LA Lit.
Bookstores:
Skylight Books: Los Feliz’s flagship bookstore cherishes its “eclectic clientele,” thanks to their seamless blending of rare ‘zines, bestsellers, and experimental fiction. Sells local chapbooks and throws killer readings. Likely on the shelf: Nog by Rudolph Wurlitzer 1818 N. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles | Open daily 10a-10p.
Book Soup: Self-ascribed “bookseller to the great and infamous,” Book Soup has amassed over 60,000 titles in their well-stocked labyrinthine shelves. Has a soft spot for university and foreign presses. Likely on the shelf: Exercises In Style by Raymond Quenau. 8818 Sunset Blvd, W. Hollywood | Open daily 9am-10pm.
Vroman’s: Founded in 1894, SoCal’s oldest and largest carries bestsellers, classics, and cult favorites. Grab espresso from in-store Zeno’s cafe and find the wall of staff picks. Likely on the shelf: Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. 695 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena | Open M-Th 9a-9p, Fri and Sat 9a-10p, Sun 10a-8p.
Libros Revolucion: LA’s beacon info shop boasts hand-picked titles of literary and political dissent with a strong focus on Latino works. Dedicated to communism and combating the new world order. Likely on the shelf: Imprisoned Intellectuals edited by Joy James. 5726 Hollywood Blvd, west of Wilton, Los Angeles | Open Tue-Sun 12p-8p.
Diesel, A Bookstore: Diesel sells books, both new and used, and sports a smart staff of Cal-Lit disciples. True literary gods frequent their events. Likely on the shelf: Naked by David Sedaris. Brentwood Country Mart, 225 26th Street, Suite # 33, Santa Monica | Open M-F 10a-7p, Sat 10a-6p, Sun 10a-5p.
Portrait of a Bookstore: Good things come in small book-stuffed stores. Wander through Studio City’s Aroma Café and soon enough, you’ll find this majestic shrine of books. Likely on the shelf: The Collected Stories by Grace Paley. 4360 Tujunga Ave, Studio City | Open Mon-Sat 9:30a-10p, Sun 10a-10p.
Libros Shmibros: LA’s lending library/used bookstore combo bestows great reads to Boyle Heights. Want to contribute to LA’s book scene? They welcome volunteers to help compose bilingual bookmarks and catalogue inventory. Likely on the shelf: Wuthering Heights [hardcover, circa 1974] by Emily Bronte. 2000 E. 1st St. Los Angeles | Open M, W, F, Sat 12p-6p.
Stories: “A place where you can use the word opus—ironically or not!” Echo Park’s bookstore/coffee house has great local readings and an eclectic book selection. New and used books and java from Cafecito Organico = LA lit heaven. Likely on the shelf: LA journal Slake, Issue 2. 1716 West Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles | Open Mon-Thurs 8:30a-8p, Fri-Sat 8:30a-10p, Sun 10a-8p.
The Last Bookstore: Downtown’s Last Bookstore offers some of the best deals in book buying and makes for great in-store discount sales. Plus, they’re “best friends with Friends of the Library” and help libraries get cash from their donated books. Likely on the shelf: DSM IV [in top condition] by American Psychiatric Association. 400 Main St, Los Angeles | Open Mon-Thurs 11a-8p, Fri-Sat 11a-10p, Sun 1-5p.
Iliad Books: North Hollywood’s used bookstore is sure to make any bibliophile blush. Iliad has 5,000 square feet of raw book-space and over 100,000 books. Oh, and you might recognize the storefront from Lethal Weapon 3. Likely on the shelf: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams [signed by cover artist Al Hirschfeld]. 5400 Cahuenga Blvd, North Hollywood | Open Mon-Sat 10a-10p, Sun 12p-6p.
Brand Bookshop: The ultimate book-browsing afternoon starts and ends here. Get lost perusing the used books in their legendary stacks. Extremely knowledgeable staff and the prices are unbeatable. Likely on the shelf: Vintage copy of Watt by Samuel Beckett. 231 N. Brand Blvd, Glendale | Open Mon-Thurs 11a-8p, Fri-Sat 10a-10p, Sun 11a-7p.
Alias Books: With two locations for eastside and west-side Angelenos, Alias Books is a small used bookstore that provides ample opportunity to find a rare art book or obscure title, and learn a thing or two from their staff. Likely on the shelf: Vintage edition of Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski. [west] 1650 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles | Open Mon-Sat 10a-11p, Sun 11a-11p [east] 3163 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles | Open daily 10a-10p.
Read Books: Founded by schoolteachers, this Eagle Rock bookstore claims to stock only quality books without “filler.” They feature a weekly story-telling program for kids, signed books, and first editions Likely on the shelf: 1st edition of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. 4972 Eagle Rock Boulevard, Los Angeles | Open Mon-Thurs 11a-6p, Fri-Sat 11a-7p, Sun 11a-5p.
Small World Books: Their motto? “The book you want is the book you should have.” Located on the Venice Boardwalk, Small World Books has a lovely, uniquely curated selection and a cafe. Stop in during Venice’s Art Crawl and score a seedbomb from their revamped gumball machine. Likely on the shelf: Stoner by John Williams. 1407 Ocean Front Walk, Venice | Open daily 10a-8p.
Eso Won Books: President Obama, Spike Lee, and Bill Clinton have read at Leimert Park’s iconic African-American bookstore. Boasts bestsellers, local authors, and a great selection of political titles. Likely on the shelf: Bathwater Wine by Wanda Coleman. 4331 Degnan Blvd, Los Angeles | Open Mon-Sat 10a-7p, Sun 12p-5p.
Counterpoint: This indie-core shop is stacked with dog-eared paperbacks and vintage records. Channel the early-90s vibe and comb the stellar fiction section. Likely on the shelf: Our Ecstatic Days by Steve Erickson. 5911 Franklin Ave, Hollywood | Open Mon 11a-9p, Tues-Sun 11a-11p.
The Bodhi Tree: The metaphysical bookstore of LA. The shop’s cozy book-filled chambers feature East and West religions, spirituality and new age titles. Grab a strand of mala beads and a free cup of tea. Likely on the shelf: Be Here Now, Be Now Here by Ram Dass. 8585 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles | Open daily 10a-11p.
Metropolis Books: Downtown bookstore Metropolis exudes LA noir. Browse local classics and bestsellers in the heart of the old bank district. Likely on the Shelf: Ask the Dust by John Fante. 440 South Main St, Los Angeles | Open Mon-Sat 11a-6p, Sun 10a-4p.
Literary Journals:
Slake: Beautiful and engaging, Slake was started by LA Weekly editors Joe Donnelly and Laurie Ochoa. Slake aims to preserve story telling and ‘slow lit’ through thoughtfully written work. Contributors have included Mark Danielewski, Jonathan Gold, Christine Wertheim, and Ben Ehrenreich. Slake is published quarterly and features long-form journalism, essay, memoir, poetry and fiction. A review from GOOD Magazine proclaimed, “Slake: The Literary Journal That Understands LA.” Despite having released only two issues, the full-color journal has already landed on the Los Angeles Times best-seller list. In an open letter, the editors offer, “We expect you’ll find a lot of your city and yourself in these pages.” The journal accepts online and print submissions. Slake is available online, at Book Soup, and from other local booksellers. $18 print.
Black Clock Literary Magazine: Self-ascribed “singular, idiosyncratic, and a bit mysterious,” LA’s Black Clock has been one of the nation’s foremost experimental literary journals since 2004. The journal showcases fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and cross-genre work. Contributor Don DeLillo called Black Clock, “a journal of ideas, provocations and cultural leaps, with some of the best writing anywhere.” Other featured writers include William T. Vollman, David Foster Wallace, Shelly Jackson, and Jonathan Lethem. The journal is published biannually by the MFA Writing Program at CalArts and edited by novelist Steve Erickson. Work featured in Black Clock has been nominated for O. Henry and Pushcart Prizes and an excerpted book went on to win the National Book Award. The journal accepts online submissions twice yearly. Black Clock is available online and at Skylight Books. $13 print, $3 PDF.
The Los Angeles Review: “Divergent, West Coast Literature,” is The Los Angeles Review motto. Red Hen Press founder Kate Gale edits the LAR, which hosts dozens of writing workshops in LA and online. The aesthetic of LAR, as outlined in its masthead, is, “something disturbing, something alive, something of the possibility of what it could be to be human in the 21st century.” The journal features poetry, fiction, nonfiction, book reviews, and translations. Past LAR contributors include Pablo Neruda, Lydia Davis, Amy Gerstler and Barry Yourgrau. Each issue is dedicated to a west coast writer—with the latest release honoring Ishmael Reed. The LAR is published twice yearly and accepts online submissions as of March 1, 2011. The Los Angeles Review is available online and through Red Hen Press in Pasadena. $15 print.
Faultline: While the Puschcart Prize-winning Faultline lies a bit south of LA, it’s a notable local lit journal produced by the English Department at UC Irvine. Since 1994, Faultline has been published each spring and features poetry, fiction, translations, and artwork. The journal seeks to promote new and emerging writers alongside work from more established names. Past contributors include James D. Houston, Sue Woolfe, and Allen Grossman. Submissions are accepted once a year via mail. Faultline is available from the UC Irvine English Department by way of mail-in form. $10 print. $5 back issues.
Swink: The aptly named Swink is a nostalgic lit ‘zine gone digital. Local founder Leelila Strogov and chief editor Darcy Cosper run this online literary outpost from Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and beyond. Swink seeks boundary-breaking work and writing with guts. In addition to publishing poetry, fiction, and essays, they have three unique columns: Dead Letter Office (“Letters that say what you wish you’d said but didn’t, what you want to say but can’t, what needs to be said but never will be—except here…”), Wit’s End (“Parody and satire, riffs and follies, comic flights of fancy from lowbrow to high concept.”), and You Are Here (“Stories about where you live and where you’ve been: the feud between your neighbors, the ugliest tree in your favorite park, the oldest drunk in Hong Kong…”). Plus, you can read published works for free. Submissions are ongoing. Swink is only available online.
Santa Monica Review: Sponsored by Santa Monica College and founded by Jim Krusoe, the award-winning Santa Monica Review is published twice annually and features literary works of fiction and nonfiction. The journal focuses on Southern California and Pacific Rim writers, both emerging and well known. Past contributors include John Cage, Aimee Bender, Charles Baxter and T.C. Boyle. Submissions are accepted via mail and SASE. The Santa Monica Review is available online, at Small World Books, and at other local bookstores. $7 print. $5 back issues.
