Latinx Literature of Los Ángeles and Southern California
Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the diverse contributions of the US’s Latinx population. With Southern California’s deep Chicanx and Latinx roots, Los Angeles Literature is highlighting many of the city and region’s powerful and diverse Latinx writers. Continue reading Latinx Literature of Los Ángeles and Southern California
Being a Writer is Not Just About the Work, Sometimes it’s About Everything Else
By Jo Scott-Coe
FROM: Riverside Press-Enterprise
There’s a common myth that “real” writers feel like writing all the time. Sometimes we feed the myth by over-explaining gaps in our creative activities or output. Sharing how writing works or doesn’t work can be fascinating. For me, this can also be a counterpart to anxious impulses: Addressing anticipated critics — real or imagined — or playing out arguments on an internal loop after someone has voluntold me what they think I should be creating.
Continue reading “Being a Writer is Not Just About the Work, Sometimes it’s About Everything Else”
Amy Uyematsu’s Power Verses
“Uyematsu has flown below the radar for decades, despite the fact that she’s published since the 1970s, winning awards like the Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize.” “That Blue Trickster Time” is her sixth collection of poetry. Continue reading Amy Uyematsu’s Power Verses
Los Angeles Literature Events: 09/26/22 – 10/02/22
NOTE: There Are Both Online and Virtual Events Listed Here
Book Club Bonanza: The Last Cuentista via Central Library, LAPL – Online Teen Event
Book Club Bonanza celebrates Latinx Heritage Month with a teen book discussion of The Last Cuentista, by Donna Barba Higuera.
The Last Cuentista is a mesmerizing science-fiction tale for the ages, sprinkled with Mexican folklore. Petra Pena’s journey through space and time is a stunning reminder of the power of stories, and how those stories shape both our past and future. This brilliant space epic is a must-read for fans of The Giver.
Donna Barba Higuera grew up in Central California and now lives in the Pacific Northwest. She has spent her entire life blending folklore with her experiences into stories that fill her imagination. Now she weaves them to write picture books and novels. Donna’s first book, Lupe Wong Won’t Dance, won a Sid Fleischman Award for Humor and a Pura Belpré Honor.
Her second novel, The Last Cuentista, received the John Newbery Medal and the Pura Belpré Award. It was named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Boston Globe, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Wall Street Journal, and TIME.
NOTE: See site for link, guidelines, and details.
Where: Central Library, LAPL
Date: Monday the 26th
Time: 4:30 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-bonanza-celebrate-latinx-voices
Continue reading “Los Angeles Literature Events: 09/26/22 – 10/02/22”
A.K. Toney as a Sorcerer of Sound: Neo Griot and the Afrocentric Prince
“Perhaps more than any other poet in Los Angeles, Toney bridges jazz and hip hop…His lyrical dexterity can be heard on his debut spoken word recording, Neo Griot and the Afrocentric Prince.” Continue reading A.K. Toney as a Sorcerer of Sound: Neo Griot and the Afrocentric Prince
Los Angeles Literature Events: 09/19/22 – 09/25/22
NOTE: There Are Both Online and Virtual Events Listed Here
Book Talk: Gianluca Russo & The Power of Plus via Chevalier’s Bookstore – Online Event
Author and journalist Gianluca Russo will present and discuss his book, The Power of Plus: Inside Fashion’s Size-Inclusivity Revolution.
Gianluca Russo is a NYLON columnist and freelance journalist who has written for GQ, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Fashionista, Huffington Post, Bustle, Mic, and Vice. His work has primarily focused on plus-size fashion and representation, and he has reported extensively on the subject from covering brand launches to exploring trends within the market and investigating taboo topics within the plus-size community. He lives in Phoenix, AZ.
NOTE: See site for link, guidelines, and details.
Where: Chevalier’s Bookstore
Date: Monday the 19th
Time: 6 pm
Address: Online event (see site)
Website: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cMYAc1zJS7–AAY1vip8Rg
Continue reading “Los Angeles Literature Events: 09/19/22 – 09/25/22”
Slow Lightning Lit
By Brian Dunlap
Sunday was the first time I attended Slow Lightning Lit’s open mic at The Book Jewel in Westchester. The open mic, hosted by poet Peggy Dobreer, began online as a place for people to hold space for each other and connect by sharing their voice during the Pandemic.
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Los Angeles Literature Events: 09/12/22 – 09/18/22
Los Angeles Literature Events: 09/12/22 – 09/18/22
NOTE: There Are Both Online and Virtual Events Listed Here
Woodland Hills Mystery Book Club Discussion: Your House Will Pay at Washington Irving Branch Library, LAPL – In-Person & Online (Hybrid) Event
A novel about racial tensions in Los Angeles, following two families—one Korean-American, one African-American—grappling with the effects of a decades-old crime.
In the wake of the police shooting of a black teenager, Los Angeles is as tense as it’s been since the unrest of the early 1990s. But Grace Park and Shawn Matthews have their own problems. Grace is sheltered and largely oblivious, living in the Valley with her Korean-immigrant parents, working long hours at the family pharmacy. She’s distraught that her sister hasn’t spoken to their mother in two years, for reasons beyond Grace’s understanding. Shawn has already had enough of politics and protest after an act of violence shattered his family years ago. He just wants to be left alone to enjoy his quiet life in Palmdale.
But when another shocking crime hits LA, both the Park and Matthews families are forced to face down their history while navigating the tumult of a city on the brink of more violence.
Discussion is facilitated by Mary C. Schaffer. Books are read in advance of the meetings and are available to borrow from the Woodland Hills Library Reference Desk or you may place a copy on hold through the library catalog or Libby app.
Please call (818) 226-0017 for more information.
NOTE: See site for link, guidelines, and details.
Where: Woodland Hills Branch Library, LAPL Community Room
Date: Monday the 12th
Time: 4 pm
Address: 22200 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91364 (or online; see site)
Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/mystery-book-club-8
Continue reading “Los Angeles Literature Events: 09/12/22 – 09/18/22”
ladybug: We Can Inherit Experiences
“ladybug” is the new memoir written by San Bernardino native Nikia Chaney, about how her mother and daughter are afflicted by schizophrenia. It opens with a child speaking in second person “as she observes her mother dissociate.” Continue reading ladybug: We Can Inherit Experiences
Annette Chavez Macias’ Inland Empire Childhood Inspired Her Novel About Mexican American Cousins
“The novel is a family drama set primarily in Inland Valley, a fictional L.A. suburb that’s inspired by the area that Macias, who was raised in Ontario and currently lives in Rancho Cucamonga.” Continue reading Annette Chavez Macias’ Inland Empire Childhood Inspired Her Novel About Mexican American Cousins
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