ALOUD @ Los Angeles Public Library

Readings and conversations with Luis Alberto Ambroggio, Christopher Merrill and Sholeh WolpéMusical performance by Sahba MotallebiWith all of its American idioms, virtues, and contradictions, what is it about Walt Whitman’s epic verse “Song of Myself” that so deeply resonates across other cultures and languages? In 2013, Christopher Merrill, the director of the International Writing Program at The University of Iowa, launched “Every Atom,” a multimedia project to collectively translate the poem in 15 languages, working with fellow poets and translators Luis Alberto Ambroggio and Sholeh Wolpé. Join us for a spirited evening of poetry and music, featuring a performance by internationally renowned musician Sahba Motallebi, as these collaborators explore how Whitman’s radical poetic vision lives and breathes in English, Persian, and Spanish.*Click here to see photos from the program! 

Panel discussion with chefs Cynthia Hawkins, and Ricardo DiazIn conversation with Josh Kun, author and professor, USC Annenberg School for CommunicationCan a city’s history be told through restaurant menus? In a second installment of a special collaboration with the Library Foundation to rediscover the Los Angeles Public Library’s vast archive, USC professor Josh Kun uses the Library’s menu collection to explore the shaping of Los Angeles, from the city’s first restaurants in the 1850s up through the most recent food revolutions. Join him for a multimedia tour of the L.A. menu paired with a conversation on L.A. food past and present with chefs Cynthia Hawkins (Hawkins House of Burgers), and Ricardo Diaz (Colonia Publica)*Click here to see photos from the program! 

In conversation with Alex Cohen, co-host of KPCC's "Take Two"Co-presented with the Japanese American Cultural and Community CenterOn this special evening, one of America’s most beloved storytellers, Judy Blume, will discuss her work—from young adult classics like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret to her new novel for adults, In the Unlikely Event. The story, inspired by a series of real-life plane crashes that occurred in the 1950s in Blume’s home town of Elizabeth, New Jersey, weaves together three generations of families, friends and strangers, whose lives are profoundly changed by a succession of disasters. This iconic author who has won the hearts and minds of readers of all ages, is also known for her passionate advocacy to protect the freedom to read. She will be joined in conversation with KPCC host and super Blume fan, Alex Cohen. Join us for a night to remember! *Click here to see photos from the event!  

The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet discusses her new memoir, a gorgeous kaleidoscope of self and family, that explores the meaning of home against a complex backdrop of race, religion, and unbreakable bonds. With lyrical precision and a tender intelligence, Smith delves into the life and death of her mother.  Smith struggles to understand her mother’s steadfast Christian faith, ultimately discovering her own prayer-like solace in poetry. Lynell George, whose own body of work includes reflections about place, family, and her mother, leads an intimate conversation with Smith about the extraordinary journey of a daughter.*Click here to see photos from the event! 

The masterful poet and essayist shares her latest two works—Ten Windows: How Great Poems Transform the World, a dazzling collection of essays on poetry, and The Beauty, her newest book of poems—for a close look at poetry’s power to expand our perception of the perimeters of existence. Join Hirshfield as she walks us through many wonderful poems, examining how they work by tuning our attention, renovating language and unfastening the mind.*Click here to see photos from the event!  

Co-presented with LéaLA, Feria del Libro en Español de Los ÁngelesInspired by the author’s years living in Mexico and ten years of field research, this transporting, visceral novel tells the story of young women in rural Guerrero who live in the shadows of the drug war. The poetic narrative of heroine Ladydi--disguised by her mother as a boy for protection from the vicious cartels—shows great resilience and resolve as a young woman caught in a real-life nightmare. This fictionalized work by award-winning author and the former President of PEN Mexico, ensures that the most vulnerable voices cannot be silenced at a time when fiction never seemed truer to fact than the present. *Click here to see photos from the event! 

Featuring Sydney Barile, Justin Evans, Amanda Foushee, Melissa Gutierrez, Michael Mitchell, Nicole Olweean, Niela Orr, Sean Pessin, Julian Smith-Newman and Paula Tang.Our second annual gathering unites students from five Southland graduate writing programs—CalArts, Otis College, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, and USC—to share recent work and tune our ears to the future of language. What are the ideas, forms, questions, syntaxes, images, and narratives of our immediate future? Who better as our compass in the wilds of the now than emerging writers? *Click here to see photos from the event!

Stiglitz, winner of the 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize for Economics, has time and time again offered a singular voice of reason to diagnose America’s greatest economic challenges. In his provocative new book, the bestselling author makes an urgent case for Americans to solve inequality now. Veteran journalist Jim Newton engages Stiglitz in conversation, probing for answers to the greatest threat to American prosperity—the yawning gap between the rich and the poor. *Click here to see photos from the event!   

Stiglitz, winner of the 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize for Economics, has time and time again offered a singular voice of reason to diagnose America’s greatest economic challenges. In his provocative new book, the bestselling author makes an urgent case for Americans to solve inequality now. Veteran journalist Jim Newton engages Stiglitz in conversation, probing for answers to the greatest threat to American prosperity—the yawning gap between the rich and the poor.*Click here to see photos from the program!

Espíritu Rebelde: Letras de Poder y ProtestaAna Tijoux en conversación con la poeta y traductora Jen HoferPresentado en conjunto con la Asociación Filarmónica de Los ÁngelesAlzando su voz por los derechos de las mujeres, la reforma migratoria, el activismo ambiental y demás, la cantante nominada al GRAMMY, Ana Tijoux, ha transformado el escenario mundial con sus versos cargados de fuerza política. Las composiciones de Tijoux, sin límites geográficos o de género musical, reflejan las influencias literarias de su juventud y las ricas tradiciones musicales de su Chile natal. De Eduardo Galeano a Violeta Parra, escucha –mediante conversación y canto- las inspiraciones que impulsan su espíritu rebelde.Co-presented with the Los Angeles Philharmonic AssociationRebel Spirit: Lyrics of Power and ProtestRaising her voice for women’s rights, immigration reform, environmental activism, and more, GRAMMY-nominated musician Ana Tijoux has transformed the global stage with her politically powered verses. Unbounded by geography and genre, Tijoux’s songwriting reflects the literary influences of her youth and the rich musical traditions of her native Chile. From Eduardo Galeano to Violeta Parra, hear—through conversation and song—the inspirations that fuel her rebel spirit.*Click here to see photos from the event! 

The veteran journalist and critically acclaimed author of The Lemon Tree brings us another true story of hope in the Palestinian-Israeli impasse. His newest book, Children of the Stone, chronicles a young violist--- Ramzi Hussein Aburedwan-- who escapes a Palestinian refugee camp and later returns to fulfill his dream: establishing a music school with the help of Israeli musicians including Daniel Barenboim, director of the Berlin State Opera and La Scala. Join Tolan for a moving conversation about how a love of music transforms and empowers lives in a war-torn land. *Click here to see photos of the program!  

A veteran of twenty years of human rights research and activism and recent recipient of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Bennoune offers an eye-opening chronicle of peaceful resistance to extremism in her recent book. Scouring the globe for stories of heroic individuals—artists, doctors, lawyers, and educators— who challenge stereotypes of Islamist fundamentalism, Bennoune shares these vivid portraits that offer an uplifting look at our best hopes for ending fundamentalist oppression worldwide. *Click here to see photos from the program! 

In his first collection in nine years, McGuane confirms his status as a modern master of Big Sky country. With a comic genius that recalls Mark Twain, and his own beautiful way with words, McGuane (The Bushwacked Piano, Gallatin Canyon, Ninety-two in the Shade) offers a jubilant and thunderous new batch of stories about life’s complicated nature from the wilds of Montana. Join us for a reading and conversation with one of America’s most deeply admired storytellers. *Click here to see photos from the program! 

Coming together for the first time on stage, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Adam Johnson and bestselling nonfiction author Blaine Harden explore how their different paths of storytelling led them to similar truths about illusive North Korea. Join Johnson, author of the spellbinding novel, The Orphan Master’s Son, and Harden, author of the new historical exposé, The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot: The True Story of the Tyrant Who Created North Korea and the Young Lieutenant Who Stole His Way to Freedom, for a fascinating discussion about the world’s longest-lasting totalitarian regime. *Click here to see photos from the program! 

A year ago, Russia invaded Ukraine, destroying a peaceful order in Europe and placing its own regime at risk.  We in the West have experienced this historical turning point through a haze of propaganda.  According to Snyder, the Kremlin was perhaps wrong about the political weakness of Ukraine, but likely right about some intellectual weaknesses of Americans and Europeans.  When will the war end? This rare pairing of two essential thinkers on Eastern European politics offers a revelatory look at why what happens in Ukraine is of significant international importance.*Click here to see photos from the program!