Category: Travel

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See you at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery 3/1 (or in Mexico / La Verne)

I’ve never been to Mexico, but that’s about to change. Next week, I’m heading south to San Miguel de Allende for the San Miguel Writer’s Conference and Literary Festival. The event features literary luminaries like Sandra Cisneros and Rita Dove — plus a workshop by me!

Will you be there? If so, I hope to see you at the workshop I’m teaching:

Writing Creatively in the Second Person
Sunday, Feb. 18, 9 am to 10:30 am
Hotel Real de Minas, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico

Can’t make it that far? Then drive just an hour or so to my FREE reading at the University of La Verne:

Cake Time: A Reading at University of La Verne
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, 5 pm
University of La Verne, 1950 3rd St, La Verne, Calif.

Or just stay in L.A. and wait for me to read a true story next month. I’m really psyched to be part of the March lineup for a new monthly hit storytelling, literary series in Los Angeles called The Secret Society of The Sisterhood!

Come to The Masonic Lodge in Hollywood Forever Cemetery and join this “secret society” for women on the full moon. I’ll be one of six women who’ll share a personal story. Here’s what the Los Angeles Times wrote about the first show.

This month’s topic: “I thought I was going to die!” I’ll be on stage with Pamela Des Barres, Nicole Byer, Gloria Calderón Kellett, Michelle Tea, Venus and The Moon, and the event producer and host, Trish Nelson.

The Secret Society of The Sisterhood
The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles
Thu., March 1, 2018, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm
Tickets: $20 in advance, $30 at the door. Proceeds donated to Planned Parenthood.

Hope to see you IRL soon —

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See you at Vermin on the Mount San Diego 1/20!

I realize this is rather late notice, but I’m reading from Cake Time tonight Vermin on the Mount San Diego and would love to see you there!

What: Vermin on the Mount San Diego
When: Saturday, January 20, 2018, 7 pm
Where: La Bodega Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave., San Diego.

Hosted by Jim Ruland, Vermin on the Mount is one of my favorite reading series — so much so that I wrote a long piece about it for Literary Hub — and the only one I know of with events in both San Diego and Los Angeles.

For each event, Jim asks the readers to answer this question: “What’s the most unusual experience you’ve had at a reading?.” I ended up writing a personal essay of sorts in response that’s longish without really answering the question. Here’s an excerpt:

I took a Lyft to Ball and Chain. I danced. People kept asking if I lived in Miami, or was visiting. The first guy told me he used to live in Malibu, he liked sunsets and walks on the beach. The next guy told me he used to live in Redondo Beach. He’d gone to UCLA for business school. Now he sold motorcycle helmets on the internet. The music got louder and then there was less talking. One guy tried to get me to dance on two; it didn’t go well. The Redondo Beach guy came back and tried to get me to dance Cuban style. This went better, but was disorienting. I moved closer to the glass wall, where it was a little quieter. One guy told me he was from Irvine, but he didn’t learn to dance there, he’d picked it up after he moved. Save me another one for later, he said, then disappeared into the crowd.

Read the rest at Vermin on the Mount’s website — and while you’re there, check out the responses from my fellow readers tonight: Ryan Bradford, Suzanne Hoyem, Paul Lopez, and Colin Winnette.

Hope to see you all soon!

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Thank you Brooklyn and Philadelphia

Thank you to Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn for hosting the Red Hen Press reading earlier this month — with a wine reception, no less!

This gorgeous neighborhood bookstore was such a fun place to read — and it was an honor to get to read with two of my fellow Red Hen authors, Ellen Meeropol and Amy Hassinger.

We had a mini Vermont Studio Center reunion at the bookstore. So great to see you Christina, Celeste, and Kiley (left to right)!

Sara, whom I met at Tin House Winter Writing Workshop, was also there, as was my writing buddy Beth, who abandoned L.A. for Brooklyn a few months ago. We walked the Brooklyn Bridge the next morning —

The reading with Celeste Gainey at Big Blue Marble Bookstore in Philadelphia was small and sweet. Thanks for hosting us at this cozy place!

I stopped in New Jersey to see one more friend from Tin House, Ananda Lima, plus Alison, my college roommate!

Then I flew to Toronto to visit another writing friend, Marilyn Duarte, whom I met a few years ago at Disquiet in Lisbon. Thanks for showing me around the city, Marilyn!

A couple lessons learned from this east coast mini book tour:

1. Going to a lot of writing workshops and programs and residencies means having writerly friends scattered across the world (actually, mostly in Brooklyn) who’ll support you!

2. There are three airports, not two, in the NYC area. I knew this but somehow forgot — and was reminded when I showed up at Newark instead of La Guardia for my flight to Toronto! (I knew I wasn’t flying out of JFK, and so assumed Newark) Everything turned out fine though —

I’ll be sure to double check the airport before future flights! That said, my next readings will happen in such exotic places as Echo Park, Westwood, and Glendale! L.A. area people — Hope to see you there.

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Taste New York in L.A.: 5 new restaurants

I’ve declared June New York month because I’m in New York right now on my east coast book tour!

I’ve been so excited about this trip that before flying out, I actually prepped by checking out New York restaurants that recently opened in Los Angeles. Apparently the west coast is the place to be if you’re a chef, because a whole bunch of new yummy spots have sprung up. Here’s how my pre-NYC tasting tour went:

by chloe. 2520 Glendale Blvd., Silver Lake.

I’d put by chloe on my list of places to visit in New York after reading a review in The New Yorker last month — then googled it to find out L.A. already has its own location, right next door to a 365 by Whole Foods.

The review recommended veggie burgers and fries with the house made beet ketchup, but all that sounded heavy because I’m more of a salad for lunch girl. So I got the Spicy Thai Salad — which with quinoa, edamame, almonds, and a very sweet-and-sticky apricot-sriracha glazed tempeh ended up being really filling. I’m glad I asked for no wontons and peanut dressing on the side because all that with the tempeh glaze would have been way too much!

Afterwards I was too full to be tempted by the delicious-looking vegan treats — but my friend Ian got this tiramisu cupcake and made me jealous —

As a sidenote, has anyone else noticed that The New Yorker’s suddenly started reviewing a lot of vegan restaurants lately? Did the magazine get a veg restaurant reviewer?

The Butcher’s Daughter. 1205 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice.

This very popular vegetarian eatery on Abbot Kinney often has a wait — but the food is worth it. Just visiting the restaurant’s Instagram page full of avocado toasts will make you drool. When I went, I got the macro bowl — forbidden rice, black beans, roasted veggies, and hummus on arugula with an egg and a hunk of avocado — and for dessert, the juice flight, which comes with four cold pressed juices of your choice.

The Venice location’s an open, airy space with lots of sunlight — which is to say that to me, The Butcher’s Daughter seems very Californian. Perhaps New Yorkers just like to eat the same stuff Angelenos like to eat — Namely, avocados.

Erin McKenna’s Bakery LA. 236 N. Larchmont Blvd., Larchmont.

My NY-in-LA tasting tour had a third vegetarian-friendly spot: Erin McKenna’s Bakery. This cute bakery’s not only vegan but also gluten-free, soy-free, refined-sugar-free and kosher.

Unlike the pristine prettiness of Sprinkles or Vanilla, Erin McKenna’s embraces a homier look, with cupcakes that look proudly hand-iced and not-quite-uniform. I think donuts are the most popular items here, but I had to get the double chocolate crumb cake — a generous slice of moist decadence.

Baohaus. Far East Plaza, 727 N Broadway #130., Chinatown.

Edde Huang’s Baohaus is famous for its pork belly baos — but the three veg places I visited must have had an effect on me. When I got up to the order counter at this tiny, mostly to-go spot, I saw a flyer that said “vegan managers meal @ baohaus L.A. only!” and on the spur of the moment, ordered that.

This was a mistake. The dish was basically supposed to be a fried tofu rice bowl — served with eggplant salad, peanut cucumbers, stir-fried Chinese broccoli, and garlic chili cabbage over a bed of cauli-rice. I was mostly excited about the eggplant salad — but when I got my compostable bowl, there was no eggplant to be seen. On top of that, the tofu was very greasy, and the oily-spicy flavors of the veggies really, really didn’t go well with the slightly soggy cauli-rice.

Squished inside an old, noisy mall in Chinatown, this spot, though new, is rather run-down looking and unpleasant to eat in, with harsh fluorescent lights and aluminum countertops. All in all, I’m not interested in repeating this experience, but I did learn an important lesson: If a place is best known for pork, don’t order the vegan dish.

Sweet Chick. 448 N Fairfax, Los Angeles.

This contemporary southern comfort food place is known for fried chicken and waffles — so of course that’s not what I got. Why be normal? Also, I just really don’t digest gluten well, and fried chicken often tastes to me too — fried. This time though, my meal worked out well! The Grilled Octopus — with gochujang BBQ, peanuts, and lime radish on Charleston Gold rice — was warm and comforting and delicious with savory spicy tang.

Keep in mind that in the afternoons, Sweet Chick serves ONLY chicken and waffles; the full menu is available only at mealtimes. But at any time, you can enjoy the hip hop on the speakers and the full cocktail menu —
___

Maybe I’ll revisit the New York locations of these restaurants and see how they compare while I’m on the east coast! And when I come back, I’ll try some of the more formal NY-in-LA restaurants that have also opened up in the last year:

* Beauty & Essex. New American.
* Tao. Pan-Asian.
* Rao’s. Southern Neapolitan Italian.
* Serafina Sunset. Casual Italian, with a focus on thin crust pizza.

Been to these yet? Let me know your recommendations in the comments.

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Thank you west coast! And more Cake Time in LA

Thank you to everyone who came to my readings in Oakland, San Francisco, Portland, Bellingham, and Seattle last week!

Cake Time by Siel Ju at Diesel Oakland

Thanks especially to Brad Johnson at Diesel Oakland, Charlie Jane Anders of Writers With Drinks, Kevin Sampsell at Powell’s Books, Kelly Magee at  Western Washington University, the good people at Village Books, and Christine Texeira at Hugo House — as well as Book Soup and Stories in Los Angeles, where I read over the weekend —

And more thanks to everyone who read with me: Angela Palm, Brynn Saito, Andrew Lam, Corinne Manning (above right), Tara Atkinson (above left), Chelsea Werner-Jatzke, Elizabeth Powell, Meredith Alling, Miranda Tsang.

Couldn’t make it to any of those readings? Then I really hope I’ll see you at one of the events coming up this week in the LA area!

If you’re a morning person, come to the Writes of Spring Festival in Whittier:

Writes of Spring Festival
Thursday, April 20, 2017, 8 am
Rio Hondo College, 3600 Workman Mill Rd., Whittier, Calif.

— or come by that night to also hear Antonia Crane, Paula Priamos, Peg Alford Pursell, and Rob Roberge:

Why There Are Words Los Angeles
(Facebook event page)
Thursday, April 20, 2017, 7pm
1614 Wilshire Blvd. Unit 503, Los Angeles

— or kick off the weekend at Kaya Press’s pre-LA Times Festival of Books Party with me, Q.M. Zhang, Chris Santiago, Douglas Manuel, Andrew Wessels, and Amarnath Ravva:

Pre-Smokin’ Hot Lit Lounge Reading
Friday, April 21 2017, 7:30 – 9:30 pm
Other Books, 2006 E Cesar Chavez Ave., Los Angeles

And though I don’t have any events at the LA Times Festival of Books this weekend, I’ll be hanging out there on Saturday hearing and supporting other writers. Stop by the Red Hen Press table (booth 934) to pick up a copy of Cake Time. Then tweet me and I’ll come find you to sign it!

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

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Top 11 coffee shops for writers in Portland

This post comes with a caveat: I’ve only been to Portland twice, and between both visits, spent like five days in the city. That said, I did a lot of wandering around — and discovered that there’s a cute indie coffee shop or two on pretty much every block. These coffee shops generally come with all the amenities a writer desires — fantastic coffee, pretty latte art, yummy nibbles, kind baristas, open tables, and usually, free wifi.

My theory as to why Portland has such a great cafe culture: People need places to duck in to escape the rain, which falls really, really often up there. These are the eleven places that I ducked into — and loved.

The Clearing Cafe. If you are in Portland visiting Tin House — and have an hour to write — walk over to this cafe, which was recommended to me by Tin House’s Lance Cleland. Nice lattes, and filling bowls that the other customers raved about. 2772 NW Thurman Street.

Coffee Time. While I was at this spacious coffee shop, a woman walked in wearing pink rain boots and holding pink bike basket after tying up her bike on which was perched a pink kid’s seat. The macha lattes are yummy but don’t get the quinoa chocolate bar. The barista will say it is delicious; it is not. 712 NW 21st Ave.

Anna Bannanas. This homey spot offers deep couches, cards to play with, and floating copies of the New York Times. The lattes are yummy — and if you’re hungry, you can order anything from acai bowls to freshly baked banana bread. 8716 North Lombard Street.

Barista. The barista recommended the Oregon hazelnut latte, which was sweet and delicious and only available for a limited time. It was delicious, so I hope they still have it when you visit! There are four locations; I went to the one in the Pearl District. 539 NW 13th Ave.


Kiva Tea Cafe. Portland weather got you feeling sniffly? Stop by this tea house for the Flu Fighter tea — a lemony, gingery concoction that’ll warm you up. They also have coffee and food of the granola-y, raw, gluten-free variety. 1533 NW 24th Avenue.

Vivace Coffee & Crepes. The obvious place to go if you like crepes with your coffee. Sweet and savory, gluteny and gluten-free — they have them all. 1400 NW 23rd Ave.

World Cup Coffee at Powell’s. At this coffee shop, you can take a writing break to shop for books in the biggest bookstore in the U.S. Say hello to bookseller Kevin Sampsell, author of This Is Between Us! 1005 W Burnside St.

Coffeehouse Northwest. I recommend getting the hot chocolate here. They have two versions, a dark one and a sweet one. Get the dark — It’s delicious, and won a local award a year or two ago according to the barista. 1951 West Burnside Street.

Fat Straw. If you like your latte with a bahn mi sandwich, go here. This place mostly serves boba drinks, but their coffee drinks were decent and their seats comfortable. 806 NW 23rd Ave.

Ristretto Roasters. Combine home goods shopping with your coffee drinking at this cafe, located inside Schoolhouse Electric. It’s a little out of the way, but it’s a modern, inviting place. 2181 NW Nicolai Street.

Portland International Airport. I realize the airport is not a coffee shop, but there are coffee shops in there — and I can make the argument that this airport is the best airport for writers. There are little study cubbies with outlets and free wifi! Plug in and pound out your next novel while waiting for your flight.

Are there other coffee shops I should visit the next time I’m in Portland? Let me know in the comments —