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Tag: Underrepresented Voices
BookSwell is producing the WeHo Reads 2022 literary season!
Great news! BookSwell has been selected by the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division to produce the 2022 WeHo Reads season. BookSwell founder and managing editor Cody Sisco proposed a series of eight online events on the theme of creating joy in the midst of sorrow that will take the audience on a memorable journey throughout 2022.
Literary communities have continued to struggle through difficult times and yet many writers are not only confronting sources of pain and injustice but also creating paths toward healing, lightness, and joy. We aim to recognize the contribution of writers and lift up their voices.
Stay tuned for more info!
You can sign up to receive email updates here:
If you missed our events in 2020 and 2021, catch up on our YouTube channel or check out the highlights below:
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WeHo Reads: Telling Family Secrets
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | 6:30–8 p.m. (PT) What happens when writers dare to expose their family secrets through stories and memoir?
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WeHo Reads: Going Dark to Bring Light
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 | 6:30–8 p.m. (PT) Heading into the winter season, we explore dark themes in fiction to shed light on humanity’s capacity for grace and terrible crimes.
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WeHo Reads: Wild and Powerful Imaginations
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 | 6:30–8 p.m. (PT) How do writers harness their imaginations to create new worlds, reshape realities, and advocate for justice? How can their stories help us envision more inclusive futures?
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WeHo Reads: Voices of Transformation
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 | 6:30–8 p.m. (PT) To achieve transformation, we must first imagine it.
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WeHo Reads: Richard Blanco and Kim Dower in Conversation During National Poetry Month
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?
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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?
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WeHo Reads: Power and Progress During Black History Month
February 26, 2025 · 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. PT Watch WeHo Reads: Power and Progress During Black History Month How do writers use their imaginations to empower themselves and their audiences? How do their stories shape the future?
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WeHo Reads: Through a Lens Queerly
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 | 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. PT What makes a memory? What makes an idol? Through what lens do we examine ourselves and our community? Join us for a discussion about queer lives, the stories we tell both in words and images, and how we see each other.
16 Yodassa Williams interview
Cody Sisco interviews Yodassa Williams about her debut fantasy novel, The Goddess Twins, coming of age and finding one’s voice, black girl magic and creativity, and the revelatory experience of going to Burning Man.
Yodassa Williams is a powerful conjurer of black girl magic (70 percent Jedi, 30 percent Sith). A Jamaican American writer, speaker, and award-winning performing storyteller, an alumna of the VONA/Voices Travel Writing program and the Fortify Writer’s Retreat, and the creator of the podcast The Black Girl Magic Files, Yodassa (Yoda) launched Writers Emerging, a wilderness writing retreat for women of color and non-binary people of color, in 2019. She grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and currently resides in the Bay Area. The Goddess Twins is her debut novel.
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