Calendar for Southern California

Updated May 16, 2008

May 1-31, 2008 S M T W Th F S 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

1 MAY ---thursday:
CENTRAL:
• The ALOUD series presents novelist, memoirist, and screenwriter Larry McMurtry, Lonesome Dove and Brokeback Mountain, discussing his work, Central Library, 630 West Fifth Street, LA, free, noon (reservations recommended: 213/228-7025, www.aloudla.org)

2 MAY ---friday:
CENTRAL:
• Orange County Poetry Festival presents Contemporary Poetry in Translation, with Paul Vangelisti, Hélène Cardona, and Niloufar Talebi reading their translations of contemporary poetry and discussing their translation process, Golden West College, Community Room 102, Huntington Beach, free, 8:00

3 MAY ---saturday:
CENTRAL:
• "From Russia With Love" a poetry workshop with David St. John, morning session examines the work and inspiration of Russian poets Osip Mandelstam, Anna Akhmatova, bring twenty-five copies of poem by either poet you would like to discuss; for the afternoon session bring twenty copies of your own recent poem, The Ruskin Art Club, 800 S. Plymouth Blvd., LA, $85 full day (breakfast/lunch included), $45 audits welcome (breakfast/morning discussion/lecture until 12:30), 9:30 a.m.-4:00 (to register, contact Elena Karina Byrne: Ekduende@cox.net, 310/936-7484, www.ruskinartclub.org; checks payable to Ruskin Art Club must be received paid in full one week prior to the workshop: P.O. Box 3761, Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA 90274)
• Orange County Poetry Festival presents Indie Publisher Night, author representing Tebot Bach, Moon Tide Press, World Parade Books, and West-Coast Bias Press present their works, including Sam Pereira, Catharine Clarke-Sayles, Kate Buckley, Brendan Constantine, Gerald Locklin, Donna Hilbert, Regina Nervo, Paul Kareem Tayyar, Golden West College, Community Room 102, Huntington Beach, free, 7:00

4 MAY ---sunday:
CENTRAL:
• Orange County Poetry Festival presents Speaking Our Truth, students in grades first through eighth, and young adults present their original poetry, Golden West College, Community Room 102, Huntington Beach, free, grades first-eighth, 3:00-5:00 and teens and young adults, 7:00-9:00

5 MAY ---monday:
CENTRAL:
• Orange County Poetry Festival presents Environmental Reading for National Poetry Month, original poetry and Shakespeare readings, featuring Kate Buckley, John Gardiner, Lily Greenberg, Jane Hilary, Ricki Mandeville, Carrie Pohlhammer, Laguna Niguel Library, 30341 Crown Valley Parkway, Laguna Niguel, free, 6:00

6 MAY ---tuesday:
CENTRAL:
• Orange County Poetry Festival presents Jaimes Palacio hosts San Diego poet Terry Hertzler, LA poet Louise Mathias, and musical guest Ruby, Gypsy Den, 125 N. Broadway Avenue, Artist's Village, Santa Ana, free, 8:00 (714/835-8840)

7 MAY ---wednesday:
CENTRAL:
• Orange County Poetry Festival presents Annual New Voices Reading, Jaimes Palacio hosts his picks for New Voices of 2008: Ally Lever, Elizabeth Aamont, Eric Morago, Heather Love, James Kelly, Kat Sanchez, The Picard Maneuver with Adam Fanshier and Mike Hover, The Ugly Mug Caffé, 261 North Glassell Avenue, Orange, $2, open reading sign up 7:30

8 MAY ---thursday:
CENTRAL:
• Contemporary Poetry Reading presents Heather McHugh, Eyeshot, The Father of Predicaments, Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., LA, free, 7:00 (310/443-7000, www.hammer.ucla.edu)
• Metropolis Books presents Art Walk Night, see Web site for details to be announced, 440 S. Main Street, between 4th and 5th Streets, LA, 7:00 (213/612-0174, www.metropolisbooksla.com)

9 MAY ---friday:
CENTRAL:
• The New Short Fiction Series (www.youtube.com/newshortfiction) presents Toggling the Switch and Other Stories, by Night Train magazine editor Alicia Gifford, with Alain Benatar, Stacie Richards Dail, Jessica Hopper, and Sally Shore, The Beverly Hills Public Library Auditorium, 444 N. Rexford Drive, between Santa Monical Blvd. and Burton Way, Beverly Hills, $10, free parking, 8:00 (www.newshortfictionseries.com)

10 MAY---saturday:
CENTRAL:
• The Third Annual Small Press Book Fair presents publishers selling and exhibiting books throughout the day, every hour begins with a short period of poetry and spoken word readings hosted by Peggy Dobreer, presses and writers taking part include Cahuenga Press, Harry Northrup and Holly Prado; Santa Monica Review, Andrew Tonkovich; Noble Swine Press, Corrie Greathouse, Saria Idana; Beyond Baroque Press; Gentle Strings Quarterly, Leilani Squire; Free Venice Beachhead; Heart Press; Split Shift Press, Roger Taus; Cherry Grove Collections, DeAnn Jordan; Askew, Phil Taggart; Lynn Bronstein; Julie Stein; John Harris; Akashic Books, Karen Harryman; DVD Videopoems, Alexis Krasilovsky; TcCreative Press, Theresa Antonia; coffee, tea, snacks, Church in Ocean Park, 235 Hill Street, northeast corner of Hill and 2nd, small parking lot on the north side of street between 2nd and 3rd, Santa Monica, 10:30 a.m.-5:00 (Fred Whitlock: 310/828-3951)
NORTH:
• The Poetry Zone presents New Mexican poet Deborah Rasa, Sexing the Divine, A Poetics of Sacred Desire, reading with Perie Longo, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, hosted by Suzanne Frost, Karpeles Manuscript Library, 21 West Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, 2:00 (805/403-0567)

11 MAY ---sunday:
CENTRAL:
• dA Center for the Arts presents a poetry reading, reception, and book signing by Holaday Mason reading from Towards the Forest, followed by an open mike at 3:30, dA Center for the Arts, 252-D South Main Street, Pomona, free featured reading/$6 donation for the open mike, open mike sign up 1:45, reading 2:00 (909/397-9716, www.dacenter.org)

12 MAY---monday:
CENTRAL:
• Moonday, A West Side Reading Series presents a reading by Stephany Prodromides and Eloise Klein Healy, open mike follows, Village Books, 1049 Swarthmore Avenue, just north of Sunset, Pacific Palisades, 7:30 (310/454-4063, www.moondaypoetry.com)
• Red Hen at the Geffen presents Writers on Time and Place, a reading by novelist Antje Rávic Strubel, Snowed Under, novelist/playwright Seth Greenland, The Bones, and novelist Susan Straight, Highwire Moon, finalist for the National Book Award, and A Million Nightingales, finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, with moderator journalist and screenwriter Veronique de Turenne, Geffen Playhouse, Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater, 10886 Le Conte Avenue, LA, $20/$15 seniors and students with ID, 7:30 (box office: 310/208-5454)

14 MAY---wednesday:
CENTRAL:
• Book Group discusses A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Diesel, A Bookstore, 3890 Cross Creek Road, Malibu, 7:00 (310/456-9961, www.dieselbookstore.com)

15 MAY---thursday:
CENTRAL:
• WORD(4) (where poetry and performance meet) presents Highways Performance Space's 4th Annual Poetry/Performance Festival, curated by LeVan D. Hawkins, opening night features 2007 Slam Champions Taaj Freeman performing her new poetry show, Highways Performance Space and Gallery, The 18th Street Arts Center, 1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, $15, festival pass $40, 8:30 (310/315-1459, www.highwaysperformance.org, www.myspace.com/word4poetryperformance)

16 MAY---friday:
CENTRAL:
• WORD(4) (where poetry and performance meet) presents Highways Performance Space's 4th Annual Poetry/Performance Festival, curated by LeVan D. Hawkins, performance poets present their own mini-show and vie to present a full-length show in Highways' 2009 Festival, with Josef Aukee, Chazz, Cyn Da' Poet, D'Lo, Bobby Gordon, Bren Petrakos, Simply Kat, The Alien, Kevin Vavasseur, Highways Performance Space and Gallery, The 18th Street Arts Center, 1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, $5, festival pass $40, 8:30 (310/315-1459, www.highwaysperformance.org, www.myspace.com/word4poetryperformance)

17 MAY-----saturday:
CENTRAL:
• Moon Tide Press presents a reading by poet Kate Buckley, A Wild Region, winner of the 2008 James Hearst Prize from the North American Review, book signing follows, Laguna Beach Books, 1200 South Coast Highway, Suite 105, Laguna Beach, 6:00 (949/494-4779, www.moontidepress.com)
• WORD(4) (where poetry and performance meet) presents Highways Performance Space's 4th Annual Poetry/Performance Festival, curated by LeVan D. Hawkins, All-Star performances with Nikki Blak, Regie Cabico, Tshaka Campbell, Wanda Coleman, LeVan D. Hawkins with Liz Tatum, Joe Hernandez-Kolski, IN-Q, Brooke Sprowl, with host Rob "Ratpack Slim" Sturma, reception follows, Highways Performance Space and Gallery, The 18th Street Arts Center, 1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, $20/$15, both Saturday shows $25, festival pass $40, 8:30 (310/315-1459, www.highwaysperformance.org, www.myspace.com/word4poetryperformance)
• WORD(4) (where poetry and performance meet) presents Highways Performance Space's 4th Annual Poetry/Performance Festival, top erotic performance poetry with Regie Cabico, Conney, Michael Datcher, George McDonald, Evy Trezvant, Mama Zun, with host Yawo Watts, Highways Performance Space and Gallery, The 18th Street Arts Center, 1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, $20/$15, both Saturday shows $25, festival pass $40, pre-show reception 10:30, show midnight (310/315-1459, www.highwaysperformance.org, www.myspace.com/word4poetryperformance)
NORTH:
• Arcade Poetry Series, hosted by Jackson Wheeler, features poets Kathleen Lynch, Hinge, and Christina Pages, Carnegie Art Museum, 424 South C Street, Oxnard, 7:00 (805/385-8157)

18 MAY---sunday:
CENTRAL:
• Poetry at the Ruskin presents a reading by poet Sarah Bein, Thirty-Three Hats for Julia, and ethnopoetics scholar, photographer and collagist Charles Hood, reception follows, hosted by Elena Karina Byrne and Kate Gale of Red Hen Press, The Ruskin Art Club, 800 S. Plymouth Blvd., LA, $10/$5 students, seniors, 2:00 (310/669-2369, 818/831-0649)
NORTH:
• Corners of the Mouth presents a poetry reading by Marsha de la O and Lisa Coffman, open reading limited to five minutes of original work follows, Linnaea's Café, 1110 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo, free, 7:00 (805/547-1318, www.languageofthesoul.org)

22 MAY---thursday:
NORTH:
• UCSB Arts and Lectures presents a reading by U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Simic, That Little Something, books available for purchase and signing, Campbell Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara campus, free, 8:00 (805/893-3535, https://artsandlectures.sa.ucsb.edu/Details.aspx?PerfNum=1104)

27 MAY---tuesday:
NORTH:
• San Buenaventura Artists' Union presents an open mike night hosted by Roe Estep, featuring poet Paul Guthrie, Reflections on Blood Games, Artists' Union Gallery, 330 South California Street, Ventura, 7:30 (805/320-3524, www.venturaartistsunion.org)

28 MAY---wednesday:
CENTRAL:
• Casa Romantica Reading Series presents a reading by journalist David J. Morris, Storm on the Horizon: Khafji-The Battle that Changed the Course of the Gulf War, winner of a 2007 National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in creative nonfiction and soldier-poet Brian Turner, Here, Bullet, winner of the 2006 Northern California Book Award in Poetry, Casa Romantica Cultural Center & Gardens, 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente, free, 7:00 (949/498-2139, www.casaromanticareadingseries.org)

29 MAY---thursday:
CENTRAL:
• Casa Romantica Reading Series presents "Real Writing: The Freedom of Sticking to the Facts," a nonfiction writing workshop with journalist David J. Morris, Casa Romantica Cultural Center & Gardens, 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente, $20, 6:00-8:00 (registration required, call 949/498-2139x10, www.casaromanticareadingseries.org/workshops.html)

31 MAY---saturday:
CENTRAL:
• Poetry at the Ruskin presents a reading by Daniel Tiffany and Brenda Shaughnessy, reception follows, hosted by Elena Karina Byrne and Kate Gale of Red Hen Press, The Ruskin Art Club, 800 S. Plymouth Blvd., LA, $10/$5 students, seniors, 2:00 (310/669-2369, 818/831-0649)
NORTH:
• Friday's on Saturday presents a poetry reading by Tim Tipton, plus open mike hosted by Friday, The Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Avenue, Ventura, 7:30 (805/643-1960, www.bellartsfactory.com)
SOUTH:
• UCSD Professor Jann Pasler discusses her critically acclaimed book Writing Through Music: Essays on Music, Culture, and Politics, D.G. Wills Books, 7461 Girard Avenue, La Jolla, 7:00 (858/456-1800, www.dgwillsbooks.com)