by Kristen Farrah Naeem
FROM: Signal Tribune
Jhoanna Belfer, owner of Bel Canto Books, has lined its shelves with the stories she didn’t see as a young reader, featuring main characters of color that the children of Long Beach can see themselves in.
Continue reading “Bel Canto Books in Long Beach Has Stories For Everyone”
By Brian Dunlap
It’s been five years since “Dryland: A Literary Journal Born in South Central Los Angeles,” published its first issue. Since Founding Editor-in-Chief, Viva Padilla, set out to publish “the best poetry, fiction, and nonfiction of the Los Angeles literary underground, and to prioritizing Black and POC artists, writers, and poets,” as it states on the journal’s website.
Continue reading “Dryland Expands Its Mission”
FROM: L.A. County Library Library Staff Step Into New Roles We’ve always been dedicated to serving the communities of LA County, but now more than ever, with doors to our buildings closed to the public since mid-March, Library staff have met the challenges LA County faces head-on, using their unique and diverse skills to step into new roles to bring essential services to communities during … Continue reading Community Service During COVID-19
Asha Grant was always a bookworm. As a little girl growing up in Inglewood, she spent hours poring over stories like Debbie Allen’s “Dancing in the Wings,” Sandra Cisneros’ “The House on Mango Street” and Veronica Chambers’ “Marisol and Magdalena.” Her parents were delighted, but also frustrated by how challenging it was to find stories about young Black children.
Continue reading “She Dreamed of a Black-Owned Bookstore in Inglewood. Now, She’s Going to Run One”
An open letter to the white members of Writers Blok:Continue reading “Why You Should Ask Writers Blok if Black Lives Matter”
On June 23, author Carmen Maria Machado announced she had canceled her virtual event with Tattered Cover, Denver’s oldest independent bookstore. “Unlike the owners,” she wrote, “I know that choosing neutrality in matters of oppression only reinforces structural violence.”
Continue reading “L.A.’s Independent Bookstores Reckon With Diversity (or the lack of it)”
FROM: Cultural Weekly
Cultural Weekly’s 8th Annual “Jack Grapes Poetry Prize” is open for submission. This contest is FREE to enter.
By Vallarie Wallace
FROM: Electrict Literature
After several grueling hours of protesting against systemic injustice (no one can prepare you for long hours on your feet, long hours screaming for recognition of your humanity), we stood with our signs tucked safely under our arms as the organizer introduced some parting words. The speaker was an older Black man, the weariness of the movement evident in his face and in the way he leaned against a streetlamp for support. But his passion was clear in his speech as he declared that we were not the first to fight for our rights, and we will not be the last: he was protesting in the streets back in his early adulthood, the same way we were today. It was then that I looked at the faces of the people around me; some couldn’t be older than sixteen, and some as old as the speaker, or older. It was in the aftermath of being surrounded by these people, all aligned in our goal for the abolishment of the systemic injustices that cause Black oppression, that Nina Revoyr’s literary crime novel Southland came to mind.
Continue reading “The Novel That Shows Us How to Face Our Past to Change Our Future”
By Brian Dunlap
The United States is now in the midst of its strongest push for racial equality since the Civil Rights era. Civil unity and protests sprung up instantly after George Floyd’s death at the hands of police last month in Minneapolis. The calls for police reform have been loud and wide, including calls for justice for Breonna Taylor who was killed by Louisville police as she slept.
Continue reading “The Need For Racial Equality Hits the L.Á. Literary Community”
By Brian Dunlap
FROM: Beyond Baroque
Yesterday, Beyond Baroque, Los Angeles’ oldest literary venue, hosted numerous acclaimed scholars and artists for an outdoor community talk and vigil addressing racism & Police violence.
Los Angeles Literature 