A Reading at the Old Zoo

                                               May 19th, 2013 at 5:30pm
                                            The Old Zoo in Griffith Park

                                                             Chiwan Choi
                                                       Melinda Palacio
                                                       Diana Wagman
                                                         Amanda Yates

                                          and musical guest Bloody Death Skull

RSVP on Facebook Event page


Facebook: Griffith Park Storytelling Series Twitter: @griffithparklit


Directions
The Independent Shakespeare Company has detailed maps and directions to the Old Zoo. They also have hot pink signs up along Crystal Springs Drive, which point the way to the Old Zoo.
http://iscla.org/parkdirections.html

If you are familiar with the park, make your way to Merry-Go-Round Lot #2. Walk through the trailhead towards the picnic areas and turn left. Take any trail, making your way toward the stairs. Go up the stairs, and you will see the Old Zoo across the open field to your left. We will be inside one of the enclosures-- probably the second or third. We will have signs up pointing the way, and chairs and a refreshment table set up inside the enclosure.

Detailed directions: 
Make your way to Los Feliz Blvd. and turn onto Crystal Springs Drive into the park. We will have signs along Crystal Springs to assure you that you are headed in the right direction.
Continue straight through the first stop sign, which is the turn-off for the 5. 
Soon, you will reach another stop sign. We will have a sign up here, and there will likely be many other signs up as well. The Ranger station is to your right, but you will turn LEFT, following signs for the MERRY-GO-ROUND.
At the top of the hill, turn right into the parking lot. This is Merry-Go-Round Lot #1. Drive through this lot to the next parking lot, Merry-Go-Round Lot #2. Park here. The Old Zoo is a short (5-7 minute) walk from the parking lot.

                      Walk straight along the road, but do not turn right down the hill. 

Continue walking straight through the trailheads towards the picnic areas. We will have a sign up at the trailhead.

                    Turn left, staying on the trails, which look like pavement covered in sand. 
                                                     Do not walk towards the cars ahead.

The trails around here all lead in sort of the same direction, so don't worry too much about staying on a particular trail. Soon, you will see a purple fire hydrant. Turn left up the hill and keep an eye out for staircases. There are two staircases, and either one will lead you to the Old Zoo.

Walk up the stairs and there will be a wide open field before you. Head left towards the ruins.
                                                                  

We will be in one of the enclosures. We will have chairs set up, a refreshments table, and a sign at the entrance. The Independent Shakespeare Company has an event ending around 5pm, so we think the area will be cleared out by 5:30. We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Chiwan Choi has published two books of poetry, The Flood and Abductions. He is also a co-founder of Writ Large Press, and shares the highs and lows of being an independent LA publisher on his weekly column, "Literary Alchemy," on Cultural Weekly. Learn more about his work online at chiwanchoi.com and writlargepress.com

Melinda Palacio loved going to Griffith Park as a child from South-Central. Her novel, Ocotillo Dreams, won the Mariposa award and the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award. Her poetry book, How Fire Is A Story, Waiting, was a finalist for both the 2013 Milt Kessler and the Patterson Poetry Prize. Visit her online at www.melindapalacio.com

Diana Wagman is the author of four novels. Her second, Spontaneous, won the 2001 PEN West Award for Fiction. Her latest, The Care & Feeding of Exotic Pets, was chosen as a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick. She has been published in many literary journals and is an occasional contributor to the Los Angeles Times.


Amanda Yates explores the ways the overlapping stories of individuals and events compose the “spirit” of places. Her work has appeared in the literary journal Black Clock, and Synema Publikationen (Austria), among others. Her performance rituals, Happening Magic, have been conducted throughout Los Angeles at venues ranging from Public Fiction to Human Resources.http://losangelesmysteryproject.org/

Bloody Death Skull special musical guest Bloody Death Skull really began the day Daiana Feuer and Gerard Olson met at CalArts and plotted to kidnap Tim Burton and keep him as a pet in a closet. Upon having Beth McNamara over for karaoke one day, it became apparent she was "one of us." Later, they added Donna Suppipat and her arsenal of toys to fill out the percussion section, which at the time consisted of Beth playing the (silent) yarn shaker. This band was raised on Wild Kingdom and televised space shuttle launches. They sing about fun things like their favorite movies, science and the cosmos, flirting with boys, and understanding the prostitute psyche. Sometimes they cover songs, usually romantic numbers. Musically, the band swirls together ukulele with whatever sounds, toys and instruments they enjoy into a pleasant, lo-fi pop sound, rooted in the sort of fun, sappy, playful and sneaky tunes you find in late-50s American Rock and Soul. Visually, the outfits, toys, lights and bubbling test tubes are a feast. It’s a PBS daycare playset. And physically, well, they’re a very attractive band too. http://www.facebook.com/BloodyDeathSkull

Pictures from the Batcaves

It was one of those perfect, clear Los Angeles afternoons. We made our way to the Bronson Caves, set up the chairs, and waited for our readers and listeners to join us.

At the trailhead

Liz Stephens reading in the caves

Liz Stephens

A rapt audience

Sergio Hernandez

Sergio Hernandez calls on audience members to play the parts of "World" and "Man."

Lauren Strasnick reading from her new novel

Lauren Strasnick

Antoine Wilson

Antoine Wilson reading a new essay

Amelia Gray

Amelia Gray in true form

Each reader had their own style, so different from one another, yet each inspiring and fascinating in their own way. We feel so lucky to live in this talented literary city, inside of which is the sprawling wilderness of Griffith Park!

For more pictures and updates, Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter.

A Return to the Bronson Caves

Sunday, February 24th, 2013

2pm

At the Batcaves of Griffith Park

                                     Join us for an afternoon of readings with

         Amelia Gray, Sergio Hernandez, Liz Stephens, Lauren Strasnick and Antoine Wilson

Facebook Event Page

Griffith Park Storytelling Series

To Get to the Batcaves/Bronson Caves:

From Franklin Ave., head towards the Hollywood Sign on either Bronson Ave. or Canyon Dr.

Bronson eventually merges into Canyon, so it doesn't matter which street you take as long as you keep heading up the hill. Canyon Drive runs right into Griffith Park. There will be a parking lot on your right. Park here or along the road.

The trail is actually right above the parking lot. You will see the tops of people's heads. To find the proper trail head, walk to the far north side of the parking lot (the opposite direction from which you drove.) You will walk along the road for a minute or two. Ahead will be another small parking lot to your left-- straight ahead is the trail to the Hollywood Sign-- although this is an awesome hike, it is not the way to the caves. To get to the reading, follow the pink curb to the right. This will lead to the entrance to the wide, heavily trafficked and easy to find trail to the caves. The caves are a five-seven minute walk from the parking lot. Pictures of the trailhead and trails are below.

You will find us inside the caves, most likely along the back entrance. We will have some chairs set up, and will try to put up signs to point you in the right direction.

Amelia Gray is the author of AM/PM (Featherproof Books) and Museum of
the Weird (FC2), for which she won the 2008 Ronald Sukenick Innovative
Fiction Prize. Her first novel, THREATS, was published by Farrar, Straus
and Giroux. Her writing has appeared in Tin House, Poets & Writers,
American Short Fiction, McSweeney's, and DIAGRAM, among others. Find
more at ameliagray.com or on Twitter @grayamelia.

Sergio Hernandez

Liz Stephens served as Managing Editor of Brevity Magazine, and recently finished a PhD in nonfiction. She's been published in Fourth Genre and some other nice places, and won or been nominated for a couple of cool awards, and has a book that's being released this week from Nebraska Press, named "The Days Are Gods." You are all invited to its release party.

Lauren Strasnick is a graduate of the CalArts MFA Writing Program. Her debut novel, NOTHING LIKE YOU (Simon Pulse/S&S, 2009), was an RWA RITA award finalist in two categories, Best First Book and YA Romance. Her second novel, HER AND ME AND YOU (Simon Pulse/S&S, 2010), was a 2012 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. THEN YOU WERE GONE (Simon Pulse/S&S), Lauren’s third book, hits shelves this January.

Antoine Wilson is the author of the novels The Interloper (Other Press,
2007) and the recently released Panorama City (Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt, 2012). He has taught creative writing at Iowa, Wisconsin, CSU
Long Beach, UC San Diego, and UCLA Extension

Pictures to help you find the caves:

follow the pink curb to the right

proceed through trail head

a gentle uphill walk for about five minutes

the trail curves to the left, and the caves will be hard to miss

walk through the caves!

we will likely be set up inside the caves

view of hollywood sign

see you there!

A Reading at The Griffith Observatory

                                                Monday, November 12th at 7:30 p.m.
                                                      Outside the Griffith Observatory


          Four writers will read stories and poems overlooking the city outside the Observatory
                                                     
                                                                   Aimee Bender
                                                               Lauren Eggert-Crowe
                                                                  Douglas Kearney
                                                                      Janice Lee

 

RSVP at the Facebook Event Page

Griffith Park Storytelling Series


Exact location of the event: We will be on the ground-level overlook behind the Observatory. If you are facing the Observatory, just walk around the right hand side. Do not climb any steps. We will be hanging out at the beautiful, sweeping view of Los Angeles.

A note on seating and sound: The enclave is quiet, with wonderful acoustics, so we don't anticipate any sound issues. We will have a very limited amount of seating. If you'd like, feel free to bring your own chair. The ground is concrete, not grass, so you may bring a blanket but it will be on a hard surface.

Directions to the Observatory: You must enter through the Vermont entrance, as the Fern Dell entrance closes at sunset. From Los Feliz Blvd, head up the hill into the park via Vermont or Hillhurst (the streets merge before the entrance.) It will be dark, but just continue up the hill past the Greek Theater. There will be signs to the Observatory. There will be a fork in the road just before a tunnel. The left fork is for cyclers and hikers. Take the right fork through the tunnel and continue up the hill to the Observatory parking lot. Walk towards the Observatory and we will be at the overlook behind the building on the right-hand side. Do not climb or descend any stairs, as we will be on the ground level.


Aimee Bender is the author of four books including The Girl in the
Flammable Skirt and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. Her fiction
has been published in Granta, GQ, Harper's, The Paris Review, Tin House,
and more, and she currently has a story in McSweeney's. She lives in
L.A. and teaches creative writing at USC.

Lauren Eggert-Crowe's poetry appears in Maintenant, Interrupture,
DIAGRAM, Water-Stone Review, Terrain.org, OccupyWriters, and Eleven
Eleven, among others. She is the author of two poetry chapbooks, The
Exhibit and In The Songbird Laboratory, both forthcoming this winter.
She has written for The Rumpus, Salon, and L.A. Review of Books. She
recently started a blog called Fake-ademia, a Tumblr of sexy titles for
academic papers she would write if she weren't too lazy to do actual
research. She wants all of you to submit.

Poet/performer/librettist Douglas Kearney's first full-length collection of poems, Fear, Some, was published in 2006 by Red Hen Press. Red Hen will also publish Kearney’s third collection, Patter in 2014. His second, The Black Automaton (Fence Books, 2009), was Catherine Wagner’s selection for the National Poetry Series. It was also a finalist for the Pen Center USA Award in 2010. His newest chapbook, SkinMag (A5/Deadly Chaps) is now available. He has received a Whiting Writers Award, a Coat Hanger award and fellowships at Idyllwild and Cave Canem. Raised in Altadena, CA, he lives with his family in California's Santa Clarita Valley. He teaches at CalArts and Antioch.

Janice Lee is a writer, artist, editor, designer, curator, and scholar interested in the relationships between metaphors of consciousness and experimental narrative. Her work can be found in antennae, sidebrow, Action Yes, Joyland, Luvina, Everday Genius, elimae, Black Warrior Review, and elsewhere. She is the author of two highly acclaimed novels: KEROTAKIS (Dog Horn Publishing, 2012), a multidisciplinary exploration of cyborgs, brains, and the stakes of consciousness; and Daughter (Jaded Ibis, May 2011). She also has several chapbooks: Red Trees, Fried Chicken Dinner (Parrot/Insert Press, August 2012), and The Other Worlds (Eohippus Labs, June 2012). She currently lives in Los Angeles where she is Co-Editor of the online journal [out of nothing], Co-Founder of the interdisciplinary arts organization Strophe, Reviews Editor at HTMLGIANT, and Founder/CEO of POTG Design. Most recently, she was selected by John D’Agata as Black Warrior Review‘s Nonfiction Grand Prize Winner and she currently teaches at CalArts.

Pictures from Fern Dell and the Trails Cafe

This update is a month or two late, but we'd like to thank our readers and guests for the lovely afternoon! We had some technical issues, but we will try our best to remedy sound issues in the future!

Anne-Marie and Dee Dee, official Griffith Park Storytelling Series helper, welcome guests

Stephen Van Dyck 

Another view of Stephen Van Dyck

Robin Myrick

Grace Krilanovich

J Ryan Stradal

Lisa Teasley

A Reading in Fern Dell

                                                        
                                                         August 12th, 2012 at 5pm
                                              A Reading at the Trails Cafe in Fern Dell
                                          2333 Fern Dell Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068

Five writers will perform stories, poems and essays in the outdoor, shaded seating area beside the Trails Cafe in Griffith Park

                                                             Grace Krilanovich
                                                                 Robin Myrick
                                                                J Ryan Stradal
                                                                  Lisa Teasley
                                                             Stephen Van Dyck

Link to Facebook Event
Griffith Park Storytelling Series


Directions: Turn into the park via Fern Dell Drive from Western or Los Feliz Blvd. Drive straight on Fern Dell until you see the Trails Cafe on your left. Park anywhere along the road and head to the Trails Cafe. You will see white lights and picnic tables. Come a few minutes early if you would like to walk around Fern Dell or purchase some homemade sweet or savory foods from the Cafe.

Grace Krilanovich's debut novel The Orange Eats Creeps, published by Two Dollar Radio, was a finalist for the Indie Booksellers' Choice Award and the Believer Book Award, and was named one of Amazon's Top  Ten Science Fiction/Fantasy Books of 2010. Grace is a MacDowell Colony fellow and was a National Book Foundation "5 Under 35" honoree for 2010.

Robin Myrick is a Texas-based writer, visual artist, and color commentator on American culture. She's currently an instructor and doctoral student at the University of Texas at Dallas, and she holds an MFA in Writing and Critical Studies from California Institute of the Arts. Her work has been featured in Chronometry, [out of nothing], and the anthology You've Probably Read This Before, among other respectable-type publications. She also makes and shows things with the art collective In Cooperation With Muscle Nation.

J Ryan Stradal is from what claims to be the second-oldest town in Minnesota. His writing has appeared in Hobart, The Ratting Wall, Midwestern Gothic, The Rumpus, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, The McSweeney's comic strip series "The Goods," The Nervous Breakdown, and The Foghorn, among others. He also volunteers for 826LA, helps make products and materials for the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, and sometimes produces Emmy-nominated TV shows. He likes books, wine and peas. 

Lisa Teasley is the author of the critically acclaimed novels HEAT SIGNATURE and DIVE, and the award-winning story collection, GLOW IN THE DARK. A frequent contributor to Black Clock, Teasley is also writer and presenter of the BBC Television documentary “High School Prom” and a columnist for the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Stephen van Dyck uses performance, video, text and sound to dissect social rules and spaces. An MFA graduate of Integrated Media, Critical Studies and Experimental Sound Practices at CalArts, he has performed and presented work all around Los Angeles, including LACMA, MOCA, Machine Project, LACE, Wildness, Public Fiction, Workspace and Sea and Space.  Since 2008, he has curated the annual Los Angeles Road Concerts, all-day arts events of over 200 LA artists and locals re-imagining unused public space along the entire lengths of LA's very long streets with site-specific installations, performances, discussions and car pool happenings. He's currently amidst completion of his first book, "People I've Met from the Internet," a conceptual writing project, coming out/coming of age story and field study in the form of a very long annotated list. He forever resides in LA and for money he pretends to be fifty identities on an online forum to make a website seem popular.

Pictures from the Old Zoo Reading

This was a really special reading-- a beautiful afternoon, fantastic readers and a solar eclipse! Thank you to everyone who joined us, especially our readers:

Francesca Lia Block read from her upcoming novel, "The Immortals." We love her.

Allison Carter captivated us with prose poems.

Laura Vena read her trademark evocative prose.

The Old Zoo in Griffith Park

Cole Cohen read from her enthralling memoir.

All the readers were so great. 

Cecil Castellucci reads from her YA novel, "The Queen of Cool."

Cecil's selection takes place in the Old Zoo, exactly where she is reading. Doesn't get any better than that.

We hang around and watch the eclipse!

Thanks to everyone who shared this lovely day with us!