill will join the discussion and will also play a few songs.

This event is free to attend and will be held in the courtyard at DIESEL, A Bookstore in Brentwood.

A decade after Gerald McCabe opened a guitar repair shop in Santa Monica, California, legendary folk musicians Elizabeth Cotten and Mike Seeger came looking for a way to earn money to get back home. Their performance kickstarted a concert series that has featured some of the world’s finest musicians—including Doc Watson, Jackson Browne, Bill Monroe, and Linda Ronstadt—in one of the most intimate performance spaces on the West Coast. The audiences weren’t the only ones who left with cherished memories. Enjoy behind-the-scenes stories from artists such as Rosanne Cash, Taj Mahal, Lucinda Williams, Arlo Guthrie, and many more. Author Peter Alan Lesser shares the unique history of the venue and the concerts played live at McCabe’s Guitar Shop.

Peter Alan Lesser, a concert director from Upstate New York for more than thirty years, presented performances at the Java Jive Coffee House, Troy Savings Bank Music Hall and Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center before moving to Santa Monica, just a few miles from McCabe’s Guitar Shop, where he now lives with his wife, Therese.

Rico Gagliano is an American journalist, podcaster, and radio host. He is best known as the co-host, with Brendan Francis Newnam, of American Public Media’s arts-and-culture radio show and podcast “The Dinner Party Download,” and as a reporter for the public radio business show “Marketplace”. He has also written for television and print media. He is currently Head of Audio at the cinephile streaming service and film distributor MUBI.

Mitch Greenhill, who performed numerous times at McCabe’s Guitar Shop and booked many artists there as the owner of the legendary booking agency Folklore Productions (AKA: (FLi Artists) will join the discussion, talk a bit about his own book Raised by Musical Mavericks Recalling life lessons from Pete Seeger, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Doc Watson, Rev. Gary Davis and Others and perform a few tunes on guitar.

Free seating is limited. To reserve a seat, please purchase one copy of a book for one seat.

Where: Deisel, A Bookstore

Date: Sunday the 15^th

Time: 3 pm – 5 pm

Address: 225 26^th St., Suite 33, Santa Monica, CA 90402

Website: https://dieselbookstore.com/event/2026-02-15/peter-alan-lesser-live-mccabes-guitar-shop-santa-monicas

Speech Bubble Book Club: Out of Alcatraz at North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Event

Participants will discuss Out of Alcatraz by Christopher Cantwell.

Find the book at bookshop.org.

Where: North Figueroa Bookshop

Date: Sunday the 15^th

Time: 3 pm – 5 pm

Address: 6140 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042

Website: https://northfigbookshop.com/event/#calendar-8a0f87f6-17d6-4f10-9815-04df4c8251ba-event-375bc370-755b-4604-9d18-b593176cb82b

Author Event: Annette Ortiz Mata & The Secrets We Keep, The Lies We Tell at Flintridge Bookstore – In-Person Event

Annette Ortiz Mata will present and discuss The Secrets We Keep, The Lies We Tell.

Born and raised in the Bronx Housing Projects, Sophia Ramirez always dreamed of a way out. She finds one when she meets her Prince Charming. However, taking a risk on love turns out to be more dangerous than the neighborhood she grew up in. From the projects to penthouses and exclusive parties, the unfolding events are shrouded in lies and secrets. Ultimately, Sophia is faced with a choice, life or death. Whose it will be, is for her to decide.

Annette Ortiz Mata has written books on faith and parenting. This is her first foray into fiction. She has produced theatre, broadcast news, live shows, and web series. She graduated from USC Gould School of Law with a Master’s in the Study of Law and a certificate in Entertainment Law.

Where: Flintridge Bookstore

Date: Sunday the 15^th

Time: 4 pm – 6 pm

Address: 858 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011

Website: https://www.flintridgebooks.com/instore-events/2026/2/15/author-appearance-annette-ortiz-mata

On the Public Health Crisis: Linda Marsa & The Cure for Everything at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person MG Event

Join us at Village Well Books & Coffee for a Q&A with Linda Marsa, who wrote The Cure For Everything with Dr. Michelle Williams. For decades, Americans have believed that medical breakthroughs—new drugs, technologies, and cure—are the key to longer, healthier lives. But the numbers point to a different reality: the United States now has the shortest life expectancy of any wealthy nation, despite spending more than any country on healthcare. That’s because our problem isn’t pathological – it’s the fact that we’ve abandoned public health.

Join us at Village Well Books & Coffee for a Q&A with Linda Marsa, who wrote The Cure For Everything with Dr. Michelle Williams. For decades, Americans have believed that medical breakthroughs—new drugs, technologies, and cures—are the key to longer, healthier lives. But the numbers point to a different reality: the United States now has the shortest life expectancy of any wealthy nation, despite spending more than any country on healthcare. That’s because our problem isn’t pathological—it’s the fact that we’ve abandoned public health.

The inspiring story of how we overcame a history of infectious disease, poisonous environments, and early death and unlocked an explosion in human potential—and a vision for the work ahead to optimize human flourishing in the twenty-first century.

Reserve your seats on EVENTBRITE.

Linda Marsa is a former Los Angeles Times reporter and a Discover contributing editor who covers medicine, health, and the environment. Her latest book, which she wrote with Dr. Michelle Williams, The Cure for Everything: The Epic Struggle for Public Health and a Radical Vision for Human Thriving, will be published in February. Her work has been anthologized in Best American Science Writing, and she has previously authored two books, most recently: Fevered: Why a Hotter Planet Will Harm Our Health and How We Can Save Ourselves.

Katharine Gammon is a freelance science writer in Santa Monica, California. She’s written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, Wired, National Geographic, The Guardian, and other outlets. Her work was featured in The Best American Science and Nature Writing of 2020 anthology and she currently serves as an adjunct professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California.

Where: Village Well Books & Coffee

Date: Sunday the 15^th

Time: 5 pm – 6:30 pm

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

Website: https://shop.villagewell.com

Poetry Reading & Book Launch: Daryl Gussin and Ivan Salinas at Plant Material, Eagle Rock – In-Person Event

Book Launch at Plant Material, in Glassell Park, on Sunday, February 15!

Daryl Gussin and Ivan Salinas, with Mylo Lam and Laura Sermeno, will be reading from our new collections and featuring poets @sagrada.2.0 and @mylolololol. And the homie@mattheweliperez will be opening the reading with some slick licks 🎸

See you at @plant_material. The event is free, but we encourage everyone to BUY A PLANT! Plenty of Native California plants you can take home 🌱 🪴 and match them with our books 📚

Where: Plant Material

Date: Sunday the 15^th

Time: 6 pm

Developmental editor and teacher Jeanne De Vita leads our Focus on Craft book club.

Participants will discuss Dagger Mouth by H.M. Wolfe.

Meets on the 3^rd Sunday of the month at 7:15 pm in the main store. No membership is necessary, but RSVP is required.

Where: The Ripped Bodice

Date: Sunday the 15^th

Time: 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm

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

Where: Killer Fitness & Little Sweeties

Date: Sunday the 15^th

Time: 7:30 pm

Address: 822 N. Hollywood Way., Burbank, CA 91505