There is a New Host for Avenue 50’s La Palabra’s Open Mic Poetry Reading Series

by Brian Dunlap

26992437_10157041638868989_7897940542334418098_nThe last time La Palabra was held at Avenue 50 Studios in December, host Karineh Mahdessian couldn’t hold back tears that spoke to the deep connections she’s made during her time as host of the long running open mic reading series. Karineh’s time was coming to a close. The community she helped nurture packed the back room to help send her off.

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Empowering Diverse Writers, Innovaatively

By Agatha French

From: Los Angeles Times

IMG_6178Kima Jones is the founder of Jack Jones Literary Arts, a not-yet-3-year-old, three-person L.A.-based book publicity company whose clients are primarily women of color. Jones is a savvy media strategist and creative force, already counting a Pulitzer Prize winner (Tyehimba Jess’ poetry collection “Oilo”) among her campaigns.

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New Open Mic in Pomona

by Brian Dunlap

downloadFriday was the second edition of the open mic Poetry y Pan at Café con Libros in Pomona, hosted by poets and educators Irene Sanchez and Matt Sedillo. The Reading began shortly after 7:30 pm, the Arts District coming to life with music and food. Next door it sounded like a band was playing a familiar Green Day song, kicking off the weekend.

The feature Besskepp had yet to arrive and in the back sat a pink box of pan for readers and audience alike. The population inside the two-month-old lending library appeared close to 15. When things kicked off Matt Sedillo made quick introductions, then announced the first open mic reader.

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Remembering Michele Serros: A Writer’s Journey

by Daniel Cano

From: Labloga

IMG_1676In the spring of 2015, I received a telephone call from the Santa Monica College Foundation asking if I would present the SMC distinguished alumna award to writer Michele Serros, who had been a former student of mine.

“Of course,” I replied, sadly. I knew Michele had been fighting cancer, and she was putting up a courageous battle.

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Janet Fitch explains what it took to go back to Russia 100 years ago in ‘The Revolution of Marina M.’

By Janet Fitch

From: The Los Angeles Times

THODAAZUKFCZXDXUELOYIIIZOQMy new novel debuts on the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, which is also the historical moment of the book. It didn’t take me quite 100 years to write “The Revolution of Marina M.,” but 11 years was long enough.

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Best Independant Bookstore Eso Won Books

by Tanja M. Laden From: L.A. Weekly Originally a planned community built in the 1920s, Leimert Park has since become the epicenter of African-American culture in Los Angeles. It’s also home to a beloved independent bookstore that’s been around since the late 1980s, owned and operated by James Fugate and Thomas Hamilton. Eso Won Bookstore occupied four other locations before landing in Leimert Park in 2006; by all … Continue reading Best Independant Bookstore Eso Won Books

How L.A. Writer Ben Loory Came to Write His Odd, Beloved Fables

by Agatha French

From: Los Angeles Times

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There was a time when Ben Loory lived at night.

That’s how he puts it, as if night isn’t a stretch of empty hours to endure, but a place to enter, to discover whole worlds inside. After dark, the grocery stores are empty and the streets are quiet and still. The city at night is a city through the looking glass, perfect for writing, as Loory does, short stories so imaginative — and yet so perplexingly familiar — they could have formed in a dream.

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