Dear ,

Catch Los Angeles Review of Books around town this month, or join us online for some exciting new programs!

THIS WEEKEND, find us at the L.A. Times Festival of Books! LARB will be at booth #188 near the poetry stage, among many other bookstores, magazines, and independent presses. The 2024 L.A. Times Festival of Books is this April 20–21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the USC campus. General admission is free and the festival will also feature ticketed events with authors and celebrities.

COMING THIS MAY: LARB Workshops. In collaboration with award-winning writers and poets, LARB is offering three workshops this spring to help you master the basics of manuscript and poetry writing or elevate your prose to new levels!

On Saturdays from May 4 to June 8, 10–12 p.m. PST, take Beginnings: A Workshop for Fiction and Creative Nonfiction with award-winning novelist Hannah Assadi. Readers are either won or lost within the first few pages of a book. In this workshop, we will focus our attention on polishing the beginnings of our manuscripts.

On Tuesdays from May 7 to June 11, 6–8 p.m. PST, join award-winning memoirist, essayist, and children’s book writer Nadja Spiegelman for The Art of the Personal Essay. What are the stories you alone need to tell? In this course, students will explore the profound questions of artistic responsibility—such as which stories we own, and why, and what it means to write about the people we love.

On Wednesdays from May 8 to June 12, 6–8 p.m. PST, join LARB Poetry Editor Callie Siskel for Reflections: A Poetry Workshop. How do we appear in our poems? Callie Siskel is teaching an introductory poetry workshop that will center on themes of reflection and self-reflection, encouraging students to incorporate their own image or presence in the world into their writing.

Each workshop is $480. Registration closes on April 28 at 11:59 p.m. PST. For more information, please email workshops@lareviewofbooks.org.

NEXT WEDNESDAY, April 24 at 7 p.m. PST on Zoom, join LARB staff and members for our discussion of Molly by Blake Butler! Molly is a story about love, grief, legacy, and the accuracy of memory. It has already incited broader conversations about the ethics of representation and exposure, sparking intense critical debate. How can a text represent the kaleidoscope of human experience? How much are we allowed to reveal about someone else? Can a grieving husband tell his wife’s story? Register for the conversation here.

If you are not a LARB member, join today to support our daily paywall-free criticism and get a tote, a copy of our next print edition, and discounts to LARB merch and indie bookstores!

Sincerely,
LARB Programs Team