Photo by kpe II via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr TALK Six of L.A.’s independent literary presses Les Figues Press, Semiotext(e), Siglio Press, Insert Press, Cloverfield Press and eohippus labs invite you to Skylight Books for a reading with the authors and a Q&A with the editors. Come out and show support for the smaller presses that usually have a more diverse and creative voice. 5 p.m. // Skylight Books // 1818......

My first memory of Dutton's is of the one in the valley, hot on those unairconditioned summer afternoons, the faintly sour smell of the paper. It was crowded, a little uncomfortable, and yet it was a place that was full of treasures. A place where a kid could wander -- completely by accident, into the Literature section and discover something magical. After my family moved to the Westside in the early nineties, Dutton's became a......

Photo by Plankton 4:20 via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr More on the arrest of Kazuyoshi Miura, who is accused of killing his wife in LA in 1981 and is being extradited from Japan: Turns out it was his blogging that got the authorities' attention. Bad blogger! Bad! Another one from the Cold Case Files solved: 47-year-old Wayne Osbourne of Virginia has been charged in the 1988 murder of Diana Michael, who......

Monday Bjorn Lomborg presents Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming 7pm @ Central Library Terry Pratchett presents Making Money 7pm @ Borders, Torrance Randall Robinson presents An Unbroken Agony 7pm @ EsoWon Books Tuesday Carol Muske-Dukes presents Channeling Mark Twain 7pm @ Vroman's Cathy Malkasian presents Percy Gloom 7pm @ Book Soup Gilbert Hernandez presents Chance in Hell 7pm @ Book Soup Leslie Garis signs House of Happy Endings 7pm @......

Today is what would have been the anniversary of Charles Bukowski's 87th year on this planet, had he not passed away in 1994. I really wish I had it in me to writing something amazing in honor of the man, but I'm not sure it can be done. What can you write about a man who revolutionized literature with a style that has yet to be rivaled? All I can think to do on......

Someone very dear to me has recently developed the theory that the music we listened to at 17 is the music that stays with us all our lives, and has the most profound influence on us. When I was 17 I listened to 10,000 Maniacs virtually without pause; this was when their MTV Unplugged album was released, which, as part of the popular televised series, features live acoustic renditions of many of their most popular......

Monday Paul Rusebagina presents An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography 7:30pm @ Beverly Hills Hotel Alison Weir discusses Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey 7pm @ Vroman's Alix Ohlin on Why Mysteries Matter: Detectives, Literature, and Life 7pm @ Central Library Tuesday Alex Espinoza presents Still Water Saints 7pm @ Vroman's Daniel Mason signs A Far Country 7pm @ Dutton's Erin Vincent signs Grief Girl 7pm @ Book Soup Wednesday Brian Frazer presents......

Ian Svenonius AKA David Candy AKA the lead singer of D.C. punk bands Nation of Ulysses, The Make-Up and most recently Weird War, has published The Psychic Soviet, a book of essays and articles that dwell on "the use of rock 'n' roll and art by the ruling class" and "the sinister machinations behind popular fiction, film, and television serials" (that's according to the good folks at Second Layer Records). Published by Drag City, The......

While we try to keep our lit event listings strictly...listings...we can't help but notice that a very slow week in book readings, signings and author events has resulted in a proliferation of erotic, sexy and just plain porn star events. What are the chances this has to do with the most over-hyped flower holiday of the year? Rather high, we'd guess. Monday Chris Abani presents Virgin of Flames 7pm @ Vroman’s Tuesday Gayle Brandeis......

With the year winding down, LAist is asking famous celebs, local politicians, and other movers & shakers of LA to tell us what they thought were tops of 2006. Before founding PostSecret, Frank Warren grew up in the Valley and attended Colfax Elementary School with Adam Carolla. If you missed his book signing last month, you can catch him on January 15th at Borders Books in Torrance as he signs the next PS book, "The......

We here at LAist are strong advocates of Halloween, and have provided the list below in an effort to help all of our readers enjoy this fine holiday as thoroughly as possible. Even if you don't get out there in full costume and party like Bela Lugosi, we hope you enjoy some of the following: FRIDAY • Pretty Girls Make Graves, Bullet Train to Vegas and Razrez are on tonight at the Troubadour. Doors......

The 75-year old British playwright Harold Pinter, noted for the extreme brutality of his characters and the extreme pacifism of his politics, has won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Pinter is the third playwright the committe has honored in the past 10 years. Dario Fo and Elfriede Jelinek were the other two. Pinter is the author of 29 plays. His most famous works include The Homecoming, The Caretaker, Betrayal, and The Birthday Party. The......

It's time for the LAIST prize roundup in the book world. John Banville, in a surprise turn, has won the Booker Prize for his novel, The Sea, beating out favorite Julian Barnes, Kazuo Ishiguro, Zadie Smith, Sebastian Barry, and Ali Smith. Apparently the voting was as close as it's ever been. There's a great 3-part interview with Banville at the litblog The Elegant Variation. The Nobel Prize for Literature has not yet been announced......