The “Creative City” of West Hollywood has deepened and broadened its reputation as a cultural destination with the annual West Hollywood Book Fair, a must-see attraction for book-lovers, thought leaders and those who believe art and culture should be a staple of civilized life. This year’s 11th annual Book Fair will be held on Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the West Hollywood Library and West Hollywood Park, 625 North San Vicente Blvd., between Santa Monica Blvd and Melrose. Admission is free, and there will be free parking and shuttles for the event (see more info and a video about WeHo below).
The Book Fair will feature hundreds of famous authors, artists, performers on 13 several genre-specific stages, including News and Views Room, Behind the Screens, Toddlers, Tweens and Teens Stage and an LGBT Lounge. But be advised – LGBT authors, performers and interviewers are not relegated to the LGBT Lounge – they are integrated throughout the program such Dan Bucatinsky, author of Does this Baby Make Me Look Straight? in conversation with out actress and TV talk show host Sara Gilbert of ABC’s “The View” at 10:00am on the Park Stage. They are followed by out intellectual Michael Silverblatt, “The Bookworm” on KCRW, in conversation with Susanna Moore, author of The Life of Objects.
They are followed by celebrities Kyle Richards (author of Life is Not A Reality Show and star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), Gigi Levangie Grazer (author of The After Wife, The Starter Wife, and Maneater), and Lisa Rinna, author of The Big Fun Sexy Sex Book.
And in those time slots, they are all opposite Bernard Cooper, author of The Bill from My Father in the News & Views Room and Mignon Moore (author of Invisible Families: Gay Identities, Relationships, and Motherhood Among Black Women), Audrey Bilger (author of Here Come the Brides! Reflections on Lesbian Love and Marriage) with Tony Valenzuela, Executive Director Lambda Literary talking about “Race, Gender, Culture, and Identity in the LGBT Community” in the LGBT Lounge; and Greg Hernandez, reporter and founder of Greg in Hollywood, talking about The Golden Age on Behind the Scenes stage with Emily Leider (author of Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood), Ty Burr (author of Gods Like Us), M.G. Lord (author of The Accidental Feminist), and Mark Vieira (author of Harlow in Hollywood). At the same time over on the Poetry Stage, lesbian poet Eloise Klein Healy, author of The Islands Project: Poems For Sappho, will hold court.
Please check out the long list of attendees, with too many LGBT authors to name. I do, however, want to give a shout out to my friend Michael Kearns, author of The Truth is Bad Enough - a new book that I can’t wait to read. Michael appears in the LGBT Lounge at 4:00. Appearing opposite him in the Poetry Corner at 4:30 representing Trans Genre Literature will be Ryka Aoki, author of Seasonal Velocities.
Noel Alumit (author of Talking to the Moon) will be talking with Eduardo Santiago (author of Tomorrow They Will Kiss), Kergan Edwards-Stout (author of Songs for a New Depression) and George Snyder from 1:30-2:30 in the LGBT Lounge under the title “A Bunch of Gay Guys Talking About Writing.”
The Book Fair organizers also have roundtable discussions in staggered times during the events on the 13 main stages. That’s where I come in. Matt Palazzolo of the WeHo Lesbian & Gay Advisory Board has asked me to chat with him at 2:00-2:40. I'm following Drian Juarez, who Matt says is doing a Trans101 talk (basically an introductory course and what you need to know about the trans community)- We'll be chatting at the Relaxation Lounge & Discussion in the Round with LGBT Authors. The lounge is next to the LGBT stage on the second floor of the Library and, Matt says, “will give authors a unique opportunity to talk with attendees in the round. Last year this format opened the door to some very textured discussions about both content and the logistics of getting work published.” I expect to talk about my work at Frontiers magazine, blogging at LGBT POV, and other blogs, as well as two LGBT history books in the works.
(Photographer Michael Childers, center. Photo by Jonathan Moore)
On the art front, please note that the photography of Michael Childers is on exhibit at the Library – the exhibit runs through Saturday, October 6. A press release notes that “Childers is known for his fine art photographs of legendary movie stars, artists and other iconic luminaries that first graced the cover of Andy Warhol's Interview Magazine and After Dark Magazine. As founding photographer for that publication, Childers guided it to its place as a unique documentation of his life’s personal friends during his many years in Hollywood, a time he shared with his life partner, the late director John Schlesinger.”
WeHo is also making it easy to get around. The city is providing free shuttle service during Book Fair from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. between the West Hollywood Library and Plummer Park, departing every 15 minutes during peak hours, and every 15 to 30 minutes during the middle of the day. Shuttles will drop off or pick up at all MTA stops along Santa Monica and San Vicente Boulevards.
Parking at the West Hollywood Book Fair is available at the Pacific Design Center for $10. In addition, all City of West Hollywood street meters in the area are free all day on Sunday.
The city also notes that this weekend is CARMAGEDDON in Los Angeles and there will be continuous construction and closures along the I-405 San Diego Freeway where it traverses the West Los Angeles region, between the I-10 Santa Monica Freeway and the U.S. 101 freeway. Please plan accordingly, and allow extra commuting time to get to the West Hollywood Book Fair if coming from outside the West Hollywood area. For more information, please call (323) 848-6846. For the deaf and hard of hearing, please call (323) 848-6496.
Finally, to cap off the creative Sunday – the city will be installing two landmark crosswalks along Santa Monica Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard starting on Monday, October 1, 2012 at 9 p.m. The color application utilizes Thermo-plastic technology to permanently place hues from the LGBT rainbow flag, a symbol of LGBT Pride, on the crosswalks. It will take approximately two nights for this part of the work to be fully completed.
“The landmark Rainbow Crosswalks emphasize the core branding of West Hollywood, and will be a permanent symbol to all that this is a City of tolerance and acceptance,” stated Mayor Jeffrey Prang. “Since the temporary installation, the crosswalks have not only gained tremendous positive attention from around the world, but not a day goes by that we don’t see hoards of tour buses slowing down to snap photos of the new landmark. This alone will have a tremendous impact on tourism and further establish West Hollywood as a LGBT vacation destination.”
To get an better idea of why WeHo is called the "Creative City," check out this video about the city's famous history:
Recent Comments