Sociologist Neil Gong explains why mental health treatment in Los Angeles rarely succeeds, for the rich, the poor, and everyone in between.ABOUT THE BOOKIn 2022, Los Angeles became the US county with the largest population of unhoused people, drawing a stark contrast with the wealth on display in its opulent neighborhoods. In Sons, Daughters, and Sidewalk Psychotics, sociologist Neil Gong traces the divide between the haves and have-nots in the psychiatric treatment systems that shape the life trajectories of people living with serious mental illness. In the decades since the United States closed its mental hospitals in favor of non-institutional treatment, two drastically different forms of community psychiatric services have developed: public safety-net clinics focused on keeping patients housed and out of jail, and elite private care trying to push clients toward respectable futures.In Downtown Los Angeles, many people in psychiatric crisis only receive help after experiencing homelessness or arrests. Public providers engage in guerrilla social work to secure them housing and safety, but these programs are rarely able to deliver true rehabilitation for psychological distress and addiction. Patients are free to refuse treatment or use illegal drugs--so long as they do so away from public view.Across town in West Read More ...

Lydia Abarca Mitchell, Sheila Rohan, Marcia Lynn Sells, Karlya Shelton-Benjamin with Karen ValbyJoin us for an in-person Live Talks Los Angeles event:Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 8pmAn Evening with The Swans of HarlemLydia Abarca Mitchell, Sheila Rohan, Marcia Lynn Sells, Karlya Shelton-Benjamin and Karen Valbydiscussing Karen Valby's book,The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History$20 General Admission ticket$48 General Admission ticket + book with signed book plateBook plate signed by the four ballerinas and the author of the bookFree parking at the venueASL interpreter arrangements made upon request (48 hrs advance notice)The forgotten story of a pioneering group of five Black ballerinas and their fifty-year sisterhood, a legacy erased from history—until now.“This is the kind of history I wish I learned as a child dreaming of the stage!” —Misty Copeland, author of Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our LegacyThe forgotten story of a pioneering group of five Black ballerinas, the first principals in the Dance Theatre of Harlem, who traveled the world as highly celebrated stars in their field and whose legacy was erased from history until now.At the height of the Civil Rights movement, Lydia Abarça was a Black prima Read More ...

Join acclaimed author Tracie McMillan for a conversation about her highly anticipated new book, "The White Bonus"Join acclaimed author Tracie McMillan for a conversation about her highly anticipated new book, "The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America."McMillan, whose previous book was the bestseller "The American Way of Eating," will be joined by author and columnist Erin Aubry Kaplan for a lively discussion of how race influences economic status in the U.S.Preorder book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-white-bonus-five-families-and-the-cash-value-of-racism-in-america-tracie-mcmillan/19987573?ean=9781250619426Light refreshments will be provided.

discussing her book, "The Backyard Bird Chronicles"Join us for an in-person and virtual* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Monday, May 20, 2024, 8pm*Virtual event airs on May 25 at 3pm PT/6pm ETAn Evening with Amy TanThe Backyard Bird ChroniclesTICKETS:$50 General Admission ticket + signed copy of Amy Tan's book$25 General Admisison ticket$125 VIP Reception with Amy Tan (6:30-7:30pm)+ Reserved Section Seat and Signed BookAdditional books available for purchase at eventFace masks recommendedThe virtual version of this event airs on May 11 at 3pm PT/6PM ET and is available on video-on-demand for five days. Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the book)ASL interpreter provided upon request.F ree parking at the venueA gorgeous, witty account of birding, nature, and the beauty around us that hides in plain sight, written and illustrated by the best-selling author of The Joy Luck ClubAmy Tan is the author of several novels, including The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter’s Daughter. She is a co-producer and co-screenwriter of the film version of The Joy Luck Club and is on the board of American Bird Conservancy. She lives in Sausalito, California.“The drawings and essays in this book do a lot more than just describe the Read More ...

discussing their book, "The Art of Small Talk"Join us for an in-person and virtual* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Wednesday, May 29, 2024, 8pm*Virtual event airs on June 4 at 6pm PT/9pm ETCasey Wilson & Jill St. Clair*discussing their book, The Art of Small Talk*interviewer to be announcedTICKETS:$20 General Admission ticket $35 General Admission + Audio Book*audiobook will be emailed on the morning of the event, May 21.Face masks recommendedThe virtual version of this event airs on May 25, at 3pm PT/6PM ET and is available on video-on-demand for five days.Includes access to watch the event on video-on-demand for five days after it airs.audiobook will be emailed on the morning of the event, May 25.Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the book)ASL interpreter provided upon request.F ree parking at the venue.Hilarious and practical advice for how to up your small talk game from comedians, actors and self-appointed experts on chit-chat, Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair..Join comedians, actors, and self-appointed experts on chit-chat Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair for the launch of their original audiobook, which breathes new life into a lost art. In The Art of Small Talk, they share simple rules for how to Read More ...

discussing her book, "The Backyard Bird Chronicles"*** US Orders Only***Join us for a virtual Live Talks Los Angeles event:Saturday, May 25, 2024, 3pm PT/6pm ETAn Evening with Amy TanThe Backyard Bird ChroniclesTICKETS:$45 General Admission ticket + signed copy of Ed Zwick's bookUS Orders only. We only ship to addresses in the USThe virtual version of this event airs on May 25, at 3pm PT/6PM ET and is available on video-on-demand for five days.A gorgeous, witty account of birding, nature, and the beauty around us that hides in plain sight, written and illustrated by the best-selling author of The Joy Luck ClubAmy Tan is the author of several novels, including The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter’s Daughter. She is a co-producer and co-screenwriter of the film version of The Joy Luck Club and is on the board of American Bird Conservancy. She lives in Sausalito, California.“The drawings and essays in this book do a lot more than just describe the birds. They carry a sense of discovery through observation and drawing…The birds that inhabit Amy Tan’s backyard seem a lot like the characters in her novels.” —David Allen Sibley, from the forewordIn 2016, Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state Read More ...

"Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism"Join us for an in-person and virtual* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Tuesday, May 28, 2024, 8pm*Virtual event airs on June 3 at 6pm PT/9pm ETStephen Breyer,Former Associate Justice, US Supreme CourtReading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not TextualismTICKETS:$25 General Admission ticket Signed books available for purchase at eventFace masks recommendedThe virtual version of this event airs on June 3, at 6pm PT/9PM ET and is available on video-on-demand for five days. Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the book)ASL interpreter provided upon request.F ree parking at the venue.A provocative, brilliant analysis by recently retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer that deconstructs the textualist philosophy of the current Supreme Court’s supermajority and makes the case for a better way to interpret the Constitution.Stephen Breyer is a former associate justice of the Supreme Court who served there for twenty-eight years until retiring in 2022. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.“A rocket from a Supreme Court justice... Justice Breyer shows how the current Supreme Court's alleged textualism and originalism are unsound. His book is a judicial arms-control agreement advocating moderation and a path to what he calls ‘workable democracy.’ You will Read More ...

discussing his memoir, "You Never Know"Join us for an in-person and virtual* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Wednesday, May 29, 2024, 8pm*Virtual event airs on June 4 at 6pm PT/9pm ETAn Evening with Tom Selleckdiscussing his memoir, You Never KnowTICKETS:$55 General Admission ticket + book with signed book plateAdditional books available for purchase at eventFace masks recommendedThe virtual version of this event airs on June 4, at 6pm PT/9PM ET and is available on video-on-demand for five days. Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the book)ASL interpreter provided upon request.F ree parking at the venue.Frank, funny and open-hearted, You Never Know is an intimate memoir from one of the most beloved actors of our time. With never-told stories from all corners of his personal and professional life, Tom Selleck recounts his friendships with Frank Sinatra, Carol Burnett, Sam Elliott, James Garner and more.Tom Selleck is an award-winning actor and producer best known for his iconic role as Thomas Magnum in the original Magnum P.I. television series. Among the many unforgettable roles he has played are PI Lance White on The Rockford Files, Peter Mitchell in Three Men and a Baby, Matthew Quigley in Quigley Down Under, and Read More ...

discussing her book, "Perla The Mighty Dog"Join us for an in-person and virtual* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Wednesday, May 29, 2024, 8pm*Virtual event airs on June 5 at 6pm PT/9pm ETAn Evening with Isabel Allende*discussing her book, Perla The Mighty Dog*interviewer to be announcedTICKETS:$35 General Admission ticket + book$55 Two General Admission tickets + ONE bookFace masks recommendedThe virtual version of this event airs onJune 6, at 6pm PT/9PM ET and is available on video-on-demand for five days.Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the book)ASL interpreter provided upon request.F ree parking at the venue.In the first children's book written by critically acclaimed, New York Times-bestselling superstar Isabel Allende, Perla, the mighty dog, teaches her human brother, Nico Rico, how to use his superpowers to stand up to a bully.Chilean novelist, feminist and philanthropist Isabel Allende was born in Peru and lives in California. Since the publication of The House of the Spirits, in 1982, she’s written more than 25 books that have been translated into more than 43 languages. More than 8 million people have watched her TED Talk on living a more passionate life.Having sold 77 million books,Allende is one of the most widely read Read More ...

discussing his book, "What This Comedian Said Will Shock You."Join us for an in-person and virtual* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Tuesday, June 4, 2024, 8pm*Virtual event airs on June 11 at 6pm PT/9pm ETAn Evening with Bill Maherdiscussing his book, What This Comedian Said Will Shock YouTICKETS:$55 General Admission ticket + signed copy of Bill Maher's book$80 Two General Admisison tickets + one signed copy of the bookAdditional books available for purchase at eventFace masks recommendedThe virtual version of this event airs on June 11, at 6pm PT/9PM ET and is available on video-on-demand for five days.Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the book)ASL interpreter provided upon request.F ree parking at the venueThe host of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher has written his funniest and most opinionated book ever—a brilliantly astute and acerbically funny vivisection of American life, politics, and culture.Bill Maher has hosted Real Time on HBO for the last twenty-one years. Before that Maher created and hosted Politically Incorrect on ABC. He lives in Los Angeles, California.“Whether you agree or disagree with him—and I do both—Bill Maher had proven himself to be an illuminating force in a world that values heat over light. Read More ...

discussing his book, "Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We’ll Win the Climate War"Join us for an in-person and virtual* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 8pm*Virtual event airs on June 10 at 6pm PT/9pm ETTom Steyer with Jane Fondadiscussing his book, Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We’ll Win the Climate WarTICKETS:$45 General Admission ticket + book with signed book$20 General Admission ticketAdditional books available for purchase at eventFace masks recommendedThe virtual version of this event airs on June 10, at 6pm PT/9PM ET and is available on video-on-demand for five days.Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the book)ASL interpreter provided upon request.F ree parking at the venue.Climate investor and activist Tom Steyer shows us how we can win the war on climate.Tom Steyer is the coexecutive chair of Galvanize Climate Solutions, a multistrategy climate investment firm designed to unlock the generational opportunity of the energy transition. He founded America’s largest youth-voter engagement organization and cofounded a community development bank focused on justice and sustainability. He previously cofounded Farallon Capital, a pioneering hedge fund that he departed in 2012 in order to devote his time, money, and energy to climate issues.“In Cheaper, Faster, Better, Tom Steyer’s persuasive Read More ...

"Geography of Bliss" & "Ben & Me: In Search of a Founder's Formula for a Long and Useful Life"Join us for an in-person Live Talks Los Angeles event:Thursday, June 13, 2024, 8pm(virtual event airs.on June 1 8 at 6pm PT/9pm ET)Eric Weiner in conversation with Rainn WIlsondiscussing his books:Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World& Ben & Me: In Search of a Founder’s Formula for a Long and Useful Life$20 General Admission ticket Signed copies of Geography of Bliss and Ben & Me (Eric Weiner); and Soul Boom (Rain Wilson) will be available for purchase at the event.Free parking at the venueVirtual event airs.on June 1 8 at 6pm PT/9pm ET, and is avilable on video-on-demand for five days after it first airs.Virtual event tickets can be purchased here.ASL interpreter arrangements made upon request (48 hrs advance notice)Facemasks recommended Now a new series on Peacock with Rainn Wilson, The Geography of Bliss is part travel memoir, part humor, and part twisted self-help guide that takes the viewer across the globe to investigate not what happiness is, but WHERE it is.Eric Weiner is author of the New York Times bestsellers The Geography of Bliss (now Read More ...

Voices of Resilience: Descendants of the Tulsa Massacre in Conversation with Victor Luckerson. Talking History and Legacy.Victor Luckerson will transform Malik Books into a Juneteenth celebration of voices of resilience. Witness the Descendants of the Tulsa Massacre in Conversation with Victor Luckerson.Victor Luckerson is a journalist and author based in Tulsa who works to bring neglected black history to light. His new book on the history of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Built From the Fire, is a multigenerational saga of a community in Tulsa’s “Black Wall Street,” that in one century survived the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, urban renewal, and gentrification. The book was named one of the 100 Notable Books of the Year by the New York Times and one of the 50 best nonfiction books of the year by the Washington Post.Victor is also a former staff writer at The Ringer and business reporter for Time magazine. His writing and research have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Wired, and Smithsonian. He was nominated for a National Magazine Award for his reporting in Time on the 1923 Rosewood Massacre. He also manages an email newsletter about underexplored aspects of black history called Run It Back.

Juneteenth Celebration! Spoken Word Open MicBeautiful People!Let's celebrate JUNETEENTH!We've inherited a powerful legacy of joy, RESILIENCE, faith, HOPE and SOVEREIGNTY. Give full-throated respect and gratitude for all that our forebears have gifted us.Share your original piece or be a supportive presence the audience.All skills levels welcome!This year we're skillfully guided through the evening by emcee and artist Asiyahsson, featuring the work of poet and author, Brim4Peace. Get ready for an uplifitng celebration that elevates the spirit and resounds with joy!Together we're creating a life- affirming, uplifting event.*This is a joyous, family-friendly gathering. Please refrain from profanity and slurs.Artist GuidelinesWe appreciate your artistry! All skill levels welcome!Please share an original piece - live (not a prerecorded offering).Theme: JUBILEE! Celebration! Gratitude, JOY, sovereignty, resilience, HOPE, transformation, prosperity, breakthrough, freedom! If you have a piece that resonates with this vibe, you are invited to share.This is a celebratory atmosphere - let's keep it elevated. Please refrain from profanity and slurs.Audience GuidelinesWe appreciate your supportive presence!Please show your encouragement through emojis, and chat feedback. If there's a line that rings out to you, drop it in the chat. Let's shower our artists with gratitude and celebrate their courage to generously share their gifts with Read More ...

Walter Mosley discussing the writing life and his novel, "Farewell, Amethystine."Join us for an in-person Live Talks Los Angeles event, Thursday, May 15, 2024, 8pm*Virtual event airs on June 25 (details below)An Evening with Walter Mosleydiscussing the writing life and his new novel, "Farewell, Amethystine."$20 General Admission ticket$48 General Admission ticket + book with signed bookVirtual event airs on June 25 at 6pm PT/9pm ET and is available to view for five days from when it airs.Tickets to the virtual event include a signed book and can be purchased in this link.Free parking at the venueASL interpreter arrangements made upon request (48 hrs advance notice)From “master of the genre” (Washington Post) Walter Mosley, Detective Easy Rawlins’ latest client sends him down a warren of memory and nostalgia—blinding him to reason and risk.Walter Mosley is one of America’s most celebrated modern-day crime fiction writers. In 2020, he received the 2020 National Book Award’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He has been named a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America. His work has been translated into 25 languages. As an executive producer, he adapted his novel The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey for AppleTV+ and serves as a Read More ...

2021-22 Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, Lynne Thompson, in conversation with Pam Ward.Lynne Thompson’s Blue on a Blue Palette reflects on the condition of women—their joys despite their histories, and their insistence on survival as issues of race, culture, pandemic, and climate threaten their livelihoods. The documentation of these personal odysseys—which vary stylistically from abecedarians to free verse to centos—replicate the many ways women travel through the stages of their lives, all negotiated on a palette encompassing various shades of blue. These poems demand your attention, your voice: “Say history. Claim. Say wild.” The author will be joined by Pam Ward for a reading and conversation in The Wanda Coleman Theater. Reception & book signings to follow after the readings.“Lynne Thompson’s Blue on a Blue Palette is at turns—and, often, all at once—old and new. That is, rooted strong in a long tradition and legitimately experimental. Thompson’s range in form and subject matter is equaled only by the deftness with which she handles each. In these pages we get a true blue blueswoman who knows when to whisper and when to wail, one who has lived some, and means to make song of what she’s seen.”— John Murillo, author of Read More ...

Evening facilitated by Patrisse Cullors featuring a workshop rooted in a chapter of The Abolitionist’s Handbook– “Courageous Conversations”This Juneteenth we are holding a space that leaves us Black folks at the Center feeling empowered, joyful, and celebrated. We are thrilled to announce that Patrisse Cullors—author, artist, abolitionist and co-founder of The Black Lives Matter movement—will join us to celebrate in community. Taking place at The Village, Patrisse will co-host a conversation with us about the importance of Juneteenth and while attending a workshop based on her new book—The Abolitionist’s Handbook.On Friday, June 21st from 530pm-730pm Black staff, youth, and seniors from The Center are invited to attend. We will commune, learn, eat, and celebrate the ways in which we’ve always fought for and imagined freedom for ourselves.

Join us for a night with author J. Ryan Stradal, Alison Turner, and Lou Mathews reading their fiction and poetry.New York Times bestselling author J. Ryan Stradal delivers a story of a couple from two very different restaurant families in rustic Minnesota, and the legacy of love and tragedy, of hardship and hope, that unites and divides them. Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club is a window into a colorful, vanishing world of relish trays and brandy Old Fashioneds; J. Ryan Stradal has once again given us a story full of his signature honest, lovable yet fallible Midwestern characters as they grapple with love, loss, and marriage; what we hold onto and what we leave behind; and what our legacy will be when we are gone.The author will be reading alongside L.A.’s literary couple Alison Turner (author of The Second Split Between) and Lou Mathews (author of Shaky Town and L.A. Breakdown). Book signings to follow the readings.Doors Open: 7:30 PM I Readings: 8:00 PMJ. Ryan Stradal is the author of New York Times bestseller Kitchens of the Great Midwest, which won the American Booksellers Association Indie's Choice Award for Adult Debut Book of the Year, and the Midwest Read More ...

Join us for an evening of powerful poetry with Dorianne Laux, Michelle Bitting, & Dion O'Reilly!Authors Dion O'Reilly (Sadness of the Apex Predator), Dorianne Laux (Life On Earth), and Michelle Bitting (Dummy Ventriloquist) are celebrating newly published collections and will be reading from their latest books at Beyond Baroque. Enjoy a reception and book signings after the program.Doors Open: 6:30 PM I Readings: 7:00 PMAbout the authorsDorianne Laux’s sixth collection, Only As the Day is Long: New and Selected Poems was named a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Her fifth collection, The Book of Men, was awarded The Paterson Prize. Her fourth book of poems, Facts About the Moon, won The Oregon Book Award and was short-listed for the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize. Laux is also the author of Awake; What We Carry, a finalist for the National Book Critic’s Circle Award; Smoke; as well as a fine small press edition, The Book of Women. She is the co-author of the celebrated text The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry. Her latest collection is Life On Earth and will be released in January of 2024.Dion O'Reilly is the author of three poetry collections: Read More ...

In person author event with Lisa Barr and Zibby Owens at Zibby's Bookshop, 1113 Montana Ave, Santa Monica CA 90403!We're hosting Lisa Barr as she celebrates the launch of THE GODDESS OF WARSAW! Lisa will be joined in conversation by our very own Zibby Owens!About the book:From the New York Times bestselling author of Woman on Fire, the harrowing and ultimately triumphant tale of a Jewish WWII assassin turned Hollywood star ...The Goddess Of Warsaw is an enthralling tale of a legendary Hollywood screen goddess with a dark secret about her life in the Warsaw Ghetto. When the famous actress is threatened by someone from her past, she must put her skills into play to protect herself, her illustrious career, and those she loves, then and now.Los Angeles, 2005. Sienna Hayes, Hollywood’s latest It Girl, has ambitions to work behind the camera. When she meets Lena Browning, the enormously mysterious and famous Golden Age movie star, Sienna sees her big break. She wants to direct a picture about Lena’s life—but the legendary actor’s murky past turns out to be even darker than Sienna dreamed. Before she was a Living Legend, Lena Browning was Bina Blonski, a Polish Jew whose life Read More ...

BN The Grove welcomes Gabrielle Zevin to discuss TOMORROW, TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW with Miwa Messer of Poured Over on June 24th at 7PM PTJoin Barnes & Noble - The Grove at Farmers Market on June 24, 2024, as we welcome New York Times and internationally best-selling author Gabrielle Zevin to the store to discuss TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.Gabrielle will be in conversation with B&N Editorial Director and host of B&N's POURED OVER PODCAST, Miwa Messer, for this special event.To make this event safe and enjoyable for all attendees, please read the below guidelines ahead of buying a ticket, so you know what to expect on the day. To avoid disappointment, we must stress that there will be no access to the event for non-ticketholders.TICKET INFORMATION**A ticket includes:Solo Book Admission - $30.66 (Admission + one copy of TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW): **LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE**: A ticket PER PERSON includes:One copy of TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW.Admission to the event space for the discussion with Gabrielle Zevin and Read More ...

Join us as we celebrate Leslie's new timely, clever, and white-knuckled thriller along with author Joy Sullivan.ABOUT THE BOOK:Wellness, motherhood, and technology converge in a near future California, as three women’s seemingly innocuous decisions have further-reaching consequences than any of them could imagine in this timely, clever, and white-knuckled thriller.In 2060, the WellPod is the latest launch from the largest tech company the world has ever seen—a fleet of floating personal paradises scattered throughout the Pacific Ocean, focused entirely on health, solitude, and relaxation. Created by an enigmatic founder who will stop at nothing to ensure her company’s success, it is the long-awaited pinnacle of wellness technology. For newly pregnant Maggie, the six-week program is the perfect chance to get away…especially since the baby isn’t her partner’s.Noa Behar isn’t a perfect fiancée. She’s too distracted, too focused on her work in helping program the WellPod to give Maggie the attention she deserves. But when she discovers something rotten beneath WellPod’s shiny exterior—a history of faulty tech and dangerous cover-ups—she knows one thing: she’ll do whatever it takes to keep Maggie safe.The problem? The malfunctioning WellPods are already at sea. And there’s a storm coming...ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Leslie Stephens is the creator Read More ...

LIVE ZOOM: Book Discussion: Out in the Union: A Labor History of Queer America, by Miriam FrankTuesday June 25, 2024: 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (PST) via ZoomPlease join the LA Law Library book discussion group as we honor Pride Month and continue our exploration of labor and employment related issues. Out in the Union: A Labor History of Queer America (2015), by Miriam Frank covers the continuous story of queer American workers from the mid-1960’s through 2013. The author chronicles the evolution of labor politics with queer activism and identity formation, showing how unions began affirming the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender workers in the 1970s and 1980s,Featuring in-depth interviews with LGBTQ and labor activists, Frank provides an inclusive history of the convergence of labor and LGBTQ interests. The book details how queer caucuses in local unions introduced domestic partner benefits and union-based AIDS education for health care workers - innovations that have been influential across the U.S. workforce. Out in the Union also examines organizing drives at queer workplaces, campaigns for marriage equality, and other gay civil rights issues that demonstrate the enduring power of LGBTQ workers.About the author:A, M.A, and PhD from New York UniversityAdjunct Read More ...

Monika Kim will do a reading, have a conversation with a guest, do a Q+A, and end up finishing with a signing.The Eyes Are The Best Part has been described as My Sister, The Serial Killer meets Crying in H-Mart, as a young Korean-American woman begins to fracture as her family breaks, and in her rage, begins to crave the eyes of men, especially the blue eyes of her mother's new, abusive partner, George. A mixture of horror, thriller, and literary, we've had blurbs from horror legends like Christopher Golden, Hailey Piper, CJ Leede, and more, along with very strong reviews. About the author:Monika Kim is a second-generation Korean-American living in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. She learned about eating fish eyes from her mother, who immigrated to Los Angeles from Seoul in 1985. The Eyes are the Best Part is her first novel and you can find her at Monika-kim.com.Warning: there will eyes, blood, eating eyes, violence, abuse, and probably more.

Join us for a special Grand Performances Friday night show of Poetics of Pride + Legacy with Jen Chen!With games and multimedia performances, we celebrate poetry of LGBTQ pioneers and share a new conversation together. As we all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, we discover at this event how we can shape pride and legacy.Jen Cheng is the current Poet Laureate of West Hollywood and has a mission of sharing experiences and stories across intercultural and intergenerational groups. As a community curator and multidisciplinary artist, she asks how we can create better connections and more compassion.From 6pm-7pm, we invite attendees to mingle and play with poetic games. An interactive sculpture, Poetry Scrabble, offers word magnets to create a site-specific collaborative poem curated by Jen Cheng. A station led by José Rios invites attendees to sit down for quick games of Poetry Bingo. A dancer duo (Julienne Mackey and Mara Hancock) navigates attendees through the games.At 7pm, we unleash banned LGBTQ books as gifts to our audience to bring back to their communities. Our featured poets celebrate the work of earlier LGBTQ poets (such as Audre Lorde, Mary Oliver, Richard Blanco, Pat Parker, and Judy Grahn) Read More ...

Join us to celebrate the launch of Karl Dunn's memoir, How to Burn a Rainbow, the first book about gay divorce.Imagine being married to your dream partner, owning a gorgeous house in LA, being at the top of the global advertising industry, and leaving it all to figure out who the hell you actually really are. That’s what happened to Karl Dunn, whose divorce from his husband in California became his crisis of identity. It’s an Eat Pray Love style, riches-to-rags journey from LA to Europe that Karl chronicled in his book How To Burn A Rainbow, an intimate, honest, and revealing story about divorce and self-love that questions and reframes the entire institution of marriage. As Karl says in his book, “My marriage didn’t make me whole, my divorce did.”About the author:Karl Dunn is a multi-award-winning advertising Creative Director who has lived and worked in eleven cities throughout Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe, and America. A global citizen, Karl speaks on a broad section of topics such as Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Self-love — a culmination of his 25 years in international business, his personal experience of divorce, and his passion for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. He Read More ...

Join us on June 29 at the Wende Museum for the Culver City Book Festival, featuring local authors, publishers, and creative activities.The Culver City Book Festival is returning for its third year to the Wende Museum, celebrating the vibrant literary community of Los Angeles and Greater Southern California. This inclusive and accessible event showcases the work of local authors, publishers, journals, and literary non-profits.We will have 20 to 30 tables featuring local authors, small presses, and literary organizations, along with engaging author panels and creative activities for both adults and children.

In person author event with author Lisa See and translator Lorraine Wilcox at Zibby's Bookshop, 1113 Montana Ave, Santa Monica 90403!We're thrilled to host Lisa See as she celebrates the paperback launch of her bestselling novel, LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN. Lisa will be joined in conversation by Lorraine Wilcox, who translated the eponymous (Lady) Tan Yunxian's book!About the book:*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!*From "one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot" (The New York Times Book Review) an immersive historical novel inspired by the true story of a woman physician in 15th-century China--perfect for fans of Lisa See's classics Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane.According to Confucius, "an educated woman is a worthless woman," but Tan Yunxian--born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness--is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations--looking, listening, touching, and asking--something a man can never do with a female patient.From a young age, Yunxian learns about women's illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside Read More ...

Meet award winning, local author Dalia Dupris as she signs copies of her latest release, Soft Lies & Hard Truths!

B&N The Grove welcomes Tomi Adeyemi to discuss CHILDREN OF ANGUISH AND ANARCHY with Gina Prince-Bythewood on July 8th at 7:00 PM PT!Join Barnes & Noble - The Grove at Farmers Market on July 8, 2024, as we welcome #1 New York Times-bestselling author Tomi Adeyemi to the store to discuss and sign CHILDREN OF ANGUISH AND ANARCHY, the earth-shaking conclusion to the Legacy of Orïsha series.Tomi will be in conversation with Gina Prince-Bythewood, American screenwriter and director of The Woman King, starring Viola Davis.To make this event safe and enjoyable for all attendees, please read the below guidelines ahead of buying a ticket, so you know what to expect on the day. To avoid disappointment, we must stress that there will be no access to the event for non-ticketholders.TICKET INFORMATION**A ticket includes:Solo Book Admission - $28.46 (Admission + one copy of CHILDREN OF ANGUISH AND ANARCHY (B&N Exclusive Edition)): **LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE**: A ticket PER PERSON includes:One copy of CHILDREN OF ANGUISH AND ANARCHY (B&N Exclusive Edition) (out 6/25/24).Admission to the event space for the audience discussion with Tomi Adeyemi.For Seated Tickets: Limited quantity is available and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Purchase of a ticket Read More ...

Barnes & Noble The Grove welcomes Pamela Samuels Young & Dwayne Alexander Smith to discuss SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN on July 11th at 7 PM PT! Join Barnes & Noble - The Grove at Farmers Market on July 11, 2024, as we welcome Pamela Samuels Young and Dwayne Alexander Smith to discuss SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN. Reluctantly joining forces after discovering they’ve both been hired on the same missing person case, two rival Black private investigators find their mutual dislike evolves into an undeniable attraction in this rollicking, romantic thrill ride told in alternate perspectives from award-winning authors Dwayne Alexander Smith and Pamela Samuels Young.   To make this event safe and enjoyable for all attendees, please read the below guidelines ahead of buying a ticket, so you know what to expect on the day. To avoid disappointment, we must stress that there will be no access to the event for non-ticketholders. TICKET INFORMATION **A ticket includes: Solo Book Admission - $19.70 (Admission + one copy of SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN): **LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE**: A ticket PER PERSON includes: One copy of SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN. Admission to the event space for the discussion with Pamela Samuels Young and Dwayne Read More ...

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer with Matt Walsh on her memoir, "True Gretch: What I've Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between"Please note:-- Tickets are non refundable and are not transferable.-- Tickets cannot be re-sold on re-seller platforms. Re-sold ticket will not be honored.-- All ticket holders should be ready to show ID at the event. Names must match what you provided when registering for this event.-- The name(s) you provide during registration will be on a will-call list at the event, where you will check-in and get your ticket to enter the theatre.-- No large purses, backpacks or laptops are permitted inside the building. Small purses are ok!----------------------------------------------------------Join us for an in-person and virtual* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Monday, July 15, 2024, 7:30pm*Virtual event airs on July 22 at 6pm PT/9pm ETGov. Gretchen Whitmer with Matt Walshdiscussing her memoir, True Gretch: What I've Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in BetweenTICKETS:$50 General Admission ticket + signed copy of Gov. Whitmer's book$75 Two General Admisison tickets + ONE signed bookAdditional books available for purchase at eventFace masks recommendedThe virtual version of this event airs on July 22, at 6pm PT/9PM ET and is available on video-on-demand for five days.Tickets for the Read More ...

Priyanka Mattoo in Conversation with Tejal Rao for Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones. Book signing and meet and greet to follow.Join us as welcome author Priyanka Mattoo for a reading and coversation for Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones, moderated by Tejal Rao. Book signing and meet and greet to follow.PRIYANKA MATTOO is a writer, filmmaker, former talent agent, and a cofounder of Earios, a women-led podcast network. She is a contributor to The New York Times and The New Yorker, and a recipient of a MacDowell Fellow­ship. Mattoo holds degrees in Italian and law from the University of Michigan and currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and kids.TEJAL RAO is a James Beard Award-winning writer and a critic at large for The New York Times, covering food and culture. She lives in Los Angeles.From a wry, insightful, and very funny new voice, here is one woman’s search for home, from Kashmir to England to Saudi Arabia to Michigan to Rome and, finally, to Los Angeles—standalone essays that together form a sweeping portrait of a peripatetic life."I would follow Priyanka Mattoo to the ends of the earth, because she would know what to eat there, and how to make Read More ...

In person author event with Kirsty Greenwood and Lindsey Kelk at Zibby's Bookshop, 1113 Montana Ave, Santa Monica CA 90403!Zibby's Bookshop is excited to host Kirsty Greenwood as she celebrates the launch of THE LOVE OF MY AFTERLIFE. Kirsty will be joined in conversation by Lindsey Kelk!About the book:"This book has it all. Humor, heart, and a heroine I was desperately rooting for. Kirsty Greenwood has a new fan!"--Colleen Hoover, New York Times bestselling authorA recently deceased woman meets "the one" in the afterlife waiting room, scoring a second chance at life (and love!) if she can find him on earth before ten days are up...If she wasn't dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. Not only did she just die by choking on a microwaveable burger, but now she's standing in her 'shine like a star' nightie in front of the hottest man she's ever seen. And he's smiling at her.As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise. That is until someone comes running out of a door, yelling something about a huge mistake, and sends the dreamy stranger back down to earth. And here Delphie was thinking her luck might be different in the afterlife.When Read More ...

Bel Canto Books is delighted to host Writing Against Asian American Stereotypes w/Christine Ma-Kellams, Janie Kim, Sonali Kohli + Karen Yin.Bel Canto Books at KUBO LB is delighted to host Writing Against Asian American Sterotypes: Authors in Conversation featuring: Christine Ma-Kellams, THE BANDJanie Kim, WE CARRY THE SEA IN OUR HANDSSonali Kohli, DON’T WAIT: THREE GIRLS WHO FOUGHT FOR CHANGE AND WONKaren Yin, THE CONSCIOUS STYLE GUIDEKindly RSVP so we can plan accordingly. Please stay home if you feel sick.This event will be held indoors at KUBO LB (3976 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach CA).EVENT SCHEDULE3:45PM - Event check-in begins4:00pm - Welcome & event start4:15-5:00pm - Author reading, conversation, and Q&A5:00pm-6:00pm - Book signing & shopping time6:00pm - Event endsABOUT THE AUTHORSChristine Ma-Kellams is a Pushcart-nominated writer, Harvard-trained cultural psychologist, and college professor who occupies the intersection where story-telling meets an empirical understanding of what makes people tick.Her empirical studies on culture, social perception and relationships have also been widely covered in GQ (Australia), Esquire (Middle East), Boston Globe, Vice News, Elle Magazine (UK), the Atlantic, Yahoo News, MSN News, Fox News, New York Post, and Daily Mail. Her academic textbook, Cultural Psychology: Cross- and Multicultural Perspectives, has been adopted in Read More ...

Simon Rich in conversation with Kristen Schaal discussing his collection of stories, "Glory Days"Join us for an in-person and virtual* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Tuesday, July 23, 2024, 8pm*Virtual event airs on July 29 at 6pm PT/9pm ETSimon Rich with Kristen Schaaldiscussing his collection of stories, Glory DaysTICKETS:$50 General Admission ticket + signed copy of the book$25 General Admisison ticketAdditional signed books available for purchase at eventFace masks recommendedThe virtual version of this event airs on July 29, at 6pm PT/9PM ET and is available on video-on-demand for five days.Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the book)ASL interpreter provided upon request.Free parking at the venueFrom the Thurber Prize–winning author of New Teeth, hailed as “a triumph of sustained humor” (Sarah Lyall, New York Times Book Review), comes a hilarious and powerful collection of short stories chronicling the plight of aging millennials. ​Simon Rich is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker. He has written for Saturday Night Live, Pixar, and The Simpsonsand is the creator of the TV shows Man Seeking Woman and Miracle Workers, which he based on his books. His other collections include Ant Farm; Spoiled Brats; Hits and Misses, which won the Thurber Read More ...

Join us for the launch of bestselling author Lucinda Berry's new gripping thriller, If You Tell a Lie.ABOUT THE BOOKBestselling author Lucinda Berry serves up a haunting thriller about four friends sworn to secrecy over the events of one fateful summer―and the dark truths that threaten to erupt years later.They never considered how his wife might react, or that by the end of the summer a man would be dead. But Blakely always got her way, and the others followed her lead―even when they knew it was dead wrong.The girls had been friends from day one at Camp Pendleton, a haven for gifted children. But their senior summer was different. When Mr. Crosby, the handsome tennis coach, wound up murdered after a reckless lie, Blakely, Grace, Meg, and Thera swore themselves to secrecy. And never spoke to each other again.Until now. Twenty years later a sinister note claiming to know what they did brings them back together. And once again Blakely is pulling the strings.Unfolding in a dual timeline, If You Tell a Lie is a disturbing journey into the dangerous, sometimes deadly consequences of peer pressure―with a bone-chilling twist you’ll never see coming.ABOUT THE AUTHORDr. Lucinda Berry is a Read More ...

Come join us at the Northridge Branch Library for a lively conversation with author Mary Jones!Join us as we talk to author Mary Jones about her debut short story collection The Goodbye Process. Library Journal recently gave the collection a starred review and said, "Short story fans might just discover their new favorite author in this arresting collection, a must-have." Jones will talk to us about her new book, the publishing process, and writing in general. Attendees will also have a chance to win a copy of The Goodbye Process!Mary Jones’s stories and essays have appeared in many journals including Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading, Subtropics, EPOCH, Alaska Quarterly Review, Columbia Journal, The Hopkins Review, Gay Mag, The Normal School, Epiphany, Santa Monica Review, Brevity and elsewhere. The recipient of a summer prose fellowship from The University of Arizona Poetry Center, her work has been cited as notable in The Best American Essays and appeared in The Best Microfiction 2022. She holds an MFA from Bennington College and teaches fiction writing at UCLA Extension. Originally from Upstate New York, she lives in Los Angeles.No tickets are required for this event, and it is free and open to all.Info about this and Read More ...

Author Soma Mei Sheng Frazier reads from "Off the Books" and leads a discussion on her debut novel's themes.``Join us at Village Well Books & Coffee for the launch of Soma Mei Sheng Frazier's acclaimed debut novel Off the Books! Frazier and historian Samuel Yamashita will discuss the writing life, road trips, and international politics through the prism of this thrilling story.Off the Books:Recent Dartmouth dropout Mei, in search of a new direction in life, drives a limo to make ends meet. Her grandfather convinces her to allow her customers to pay under the table, and before she knows it, she is working as a routine chauffeur for sex workers. Mei does her best to mind her own business, but her knack for discretion soon leads her on a life changing trip from San Francisco to Syracuse with a new client.Handsome and reserved, Henry piques Mei’s interest. Toting an enormous black suitcase with him everywhere he goes, he’s more concerned with taking frequent breaks than making good time on the road. When Mei discovers Henry's secret, she does away with her usual close-lipped demeanor and decides she has no choice but to confront him. What Henry reveals rocks her to Read More ...