Read Local SoCal đź“šđź“š March 2025 Women’s History Month

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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 đź“– below to give away.  See official sweepstakes rules for more information. 

RSVP on Eventbrite

Katya Apekina

Prize-winning author Katya Apekina’s Mother Doll  đź“– 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 GarcĂ­a EcheverrĂ­a

Angelina Sáenz

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  • 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 đź“– 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 đź“– | 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

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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. 

RSVP for WeHo Reads: Power and Progress During Black History Month

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. 

Donate to the Pasadena Black Equity Project GoFundMe

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. 

20 Rasheed Newson interview

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Rasheed Newson, television writer and producer and author of My Government Means to Kill Me, discusses the fallout from the HIV/AIDS crisis. In conversation with host Cody Sisco, Rasheed talks about the ascendance of sex positivity thanks to PrEP, how his novel imagines a young gay Black man in 1980s New York encountering ACT UP, and the legacy of the Gay Liberation and Civil Rights movements.

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Photo credit: Christopher Marrs

Rasheed is the author of My Government Means to Kill Me, which examines the political and sexual coming of age of a young, gay, Black man in New York City in the mid-1980s. The novel was a 2023 Lambda Literary finalist for Gay Fiction and was named one of the “The 100 Notable Books of 2022” by The New York Times. Rasheed lives with his husband and their two children in Pasadena.

Read Local SoCal đź“šđź“š February 2025 Black History Month

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We’re running a book giveaway! Attendees of the WeHo Reads: Power and Progress During Black History Month event on February 26 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 đź“– below to give away. See official sweepstakes rules for more information. 

RSVP on Eventbrite

Angela M. Franklin

  • Four poems by Angela M. Franklin on subjects people are too squeamish to discuss, involving race, mental health, domestic violence, and social injustice

Read now online at https://www.angelafranklin.com/poems.html

Jenise Miller

  • The Blvd by Jenise Miller  đź“–  a debut poetry collection celebrating Compton and its people, who face hardship with grit, gratitude, and grace.

Available via Amazon resellers https://www.amazon.com/Blvd-Jenise-Miller/dp/1946081337

Pam Ward

Romaine Washington

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 LA 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.Â