April 16, 2025 · 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. PT
What role does poetry play in shaping our sense of self and our connection to the world? How can poetic expression illuminate identity, belonging, and universal truths?
Read More …Olga García Echeverría’s Falling Angels and Dead Cockroaches: a BookSwell Read Local Preview from Lisbeth Coiman
With Falling Angels, Olga García Echeverría delights us with urban tales and poems of characters who sound like real people on a street in Whittier, CA. This brief collection honors the linguistic heritage of East LA, where bilingualism means not only navigating between two languages but also refers to the capacity to code-switch and coexist between two cultures that are not always in sync.
Olga García Echeverría (OGE), East LA Chicanx writer and professor, digs into the city’s consciousness to create stories and poems that are as colorful as they are political. Like a wordsmith, a food truck vendor entertains his clients by spinning the sweet word “donut” with dexterity into jokes and metaphors, while the author makes a profound political statement on police brutality. A conversation between two dead cockroaches—with all the difficult visual images that go into this amusing chat—reveals a profound knowledge of bilingualism in our urban culture. A beautiful coming-of-age story, speaks loudly of identity while the reader smiles at the innocence of two girls going through puberty. A prayer in the mouth of a 17-year-old girl reflecting on her living conditions creates the imagery of slum housing, where numbers and flying cockroach wings scurry between verses.
García Echeverría’s urban characters and setting are centered in hyperreality where politics of class, race, and immigration intersect. They hit the reader with humor and witty wisdom to leave us speechless at the truths revealed.
The brief and impactful stories will linger for a while, calling on the reader to continue exploring OGE’s fabulous website with curiosity. Those who do will discover an online jewel where academic research, curiosity, and creativity explode in color to gift us a glossary of idiomatic expressions in Spanish, an article on the use of cardboard, a reflection on adjunct teaching, and a homage to public libraries, plus literary resources for Latinx writers and readers. In all her writing, OGE’s writing drips with humor and sharp wit, both in Spanish and English.
Falling Angels is a true joy to read. I invite all of you to read this collection. Flip the with the right arrow, or move between stories by scrolling up and down, even if you have to move quickly through the images to avoid the cockroach like I did.
You’ll laugh.
- Read Falling Angels: Cuentos online: https://olgagarciaecheverria.com/cuentos/
- Read Falling Angels: Poemas online: https://olgagarciaecheverria.com/poemas/
About the Contributor
Lisbeth Coiman is a bilingual author and an avid reader. Her debut book, I Asked the Blue Heron: A Memoir (2017), explores the intersection between immigration and mental health. Her poetry collection, Uprising / Alzamiento (Finishing Line Press, 2021), raises awareness of the humanitarian crisis in her homeland. Her book reviews have been published in the New York Journal of Books, Citron Review, The Compulsive Reader, LibroMobile, and Cultural Daily, to name a few. She lives in Los Angeles, where she works and hikes.
About Read Local with BookSwell
BookSwell’s Read Local initiative connects readers and helps them discover local authors. Sign up for curated reading lists, discussion guides, and special offers.
WeHo Reads: Feminism and Fearlessness During Women’s History Month
March 19, 2025 · 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. PT
How do writers channel their imaginations to confront fear, champion equity, and reimagine the world? How can their fearless storytelling inspire advocacy and action?
Read More …Read Local SoCal 📚📚 March 2025 Women’s History Month
Join us in reading local in March! For Women’s History Month, we selected fiction and poetry to awaken the fearless feminist inside you. Our picks appear below.
You can meet the writers on March 19 during the WeHo Reads: Feminism and Fearlessness During Women’s History Month event.
We’re also running a book giveaway! Attendees on March 19 will be chosen at random to receive a free book from one of the participating authors. We’re giving away one copy of each of the books marked with the book icon 📖 below to give away. See official sweepstakes rules for more information.
Katya Apekina
Prize-winning author Katya Apekina’s Mother Doll 📖 is a sharp, kaleidoscopic novel about the shadow of trauma in Russian history that follows four generations of mothers and daughters. | Available from Bookshop.org and Los Angeles Public Library
Olga García Echeverría
- Read Falling Angels: Cuentos online: https://olgagarciaecheverria.com/cuentos/
- Read Falling Angels: Poemas online: https://olgagarciaecheverria.com/poemas/
Angelina Sáenz
- With her extensive experience in public schools, Angelina Saenz presents Maestra, a captivating collection of poems. Her work beautifully explores the complexities of classrooms, embracing hope, despair, resilience, and joy. | Available from FlowerSong Press
- Waiting for Luna 📖 is a heartwarming and visually cutting-edge story about a boy’s wish for a little sister, his journey of becoming a big brother, and accepting that while you don’t always get what you want, you can love and accept what is given. | Available from Amazon
Kate Stayman-London
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Fang Fiction 📖 | The world of your favorite fantasy novels is real, and you’re invited to visit. The only catch? It’s filled with thirsty vampires. Devour this transporting romance from the bestselling author of One to Watch. | Available from Bookshop.org and the Los Angeles Public Library
Announcing a WeHo Reads Special Guest and Fundraising for Eaton Fire Recovery
The Eaton Fire in January 2025 greatly disrupted life in Altadena and Pasadena with a tragic loss of life, property, community, and safety. As the community begins work to recover and rebuild, BookSwell is sharing information and marshaling resources to aid these efforts.
The WeHo Reads 2025 series was envisioned as an exploration of the potential for literary arts to act as a transformative force in the pursuit of social justice. Our Feb. 26 WeHo Reads event, “Power and Progress During Black History Month,” is a moment to focus on the perspectives and needs of Black communities in Southern California.
Alongside this event, BookSwell and participating writers are highlighting organizations, projects, and funds aiding Eaton fire recovery and relief efforts and encouraging attendees to take action by learning about, amplifying, volunteering, and/or donating to these causes. In January, BookSwell and its founder and executive editor, Cody Sisco, donated $2,500 to the Women Who Submit Fire Fund. Now, we’re expanding our efforts to include additional organizations as described below.
The WeHo Reads: Power and Progress During Black History Month event features Angela M. Frankin, Jenise Miller, Romaine Washington, and Pam Ward. It will also include a performance by and discussion with special guest Reggie Myles, whose family was impacted by the fires and who is working with the Pasadena Black Equity Project, which is a community-based organization that organizes a network of resources for Black Pasadena residents through mutual aid funding, community archiving, and political education.
Special Guest: Reggie Myles
Reggie Myles is a spoken word poetry artist and community organizer from Pasadena, CA. He has performed at local poetry slams and events throughout L.A County and is currently writing his first poetry book. He centers his artistry in writing, exploring, and speaking to the Black experience. Specifically, through themes and concepts of joy, healing, resistance, identity, and love. Above all, Reggie is a wordsmith, invoking the radical imagination, change, and connections in his garden of poems.
Where to Donate for Eaton Fire Recovery
The Pasadena Black Equity Project is a community-based organization that organizes a network of resources for Black Pasadena residents through mutual aid funding, community archiving, and political education.
Libraries United to Help Rebuild Altadena
- The Altadena Library Foundation is partnering with the LA County Library Foundation to support Altadena. Your gift for the LA County Library Foundation and the Altadena Library Foundation will fulfill crucial needs for the children, teens, and adults whose lives have been upended by the fires.
Pasadena Community Foundation Eaton Fire Relief & Recovery Fund
- The Pasadena Community Foundation is committed to collaborating with residents and key stakeholders in the immediate relief, mid-term stabilization, and the long-term recovery and rebuilding of Altadena.
