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

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Poetry and Ghosts Oh My!! October Events


Saturday, October 24th 4:00 pm
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.