The vermin are back this weekend as Jim Ruland's must-attend night of readings, Vermin on the Mount, features four indie writers tomorrow at 8pm @ Chinatown's Mountain Bar:Jim Krusoe, who teaches fiction at Santa Monica College, will read from his just-out Girl Factory which we highlighted not so long ago for its wacky incoroporation of LA yogurt culture.Sean Carswell, novelist, short story writer and publisher, will read from Train Wreck Girl.Tosh Berman, publisher of Tam......

Monday If you haven't managed to rest-up after your July 4th blow-out, you get one more day. But that's it! Tuesday Emily White presents You Will Make Money in Your Sleep 7pm @ Book Soup Patricia Schultz signs 1000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die 7pm @ Dutton's Stephen L. Carter presents New England White 7pm @ EsoWon Books John Amaechi signs Man in the Middle 7:30pm @ Barnes......

Monday Elizabeth Gilbert discusses and signs Eat Pray Love 7pm @ Vroman's Sasha Abramsky presents American Furies 7pm @ Book Soup Bruce Dern signs Things I've Said, But Probably Shouldn't Have 7pm @ Dutton's Tuesday Michael Ondaatje presents Divisadero 7pm @ Central Library James St. James presents Freak Show 7pm @ Book Soup Ann Brashares discusses and signs The Last Summer (of You and Me) 7pm @ Vroman's Robert Ellis presents City of Fire......

LA-based writer Jim Ruland had a story on NPR's Day to Day Wednesday about a book — The Third Policeman — that flashed in a brief scene in the TV show "Lost." The show's fans flocked to the book, a 1940 comic novel written by an Irishman, hoping to find clues to the show's mystery. Aha! People who watch TV do read. Fans of the movie White Oleander probably know that it was first......

The Million Writers Award for Fiction has begun its second year. Organized by storySouth magazine, it's a little like American Idol for short stories: a huge group is selected by judges, then winnowed down, then put before the public for a vote. There will be just 10 finalists offered to the public vote, and the purse the winner takes away — well, it's pretty modest. This is one of those cases where just being......

Randy's Donuts has always been a landmark to us, one that says we're close to the airport, that says we should lighten up and enjoy life via ginormous lifelike donuts. But to some, Randy's Donuts not just a landmark: it's a place to actually stop and buy a donut. It's also midway through the adventure taken by writer Jim Ruland exploring the long and winding Manchester Avenue, starting seaside in Playa Del Ray. His......

Already bored by the new TV season? There's still lots to do around town. Check out these live events tonight: Bryan Price, Jim Ruland, Scott O'Connor, Daryl "Duke" Haney will read new and upcoming works at 8 PM at the Tribal Cafe, 1651 W. Temple Street. The Quarterly Report performance group launches its "Best Of" show at 8 PM at The EvidEnce Room 2220 Beverly Blvd, LA CA 90057 (between Rampart and Alvarado). Susan......

Jim Ruland is a writer who has had a strong impact on the LA literary scene. He hosts a series of literary readings called "Vermin on the Mount" in Chinatown and supports many writers and lit magazines. Jim also nurtures the talents of students who take his composition classes at Santa Monica Community College. A devout punk rocker, his work has appeared in the late, great punk magazine, "Flipside," and Razorcake magazine. Jim served......

Jim Ruland is one prescient lit organizer. How could he have known that the Governator would be in the news (and in hot water over his deal with American Media) when he modeled this month's Vermin on the Mount poster, the Verminator, after our our governor's signature role? Anyway, Vermin on the Mount hosts a reading of works by Jacob Forman, Lizz Huerta, Wendy Molyneux, and Daniel Olivas. Saturday, July 16th 8 PM Mountain......

LAist's own Paul Davidson has an article in May's Wired Magazine looking at the upcoming Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy film. He's writing specifically about what skeptical fans of the book should know before going in to see the flick. Random trivia you can throw out at your next party: Did you know that Douglas Adams spent the last two years of his life right here in So. Cal.? Completely unrelated but also cool:......

There's too much going on Sunday, November 7th. How can we choose between the following lit events all happening on the same night? If we could, we'd start out in the west of Los Angeles at Royce Hall, UCLA in Westwood where Russell Banks converses with Michael Ondanjtee about Film and Fiction while their pal, actor Willem Defoe, just sits between them, exuding dangerous charisma. 8pm Royce Hall, UCLA Live Event Tickets: $35, 28,......

Anyone can tell you what's wrong with Los Angeles and its surrounding areas, but few can clearly articulate what's right, magical and true about this place as well as Lawrence Weschler does in his 1998 New Yorker essay, "LA Glows," which is included in Weschler's latest collection of New Yorker articles, Vermeer in Bosnia. That essay inspired many Angelenos, including local writer Jim Ruland, who interviews Weschler in the "The Golden West" issue of......

As the Domino's commercial on TV last night pointed out, Tuesday is the least popular night of the week. It isn't the dreaded Monday, nor that Happy Hump Day Wednesday, nor even the nearly-Friday Thursday. It is just a day where we all sit around contemplating the better part of the week left ahead and all the commuting, laundry, car washing, marketing and other inanities that need to be taken care of during the......

Jim Ruland hosts "Vermin on the Mount: A Night of Irreverent Readings" at the Mountain Bar, 475 Gin Ling Way, on Sunday. Show starts around 7 PM. Call (213) 625-7500 for details. For a larger view of the event flyer, visit The Elegant Variation.......