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13 MAY 2018 — sunday
CENTRAL:- Open Mic reading hosted by poet Jessica Wilson Cardenas, there will be a five minute limit, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, free, donations welcome, 2:00, sign up at 1:45 (www.beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html)
- Public Works Improvisational Theatre presents an evening of celebration for talented writers, storytellers, poets, musicians, and comics, hosted by Eric Vollmer, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, $10, $6 students/seniors, members free, 7:00 (www.beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html)
- An evening of readings by professors and students from UC Riverside's Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts MFA, readers include Allison Benis White, Rickerby Hinds, Steve Erikson, Nora Woolley, Aleksandra Krzywicka, Kate Burns, Carissa Atallah, Carley Besl, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 5:00 (www.skylightbooks.com/event/2018-05)
14 MAY 2018 — monday
CENTRAL:- Monday Night Fiction Workshop with screenwriter, playwright, and short story author Barra Grant meets each week, drop in, bring two–three pages of your own writing for reading and discussion, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, free, donation suggested, 7:30 (www.beyondbaroque.org/workshops.html)
15 MAY 2018 — tuesday
CENTRAL:- Poet and writer Michelle Tea discusses her new memoir, Against Memoir: Complaints, Confessions & Criticisms, with Maggie Nelson, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 7:30 (www.skylightbooks.com/event/2018-05)
16 MAY 2018 — wednesday
CENTRAL:- Aja Gabel reads from her debut novel The Ensemble, with American novelist Maggie Shipstead, Astonish Me, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 7:30 (www.skylightbooks.com/event)
17 MAY 2018 — thursday
CENTRAL:- Hammer Museum Poetry Series presents poet, editor, and translator Jennifer Moxley in a reading from Druthers, her new collection reassesses the purpose and pleasures of poetry with wit and erotic exuberance, hosted by Stephen Yenser, coffee, tea, and book signing to follow, co-sponsored by Friends of English, UCLA Department of English, and UCLA Office of Cultural and Recreational Affairs, Billy Wilder Theater, Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, tickets are required and will be available, for free, one hour before the program, 7:30 (www.hammer.ucla.edu/programs-events/2018/05/poetry-jennifer-moxley)
- Essayist Joshua Wheeler discusses his first book, Acid West: Essays, with author Brian Phillips, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 7:30 (www.skylightbooks.com/event/2018-05)
NORTH:- EP Foster Library presents a poetry reading by Mary Brown and Chris Howell, Love's Last Number, at its weekly series hosted by Phil Taggart, Poet Laureate of Ventura County, open mic follows, share your own work, EP Foster Library in the Topping Room, 651 E. Main Street, Ventura, free and open to the public, 7:30-9:00 (805/648-2716, www.vencolibrary.org)
18 MAY 2018 — friday
CENTRAL:- Beyond Baroque presents The Music Behind the Poetry: Moving Words and Lines in a Time of Turmoil and Change, featuring new work from poet Sam Roxas-Chua, joined by poet Michelle Bitting, The Couple Who Fell To Earth, Lynne Thompson, Lin Nelson Benedek, Cory "Besskepp" Cofer, and Jeanne Morel, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, $10, $6 students/seniors, members free, 8:00 (www.beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html)
- Todd Robert Peterson reads from his collection of stories It Needs to Look Like We Tried, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 7:30 (www.skylightbooks.com/event)
19 MAY 2018 — saturday
CENTRAL:- Beyond Baroque presents a reading by Charles Jensen, author of six poetry chapbooks, and renowned Los Angeles fiction writer Lou Matthews, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, $10, $6 students/seniors, members free, 8:00 (www.beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html)
- MFA fellows in Fiction and Poetry from UC Irvine read their work at the annual UC Irvine MFA Reading Series event, featuring fiction writers Julie Schulte and Anna Hogeland, and poets Inez Tan and Daniel Levin, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 5:00 (www.skylightbooks.com/event/2018-05)
- Beyond Baroque presents Maurya Simon reading from her new book of poetry, The Wilderness: New & Selected Poems, 1980-2016, and B.H. Fairchild, The Blue Buick: New and Selected Poems, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, $10, $6 students/seniors, members free, 4:00 (www.beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html)
20 MAY 2018 — sunday
CENTRAL:- The New Short Fiction Series (Los Angeles' longest running spoken word series) presents the 15th Annual Emerging Voices Group Show with new fiction by Anne Barnett, Ruth LeFaive, Oxana Safranova, and Sharon Yablon, spoken word artist Sally Shore, and guest cast members Karen Praxel, Corral, That Thing You Do!; Buckley Sampson, The Fosters; and Allison Walter, How to Live Without Experience; Upstairs at The Federal, 5303 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, $10-$15 in advance, $20 at the door, 7:00 (www.facebook.com/events/1992131861103498)
- The 8th annual Beyond Baroque Awards Dinner honor two legendary Los Angeles poets, Kamau Daáood with the George Drury Smith Award for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry, and Jack Grapes for the Distinguished Service Award, The Church in Ocean Park, 235 Hill Street, Santa Monica, free street parking available, $25-$500 benefits Beyond Baroque, tickets at Eventbrite, doors open 5:45, cocktails 6:00, dinner 6:30, awards ceremony 8:00 (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/8th-annual-beyond-baroque-awards-dinner-tickets-44580741197)
- Cyrus Farivar discusses his book Habeas Data: Privacy vs. the Rise of Surveillance Tech, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 5:00 (www.skylightbooks.com/event)
21 MAY 2018 — monday
CENTRAL:- Monday Night Fiction Workshop with screenwriter, playwright, and short story author Barra Grant meets each week, drop in, bring two–three pages of your own writing for reading and discussion, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, free, donation suggested, 7:30 (www.beyondbaroque.org/workshops.html)
22 MAY 2018 — tuesday
23 MAY 2018 — wednesday
CENTRAL:- Poet Bella Mahaya Carter discusses her new memoir, Raw: My Journey from Anxiety to joy, with Claire Bidwell Smith Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief: A Revolutionary Approach to Understanding and Healing the Impact of Loss, book signing to follow, Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, free, 7:00 (www.vromansbookstore.com/event/bella-mahaya-carter-claire-bidwell-smith-discusses-and-signs-raw)
- Emmy Award-winning actor Michael Imperioli reads and discusses his debut novel, The Perfume Burned His Eyes, with novelist Mark Haskell Smith, Moist, Delicious, Salty, Baked, Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, free, 7:00 (www.booksoup.com/event/new-date-michael-imperioli-discusses-and-signs-his-debut-novel-perfume-burned-his-eyes)
- Rachel Kushner reads from her new novel, The Mars Room, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 7:30 (www.skylightbooks.com/event/2018-05)
24 MAY 2018 — thursday
CENTRAL:- Rita Bullwinkel reads from her debut collection of stories, Belly Up, with authors Amina Cain and Elizabeth Ziemska, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 7:30 (www.skylightbooks.com/event/2018-05)
- Book Soup and Alta Journal present Dave Itzkoff discussing his new biography Robin, book signing to follow, Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, free, 7:00 (www.booksoup.com/event/dave-itzkoff-discusses-and-signs-robin)
- Journalist and activist Michael Pollan discusses his new book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence, with writer Mark Haskell Smith Naked at Lunch: A Reluctant Nudist's Adventures in the Clothing-Optional World, book signing to follow, All Saints Church, 132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, $30 general admission with book, 7:00 (www.vromansbookstore.com/event/michael-pollan-conversation-mark-haskell-smith-discusses-and-signs-how-change-your-mind)
- Professor of Black Studies Jeffrey C. Stewart discusses his new biography on the father of the Harlem Renaissance, The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke, with award-winning writer, journalist, and historian Michele Zack, book signing to follow, Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, free, 7:00 (www.vromansbookstore.com/event/jeffrey-c-stewart-conversation-michele-zack-discusses-and-signs-new-negro)
NORTH:- EP Foster Library presents a poetry reading from Not My President: Anthology of Dissent, at its weekly series hosted by Phil Taggart, Poet Laureate of Ventura County, open mic follows, share your own work, EP Foster Library in the Topping Room, 651 E. Main Street, Ventura, free and open to the public, 7:30-9:00 (805/648-2716, www.vencolibrary.org)
25 MAY 2018 — friday
CENTRAL:- Blogger Janelle Hanchett discusses her debut book I'm Just Happy to be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering, book signing to follow, Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, free, 7:00 (www.vromansbookstore.com/event/janelle-hanchett-discusses-and-signs-i%E2%80%99m-just-happy-be-here)
- New York Times best-selling author Chuck Klosterman discusses his new collection of essays, Chuck Klosterman X: A Highly Specific, Defiantly Incomplete History of the Early 21st Century, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 7:30 (www.skylightbooks.com/event/2018-05)
- Editor and wine columnist Marissa Ross discusses her new book, Wine. All. The Time.: The Casual Guide to Confident Drinking, signing to follow, Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, free, 7:00 (www.booksoup.com/event/marissa-ross-discusses-and-signs-wine-all-time-casual-guide-confident-drinking)
26 MAY 2018 — saturday
CENTRAL:- Poe Ballantine reads from his novel, Whirlaway, with illustrator and writer Mimi Pond, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 5:00 (www.skylightbooks.com/event/2018-05)
- Children's book author Susan Lendroth and illustrator Priscilla Burris present and sign their new book Natsumi!, Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, free, 10:30 a.m. (www.vromansbookstore.com/event/susan-lendroth-priscilla-burris-present-and-sign-natsumi)
- Book Soup and Alta Journal presents Italian director and poet Edoardo Ponti, Letters from a Young Father, and poet David St. John, book signing to follow, Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, free, 3:00 (www.booksoup.com/event/edoardo-ponti-david-st-john-discusses-and-signs-letters-young-father)
- Beyond Baroque presents Deon Price's original composition for piano and saxophone for the documentary Behind Barbed Wire, performed by pianist May Au, and saxophonist Chika Inoue, in addition to the performance, a reading of haiku poetry in English translation written by internment camp internees, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, $10, $6 students/seniors, members free, 2:00 (www.beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html)
- Screenwriter Rex Weiner in conversation with authors Tom Lawson and Harry Gamboa on "Some Place Chronicles," a placemaking project focusing on the people, histories, and cultures of Athens, East Rancho Dominguez, Florence-Firestone, Lennox, and Ladera Heights/View Park/Windsor Hills, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, $10, $6 students/seniors, members free, 8:00 (www.beyondbaroque.org/calendar.html)
27 MAY 2018 — sunday
28 MAY 2018 — monday
29 MAY 2018 — tuesday
CENTRAL:- Book Soup and Alta Journal present The Onion alum, writer Jilly Gagnon, Choose Your Own Misery: Dating, with writer Yalun Tu, Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, free, 7:00 (www.booksoup.com/event/jilly-gagnon-yalun-tu-discusses-and-signs-choose-your-own-misery-dating-choose-your-own-misery)
- Vroman's Bookstore presents Boldly Bookish YA with authors A. C. Gaughen Reign the Earth, Brigid Kemmerer More Than We Can Tell, and Carolyn Mackler The Universe Is Expanding and so Am I, Vroman's Bookstore, 695 Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, free, 7:00 (www.vromansbookstore.com/event/boldly-bookish-ya-ac-gaughen-brigid-kemmerer-carolyn-mackler)
- Illustrator and writer Emma Koenig discusses her new book Moan: Anonymous Essays on Female Orgasm, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 7:30 (www.skylightbooks.com/event/2018-05)
30 MAY 2018 — wednesday
CENTRAL:- "Curiosity & Cosmology: A Conversation" featuring Professor Brian Keating, Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition, and the Perils of Science's Highest Honor, and Senior Editor of The Planetary Society, Emily Lakdawalla, The Design and Engineering of Curiosity: How the Mars Rover Performs Its Jobs, book signing to follow, Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, free, 7:00 (www.vromansbookstore.com/event/curiosity-cosmology-conversation-and-signing-emily-lakdawalla-brian-keating)
- Brian Leung reads from his new novel, Ivy vs. Dogg, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, 7:30 (www.skylightbooks.com/event/2018-05)
- Book Soup and Alta Journal present writer and editors Michelle Markowitz and Caroline Moss reading from their new book, Hey Ladies: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails, Books Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, free, 7:00 (www.booksoup.com/event/michelle-markowitz-caroline-moss-present-and-sign-hey-ladies-story-8-best-friends-1-year-and)
31 MAY 2018 — thursday
CENTRAL:- Book Soup and Alta Journal present a reading and book signing with artist Jason Morphew, Dead Boy, and poet Joe Wenderoth, If I Don't Breathe How Do I Sleep, Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, free, 7:00 (www.booksoup.com/event/jason-morphew-joe-wenderoth-read-and-sign-dead-boy-if-i-don%E2%80%99t-breathe-how-do-i-sleep)
- Vroman's Bookstore presents an evening with the best-selling author of The English Patient, acclaimed fiction writer and poet Michael Ondaatje reads from his new novel, Warlight, onstage interview by musician and composer Hrishikesh Hirway, Colburn School Zipper Hall, 200 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, $10/$34 admission include book, $42 admission with guest plus book, 7:00 (www.vromansbookstore.com/event/evening-michael-ondaatje)
- Social justice advocate, comedian, actress, and writer Franchesca Ramsey discusses her new memoir, Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist, with life coach Marie Forleo, Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, free, book signing follows, 7:30 (www.skylightbooks.com/event/2018-05)
NORTH:- EP Foster Library presents a poetry reading by Fernando D. Castro, The Nightlife of Saints, at its weekly series hosted by Phil Taggart, Poet Laureate of Ventura County, open mic follows, share your own work, EP Foster Library in the Topping Room, 651 E. Main Street, Ventura, free and open to the public, 7:30-9:00 (805/648-2716, www.vencolibrary.org)
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