LA Diary: Contemplating Great Magazines

LA eggheads gather at the REDCAT tonight at 8:30 PM to ponder a panel on "What Makes a Magazine Great," which will ask guest to explore the "special alchemy when the right editor confronts the zeitgeist to create a magazine that speaks to and reflects the moment." Guests include Gil Maurer, former president of Hearst Magazines and winner of the Henry Johnson Fisher award for distinguished service to the magazine industry; Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong, the founders and co-editors of "Giant Robot;" and Steve Wasserman, who has been the editor of "The Los Angeles Times Book Review" since 1996.

We sure hope Wasserman listens closely and takes notes as the Los Angeles Times Book Review really sucks; The Elegant Variation has been giving it barely passing grades in the blog's weekly review of the section. If we'd gotten these grades in high school, we'd have been grounded for a year.

This forum, hosted by CalArts president Steven D. Lavine, coincides with the release of new editions of two Institute publications, Afterall, A Journal of Art, Context and Enquiry and the literary journal Black Clock.

Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater 631 W. 2nd Street Los Angeles, California 90012

We'll see you in the Redcat Lounge after...we recommend the Cat-A-Tonic