BookSwell

We explore authors’ creative inspirations and intersections during Black History Month. How do breakthrough writers pave the way for a more inclusive publishing landscape? How do contemporary writers want their work to be received? Where do literary legacies and ambitions intersect? The series opener for WeHo Reads 2024 will feature authors celebrating their inspirations and examining how their work intersects with literary luminaries during Black History Month. Participating writers will include Rachel Howzell Hall, the bestselling author of multiple crime novels, including What Never Happened (Thomas and Mercer, 2023); Lisa Teasley, author of Fluid: Stories (Cune Press, 2023) and librettist of The Passion of Nell, commissioned by the Long Beach Opera; Jervey Tervalon, an award-winning poet, screenwriter, lecturer, and dramatist, who is the author of Monster’s Chef (Amistad/HarperCollins, 2014) and All the Trouble You Need (Atria Books/Washington Square Books, 2002); and Tamika Thompson, a writer, producer, and journalist, who is the author of the speculative fiction collection Unshod, Cackling, and Naked (Unnerving, 2023). The event is free and you can watch via YouTube Live on the WeHo Arts channel. Learn more at www.weho.org/wehoreads/ WeHo Reads is a literary series presented by the City of West Hollywood. More information and events Read More ...

From bestselling author, media pioneer, and curator of TED, comes an inspiring guide to amplifying kindness and igniting a movement on bothJoin us for an in-person and virtual* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Wednesday, February 7, 2024, 8pm*Virtual event airs on February 12 at 6pm PT/9pm ETAn Evening with Chris AndersonInfectious Generosity:The Ultimate Idea Worth SpreadingTICKETS:$47 General Admission ticket + signed copy of Chris Anderson's book$20 General Admisison ticketAdditional books available for purchase at eventFace masks recommendedThe virtual version of this event airs on Febryary 12, 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 venueFrom bestselling author, media pioneer, and curator of TED, comes an inspiring guide to amplifying kindness and igniting a movement on both an individual and global scale.Chris Anderson has led TED since 2001, overseeing its transformation from an annual conference to a nonprofit with global reach, sharing TED Talks, podcasts, and TED-Ed videos freely to all.Today’s culture seems to be trending ever meaner and more divisive: INFECTIOUS GENEROSITY offers an antidote. Chris Anderson argues that by rethinking generosity in this connected era, we can Read More ...

In person author event with Chris Cander and Allie Rowbottom at Zibby's Bookshop, 1113 Montana Ave, Santa Monica CA, 90403!We're hosting Chris Cander as she celebrates the launch of THE YOUNG OF OTHER ANIMALS! Chris will be joined in conversation by Allie Rowbotton, author of AESTHETICA. About the book:Mayree and Paula are a mother and daughter drifting apart, separated by grief and more, after the death of Mayree’s husband.Mayree faces a future with no income, career, or social life. Even ties with her best friend have been severed. Paula, feeling abandoned by the father she loved, is left with only a bitter mother. When Paula reveals that she narrowly escaped a violent assault, Mayree’s initial reaction is dismissal and disbelief. But as details unfold, it’s clear that it was real and not just one random night gone horribly wrong―someone is out to destroy their lives.With each new threat from Paula’s assailant, harrowing family secrets reemerge that force the mother and daughter to confront the shared traumas of their pasts. Drawing on courage and hope, they must save the relationship they never realized they’d lost.About the authors:Chris Cander is the USA Today bestselling author of A GRACIOUS NEIGHBOR, THE WEIGHT OF Read More ...

Join us for author Malia Lazu's stop on her 'From Intention to Impact' Book Tour in West Hollywood!From Intention to Impact Book Tour with author Malia Lazu: West Hollywood, CAHow business leaders can move their DEI efforts from intention to impact through strategy and culture change.In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, corporate America has doubled down on its public intentions to be more inclusive and equitable. Yet beyond the pledges it is difficult to see which system changes make a real difference. In From Intention to Impact, Malia Lazu draws on her background as a community organizer, her corporate career as a bank president, and now her experience as a leading DEI consultant to explain what has been holding organizations back and what they need to do better. First and foremost, she recognizes that truly moving from intention to impact means targeting and changing the traditions and culture that normalize whiteness.From Intention to Impact shows what organizations, leaders, and people at all levels must do to create more inclusive environments that honor and value diversity. Lazu shares a seven-stage guide through this process as well as a 3L model of listening, learning, and loving that readers can use from Read More ...

Michèle Lamont with Viet Thanh Nguyen discussing her book, "Seeing Others: How Recognition Works―and How It Can Heal a Divided World."Join us for an in-person and virtual* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Thursday, February 8, 2024, 8pm*Virtual event airs on February 13 at 6pm PT/9pm ETMichèle Lamont with Viet Thanh NguyenSeeing Others: How Recognition Works―and How It Can Heal a Divided WorldTICKETS:$70 General Admisison ticket + two signed books (by Lamont and A Man of Two Faces by Viet Thanh Nguyen)$45 General Admission ticket + signed copy of Lamont's book$20 General Admisison ticketAdditional books available for purchase at eventFace masks recommendedThe virtual version of this event airs on Febryary 13, 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 venueAcclaimed Harvard sociologist makes the case for reexamining what we value to prioritize recognition—the quest for respect—in an age that has been defined by growing inequality and the obsolescence of the American dream.Michèle Lamont is Professor of Sociology and of African and African American Studies and the Robert I. Goldman Professor of European Studies at Harvard University. An influential cultural Read More ...

Author Joanne McNeil discusses her acclaimed new science fiction novelJoin author Joanne McNeil to discuss her acclaimed new science-fiction novel Wrong Way Saturday February 10th at 1:00 p.m. in the Edendale Library community room, in conversation with screenwriter Lindsey Villarreal. Wrong Way lures us into a perilous near-future world of driverless cars and the corporate gig-workers behind the scenes, exploring the human cost of surrendering to utopian gadgetry. It’s been called “a Ballardian tale… a powerful example of what the contemporary novel can and should be in our endlessly perplexing times” and “a literary sneak attack on the very idea of ‘the future’ as commonly constructed in fiction.”Wrong Way is available as a print book and an e-book at the Los Angeles Public Library.The Edendale Library is at 2011 Sunset Blvd. in Echo Park. Our parking lot is around the corner off Alvarado St.. Email eden@lapl.org for more information.

Join us for a conversation of New York Bestseller Master Slave Husband Wife featuring our special guests followed by a book signing.The Friends of the Long Beach Public Library and the African American Heritage Society presents "Public History, Private Memory: The Legacy of Ellen and William Craft".Meet our special guest Ilyon Woo and Peggy Trotter Dammond Preacely for an unforgetattable story of Ellen and William Craft depicted in Master Slave Husband Wife. This event will include an informal conversation followed by an autograph signing.Date: Saturday, February 10, 2024Time: Doors Open at 1:30pm, Event Begins at 2:00pmLocation: Long Beach City College - Bob and Barbara Ellis Auditorium(4901 E. Carson Street, Long Beach, CA 90808)FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC***NO TICKETS REQUIRED***Purchase a book!Books will be available for purchase at the event, but you can ensure that you get a copy by pre-ordering here. You can pick your book up at 1:30pm on the day of the event.Can't make it to the event? Pre-order the book here to have it shipped directly to you!Questions?For additional questions, please email: lb.libraryfriends@gmail.comBook Details:One of The New York Times’s 10 Best Books of 2023New York Times BestsellerNamed a best book of 2023 by The New Yorker, Read More ...