Join us for PEN Presents: Justin Torres's BlackoutsPEN America Los Angeles is delighted to present beloved author Justin Torres upon the release of his new novel, Blackouts. This hybrid text is a collage of vignettes, image, and blackout poetry born from a true artifact, Sex Variants: A Study in Homosexual Patterns. Ekphrastic and archival, Torres pieces together the fictional histories of the narrator and his peer, “playful raconteur” Juan Gay, as well as the real-life creator of Sex Variants, Jan Gay, a woman whose scholarship was historically co-opted. In conversation with Torres is Angela Flournoy, author of The Turner House. She is a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine, and her nonfiction has appeared in many publications, including The Nation, The Los Angeles Times, and The New Yorker. Join us for a conversation about authorship, the art of fiction, and the possibilities of the novel. This free program will be followed by Q+A and a book signing.

Join debut author K. X. Song in conversation with author Amanda Glaze to celebrate the launch of AN ECHO IN THE CITY at Skylight Books.Skylight Books welcomes author K. X. Song for a discussion and signing of her debut release, An Echo in the City, in conversation with Amanda Glaze, bestselling author of The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond. The evening will begin with a moderated discussion and Q&A, followed by a signing. Light refreshments will be provided. About the Book:Two star-crossed teenagers fall in love during the Hong Kong protests in this searing contemporary novel about coming-of-age in a time of change.Sixteen-year-old Phoenix knows her parents have invested thousands of dollars to help her leave Hong Kong and get an elite Ivy League education. They think America means big status, big dreams, and big bank accounts. But Phoenix doesn’t want big; she just wants home. The trouble is, she doesn’t know where that is…until the Hong Kong protest movement unfolds, and she learns the city she’s come to love is in danger of disappearing.Seventeen-year-old Kai sees himself as an artist, not a filial son, and certainly not a cop. But when his mother dies, he’s forced to Read More ...