By Kendall JohnsonFROM: Cultural Weekly Once a wise and powerful wizard pulled a small but brilliant gem out of a leather pouch and laid it on the table before a cluster of his closest friends. As they leaned over and and peered into the depths of the tiny gemstone, the mysteries and terrors of the universe were revealed. Such is John Brantingham’s latest collection of … Continue reading Book Review: Life—Orange to Pear by John Brantingham
By Cullen GallagherFrom: L.A. Review of Books THE SKELETONS IN Ray Bradbury’s closet are out in Killer, Come Back to Me, a career-spanning collection of the science fictioneer’s crime stories. These 300 pages present a new side to readers who only know Bradbury from such classics as The Martian Chronicles (1950) and Fahrenheit 451 (1953). Published by Hard Case Crime on the occasion of the … Continue reading Bradbury Noir: The Crimes of a Science Fiction Master
In Lynell George’s “A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky,” she uncovers the psyche of author and Pasadena native Octavia E. Butler. Continue reading Kindred Spirits
In poet Matt Sedillo’s book “Mowing Leaves of Grass” he discusses lived experience, a Chicano growing up in the barrio, all while critiquing American society and history. Continue reading POETRY: Mowing Down Statues and Tipping Sacred Cows
By J.T. The L.A. Storyteller
FROM: Medium
To come to terms with one’s status as a survivor is to relive the moments that nearly ended one’s life. To collect those moments and offer them to the world is to relieve their weight on one’s mind so new possibilities in one’s life may take shape. Lisbeth Coiman, an Afro-Venezuelan poet and writer, has embarked on this process in a particularly relevant reading journey for working-class people in cities like Los Angeles, especially for migrants from Latin America.
by Nate Rogers
FROM: L.A. Times
Cresting an overlook on the Condor Trail in Griffith Park, Casey Schreiner wants us to stop to listen to the chimpanzees. “They’re a little bit chattier now than they were when I was writing the book,” he says, as the hollering echoes up from the Los Angeles Zoo in the canyon below. “It may be because they haven’t had visitors in a while.”
Continue reading “Griffith Park Finally Gets The Book It Deserves. Take A Hike With Its Author”
By Bethanne Patrick
FROM: L.A. Times
Christina Hammonds Reed vividly remembers witnessing the unrest in her city in 1992 after the acquittal of four LAPD officers in the arrest and beating of Rodney King — on television. She was only 8, after all, and the violence in South L.A. felt far away. She grew up in the comfortable suburb of Hacienda Heights.
Local muralist Judith Baca’s magnum opus, is the 2,800-foot-long mural, Great Wall of Los Angeles. The following seven books help one to understand the mural and L.Á. itself. Continue reading
“Glorious Boy” is a tale of war and devotion, longing and loss, and the power of love to prevail. Historical fiction set as WW II intensifies. Continue reading Glorious Boy Amiee Liu
A new volume of quintessential L.Á. poet Wanda Coleman’s poetry, “Wicked Enchantment” and eidted by poet Terrance Hayes, has brought the Watts born poet into the spotlight. Continue reading Literary History: The Fearless Invention of One of L.A.’s Greatest Poets
Los Angeles Literature 