Writing Life Archives - Page 8 of 9

September 8, 2016October 6, 2023

Best juice shop for writers in Los Angeles

Once, writers haunted coffee shops. Now, they seek out raw, cold pressed green juice — or at least they do in L.A. Or at least I do!

And my favorite spot is Juice Served Here — specifically, the Venice location. A breezy, open spot with lots of natural light, free wifi, your choice of seating, and lots and lots of organic raw juices.

The best deal’s the juice flight. For $8, you can get 10 shots of different juices — from the Field of Greens (grassy!) to Super Choc (chocolatey!). Some of my favorites are Tropic Thunder (Pineapple, Orange, Passion fruit plus greens) and The Roots (it sounds like a roasted veggies medley but tastes surprisingly decadent). Sometimes it’s tough to make a choice from all the options —

And yes, there’s cold brew coffee too — that can be latte’d up with Cream Party (the most delicious raw coconut milk ever) or a nut milk of your choice. If you’re hungry, go for a raw bar (below) or other healthy-ish sweet treat — or get one of the prepackaged vegan meals, delivered here from Cafe Gratitude.

The downtown LA location’s great too, if significantly more crowded. You’ll see as many Macbooks open there as at an Apple store! This spot shares the space with Verve Coffee Roasters, so you have the option here to get hot espresso drinks — as well as the usual gluten-y coffee shop pastry fare — before walking up two blocks to shop at The Last Bookstore.

I’ve been to the Santa Monica and West Hollywood locations too, but they’re not quite as spacious and pleasant to linger in. Some of the locations — like the one in Westfield Century Mall — are just quick-stop to-go shops. But if you find yourself in Venice or downtown LA with your laptop or book, you know where to go.

I realize the distinction between a juice and coffee shop has become thin these days. There’s nary a coffee shop in town that doesn’t offer bottled cold pressed juice. Even Starbucks offers Evolution green juice in all their stores! Still, Juice Served Here makes for a great spot to read and write all day — all while staying on your juice cleanse.

Juice Served Here. Venice: 609 S. Lincoln Blvd. Downtown LA: 833 S Spring St., Los Angeles. Other locations all over LA.

August 30, 2016October 6, 2023

Read Harder Book Club: For readers who don’t want to be told what to read

*Update, 7/24/17: Alas, the Read Harder Book Club is no longer.*

Love the idea of joining a book club, but hate not being able to pick your own book? Then try the Read Harder Book Club in Los Angeles. Here’s a group for the free-spirited reader. Everyone can read whatever she wants!

Organized by the lit site Book Riot, the Read Harder Book Club is simply a group that meets once a month to discuss books in general — what you’ve read lately, which books you loved or hated, et cetera. It’s a cool way to get introduced to new books you might never otherwise hear about — and to meet other local bibliophiles.

The club meets on the second floor of The Last Bookstore. Sadly, when I arrived for the August meeting a couple weeks ago, the men at the front desk had no idea what I was talking about though the event was on the bookstore calendar. One guy suggested I ask the information desk in the back; the guy there told me he thought it was upstairs. After making a full loop on that floor, I finally found the group seated around a table in the space right between where the bookstore ends and the art galleries begin. For your reference, it’s in the hallway-like room with the vibrant red crochet on the walls.

Six of us (attendees range from just three to a dozen, depending on the month) talked about all sorts of books for an hour, led by Sharifah Williams, a contributing editor to Book Riot who organizes the LA club. Attendees ran the gamut: young and old, horror addicts and literary fiction lovers. Several of the people there were making their way through the Read Harder Challenge, a list of 24 different types of books (e.g. “A book that takes place in Asia”) to read over the course of the year, intended to broaden one’s reading horizons. Among the books discussed that I’d actually read were The Girls, Queen of the Night, and Spent.

This book club often has a sponsor for the month. For August this was Kensington, who sent the club free copies of A Change of Heart — though of course no one is obligated to take or read the book (I didn’t take one).

The next Read Harder Book Club meeting in Los Angeles happens Sat., Sep. 17 at The Last Bookstore. For future meetings, check the events schedule on Book Riot. Read Harder Book Club meetings happen in a handful of other cities too, from Houston to Vancouver.

Read Harder Book Club — Los Angeles. The Last Bookstore. 453 S. Spring St., Los Angeles. Third Saturday of each month at 1 pm.

Top Photo by Sharifah Williams

August 29, 2016October 6, 2023

The Last Bookstore: A Literary labyrinth in downtown LA

Dana Johnson at The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles

It’s not quite as bit as Powell’s Books in Portland, but California’s largest used and new book and record store, The Last Bookstore, happens to be in the middle of downtown Los Angeles.

Shop here for new and used books — as well as vinyl records and graphic novels — on two gigantic floors. I recommend planning your visit around a reading or event, since there’s one going on almost every night! A couple weeks ago, I went to Dana Johnson’s launch reading for her new short story collection, In the Not Quite Dark. There she is in the photo above, signing books —

There’s a great collection of art books too. Here’s me in that section, pretending to be Frida.

The second floor of the bookstore has more books, as well as little structures made of books — like this book tunnel. This floor also houses the Spring Arts Collective gallery shops, where you can buy paintings or just see artists at work.

It’s really a place you can get lost in for hours. The Last Bookstore buys back books too, if your apartment’s becoming a fire hazard!

The Last Bookstore. 453 S Spring St, Ground Floor, Los Angeles. 213.488.0599.

August 22, 2016October 6, 2023

Book Soup: A Literary spot on Sunset Strip

Many indie bookstores have come and gone, but Book Soup has held on to its spot on the Sunset Strip since 1975. This West Hollywood bookstore’s a popular place for local literary types, with a big magazine rack out front, floor-to-ceiling bookcases, and readings scheduled most days of the week.

The space isn’t small, per se, but it’s a tad crowded because so many bookshelves are packed in there. Authors giving readings are placed in the corner of the store, with the audience sitting in a T formation along the north and west walls — or standing in the back, if there’s a good turnout. It makes for a cozy atmosphere!

Here’s Wendy C. Ortiz (Excavation) and Leigh Stein, at Leigh’s reading for Land of Enchantment earlier this month.

Post-reading, there are dozens of bars in walking distance to continue the conversation. Just remember to feed your parking meter!

Sign up for Book Soup’s email list to hear about future events. If you’ve got a KCRW fringe benefits card, you can get 10% off your book purchases!

Book Soup. 8818 Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood. 310.659.3110.

August 18, 2016October 6, 2023

Jim Krusoe’s workshop: Legendary (and affordable!) westside creative writing class

Love the structure of a writing workshop, but can’t afford or commit to a $500 UCLA Extension class — let alone an MFA program? If you’re in the LA area, consider yourself lucky. As a resident you can take legendary creative writing teacher Jim Krusoe’s 16-week workshop at Santa Monica College for less than $200.

Jim’s a well-known name in the LA literary community. Not only did he found SMC’s literary journal Santa Monica Review (which published some of Aimee Bender’s earliest work), Jim writes novels (The Sleep Garden, Girl Factory, Toward You), reviews books for the New York Times, and teaches in the graduate writing program at Antioch University. Of course, getting into his workshops there means entering an MFA program.

In contrast, Jim’s SMC classes — voted Best Writing Class by LA Weekly in 2012 — are open to all, at least until they fill up. Fall classes begin August 29, and Jim’s teaching two classes, beginning fiction workshop on Mondays, and advanced one on Thursdays. Both meet from 6:45 to 9:50 pm on SMC’s main campus.

Signing up is a tad complicated. You first need to register as an SMC student to get a student ID number, then use that number to log on to SMC’s enrollment system called Corsair Connect. Once you’re logged in, you can add the classes (beginner is Eng 30A, section 4182, advanced is Eng 30B, 4185). The beginning class is a prerequisite for the advanced class, though you can get a waiver into the advanced by contacting the English department chair.

SMC does also offer creative writing workshops from other instructors; I’m just less familiar with their work. Enjoy the class and happy writing —

Jim Krusoe’s writing workshops at Santa Monica College. 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. 310.434.4000.

August 17, 2016October 6, 2023

Roar Shack: A Monthly Echo Park reading series with music and a Livewrite

Roar Shack reading series at 826LA in Los Angeles

If you like your literary readings punched up with a musical interlude and a little healthy writing competition, come to the next Roar Shack reading.

Conceived by handful of friends four years ago, Roar Shack today is organized and hosted by local writer David Rocklin (below; The Luminist), who sometimes even brings along cookies and wine. These monthly readings in Echo Park will introduce you to new writers, make you feel part of a bigger literary community, and maybe even give you a chance to read your own work!

Your first time at Roar Shack might feel a bit disorienting — because when you get to the address, you’ll actually find yourself at The Echo Park Time Travel Mart — a curious little store that sells fun oddities like Golden Horde Powdered Horse Milk. If you stand around looking lost, the nice guy at the counter will ask if you’re here for the reading, and point you through the black double doors in the back.

Go through those, and you’ll find yourself in — a classroom. These are the headquarters of 826 LA, a nonprofit dedicated to helping young people write. But those kids won’t be there on Roar Shack day! Instead, you’ll find yourself among a few dozen local readers and writers, chatting, looking around, or just sitting at their desks as if waiting for class to start.

Seriously, the fluorescent light classroom setting does lack a little ambiance, but don’t let that put you off! Just use filters if you happen to take selfies.

There’ll be little notecards on your table. If you feel so moved, take one and write a random writing prompt on it. Really, any sentence or phrase — or even just a word — will do. David will come around to collect these then select one for the Live Write. Introduce yourself to him then! Tell him you found Roar Shack through me.

A few minutes after 4 pm, David will take the mic and introduce the first of an eclectic handful of readers — who’ll do everything from give rousing poetry slam performances to shyly read quiet personal essays off their phones. Here’s my friend Lauren Eggert-Crowe, reading her poetry at the August event.

In the middle of these short readings, the Live Write happens. David will ask for two volunteers to write on the chosen prompt during the 10-minute musical performance. Afterwards, the volunteers will read their impromptu pieces, the audience will vote on whose they liked better, then the winner will be invited to read at the next Roar Shack.

Want to read at a future event? Simply email David at drocklin2@gmail.com with a writing sample to be considered. Or just show up and win the Live Write!

And regardless — come to the next Roar Shack, happening September 11. Yours truly will be reading, along with Natashia Deon (Grace), Toni Ann Johnson (Remedy for a Broken Angel), Seth Fischer, and poet Rich Ferguson. See you there!

Roar Shack reading series. Second Sunday of every month, 4 pm – 5:30 pm. 826 LA, 1714 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles.

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Category: Writing Life