Thursday, June 28, 2012

Beyond Summer Reading: Free July Literary Events

Upstairs in the The Last Bookstore
"Upstairs in the Last Bookstore" by intellichick
From our ExperienceLA Flickr Pool
In the ExperienceLA office, one of the best things about summer is that it's time to start some summer reading.  But here at ExperienceLA, we like to make book adventures jump out of pages.  Here are some summer highlights to add to your literary life.  Oh, and they're all FREE:

  • Grand Performances at Cal Plaza:  
    • Department of Cultural Affairs (COLA) Artists Project (Friday, June 29th - 8:30pm) - This event features excerpts from Joseph Mattson's novel Hexico and Paul Outlaw's The Late, Late Show: Porphyria's Descent and selectioms from Home of the 5 & Dime by Raphael Xavier.  COLA's Performances are part of the City of Los Angeles' Cultural Grant Program. 
    • Tongue & Groove:Bukowski (Saturday, June 30th - 8:00pm) - Explore San Pedro and its surrounding Harbor Communities as Conrad Romo and his cohorts bring to life the writings, short fiction, and personal essays of Charles Bukowski.  
  • Tia Chucha's Cultural Center & Bookstore:  This cultural space  in the San Fernando Valley has events year-round including author readings.  
    • Luis J. Rodriguez - It Calls You Back (Thursday, July 5th; 7:00pm) - Rodriguez reads his latest memoir, It Calls You Back: An Odyssey Through Love, Addiction, Revolutions, and Healing, a long-awaited sequel to Always Running, La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A
    • Jorja Leap (Saturday, July 7th; 6:00pm) - This UCLA anthropologist and crisis interventionist discusses her books and work with gangs.  She is currently conducting a 5-year evaluation of Homeboy Industries and co-leads Jordan Downs Project Fatherhood. 
    • Aris Janigian - The Angelic Landing (Thursday, July 19th; 7:00pm) - For the fiction inclined, mark your calendars for this book set during the 1992 Los Angeles riots .  
    • Birmingham Community Charter High School Students - Branches on the Tollway (Saturday, July 28th: 5:00pm)- Get your dose of young voices as these students perform their collected works.
  • Hammer Museum:  The Hammer Museum offers literary events year-round in its extensive programming.  Check out Sanford Biggers & Marcus Samuelsson (Sunday, July 8th; 3:00-5:00pm), Literary Death Match (Wednesday, July 11th; 7:30-9:30pm); Malek Jandali & Mona Simpson (Sunday, July 15th; 3:00-5:00pm), and Emerging Voices (Wednesday, July 18th, 2012 - 7:30-9:30pm).  
  • The Last Bookstore - Kim Dower & Lynelle Edwards (Sunday, July 22nd; 3:00pm) - Visit the beautiful and whimsical Last Bookstore for this reading with celebrated authors Kim Dower and Lynnell Edwards. 
  • As the City Grew: Historical Maps of Los Angeles (Ongoing; Closes November 4th 2012 - Library Hours) While your exploring Downtown LA's beautiful Central Library, stop by this exhibition of 34 maps exploring the growth of Los Angeles.  After your visual adventure through history, you're already at the perfect spot to pick up some books on LA History.
 -Charity Tran

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