Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
500 Days of Summer and Metropolis Books
I must admit I loved that movie, and well the product placement of our sign in one of the sequences. Hmmm, I think I was suppose to take our sign in while the film shoot was going on, I sort of forgot.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Downtown LA's Dynamic Decade
We are lucky enough to be part of it!! Reprint from the Downtown News, written by Jon Regardie
Detailing the most Important Projects of the last decade.
When Tom Gilmore announced plans to turn a trio of buildings not far from Skid Row into market-rate apartments, many were skeptical. “To those who say it is not a great neighborhood,” said Gilmore at the time, “we just bought the neighborhood.” The 70-unit San Fernando Building came online in fall 2000, followed the next year by the 104-apartment Hellman Building and the 56-residence Continental Building. The corner of Fourth and Main streets has since become the epicenter of street life in the district, as businesses including Pete’s Café, Metropolis Books, Banquette, the OBD Market and Old Bank DVD have followed.Impact: At $33 million and 230 units, the Old Bank District was smaller in scale and budget than many later projects in Downtown. Yet none was more influential or precedent setting. Gilmore was the first developer to test the city’s new Adaptive Reuse Ordinance, which made it easier and less expensive to turn dead office structures into housing. He somehow secured the money, and as construction crews worked, other developers waited to see if the buildings could be transformed and if people would move in; many feared it would be an expensive flop. Instead, Gilmore found a sizeable market of people ready to embrace urban living, and in the wake of his success, developers flocked to the area, buying up nearly every old building available (and crazily ratcheting up the price of once un-sellable structures) and turning them into housing. The Old Bank District may have lacked the gloss of Disney Hall and the glitz of L.A. Live, but it opened doors no other project in Downtown did — without the Old Bank District, Downtown would not have seen the residential revolution of the past decade.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thursday Dec. 10th. Art Walk Night-7:00 pm
Art Walk Night!!!
Hannah Dennison & Susan Kandel
Hannah Dennsion continues the Vicky Hill mystery series with Expose'! Vicky is an ambitious trainee newspaper reporter who dreams of becoming a famous investigative journalist but finds herself stuck writing obituaries for the Gipping Gazette. Vicky's also the daughter of legendary criminal, The Fog-a fact she must keep secret.
Hannah Dennison & Susan Kandel
Hannah Dennsion continues the Vicky Hill mystery series with Expose'! Vicky is an ambitious trainee newspaper reporter who dreams of becoming a famous investigative journalist but finds herself stuck writing obituaries for the Gipping Gazette. Vicky's also the daughter of legendary criminal, The Fog-a fact she must keep secret.
Mystery author Susan Kandel returns with a new installment in her Cece Caruso series - Dial H for Hitchcock! Cece is a clothes obsessed, divorced ex-beauty queen who lives in Ventura - and solves crimes. Her other novels include I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason, Not a Girl Detective, Shamus in the Green Room, and Christietown.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Saturday The Good Men Project-5:00 pm
Don't miss The Good Men Project this Saturday December 5th. at 5:00 pm
The Good Men Project: Real Stories from the Front Lines of Modern Manhood (Edited by James Houghton, Larry Bean, & Tom Matlack) is an anthology of stories by men-rich, poor, black, white, gay, straight, urban, rural, famous, ordinary--all first-person narratives about a moment of insight in their lives. Collectively, their experiences help define what it means to be a man in America today. The Good Men Project includes the book, a documentary film, live events and an online discussion. All proceeds go to The Good Men Foundation, which supports at-risk boys.
Friday, November 20, 2009
December 1st. our third anniversary!!!
December 1st. is our third anniversary of opening the bookstore. Save 10% off your entire purchase the month of December.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Now open Mondays until the end of the year
We are now open Mondays from 11-5 thru the holiday season. We will extend our store hours the last two weeks before Christmas.
Coming December 5th. 4:00 pm. The Good Men Project
The Good Men Project: Real Stories from the Front Lines of Modern Manhood (Edited by James Houghton, Larry Bean, & Tom Matlack) is an anthology of stories by men-rich, poor, black, white, gay, straight, urban, rural, famous, ordinary--all first-person narratives about a moment of insight in their lives. Collectively, their experiences help define what it means to be a man in America today. The Good Men Project includes the book, a documentary film, live events and an online discussion. All proceeds go to The Good Men Foundation, which supports at-risk boys.
Jeffrey K. Wallace lives in Orange County, California. When he's not reading, writing, parenting, or teaching (at Chapman University), he's busy enjoying his family. Wallace's essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Family Circle Magazine, the Orange County Register, Toastmaster International, and the anthology I Wanna Be Sedated: 30 Writers on Parenting Teachers.
Kent George is an actor, writer, and filmmaker living with his wife and two children in Los Angeles. As an actor he has appeared in numerous theater, television, and film projects over the past twenty years. He is a longtime company member of Circus Theatricals in Los Angeles, and he has presented two original plays at the Powerhouse Theater in Santa Monica. In 2006, George wrote and produced the semiautobiographical feature film Puff, Puff, Pass. He currently is editing a feature-length documentary titled Inside the Box, which is about Circus Theatricals and the lives of theater actors in Los Angeles .
Jeffrey K. Wallace lives in Orange County, California. When he's not reading, writing, parenting, or teaching (at Chapman University), he's busy enjoying his family. Wallace's essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Family Circle Magazine, the Orange County Register, Toastmaster International, and the anthology I Wanna Be Sedated: 30 Writers on Parenting Teachers.
Kent George is an actor, writer, and filmmaker living with his wife and two children in Los Angeles. As an actor he has appeared in numerous theater, television, and film projects over the past twenty years. He is a longtime company member of Circus Theatricals in Los Angeles, and he has presented two original plays at the Powerhouse Theater in Santa Monica. In 2006, George wrote and produced the semiautobiographical feature film Puff, Puff, Pass. He currently is editing a feature-length documentary titled Inside the Box, which is about Circus Theatricals and the lives of theater actors in Los Angeles .
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Publisher's Weekly covers National Bookstore Day
Here is a reprint of Wendy Werris article in Publisher's Weekly.
Among the many events held November 7 to mark the first National Bookstore Day was a program put together by Skylight Books in Los Angeles which held a wine and cheese reception for local booksellers--old, new and former--who came to celebrate the continuing relevance of independents across the country.Skylight’s owner Kerry Slattery introduced each bookseller to the gathering of customers and writers and had them say a few words about their store and its context in the Southern California book community.
Most of the speakers acknowledged the “interconnectedness” among booksellers and the allegiance toward one another that outweighs the idea of being competitors. Tyson Cornell, director of marketing for Book Soup, described an event at his store that had to be canceled due to a power outage. “Skylight saved the day for us, though,” Cornell said. “When I phoned Kerry at the last minute she told me to move the event over to her store, which we did, and then she insisted that Book Soup keep the profits from that night’s signing.” That kind of generosity of spirit also brought new customers to Skylight and an awareness of the choices available to the book-buying public in Los Angeles.Claudia Colodro, owner of Stories Books and Café in Echo Park and a former staffer at Dutton’s in North Hollywood described her store’s policy of selling both used and new books and holding events twice a week. Portrait of a Bookstore in Studio City was represented by gift buyer B.J. Hegedus. “We’re now discounting all hardcovers 20% - all the time,” Hegedus told the group, articulating a possible sales strategy for the other booksellers. Every store at Skylight’s celebration is struggling with ways to bring in new customers as they try to compete with the price wars between Amazon and Wal-Mart.
Portrait’s book buyer Lucia Silva is a regular book commentator and reviewer on NPR. Also on hand was Julie Swayze, co-owner of Metropolis Books in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles. The store, surrounded by artist’s lofts, participates in the monthly Art Walk by having a signing, poetry reading or art-related event. Metropolis has a page on Goodreads.com as well as Facebook.Slattery, who opened Skylight 13 years ago, made nametags for the guests based on the paintings of their stores found in The Art of the Bookstore: The Bookstore Paintings of Gibbs M. Smith (Gibbs Smith). “If your local independent bookstore is out of a title you want, there’s no need to order it from Amazon,” she told the customers. “All of us have web sites with ordering capability, and we can also download and sell you the e-books you’re interested in.”
Adele Wallace opened Sisterhood Bookstore in Westwood in 1972. “We did wonder at the time if there were even enough books by and about women to stock our shelves!” Wallace mused. “But Alice Walker was coming into the mainstream then, and Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan. Eventually we began running out of room for all the books on women’s studies.” Sisterhood, one of the first feminist bookstores in the country, was in business for 28 years before a Borders store opened across the street and forced them to close in 1999. “The great irony is that the very same Borders closed a year ago.” Now a librarian, Wallace remains a staunch supporter of indie bookstores.Doug Dutton, whose eponymous bookstore in Brentwood closed in 2007 after a 20-year run, seemed bemused by his current status of eminence as one of the legends of Los Angeles bookselling. “Perhaps it’s my gray hair that’s granted it to me,” he joked. Reflecting on the staying power of indie bookstores he said, “We share insights and common ground, and in spite of all rational thinking I’m considering getting back into it.” Dutton mentioned, too, that the book he’s reading – Atmospheric Disturbances, by Rivka Galchen (FSG, 2008) – came to his attention by listening to a review of it by Portrait of a Bookstore’s Silva on NPR.In other parts of California, the three-store Diesel Books chain co-owner John Evans said that all of his locations participated in the event, with staff at the Malibu store serving hot apple cider and pastries to customers who also enjoyed a special visit of support by Mayor Andy Stern. In Brentwood, customers who bought over $100 worth of books received free Diesel Books t-shirts to commemorate the day, and a quiz was held in the Oakland store with winners presented with $25 gift certificates. “We designed the questions to reward our regular customers,” Evans said. “We asked things like, ‘which staff member has been listed in a bestselling memoir (Evans, in Norman Ollestad’s Crazy for the Storm)?’ and ‘name three books published by Diesel staff members in the last five years.’ “We had a very positive response to National Bookstore Day. Several ex-employees stopped by, and customers were glad the event was happening,” Evans continued. “Everyone liked the concept of it. For us it was National Reader Appreciation Day as well.”
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
LA Times article about Indie bookstores on Twitter
Here is a reprint of Carolyn Kellogg's L.A. Times article about Bookstores and Twitter
Throw another big shining coin in our overflowing treasure chest of evidence that Los Angeles is a highly literary city. Turns out that of the 10 most popular bookstores on Twitter, four are based in Los Angeles. In descending order, that's Skylight Books with 2,426 followers, Vroman's with 2,248, Book Soup with 2,175 and newcomer Metropolis Books in downtown Los Angeles with 1,820.
OK, we're not home to the biggest bookstore on the Twitter block. That place is claimed by Powell's, the independent, Portland, Ore.-based bookseller that went online early and in a big way. Powell's beyond-Portland online presence is reflected in its 10,132 followers. It's in a class by itself.
Although the four L.A. bookstores in the top 10 total fewer than 9,000 followers, they still make an impressive bundle. The second-most popular bookstore is Tattered Cover in Denver (3,359 followers), the only Denver bookstore on the list. Harvard Bookstore in Cambridge (3,182) is the only Boston-ish store. And Bookpeople in Austin (1,966) is the lone representative for the Lone Star state.
The two New York bookstores to make the top 10 -- Word and Book Culture -- are both in Brooklyn. Together, they total 3,937.
If you look into the entire top 20 list, more New York and Boston bookstores begin popping up -- as do stores in New Hampshire, Maryland, Minnesota and Vermont. Not so much Los Angeles -- it appears we have a handful of bookstores that have already established themselves as strong Twitter players.
Which means next time you go to a reading, don't turn off your cellphone, as they always advise. Instead, turn off your ringer, and feel free to Tweet, as long as you mention where you're at -- @skylightbooks, @vroman's, @metroplisbooks or @booksoup.
-- Carolyn Kellogg
Throw another big shining coin in our overflowing treasure chest of evidence that Los Angeles is a highly literary city. Turns out that of the 10 most popular bookstores on Twitter, four are based in Los Angeles. In descending order, that's Skylight Books with 2,426 followers, Vroman's with 2,248, Book Soup with 2,175 and newcomer Metropolis Books in downtown Los Angeles with 1,820.
OK, we're not home to the biggest bookstore on the Twitter block. That place is claimed by Powell's, the independent, Portland, Ore.-based bookseller that went online early and in a big way. Powell's beyond-Portland online presence is reflected in its 10,132 followers. It's in a class by itself.
Although the four L.A. bookstores in the top 10 total fewer than 9,000 followers, they still make an impressive bundle. The second-most popular bookstore is Tattered Cover in Denver (3,359 followers), the only Denver bookstore on the list. Harvard Bookstore in Cambridge (3,182) is the only Boston-ish store. And Bookpeople in Austin (1,966) is the lone representative for the Lone Star state.
The two New York bookstores to make the top 10 -- Word and Book Culture -- are both in Brooklyn. Together, they total 3,937.
If you look into the entire top 20 list, more New York and Boston bookstores begin popping up -- as do stores in New Hampshire, Maryland, Minnesota and Vermont. Not so much Los Angeles -- it appears we have a handful of bookstores that have already established themselves as strong Twitter players.
Which means next time you go to a reading, don't turn off your cellphone, as they always advise. Instead, turn off your ringer, and feel free to Tweet, as long as you mention where you're at -- @skylightbooks, @vroman's, @metroplisbooks or @booksoup.
-- Carolyn Kellogg
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Poetry and Ghosts Oh My!! October Events
Saturday, October 24th 4:00 pm
Glass Table Poetry Collective
Glass Table Poetry 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.
October 31st. 4:00 pm
Author Sue Ann Jaffarian
Signs and discusses-Ghost A' La Mode, her new Paranormal mystery
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Art Walk Night October 8th. 7:00 pm
Julienne Le 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.
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.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Author Event-Saturday September 26th.5:00 pm
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.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Saturday September 19th -4:00 pm Author Cialan Haasnic
It's been a decade after 9-11, and the war on terror is big business. Washington has become a political free-for-all, controlled by a self-serving corporatocracy. Now, a new group of terrorists - homegrown and off government radar - plots to unleash a fast-acting bio-weapon never before seen, ensuring a horrific death to anyone exposed. The greatest minds in science can't find a treatment - let alone a cure. And no one knows where the deadly pthogen will be released next. HOMEGROWN: THE TERROR WITHIN portends a frightening scenario of a threat that is only too real.
"Cialan Haasnic's HOMEGROWN: THE TERROR WITHIN is that rare thriller which is genuinely suspenseful and scary." - Alexandra Bicks, Trident
"Cialan Haasnic's HOMEGROWN: THE TERROR WITHIN is that rare thriller which is genuinely suspenseful and scary." - Alexandra Bicks, Trident
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Thursday Night Art Walk-Sept. 10th. 6 to 10:00 pm
Join us September 10th. for Art Walk night, we are open until 10:00 pm. Come in and pick up a copy of the newly released novel, The Golden City by John Twelve Hawks, or a copy of
Fred Kaplan's 1959, another hot seller for us. Or local author Richard Lange's This Wicked World.
Also catch our livestream broadcast of John Twelve Hawks book signing event, "I Am John Twelve Hawks" on our livestream channel; http://www.livestream.com/metropolisbooks
Friday, August 28, 2009
LA Times Jacket Copy article
Here is a reprint of Carolyn Kellog's article about our John Twelve Hawks event which will happen
September 12th. at 4:00
John Twelve Hawks concludes his Fourth Realm trilogy with "The Golden City," which hits shelves Sept. 8. Although he's got an enthusiastic fan following, he won't be going out for any bookstore meet-and-greets. The author has maintained his anonymity since his debut, "The Travelers," was published in Britain in 2004 (it came out in the U.S. a year later).
"John Twelve Hawks" is thought to be a pseudonym, and he -- or she -- has chosen to stay "off the grid," according to a 2005 interview with SFFWorld.com. "It’s an awkward life, but not a difficult one," John Twelve Hawks told the website. "I’m lucky to have a variety of friends who help me."
So with the pressure to publicize a new book, what's an anonymous author to do?
Well, there will be readings, but they'll be conducted by stand-ins. Including Julie Anne Swayze, proprietor of Metropolis Books in downtown L.A., who will declare, "I am John Twelve Hawks" on Sept. 12.
At the reading, which takes place at 4 p.m., the bookstore owner will read from "The Golden City" and hold a raffle for door prizes, including genuine signed editions of the book.
It's John Twelve Hawks' loss that he's not going to make it there. Metropolis Books is just down the block from The Nickel Diner, home of the famous maple-glazed bacon doughnut -- which is so good, it should be able to get anyone to come out of hiding.
-- Carolyn Kellogg
Photo: Hayden Childs -- who is not, as far as we know, John Twelve Hawks -- reads at Metropolis Books in 2008. Credit: Carolyn Kellogg
"John Twelve Hawks" is thought to be a pseudonym, and he -- or she -- has chosen to stay "off the grid," according to a 2005 interview with SFFWorld.com. "It’s an awkward life, but not a difficult one," John Twelve Hawks told the website. "I’m lucky to have a variety of friends who help me."
So with the pressure to publicize a new book, what's an anonymous author to do?
Well, there will be readings, but they'll be conducted by stand-ins. Including Julie Anne Swayze, proprietor of Metropolis Books in downtown L.A., who will declare, "I am John Twelve Hawks" on Sept. 12.
At the reading, which takes place at 4 p.m., the bookstore owner will read from "The Golden City" and hold a raffle for door prizes, including genuine signed editions of the book.
It's John Twelve Hawks' loss that he's not going to make it there. Metropolis Books is just down the block from The Nickel Diner, home of the famous maple-glazed bacon doughnut -- which is so good, it should be able to get anyone to come out of hiding.
-- Carolyn Kellogg
Photo: Hayden Childs -- who is not, as far as we know, John Twelve Hawks -- reads at Metropolis Books in 2008. Credit: Carolyn Kellogg
Thursday, August 20, 2009
John Twelve Hawks-September 12th. 4:00 pm
Don't miss our, "I Am John Twelve Hawks" event Saturday September 12th. at 4:00 pm. We are participating in the worldwide author event to celebrate the publication of John's eagerly anticipated book "The Golden City" book three in the Fourth Realm trilogy.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Art Walk Night-August 13th. 7:00 pm Author 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.
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.
Monday, July 27, 2009
August 1st. 4:00 pm Hard Crime author-Robert Ward
Join us as we welcome Hard Crime Author Robert Ward to Metropolis Books. August 1st. at 4:00 pm. He will read and sign his latest Jack Harper and Oscar Hidalgo novel, Total Immunity.
Chick Lit Event-July 25th. Liz and Lisa
Here are a few photos from this past weekends Chick Lit event. Liz Fenton, Lisa Steinke, and Laura Dave were signed and read from their novels, "I"ll Have Who She's Having", and "The Divorce Party". We had raffles for fabulous prizes, giveaways included beach bags donated by eBags and the Saltbox and Make Love Not Trash brands which were full of chick lit books and fabulous DXG Luxe collection camcorders that looked like Chanel handbags; along with movie passes to the 2009 Sundance winning film, "Adam".
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Guest Bloggers-Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
Join us for our book signing of "I'll Have Who She's Having" July 25th. at 4:00 pm at Metropolis Books, with Laura Dave author of "The Divorce Party"
Chick Lit is Not Dead
By Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke, co-authors of the chick lit book “I’ll Have Who She’s Having” and the blog http://www.chicklitisnotdead.com/
Do you remember the first time you fell in love with Chick Lit? We do.
It was love at first site. She was stiletto-wearing and sassy; always pretty in pink or playfully yellow, images of martinis and long legs graced her covers. She was given the best spot on the bookshelves and gave women an escape from their own hectic lives into fun and fashionable worlds complete with endless happy endings. We were crushing on her in a major way. Chick Lit was the most popular girl in school.
And then all of a sudden she wasn't.
Or as Heidi Klum would say, "One day you're IN and the next day, you're OUT."
Chick Lit's popularity was ultimately the death of her. Because when the market became over-saturated with a bunch of copycats with predictable plots and cardboard characters, she was catapulted down to the D-list faster than you could say Tara Reid. She was accused of lacking substance, of being insulting to women's intelligence and being *gasp* cliche'.
Poor Chick Lit became such an outcast in the publishing world that she couldn't even be called by her own name anymore. Apparently, if she stood any chance of transforming from unbound manuscript to sleek, published novel, she had to be disguised as Women's Fiction. And even then, the odds of her becoming Homecoming Queen again were pretty damn slim.
Aspiring novelists querying agents needed to beware. Titles that conjured images of stiletto covers were shunned; the mention of designer purses was literary suicide; and if the protagonist was *gulp* a quirky, single girl with dreams of meeting Mr. Right, the manuscript was sent off to die a quick death.
Chick Lit was pronounced dead, gone well before her time thanks to overexposure. And her writers and readers put on their black designer dresses and went into mourning.
Her headline in the gossip columns would have read: From It Girl to Out Girl or One Too Many Knock-offs Sealed Her Fate!
But like any former A-lister, we knew she'd make a come back. (If Hugh Grant could do it, so could she!) She just had to wait for her moment and seize it.
And the time is now! Here's why we say Chick Lit is not only back in fashion, but she's going to be on the scene for a while.
She's our much-needed fantasy thinking about the crashing stock market and the record high unemployment rate hurts our heads. So instead of watching the nightly news, we'd rather pop open the book with a stick figure drinking a martini on the cover and give our brains the night off. If you can't take a real vacation, at least give your brain one! Let your biggest worry be over whether Jane Q Single Gal gets to marry Joe Q Bachelor; whether frenemies can become friend-ly; if it's a bad idea to get a manny. Let her wrap your ending up in a nice red bow and don't feel guilty about it for one second!
She's a cheap date
Even though hard economic times have caused most of us to slash our budgets (Tarjay is so the new Nordys), Chick Lit is still making it into our shopping carts. She's like that friend who talks you out of your buyer's remorse. She reminds you that it's OK to spend money on things that make you feel better. In fact, she thinks it's the American way! And even though a lot of us can't justify buying that Louis Vuitton purse or getting that $200 haircut anymore, Chick Lit still gives a frugal girl some bang for her buck. If you get her in paperback, she's only about $12. 95. This seems like an awesome price considering how often she makes us laugh, cry or even SOL (snort out loud!). And BTW, Chick Lit is always up on the latest trends. And if she says cheap is the new chic, we believe her.
She's Secure in her Stilettos
Chick Lit is proud of who she is. She makes no apologies for drinking Cosmos or wearing designer skinny jeans. She's never going to make the argument that she should win the Pulitzer or that she's invented cold fusion. And she definitely doesn't think a book should require a thesaurus while reading. She loves a good rom-com too and couldn't be happier that her cousin, Chick Flick, is back on the red carpet again too.
So to the literary snobs of the world, it's time to face the truth. Chick Lit is back and better than ever. And she's back now for the very reason she exploded onto the literary scene in the first place. No good woman can resist well-written books with relatable characters, high fashion and happy endings.
So say it loud and proud (*channels Ty Pennington and yells into megaphone*): CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD!
xoxo, Liz & Lisa
http://www.chicklitisnotdead.com/
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Saturday July 18th. 4:00 pm- Poet 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.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
July 9th. 7:00 pm -The Sky Rained Heroes
Meet author Frederick LaCroix Thursday, July 9th (700 PM) Art Walk
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Lunchtime with Business Guru Thembisa Mshaka
Spend Your Lunchtime with Business Guru and Motivation Speaker Thembisa S. Myshaka
Tuesday June 30th. 12:30 pm
Tuesday June 30th. 12:30 pm
There is a great mystique about the entertainment industry and a fervent desire in many to be part of it. But what many women don't realize is that most entertainment career guides are written from the point of view of the male executive, or are filled with industry and legal jargon-making them difficult to read and understand. Now, in PUT YOUR DREAMS FIRST, Thembisa Mshaka uses her 15 years of experience in the music industry to expose the hidden truths that women need to know as they aspire toward entertainment careers, such as how to avoid compromising one's self-respect and the little-known fact that women run a large part of the business. This highly informative guide is for every woman wanting to know how to navigate the entertainment superhighway and find that job of a lifetime. A cornerstone of integrity and stability in a highly competitive business, Thembisa has worked for over 17 years in service to the entertainment industry, spanning the areas of touring and management, magazine publishing, recorded music and technology, advertising, music supervision for film, voice over and most recently, television in her role as the Telly Award-winning Copy Director for BET Networks. The former GAVIN rap editor has also written for Honey, essence.com, LAUNCH, and served as contributing editor for The Hotness.com and BLAZE. A native of Los Angeles, Thembisa is an alumna of Mills College in Oakland, California. She now resides in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn with her husband and son.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Thriller Author-Andie Ryan Sat June 20th. 4:00 pm
Andie Ryan is a Wall Street insider with more than twenty years of risk oversight experience at major financial services firms in New York and San Francisco. She has held senior management roles in internal audit and compliance functions, most recently as Managing Director. A Berkeley native, she now lives in New York City. Shakedown is her first novel.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
June 13th. 4:00 pm-Anthony Parnell
The 7 Laws of Stress Management is a workbook designed to challenge readers to commit to writing and self-exploration on a daily basis as a means to effectively managing stress. A variety of writing exercises are presented throughout the book to assist readers in identifying key areas of stress and in implementing a written stress management plan. Additionally, The 7 Laws of Stress Management identifies seven laws or guidelines for maintaining balance in one's personal and professional life. Stress is a daily challenge confronted by all individuals in their personal and professional lives. The 7 Laws of Stress Management is an excellent tool for empowering individuals to be proactive in developing and implementing daily habits of living (a lifestyle) that fosters growth, balance and well-being. It provides a roadmap for consistently addressing the needs of one's mind, body, and spirit.
Anthony D. Parnell is the Founder and President of New Thought Management, Inc. a company that specializes in management consulting services and empowerment workshops for individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations. He is the author of four publications entitled, The 7 Laws of Stress Management: Life-Changing Strategies for Maintaining Balance in your Personal and Professional Life, Healing through Writing: A Journaling Guide to Emotional & Spiritual Growth, Mind Games and In Search of Soul. A native of Akron, Ohio, Anthony D. Parnell is a graduate of the State University of West Georgia, Clark Atlanta University's Graduate School of Social Work and has studied at the Universidad of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain.
Anthony D. Parnell is the Founder and President of New Thought Management, Inc. a company that specializes in management consulting services and empowerment workshops for individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations. He is the author of four publications entitled, The 7 Laws of Stress Management: Life-Changing Strategies for Maintaining Balance in your Personal and Professional Life, Healing through Writing: A Journaling Guide to Emotional & Spiritual Growth, Mind Games and In Search of Soul. A native of Akron, Ohio, Anthony D. Parnell is a graduate of the State University of West Georgia, Clark Atlanta University's Graduate School of Social Work and has studied at the Universidad of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Guy Fieri Signing cookbooks for the store
Here is a photo of Guy Fieri signing cookbooks for our store. He was in town to film an episode of Diners, Drive ins and Dives at the Nickel Diner. http://www.5cdiner.com/
Friday, May 29, 2009
Book Club meeting-June 6th. 6:00 pm
Our book club will be meeting on June 6th. to discuss Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.
June 6th. 4:00 pm Dr. Nancy Irwin- You Turn
Nancy Irwin, a Los Angeles-based psychotherapist, released a nonfiction titled YOU-TURN: Changing Direction in Midlife. This collection of “over 40 stories of people over 40” chronicles successful transitions in people’s personal and/or professional lives. Originally from Atlanta, where she trained as an opera singer, Dr. Irwin moved to New York City in 1985 to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian. She worked all over the country and abroad, and moved to L.A. in 1994 when she heard that Hollywood needed more blondes…She quips: “The road from comedy to mental health is very short, indeed.”
Dr. Nancy experienced an epiphany when she began volunteering for a shelter for sexually abused children. It changed her life, and prompted her to pursue a doctorate in psychology and to specialize in the prevention and healing of child sexual abuse. You-Turn not only shares her own story, but also 43 other youturns from a variety of people - - some simple, some dramatic: a convicted crack dealer who became a real estate investor, a mother of nine who started a foundation for the leprosy-affected, a monk who became a motivational speaker, a recovering pedophile, a man who became a spouse and parent after 40, a woman who finally embraced her sexual identity after years of denial and abuse, and more. The stories are divided into two parts: change by default (injury, break-up, lay-off, etc.) and change by choice (boredom, lack of fulfillment, etc).
Like a Chicken Soup for the Soul for Baby Boomers, this book is for the fearful and frozen….anyone who feels stuck in struggle yet really wants to move forward. Dr. Irwin states: “I’ve included some professional tips on navigating change at any age, but the emphasis of the book is on the stories told in first person. Everyone can identify with one or more of the stories in this book. I did not want to write an academic ‘do-this-in-order-to-feel-that’ book, because what has helped me reinvent myself so many times was seeing real-life people do amazing things. I figured if they could do it, why couldn’t I? It is my hope that we all begin seeing you-turns everywhere, so they become the rule rather than the exception. Twenty- and thirty-somethings especially can benefit from these stories so they will feel free to explore, question choices, and change directions, to avert what used to be called a “middle age crisis.” We now call it a middle age blaze!!!”
Dr. Nancy experienced an epiphany when she began volunteering for a shelter for sexually abused children. It changed her life, and prompted her to pursue a doctorate in psychology and to specialize in the prevention and healing of child sexual abuse. You-Turn not only shares her own story, but also 43 other youturns from a variety of people - - some simple, some dramatic: a convicted crack dealer who became a real estate investor, a mother of nine who started a foundation for the leprosy-affected, a monk who became a motivational speaker, a recovering pedophile, a man who became a spouse and parent after 40, a woman who finally embraced her sexual identity after years of denial and abuse, and more. The stories are divided into two parts: change by default (injury, break-up, lay-off, etc.) and change by choice (boredom, lack of fulfillment, etc).
Like a Chicken Soup for the Soul for Baby Boomers, this book is for the fearful and frozen….anyone who feels stuck in struggle yet really wants to move forward. Dr. Irwin states: “I’ve included some professional tips on navigating change at any age, but the emphasis of the book is on the stories told in first person. Everyone can identify with one or more of the stories in this book. I did not want to write an academic ‘do-this-in-order-to-feel-that’ book, because what has helped me reinvent myself so many times was seeing real-life people do amazing things. I figured if they could do it, why couldn’t I? It is my hope that we all begin seeing you-turns everywhere, so they become the rule rather than the exception. Twenty- and thirty-somethings especially can benefit from these stories so they will feel free to explore, question choices, and change directions, to avert what used to be called a “middle age crisis.” We now call it a middle age blaze!!!”
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
May 16th. 4:00 pm Diane Hammond-Hannah's Dream
An elephant never forgets . . . but can she dream?
For forty-one years, Samson Brown has been caring for Hannah, the lone elephant at the down-at-the-heels Max L. Biedelman Zoo. Having vowed not to retire until an equally loving and devoted caretaker is found to replace him, Sam rejoices when smart, compassionate Neva Wilson is hired as the new elephant keeper. But Neva quickly discovers what Sam already knows: that despite their loving care, Hannah is isolated from other elephants and her feet are nearly ruined from standing on hard concrete all day. Using her contacts in the zookeeping world, Neva and Sam hatch a plan to send Hannah to an elephant sanctuary—just as the zoo's angry, unhappy director launches an aggressive revitalization campaign that spotlights Hannah as the star attraction, inextricably tying Hannah's future to the fate of the Max L. Biedelman Zoo.
A charming, poignant, and captivating novel certain to enthrall readers of Water for Elephants, Diane Hammond's Hannah's Dream is a beautifully told tale rich in heart, humor, and intelligence.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Doorbells of Florence-Andrew Losowsky
May 9th. 5:00 pm- Meet Author Andrew Losowsky at Metropolis Books
Writer and photographer Andrew Losowsky captured the alluring and varied doorbells of Florence, Italy and then imagined the stories of those who might dwell within. Charming, whimsical, and elegant, each story is a perfect match for its photo, balancing the Old World appeal of Florence and the contemporary, gritty realities of a modern city.
The Doorbells of Florence enters hidden worlds of fated love, chance encounters, invented languages, false maps, and a secret beneath the floorboards. Travelers, lovers of Italy, and imaginative wanderers will delight in this collection, which features handdrawn lettering and a silk-screened cover.
Originally a cult online hit, The Doorbells of Florence won the Lulu Blooker Prize for Fiction for books that began life on the internet.
Andrew Losowsky has taught Chinese gang members in Hong Kong, spent the night in a tunnel on the London Underground, crashed a motorcycle in Vietnam, and explored the dark side of Barcelona with a plain-clothes policeman. His stories have appeared in the Guardian, the Wall Street Journal, the Times of London and The Believer. This is his first fiction book.
"With this book, the author frees his characters from reality and offers them "a moment of freedom from the ordered world that was holding them back." He offers readers the same. It's a breath of fresh air for those willing to lose their grip on rationality and accept Losowsky's sometimes outrageous sensibility." - Stephanie Harnett, Los Angeles Times Book Review
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Micah Linton-May 2nd. 4:00 pm Weebeasts
Weebeasts were first discovered and chronicled by self professed weebeastologist Micah Linton, after years of exhaustive research and physically challenging expeditions. Finally enough intangible facts have been discovered and journal notes with detailed watercolor paintings have been archived to prove the existence of the fictional species weebeasts and that they are called by many things in different regions around the world such as gremlins, pixies, goblins, elves, trolls, gnomes not to mention a variety of other names depending on geographical mythology and local folklore. Now the author has amassed enough evidence to tell the story of the weebeasts for the first time. Discover the origins of weebeasts in the first book of this exciting new series.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Sat. April 11th. 4:00 pm Barbara Dana
BARBARA DANA’s first play, War in Paramus, was presented at HB Playwrights and went on to Abingdon Theatre Company’s 2005 production, directed by Austin Pendleton. The play is included the Smith & Kraus anthology New Playwrights: The Best Plays of 2006. An award-winning author of books for children and young adults, her books include: Zucchini, Zucchini Out West, Necessary Parties, Crazy Eights, Rutgers and the Water Snouts, and Young Joan, a historical novel based on the young life of Joan of Arc. Her screenplays include Chu-Chu and the Philly Flash and Necessary Parties, adapted from her novel. She is co-editor, with Cindy MacKenzie, of the recent book, Wider than the Sky: Essays and Meditations on the Healing Power of Emily Dickinson (Kent State University Press). She is an actor as well as an author, having made her NY stage debut at the age of seventeen in the off-Broadway production of Arthur Laurents’ A Clearing in the Woods. Her new novel is A Voice of her Own: Becoming Emily Dickinson (HarperCollins Publishers).
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
March Madness-Events Fri-Sat-3/27-3/28
Friday, March 27th (600 PM)
Emmanuel Jal
Emmanuel Jal has won worldwide acclaim for his unique style of hip hop with its message of peace and reconciliation born out of his experiences as a child soldier in Sudan. His music can be heard alongside Coldplay, Gorillaz, and Radiohead on the fund raising ‘Warchild - Help a Day in the Life' album, as well as in three ER episodes, the National Geographic documentary God Grew Tired of Us, and more recently in the feature film Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio. He also featured on John Lennon's ‘Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur' amongst the likes of U2, REM and Lenny Kravitz.
Emmanuel Jal was born in war-torn Sudan, and while he doesn't know exactly when, he believes it was in the early 1980s. He was taken from his family home in 1987 when he was six or seven years old, and sent to fight with the rebel army in Sudan's bloody civil war. For nearly five years, he was a "child warrior," put into battle carrying an AK-47 that was taller than he was.
By the time he was 13, he was a veteran of two civil wars and had seen hundreds of his fellow child soldiers reduced to taking unspeakable measures as they struggled to survive on the killing fields of Southern Sudan. After a series of harrowing events, he was rescued by a British aid worker (Emma McCune) who smuggled him into Nairobi to raise him as her own.
To help ease the pain of what he had experienced, Emmanuel started singing. In 2005, he released his first album, Gua ("peace" in his native Nuer tongue), with the title track broadcast across Africa over the BBC and becoming a number one hit in Kenya. Gua also earned him a spot on Bob Geldof's "Live 8″ concert in the UK.
Jal performed at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday celebrations in Hyde Park, London, June 08, he shared a stage with Alicia Keys, Annie Lennox, Damien Marley and Stephen Marley at the Black Ball in London in July 08 and also addressed delegates at the UN in New York in the same month. Jal has also performed with Razorlight, Supergrass, and Faithless in Europe.
Last October Emmanuel toured the United States as part of the National Geographic All Roads Film Festival, in which he performed in New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and New Orleans. Jal also performed with Moby and Five for Fighting in the 2007 live concert film, The Concert To End Slavery (www.concerttoendslavery.com/trailer).
Jal has a full-length documentary on his life and times which has been touring the film festival circuit. It premiered at the Berlinale festival this year, and won the Cadillac audience choice award at the Tribeca film festival. His autobiography has been sold to St. Martin's Press with anticipated release of spring 2009. His new album ‘Warchild' was released on 12th May 2008 on the Sonic360 label (distribution by ADA Global) with additional production and mix by Neal Pogue, (Outkast, Talib Kweli, Pharohae Monch).
www.myspace.com/emmanueljal
http://www.sonic360.com/
http://www.warchildmovie.com/
Facebook Fan Page
NY Times book review of War Child
Time Magazine Book Review
Washington Post Book Review
Rolling Stone Interview
Saturday, March 28th (400 PM)
Mystery Weekend
***
Joan Del Monte, Hannah Dennison, Melinda Wells
Joan Del Monte was a featured author at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Washington, D.C. in September 2007. She is also a multi-faceted woman, and has owned an antique shop, a real estate agency, and art gallery in Venice. She taught courses in antiques at UCLA extension and the California State College system; lectured on antiques on radio and wrote a bibliography of small antiques for the Los Angeles Public Library.
"Mud Blood - Murder in the Sacramento Delta" was awarded Editor's Choice by iUniverse.
A criminal lawyer, FULTON YEE, disappears, and the search for him is no place for a lady, But unconventional mystery writer VERA MOONACHIE has to find him, because he is churning his files of nasty crimes for her plot and he has the solution to her current mystery.
From the moment she starts her search, Vera is confronted with a hornets nest of fragile egos, including Fulton's trio of feuding ex-lovers. We meet Nancy Branscomb, an editor Fulton met years before when he visited her family's cabin in the Sacramento Delta. We meet Florence Loring, a real estate agent with a past so colorful that she met Fulton when he was defending her in court. And we meet Emma Sawtooth, a haystack-shaped earth mother who runs a writer's group. Vera encounters an authorship dispute based on a notebook. And when Vera picks up that notebook, she picks up the deadliest kind of enemies--people with something to hide.
Hannah Dennison is the author of the Vicky Hill mystery series. Aspiring investigative journalist Vicky Hill faces two challenges. The first is to escape the stultifying boredom of funeral reporting for the Gipping Gazette by making a career-enhancing front-page splash. The second is to lose her virginity-a heavy burden for a woman of twenty-three. Vicky's chance for a scoop comes with the discovery of three grisly chicken corpses, which are bizarrely connected to the unusual death of elderly Sir Hugh, the local hedge-jumping enthusiast. As Vicky delves deeper into village affairs, she is thrilled to find the sleepy English market town harbors more than its fair share of secrets. The new installment in Vicky's adventures is entitled Scoop.
Linda Palmer is the author of 7 published novels, and a non-fiction book on screenwriting titled How To Write It, How To Sell It: Everything A Screenwriter Needs To Know About Hollywood. She is also a produced screenwriter, and was a production vice president of Tri-Star Pictures.
Beginning in 2004 her mystery novels have been coming out once a year. Love IsMurder (2004), Love Her to Death (2005), Love You Madly (2006), and Kiss of Death (2007) were written under the name Linda Palmer. In her new series of mysteries - culinary mysteries (that's murder with recipes in the back of the book) she is using the pen name Melinda Wells. The latest installment in the series is Death Takes The Cake.
Saturday, March 28th (600 PM)
The Book Club will meet after the Mystery Book event
Emmanuel Jal
Emmanuel Jal has won worldwide acclaim for his unique style of hip hop with its message of peace and reconciliation born out of his experiences as a child soldier in Sudan. His music can be heard alongside Coldplay, Gorillaz, and Radiohead on the fund raising ‘Warchild - Help a Day in the Life' album, as well as in three ER episodes, the National Geographic documentary God Grew Tired of Us, and more recently in the feature film Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio. He also featured on John Lennon's ‘Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur' amongst the likes of U2, REM and Lenny Kravitz.
Emmanuel Jal was born in war-torn Sudan, and while he doesn't know exactly when, he believes it was in the early 1980s. He was taken from his family home in 1987 when he was six or seven years old, and sent to fight with the rebel army in Sudan's bloody civil war. For nearly five years, he was a "child warrior," put into battle carrying an AK-47 that was taller than he was.
By the time he was 13, he was a veteran of two civil wars and had seen hundreds of his fellow child soldiers reduced to taking unspeakable measures as they struggled to survive on the killing fields of Southern Sudan. After a series of harrowing events, he was rescued by a British aid worker (Emma McCune) who smuggled him into Nairobi to raise him as her own.
To help ease the pain of what he had experienced, Emmanuel started singing. In 2005, he released his first album, Gua ("peace" in his native Nuer tongue), with the title track broadcast across Africa over the BBC and becoming a number one hit in Kenya. Gua also earned him a spot on Bob Geldof's "Live 8″ concert in the UK.
Jal performed at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday celebrations in Hyde Park, London, June 08, he shared a stage with Alicia Keys, Annie Lennox, Damien Marley and Stephen Marley at the Black Ball in London in July 08 and also addressed delegates at the UN in New York in the same month. Jal has also performed with Razorlight, Supergrass, and Faithless in Europe.
Last October Emmanuel toured the United States as part of the National Geographic All Roads Film Festival, in which he performed in New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and New Orleans. Jal also performed with Moby and Five for Fighting in the 2007 live concert film, The Concert To End Slavery (www.concerttoendslavery.com/trailer).
Jal has a full-length documentary on his life and times which has been touring the film festival circuit. It premiered at the Berlinale festival this year, and won the Cadillac audience choice award at the Tribeca film festival. His autobiography has been sold to St. Martin's Press with anticipated release of spring 2009. His new album ‘Warchild' was released on 12th May 2008 on the Sonic360 label (distribution by ADA Global) with additional production and mix by Neal Pogue, (Outkast, Talib Kweli, Pharohae Monch).
www.myspace.com/emmanueljal
http://www.sonic360.com/
http://www.warchildmovie.com/
Facebook Fan Page
NY Times book review of War Child
Time Magazine Book Review
Washington Post Book Review
Rolling Stone Interview
Saturday, March 28th (400 PM)
Mystery Weekend
***
Joan Del Monte, Hannah Dennison, Melinda Wells
Joan Del Monte was a featured author at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Washington, D.C. in September 2007. She is also a multi-faceted woman, and has owned an antique shop, a real estate agency, and art gallery in Venice. She taught courses in antiques at UCLA extension and the California State College system; lectured on antiques on radio and wrote a bibliography of small antiques for the Los Angeles Public Library.
"Mud Blood - Murder in the Sacramento Delta" was awarded Editor's Choice by iUniverse.
A criminal lawyer, FULTON YEE, disappears, and the search for him is no place for a lady, But unconventional mystery writer VERA MOONACHIE has to find him, because he is churning his files of nasty crimes for her plot and he has the solution to her current mystery.
From the moment she starts her search, Vera is confronted with a hornets nest of fragile egos, including Fulton's trio of feuding ex-lovers. We meet Nancy Branscomb, an editor Fulton met years before when he visited her family's cabin in the Sacramento Delta. We meet Florence Loring, a real estate agent with a past so colorful that she met Fulton when he was defending her in court. And we meet Emma Sawtooth, a haystack-shaped earth mother who runs a writer's group. Vera encounters an authorship dispute based on a notebook. And when Vera picks up that notebook, she picks up the deadliest kind of enemies--people with something to hide.
Hannah Dennison is the author of the Vicky Hill mystery series. Aspiring investigative journalist Vicky Hill faces two challenges. The first is to escape the stultifying boredom of funeral reporting for the Gipping Gazette by making a career-enhancing front-page splash. The second is to lose her virginity-a heavy burden for a woman of twenty-three. Vicky's chance for a scoop comes with the discovery of three grisly chicken corpses, which are bizarrely connected to the unusual death of elderly Sir Hugh, the local hedge-jumping enthusiast. As Vicky delves deeper into village affairs, she is thrilled to find the sleepy English market town harbors more than its fair share of secrets. The new installment in Vicky's adventures is entitled Scoop.
Linda Palmer is the author of 7 published novels, and a non-fiction book on screenwriting titled How To Write It, How To Sell It: Everything A Screenwriter Needs To Know About Hollywood. She is also a produced screenwriter, and was a production vice president of Tri-Star Pictures.
Beginning in 2004 her mystery novels have been coming out once a year. Love IsMurder (2004), Love Her to Death (2005), Love You Madly (2006), and Kiss of Death (2007) were written under the name Linda Palmer. In her new series of mysteries - culinary mysteries (that's murder with recipes in the back of the book) she is using the pen name Melinda Wells. The latest installment in the series is Death Takes The Cake.
Saturday, March 28th (600 PM)
The Book Club will meet after the Mystery Book event
Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey
Thursday, March 19, 2009
March 21st. 4:00 pm Dr. Kathleen Hood
Join us as we welcome Dr. Kathleen Hood to discuss her nonfiction work, "Music in Druze Life"
Metropolis Books-Sat. March 21st. 4:00 pm.
Dr. Kathleen Hood provides an encompassing and richly documented study of Druze musical culture. Basing her work on first-hand experience in the field and approaching her subject matter with remarkable sensitivity and respect, Dr. Hood introduces the music not as a cultural relic fixed in place and time, but rather as a vibrant expression that plays a key role in people’s lives. Thus, she relates the current musical practice to the community’s history, social outlooks and cultural institutions. Furthermore, she treats the musical culture as a creative arena in which people define their own position in today’s complex world. All this is achieved through direct personal observations and careful analyses of traditional performance events without losing sight of the recent processes of modernization and urbanization. Music in Druze Life: Ritual, Values, and Performance Practice is more than a specialized monograph. Given its extensive coverage and theoretical implications, Hood’s work is also a primary source for understanding the expressive culture of the broader East-Mediterranean Arab world. - from the introduction by A. J. Racy
Metropolis Books-Sat. March 21st. 4:00 pm.
Dr. Kathleen Hood provides an encompassing and richly documented study of Druze musical culture. Basing her work on first-hand experience in the field and approaching her subject matter with remarkable sensitivity and respect, Dr. Hood introduces the music not as a cultural relic fixed in place and time, but rather as a vibrant expression that plays a key role in people’s lives. Thus, she relates the current musical practice to the community’s history, social outlooks and cultural institutions. Furthermore, she treats the musical culture as a creative arena in which people define their own position in today’s complex world. All this is achieved through direct personal observations and careful analyses of traditional performance events without losing sight of the recent processes of modernization and urbanization. Music in Druze Life: Ritual, Values, and Performance Practice is more than a specialized monograph. Given its extensive coverage and theoretical implications, Hood’s work is also a primary source for understanding the expressive culture of the broader East-Mediterranean Arab world. - from the introduction by A. J. Racy
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Art Walk March 12th. 7:00 pm-Jack Nadelle
Photography Exhibition
For more than a decade, Investigator Photographer Jack Nadelle's photographic and video work has helped LADA prosecutors tell crime stories in the courtroom. But the photographic art he creates in his spare time tells stories of vibrant people and places in downtown Los Angeles' historic core district.
During the month of March, Nadelle's photo exhibit titled "Los Angeles, A View to a City" is on display at Metropolis Books Los Angeles, 440 S. Main St., which is open Tuesdays - Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no charge for admission. Nadelle's exhibit also will be a featured stop on the Downtown Art Walk on Thursday, March 12, from 6-10 p.m. The art tour, which provides a free shuttle bus, will include stops at the Museum of Contemporary Art and many downtown galleries.
Nadelle, who joined LADA 10 ½ years ago after a successful career in commercial freelance photography, said he is passionate about capturing "the urban landscape" in both its grit and grandeur. "I'm not just interested in the architecture. I am interested in how it is used, the sociological aspect," Nadelle said, noting that many of his photos depict people as well as buildings.
Born and raised in Los Angeles County, Nadelle spent much of his youth exploring downtown where his father owned a retail jewelry store on Broadway during the 1950s.
"I have a long relationship to Los Angeles. I would sometimes spend weekends downtown exploring the shops and streets. I have vivid memories of hot Spanish peanuts from the street vendors and lunch at Clifton's," said Nadelle, who took up photography in his mid-20s. His former freelance work included architectural, advertising and magazine photography.
Nadelle's current exhibit includes nine black and white photos of urban scenes. "As photographic subjects, downtown, and Los Angeles in general, are so interesting. I love the ʽadaptive reuse' of the classic buildings - tacos and pizzas where once were the offices of the ʽWall Street of the West,' " Nadelle said. "I have nostalgia for what has been - a past that continues to be erased."
For more than a decade, Investigator Photographer Jack Nadelle's photographic and video work has helped LADA prosecutors tell crime stories in the courtroom. But the photographic art he creates in his spare time tells stories of vibrant people and places in downtown Los Angeles' historic core district.
During the month of March, Nadelle's photo exhibit titled "Los Angeles, A View to a City" is on display at Metropolis Books Los Angeles, 440 S. Main St., which is open Tuesdays - Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no charge for admission. Nadelle's exhibit also will be a featured stop on the Downtown Art Walk on Thursday, March 12, from 6-10 p.m. The art tour, which provides a free shuttle bus, will include stops at the Museum of Contemporary Art and many downtown galleries.
Nadelle, who joined LADA 10 ½ years ago after a successful career in commercial freelance photography, said he is passionate about capturing "the urban landscape" in both its grit and grandeur. "I'm not just interested in the architecture. I am interested in how it is used, the sociological aspect," Nadelle said, noting that many of his photos depict people as well as buildings.
Born and raised in Los Angeles County, Nadelle spent much of his youth exploring downtown where his father owned a retail jewelry store on Broadway during the 1950s.
"I have a long relationship to Los Angeles. I would sometimes spend weekends downtown exploring the shops and streets. I have vivid memories of hot Spanish peanuts from the street vendors and lunch at Clifton's," said Nadelle, who took up photography in his mid-20s. His former freelance work included architectural, advertising and magazine photography.
Nadelle's current exhibit includes nine black and white photos of urban scenes. "As photographic subjects, downtown, and Los Angeles in general, are so interesting. I love the ʽadaptive reuse' of the classic buildings - tacos and pizzas where once were the offices of the ʽWall Street of the West,' " Nadelle said. "I have nostalgia for what has been - a past that continues to be erased."
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
My Review for Los Angeles Times Jacket Copy
While much of the East Coast is snowed in, we in Los Angeles are looking forward to spring. We asked booksellers from all over what book they're recommending to readers this year, and we begin with Metropolis Books, located in the heart of the arts district in downtown Los Angeles. Owner Julie Anne Swayze writes:
The book that I am recommending is Jedediah Berry’s "The Manual of Detection." It’s a story within a story that has a Kafkaesque feel to it. Berry’s narrative follows a humble but curious corporate clerk who works for a large detective agency. The clerk is mysteriously promoted to the position of detective in this large and strangely impersonal agency.
All of the chapter titles reflect an aspect of the craft of detection. The story within the story will peek the reader’s interest and capture their imagination until the end. I highly recommend this book, and for fans of Colson Whitehead’s "The Intuitionist," an urban Gothic novel published some years ago, readers will see a similarity in Berry’s unusual and sometimes quirky narrative.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Jack Nadelle-Photography show March Art Walk
Thursday, March 12th (700 PM)
Art Walk Night!!!
Jack Nadelle
Photography Exhibition
Art Walk Night!!!
Jack Nadelle
Photography Exhibition
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Book suggestions for February
We have three wonderful staff picks this month.
Our first staff pick is the classic Pulitzer Prize winner for 1961, "To Kill a MockingBird"
Our first staff pick is the classic Pulitzer Prize winner for 1961, "To Kill a MockingBird"
by Harper Lee. One of the best-loved stories of all time. A book that has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold more that 30 million copies worldwide.
Our second staff pick of the month is the wonderful novel, "Daphne" By Justine Picardie. Former BritishVogue editor Picardie (My Mother's Wedding Dress) gives us a fictional life of Rebecca novelist Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989) that founders in obsession. In the late 1950s, du Maurier, determined to establish herself as a serious writer, researched and wrote a biography of Branwell Brontë, the often-overlooked real-life brother of sisters Emily and Charlotte
Our lastbook is actually our book club pick this month; Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park". The book club meets February 28th. at 4:00 pm. to discuss the novel.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Author Pam Ward-Febuary 7th. 5:00 pm
Author Pam Ward will read and sign her latest work, "Bad Girls Burn Slow"
Pam Ward is a third generation native of Los Angeles who likes to write about, politics, strife and the freeway long rides through the streets of L.A. A California Arts Council Fellow in Literature and a New Letters Award winner, she has had her work published in Scream When you Burn, Grand Passion, Calyx, Catch the Fire, Men We Cherish and Best American Erotica, to name a few. Her first novel, WANT SOME GET SOME, Kensington 2007 is a ode to Los Angeles and takes place a few years after the ‘92 riots. “I lived through two LA riots and couldn’t wait to jump in my car and go down Crenshaw to see what the hell was going on in April of ‘92.” Armed with her Rottweiler, Pam rolled down the boulevard behind a caravan of Crips who were videotaping the event on their motorcycles and SUV’s while waving blue scarves.
“I wrote WANT SOME GET SOME on my front porch during the three week hiatus the riot created from my design business. None of my clients wanted to come where I worked off Crenshaw and Adams so I had a great window to do something else creative.” Writing the whole book long hand, using her daughter’s notebook paper. Pam was literally seething. “I was breathing in all that riot smoke, watching telephone poles blaze up like big Christmas trees as gangs of folks raced home with fresh stolen booze. Nobody on the news was reporting what I saw.”
Pam’s second novel, BAD GIRLS BURN SLOW, August 2008 takes place during the historical McMartin Preschool Trail and the witch hunt which ensured. “I became fascinated with the unleashed power children had during that period and wanted to create a child villain. Living right next to Rosedale, the second oldest cemetery in Los Angeles, I thought it would be great to use the funeral business as a back drop. Finding wonderful facts, like LA Unified being built over City Cemetery, LA’s oldest and now defunct cemetery, served as fuel and folly. Since I have both cops and robbers in my blood my stories have lots of criminal elements, and as a UCLA political science student, I am driven by societal conflicts and base my novels on actual Los Angeles facts.”
As an LA poet, Pam wrote, published and ran a small press for community writers called Short Dress Press, publishing the first anthologies such as Picasso’s Mistress and The Supergirl's Handbook. “It was a natural step as a writer and graphics person.” A former instructor and current mentor at Art Center College of Design, a daughter of an architect and consummate entrepreneur, “I’m a progression of the wild wild west. My family gave me a keen sense of awareness and unwavering pride which I wear like bullet proof vest."
Pam Ward is a third generation native of Los Angeles who likes to write about, politics, strife and the freeway long rides through the streets of L.A. A California Arts Council Fellow in Literature and a New Letters Award winner, she has had her work published in Scream When you Burn, Grand Passion, Calyx, Catch the Fire, Men We Cherish and Best American Erotica, to name a few. Her first novel, WANT SOME GET SOME, Kensington 2007 is a ode to Los Angeles and takes place a few years after the ‘92 riots. “I lived through two LA riots and couldn’t wait to jump in my car and go down Crenshaw to see what the hell was going on in April of ‘92.” Armed with her Rottweiler, Pam rolled down the boulevard behind a caravan of Crips who were videotaping the event on their motorcycles and SUV’s while waving blue scarves.
“I wrote WANT SOME GET SOME on my front porch during the three week hiatus the riot created from my design business. None of my clients wanted to come where I worked off Crenshaw and Adams so I had a great window to do something else creative.” Writing the whole book long hand, using her daughter’s notebook paper. Pam was literally seething. “I was breathing in all that riot smoke, watching telephone poles blaze up like big Christmas trees as gangs of folks raced home with fresh stolen booze. Nobody on the news was reporting what I saw.”
Pam’s second novel, BAD GIRLS BURN SLOW, August 2008 takes place during the historical McMartin Preschool Trail and the witch hunt which ensured. “I became fascinated with the unleashed power children had during that period and wanted to create a child villain. Living right next to Rosedale, the second oldest cemetery in Los Angeles, I thought it would be great to use the funeral business as a back drop. Finding wonderful facts, like LA Unified being built over City Cemetery, LA’s oldest and now defunct cemetery, served as fuel and folly. Since I have both cops and robbers in my blood my stories have lots of criminal elements, and as a UCLA political science student, I am driven by societal conflicts and base my novels on actual Los Angeles facts.”
As an LA poet, Pam wrote, published and ran a small press for community writers called Short Dress Press, publishing the first anthologies such as Picasso’s Mistress and The Supergirl's Handbook. “It was a natural step as a writer and graphics person.” A former instructor and current mentor at Art Center College of Design, a daughter of an architect and consummate entrepreneur, “I’m a progression of the wild wild west. My family gave me a keen sense of awareness and unwavering pride which I wear like bullet proof vest."
Friday, January 2, 2009
January Art Walk-Meet Stan Lerner
Join us January 8th. at 7:00 pm Art Walk Night for a reading by Stan Lerner of his book "Criminal"
Prior to the age of 13, Stan Lerner, the child prodigy was already being compared to the great artists of history. A painter inspired by Miro and writing reminiscent of Poe and Tolstoy, few questioned his artistic destiny. Today he stands almost alone as the towering artistic force of our time. From the paintings of Black Period to the motion picture Meet The Family and the Las Vegas spectacle Night Tribe, he has done nothing less than shift the paradigm of his chosen media. An artist�s artist, his name resounds in the worlds of both art and business. But more than this, he has been a light to the disenfranchised. Embracing the dark yet not afraid to find humor or reveal the pure sexual celebration of music, Lerner�s diverse pallet intoxicates the senses. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Stan Lerner the author is the product of the worst public school systems in the United States. Yet he was accepted to UCLA where he attended, and was perhaps most distinguished for his lifestyle and business savvy. A multi-millionaire artist by the age of eighteen his great artistic talent was perhaps eclipsed in the public eye by his fantastic wealth and fast lifestyle.Ultimately the death of his beloved father gave him the focus to pursue his artistic talents singularly. As a painter, playwright, musician, choreographer, screenwriter, director, and novelist, triumph after triumph has ensued.The one time jet setter is now hardly seen in public.The Lerner work however is never ending and always evolving. It is hard to imagine that such a profound body of work spanning more than twenty years is the work of a man in his early forties. Lerner now only further solidifies his place in history and his value as a national treasure with every artistic endeavor.
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