Author Michael Arceneaux Needs A Place To Write In LA. Got A Suggestion?

Michael Arceneaux was set on moving to L.A. a second time. He has goals — to work and heal and ultimately become a “badder bitch” here.

“I think being able to go outside, walk around, see the beauty of the place while in pursuit of things is just really helpful for me,” he says. “And I've made the right choice.”

The New York Times best selling author of I Can’t Date Jesus and I Don’t Want To Die Poor moved back to K-Town as he was writing his latest book I Finally Bought Some Jordans. All three books are collections of essays that hold space for millennial worries, difficult relationships, navigating sexuality, grief and moving forward (plus more) through the lens of a Black, Southern gay man.

A Lovely View

Arceneaux, a transplant from Houston, aptly titled the chapter of his L.A. move, “A Lovely View of a Burning World.”

LA’s complexities

I recently met him at the LA Times Festival of Books — where he was a part of a comedy panel — on a warm, sunny Sunday.

Listen • 30:45

Listen • 30:45

Author Michael Arceneaux On Grief, Family, And His 'Badder Bitch' Glow Up

#270: Today, we’re coming to you once again from the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, where we had the chance to speak with some local authors about their work. In this episode: Michael Arceneaux, the New York Times-bestselling author of “I Can’t Date Jesus,” “I Don’t Want To Die Poor,” and his latest book, “I Finally Bought Some Jordans"; and Amy Price, former general manager of the Cecil Hotel in downtown L.A., and author of "Behind the Door: The Dark Truths and Untold Stories of the Cecil Hotel."

Coincidentally enough, Arceneaux’s friend once told him that “L.A.'s too bright, but for me, I think I needed more of the sun,” he says.

As an official L.A. resident, he’s now that person that regularly goes on hikes, sips on matcha lattes and is working on his fitness with a personal trainer. Another L.A. cliché is that he’s also working on a TV adaption for one of his books.

I was curious about his home hunting experience after coming back to L.A. now that he’s an established writer with some more cash in his pocket. (Arceneaux shares his growing up with low income struggles throughout his books.)

Arceneaux is living in one of K-town’s newer buildings, with a balcony facing the Griffith Park mountains. He settled here because the apartment checked off “simple requirements” from his list: parking, a fridge, air conditioning and space.

Los Angeles is visible behind Griffith Observatory, seen from hiking trails in Griffith Park.

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Andrew Cullen for LAist

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He’s not shy to say that he’s a transplant, or “transient,” and the certain unfamiliarity of the city that comes with it.

“I try to be respectful of the fact that I'm not from here,” he says.

One thing, he hopes, is that L.A.’s housing and homeless crises don’t stay status quo during his time here. “Y'all step over people on the street,” he notes talking about unhoused folks. He doesn’t want to get used to that experience.

In talking about the city, he brings up his mother, who died of cancer in October 2023. He wishes he was able to show her L.A., its beautiful parts and maybe some flowers — she was into gardening, he says.

Like many Angelenos, he acknowledges the complexities of the city and how navigating it can be challenging for newcomers. That’s one of the reasons why he’s choosing to learn more about L.A. before he figures out a new neighborhood to live in. But he does really like being here.

“I think L.A. is just, I don't know, it's keeping a lot of my dreams alive in ways I didn't think — if that makes sense,” he says. “I just hope I'm not an annoying transplant when I talk like this.”

Where to write in LA?

We’re at a book festival in the middle of L.A., at USC’s campus, with lots of commotion. I naturally had to ask him, “Where’s your favorite L.A. spot to write?”

“I'm actually actively working on that because writing from my apartment all the time is not it,” he responded. “So you might have to help me with that. I'm actively looking for places to go write.”

So I’m pitching a How To LA episode on where to find writing/study spots throughout the city. If you have one, holler at me.

Contact the team at HowtoLA@scpr.org.

(Hey, Michael, if you’re reading this I thought about it and I think Vista Hermosa Park near Historic Filipinotown could bring some nature vibes with a great view of the downtown L.A. skyline. There are several benches under trees if you like that or just plop on the grass. Maybe bring an extra battery charger for your laptop.)