Events Archives - Page 11 of 15

August 25, 2016October 6, 2023

5 tips for enjoying the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival

The Tempest at Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival

In case you haven’t heard yet, the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival is an L.A. summer treat not to be missed. Every year, the local Independent Shakespeare Co. puts on two to three plays with performances running Wednesdays to Sundays — all for free!

Griffith Park’s quite the trek across town if you live on the westside like I do, but still well worth the trip. Here are some tips to make sure you get the most out of the event:

1. Get there early. Seating on the lawn is basically first come first served, with earlybirds getting the prime spots near the stage and latecomers relegated to the back area near the caves where coyotes howl. Performances start at 7, but the crowd starts arriving hours before.

I’ve noticed that my enjoyment of the performances is directly proportional to my proximity to the stage — so I like to get there early. A couple weeks ago, my friend Lauren and I got there two hours early — which was about perfect (see below)! Occasionally, there’s a pre-play dance or music performance.

2. Pack a picnic. Pretty much everyone brings picnic blankets and yummies to enjoy before and during the performance. Should you forget to bring food, however, you can get baked goods — including cookies shaped like Shakespeare’s head — at the concession stand. FYI: While alcohol is not allowed in the park, this rule is not enforced, so plan accordingly.

Picnic / lawn chairs are allowed, but there’s a “chair line” they must remain behind. So if you really want to sit up close, skip the chairs and bring pillows for your back.

3. Participate. Okay — Don’t take this tip too literally and jump on stage unprompted. But you might become part of the performance by chance, since the actors usually do some impromptu interactive stuff during each play. During Romeo and Juliet, I was given an invite to a party at the Capulets! “Dress up a bit,” the actor said, handing me the red envelope —

4. Take sunscreen and a warm jacket. It’ll be hot before the performance begins, then quite chilly by the time it ends. You might also want to take a hat and a blankie —

5. Be generous. The performance is technically free — but the company depends on donations to keep things going — so the actors will be standing around with smiles and donation buckets come play’s end. Should you forget cash, there’ll be credit card swipers too —

Just nine more performances of The Tempest remain this summer, so get thee to the park!

Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival. At the Old Zoo in Griffith Park. Los Angeles. (The Tempest plays Wednesday – Sunday until September 4)

Top and bottom photos courtesy of Grettel Cortes Photography

August 23, 2016October 6, 2023

I’m reading at the Southern California Poetry Festival in Long Beach 9/10

The first ever Southern California Poetry Festival happens next month in Long Beach. Organized by Sonia Greenfield and Donna Hilbert in partnership with The Poetry Foundation, the weekend affair going to be two days filled with readings, panels, and keynotes — topped off with cocktail hours at The Brass Lamp Book Bar!

Hear luminaries like Amy Gerstler and Henri Cole, discover a dozen or so local literary journals, and find out about local bookish nonprofits. There’ll even be a panel moderated by former book critic of the Los Angeles Times David Ulin, with the provocative title, “Does SoCal Have a Voice?” I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the panelists — Marilyn Chin, Suzanne Lummis, Luis Rodriguez, Ralph Angel — are probably going to say yes.

I’ll be reading with the Los Angeles Review crew on Saturday, Sep. 10 from 2 pm to 3 pm, along with Charles Harper Webb (Amplified Dog), Jessica Piazza (Interrobang), and Kim Dower (Slice of Moon). Here’s the full schedule lineup for both days.

Reserve a FREE ticket for the festival here — though I must warn you that all 175 tickets for Saturday are already taken! That said, if you’re a reader of this blog and would like to come on Saturday, just leave a comment ASAP and I’ll contact the organizers to get a ticket reserved for you.

Hope to see you there!

Southern California Poetry Festival. Saturday, Sep. 10 – Sunday, Sep. 11, 2016. Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach.

August 18, 2016October 6, 2023

Jim Krusoe’s workshop: Legendary (and affordable!) westside creative writing class

Love the structure of a writing workshop, but can’t afford or commit to a $500 UCLA Extension class — let alone an MFA program? If you’re in the LA area, consider yourself lucky. As a resident you can take legendary creative writing teacher Jim Krusoe’s 16-week workshop at Santa Monica College for less than $200.

Jim’s a well-known name in the LA literary community. Not only did he found SMC’s literary journal Santa Monica Review (which published some of Aimee Bender’s earliest work), Jim writes novels (The Sleep Garden, Girl Factory, Toward You), reviews books for the New York Times, and teaches in the graduate writing program at Antioch University. Of course, getting into his workshops there means entering an MFA program.

In contrast, Jim’s SMC classes — voted Best Writing Class by LA Weekly in 2012 — are open to all, at least until they fill up. Fall classes begin August 29, and Jim’s teaching two classes, beginning fiction workshop on Mondays, and advanced one on Thursdays. Both meet from 6:45 to 9:50 pm on SMC’s main campus.

Signing up is a tad complicated. You first need to register as an SMC student to get a student ID number, then use that number to log on to SMC’s enrollment system called Corsair Connect. Once you’re logged in, you can add the classes (beginner is Eng 30A, section 4182, advanced is Eng 30B, 4185). The beginning class is a prerequisite for the advanced class, though you can get a waiver into the advanced by contacting the English department chair.

SMC does also offer creative writing workshops from other instructors; I’m just less familiar with their work. Enjoy the class and happy writing —

Jim Krusoe’s writing workshops at Santa Monica College. 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. 310.434.4000.

August 17, 2016October 6, 2023

Roar Shack: A Monthly Echo Park reading series with music and a Livewrite

Roar Shack reading series at 826LA in Los Angeles

If you like your literary readings punched up with a musical interlude and a little healthy writing competition, come to the next Roar Shack reading.

Conceived by handful of friends four years ago, Roar Shack today is organized and hosted by local writer David Rocklin (below; The Luminist), who sometimes even brings along cookies and wine. These monthly readings in Echo Park will introduce you to new writers, make you feel part of a bigger literary community, and maybe even give you a chance to read your own work!

Your first time at Roar Shack might feel a bit disorienting — because when you get to the address, you’ll actually find yourself at The Echo Park Time Travel Mart — a curious little store that sells fun oddities like Golden Horde Powdered Horse Milk. If you stand around looking lost, the nice guy at the counter will ask if you’re here for the reading, and point you through the black double doors in the back.

Go through those, and you’ll find yourself in — a classroom. These are the headquarters of 826 LA, a nonprofit dedicated to helping young people write. But those kids won’t be there on Roar Shack day! Instead, you’ll find yourself among a few dozen local readers and writers, chatting, looking around, or just sitting at their desks as if waiting for class to start.

Seriously, the fluorescent light classroom setting does lack a little ambiance, but don’t let that put you off! Just use filters if you happen to take selfies.

There’ll be little notecards on your table. If you feel so moved, take one and write a random writing prompt on it. Really, any sentence or phrase — or even just a word — will do. David will come around to collect these then select one for the Live Write. Introduce yourself to him then! Tell him you found Roar Shack through me.

A few minutes after 4 pm, David will take the mic and introduce the first of an eclectic handful of readers — who’ll do everything from give rousing poetry slam performances to shyly read quiet personal essays off their phones. Here’s my friend Lauren Eggert-Crowe, reading her poetry at the August event.

In the middle of these short readings, the Live Write happens. David will ask for two volunteers to write on the chosen prompt during the 10-minute musical performance. Afterwards, the volunteers will read their impromptu pieces, the audience will vote on whose they liked better, then the winner will be invited to read at the next Roar Shack.

Want to read at a future event? Simply email David at drocklin2@gmail.com with a writing sample to be considered. Or just show up and win the Live Write!

And regardless — come to the next Roar Shack, happening September 11. Yours truly will be reading, along with Natashia Deon (Grace), Toni Ann Johnson (Remedy for a Broken Angel), Seth Fischer, and poet Rich Ferguson. See you there!

Roar Shack reading series. Second Sunday of every month, 4 pm – 5:30 pm. 826 LA, 1714 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles.

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August 4, 2016October 6, 2023

The Edison Book Club: Bittersweet cocktails over Sweetbitter

An intimate chat about a fantastic book over specialty drinks in a speakeasy-style bar — with a chance to talk to the author herself about her book. If that description appeals to you, come to a meeting of The Edison Book Club.

Last night was the very first book club meeting, featuring Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler. About fifteen readers (mostly women), pink books in tow, gathered in the basement of The Edison and discussed literature over pretty cocktails. The bar concocted two specifically for the occasion: Bittersweet (fernet branca, kumquat, lemon, salted caramel syrup) and Shift Drink (peroni with a shot of fernet branca).

Then about an hour in, Stephanie dropped in, gave a short reading, then answered a bunch of questions — ranging from which character she most relates to (Simone more than Tess) to what restaurants she recommends in L.A. (Mapo Galbi is one).

Stephanie said the book really came to her when she got the first sentence: “You will develop a palate.” Because that’s exactly what the 22-year-old narrator does in the novel — develop a palate for “intimacy, relationships, drugs, lust, burgundy, oysters,” Stephanie explained.

The book club is a brand new initiative of literary nonprofit PEN Center USA. Agatha French, a member of PEN, led the discussion.

Join the club simply by RSVPing to the events — and you can get a 15% discount on the current book club title at Skylight Books. The next book club meeting will probably happen in October, according to Libby Flores at Pen Center USA — though the next book hasn’t been picked out yet. Stay in the loop by checking The Edison Book Club website or emailing Libby at libby@penusa.org to get on the invite list.

* Last updated 2/27/17

First and third photos by Libby Flores

April 22, 2016October 6, 2023

Sumarr 1 reading in Los Angeles, April 17

Thanks to everyone who came to the first Sumarr reading of 2017 at The Pop Hop!

From left to right: Noah Warren, Margaret Ross, Siel Ju, Wendy C. Ortiz, Diana Arterian at Sumarr 1, Highland Park, Los Angeles, April 17, 2016

It was a super hot day but we filled the seats anyway. It was the first time I got to read with local author Wendy C. Ortiz (Excavations) — plus two Stegner Fellows, poets Noah Warren, and Margaret Ross.

Many thanks to Diana Arterian, who organizes the Sumarr Reading Series!