Time to polish off those reading glasses because this Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of a SoCal literary tradition: the West Hollywood Book Fair! And for letters-loving Angelenos, the line-up is sure to delight. This year, the WeHo Book Fair boasts twelve stages and over a hundred exhibitors, all for fun and for free. more ›

There’s a launch party for McSweeney's Issue #35 at 826LA and Stories books in Echo Park. Enjoy food and drink while listening to a discussion and signing with McSweeney's contributor, Ellie Kemper (The Office) and others. The new issue also features new stories from Steven Millhauser, Roddy Doyle, Hilton Als and a number of Norwegian writers. 8 pm. Free to attend, but McSweeney's Quarterly #35 is $20+tax. more ›

The Reel Talk film series with Stephen Farber screens Micmacs tonight at the Wadsworth Theatre. It’s the latest film from Amelie and A Very Long Engagement director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The film is a whimsical comedy about the battle between a group of misfits and an international arms manufacturer. Director and co-writer Jean-Pierre Jeunet will appear in person. more ›

The monthly Cause on the Rocks mixer returns to the Viceroy Santa Monica tonight from 7-10 pm. The cocktails with a cause will benefit St. Vincent Meals On Wheels, a program that prepares and delivers more than 2,600 nutritious meals daily to homebound elderly and other vulnerable clients around Los Angeles. This April's drink is the Cuba Libre and 100% of the proceeds will be donated directly to St. Vincent’s. RSVP online! more ›

In celebration of Origami Vinyl's one-year anniversary today, the shop will feature free concerts, free beer and cake, and 10 percent off everything in the store. Yesterday LAist sat down with shop owner Neil Schield to talk about some of the best moments from the past year, the 826LA "Chickens in Love" project, and the fact that Origami will soon be stocking used records to complement its selection of new vinyl. more ›

There’s a screening and interactive discussion with five other cities for the Ondi Timoner documentary We Live in Public tonight at the Egyptian Theater at 6 pm. The film follows artist, futurist and visionary Josh Harris, who experiments with the web, including a six-month stint living with his girlfriend under 24-hour electronic surveillance. The scrutiny led to a mental collapse, which demonstrates price we can pay for living in public. The discussion following includes Timoner, Harris and our LA discussion host Eliza Dushku. more ›

It's a weekend of Contemporary Japanese Cinema at USC. Many of today's Japanese filmmakers are overshadowed by celebrated auteurs including Ozu Yasujiro and Akira Kurosawa. In addition to screenings, the festival includes... more ›

The holiday season is all about giving. We know that. Somewhere in between waking up at 3am for the doorbuster deals, braving the mall crowds and boycotting consumerism all together, we can maintain our "holiday sanity" by buying gifts that support those organizations working to drive social change and improve the lives of others. We've divided this into two parts. Part I lists those gifts for when you actually need to present the recipient with a tangible good, otherwise, you ruined the Festivus...for everyone. In Part II, you'll find organizations that use your donation to give a gift to someone else less fortunate more ›

The anti-slavery organization Free the Slaves is holding its Freedom Awards tonight at USC’s Bovard Auditorium at 7 pm. The nonprofit frees slaves around the world, helps them rebuild their lives, researches solutions to the root-causes of slavery, and enlists businesses to clean slavery out of their product and supply chains. The awards provide winners with financial support to continue their work on the issue. Actresses Demi Moore and Camilla Belle, singer Peter Buffett, author Isabel Allende, football great Emmitt Smith, and Olympic Sprinter Maurice Greene are expected to attend and pay tribute to the people working on the frontlines to free slaves worldwide. Entrance to the event is free, but guests will need a ticket to enter. Request here and will be reserved based on availability. more ›

The art show Mobile Exhibits No. 3 opens tonight at the City of Long Beach Annex featuring four installations from Meeson Pae Yang, James Thegerstrom and Heather Scholl, Karen Reitzel and Elizabeth Wild. The opening reception is from 5-8 pm at the Annex, but Meeson’s installation Traverse is located at 5661 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach. The exhibit runs until Jan. 31. more ›

There's just waaaay too much stuff to do tonight, but here are some of our favorites: ART WALK What a better way to spend a warm evening in July than at the Downtown Artwalk? It’s a free afternoon/night of gallery hopping in and around the Historic Core's Gallery Row neighborhood. One of the Artwalk’s highlights tonight: An artist reception (7-9 pm) at Deborah Martin Gallery for RE: materialization, an exhibit that explores the “confluence of political, aesthetic, formal, conceptual, and environmental concerns through art.” Live music at 8:30 pm with Arrica Rose. more ›

NewFilmmakers LA screens “Youth Knows No Pain + 5 Short Films” tonight at 6:30 pm at Sunset Gower Studios. At 7 pm, there’s a screening of Mitch McCabe’s documentary Youth Knows No Pain, followed at 8:45 pm by the short films: Old Dogs (Dir. Jonathan Fahn) Propel (Dir. Jay Gammill) The Dying Western (Dir. Michael Kortlander) A Kolor to Kill for (Dir. Tim Hall). Guest will have the opportunity to mingle with the directors and participate in an audience Q&A session. Tickets are a bargain at $6 which includes screening ticket and free open bar and appetizers all evening. more ›

BENEFIT* Poketo Studio hosts a cancer benefit and silent art auction titled, “F%#k Cancer! We Love Justin!” tonight from 7-10 pm. 100% of proceeds will go directly to support medical treatment of artist Justin Van Hoy, who’s the art director for SWINDLE Magazine, and contributor of works for artists and brands such as OBEY, Roger Gastman, Cobra Snake and more. Contributing artists include Shepard Fairey, Tim Biskup, Saelee Oh, Jeana Sohn, Travis Millard, Mel Kadel, Marco Zamora, Ye Rin Mok, Josh Cochran, Caroline Hwang, Amanda Visell, David Weidman,Studio Number One, Sumi Ink Club, Chris Bettig, Sarajo Frieden, Kim Buzzelli and others more ›

Although it may look like a convenience store from a distance, as you draw closer, it's obvious that 826LA's "Echo Park Time Travel Mart" is something special. After all, it's not every day you get to purchase items that appear to be from the distant past...as well as the future! Some of the products are so whimsical that first-time visitors often ask, "Is this actually for sale?" Items range from "Robot Milk" to "Barbarian Repellent," and once inside the store, you can't help but feel like you've stepped into a space-time way station. more ›

While we can debate over the burritos in LA vs. SF to no end, it is hard to argue over which city has a more prevalent beer culture. Perhaps this is because no one has ever really pushed such a culture here in LA. That is, until now. more ›

Thursday night 826LA presented a seminar titled, "Food Writing!" And as fans of punctuation know, anything with an exclamation point has got to be good. more ›

Under the guidance of Head Coach Preki Radosavljevic and his staff, the 2009 version of Chivas USA is off to its best start in franchise history. It heads into the 9th week of MLS action atop the overall league standings with a 7 - 1 - 1 record and 8 point lead over the next best team, D.C. United. more ›

If Budweiser and MGD are your two favorite beers in the world, then you might as well stop reading this post now. more ›

Tonight Machine Project teams up with 826LA for “Dead Author Readings” with Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson who’ll be discussing Walden. There are two shows at 8 and 10 pm. Bring blankets or something else to sit on. Space is limited because of Machine Project's "forest." more ›

Los Angeles Times Editorial Board Member John Healey moderates the Zócalo discussion “How Will Labor Discord Change Hollywood?” tonight at 7:30 pm at the ArcLight Sherman Oaks. Zócalo’s panel of Hollywood and high-tech experts will explore why talent unions are having so much trouble reaching a deal with the studios, what it means for talent unions in future negotiations, and how Hollywood will fare during the economic crisis and in its transition to the digital age. The event is free, but reservations are recommended. more ›

It's a robust Monday with interesting events around town: more ›

Tonight 17-year-old Australian singer-songwriter sensation Gabriella Cilmi will be performing at the Hotel Café. English psych rocker Pop Levi will be rocking out at the Echoplex for 826LA's Tiny Vaudeville. And all three free Monday Night Residencies, which have simply dominated Silver Lake and Echo Park for the past month, will be coming to a conclusion. Local singer-songwriter Rocco Deluca (LAist Interview, Review) is slated to play his final show at Spaceland with LAist favorites Marvelous Toy. Echo Park's own alt-rockers Olin & the Moon (LAist Interview) will be concluding their stint at the Silver Lake Lounge with Evan Way (of the Parson Red Heads) and Taylor Goldsmith (of Dawes). But we insist that you head over to the Echo to catch Robert Francis (LAist Interview, Review), who will be closing up shop with Austin-based folk rockers Peter and the Wolf. more ›

Why is it that there's always too much to do in December? Just look at this sampling of events happening around town tonight. Check out other events on LAist Agenda: December. more ›

Brian Yaeger signs Red White & Brew 7:30pm @ Village Books more ›

More than 40 paddleboat teams took to Echo Park Lake last weekend to raise money for 826LA. Teams were required to raise at least $100 for entry and some teams raised well above and beyond to generate an estimated $20,000 in funds for one-on-one writing tutorials and workshops for students age 6-18. 826LA's two locations (in Venice and Echo Park) are staffed entirely by volunteers dedicated to teaching and inspiring students to write creatively. The regatta was a success by all accounts, and likely the most tempting reason to get into Echo Park Lake all summer. more ›

As far as live variety shows go, it doesn’t get much better than the 826LA Book*Smart events at Largo. The event, which usually takes place once a month, features an author, a comedian and a musician. Saturday’s event centered around headliner Zooey Deschanel, who blew the audience away with her vocal chops and helped raise funds for 826LA with sewn duck heads (it’ll make sense as you keep reading). more ›

It’s easy to forget that there’s a thriving literary scene here in LA. It’s also easy to lose sight of the fact that there are people who are committed to doing good, making change and making the city a better place for the next generation. 826LA manages to combine all of these things at once. The brainchild of hipster deity Dave Eggers, the family of non-profits now known as 826 National was originated in... more ›

Quotes of the week: “There are two kinds of people in this world, the givers and the takers. The takers eat better, but the givers sleep better.” – Danny Thomas "A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle." - Benjamin Franklin “The time is always right to do what is right.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Good Art California Design Biennial 2007 August 19 – September 30, 2007 Pasadena Museum of... more ›