BookSwell

We look to anointed poets laureate for evidence of joy and creativity, and for lessons on forging paths out of darkness. In 2020, the Academy of American Poets awarded over $1 million to 23 poets laureate as part of a year-long Fellowship to support their creative and organizing work. One of these awards went to our West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Brian Sonia-Wallace who also serves as this event’s host. This reading brings together a group of these Fellows from across the country in the aftermath of their Fellowships to share what they did, read their writing, and reflect on the state of poetry across the United States. Readers include Semaj Brown, Poet Laureate of Flint, MI; Magdalena Gomez, Poet Laureate of Springfield, MA; Chasity Gunn, Poet Laureate of Elgin, IL; Luisa Igloria, Poet Laureate of Virginia; Georgina Marie, Poet Laureate of Lake County, CA; and Lloyd Schwartz, Poet Laureate of Somerville, MA. WeHo Reads is a literary series presented by the City of West Hollywood. More information and events at www.weho.org/wehoreads. BookSwell, a literary events and media company dedicated to lifting up writers from historically excluded communities, is producing the WeHo Reads 2022 season. Additional support is provided by Read More ...

An Evening with Steve Case, "The Rise of the Rest:  How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream"Join us for an in-person* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Tuesday, October 11, 2022, 8pm*Virtual event airs on October 17 at 6pm PT/9pm ETAn Evening with Steve Case discussing his book, "The Rise of the Rest:  How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream"TICKETS:$46 General Admission + a signed copy of the book$20 General AdmissionAdditional books available for purchase at eventMasks required for entryFull vaccination proof required for entryTix also include opportunity to watch the virtual event The virtual version of this event airs on October 17, at 6pm PT/9PM ET. Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the book)ASL interpreter provided upon request.*** PLEASE NOTE MASKS ARE REQUIRED FOR ENTRY INTO THE VENUE. PROOF OF FULL VACCINATION REQUIREDPresented in association with Wilshire Blvd. TempleSteve Case, cofounder of America Online and Revolution and New York Times bestselling author of The Third Wave, shows how entrepreneurs across the country are building groundbreaking companies, renewing communities, and creating new jobs—in the process reimagining the American landscape and bringing people together around a shared future.Steve Case is an entrepreneur, and a pioneer Read More ...

An Evening with Pete Souza, sharing images and discussing his new book, "The West Wing and Beyond: What I Saw Inside the Presidency."Join us for an in-person Live Talks Los Angeles event:Wednesday, October 12, 2022, 8pm. An Evening with Pete Souzasharing images and discussing his new book,The West Wing and Beyond: What I Saw Inside the Presidency TICKETS:$60  General Admission + signed coffee table book*$80 Two General Admission Tickets + one signed book*Additional books available for purchase at eventMasks required for entryFull vaccination proof required for entryASL interpreter provided upon request.*** PLEASE NOTE MASKS ARE REQUIRED FOR ENTRY INTO THE VENUE. PROOF OF FULL VACCINATION REQUIREDMeet the people inside the presidency and go behind the scenes of the West Wing—into the Oval Office and Situation Room, aboard Air Force One, and beyond—with #1 bestselling author and former presidential photographer Pete Souza.Pete Souza was the Chief Official White House Photographer for the entire tenure of the presidency of Barack Obama. He is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestsellers Obama: An Intimate Portrait and Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents.  A photojournalist since the late 1970s, Souza was also an official White House photographer during the Reagan administration, a freelance photographer for Life and National Geographic, and Read More ...

An Evening with Constance Wu discussing her memoir, "Making a Scene."Join us for an in-person* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Thursday, October 13, 2022, 8pm*Virtual event airs on October 19 at 6pm PT/9pm ETAn Evening with Constance Wu discussing her memoir, "Making a Scene."TICKETS:$46 General Admission + a signed copy of the book$20 General Admission TicketAdditional books available for purchase at eventMasks required for entryFull vaccination proof required for entryTix also include opportunity to watch the virtual event The virtual version of this event airs on October 19, at 6pm PT/9PM ET. Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the book)ASL interpreter provided upon request.*** PLEASE NOTE MASKS ARE REQUIRED FOR ENTRY INTO THE VENUE. PROOF OF FULL VACCINATION REQUIREDPresented in association with New Roads SchoolA powerful and poignant memoir-in-essays from Constance Wu, the star of Crazy Rich Asians and Hustlers.Constance Wu is the Golden Globe Award–nominated star of Crazy Rich Asiansand Hustlers.  Her breakthrough role was starring as Jessica Huang in the television comedy Fresh Off the Boat(2015–2020). She has been nominated for the Screen Actors Guild award, two Television Critics Association awards, and four Critics Choice awards. Timehas honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential People of Read More ...

An Evening with Temple Grandin, "Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions."Join us for an in-person* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Tuesday, October 18, 2022, 8pm*Virtual event airs on October 24 at 6pm PT/9pm ETAn Evening with Temple Grandin discussing her book, "Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions."TICKETS:$45 General Admission + a signed copy of the book$65 Two General Admission Tickets + one signed bookAdditional books available for purchase at eventMasks required for entryFull vaccination proof required for entryTix also include opportunity to watch the virtual event The virtual version of this event airs on October 24, at 6pm PT/9PM ET. Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the book)ASL interpreter provided upon request.*** PLEASE NOTE MASKS ARE REQUIRED FOR ENTRY INTO THE VENUE. PROOF OF FULL VACCINATION REQUIREDPresented in association with New Roads SchoolA landmark book that reveals, celebrates, and advocates for the special minds and contributions of visual thinkers.Temple Grandin is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University and the author of the New York Times bestsellers Animals in Translation, Animals Make Us Human, The Autistic Brain, and Thinking in Pictures, which became an HBO movie starring Read More ...

An Evening with Kevin Nealon discussing book, "I Exaggerate: My Brushes with Fame."Join us for an in-person* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 8pm*Virtual event airs on November 13 at 6pm PT/9pm ETAn Evening with Kevin Nealon discussing his book, "I Exaggerate: My Brushes with Fame."TICKETS:$50 General Admission + a signed copy of the book$20 General AdmissionAdditional books available for purchase at eventMasks required for entryFull vaccination proof required for entryTix also include opportunity to watch the virtual event The virtual version of this event airs on October 26, at 6pm PT/9PM ET. Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the book)ASL interpreter provided upon request.*** PLEASE NOTE MASKS ARE REQUIRED FOR ENTRY INTO THE VENUE. PROOF OF FULL VACCINATION REQUIREDPresented in association with Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts CenterYou may know Kevin Nealon as a celebrated comedian and Saturday Night Live alum—but he also happens to be a talented caricature artist. I Exaggerate is part art book, part memoir.Kevin Nealon is an actor and comedian who is best known for his nine-year stint as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, and received critical acclaim for his role in the hit Showtime series Weeds. Kevin currently produces and Read More ...

Amber Tamblyn with Roxane Gay discussing her book, "Listening in the Dark: Women Reclaiming the Power of Intuition."Join us for an in-person* Live Talks Los Angeles event:Thursday, October 20, 2022, 8pm*Virtual event airs on October 25 at 6pm PT/9pm ETAmber Tamblyn with Roxane Gay discussing her book, "Listening in the Dark: Women Reclaiming the Power of Intuition."TICKETS:$45 General Admission + a signed copy of the book$20 General AdmissionAdditional books available for purchase at eventMasks required for entryFull vaccination proof required for entryTix also include opportunity to watch the virtual event The virtual version of this event airs on October 25, at 6pm PT/9PM ET. Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the book)ASL interpreter provided upon request.*** PLEASE NOTE MASKS ARE REQUIRED FOR ENTRY INTO THE VENUE. PROOF OF FULL VACCINATION REQUIREDPresented in association with Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts CenterListening in the Dark breathes new life into an ancient wisdom by taking a fresh and powerful look at our relationship to intuition and how we can harness it to change our everyday lives and the world. .Amber Tamblyn is an Emmy, Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award nominated actress, writer, and director, and the author of seven books across genres, Read More ...

Yung Pueblo with Sah D’Simone discussing his new book, "Lighter: Let Go of the Past, Connect with the Present, and Expand the Future"*** US orders only. We only ship books to addresses in the US. Join us for a virtual Live Talks Los Angeles event:Join us for a virtual Live Talks Los Angeles event:Sunday, October 23, 2022, 3pm PT/7pm ETYung Pueblo with Sah D’Simonediscussing his book, "Lighter: Let Go of the Past, Connect with the Present, and Expand the Future"TICKETS:$36 Ticket: Virtual Admission + a signed copy of the bookTicket includes opportunity to watch the event on video-on-demand for five days, thru October 26 at midnight.Books ship one week after the event.A radically compassionate plan for turning inward and lifting the heaviness that prevents us from healing ourselves and the world, from the New York Times bestselling author of Clarity & ConnectionDiego Perez is a meditator and New York Times bestselling author who is widely known on Instagram and various social media networks through his pen name Yung Pueblo. The name is meant to convey that humanity is entering an era of remarkable growth and healing, when many will expand their self-awareness and release old burdens. He has an audience of over 2.2 million people Read More ...

Celebrate the release of Somebody Feed Phil The Book!Phil Rosenthal will screen an episode from the sixth season of Somebody Feed Phil, discuss the book with special guest Allison Janney, and meet attendees afterward. ***The ticket price for the evening includes the cost of the autographed book. ***“Wherever I travel, be it a different state, country, or continent, I always call Phil when I need to know where and what to eat. He’s the food guru of the world.” —Ray RomanoThe ultimate collection of must-have recipes, stories, and behind-the-scenes photos from the beloved Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil.Phil Rosenthal, host of the beloved Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil, really loves food and learning about global cultures, and he makes sure to bring that passion to every episode of the show. Whether he’s traveling stateside to foodie-favorite cities such as San Francisco or New Orleans or around the world to locations like Saigon, Tel Aviv, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, or Marrakesh, Rosenthal includes a healthy dose of humor to every episode—and now to this book.In Somebody Feed Phil the Book, Rosenthal presents never-before-heard stories from every episode of the first four seasons of the series, along with more than sixty Read More ...

An Evening with Shonda Rhimes & Betsy Beers discussing their book, "Inside Bridgerton."*** US orders only. We only ship books to addresses in the US. Join us for a virtual Live Talks Los Angeles event:Tuesday, November 1, 2022, 6pm PT/9pm ETAn Evening with Shonda Rhimes & Betsy Beers*discussing their book, "Inside Bridgerton"*interviewer to be announcedTICKETS:$65 Virtual Admission + a signed copy of the bookInside Bridgerton, a gorgeous coffee table book, is the official book about the show featuring never-before-seen photographsTicket includes opportunity to watch the event on video-on-demand for three days, thru November 4 at midnight.Books ship one week after the event.Inside Bridgerton brings together the creative minds that launched a cultural phenomenon to reveal the intimate behind-the-scenes story of how the hit Netflix series was made. Shondaland executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers will discuss how Julia Quinn’s beloved novels transitioned to the screen, and share insightsabout the casting, costumes, set design, favorite scenes, and more during this special event. Shonda Rhimes is CEO of the global media company Shondaland.  With a focus on innovation, Rhimes’s company approaches storytelling through brand partnerships, merchandise, and content for film, streaming, audio, digital, and editorial. In her career, Rhimes’s work has been celebrated with Read More ...

An Evening with Jerry Saltz, "Art Is Life: Icons and Iconoclasts, Visionaries and Vigilantes, and Flashes of Hope in the Night."*** US orders only. We only ship books to addresses in the US. Join us for a virtual Live Talks Los Angeles event:Sunday, November 13, 2022, 3pm PST/6pm ESTAn Evening with Jerry Saltz discussing his book, "Art Is Life: Icons and Iconoclasts, Visionaries and Vigilantes, and Flashes of Hope in the Night."TICKETS:$40 Ticket: Virtual Admission + a signed copy of the bookTicket includes opportunity to watch the event on video-on-demand for five days, thru November 16 at midnight.Books ship one week after the event.From the Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author of How to Be an Artist: a deliciously readable survey of the art world in turbulent times.Jerry Saltz is the senior art critic at New York magazine and its entertainment site Vulture, and the author of the New York Times bestseller How to Be an Artist. In 2018 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. A frequent guest lecturer at major universities and museums, he has lectured at Harvard University, the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and many others, and has taught at Columbia University, Yale University, the Rhode Island Read More ...