Pasadena Festival of Women Authors to star Yaa Gyasi, Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney 4/8

Along with like half the people I follow on Instagram, I recently read Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing and enjoyed the expansive sweep and ambition of the novel. Then I logged onto Facebook — to find out Yaa is coming to town!

Yaa is one of the headliners of the Pasadena Festival of Women Authors, happening April 8 at the Pasadena Hilton Hotel. Joining her will be Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of The Nest, an entertaining book I carried around last year — with nails painted to match.

Which is to say — The festival sounds like a pretty exciting event. Other keynoters are Amy Stewart (Lady Cop Makes Trouble) and Vendela Vida (The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty). Then three more women authors will give concurrent breakout sessions: Rufi Thorpe (Dear Fang, With Love), Elizabeth McKenzie (The Portable Veblen), and Jung Yun (Shelter). There will be morning coffee and pastries as well as a midday lunch, plus book sales and signings throughout.

I’d never heard of this festival before, but apparently it was started back in 2009 by a couple Pasadena residents. Last year, it featured Pasadena’s own Victoria Patterson among its six authors. This year, with seven women, the event’s bigger than ever.

And it seems to be popular too. The event, capped at 540 attendees, is sold out! The waitlist is open though, along with a note that many waitlisters in the past have been able to attend.

I would join the list to see Yaa, except I’ll be out of town on book tour. Are you going to be there? Let me know what Yaa’s like in person! Tickets cost $95 each.

Pasadena Festival of Women Authors. Sat., April 8, 8 am – 2:30 pm. Pasadena Hilton Hotel, 168 S. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena, CA. $95.

Disquiet International Literary Program: Two-week adventure in Lisbon, Portugal

Love literature and love travel — but don’t want to do all the plotting and planning to make an international literary adventure happen on your own? Try the Disquiet International Literary Program in Lisbon, Portugal.

I went two summers ago, and loved it. I mean, this was the view from my Airbnb.

Plus I got to meet fantastic authors, workshop with acclaimed writers, go on excursions to castles and beaches, and explore the pretty streets. I went to readings and receptions at gorgeous, historical places all over Lisbon.

Oh, and I got to meet my literary hero, Mary Gaitskill!!!!

But first some basic info: Disquiet International Literary Program is a two-week program in the city of Pessoa, author of The Book of Disquiet. Here’s me holding hands with Pessoa —

It all kicked off on a Sunday with a reception at the official residence of the U.S. Embassy — with drinks and appetizers! Then we got into a rhythm. In the mornings, participants went to writing workshops. Each person had two different workshops! A “core” genre workshop met on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays — I was in one of the fiction ones with Noy Holland.

Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays were the “fun” workshops — in my case, “Lisbon is Our Muse” led by the playwright Elaine Avila. For this workshop we walked around to cool places around the city and wrote as the spirit of Lisbon moved us. Here’s my favorite place we visited as part of that class: Carmo Archaelogical Museum.

Then we’d break for lunch. Around 2:30, there would usually be a reading — some by faculty, some by other visiting writers. I got to hear Stefan Kiesbye and Alexander Chee, both of whom were workshop faculty — as well as many other authors including did I mention Mary Gaitskill?!


Many of these readings were held at amazing places: Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, Casa Fernando Pessoa, Casa dos Bicos – Fundação José Saramago —

Late afternoon, there were other fun activities — like The Pessoa Walk which took me on a guided walking tour around the city.

Then in the evenings, came more readings, receptions, film screenings, and lectures — like one on fado, traditional Portuguese folk music, given at Museu do Fado!

After that talk, we went to hear actual fado singers while dining —

One night was a participant open mic — It was really great to hear everyone’s work as well as to get to read some of my own. Another night was a party at the Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento (Luso-American Development Foundation) — with readings, performances, and drinks and appetizers. All the buildings were gorgeous —

On Saturday, there was an excursion to Cascais, a beach city, where we first visited the Paula Rego Museum and had an amazing lunch at the museum restaurant before hanging out at the beach.

On Sunday a bunch of people went to visit the castles in Sintra. Here I am at The Pena Palace:

The very last event was a farewell reception at Reservatório da Mãe d’Água — also with drinks and appetizers. I loved the architecture of this place —

All in all, Disquiet was an amazing way to experience a city I initially knew nothing about. The gorgeous tiled streets, the fun street art…. Sometimes you would go for a walk in the evening, turn a corner, and a gorgeous cathedral would suddenly appear —

Which is to say, I didn’t get much writing done while I was there. But I did get some great feedback on pre-existing work.

This year’s Disquiet happens June 25 to July 7, 2017. Cost: $1,950, not including flight and room and board — which might sound steep to some, but if you consider all the workshops, lectures, readings, activities, the opportunity to visit all sorts of historical places that would be tough to get into on your own, and the drinks and appetizers, it’s a pretty good deal.

Plus, you can apply for The Disquiet Literary Prize, with the grand prize being a full scholarship including tuition, lodging, and a $1,000 travel stipend, as well as the Luso/Lusa-American Fellowship if you’re a North American writer of Luso/Lusa descent. Unfortunately the deadline for the prize has passed for 2017 — but rolling admissions are still open!

Have more questions about Disquiet? Ask me in the comments —

My writing residency at Vermont Studio Center

Earlier this winter, I left sunny SoCal for snowy Vermont — where I meditated, yoga’d, read, and drew.

No, I wasn’t in rehab — or at a wellness retreat, for that matter. I was at a writing residency! For two weeks, I got to live at Vermont Studio Center, a residency program that brings together 50 artists and writers each month to form a temporary community in a tiny town called Johnson.

And I’m so glad I did. I loved this place — and already have hopes to go back for a full month soon, though perhaps in warmer weather.

In case you’re not familiar with them, writing residencies are basically like getaways with a literary goal. That goal would be to write — in a peaceful place with uninterrupted time, away from the pressures and responsibilities of normal life. Each residency is a bit different. The one I did at The Anderson Center last summer hosted just five people at a time and was fully funded, covering room, studio, and board for all residents — so it had a very different feel than Vermont Studio Center with more structure and more amenities for the 50 people there, many of whom received full or partial scholarships to fund their stay.

Here’s how a typical day went. I woke up in my cute room at Pearl House — I was one of the lucky people who got a private bathroom —

and looked out the window to see if it was snowing.

Then I went to the mediation room — a standalone building where residents can go at any time to light candles, sit a while, and focus the mind.

After that I went to the Red Barn — VSC’s main communal space — for breakfast.

Then I walked over to one of the artists’ studio buildings to draw for an hour — because VSC offers life drawing with a model weekdays from nine to noon! I’d never done figure drawing before, but I felt I couldn’t let the opportunity go to waste. Here’s my drawing from the first day of the residency:

And here’s my drawing from the last day.

At ten, I finally went to my writing studio to write. I had a desk, a chair, a bookcase, and a little couch with a yellow blankie —

The 16 writers’ studios are all in the same building, overlooking the river:

At noon everyone congregated at the Red Barn for lunch, served buffet style, always with a salad bar:

Lunch at Vermont Studio Center

Menus went up on a chalkboard:

After lunch I went back to the studio to write:

Then at 4 pm I left to change because yoga class started at 4:30 on weekdays:

Then at 6, it was back to the Red Barn for dinner:

Post-dinner, there was usually some activity: Resident readings or slides and talks by visiting artists or writers. Each month, two visiting artists and two visiting writers — one fiction, one poetry — would come to the center not only to talk about their work but to do studio visits, meeting one-on-one with residents to offer feedback on their creative work. Unfortunately, I was only at the Center for two weeks — and the fiction visiting writer had come by the previous two weeks — so I didn’t get to do a studio visit….

But I was busy enough — every day was full! Late night, I read novels borrowed from the studio library before falling asleep —

On the weekends my schedule was a little bit different. Among other things, I took some walks around the little town, which is cute and very small. Other residents tacked on other things — from karaoke night at the one karaoke bar in town (that was really a pizza place), hot wing eating contests at the one wing restaurant in town, snowball fights, to studio portraits (a photographer came around) — that you might want to try too.

I made some friends too and wish they all lived in L.A. — In the meantime, we’re keeping in touch on Facebook.

The next fellowship deadline for Vermont Studio Center is June 15, so start thinking about applying! Have questions about VSC — or about residencies in general? Ask me in the comments —

Earlier: My Writing Residency at the Anderson Center

Angels Flight • literary west Salon: Cocktails, cafeteria food, and literary conversation

Get your favorite cafeteria food and drink your fancy cocktails too — while enjoying literary conversations. Come to the next Angels Flight • literary west Salon — where I’ll be chatting with fellow author Lilliam Rivera!

But first about the salon: Put together by local literary journal Angels Flight • literary west, these monthly events happen at Clifton’s Republic in the second-floor Ballroom — a lovely historic space with idiosyncratic decor, including a lion that looks over the proceedings! Each event brings together a pair of featured writers who read a bit and discuss their work in conversation. Below are Matthew Specktor and Tyler Malone who talked at the February event.

Matthew Specktor and Tyler Malone at Angels Flight Literary West salon

Afterwards, a handful of writers recently published in the journal give lively readings. Then, attendees mingle, eat, and drink — since after all, Clifton’s has a cafeteria and a handful of bars with fancy cocktails.

In case you’re not familiar with Angels Flight • literary west, this online zine seeks specifically to “explore uncharted stories of Los Angeles and beyond,” with a new issue coming out every six months.

Want to read at a future salon? Submit your work to the journal for consideration! Want to attend future salons? Follow AFLW’s Facebook page to find out about the events.


And please do come to the next event: Angels Flight • literary west Salon With Lilliam Rivera & Siel Ju. Themed “The Good, the Bad & the In-Between: Choices & Redemption,” the event will feature me and Lilliam in conversation, reading and discussing our new books — my Cake Time and her YA novel The Education of Margot Sanchez.

There’ll also be readings by Patrick O’Neil, CLS Ferguson, Chris Daley Tod Goldberg, and Stephanie Zhong.

I’ll have early copies of Cake Time for sale and hope to see you there —
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Earlier: 12 Literary journals for Los Angeles writers

Top photo by Grant Palmer

Downtown Bookfest: Emily Dickinson meets Cut Chemist meets Siel

If live music by Cut Chemist and remixes of Emily Dickinson poems sound like the makings of a perfect Saturday in the park for you, head to Grand Park for Downtown Bookfest this weekend.

There, you’ll be treated to performances, workshops, and readings — including one by me, along with other Red Hen Press authors!

But first, about Emily: This year, the event will be a special treat for Emily Dickinson fans — with a book-making workshop inspired by Dickinson’s collection of 400 plant specimens and refashionings of Dickinson’s poems via vintage typewriters, thanks to Writ Large Press. That’s all part of the City of Los Angeles’ Big Read honoring Emily Dickinson’s work.

Other fun stuff includes a Write Your Own L.A. Poem Workshop, paper artmaking, and popup bookshops for your literary shopping.

Stay around until 4:05 for the readings by Red Hen Press Poets! I’ll take the stage with Brendan Constantine, Kim Dower, Blas Falconer, and Ron Koerte. Hope to see you there —

Downtown Bookfest. Grand Park’s Olive Court, 200 N Grand Ave., Los Angeles. March 11, 2017, noon – 5 pm. Free.

Earlier: 7 big annual literary events in Los Angeles to put on your calendar now

Boca de Oro: An art and lit fest in Santa Ana

Need a literary staycation? Take a daytrip to downtown Santa Ana for Boca de Oro, Orange County’s art and lit fringe fest.

It happens Sat., March 4th, and it’s all free! With readings by esteemed local authors, writing and bookmaking workshops, collaborative art projects, open mics, and lots of readings, the all-day event should be really interactive and community oriented.

Continue reading “Boca de Oro: An art and lit fest in Santa Ana”