THE RATTLING WALL (6/29@7PM, LA)
Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd, W. Hollywood CA 90069
Book Soup hosts the second in a series of readings celebrating the debut issue of The Rattling Wall, a new LA-based literary journal published by Narrow Books with funding from PEN Center USA. The reading will feature Black Clock 12 contributor Samantha Dunn (Failing Paris), alongside Alisa Slaughter, Libby Flores, KM Droney, and Eric Layer. Be sure to purchase a copy of The Rattling Wall Issue 1, which includes offerings from Black Clock contributors Lou Mathews, Tod Goldberg, and Matthew Zapruder, among other notable voices. Free.
MICHAEL SHOWALTER WITH JENNY SLATE (6/28@12:30PM, NY)
The Bryant Park Reading Room at 42nd Street between 5th and 6th, New York, NY 10018
A member of the surreal sketch comedy troupes The State, Stella, and Michael & Michael Have Issues, Michael Showalter also wrote and appeared in the 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer and 2005’s The Baxter. More recently, he has turned his pen to more introspective pursuits with his debut memoir, Mr. Funny Pants, described by comedienne Amy Poehler as “honest, absurd, and absolutely pointless.” Showalter will be joined by Jenny Slate (Dead Millionaire) as part of Bryant Park’s “Word for Word” outdoor reading series. Free.
DAN BERN W/ COMMON ROTATION (7/1@10:30PM, LA)
Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057
With a voice that channels the likes of Bob Dylan and Tom Petty perhaps a little too well, Dan Bern is a musical storyteller in the grand American tradition. He’s also a secret novelist, having published 2004’s Quitting Science under the nom de plume Cunliffe Merriwether. Joining him exclusively for his Los Angeles performance are LA-based trio Common Rotation. $10.
CODEPINK PRESENTS WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY (7/2@7:30PM, LA)
Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Sponsored by the grassroots peace organization CODEPINK, this all-woman reading features nonfiction writer Jo Scott-Coe (Teacher at Point Blank), Bellwether Prize-winner Gayle Brandeis (The Book of Dead Birds, Delta Girls), two-time Pushcart nominee Stephanie Barbé Hammer, and Donna Hilbert (The Green Season, Traveller in Paradise). Free.
