Denis Johnson, author of several books including Jesus' Son and the National Book Award-Winning Tree of Smoke, has the first of a four-part serial installment in Playboy's July issue. Playboy is playing it oh-so-smart and isn't providing the highly-anticipated Nobody Move work of fiction online. What's a Johnson fan to do? You can pony up and buy Playboy, or you can head on over to Jacket Copy, the lit blog at the LA Times, to......

The much-maligned, oft-hated James Frey, author of the fictional memoir A Million Little Pieces and the man most well-known for being dissed on national TV by Oprah Winfrey, is back. While many now agree that blame for the whole Frey-affair rests with both Frey and his publisher, Frey got the bad end of the deal and has been vilified ever since. This time, he's sticking with fiction instead of peddling fiction-as-truth. His new novel, Bright......

Monday Paul Krugman discusses The Conscience of a Liberal 7pm @ Central Library Randy Cepuch signs A Weekend With Warren Buffett 4pm @ Dutton's Jenna Bush presents Ana's Story 7pm @ Pasadena Public Library Jason Goodwin discusses and signs The Snake Stone 7pm @ Vroman's Tuesday Wole Soyninka discusses his work with Mona Simpson 7pm @ Hammer Museum Eduardo Machado & Michael Domitrovich present Tastes Like Cuba 7pm @ Book Soup Maira Kalman discusses &......

Monday Will Beall presents L.A. Rex 7pm @ Book Soup Robert Alter & Jonathan Kirsch discuss The Book of Psalms with David Ulin 7pm @ Central Library Mark Schapiro signs Exposed 7pm @ Dutton's Richard King presents Spirituality in the Workplace 7pm @ Vroman's Alan Alda presents Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself 7pm @ Borders, Westwood Tuesday Bill Clinton presents Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World 2pm @ Vroman's......

Monday Mark Danielewski presents Only Revolutions 7pm @ Vroman's Ellen Sandler presents The TV Writer's Workbook 7pm @ Borders, Sherman Oaks Nell Freudenberger & Jennifer Gilmore discuss their work with Bernadette Murphy 7pm @ Central Library Sy Safransky discusses his work and The Sun 7:30pm @ Beverly Hills Public Library Tuesday James Ellroy discusses his work 7pm @ Central Library Diana Gabaldon presents Lord John & the Brotherhood of the Blade 7pm @ Vroman's......

Monday T.C. Boyle reads and chats with David Ulin 7pm @ Mark Taper Forum Jennifer Kaufman & Karen Mack present Literacy and Longing in L.A. 7pm @ Studio Branch Library Denise Hamilton & contributors signs Los Angeles Noir 7pm @ Borders Torrance Pat Montandon discusses Oh, the Hell of It All 7pm @ Vroman's Tuesday Barry Glassner discusses The Gospel of Food 7pm @ Central Library Kirk Douglas signs Let's Face It 7pm @......

Monday P.J. O’Rourke signs On the Wealth of Nations 7pm @ Book Soup Adam Gopnick reads Through the Children's Gate 7:30pm @ Skirball Cultural Center Tuesday David Mamet signs Bambi vs. Godzilla 7pm @ Book Soup Edward Humes signs Monkey Girl 7pm @ Vroman’s Norman Mailer discusses Castle in the Forest with David Ulin 7:30pm @ Writers Guild Theater Daveed Gartenstein-Ross presents My Year in Radical Islam 7:30pm @ Barnes & Noble Santa Monica......

Monday Calvin Trillin discusses About Alice 7pm @ Vroman’s Norah Vincent presents Self Made Man 7pm @ Borders Century City Tuesday David Ulin, LA Times book editor, talks with Calvin Trillin 7pm @ Central Library Rachel Ballon signs The Writer’s Portable Therapist 7pm @ Dutton’s Brentwood Deborah Eisenberg presents Twilight of the Superheroes 7pm @ Hammer Museum Wednesday Chris Abani presents The Virgin of Flames 7pm @ EsoWon Books Felicity Huffman & Patricia Wolf......

Last night author Paul Auster (right) sat down with LA Times Book Review editor David Ulin at the Writers Bloc reading series. They talked a lot about process — after having a cup of tea, Auster goes to an apartment to write, picking up a tuna sandwich along the way — that writing is a lot of work and actually quite boring. Aspiring authors love to hear about how successful writers write, and the......

FRIDAY • John Vanderslice, Charles Bissel (of The Wrens) and Thee More Shallows take the stage at the Knitting Factory at 8 PM. Tickets are $10 advance, $12 day of. • KCRW presents Nikka Costa and Driveblind at The Roxy tonight at 9 PM. Tickets are $23. • In conjunction with Vroman's Bookstore, Joan Didion will appear at All Saints Church, 132 N. Euclid in Pasadena, at 7 PM to discussion her new memoir,......

Writers Bloc presents prolific author Joyce Carol Oates in conversation with David Ulin at the Skirball Cultural Center tonight, June 21st, at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $20. Reservations suggested. You can call Writers Bloc at (310) 335-0917.......

It used to be that fiction writers came to Los Angeles to live out their remaining days as screenwriters. Like most LA "truths," this is no longer the case. More and more screenwriters and other creative professionals are turning to fiction to satisfy their expressive urges. Seth Greenland's career has taken a similar turn. Greenland is a screenwriter and playwright who uses the Los Angeles stand-up comedy scene as a backdrop for his first......