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EVENTS
Check back often for
updates!
Thursday, July
9th (700
PM)
Art Walk!!!
Frederick LaCroix
During World War II in the Philippines, an
American pilot receives a slain Japanese officer’s Imperial battle flag. Years
later, the pilot’s son, Frederick E. LaCroix, inherits the flag, which, coupled
with his father’s wartime correspondence, propels him on a six-year journey
across eastern Asia to find the dead officer’s family and return the flag.
The Sky Rained Heroes details the emotional true stories of these two
soldiers and the diverse paths that led them to their fatal meeting.
For over twenty years,
Frederick E. LaCroix,
has lived in and traveled throughout Asia, where he works to develop poor
communities, expand rural electrification, and create new economic and
educational opportunities.
Saturday, July 11th (500
PM)
Tom Waldman
From Ritchie
Valens, The Premiers and The Blendells to El Chicano, Tierra and Los Los Lobos,
Land of a Thousand Dances highlights Chicano singers, songwriters
and bands who have impacted the music industry. Authors
Tom Waldman and David
Reyes profile artists from the 1950s to 2008, many from East L.A. from lower-
and middle-class families and many without formal music training. Musicians of
the big band era, rockers from the 60s and 70s, punk bands, and contemporary rap
artists round out the book's eclectic mix of Chicano musicians. Previously
released in the late 1990s, the book is now back in print with this updated
version, which includes profiles of Quetzal and Lysa Flores and cover art "La
Serenata" from Los Angeles artis George Yepes.
Since
previous music scholars have mostly neglected Chicano recording artists in rock
histories, Waldman and Reyes, both well-versed in the music history of Southern
California, opted to explore and highlight these under-publicized—yet
influential—musicians in their book. The authors also investigate
some of the historical ramifications of Chicano rock as a movement. For example,
they discuss the 1960s: when white suburban kids embraced surfing culture,
Chicano teens created a music scene for kids from the barrio in El Monte and
Pomona, cities that were part of the San Bernardino Freeway’s “Chicano circuit.” Land
of a Thousand Dances also chronicles Chicano music’s inspiring successes in
its uphill battle against the ignorance and bigotry of the music industry.
Additionally, singer/songwriter
Mark Guerrero will
perform a few numbers.
Mark was born in Los Angeles, grew up in East Los Angeles, and graduated from
California State University Los Angeles, with a B.A. in Chicano Studies. He
began playing in rock & roll bands at age 12 and led the popular East Los
Angeles band Mark & the Escorts, who recorded two singles for
G.N.P. Crescendo Records. He has recorded as a solo artist for Ode Records
(produced by the legendary Lou Adler), Capitol
Records, and with his group Tango for A&M Records. His songs have been recorded
by artists such as Herb Alpert, Trini Lopez, Chan Romero, and his late father,
the legendary “father of Chicano music,” Lalo Guerrero. For more information on
Mark Guerrero, visit
www.markguerrero.com
and
www.myspace.com/markguerrero.
Saturday, July 18th (400
PM)
Andrea Scarpino
Andrea Scarpino's
new chapbook
The Grove Behind
was published by Finishing Line Press this year. She received my MFA in Creative
Writing from Ohio State University in 2005. Since then, she has worked at OSU’s Nisonger Center supporting transitional programming for people with
disabilities, taught with the Institute for Reading Development, and was a jill-of-all-trades
at Red Hen Press.
She currently teaches in the
English Department at Cal State University, Dominguez Hills and in The Union
Institute and University
Cohort Ph.D. Program in Interdisciplinary Studies. A longtime activist, she has worked for presidential campaigns,
voter registration drives, anti-war movements, feminist campaigns and
environmental organizations.
Saturday, July 25th (400
PM)
Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke, Laura Dave
Liz Fenton
& Lisa Steinke would like
you to know that Chick Lit isn't dead!
What happens when a man comes between one
desperately single and one very married sister?
Kate’s been depressed ever since yet
another long-term boyfriend unceremoniously dumped her.
When her younger and married sister Kelly convinces her
the way to meet a quality man is for the two of them to
sign up for a volleyball class, she’s just desperate
enough to agree. But Kate becomes so fixated on their
coach that she fails to see an unlikely but perfect
match right in front of her.
Kelly’s been less than happy for
longer than she wants to admit. She’s the one who
appears to have it all: the perfect husband, the big
house and the beautiful daughter. Despite it all, she
feels an emptiness she can’t explain and is conflicted
when it’s her volleyball coach who offers an answer.
I’ll Have Who She’s Having
follows Kate and Kelly as they battle themselves and
each other in their search for a happy ending. Through
a series of hardships and self-doubt, they both realize
they were looking for happiness in the wrong places.
It’s a novel for anyone who ever secretly let their
insecurities get the best of them.
Laura Dave's
The Divorce Party takes us into the lives of two
women at opposite ends of marriage. For all the
differences between them--distance, privilege, age--Gwyn
and Maggie have one thing in common: each has found
herself at a crossroads. Gwyn has been preparing for
this day, the last predictable day before an uncertain
future. But even though she's had time to come to terms
with her divorce, she still can't quite bring herself to
believe her marriage is really over. How can she move on
when her marriage has defined who she is for the last
thirty-five years? And for Maggie, the trip to Montauk
shakes the foundation of her relationship with Nate and
dredges up feelings she's spent her life trying to
avoid.
In the end, each woman must look inside herself to
answer the questions that will define her life from this
moment on. How much work is it worth to keep two people
together? And at what point is it time to let go?
Saturday, August 1st
(400
PM)
Robert Ward
Smart, tough Los Angeles FBI agents Jack Harper
and Oscar Hidalgo meet their match in a diamond smuggler, Steinbach, who seems
to have almost superhuman powers. Arrested during a clever sting operation,
Steinbach tells the team of agents he will kill them, and sure enough, one by
one, they start to die. Worse, Jack can’t begin to pin it on Steinbach, who is,
after all, in prison. Soon, however, Steinbach makes a deal with Homeland
Security and is freed with total immunity.
Jack is pretty sure that he and Oscar could be
next. But, as it turns out, Steinbach is not the only menace. Two of the agents
who were killed turn out to be dirty. Jack and Oscar tour the seamy side of L.A.
in hopes of finding clues, but they get way more than they bargained for.
Robert Ward
is a native of Baltimore currently living in Los Angeles and has
numerous credits to his name such as novelist, teacher, journalist,
screenwriter, producer and actor. His other novels include Red Baker,
Four Kinds of Rain, and The King of Cards.
Thursday, August 13th (700
PM)
Art Walk Night!!!
Eric Stone
 
From
Hong Kong to Shanghai and back, Shanghaied is Ray Sharp's
deadliest adventure. Hong Kong's been handed back to the Chinese. Ray Sharp's
whole world is changing. Carnivorous Tibetan monks are worried about what a
Chinese bank is doing with their money. A murderous, sociopathic veteran of the
U.S. invasion of Grenada, along with his twin comely kung-fu bodyguards, Floss
and Betty, figure into it. As does a painful dumpling accident, drugs, sex and
rock and roll, along with the usual coterie of business moguls, hookers, friends
and foes. And the return of Ray's Chinese-Mexican colleague and pal, the
diminutive Ms. Wen Lei Yue.
Shanghaied is the fourth in the Ray Sharp series of
detective thrillers. It follows The Living
Room of the Dead, Grave Imports and Flight of the
Hornbill.
"I'm
a second generation Los Angeleno who loves the big, sprawling, dirty urban
mishmash I call home. I'm also one of the few people on the planet who loves
Jakarta, Indonesia, which in its own way is similar to Los Angeles, so you can
take what I say with a grain of salt—or not.
For the better part of 30 years I've worked as a writer, photographer, editor,
publisher and publishing consultant. As a writer I've covered a wide range of
topics, including business, economics, finance, politics, arts, culture, sports,
travel and I once even wrote an advice to the lovelorn column for a bi-lingual
English and Chinese fashion magazine. At the moment I'm writing books, both
fiction and non-fiction, and the occasional magazine article. "
-
Eric Stone
Saturday,
September 26th (500
PM)
Dr. Leo Kim
Are we simply a collection of cells in a human body
that eventually becomes ill and perishes when it fails? Is there a greater plan?
As a scientist developing new drugs for the treatment of cancer, Dr. Leo Kim
felt powerless as he watched patients die, an experience that led him on a
decade-long quest to understand human existence.
Healing the Rift
chronicles his fascinating metaphysical and scientific journey. Kim reveals how
recent scientific breakthroughs led him to the belief that the world is a
blending of mind and spirit, explaining the science behind his discovery in
entertaining, approachable terms that help readers make sense of their own
search for answers.
Leo Kim is a
scientist and biotechnology executive with over 50 scientific publications and
patents to his credit. Leo’s journey includes research and management in
chemistry, biochemistry, bioinformatics, biotechnology, information technology,
molecular biology, microbiology, physics, and clinical trial studies. He has
been active in new pharmaceutical and biotechnology disease treatment modalities
as well as alternative medicine regimes. He has studied with Deepak Chopra,
Bernie Siegel, and many others who offer spirituality based supplements or
alternatives to traditional healing. Leo has a Ph.D. in physical organic
chemistry from the University of Kansas and continued his education as a
research associate at MIT. Leo is a CEO and general partner in a biotechnology
venture capital firm where he is tracking the progress of thousands of companies
utilizing the latest developments in science.
Thursday, October 8th (700
PM)
Art Walk Night!!!
Julienne La Fleur
Julienne La Fleur's
Lessons from Oz is a new book that recaptures the magic of the classic
film The Wizard of Oz while pondering life, and illuminating over 35
lessons that we, as grown-ups, tend to forget. Some are whimsical, some are
serious and some might make you want to go skipping. (and the very cool added
feature – sparkles on the cover!)
Dorothy’s journey through Oz is an allegory that
directly parallels our lives. In each scene, from the beginning of the movie to
the end, a lesson can be found in Dorothy’s experiences.
These lessons are good reminders of things we
already know but sometimes forget—ways to be and live that make us feel great
about ourselves and our lives. If we learn from these lessons, we will begin to
see that our actions and positive attitudes influence the world around us,
making it a better place.
Dorothy’s lessons can be our lessons.
Saturday,
October 24th (400
PM)
Glass Table Collective
Karen
Kevorkian has published poems in White Stucco Black Wing
(Red Hen Press), and poetry and fiction in journals such as Shenandoah,
VOLT, Witness, and in the Antioch, Hayden’s Ferry, Los
Angeles, Mississippi, Massachusetts, and Virginia Quarterly reviews. Formerly
teaching at the University of Virginia, she teaches teaches creative writing at
UCLA. She has worked as an editor of museum books.
Katharine Haake’s newest book is The
Origin of Stars and Other Stories. Other recent work includes a novel,
That Water, Those Rocks, a story collection, The Height and
Depth of Everything, and What Our Speech Disrupts: Feminism and
Creative Writing Studies. A recipient of Artist’s Grant from the City
of Los Angeles, she teaches at California State University, Northridge.
Chuck
Rosenthal is the author of seven novels and a memoir, as well as his
ninth book, Are We Not There Yet?: Travels in Nepal, North India and
Bhutan. He teaches creative narrative writing and narrative theory in
the Syntext Program at Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles. He is a
founding member of The Glass Table Artists’ Collective and What Books. He lives
in Topanga Canyon, California.
Gail
Wronsky is the author, coauthor, or translator of nine books of
poetry and prose, including Dying for Beauty (Copper Canyon
Press), Blue Shadow Behind Everything Dazzling (Hollyridge
Press), and Volando Bajito (translated poetry of Alicia Partnoy,
Red Hen Press). She is the Director of Creative Writing and Syntext
(Synthesizing Textualities) at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Molly
Bendall is the author four collections of poetry, After
Estrangement, Dark Summer, Ariadne’s Island and most recently,
Under the Quick from Parlor Press. She also has a co-authored with the
poet Gail Wronsky Bling & Fringe. Her poems have appeared in the
anthologies: American Hybrid: The Norton Anthology of the New Poem,
American Poetry: The Next Generation, and The Gertrude Stein
Awards in Innovative Poetry. She teaches at USC.
As we present numerous author signings, poetry readings and book club events,
we
hope to have something for everyone. To join our mailing list, please submit
your email address below. You'll receive our newsletter and reminders of our
upcoming events.
       
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