Book Club for Adults: Delusions of a Side Chick at Vermont Square Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join us for a conversation about Delusions of a Side Chick, by Kandie Marie.
This dramatic and suspenseful novel follows Eric as he tries to move on from a toxic affair. At the same time, Dareen refuses to let go, drawing Tommy, Joe, Lana, and Reneece into a web of lies, jealousy, and emotional chaos. Together, we will explore the novel’s themes of love, betrayal, obsession, and redemption in a warm, welcoming, and inclusive space where all perspectives are encouraged and respected.
Where: Vermont Square Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 27th
Time: 5 pm
Address: 161 S. Gardner St., Los Angeles, CA 90036
Website: https://www.lapl.org/events/book-club-night-travelers
Anansi Writers Workshop Presents: Take It To The Water Summer Writing Series at Dockweiler Beach – In-Person Event
Join us for our informal Summer Writing Series. Staring Monday 7/27/26.
Let’s connect and create. Bring your own chair or blanket, a personal snack and/or one to share and something to write with. It’s not our typical session, we just want to create together.
Where: Dockweiler Beach
Date: Monday the 27th
Time: 5 pm – Sunset
Address: Check the link for the exact location of the workshop at Dockweiler
Website: Instagram Page
Queer Book Club: Glitter in the Dark at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss the novel Glitter in the Dark: Ginny Dugan Mysteries #1 by Olesya Lyuzna.
The search for a kidnapped singer in Prohibition-era New York leads an intrepid reporter from Harlem speakeasies to the dazzling world of the theater, all while grappling with her warring passions.
Ambitious advice columnist Ginny Dugan knows she’s capable of more than solving other people’s beauty problems, but her boss at Photoplay magazine thinks she’s only fit for fluff pieces. When she witnesses the kidnapping of a famous singer at Harlem’s hottest speakeasy, nobody takes her seriously, but Ginny knows what she saw—and what she saw haunts her.
Guilt-ridden over her failure to stop the kidnappers and hard-pressed for cash to finally move out of her uptight showgirl sister’s apartment, Ginny resolves to chase down the truth that will clear her conscience and maybe win her a promotion in the process. When private detective Jack Crawford starts interfering with her case, Ginny ropes him into a reluctant partnership but soon finds herself drawn to the kind heart she glimpses beneath his brooding exterior. Equally as alluring is Gloria Gardner, the star dancer of the Ziegfeld Follies who treats life like one unending party. Yet as Ginny delves deeper into the criminal underworld, the sinister plot she uncovers seems to lead right back to the theater.
Then a brutal murder strikes someone close to her, and Ginny realizes the stakes are higher than she ever imagined. This glamorous world has a deadly edge, and Ginny must shatter her every illusion to catch the shadowy killer before they strike again.
Olesya Lyuzna is a historical fiction writer with a passion for queer noir. Her debut novel Glitter in the Dark was selected for a 2020 Pitch Wars mentorship by Layne Fargo and Halley Sutton. She lives in Toronto and spends her free time hosting murder mystery parties and scouring the archives for unsolved crimes.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Monday the 27th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd. Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Sherman Oaks Book Club: What I Want You to See at Sherman Oaks Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join us for a conversation about What I Want You to See, by Catherine Linka.
Winning a scholarship to California’s most prestigious art school seems like a fairy tale ending to Sabine Reye’s awful senior year. After losing both her mother and her home, Sabine longs for a place where she belongs. But the cutthroat world of visual arts is nothing like what Sabine had imagined. Colin Krell, the renowned faculty member whom she had hoped would mentor her, seems to take merciless delight in tearing down her best work—and warns her that she’ll lose the merit-based award if she doesn’t improve. Desperate and humiliated, Sabine doesn’t know where to turn. Then she meets Adam, a grad student who understands better than anyone the pressures of art school.
Complex and utterly original, What I Want You to See is a gripping tale of deception, attraction, and moral ambiguity.
Where: Sherman Oaks Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 27th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.lapl.org/events/sherman-oaks-book-club-what-i-want-you-see-catherine-linka
Mar Vista Adult Book Club: Faithful Place at Mar Vista Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
All readers are welcome to join our book club; no sign-up is necessary. To find out about each month’s title, please get in touch with the branch. Copies of the book can be checked out at the Reference Desk.
Join us for a conversation about Faithful Place, by Tana French.
This book is set in Dublin, featuring undercover detective Frank Mackey, who was a supporting character in French’s previous novel, The Likeness. It is the third installment of French’s loosely related Dublin Murder Squad series. Each follows a case in the heart of Ireland, with overlapping, complex characters that get involved in cases tied to their pasts.
Where: Mar Vista Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 27th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 12006 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066
Website: https://www.lapl.org/events/mar-vista-book-club
Los Feliz Writers: Shut Up and Write in Los Feliz at Sidewalk Grill – In-Person Event
Looking for some dedicated writing time? Come by our weekly neighborhood meetups:
Mondays @ 6:45 pm – 8 pm at Sidewalk Grill (NEW)
Wednesdays @ 6:45 – 8 pm at Bar Alcove & Bakery
All writers and all experience levels are welcome!
We’re starting a Shut Up and Write event on Mondays too, thanks to @jack_andcat.
Hosted by @literarypixie!
RSVP at link in bio.
Where: Sidewalk Grill
Date: Monday the 27th
Time: 6:45 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1727 N. Vermont Ave. #102, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: Instagram Page
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 27th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 3575 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92501
Website: Facebook Page
Under the Tree We Dream: A Writing Circle with Alex Petunia at Holy Grounds Coffee & Tea – In-Person Event
This monthly writing circle is held on the last Monday of the month and hosted by Alex Petunia. It’s an invitation to write with generative prompts and creative community.
All writing levels are welcome.
Entrance requires a drink purchase.
NOTE: See site for link and details.
Where: Holy Grounds
Date: Monday the 27th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 5371 Alhambra Ave., Los Angeles,, CA 90032
Website: Instagram Page
Monday Night Fiction Workshop with Raquel Baker at 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 27th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: Zoom Online Event (see site)
Website: Free Workshop Page
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 28th
Time: 10 am – 11 am
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: Event Page
Author Talk: Platonic with Dr. Marisa Franco via Virtual Program, LACL – In-Person Event
Join our conversation with author and human connection expert Dr. Marisa Franco as we talk about her new book Platonic. The book explores the science of different attachment styles and how they impact our relationships–often in ways we don’t realize!
Where: Virtual Program, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/16704991
Virtual Book Club: Go Gentle at La Crescenta Library, LACL – Online Event
Join us on Zoom for a weekly discussion of Go Gentle by Maria Semple. Please contact Marta Wiggins via email at mwiggins@library.lacounty.gov for your invitation to join the Zoom Meeting. For adults.
We discuss 1/4 of the book each week. See below for the breakdown of the weekly discussions.
July 28 — Part 5 — Pages 273 to the end of the book.
Adora Hazzard has it all figured out. A Stoic philosopher and divorcee, she lives amongst friends and culture on New York’s Upper West Side, and works for the ultra-wealthy and secretive Lockwood family as a private ethics tutor for their tween boys. Her main life hack, and the key to her own enviable happiness, is to desire only what you have. Everything else life throws at you? Don’t just accept it; love it. Amor Fati. Adora believes it so deeply she has it tattooed on her wrist. But when Adora meets Digby, a handsome stranger at the ballet, she finds herself loving fate indeed. But soon, she’s pulled into a world of secret rendezvous, black-market art deals, and international intrigue. Driven by an unexpected and maddening desire, Adora risks reputation, job and hard-won serenity for the feelings Digby has awoken in her
Where: La Crescenta Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: Online Zoom Event
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/16886671
Nonfiction Book Club: NIghtfaring at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us to discuss Nightfaring: In Search of the Disappearing Darkness by Megan Eaves-Egenes. Copies available at Customer Service. For adults.
Where: Agoura Hills Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 2 pm – 3 pm
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/16604203
Zoom Book Club: What I Want You to See via Virtual Program, LAPL – Online Zoom Event
Join us monthly on the last Tuesday of the month at 5 pm.
Call for details: 310-821-1769.
Where: Virtual Zoom Program, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 5 pm
Address: Online Event (see site)
Website: https://www.lapl.org/events/zoom-book-club
Panel Event: The World Works Better with US via The Poetry Lab – Online Zoom Event
This free panel on disability poetics is hosted by Sara Beth Brooks, and it brings together five acclaimed poets for a live conversation exploring why disabled voices are essential to contemporary literature and why disabled poetics belongs at the center of literary conversation.
Like so much art created by minority groups, disabled poetics is often viewed as only for disabled people. This panel seeks to re-frame poetry about disabled experiences as important and valuable for non-disabled audiences.
We want to invite writers to widen their lens and understand the intrinsic value of poetry about disability.
Torrin A. Greathouse (she/they) is an award-winning transgender cripple-punk poet and essayist. She received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Minnesota. Their work has been featured in Poetry Magazine, The Rumpus, the New York Times Magazine, Copper Nickel, The Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Effing Foundation for Sex-Positivity, Zoeglossia, The Ragdale Foundation, and the University of Arizona Poetry Center. They are the author of DEED (Wesleyan University Press, 2024), winner of a 2025 Stonewall Book Awards Barbara Gittings Prize in Poetry, and Wound from the Mouth of a Wound (Milkweed Editions, 2020), a Minnesota Book Award and CLMP Firecracker Award finalist, and winner of the 2022 Kate Tufts Discovery Award. She teaches at the Rainier Writing Workshop, the low-residency MFA program at Pacific Lutheran University.
Camisha L. Jones is the author of Flare, a poetry chapbook published by Finishing Line Press in 2017 focused on her experiences with hearing loss and chronic pain. Her poems have been published in The New York Times, Poets.org, Button Poetry, The Deaf Poets Society, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Typo, The Quarry, and elsewhere.
Liv Mammone is a poet, performer, and editor from Long Island, New York. Her poetry has appeared in Wordgathering, Monstering Magazine, Wicked Banshee, The Medical Journal of Australia, and other publications. In 2017, Mammone competed in the Union Square Slam as the first disabled woman on a New York national poetry slam team. She was also a finalist in the Capturing Fire National Poetry Slam in 2017. A 2016 Brooklyn Poets Fellow and Zoeglossia fellow, she works as an editor at Game Over Books.
Ekiwah Adler-Belendez is the author of three volumes of poetry: Soy (I Am); Palabras Inagotables, (Never-ending Words); Weaver (2003), his first book in English; and The Coyotes Trace, which features an introduction by Mary Oliver. Ekiwah lives in Massachusetts, has dual citizenship, and is bilingual.
Sarah Cavar (they/them)is a writer, scholar, and teacher. They hold a PhD in Cultural Studies from the University of California, Davis, and their interests lay at the nexus of their own existence: transness, Madness, queerness, [and] disability. Cavar is the author of the novel Failure to Comply, the poetry collection Differential Diagnosis, and six chapbooks.
Registration is now open and is free!
Where: The Poetry Lab, Zoom Program
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 5:30 pm
Address: Online Zoom Event
Website: Instagram Page
Lomita Book Club: The Measure at Lomita Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us to discuss The Measure by Nikki Erlick. Copies available at Customer Service. For adults.
This sci-fi, speculative novel begins with a box that everyone in the world receives with the engraving, “The measure of your life lies within.” Inside the box is a single string.
Where: Lomita Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 24200 Narbonne Ave., Lomita, CA 90717
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/16633550
LGBTQ+ Book Club: The True True Story of Raja the Gullible at West Hollywood Library, LACL – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Join us to discuss The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine. Copies available at Customer Service. For adults.
This is a hybrid event and will be hosted in-person in the West Hollywood Library Community Meeting Room as well as on Zoom. Please register at the link below to receive the link to the meeting via email.
https://library-lacounty-gov.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pd-Goqz4uGNNbzVuW720zsRrGxTK1VeLG
West Hollywood Library’s LGBTQ+ Book Club meets on the last Tuesday of the month to discuss literary works of relevance and interest to the LGBTQ+ community.
Please contact the library to borrow a print copy of the book. eBook is available through hoopla digital (no wait) and Libby and downloadable audiobook is available through Libby.
In The True True Story of Raja the GullibleIn, in a tiny Beirut apartment, sixty-three-year-old Raja and his mother live side by side. A beloved high school philosophy teacher and “the neighborhood homosexual,” Raja relishes books, meditative walks, order, and solitude. Zalfa, his octogenarian mother, views her son’s desire for privacy as a personal affront. She demands to know every detail of Raja’s work life and love life, boundaries be damned.
When Raja receives an invite to an all-expenses-paid writing residency in America, the timing couldn’t be better. It arrives on the heels of a series of personal and national disasters that have left Raja longing for peace and quiet away from his mother and the heartache of Lebanon. But what at first seems a stroke of good fortune soon leads Raja to recount and relive the very disasters and past betrayals he wishes to forget.
Where: West Hollywood Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/16489942
Blockbuster Book Club: The Princess Bride at Clifton M. Brakensiek Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us to discuss The Princess Bride by William Golding. Copies available at Customer Service. For ages 18+.
This is a two-part book club for books that have made it to the screen! This first session we will discuss the book The Princess Bride by William Golding. Ages 18+
During the second session, Saturday August 22 from 2 – 4 pm, we will watch the film adaptation. This program is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Clifton M. Brakensiek Library. For ages 18+
Check with the circulation desk for copies of the book or request a copy online at Catalog.LACountyLibrary.org/
Where: Clifton M. Brakensiek Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 9945 Flower St., Bellflower, CA 90706
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/16526774
Hooked on Books Book Club: King of Ashes at Quartz Hill Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join us to discuss King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby. Copies available at Customer Service and newcomers are always welcome! For adults.
When eldest son Roman Carruthers is summoned home after his father’s car accident, he finds his younger brother, Dante, in debt to dangerous criminals and his sister, Neveah, exhausted from holding the family—and the family business—together. Neveah and their father, who run the Carruthers Crematorium in the run-down central Virginia town of Jefferson Run, see death up close every day. But mortality draws even closer when it becomes clear that the crash that landed their father in a coma was no accident and Dante’s recklessness has placed them all in real danger.
Where: Quartz Hill Library, LACL
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 5040 W. Ave. M 2, Quartz Hill, CA 93536
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/16604268
Phy-Sci Book Club: Light Eaters at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoe Schlanger.
Award-winning Atlantic staff writer Zoë Schlanger delivers a groundbreaking work of natural history and popular science that probes the hidden world of the plant kingdom, “destabilizing not just how we see the green things of the world but also our place in the hierarchy of beings, and maybe the notion of that hierarchy itself.” (The New Yorker)
It takes tremendous biological creativity to be a plant. To survive and thrive while rooted in a single spot, plants have adapted ingenious methods of survival. In recent years, scientists have learned about their ability to communicate, recognize their kin and behave socially, hear sounds, morph their bodies to blend into their surroundings, store useful memories that inform their life cycle, and trick animals into behaving to their benefit—a fascinating display of plant behavior and sensory abilities, to name just a few remarkable talents.
The Light Eaters is a deep immersion into the drama of green life and the complexity of this wild and awe-inspiring world that challenges our very understanding of agency, consciousness, and intelligence. In this captivating exploration of plant intelligence, we see that plants, rather than imitate human intelligence, have perhaps formed a parallel system. What is intelligent life if not a vine that grows leaves to blend into the shrub on which it climbs, a flower that shapes its bloom to fit exactly the beak of its pollinator, a pea seedling that can hear water flowing and make its way toward it? Zoë Schlanger takes us across the globe, digging into her own memories and into the soil with the scientists who have spent their waking days studying these amazing entities up close.
Where: Cellar Door Bookstore
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd. Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://cellardoorbookstore.com/event/2026-07-28/phy-sci-book-club-light-eaters
Mystery Book Club: The Gray Wolf at Playa Vista Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join for a discussion of The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny. All are welcome!
Where: Playa Vista Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 6400 Playa Vista Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90094
Website: https://www.lapl.org/events/mystery-book-club-4
Sci-Fi Fantasy Book Club: Neuromancer at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
The Village Well Book Club offshoot, the Sci-fi Fantasy Book Club! To the Tolkien nerds, SJM stans, and R.F. Kuang enjoyers, this group is for you! On the fourth Tuesday of every month, we will come together and discuss a story that falls within the realms of either science fiction or fantasy (or sometimes both!). To join our emailing list, reach out to events@villagewell.com
This July’s pick is Neuromancer by William Gibson.
Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards, Neuromancer is a science fiction masterpiece—a classic that ranks as one of the twentieth century’s most potent visions of the future.
Case was the sharpest data-thief in the matrix—until he crossed the wrong people and they crippled his nervous system, banishing him from cyberspace. Now a mysterious new employer has recruited him for a last-chance run at an unthinkably powerful artificial intelligence. With a dead man riding shotgun and Molly, a mirror-eyed street-samurai, to watch his back, Case is ready for the adventure that upped the ante on an entire genre of fiction.
Neuromancer was the first fully-realized glimpse of humankind’s digital future—a shocking vision that has challenged our assumptions about technology and ourselves, reinvented the way we speak and think, and forever altered the landscape of our imaginations
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: Event Page
Open Mic Readings Every Tuesday at the Aftermath Bar, Sherman Oaks – In-Person Event
CALLING ALL WRITERS! Every Tuesday we’ll be having Open Mic Readings open to the public! Read your poems, fiction, and spoken word at our open mic reading EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT from 7 pm – 10 pm!
Read your poetry, fiction, spoken word, or lyrics.
Free event. 21+
Note: Please RSVP at site.
Where: The Aftermath Bar
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 7 pm – 10 pm
Address: 14537 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Website: Instagram Page
Author Matthew Quick, with Annabelle Chang, & Dad, Love Me: A Memoir at Annabelle’s Book Club, Studio City – In-Person Event
Join us in-store to celebrate the release of Matthew Quick’s new memoir Dad, Love, Me: A Memoir. Matthew will be in conversation with Annabelle Chang. Book signing to follow.
Written in the form of a letter to his ailing father, this debut memoir from the bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook explores the complicated burden of caring for an abusive parent who is dying—here is Matthew Quick’s most personal and potent work to date.
In this book, Quick takes readers deep into his psyche, as he wrestles with both his own mental health and his father’s cognitive decline. A health scare finally forces Quick to get sober, but then, overcome by creative paralysis, writer’s block threatens to end his career. The blank page is unbearable. As his desperation for healing peaks, Quick turns to a Jungian analyst he nicknames “Zeus.” In the safety of analysis, as Quick’s repressed pain and shame surface, he finally cracks. Just as he is putting himself back together, his father is diagnosed with dementia.
Suddenly, the clock is ticking. If there is ever going to be reconciliation, it has to happen now.
Matthew Quick is the New York Times bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook—which was made into an Oscar-winning film—and eight other novels, including We Are the Light, a main selection of the Book of the Month Club. His work has been translated into more than thirty languages, received a PEN/Hemingway Award Honorable Mention, was an Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, a #1 bestseller in Brazil, a Deutscher Jugendliteratur Preis 2016 (German Youth Literature Prize) nominee, and selected by Nancy Pearl as one of Summer’s Best Books for NPR. The Hollywood Reporter has named him one of Hollywood’s 25 Most Powerful Authors. Matthew lives with his wife, the novelist Alicia Bessette, in Beaufort, South Carolina.
Where: Annabelle’s Book Club LA
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 12200 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604
Website: https://annabellesbookclubla.com/event/2026-07-28/celebrating-dad-love-me-author-matthew-quick
Coyotes Fiction Book Club: Heartburn by Nora Ephron at Skylight – In-Person Event
Join us every fourth Tuesday of the month for our fiction book club!
A 40th anniversary reissue of the national bestselling author’s hilarious first novel memorably mixed food, heartbreak, and revenge into a comic masterpiece—now with a new foreword by Stanley Tucci.
Is it possible to write a sidesplitting novel about the breakup of the perfect marriage? If the writer is Nora Ephron, the answer is a resounding yes. In this inspired confection of adultery, revenge, group therapy, and pot roast, the creator of Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally…reminds us that comedy depends on anguish as surely as a proper gravy depends on flour and butter.
Seven months into her pregnancy, Rachel Samstat discovers that her husband, Mark, is in love with another woman. The fact that the other woman has “a neck as long as an arm and a nose as long as a thumb and you should see her legs” is no consolation. Food sometimes is, though, since Rachel writes cookbooks for a living. And in between trying to win Mark back and loudly wishing him dead, Ephron’s irrepressible heroine offers some of her favorite recipes.
Heartburn is a sinfully delicious novel, as soul-satisfying as mashed potatoes and as airy as a perfect soufflé.
If you’ve made it to this page, it means you’re interested in books and literature and sharing your reading experiences with fellow readers—that’s awesome! We’d love to have you at our meetings. And it’s free to come! The group is open to the public, there’s no need to sign up, and no mandate to come.
If you’d like to get on the Discord and receive book club updates from us, email bo@skylightbooks.com. If not, check in here for information about this month’s book and meeting.
To join the mailing list, contact Bo!
Coyote members save 15% on each month’s pick. Mention that you’re a member at the register or in the order comments field.
Where: Skylight Books
Date: Tuesday the 28th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90027
Website: https://skylightbooks.com/event/2026-07-28/coyotes-fiction-book-club
Virtual Cobalt Series & Open Mic: Rick Lupert & Guest JeFF Stumpo, plus Open Reading – Online Zoom Event
Cobalt Poets Reading & Open Mic and host Rick Lupert will welcome guest JeFF Stumpo, plus an Open Reading online.
JeFF Stumpo is the author of the poetry collection these are the waterfalls in my head (Yas Press 2026) as well as a handful of chapbooks, a former adjunct professor, a former bookstore owner, a current stay-at-home dad, and an occasional builder of things.
Where: Cobalt Poets – Online Zoom Event
Date: Tuesday, the 28th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: Cobalt Event Page
DiPiazza’s Open Mic at Di Piazza’s Pizza – In-Person Event
Open Mic Every Tuesday! Signups 8:30 pm, late-night happy hour, live music, pizza & cocktails.
Host: Tamara Madison
Features: TBA
Often follows Trivia Night at 6 pm for a full evening of fun.
No cover mentioned—come early to grab a spot!
Step up to the mic and shine!
Where: Di Piazza’s
Date: Tuesday, the 28th
Time: 8:30 pm
Address: 5205 Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, CA
Website: Eventbrite Page
Da Poetry Lounge Open Mic w/ Poets for Palestine LA at ASTRO – Summer Residency in Arts District – In-Person Event
Poets for Palestine LA x Da Poetry Lounge are collaborating for an Open Mic as part of DPL’s Summer Season sponsored by Astro.
We’re bringing our communities together for a night of inspiring poetry, SWANA vendors curated by @thepeoplesmarketplace, music, and nonstop vibes. Poets in poetic resistance and pursuit of Palestinian liberation to the front! Come EARLY for the Night Market, stay for the gathering of artists & collaborators!
The open-mic will start with our feature, Palestinian poet/songwriter, Talal. Followed by an open mic accompanied by the amazing musician @thedudewiththeoud.
Talal (@thedudewiththeoud) is levanting events with the captivating sound of the Oud.
$10 suggested donation. Pay what you can. Do NOT line up prior to 7:30 pm Free parking adjacent to the theater.
Masks are encouraged. See website link for details.
Where: ASTRO Summer Residency, New ARTS DISTRCT Location
Date: Tuesday, the 28th
Time: 9 pm – 11 pm (Doors at 8:15 pm)
Address: 430 Colyton St., Arts District DTLA, CA
Website: Instagram Page
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: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 9 am – 10 am
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: Event Page
Sensory Storytime at Casita Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join us for Sensory Storytime with Artsy Wagon.
Where: Casita Bookstore
Date: Wednesday, the 29th
Time: 11 am
Address: 272 Redondo Ave., Long Beach, CA 90803
Website: Instagram Page
Café via KPFK 90.7 FM – Live On-Air Event
Poets Café celebrates Poetry. This program is a weekly half-hour literary arts discussion and reading program featuring guest authors and their works.
Poetry From Around the World is a segment of this series offered monthly on the 2nd Monday of the month on KPFK Los Angeles 90.7 FM.
NOTE: See site for details.
Where: KPFK 90.7 FM
Date: Wednesday, the 29th
Time: 2 pm – 2:30 pm
Address: On-air Event
Website: https://www.kpfk.org/on-air/poets-cafe/
Zines! Event at Lake View Terrace Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Teen Event
A zine (short for magazine) is a self-published DIY booklet you create. It can cover any topic, from fanfiction to photography to social activism. Join the fun and create your own zine! All materials are provided. All ages are welcome, but this activity is highly recommended for teens.
Register at website link.
Where: Lake View Terrace Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
Address: 12002 Osborne St., Los Angeles, CA 91342
Website: https://www.lapl.org/events/zines
Sci-Fi Book Club: Almuric by Robert E. Howard at Van Nuys Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join our Science Fiction Book Club to discuss Almuric by Robert E. Howard. Copies available from the branch Cybernaut.
Synopsis: Fugitive Esau Cairn is transported to the planet Almuric where he contends with hostile alien races in a quest for survival. This novel represents Howard’s sole journey in the sci-fi genre. He is best known as the creator of Conan the Barbarian.
Where: Van Nuys Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 5 pm – 6 pm
Address: 6250 Sylmar Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91401
Website: https://www.lapl.org/events/manga-drawing-and-connections-old-japan
Book Club: The Collaborators by Michael Idov at El Monte Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Bibliophiles are welcomed! Join us each month for a facilitated discussion of fiction and non-fiction titles. A limited number of copies are available for book club attendees at the library. For adults.
Our Book Club meets on the last Wednesday of every month. Light refreshments will be provided. For a list of ingredients and nutritional information, please contact our Adult/Teen Librarian, Lisa Hoang, at 626.444.9506.
July’s Book Pick is The Collaborators by Michael Idov.
A modern spy thriller that follows two damaged, smart, very millennial protagonists: Ari Falk, a CIA officer reeling after the loss of a key Russian asset, and Maya Chou, the estranged daughter of a vanished Russian-American billionaire. Their separate crises slowly intertwine into a globe-spanning investigation involving Russian oligarchs, intelligence agencies, disinformation campaigns, and the long aftershocks of the Soviet collapse.
Where: El Monte Library, LACL
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 5 pm – 6 pm
Address: 3224 Tyler Ave., El Monte, CA 91731
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/16791000
Self-Help Book Launch: Extraordinary Trauma to Extraordinary Dreams at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Join us for the launch of the anthology Extraordinary Trauma to Extraordinary Dreams!
The evening will bring together authors, guests, and community leaders for a curated experience of storytelling, conversation, and celebration. The event highlights the power of narrative to inspire healing, elevate consciousness, and transform adversity into legacy-driven purpose.
Reserve your tickets on Eventbrite!
Extraordinary Trauma to Extraordinary Dreams is a powerful and deeply human collection of stories that illuminates the resilience of the human spirit. In this compelling volume, courageous voices rise from the depths of pain, adversity, and life-altering trauma to reveal what is possible when healing meets purpose.
Each author takes readers on a personal journey through moments of heartbreak, uncertainty, and transformation, offering raw truth, hard-earned wisdom, and unwavering hope. These are not merely stories of survival; they are testimonies of triumph. From overcoming unimaginable obstacles to reclaiming identity, rediscovering self-worth, and daring to dream again, every chapter serves as a reminder that your past does not define your future.
This book speaks to anyone who has ever faced hardship and wondered, “What now?” Its answer is clear: now, you rise.
More than just inspiration, Extraordinary Trauma to Extraordinary Dreams is a call to action. It invites readers to see their stories differently—not as something that broke them, but as the foundation for the life they are meant to build. Within these pages, you will find strength, connection, and the courage to transform your own trauma into a catalyst for extraordinary dreams.
Your story isn’t over. In fact, it may just be beginning.
Symone Fairchild is an international bestselling author, filmmaker, speaker, and CEO/Founder of Dragon Entertainment and EyeOnDV. A thriver post-abuse, she is committed to transforming trauma into purpose through storytelling, rediscovering the Light within, and creative leadership. Her work focuses on healing, empowerment, and helping others turn extraordinary adversity into extraordinary dreams.
Cesar R. Espino, MBA, is an international bestselling author, publisher, and entrepreneur. He specializes in helping leaders and changemakers turn their stories into published works that inspire global audiences. His mission is to empower individuals to build legacy, influence, and impact through the power of authorship.
Jeffrey Sanow is a former CIA senior intelligence officer, bestselling author, and international speaker. He specializes in leadership, resilience, and decision-making under pressure, drawing from decades of intelligence experience. His mission is to help individuals and organizations navigate complexity with clarity, courage, and strategic awareness.
KristleAnn Sims is an international bestselling author and transformational speaker dedicated to healing through authenticity and self-discovery. She encourages others to embrace their stories, reclaim their voice, and find strength through adversity. Her work focuses on resilience, personal growth, and the power of vulnerability.
Flossie Njama is an international bestselling author, entrepreneur, and inspirational leader focused on empowerment through resilience and faith. She is passionate about helping others recognize their worth, overcome adversity, and step into new possibilities. Her work highlights perseverance, growth, and community impact.
Kymberly Helwig is an international bestselling author and advocate dedicated to healing through vulnerability and hope. She shares her journey to encourage others to embrace resilience, rediscover strength, and transform life’s challenges into growth. Her work centers on empowerment, authenticity, and emotional healing
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 5 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: Event Page
Let’s Read Los Angeles: The Day of the Locust at North Hollywood Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Artist Tod Hackett gets more than he bargains for when he moves to Hollywood to work on set design at a studio and falls in with interesting local characters.
Nathanael West’s 1939 novel The Day of the Locust was written while West lived in the San Fernando Valley. As a matter of fact, West and his wife Eileen McKenney (of My Sister Eileen fame) lived at 12706 Magnolia Blvd, down the street from the library, when they died in 1940.
Check out the copy of the book here at the library or you can find the e-book and e-audiobook at lapl.org.
Where: North Hollywood Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 5211 Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood, CA 91601
Website: https://www.lapl.org/events/lets-read-los-angeles-day-locust
Author Event: Tim Disney, with Nonny de la Pena, & The A.R.C.: A Virus That Kills When You Lie at Good Girl Books – In-Person Event
Join us to hear Tim Disney, in conversation with Nonny de la Pena, discuss The A.R.C.: A Virus That Kills When You Lie.
Tim Disney (filmmaker and grandnephew of Walt Disney) authored the satirical sci-fi graphic novel The A.R.C., released in July 2026. Co-written with JC Lacek and illustrated by Vincent Jolas Dubourg, the 330-page book centers on a lethal global virus that gets triggered by dishonesty.
Where: Good Girl Books
Date: Wednesday, the 29th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 12444 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066
Website: Instagram Page
Zibby’s Author Event: Matthew Quick, with Lori Gottlieb, & Dad, Love Me: A Memoir at Zibby’s – In-Person Event
Join Matthew Quick, in conversation with Lori Gottlieb, to discuss Dad, Love Me: A Memoir.
RSVP at website link.
Where: Zibby’s
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 1113 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://zibbymedia.com/pages/zibby-events-collection
Mystery & Thriller Book Club: Forget Me Not at Studio City Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join us on the last Wednesday of every month for our Mystery & Thriller book club!
Upcoming meeting:
July (7/29) – Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham
Where: Studio City Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 12511 Moorpark St., Studio City, CA 91604
Author Event: Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman & Kings of Vegas at Diesel, A Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join us to welcome Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman to the store to discuss and sign The Kings of Vegas.
The Kings of Vegas by longtime collaborators Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman (authors of the historical sensation Freud’s Mistress) is a high-stakes novel of family power, ambition, and inheritance is set inside the volatile world of a Las Vegas casino dynasty. A sexy and suspense-packed succession story which, after a heated bidding war between six studios, is currently in development as a television series.
Rooted in Karen Mack’s firsthand experience growing up in Las Vegas, The Kings of Vegas takes readers inside the city with rare intimacy—glamorous, dangerous, and governed by rules as old as money itself. This is not a tourist’s version of Las Vegas, but the lived-in world behind the neon: a place where loyalty is currency and survival depends on knowing when to hold, when to fold, and when to strike.
The novel begins with the sudden death of a powerful father, drawing his adult children back to Las Vegas and into a fierce struggle over the future of the family casino. At the center of it is Josie King, a formidable and unforgettable heroine. Smart, watchful, and fiercely strategic, Josie returns to a world she once tried to escape and finds herself forced to play a game she understands better than anyone else. As the family’s conflicts intensify, Josie emerges as a force to reckon with in a world built to exclude her.
With its distinctive setting, electrifying family drama, compelling romance, and propulsive momentum, is poised to become one of Summer 2026’s most entertaining reads.
Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman have collaborated on several novels, including the historic literary sensation Freud’s Mistress. With The Kings of Vegas, they take a bold step into a new genre—a contemporary thriller—while relying on the same creative partnership that has defined their work.
Where: Diesel, A Bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 225 26th St., Suite 33, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://dieselbookstore.com/event/2026-07-29/karen-mack-and-jennifer-kaufman-kings-vegas
Author Talk: Danny Goldberg & Liberals with Attitude at Fairview Branch Library, SMPL – Online Event
Author Danny Goldberg discusses his latest book, Liberals with Attitude: The Rodney King Beating and the Fight for the Soul of Los Angeles, the dramatic and captivating story of the unlikely coalition that formed in the wake of the Rodney King beating to challenge the destructive reign of Los Angeles police chief Daryl Gates.
A longtime political activist and the chair of the ACLU Foundation of Southern California when the King beating occurred, Goldberg offers a firsthand account of the alliance formed by the city’s political left and center to force Gates to step down and to amend the City Charter to prevent another unaccountable chief from coming into power. A book sale and signing follow.
Where: Fairview Branch Library, SMPL
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 2101 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405
Website: Santa Monica Library Event Page
Author Talk: Tood Marinovich and Lizzy Wright & Marinovich at Central Library, LAPL – Online Event
Join the Los Angeles Public Library’s Art, Music, and Recreation Department for an online conversation with authors Todd Marinovich and Lizzy Wright, celebrating the recent release of their book, Marinovich: Outside the Lines in Football, Art, and Addiction.
Todd Marinovich, formerly a star quarterback at the University of Southern California, was selected in the first round of the NFL draft. He joined the Los Angeles Raiders and played from 1991 to 1993. Leaving football due to addiction, he returned to the sport in 1999 and earned Arena Football League All-Rookie Team honors in 2000. An ESPN Films documentary, The Marinovich Project, explored Todd’s unconventional life and rise to prominence. Todd openly shares his story to inspire others. A father, coach, and spiritual survivor, Todd resides in Hawaii.
Lizzy Wright is an award-winning author. Her second memoir, Marinovich, explores the turbulent life of Todd Marinovich. Dubbed America’s first test-tube athlete, the book reveals the tapestry of choices and sacrifices behind one of the most misunderstood athletes of his generation. A lifelong athlete and adventurer, Lizzy finds creative clarity in the ocean, where she contemplates character development and word choice in the surf lineup. She lives in Del Mar, California, with her husband, former NFL player Steve Wright.
Please complete form available at site to RSVP. We will send the Zoom link by Tuesday, July 28.
RSVP for Zoom link.
Where: Central Library, LAPL
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 630 W 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: https://www.lapl.org/events/author-talk-todd-marinovich-lizzy-wright
Los Feliz Writers: Shut Up and Write in Los Feliz at Big Bar, The Alcove – In-Person Event
GATHER | WRITE | REPEAT
Free weekly writing meetups open to anyone who wants to write! Every Wednesday we have our weekly @shutupwrite at @bigbaralcove.
Hosted by @literarypixie!
RSVP at link in bio.
Where: Big Bar, The Alcove (in the back)
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 1929 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz, CA 90027
Website: Instagram Page
Unsupervised Readers Club: Queer People at Book Soup – In-Person Event
UNSOUPERVISED READERS JULY EDITION WILL BE:
QUEER PEOPLE by Carroll & Garrett Graham
This is a hilarious, biting satire of Hollywood that had long been forgotten until it was re-released this year!
NOTE: We are pleased to partner with Felix Farmer Press to sell an exclusive edition of this book at our store. We encourage you to purchase this edition. We will only be covering the novel included in the book, but you are welcome to also read the other essays and supplemental info included in the Felix Farmer edition.
SYNOPSIS: A brilliantly savage story, Queer People is, according to Budd Schulberg, “a racy testament to an era as totally vanished as the civilization of the Aztecs,” and if not the Hollywood novel is “at least a truly seminal work.”
Today’s readers will recognize in this long-forgotten Hollywood novel the seeds of three longer-lived ones, The Day of the Locust, What Makes Sammy Run?, and The Last Tycoon. They may also recognize Whitey, the hero of the Grahams’ novel, as a forerunner of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Pat Hobby.
The central figure in the novel is an archetypal newspaper reporter who drifts to Hollywood. Whitey discovers the social microcosm of the studio-people, and finds himself in his element. He penetrates strange places and encounters queer people—the story conference, the three-day party, the titans and the moguls. When a murder ends his interlude he leaves Hollywood as casually as he discovered it.
Originally published in 1930 Queer People was a scandalous roman à clef, irreverent to the “industry,” and totally amoral—qualities lacking in later Hollywood fiction. Hence it’s at once an important social document and an exciting original work.
Where: Book Soup
Date: Wednesday, the 29th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 8818 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://booksoup.com/event/2026-07-29/unsoupervised-readers-club
In Conversation: Robin D.G. Kelley and Kyle T. Mays at California African American Museum (CAAM) – In-Person Event
Robin D.G. Kelley, in conversation with Kyle T. Mays, will discuss When We Are Kin: The History and Future of Afro-Indigenous Solidarity.
When We Are Kin: The History and Future of Afro-Indigenous Solidarity presents a courageous perspective on a Black and Indigenous future grounded in genuine unity. Through a collection of concise essays, scholar Kyle T. Mays explores the legacy of cooperation between Black and Indigenous movements while also analyzing past and present shortcomings. Join Mays for a discussion of this provocative work alongside Robin D. G. Kelley, Gary B. Nash Professor of American History at UCLA.
Where: CAAM
Date: Wednesday, the 29th
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 8818
Website: https://caamuseum.org/programs/talks-and-workshops/in-conversation-robin-d-g-kelley-and-kyle-t-mays
RECESS Open Mic: PUA Turns 8 at SIPA HQ, Palms Up Academy – In-Person Event
RECESS Open Mic is at SIPA HQ on Wednesdays.
Come celebrate 8 years of RECESS Mic! There wit be a roster of special performances this year in #HistoricFilipinotown.
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
Feature: Ashley C. Lanuza Ashley: (often cited contextually) is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, published author, and spoken word poet. A graduate of UCLA, her work often dives into her cultural roots as a Filipino American, exploring identity, memory, and personal choices
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 29th
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: Instagram Page
Book Event: Jeffrey A. Marx & Jewish Firebugs at Skylight – In-Person Event
Join us to hear Jeffrey A. Marx present and discuss Jewish Firebugs Arson and Antisemitism from the Civil War to World War I:
Following the Civil War, prominent fire insurance companies in the United States issued instructions to their agents to deny Jews fire insurance policies because of their alleged proclivity to arson. In the years that followed, the stereotype of the Jewish arsonist spread throughout the United States, appearing in fire insurance manuals, cartoons, songs, and silent films.
Jewish Firebugs presents the first detailed exploration of both the accusations and the realities of Jewish arson from the late 1800s to the early 1920s. Drawing on such diverse records as fire department reports, insurance records, newspapers, trial transcripts, and humor journals, Jeffrey Marx delves into the social forces that created and then sensationalized the caricature of the Jewish arsonist, investigating how and why Jews became the only racial/ethnic group to be targeted this way in the United States. The book critically assesses how these antisemitic representations were solidified in the American imagination–from the spread of jokes and cartoons, to vaudeville performances across the country.
In addition, Marx also investigates the various factors that led to arson criminal activity in Jewish neighborhoods, the unique way that Jewish “arson gangs” were organized, and how the fire insurance companies actively supported their efforts. Jewish Firebugs illustrates the socioeconomic realities of Jewish immigrant life at the turn of the nineteenth century, and details what the Jewish arsonist trope reveals about the dynamics of antisemitism in the United States.
Jeffrey A. Marx is an Independent Scholar and the author of Smoothing the Jew: Abie the Agent and Ethnic Caricature in the Progressive Era.
Where: Skylight Books
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90027
Website: https://skylightbooks.com/event/2026-07-29/jeffrey-marx-jewish-firebugs
Full Moon Writing Meditation at Underdog Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join us at Underdog Bookstore during the full moon each month for a guided meditation and writing group. We meet at 7 pm in store and will also be streaming via Zoom for those joining virtually.
All are welcome and encouraged to write and share or listen and reflect during this peaceful meditative time. You are welcome to bring your own mats, writing supplies, spiritual tools etc. Whatever you need to feel comfortable and enjoy the evening!
Limited space so RSVP soon!
NOTE: See site to RSVP.
Where: Underdog Bookstore
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 312 S. Myrtle Ave., Monrovia, CA 91016
Website: https://www.underdogbookstore.org/events/full-moon-writing-meditation-july
Anansi Writers Workshop: Xplicit Spoken Word Takeover Series: Oralgasm at The World Stage – In-Person Event
Join us for our 1st Takeover of the summer as “Oralgasm” brings a very grown n classy Xplicit Spoken Word experience to the Anansi Writer’s Workshop. Hosted by @nspire.
Bring a poem. BE A POEM.
Doors Open at 7 pm and the experience begins at 7:30 pm.
Suggested: $10.00 Donation via PayPal: The World Stage Gallery.
Where: The World Stage (use left rear entrance)
Date: Wednesday, the 29th
Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: 4321 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008
Website: Instagram Page
Story Salon LA at Art Parlor, Valley Village – In-Person & Virtual Hybrid Event
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: Frosty Freesyle
Where: Art Parlor
Date: Wednesday the 29th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm (Doors at 7 pm)
Address: 5302 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Valley Village, CA 91607
Website: Instagram Page
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 29th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: Free Workshop Page
Poetry Reading & Open Mic by Two Idiots Peddling Poetry with Ben Trigg and Other People’s Poetry Night with Brendan Constantine at The Ugly Mug – In-Person Event
Host Ben Trigg welcomes Brendan Constantine to read and discuss other people’s poetry work.
Brendan Constantine will curate the Other People’s Poetry Night!
Come bring your favorite poems written by someone else and celebrate the writers that inspire you the most!
Where: The Ugly Mug, Orange
Date: Wednesday, the 29th
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 261 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA 92866
Website: Facebook Page
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: Thursday the 30th
Time: 9 am – 10 am
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: Event Page
Book Discussion: Unfamiliar Fishes at Sunland – Tujunga Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join us for this community-led discussion of Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell.
Where: Sunland – Tujunga Branch Library,LAPL
Date: Thursday the 30th
Time: 1 pm – 2 pm
Address: 7771 Foothill Blvd., -Tujunga, CA 91042
Website: https://www.lapl.org/events/book-discussion-14
Marina del Rey Book Club: The First Time I Saw Him at Marina del Rey Library, LACL – In-Person Event
This month, we’ll explore The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave. Sequel to The Last Thing He Told Me. For adults 18+.
Five years after her husband Owen disappeared, Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter Bailey have settled into a new life in Southern California. But when Owen shows up at Hannah’s new exhibition, she knows that she and Bailey are in danger again.
Discussion also offered at 6 pm evening session.
Where: Marina del Rey Library,LACL
Date: Thursday the 30th
Time: 2 pm – 3 pm
Address: 4533 Admiralty Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/16710890
Eagle Rock Book Club: All the Beauty in the World at Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
The Eagle Rock Book Club explores both acclaimed newer books and rediscovered classics of the past.
The selection for July is the memoir All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley. After his brother’s death, the author recounts his decision to leave his prestigious position at the New Yorker and begin a decade long career as a museum security guard, finding solace and community among the artworks and fellow guards.
The library will have copies to check out or check our e-media page for electronic access on Libby and hoopla.
Please bring book suggestions for future meetings.
Where: Eagle Rock Branch Library,LAPL
Date: Thursday the 30th
Time: 3 pm – 4 pm
Address: 5027 Caspar Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website: https://www.lapl.org/events/eagle-rock-book-club-12
The Scrapbook Society: Kids Writing Clubat Once Upon a Time Bookstore – In-Person Kids Event
Let’s get creative together!
Unleash your inner creativity in the wonderful world of scrapbooking! Cut, paste, color, and more! Each week, we will discover a new theme like dragons or nature, that you will design to create your own masterpiece!
Best for ages 7-15.
Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 30th
Time: 4:30 pm – 5:15 pm
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: Once Upon a Time Event Page
Author Event: Beth and Boyd Morrison & Duel of Beasts (Tales of the Lawless Land #4) at Diesel, A Bookstore – In-Person Event
Join us to welcome Beth and Boyd Morrison to discuss Duel of Beasts (Tales of the Lawless Land #4).
Savage beasts, fabulous treasures, perilous duels, and deadly treachery abound in this thrilling adventure novel set in medieval Spain.
Málaga, Spain, 1352. Knight-errant Gerard Fox and his daring wife Willa seek young noblewoman Madelena to deliver news of her brother’s death: an innocuous mission, yet one that plunges the couple into a fight for their lives against their most dangerous adversaries yet.
Madelena’s sister-in-law Helvira desires two things that Madalena now possesses: a considerable inheritance, and a letter that provides grounds for Helvira’s execution in both the Christian and Muslim worlds. With everything at stake, Helvira will stop at nothing to seize both.
Fox and Willa soon find themselves in a desperate battle to survive on a journey that will take them from the royal court at Seville to the mighty complex of the Alhambra Palace. To save Madelena and reveal the truth, the duo must outwit Helvira and her allies at every turn – and escape the ferocious creatures of Helvira’s deadly menagerie.
Boyd Morrison is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twelve thrillers, including six with Clive Cussler. His first novel, The Ark, was an Indie Next Notable pick and was translated into over a dozen languages. He has a PhD in industrial engineering from Virginia Tech.
Beth Morrison is Senior Curator of Manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum. She has curated major exhibitions including ‘Imagining the Past in France, 1250-1500’, and ‘Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World’. She has a PhD in the History of Art from Cornell University.
Where: Diesel, A Bookstore
Date: Thursday the 30th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 225 26th St., Suite 33, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Website: https://dieselbookstore.com/event/2026-07-30/beth-and-boyd-morrison-duel-beasts-tales-lawless-land-4
Historical Fiction Book Launch: Song for Another Home by Bora Lee Reed at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
Join us for the launch of Bora Lee Reed’s new novel, Song for Another Home!
Bora will be joined by author Tracey Gee for a conversation on Korean history, family ties, and generational memory.
Be sure to reserve your seats by clicking link at website!
When news hits in 1950 that the Americans have entered the war between North and South Korea, Oksoon and her family believe the conflict will soon end. But then China joins the war, and they decide to flee their home in Pyongyang despite the freezing temperatures and lack of food. Journeying from the barren, war-torn streets of the North in the winter to the seedy back alleys of the South Korean capital of Seoul in the summer, the family falls in with an unlikely group of miscreants.
Meanwhile, far to the south, Oksoon’s cousin Junho seeks refuge at an orphanage for abandoned children. As the institution struggles to keep its doors open, Junho, with his elementary command of English, is tasked with drafting letters to American missionaries and benefactors to ask for money. When the enigmatic director brings her aristocratic niece to the orphanage, Junho finds himself caught between his impulse for survival and his growing affections for the young woman, even though his feelings put him at risk of being expelled from the only safe place he knows.
Movingly rendered, Song for Another Home highlights the power of resilience, the tension between personal dreams and duty to family, and how choices made in a brief moment have consequences that reverberate across time and through generations.
Bora Lee Reed was born in Seoul, South Korea, and immigrated to the US as a young child. She grew up in Southern California among a vibrant Korean immigrant community. She holds an MFA from Warren Wilson College and has been awarded residences from Hedgebrook, Ragdale, and Ucross. Bora now lives in Berkeley, CA, where she works as the director of communications for UC Berkeley’s public policy school.
Tracey Gee is a certified leadership coach and consultant who is passionate about helping others lead with authenticity and self-trust. She is the author of The Magic of Knowing What You Want in which she invites readers to honor their desires and redefine success on their own terms. Raised in the Bay Area of California and now based in Los Angeles, Tracey is always up for talking coffee shops or dog stories.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Thursday the 30th
Time: 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: Event Page
Good Girl Book Club: Pool House at Good Girl Books – In-Person Event
Join us for our Fiction Book Club to discuss Pool House by Mary H. K. Choi.
This book is Choi’s adult literary debut; she’s best known for her YA novels Yolk and Emergency Contact. Pool House is a family drama centered on a complicated mother/daughter relationship between an aging former actress and her adult daughter, alongside the actress’s former TV son. Darkly funny and VERY messy, the book explores grief, aging, fame, and co-dependence.
The event is free, but we kindly ask that you RSVP so we can get an accurate headcount.
Where: Good Girl Books
Date: Thursday the 30th
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Address: 12444 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066
Website: Instagram Page
Baking a Book: Creating The Bakery Dragon with Devin Elle Kurtz, Katheriene Harrison, and Seth Fishman at Once Upon a Time – In-Person Kids Event
Learn the secret recipe of making a book!
Bestselling author-illustrator Devin Elle Kurtz of Bakery Dragon will be in conversation with her editor, Katherine Harrison, and her agent, Seth Fishman, for a behind-the-scenes look at the book creation recipe. They will share about their work together and all the steps and people behind the process. After the discussion, everyone will be available to sign books.
If you can’t make it to the event, you can order signed books in advance at website,
Where: Once Upon a Time
Date: Thursday, the 30th
Time: 7 pm
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: Once Upon a Time Event Page
Emeline Atwood, with Nada Alic, & Real Animal at Skylight – In-Person Event
Emeline Atwood, in conversation with Nada Alic, will discuss Real Animal.
A Real Animal follows Lucy through the decade dividing college and real adulthood, as she navigates three distinct romantic relationships, reckons with the false promise of family intimacy, and seeks connection with the sublime and natural worlds. Lucy wants her life to be extraordinary. But this desire never seems to graft easily onto the smallness of her world. As a senior in college struggling to quell the destructive effects of a sexual assault, she gets a glimpse of a different plane of existence—more wild, physical, animal. She moves away from home, breaks up with her long term boyfriend, stops speaking to her mother, and starts dating a complicated, violent man.
As she changes cities, friends, and partners, there is a persistent sense of wildness in Lucy and in her world that’s only ever barely being controlled. The thrum of a nonhuman existential force in the back of her mind urges her to reject the ordinary, but also reminds her that she is alone in the world. She feels it in the depths of the ocean while deep sea diving, in the cold silences on phone calls with her sister and her mom, in the misunderstanding gaze of a man she thought would love her forever.
Guided by the author’s lightspeed, suspenseful prose, we follow Lucy across states, jobs, relationships, and stages of intimacy with her family, witnessing both moments of horrific pain and quotidian happiness. The years pass by seamlessly, bringing her to the edge of her twenties and back to an altered, barren version of her childhood home, where she must finally come to terms with the fear that being human itself might mean feeling alone, and wild, and unknowable.
Emeline Atwood graduated from the Michener Center for Writers in 2023. She writes fiction and poetry and is a recipient of the Thomas T. Hoopes Prize, the Begley Fiction Prize, the Hatch Poetry Prize, and the Le Baron Russell Briggs Fiction Prize. She lives in Austin.
Nada Alic is the author of the story collection Bad Thoughts, a New York Times Editors’ Choice Pick and finalist for the Danuta Gleed Award. Her novel is forthcoming from Knopf.
NOTE: See site to RSVP.
Where: Skylight
Date: Thursday the 30th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: https://skylightbooks.com/event/2026-07-30/emeline-atwood-w-nada-alic-real-animal
Skulls & Stairs: A Reading Series: Will Alexander, Emdash, Bri Stokes & Keith Carr Walsh at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Skulls & Stairs is a reading series at the staircase of the original Venice City Hall building that features poets writing with a countercultural, punk, and goth attitude. This installment features BB’s alchemical poet-in-residence Will Alexander, along with emerging L.A.-based poets and literary organizers Keith Carr Walsh, Emdash and Bri Stokes.
Will Alexander was born in Los Angeles, California in 1948 and has remained a lifetime resident of the city. He earned a BA in English and creative writing from the University of California–Los Angeles in 1972. Though his work is frequently described as “surreal,” Alexander does not fit any clichéd image of the generation of avant-garde poets that began publishing in the 1970s and ’80s. Alexander’s over two dozen books of poetry include The Combustion Cycle (2022), Across the Vapour Gulf (2017), Compression & Purity (2011), The Sri Lankan Loxodrome (2009), Asia & Haiti (1995), and The Stratospheric Canticles (1995).
Keith Carr Walsh N/A
Emdash is a writer, artist, and daughter of Chinese immigrants. She writes to heal, grow, and decolonize. A 2025 LAMBDA Fellow, her work can be found in Poetry Northwest, Alocasia, Underblong, Tinderbox Poetry, Sine Theta, Poetry.Online, The Bellingham Review, Kweli Journal, and others. They’ve also been featured at The Chinese American Museum of Los Angelesas part of the (Be)Spoken Poetry exhibit. She has a BA in Asian American Studies from Pitzer College, and a MFA in Poetry from Rutgers University-Newark. She has learned equally as much from community organizing and Southern California open mics.
Bri Stokes is a writer, editor, curator, cultural worker, producer and poet born, raised and living in Los Angeles, on unceded Tongva land. Her writing has appeared in BuzzFeed, 45th Parallel, Epiphany, the Northridge Review, and elsewhere. Bri is a former poetry editor at the now-disbanded Hecate Magazine, and served as the Managing Editor of Issue 04 of SKEW Magazine. Her debut chapbook, A Throat Full of Forest-Dirt, was published in late-2023 by Bottlecap Press.
NOTE: See site for more info and to RSVP.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Thursday the 30th
Time: 7:30 pm – 9 pm (Doors at 7 pm)
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Website: Beyond Baroque Event Page
Poetry Diet Open Mic at The Living Room, DTLA – In-Person Event
An intimate open mic night for poets, storytellers, and lovers of the spoken word.
Poetry Diet Mic Night is a weekly open mic, every Thursday, dedicated to language, rhythm, and truth-telling. Set inside The Living Room DTLA, this night creates space for poets, writers, and creatives to share their work in an intimate, supportive atmosphere.
Whether you’re stepping to the mic or just soaking it all in, expect thoughtful performances, real energy, and a room that listens.
Hosted by: Kerm (Jonathan Kermah)
Music by: DJ Stardust
🎤 Open mic sign-ups available
🕯️ Intimate lounge setting
🍸 Bar open
Come listen. Come speak. Come feel.
Where: The Living Room, DTLA
Date: Thursday the 30th
Time: 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Address: 1014 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA (Door 123)
Website: Instagram Page
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: Friday the 31st
Time: 9 am – 10 am
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: Event Page
Weekly Pajama Storytime at Once Upon a Time, Montrose – In-Person Kids & Family Event
Our most popular story time is ready to delight and dazzle! This is also the prime time to see Pippi Longstocking, our bookstore cat in action.
There is a large FREE parking lot off Florencita Dr. as well as metered parking along Honolulu Ave. and Montrose Ave.
Free to attend.
NOTE: Free to attend.
Where: Once Upon a Time
Date: Friday, the 31st
Time: 9:30 am
Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020
Website: Once Upon a Time Event Page
Book Club: Just for the Summer at La Mirada Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Join our Book Club to discuss Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez. For adults 18+.
A contemporary romance novel about Emma, a traveling nurse, and Justin, a man with a “curse” where every woman he dates finds their soulmate after they break up.
Where: La Mirada Library, LACL
Date: Friday the 31st
Time: 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Address: 13800 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada, CA 90638
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/16775903
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 31st
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: Event Page
The Body Electric: A Poetry Workshop (LA POET Society) – In-Person Event
The Body Electric is a poetry workshop centered on the body as an archive, landscape, companion, and home. We will explore through poetry the ways our bodies shape how we move through the world—and how the world, in turn, leaves its mark upon us. Together, we will write into the stories etched beneath our skin: moments of transformation, survival, pleasure, grief, growth, and joy. We will consider the body’s many contradictions—its fragility and strength, its limitations and possibilities, its capacity to remember what the mind has forgotten.
Writers of all levels and walks of life are welcome. Come prepared to write boldly, reflect deeply, and honor the remarkable body that carries your story.
Thank you to our wonderful hosts @burdenofproofna! 💙
Please see the link in bio for information on how to reserve your ticket today! 🔗 Space is limited. See you on the 31st! ✍🏼 @pftm.workshop @whateverguera @jacobdelavara
Where: @burdenofproofna
Date: Friday the 31st
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Address: 1012 Mission St., South Pasadena, CA
Website: Instagram Page
WORKSHOP: Write the Room Event at Reparations Club – In-Person Event
ATTN ALL WRITERS! Bring your pen, paper, laptop, journal, whatever! Write what you want. Alone. Together.
WHO & WHAT: This installment of Write The Room is open to all writers, from lyricists to screenwriters, journalers, poets, playwrights, and storytellers of every kind!
It’s a space where we come together to write whatever we want, both by ourselves and in community, because reflection can be hard, but it really is fundamental.
Bring a journal or buy one for 15% off! We’ll come together, write, and maybe sip and snack on something.
Feel free to bring anything that would make you feel at ease (i.e., extra pillows, blankets, homies).
Where: Rep Club
Date: Friday the 31st
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 3054 S. Victoria Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90016
Website: Eventbrite Page
Open Mic Night at The Untold Story Bookstore & Café – In-Person Event
Join us Friday, July 31st at 6:30 pm for our monthly open mic night! We will be having author @kellyab303 join us to celebrate his book’s 2nd anniversary! Come support your community by being part of our amazing audience or be part of the show and showcase your talent!
Where: The Untold Story Bookstore & Café
Date: Friday the 31st
Time: 6:30 pm
Address: 301 N. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, CA 92805
Website: Instagram Page
Book Launch: Keith Rosson & Coffin Moon at Chevalier’s – In-Person Event
Join us for a conversation with author Keith Rosson, in conversation with Ezra Clayton Daniels, to discuss Coffin Moon.
It’s the winter of 1975, and Portland, Oregon, is all sleet and neon. Duane Minor is back home after a tour in Vietnam, a bartender just trying to stay sober; save his marriage with his wife, Heidi; and connect with his thirteen-year-old niece, Julia, now that he’s responsible for raising her. Things aren’t easy, but Minor is scraping by.
Then a vampire walks into his bar and ruins his life.
When Minor crosses John Varley, a killer who sleeps during the day beneath loose drifts of earth and grows teeth in the light of the moon, Varley brutally retaliates by murdering Heidi, leaving Minor broken with guilt and Julia filled with rage. What’s left of their splintered family is united by only one desire: vengeance.
So begins a furious, frenzied pursuit across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. From grimy alleyways to desolate highways to snow-lashed plains, Minor and Julia are cast into the dark orbit of undead children, silver bullet casters, and the bevy of broken men transfixed by Varley’s ferocity. Everyone’s out for blood.
Gritty, unforgettable, and emotionally devastating, Coffin Moon asks what will be left of our humanity when grief transmutes into violence, when monsters wear human faces, and when our thirst for revenge eclipses everything else.
Keith Rosson is the author of the novels Coffin Moon, Fever House, The Devil by Name, Smoke City, Road Seven, and The Mercy of the Tide, as well as the Shirley Jackson Award–winning story collection Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons. He lives in Portland, Oregon
Where: Chevalier’s
Date: Friday the 31st
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Website: https://chevaliersbooks.com/event/2026-07-31/coffin-moon-author-keith-rosson
Hess Press Presents: 4 Readings at Stories Books & Café – In-Person Event
Join Hesse Press to hear readings from:
Matthew Goldin is the author of Asterism. He is an experimental mixed media artist and cultural strategist. Eschewing depth, his style is characterized by surface tension so that readers can glide, like water bugs, and discover new ways of laughing and loving. Most of the essays in this collection were written between 1991 and 2024.
Matthew Goldin lives in Los Angeles and posts on Twitter and Substack as @matthewgoldin.
Hedi El Kholti is a Moroccan-born American writer, editor, and visual artist based in Los Angeles, best known as the co-editor of the independent press Semiotext(e) and editor of its journal Animal Shelter. His monograph of writings and collages, A Place in the Sun, was published by Hesse Press in 2017.
Molly Lambert is a writer from and in Los Angeles. She has written for publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, and GQ, and was a staff writer at the websites Grantland and MTV News. She hosts the podcast Molly/’s Sleazy Friends and co-hosts Night Call.
Jonathan Mills N/A
Hesse Press is a Los Angeles-based publishing house founded by artists Clare Kelly and John Wiese. Hesse Press grew out of conversations between Kelly and Wiese about the need for tangible support for artists in Los Angeles. Hesse Press places equal emphasis on the needs of their artists, audience, and community at large in the context of affordable and thoughtfully designed books.
Where: Stories Books & Café
Date: Friday the 31st
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Address: 1716 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: https://www.storiesla.com/events/5744220260731
The Definitive Soapbox Open Mic (TDSB) at The Nest – In-Person Event
Join us for TDSB at The Nest in Bellflower for our monthly open mic.
July Theme: Grief.
Feature: Asia Johnson
Asia Johnson is a writer, storyteller, and filmmaker focused on criminal justice reform, known for her chapbook An Exorcism (2018) and the film Out of Place (2022).
Grief is a heavy thing to carry alone, so we choose to carry it together.
This month, our collective focus centers on what it means to hold space for the things we’ve lost, the things we’re still processing, and the healing that happens when we refuse to hide our pain. Whether you are right in the thick of a hard season or you’ve been navigating your healing for years, your presence and your process belong here.
We’re gathering on Friday, July 31st at The Nest in Bellflower. Come exactly as you are.
NOTE: See site to RSVP.
Where: The Nest
Date: Friday the 31st
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm (Doors at 6:30 pm)
Address: 16916 Bellflower Blvd., Bellflower, CA 90706
Website: Instagram Page
Double Book Launch: Michelle Bitting & Ruined Beauty and James Meetze & The Long Now, with Lynne Thompson, at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center – In-Person & Online Hybrid Event
Beyond Baroque presents a double book launch celebrating Ruined Beauty (Walton Well Publishing) by Michelle Bitting and The Long Now (White Stag Publishing) by James Meetze. Both authors will read from their sixth poetry collections, exploring themes of grief, family, and the emotional depth of the lyric. They will be joined by former Los Angeles Poet Laureate Lynne Thompson in The Wanda Coleman Theater.
Michelle Bitting was named a 2026 City of L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs Individual Master Artist Project Fellow. She has won Quarter After Eight’s Robert J. DeMott Short Prose Contest, and is the author of seven poetry collections, including Nightmares & Miracles, winner of the Wilder Prize. Recently, her Poem-Play was named runner up in The Pomegranate London Poem-Play Contest and was performed at The Cockpit Theater in London by Théâtre Volière. Her poem “Twyla” was commissioned by the City of L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs for the Paris/L.A. Olympiad cultural exchange. She won the 2025 Banyan Review Poetry Prize, and her latest collection Ruined Beauty was published by Walton Well Press in 2026. Poetry appears on the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-A-Day, 2026. Bitting is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing and Literature at Loyola Marymount University.
Lynne Thompson is the author of four collections of poetry, most recently, Blue on a Blue Palette (BOA Editions, 2024). She served as Los Angeles Poet Laureate in 2021 and 2022 and represented the City at the Marathon Poetique at the Olympic games in Paris in 2024. Thompson serves on the Boards of Scripps College, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Poetry Foundation, and is the current President of Cave Canem. Her poems have recently been published or is forthcoming in Catamaran, Kenyon Review, Georgia Review, The Common, and the forthcoming anthology 52 Writing Prompts: Inspiration for the Creative Writer.
James Meetze [pronounced Metz] is the author of six books of poetry, most recently, The Long Now (White Stag, 2026). Previous books include Dayglo (2011), winner of the Sawtooth Poetry Prize, and Phantom Hour (2016), both from Ahsahta Press. He is editor, with Simon Pettet, of Other Flowers: Uncollected Poems by James Schuyler (FSG, 2010). His poetry has been translated into Spanish, Turkish, Finnish, Serbian, and Croatian. He is Professor of Writing and Chair of Honors at the University of Arizona Global Campus and teaches in the Depth Psychology & Creativity Program at Pacifica Graduate Institute. For much of the past decade, he lived on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia and just recently returned to California, settling in Santa Barbara County.
NOTE: See site to RSVP.
Where: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
Date: Friday the 31st
Time: 7:30 pm (Doors at 7 pm)
Address: 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
Cherry Blossom Poetry Collective – Volume III: Conney Williams hosts: bridgette bianca and Brendan Constantine at Fragrance of Elegance – In-Person Event
Join us host Conney Williams to welcome featured poets:
bridgette bianca is a poet and professor from South Central Los Angeles. Her first book of poetry, be/trouble, was released by Writ Large Projects in 2020 and is now in its second edition. be/trouble was listed as one of Bookriot’s 9 Poetry Books That Capture The Black Experience and L.A. Taco Book Guide’s 32 L.A.-Centered Books. When she is not reading her work, she hosts workshops and other events around the city. Recently, she joined forces with poet, artist, and activist GusTavo Guerra Vasquez to form the literary curating team South Central Spits Fire. Find her online at bridgettebianca.com.
Brendan Constantine is a poet based in Los Angeles. His work has appeared in many standards, including Poetry, The Nation, and Best American Poetry. His fifth collection, The Opposites Game has just been released by Red Hen Press. He currently teaches at the Windward School and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
NOTE: See site to RSVP.
Where: Fragrance of Elegance
Date: Friday the 31st
Time: 7:30 pm (Doors at 7 pm)
Address: 10925 Crenshaw Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90303
Website: Facebook Page
Western Edge Writers at Eagle Rock Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join us for this community-led discussion of Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell.
Where: Eagle Rock Branch Library,LAPL
Date: Saturday the 1st
Time: 10 am
Address: 5027 Caspar Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website: https://www.lapl.org/events/western-edge-writers-1
Saturday Morning Book Discussion: The Doorman at Palms – Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
Join us as we continue discussing the New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2025. Enjoy great conversation, good company, and coffee! Copies are available in print as well as ebooks on Hoopla and Libby.
Aug. 1: The Doorman by Chris Pavone.
Where: Palms – Rancho Park Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 1st
Time: 11 am – 12:30 pm
Address: 2920 Overland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90064
گروه کتابخوانی فارسی در کتابخانه وست ولی Persian Book Club at West Valley Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person Event
About the Event:
:کتاب خود ا به اشتراک بگذارید
کتابی را که خواندید به دیگران هم معرفی کنید
تحلیل کتاب/ بحث و گفتگوی دوستانه
Where: West Valley Branch Library, LAPL
Date: Saturday the 1st
Time: 11 am – 1 pm
Address: 19036 Vanowen St., Reseda, CA 91335
Website: https://www.lapl.org/events/grwh-ktabkhwany-farsy-dr-ktabkhanh-wst-wly-persian-book-club
Middle School Book Club: Tested at Agoura Hills Library, LACL – In-Person MG Event
Join us to discuss Tested by Anna Monders. For ages 11 – 14.
Set in a world where everyone’s future is determined by their Genetic Report Card, a girl who’s always believed she was at the top of society finds out her score was based off someone else’s DNA in this high-stakes middle grade dystopian novel.
Where: Agoura Hills Library, LACL
Date: Saturday the 1st
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/16632561
Diverse/City Event at Underdog Bookstore – In-Person Event
Curator A. Laura Brody presents Diverse City 4, a collaboration between The Arroyo Arts Collective and Underdog Bookstore, featuring artists Jan Tamayo and Michael Olivares.
The exhibition opens August 1, 2026, from 11 am – 1 pm with a pastel portrait workshop led by Jan Tamayo, and the show runs through September 19th.
All supplies will be provided. The workshop and exhibit are free to the public.
Jan Tamayo is a Filipino illustrator and wedding painter based in Los Angeles. With a deep love of portraiture as a driving force in her practice, she delights in creating cute and colorful artwork about identity, nostalgia, and love.
For more than twenty years of mixed media painting and communal service, Michael Olivares has shaped a practice rooted in a love for nature and an unending devotion to learning. His work moves through surreal, provocative realms where color and symbol become conduits for the earth’s abstract and wilder languages. He creates to counter the world’s negativity and polemics, summoning rasquachismo, beauty, sensuality, and imagination as forces of renewal.
This is their first time exhibiting together.
Through diverse books and inclusive events, Underdog Bookstore aims to amplify underrepresented voices and provide a safe space to explore, connect, and celebrate the wonder of literacy and learning
The Arroyo Arts Collective is a grassroots, community-based organization of artists, poets, musicians, crafts persons, and supporters of the creative community in Northeast Los Angeles.
Where: Underdog Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 1st
Time: 11 am – 1 pm
Address: 312 South Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia, California, 91016
Website: Underdog Bookstore Event
Writers Supporting Writers at West Hollywood Library, LACL – In-Person Event
Looking for a place to connect with fellow writers and grow your craft? Join Writers Supporting Writers! For adults.
Writers Supporting Writers is a monthly library writing group that meets on the first Saturday of every month for writing exercises, thoughtful discussions of attendees’ works in progress, and engaging analysis of published works. We offer an inclusive and supportive environment for writers of every background and experience level to create, share, and grow.
Beverages provided by the Friends of the West Hollywood Library.
Where: West Hollywood Library, LACL
Date: Saturday the 1st
Time: 12 pm – 2 pm
Address: 625 N, San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/16471572
Comedy Writing Workshop: Stand-Up Comedy 4 Self-Empowerment, Week 1 of 5 at West Hollywood Library, LACL – In-Person Event
In this five-class workshop, writer and comedian Christian Cintron will teach you the secrets of joke writing and comedy performance and how to use those to stand up for yourself, speak your truth, and rewrite your story. For adults.
Have people always told you you’re funny? Are you painfully shy and dying for a way to be more outgoing? Are you chock full of stress and looking for an outlet? Are you a writer who is curious about a new way to express yourself? Sharing your innermost thoughts in front of strangers can be the scariest thing to do, but this class can give you the power and confidence to conquer that fear. Stand-up comedy can provide the tools for managing discomfort, speaking about controversial and tense topics, and distilling your truth. In this five-class workshop, writer and comedian Christian Cintron will teach you the secrets of joke writing and comedy performance and how to use those to stand up for yourself, speak your truth, and rewrite your story. Sponsored by the Friends of the West Hollywood Library.
This is the first of a five-program series that will be held on August 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29. Each program date has its own event page. Please register individually for all of the dates you are able to attend. Students are encouraged to attend all classes, but anyone can participate. Performance preference will go to students who attend each class.
Christian Cintron is a jack-of-all-trades, master of fun. He is a writer, comedian, actor, and spiritualist. Christian was recently awarded the West Hollywood Artist Grant and starred in the comedy special Laugh Proud available on Tubi and Amazon Prime. He created Stand Up 4 Your Power, a class that uses stand-up comedy as a tool for speaking your truth, negotiating conflict, and energy management. Christian teaches stand-up comedy at LA City College’s Rodney Dangerfield Institute which is committed to making comedy education accessible. His writing appeared in Backstage, Hollywood.com, Queerty, The Authentic Gay, and Ranker, to name a few. Christian is a graduate of Vassar College, The Second City: Hollywood, and iO West.
Attendance is limited and advance registration is required. Please register every individual in your party. This will be used to save your spots in the program. We cannot guarantee availability for any unregistered attendees.
Where: West Hollywood Library, LACL
Date: Saturday the 1st (1st of 5 class meetings)
Time: 1 pm – 4 pm
Address: 625 N, San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Website: https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/16719318
Kids Graphic Novel Book Club: Creature Clinic at Cellar Door Bookstore – In-Person Event
Participants will discuss Creature Clinic: A Graphic Novel by Gavin Aung Than.
Welcome to Creature Clinic, the world’s finest—and only—hospital for mythical beings. Here, everyone from trolls and unicorns to tooth fairies and giants can expect the very best treatment. Well, with one exception. Humans are absolutely, 100 percent not welcome.
Doctor-in-training Kara Orc has worked hard and followed the rules her entire life to get where she is now. But when a human in need shows up at the hospital, her obedience is put to the test. Sure, most humans are dangerous, destructive beasts, but Kara took an oath to help all creatures. Even humans deserve care and compassion. How long can she keep such a big secret from her boss…who also happens to be her mother? And will her decision to do what’s right cause a rift between Kara and her mom that no medicine can cure?
Gavin Aung Than is a New York Times bestselling cartoonist. After working in the corporate graphic design industry for eight years, he quit his unfulfilling job to follow his true passion: making comics. His work includes Zen Pencils, and the middle grade graphic novel series Super Sidekicks and the Eisner-nominated Creature Clinic. He lives in Perth, Western Australia, with his wife and two daughters.
Where: Saturday the 1st
Time: 1 pm – 3 pm
Address: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd. Suite B, Riverside, CA 92508
Website: https://cellardoorbookstore.com/event/2026-08-01/kids-graphic-novel-book-club-creature-clinic
Author Event: C.B. Strul & Quantum Mable and the River of Time at The Open Book, Thousand Oaks – In-Person Kids Event
C.B. Strul will present and discuss Quantum Mable and the River of Time.
Perfect for young readers, Quantum Mable and the River of Time follows 10 year old Mable and her friend Dartmouth across time and space. The duo leap backward in time to explore the Amazon Rainforest of old, from boto dolphins to stinger-less bees. Cool science and strange adventure awaits those brave enough to join them on their journey!
Where: The Open Book, Thousand Oaks
Date: Saturday the 1st
Time: 1 pm – 2 pm
Address: 556 W Hillcrest Dr., Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 (Inside the Oaks Mall, level 2)
Website: Instagram Page
Saturday Afternoon Poetry: Poetry Writing Workshop– Online Zoom Event
Join us online for a Poetry Writing Workshop led by DKC (Submit up to 3 poems totaling no more than 150 lines including the subject of or at least mentioning car for Four Feathers Press online edition: CAR by emailing donkingfishercampbell@gmail.com by 11:59 pm, August 14th).
All events are curated by Don Kingfisher Campbell.
Where: Saturday Afternoon Poetry, Online
Date: Saturday, the 1st
Time: 3 pm – 4:30 pm
Address: Online Zoom Event
Website: https://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com/
A Celebration of Horror: Christopher Golden’s Carry Me to Your Bookshelf Tour at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
For his new release, Carry Me to My Grave, New York Times bestselling “king of the horror thriller” Christopher Golden (Road of Bones, All Hallows) has created a new kind of book tour, which will include a series of pop-up mini-conventions. Golden has put together these events to celebrate the dark imagination and the horror community, including panel discussions and author signings, hosted by some of the best independent bookstores in the nation.
Be sure to RSVP by clicking link at website!
Christopher Golden is the New York Times bestselling and Bram Stoker award-winning author of Ararat, All Hallows, Road of Bones, and Snowblind, among many other novels. He is the co-creator of two cult favorite comic book series, Baltimore and Joe Golem: Occult Detective. He is also the editor of such anthologies as Seize the Night and The New Dead, and won the Shirley Jackson Award for coediting The Twisted Book of Shadows. He lives in Massachusetts.
Philip Fracassi is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of the story collections Behold the Void and Beneath a Pale Sky. His novels include A Child Alone with Strangers, Gothic, and Boys in the Valley. His stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Best Horror of the Year, Nightmare Magazine, Southwest Review, Interzone, and Black Static. Philip lives in Los Angeles.
Rachel Howzell Hall is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fourteen novels, including the bestselling romantasy The Last One, a Good Morning America Book Club selection, as well as What Fire Brings, What Never Happened, We Lie Here, and multiple award–nominated And Now She’s Gone and These Toxic Things. Rachel is a two-time finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She is a former member of the board of directors for Mystery Writers of America and was a featured writer on NPR’s acclaimed Crime in the City series and the National Endowment for the Arts weekly podcast. rachelhowzell.com
Caroline Kepnes is the author of You, Hidden Bodies, You Love Me, For You and Only You, and Providence. Her work has been translated into a multitude of languages and inspired a television series adaptation of You, currently on Netflix. Kepnes graduated from Brown University and worked as a pop culture journalist for Entertainment Weekly and a TV writer for 7th Heaven and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and now lives in Los Angeles.
Liz Kerin is an author, playwright, screenwriter, and graduate of the Rita and Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She is also the author of The Phantom Forest (2019). She lives in Southern California.
Monika Kim is an acclaimed, Sunday Times bestselling author of “violent, smart, gruesome and wildly original” (The New York Times Book Review) horror novels. Her debut, The Eyes Are the Best Part, was a TIME Magazine, New York Times, B&N, and Kobo Best of the Year, as well as a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist and a Bram Stoker Award nominee. A second-generation Korean American, she learned about eating fish eyes and other Korean superstitions from her mother, who immigrated to California from Seoul in 1985. She lives in Los Angeles’s Koreatown and can be found online at Monika-Kim.com.
Kasey Lansdale has been in the fiction world since birth as a writer, editor, audiobook narrator, and creative professional. Lansdale is based in LA and currently serves as head editor at Pandi Press. She has released numerous short stories and anthologies from publications such as Harper Collins, Titan Books, and more, and her fiction has been adapted for television and comics. First Chance is her debut novel.
Lisa Morton is a six-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author. Her books include Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween and Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances.
Keith Rosson is the author of the novels Fever House, The Devil by Name, Smoke City, Road Seven, and The Mercy of the Tide, as well as the Shirley Jackson Award–winning story collection Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
Chuck Tingle is the USA Today bestselling author of Camp Damascus, Bury Your Gays, Lucky Day, Fabulous Bodies, and Straight. He is a Locus Award winner, and a finalist for the Bram Stoker and CALIBA Golden Poppy Awards. Tingle is a mysterious force of energy behind sunglasses and a pink mask. He is also an anonymous author of romance, horror, and fantasy who lives in Los Angeles, California. Tingle writes to prove love is real, because love is the most important tool we have when resisting the endless cosmic void. Not everything people say about Tingle is true, but the important parts are.
Catriona Ward is the USA Today bestselling author of Looking Glass Sound. She was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in the United States, Kenya, Madagascar, Yemen, and Morocco. She studied English at the University of Oxford and later earned her master’s degree in creative writing at the University of East Anglia. Ward is a three-time winner of the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel: for The Girl from Rawblood, her debut; Little Eve; and The Last House on Needless Street. Little Eve also won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel. Sundial won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Hardcover Novel.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Saturday the 1st
Time: 5:30 pm – 8 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: Event Page
Poetry as Spiritual Protection at Underdog Bookstore – In-Person Event
At its essence, spiritual practice is about cultivating relationships.
They are relationships with important deities in different pantheons and relationships with transitioned ancestors, angels, and other types of spirits that want to communicate with you from “the other side”. As with any relationship, it is imperative that boundaries and agreements with spirit during your spiritual practice remain clear.
Poetry is both a useful and beautiful way to set those boundaries into easy to remember prayerful community agreements during divinations and workings. Poetry can also be an aesthetic way to set your spiritual community agreements on paper in a way that can be easily seen in your personal space and on your altar.
This workshop is open to writers and spiritual practitioners of all backgrounds and experience levels.
RSVP at website link.
Where: Underdog Bookstore
Date: Saturday the 1st
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Address: 312 South Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia, California, 91016
Website: Underdog Bookstore Event
Griot Café Open Mic & Poetry at Shades of Afrika – In-Person Event
Griot Café Open Mic & Poetry is hosted every 1st Saturday of the month by Tommy Domino inside Shades of Afrika in Long Beach.
Beautiful people! We have a special feature up next at the Griot Cafe. @shadesofafrika
The one and only @maestrodesean, the founder of @clashofthetitansslam. This brother is an amazing poet and human being. He is going to bring the house down.
Music: PW
$10 cash
Where: Shades of Afrika
Date: Saturday the 1st
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Address: 1001 E. 4th St., Long Beach, CA 90802
Website: Instagram Page
Pop-up Mini Market & Silent Book Club at LibroMobile – In-Person Event
Join us for a Pop-up Mini Market with Spinboy Coffee and Santa Ana’s Silent Book Club.
What’s a Pop-Up Mini Market? It’s an opportunity to collab with vendors we love & vibe with—plus you’ll get to sip on coffee, shop books, records & participate in Santa Ana’s Silent Book Club!
Spin Boy Coffee is DIY Mexican specialty coffee & scratch-made desserts, desde west Anaheim, califas. Follow: @spinboycoffee.
RSVP
Where: LibroMobile
Date: Sunday the 2nd
Time: 10 am – 12 pm
Address: 1150 s. Bristol St., #A3, Santa Ana, CA 92704
Website: Instagram Page
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: Sunday the 2nd
Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: Event Page
Kids Story Hour at North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Kids Event
Join us for Kids Story Hour every Sunday at 12 pm.
Where: North Figueroa Bookshop
Date: Sunday the 2nd
Time: 12 pm – 1 pm
Address: 6040 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Zine Making: Studio Time at Village Well Books & Coffee – In-Person Event
All ages are invited to participate in this open studio time dedicated to zine-making.
A zine is pronounced [zeen], and it is short for “magazine.” These handmade books can be easily reproduced using a copy machine and distributed to your community. Rooted in countercultural movements to spread info for social good, zines are low-budget and low-tech ways to spread your message.
We encourage you to stop by Village Well every Sunday in July to celebrate International Zine Month! Bring your big ideas, browse our zine collection for sale, and create a zine of your own.
Where: Village Well Books & Coffee
Date: Sunday the 2nd
Time: 12 pm – 2 pm
Address: 9900 Culver Blvd. #1B, Culver City, CA 90232
Website: Event Page
Poetry in the Park & Open Mic at Summitridge Park – In-Person Event
Poetry in the Park takes place on Sunday, August 2, 2026, at 4:00 pm at Summitridge Park located at 1425 Summitridge Drive in Diamond Bar, California.
This free community event features special guest poets Sofia Aguilar, Raquel Reyes-Lopez, and Juju Soriya, alongside a supportive open mic.
Seating: Bring your own blanket or lawn chair (BYOB) for comfortable grass seating.
Performances: A sign-up sheet will be available on-site for anyone in the community wanting to share their own poetry or spoken word work during the open mic portion.
Atmosphere: A leisurely, family-friendly outdoor afternoon celebrating local and featured writers in a public green space.
Sofia Aguilar is an award-winning Chicana writer, editor, zinemaker, teaching artist, community organizer, and library worker based on the traditional homelands of the Kizh and Chumash peoples (Los Angeles, California). Her work has appeared in the L.A. Times, Latino Book Review, Acentos Review, and New Orleans Review, among other publications. She is the author of Queer Latine Heroes: 25 Changemakers from Latin America and the U.S. from History and Today among other books.
Raquel Reyes-Lopez is a first-generation Chicana poet. Her poetry advocates mental health awareness, speaks of infertility struggles, highlights tones of death, and loss. Her debut poetry chapbook Born to Electrify was published by Sadie Girl Press.
Juju Soriya is a Khmer poet.
Where: Summitridge Park
Date: Sunday the 2nd
Time: 4 pm
Address: 1425 Summitridge Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765
Website: Instagram Page
Writers Group at North Figueroa Bookshop – In-Person Event
Join us for Writers Group every 1st Sunday of the month.
Bring paper and a pen, bring your laptop, bring a prompt to share, bring a project to work on or just come prepared to free write among other writers, and perhaps exchange projects and feedback!
Where: North Figueroa Bookshop
Date: Sunday the 2nd
Time: 4:30 pm – closing
Address: 6040 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Sunday Jump: Season 14: Pam Concepcion & Open Mic – In-Person Event
We invite everyone to celebrate the start of summer with us at the Pilipino Workers Center in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles! On August 2nd from 5 pm – 7 pm, we’ll be celebrating with performances, good vibes, and the 24th anniversary of Historic Filipinotown 🇵🇭💕 You definitely won’t want to miss it! Open mic sign-ups start at 4:30 pm and will be a lottery-based system to ensure fair chances for all. 🙌
Our theme this season is: Heat Rising. 🔥⬆️
Heat is a powerful form of energy, vital for survival. It is supplied from the sun, the stove for a home-cooked meal, the hugs we give each other, redistributed through touch and connection. It is light, warmth, and care in times of turmoil. It can be found in the fire ignited within ourselves. Fire can burst into chaos, a symbol for uprisings and revolution, but also renewal. It rises and inspires change. It can also burn out and in the aftermath, allow growth and new life to emerge.
For the month of August, the focus is Slash and Burn. In agricultural terms, the technique is when the vegetation is cut down and burned to clear land for farming. The ash fertilizes the soil giving it nutrients for the next few seasons. In order for new things to emerge, we recognize that sometimes we need to clear space for something new.
Pam Concepcion (@pamconcep5) is an interdisciplinary artist from Metro Manila, Philippines, delving into poetry, screenwriting, graphic design, digital collages, and more. Her writing is heavily influenced by music, books, art, her experiences growing up as an athlete, her time in a Catholic all-girls school, and later, her bachelor’s degree. She recently published her debut poetry collection Unbecoming: Poems from local Riot of Roses Publishing House.
@templeartmarket, community spotlight
@menchitasmeatmarket, food & drink
@tianggeee, merch
janelle paule, resident host
@weejaybabiano of @manilasound.la, sound selection
Where: Pilipino Workers Center
Date: Sunday the 2nd
Time: 5 pm – 7 pm
Address: 3806 Main St., Culver City, CA, 90232
Website: Instagram Page
Queer Romance LA Book Club: Rubies and Revenge at The Ripped Bodice – In-Person Event
Join participants to discuss Rubies and Revenge by Lexie A. Lynn.
Queer Romance book club is led by book seller Elizabeth and meets at 7:15 pm on the first Sunday in the main store! We read widely across all genres featuring LGBTQIA authors. Everyone is welcome!
No membership is necessary, but RSVP is recommended.
Where: The Ripped Bodice
Date: Sunday the 2nd
Time: 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm
Address: 3806 Main St., Culver City, CA, 90232
Website: https://therippedbodice.com/event/2026-08-02/queer-romance-la-book-club-august-2026
Dazed and Confused Poetry Club & Open Mic at The Glendale Room – In-Person Event
Dazed and Confused Poetry Club 2026 is held every 1st Sunday of the month and hosted by Fernando Funes. This month features: Maestro DeSean, Tomi Simmons and Nikki Avila with special guest Micah Bournes.
Maestro DeSean is a spoken soul artist, international songwriter, arranger, poet, singer, vibe ambassador, host and slam champion.
Tomi Simmons, a poet, spoken-word artist, and 200-hour yoga trained teacher, shares her personal experience with healing from trauma through her writing. Tomi has a passion for helping her community and is a nonprofit development professional. She was McPherson College’s first poet laureate in 2019 and served as the president of the writing club where she helped publish creative literary journals, and led virtual and on-campus writing workshops. Simmons has been a featured artist at the Las Vegas Book Festival and at poetry shows in Las Vegas and Phoenix. Her writing reflects her personal experiences and her strong connections to her blended family.
Nikki Avila is the author of Hellbound Angel (2017).
Micah Bournes is from Long Beach, CA. A group of strangers walked into a room in LA. One by one they stood up, shared their most private thoughts, struggles, and desires. To many this sounds terrifying but, after seeing a spoken word open mic, Micah was hooked. That day he decided to give spoken word poetry a try. It worked.
$5 general admission
Where: The Glendale Room
Date: Sunday the 2nd
Time: 8:30 pm – 10 pm
Address: 127 N. Artsakh Ave., Glendale, CA 91206
Website: Eventbrite Page
Los Angeles Literature 