Katherine Manderfield

Last Sunday, local literati convened in the penthouse of a private salon in West Hollywood, and settled into deep-set sofas and velvet armchairs for an evening of intimate conversation with acclaimed author Sapphire and KCRW's Bookworm host Michael Silverblatt.

Michael Silverblatt is the iconic host of the Santa-Monica based radio program Bookworm; a nationally-syndicated show about literature and poetry that has featured some of the greatest writers of our time. LA's favorite literary pundit shared with us his love of literature, thoughts about the local LA literary community, and why he can hardly wait to meet author and poet Sapphire.

Next Sunday, public radio station KCRW (Santa Monica College, 89.9) and Bookworm host Michael Silverblatt will present an evening of intimate conversation with Sapphire, the best-selling author ofPush (the book that inspired the film Precious), and her latest novel, The Kid.

July is National Parks & Recreation Month, and all month long LAist will be featuring a hand-selected park a day to showcase just a few of the wonderful recreation spaces--big or small--in the Los Angeles area.

Local comedians Christine Blackburn and Hannes Phinney are the creators and co-hosts of Story Worthy, a series of podcasts and live story-telling performances that tell the often-hilarious true tales of LA locals. You know, stories about sleeping with yoga teachers, scalping tickets at the Greek Theater, and trouble-shooting old Craftsman plumbing before the rabbi arrives.

Photo by Carolyn Coles via Flickr The end of the Oprah Era means more than the loss of a national anticipation for 4:00 p.m., heart-wrenching exposés, couch-jumping shenanigans and free cars; it also marks the departure of one of the largest book clubs in history. Swaying millions of viewers to read the kinds of books that put Cliff’s Notes in business proves that there is power in community reading. While the act of reading...

Author Aimee Bender is a literary iconoclast. The Los Angeles Times lauded, “she is Hemingway, on an acid trip.” Her knack for magical realism and her admiration of the fairy tale have inspired a generation of young writers bent on the surreal, citing dog-eared copies of Bender’s iconic collection Willful Creatures as influence. I met with Bender at USC to talk about Los Angeles’ less-known lit scene, feminizing fairy tales, and the splendor of LA’s sunlight.

Photo by Pieter M. Van Hattem/Vistalux Jennifer Egan is an author who defies. Her fictions often embrace unconventional forms, narratives, and literary styles. She has challenged the essentials of literature, whether by unfurling the stiff structure of the novel or reinvigorating the importance of the chapter as both self-contained unit and cog. And for it, there’s been no shortage of acclaim. Egan’s latest novel, A Visit From the Goon Squad, sparked controversy when it...

Tomorrow, the annual LA Times Festival of Books—a weekend-long celebration of literature and a fifteen-year old Los Angeles tradition—officially begins. With new features like the free Target bus, Korean Taekwondo performances, and the LATFOB phone app, there’s a lot more you’ll want to check out at this year’s festival. Here’s the rundown on how to get there and what to expect:

Let hyperboles of excitement fly: the greatest annual book festival in the country is only a week away. Our beloved Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is set to take over USC’s campus next Saturday, where some of the greatest names in the book world will congregate for LA’s most literary weekend of the year.

If you thought the only Intelligentsia in LA was a hipster coffeehouse, think again. Meet the Young Literati. They’re a group of public library supporters on a cultural crusade to establish Los Angeles as the intellectual and literary city it deserves to be. Comprised of young professionals in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, the Young Literati are convinced that fostering a community dedicated to culture and the arts lies entirely in the fate of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Photo by jchristopherrobinson via Flickr Tinseltown, Southland, The Entertainment Capital of the World, El Lay, The City of Angels, Hell-A, La La Land —LA has its share of nicknames, but none seem to give our city due credit for the wealth of literature housed among these trafficked streets. Thanks to an unfortunate reputation as a not-so-literary city, LA local bookshops are often and unduly overlooked. But, forget what you might have heard (or haven’t...