Jorja Leap sheds light on Watts’ black fathers in ‘Project Fatherhood’
By Tre’vell Anderson, Los Angeles Times

Jorja Leap is no ordinary professor; she’s got what many would call “street cred.”

Sitting in her office at UCLA, where she teaches at the Luskin School of Public Affairs, she points to two photos hanging above her desk. The first is of her with Father Greg Boyle, founder of Los Angeles’ Homeboy Industries, an organization that works to steer people from gang life. She’s done extensive work with Father Boyle and the men and women he helps mentor. Continue reading “Project Fatherhood: A Story of Courage and Healing in One of America’s Toughest Communities by Jorja Leap”

Train Versus Pedestrian on Valley Boulevard

by Alex Espinoza

We lived in the shadows of factories and processing plants. I remember the tall smoke stacks off of Seventh Street, lit up like massive Roman candles at night. I remember the smell of chemicals and solvents mixing with the scent of vinegar from the Vlasic Pickle Factory, fresh bread from the Golden Foods Bakery, or strawberries and cherries from the Hansen’s bottling plant. I grew up with the sound of semis barreling down Nelson Avenue and Orange Boulevard, steel plates banging and grinding against one another, and the low, droning hum of train wheels gliding over the metal tracks running parallel to Valley Boulevard, that long stretch of thoroughfare running west into South El Monte, Rosemead, and East Los Angeles and east into South San Jose Hills, Walnut, and Diamond Bar. Continue reading “Powerful Essay From Los Angeles Writer Alex Espinoza”

Vendela Vida at Skylight Books

Writer Vendela Vida reads from her new novel “The Diver’s Clothes lie Empty,” a thriller set in  Casablanca,, with a satiric and humorous side.

Where: Skylight Books

Date: Monday the 15th

Time: 7:30 pm

Address: 1818 N. Vermont., Los Feliz, CA

Website:  http://www.skylightbooks.com Continue reading “Los Angeles Literary Events 6/14/15-6/21/15”

The 6th Annual Beyond Baroque Poetry contest is now accepting entries. This years judge is D.A. Powell. The contest accepts entries from anywhere in the United States.

PRIZES
First Prize: $1,000
Second Prize: $500
Third Prize: $250   Continue reading “6th Annual Beyond Baroque Poetry Contest”

For every poet in Los Angeles, they know there are too many open mics to keep track of. A poet could go to one every day of the week. On the Westside there are several open Mics, Beyond Baroque’s Soap Box Open Mic, First Sunday Open Reading, the Last Sunday at USVAA Theater in Culver City, Downbeat 720 in Santa Monica dedicated to high school poets and singer-songwriters, but the picking is slimmer than towards Hollywood and Downtown. Continue reading “New Open Mic”

Los Angeles writer, La Puente native, and Fresno State Creative Writing Professor, Alex Espinoza, will be joining the Cal State L.A. faculty for the 2015-2016 academic year as a Visiting Associate Professor and interim director of a new MFA in Bilingual Creative Writing and Creative Media program. In his own words he says:

Continue reading “Cal State Los Angeles to offer a new MFA in Bilingual Creative Writing and Creative Media”

Note: This article appeared earlier this month in L.A. Weekly’s People Issue. John Rechy was the only author to make the list. Enjoy!

The greatest prose writer in L.A. lives among the lizards and lemon trees at the efflorescence of the Hollywood Hills. In a Beachwood Canyon backyard in perennial bloom, you find 84-year-old John Rechy, perpetual hustler in partial hermitage.

The arthritic decay of age is relatively modest. His former Fabian-esque pompadour has softened into an amber tuft. Continue reading “JOHN RECHY WROTE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL GAY NOVEL EVER — AND AT 84 HE’S NOT FINISHED”

By Lilliam Rivera, L.A. Times

LéaLA, the largest Spanish-language literary festival in the United States, marks its

 return to Los Angeles this weekend after a year’s hiatus. With more than 300 literary imprints represented and over 90 book events from May 15-17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, LéaLA will once again be at the forefront of showcasing Spanish-language books through readings, panel discussions, theater productions and more. Continue reading “Event For Spanish Language Lit Readers and Lovers: Spanish-language Literary Festival Back in L.A. After Year’s Hiatus”