Places Archives - Page 7 of 8

November 9, 2016October 5, 2023

Melrose Bellow: An eclectic literary night in Hollywood 11/12

On the heels of Lit Crawl LA comes a brand new night of literary fun. On Sat., Nov. 12, Melrose Bellow will bring stand-up comedy, poetry, live music, and stories about everything from the desert to the sea to venues up and down Melrose Avenue.

Organized by Conrad Romo — best known as the guy behind the long-running Tongue & Groove reading series — Melrose Bellow features two rounds of pre-event happenings from 5 pm to 7 pm. Pick from a NaNoWrimo meetup, a block carving workshop, and an interactive poetry-improv hybrid performance.

Then comes the main event: two rounds of literary events, with a half dozen different happenings to pick from for each round. Here are my picks for each round:

Round 1 at 7 pm: Story Salon and the Mean Kind at Debonair, 7364 Melrose Ave.

Apparently Story Salon is LA’s longest running storytelling venue — How have I never heard of this series? — and The Mean Kind is a group of writers with ties to the South. Brandon Jordan Brown, Rachel McLeod Kaminer, and Chris L. Terry will read — Their work may or may not be about the South.

Round 2 at 8 pm: The Nervous Breakdown at Debonair, 7364 Melrose Ave.

Online lit zine The Nervous Breakdown will feature readings from Steve Abee, Dennis Cruz, and Milo Martin.

Other events include Rogue Machine Theatre’s Rant & Rave, a Women of the Rumpus reading, a Stand Up Bus featuring an open mic, and of course, a Tongue and Groove reading. Check the Melrose Bellow website for the full schedule.

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

November 4, 2016October 5, 2023

Best spot for raw writing: Poke Shack

I love poke bowls and acai bowls — and I’ve found a restaurant that offers both!

The Hawaiian-themed Poke Shack makes both sweet and savory bowls — as well as a spacious outdoor courtyard with wifi at the Melrose location. Writers can get an acai bowl for a late breakfast, write a few hours, then order up a poke bowl for lunch and dinner — making for a healthy and productive day —

At first I wondered what acai bowls and poke bowls had in common — then realized from this neon sign that they’re both raw! Well, the poke bowls are raw if you make them raw, with either a seaweed salad or kale base. If you’d rather go cooked, you can choose a brown or white rice base.

I went with brown rice, topped with half salmon-half tuna, plus some seaweed salad, colorful veggies, and a spicy sesame seed topping. It was tough making my choices from all the toppings — There’s everything from kimchi to charred pineapples!

Poke Shack also offers smoothies, salads and Hawaiian drinks. And at the Melrose location, there’s a wall painted with fishy “wings” — where you can take angelic author photos.

The Poke Shack. Three locations: 7257 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. 1425 Ocean Front Walk, Venice. 79 Windward Ave., Venice.

October 28, 2016October 6, 2023

Best coffee shop in Los Angeles for writers who love butter

You love writing in coffee shops. But you don’t love the constant temptation of pastries and sugary frappes at said coffee shops. If you’re on a paleo, ketogenic, whole food diet — or are just trying to eat less sugar and processed foods in general — take your novel-in-progress to Bulletproof Coffee, where the brew is buttery and the food sugar-free.

The bulletproof diet has a growing fandom (as well as detractors), who swear on its high fat, lower carb way of eating — with an emphasis on healthy ingredients and upgraded supplements — for everything from weight loss to mental clarity to serious productivity. At the heart of this diet is bulletproof coffee — clean coffee blended with grass-fed butter and MCT oil — which many diet adherents drink in lieu of eating breakfast.

I’m one of these bulletproof coffee drinkers on some days. Buttery coffee is yummy, and the stuff really does give you a focus that lasts for hours! If you’ve never tried MCT oil before though, I’d recommend getting a small and maybe not drinking the whole cup. Otherwise you might get super jittery!

The Venice coffee shop also have a full menu of high quality foods. We’re talking grass-fed meats and fats, pasture-raised organic eggs, and organic, local veggies. Here’s the delicious steak and eggs breakfast I enjoyed this morning:

Then I sat down at the communal table and started writing with fellow bulletproofers. There’s indoor and outdoor seating and speedy wifi. One wall of the coffee shop features shelves full of upgraded whey protein and collagelatin and other bulletproof diet products — as well as The Bulletproof Diet book and cookbook for newbies to browse through and buy.

There’s a cafe in the Arts District of Los Angeles too. I think this one just serves drinks, though I haven’t been to that location yet. Stop by and see if bulletproof coffee helps you focus on your writing —

Bulletproof Coffee. Santa Monica: 3110 Main St. #116. LA Arts District: 300 S Santa Fe Ave.

October 17, 2016October 6, 2023

Lit Crawl LA: A Night of literary happenings in North Hollywood

Lit Crawl Los Angeles NoHo Arts District

Clear your schedule for next Wednesday night! Lit Crawl LA returns Wed., Oct. 26, turning the North Hollywood Arts District into the hub of Literary LA with irreverent readings and other fun events happening in local dive bars, fancy theaters, and other interesting spots.

The night’s set up so that each of the three hours of the night, a dozen or so events happen concurrently, with a few minutes in between each hour to let crawlers get to their next event. All the events are free! Unfortunately as of this writing the Lit Crawl LA website hasn’t updated the schedule for the night. But the Facebook invites have gone out — so here are the three events I recommend you crawl to!

Round 1 at 7 pm: The Rejection Game at The Eclectic Wine Bar & Lounge, 5156 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood.

Okay — I picked this event mainly because I’m in it — and also because it should be a fun time! Organized by Women Who Submit — a lit org that encourages women to submit to lit journals more frequently and tenaciously — this reading will “celebrate the work that has been rejected time and again, but that we still believe in.”

Come hear me, Rachael Warecki, Tammy Delatorre, Ryane Nicole Granados, Stephanie Abraham, and Kate Maruyama. Poet Lauren Eggert-Crowe will host!

Round 2 at 8 pm: The Literary Dating Game at the Kahuna Tiki, 11026 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood.

One brave creative-nonfiction-writing bachelorette called Brandi Neal has agreed to let three brave souls compete for a chance to take her out on a date! Organized by PEN Center USA, the event promises a “stellar host, a stunning mistress of ceremonies, literary questions, some audience participation, and a Mai Tai or two.” I am pretty sure you’ll need to pay for your own mai tais, so prepare accordingly —

Round 3 at 9 pm: Truth in Fiction at MOD Pizza, 5300 Lankershim Blvd #103, North Hollywood.

This event’s a chance to get to hear some of the bigger names in the LA lit scene read. David Ulin, J. Ryan Stradal, Natashia Deon, Matthew Specktor — as well as James Sie, Robert Roman, and Julia Ingalls — will all give short readings. Take your books to get signed!

I’m guessing there’ll be an afterparty with drinks and nibbles and socializing after the third round, as there has been in previous years. Check the Lit Crawl LA website closer to date for details.

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

September 8, 2016October 6, 2023

Best juice shop for writers in Los Angeles

Once, writers haunted coffee shops. Now, they seek out raw, cold pressed green juice — or at least they do in L.A. Or at least I do!

And my favorite spot is Juice Served Here — specifically, the Venice location. A breezy, open spot with lots of natural light, free wifi, your choice of seating, and lots and lots of organic raw juices.

The best deal’s the juice flight. For $8, you can get 10 shots of different juices — from the Field of Greens (grassy!) to Super Choc (chocolatey!). Some of my favorites are Tropic Thunder (Pineapple, Orange, Passion fruit plus greens) and The Roots (it sounds like a roasted veggies medley but tastes surprisingly decadent). Sometimes it’s tough to make a choice from all the options —

And yes, there’s cold brew coffee too — that can be latte’d up with Cream Party (the most delicious raw coconut milk ever) or a nut milk of your choice. If you’re hungry, go for a raw bar (below) or other healthy-ish sweet treat — or get one of the prepackaged vegan meals, delivered here from Cafe Gratitude.

The downtown LA location’s great too, if significantly more crowded. You’ll see as many Macbooks open there as at an Apple store! This spot shares the space with Verve Coffee Roasters, so you have the option here to get hot espresso drinks — as well as the usual gluten-y coffee shop pastry fare — before walking up two blocks to shop at The Last Bookstore.

I’ve been to the Santa Monica and West Hollywood locations too, but they’re not quite as spacious and pleasant to linger in. Some of the locations — like the one in Westfield Century Mall — are just quick-stop to-go shops. But if you find yourself in Venice or downtown LA with your laptop or book, you know where to go.

I realize the distinction between a juice and coffee shop has become thin these days. There’s nary a coffee shop in town that doesn’t offer bottled cold pressed juice. Even Starbucks offers Evolution green juice in all their stores! Still, Juice Served Here makes for a great spot to read and write all day — all while staying on your juice cleanse.

Juice Served Here. Venice: 609 S. Lincoln Blvd. Downtown LA: 833 S Spring St., Los Angeles. Other locations all over LA.

August 31, 2016October 6, 2023

Book Show: A Carnivalesque bookstore in Highland Park

shelf at Book Show in Highland Park Los Angeles

If you long for an indie bookstore with that fiercely unique vibe, pop in to Book Show. This place is so fun to visit the LA Times wrote a feature on it a couple years ago, back when Book Show was still in Elysian Valley.

Now, Book Show’s settled into Highland Park, but has retained its personality. Book Show embodies the one-of-a-kind spirit of Jen Hitchcock, owner and “mistress of the arcane,” who’s decorated the place carnival-style with colorful show curtains, funky props, and lots and lots of color.

The collection of new and used books are an eclectic, community-oriented mix. Many are written by local authors. Even my own chapbooks are on the shelves!

Book Show’s also a great spot to shop for gifts: unique candles, tarot cards, handmade journals, funny cat-themed tchotchkes, and lots of other unexpected things. You never know what you’ll find.

The place hosts a regular lineup of events. There are readings, of course, but also open mics and other performances. Workshops range from screenplay writing and ghost hunting! Check out the calendar for the full schedule.

Book Show. 5503 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles.