Los Angeles Literature Events: 10/24/22 – 10/30/22

It’s another busy week in the Los Ángeles literary community featuring in-person, virtual and hybrid open mics, workshops and book clubs. There are even several middle grade, kids and teen events for young literary lovers. Local writers reading this week are: Cynthia Guardado, Seth Fishman, Jean-Pierre Rueda, Natalie Sierra, Sheila J. Sadr, Peter J. Harris and Christopher Soto, among others. Continue reading Los Angeles Literature Events: 10/24/22 – 10/30/22

Los Angeles Literature Events: 10/17/22 – 10/23/22

Book Club Bonanza: Frightening Reads! & White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson via Central Library, LAPL – Online Teen Event

The Book Club Bonanza Book Club for Teens will host read-alikes and an activity for this month’s selection, White Smoke, by Tiffany D. Jackson.

In this chilling psychological thriller, Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with a free house, one that Mari now has to share with her bratty ten-year-old stepsister, Piper.

The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its…secrets. That’s only half the problem. Cedarville has secrets too.

NOTE: See site for RSVP, link, and details.

Where: Central Library, LAPL

Date: Monday the 17th

Time: 4:30 pm

Address: Online event (see site)

Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/book-club-bonanza-frightening-reads

Continue reading “Los Angeles Literature Events: 10/17/22 – 10/23/22”

Los Angeles Literature Events: 10/10/22 – 10/16/22

Peter Merts & Ex Crucible: The Passion of Incarcerated Artists at Chevalier’s Bookstore – In-Person Event

Prison Arts collective will have an art auction and author and photographer Peter Merts will present and discuss Ex Crucible: The Passion of Incarcerated Artists. The photographs of Ex Crucible show incarcerated men and women creating artworks with a talent, passion, and authenticity that illuminate the humanity of the artists. These intimate photographs demonstrate the importance that creativity can have in these bleak, controlled spaces.

Peter Merts has been a photographer for 40 years, focusing on documentary, portrait, and fine arts projects. Peter has documented California’s Arts in Corrections program, both as a volunteer, and under contract with the California Arts Council. He has photographed in all 36 of California’s adult state prisons and serves on the advisory board of the Prison Arts Collective, a provider of prison arts programming. Peter co-published, with Dr. Larry Brewster, the book Paths of Discovery: Art Practice and Its Impact in California State Prisons (now in its 2nd edition); in 2022, he published a monograph of his prison arts work, Ex Crucible: The Passion of Incarcerated Artists (Daylight Books).

NOTE: See site for free tickets, guidelines, and details.

Where: Chevalier’s Bookstore

Date: Monday the 10th

Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm

Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004

Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-auction-book-talk-ex-crucible-by-peter-merts-tickets-428745418087

Continue reading “Los Angeles Literature Events: 10/10/22 – 10/16/22”

Los Angeles Literature Events: 10/03/22 – 10/09/22

NOTE: There Are Both Online and Virtual Events Listed Here

School Visit Signing by George Lopez & Chupa Carter via Once Upon a Time Bookstore – Kids Event

Comedian and actor George Lopez will be visiting a school with Once Upon a Time Bookstore. If you would like a copy of his children’s book, Chupa Carter, signed and personalized, please order from the store.

This is a private event, but signed books are available to the public through Once Upon a Time Bookstore.

NOTE: See site for details.

Where: Once Upon a Time Bookstore

Date: Monday the 3rd

Time: 8 am

Address: 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose CA 91020

Website: https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/school-visit-george-lopez

Continue reading “Los Angeles Literature Events: 10/03/22 – 10/09/22”

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”

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”

Los Angeles Literature Events: 09/05/22 – 09/11/22

NOTE: There Are Both Online and Virtual Events Listed Here

Monday Night Fiction Workshop at Beyond Baroque – Zoom Online Event

This free Monday Night Fiction Workshop led by Raquel Baker is a community writing workshop in which participants are asked to bring copies of 2-3 pages of fiction to read, and to use for critique and discussion. Registration is required.

Raquel Baker earned a PhD in English Literary Studies from the University of Iowa and an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. She is currently Assistant Professor of Postcolonial Studies and Transnational Literatures at CSU Channel Islands. She has published poetry and nonfiction and done readings with the Ventura Poetry Project. 

Where: Beyond Baroque – Online event (tickets at Eventbrite) (check to verify)

Date: Monday the 5th

Time: 7:30 pm – 10 pm

Address: Zoom Online

Website: https://beyondbaroque.org/free_workshops.html or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/monday-night-fiction-workshop-tickets-411567458347

Continue reading “Los Angeles Literature Events: 09/05/22 – 09/11/22”

Los Angeles Literature Events: 08/22/22 – 08/28/22

NOTE: There Are Both Online and Virtual Events Listed Here

Sara Woster, with Jackie Kashian, & Painting Can Save Your Life at Chevalier’s Bookstore – In-Person Event

Join us to hear Sara Woster, in conversation with Jackie Kashian, discuss and sign her book, Painting Can Save Your Life: How and Why We Paint.

Artist and founder of The Painting School Sara Woster invites readers into the vibrant world of painting as a creative practice powerful enough to transform our lives.

Weaving soup-to-nuts instruction on how to paint–from choosing the right materials to painting the human body–with her own story of discovering a passion for painting, this book includes:

NOTE: See site for guidelines and details.

Where: Chevalier’s Bookstore

Date: Monday the 22nd

Time: 6 pm

Address: 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004

Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-talk-painting-can-save-your-life-by-sara-woster-with-jackie-kashian-tickets-397442078957

Continue reading “Los Angeles Literature Events: 08/22/22 – 08/28/22”

Los Angeles Literature Events: 08/15/22 – 08/21/22

Los Angeles Literature Events: 08/15/22 – 08/21/22

NOTE: There Are Both Online and Virtual Events Listed Here

World Literature Book Club at via West Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL – Online Event

Join us for a spirited and engaging discussion of the world’s best short stories! All selections are from The Best Short Stories 2021: The O. Henry Prize Winners (New York, 2021), ed. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This month’s selections are:

  •   Scissors by Karina Sainz Borgo
  •   Witness by Jamel Brinkley
  •   The Other One by Tess Hadley

​We meet every Monday morning (excluding holidays).

NOTE: See site for link, and details. Email wvally@lapl.org with “World Literature” in the subject line.

Where: West Valley Regional Branch Library, LAPL

Date: Monday the 15th

Time: 10 am (repeated by Woodland Hills Branch Library at 2 pm).

Address: Zoom Online (see site)

Website: https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/world-literature-book-club-0

Continue reading “Los Angeles Literature Events: 08/15/22 – 08/21/22”

Los Angeles Literature Events: 07/25/22 – 07/31/22

NOTE: There Are Both Online and Virtual Events Listed Here

Quantum Book Club: Her Body and Other Parties at The Book Jewel Bookstore – In-Person Event

Join the Quantum Book Club to discuss the book, Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado.

In Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. While her work has earned her comparisons to Karen Russell and Kelly Link, she has a voice that is all her own. In this electric and provocative debut, Machado bends genre to shape startling narratives that map the realities of women’s lives and the violence visited upon their bodies.  

NOTE: See site for RSVP, book purchase, guidelines, and details.

Where: The Book Jewel Bookstore

Date: Monday the 25th   

Time: 6 pm

Address: 6259 W. 87th St., Los Angeles, CA 90045

Website: https://www.thebookjewel.com/quantum-book-club

Continue reading “Los Angeles Literature Events: 07/25/22 – 07/31/22”