BIG CITY FORUM – WRITERS EDITION (5/18 @ 7PM, LA)
LA Art Association, Gallery 825, 825 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90069

Big City Forum in conjunction with LAAA/Gallery 825 present an evening about the written word. Join a group of L.A.’s most talented up and coming authors as they explore the ways in which fiction shapes our thinking about personal and collective narratives. Presenters: Harold Abramowitz, Grace Krilanovich, Margaret Wappler, and Lauren Strasnick. Free.

CALARTS WRITERS SHOWCASE (5/19 @ 7:30PM, LA)
REDCAT, 631 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

The School of Critical Studies holds a reading of the best new fiction and poetry by MFA candidates in the Writing Program. Free.

LARRY FLYNT AND DAVID EISENBACH (5/20 @ 7:30PM, PORTLAND)
Powell’s City of Books on Burnside, 1005 W Burnside, Portland, OR 97209

In One Nation under Sex (Palgrave MacMillan), free-speech activist and notorious Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt teams up with Columbia University history professor David Eisenbach to peek behind the White House bedroom curtains and document how hidden passions have shaped public life. They unpack salacious rumors and outright scandals, showing how private affairs have driven pivotal decisions — often with horrific consequences. Along the way, they explore the origins of America’s fascination with sex scandals and explain how we can put aside our political moralism and begin focusing on the real problems that threaten our nation. Free.

OPEN CITY 2011 BENEFIT PARTY (5/24 @ 7PM, NY)
Open City, 162 E. 92nd St., New York, NY 10128

Sam Lipsyte and Amine Wefali read at a party to benefit Open City and to mark the release of an anthology with highlights from the magazine, They’re at It Again: Stories From Twenty Years of Open City. Tickets start at $100. Funds raised will support the continuation of Open City Books.