Los Angeles Theater Women's Festival

The Los Angeles Theater Women's Festival is holding their Sixteenth Annual Festival March 26 through 29, 2009, and they have extended the deadline for video submissions until September 30th, 2008. They are seeking female solo performers of all ethnicities and ages with original performance pieces: Actors, performance artists, dancers, comedians, storytellers, singers and performance poets from throughout the world. Send them a videotape (cued to a 10-minute viewing segment), showing the exact performance under consideration for the Festival.
Send your video, (along with a $35 submission fee), and a self-addressed stamped envelope for returns to: Los Angeles Women's Theater Festival, 11411 Cumpston Ave. Suite 204, No. Hollywood, CA 91601. Include a photograph, resume, and other supporting materials, as well as a letter of introduction describing your work. Performers will be paid! If you are interested, download an application at www.lawtf.com. If you have questions, call them at (818) 760-0408, or email lawtfspotlight(at)yahoo(dot)com

Writer's Faire '08 ~

If you enjoy being surrounded by hundreds of fellow-writers who are interested in learning more about perfecting their craft, this Sunday's free UCLA Extension Writer's Faire, an annual gathering of the writer's community, is just the thing for you! Featuring 24 mini-panels that will focus on every aspect of writing, from "Getting Started as a Writer" (at 11:00 AM) through "Living Your Live as a Writer" (at 3:00 PM), this festive occasion will give you the opportunity to explore many different realms of writing. Screenwriting, fiction writing, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, writing for the youth market, getting published, getting produced, getting started, getting into an MFA program, getting to the heart of a story – all will be explored at the Faire! Six panels will be run simultaneously in six different classrooms, so you are sure to find discussions that will interest you! Seating is first-come, first-served, so arrive early to get a prime spot. After the panels, you can talk with the instructors in the courtyard, get writing advice, and have them sign a favorite book (their publications will also be available). This is also a great opportunity to meet and network with other writers and make new friends!

Support Local Poets

The Valley Contemporary Poets present a special night of poetry with Jamie O’Halloran on Tuesday, August 19
9:00 pm
open reading sign up 8:30 pm

Cobalt Cafe
22047 Sherman Way in Canoga Park, Canoga Park (just west of Topanga Canyon)
Free – one drink minimum, open reading

Jamie O’Halloran is an honored past director of the Valley Contemporary Poets who has been published with the VCP Press imprint. She is the recipient of several awards for her poetry including the Ann Stanford Poetry Prize and has been nominated three times for the Pushcart Prize.

Tongue and Goove Reading at Hotel Cafe

This just in from TONGUE and GROOVE- Readings:

TONGUE and GROOVE- Readingsat the Hotel Cafe, Sunday January 27th- 6:00 to 7:30pm

We're back with our monthly offering of short fiction, personal essays, poetry, spoken word and music.

This month featuring: Aimee Bender, the author of three books, including "Willful Creatures" and "The Girl in the Flammable Skirt"; writer and translator Sasha Watson, author of the forth coming novel, "Vidalia in Paris"; Milo Martin, veteran of the L.A. poetry scene and author of the soon-to-be-released "poems for the utopian nihilist..."; Doug Cordell, Emmy-nominated playwright and Marketplace radio commentator; Nikki Muller makes her West coast debut and will read from her manuscript and I, Conrad Romo , will rankly a few feathers with some stuff about a cult. Plus music by indie/alt country performer Chuck Lee Bramlet

See and hear what t&g is all about because as always it'll be. pound for pound, word for word, and beat for beat, a fine and cool experience.

Sunday the 27th of January
6:00-7:30 pm
The Hotel Café
1623 1/2 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
1/3rd of a block below Hollywood Bl.
Hollywood, Ca 90028
$5.00

How 'bout parking? Free street parking if you can find it or for a few bucks use the secure lot, down the alley/behind the club.

Get there early. Seating is limited and we're starting on time.
www.tongueandgroovela.com www.hotelcafe.com

Poetry Reading: Los Angeles

This just in from Valley Contemporary Poets:

Please join the VCP for our first reading in the new year!
Sunday
January 13, 2008
3 pm

Valley Contemporary Poets
present
Doug Knott
Scott Wannberg

$5.00 Suggested Donation

Tarzana Community and Cultural Center
19130 Ventura Boulevard, Tarzana, California 91356

Art Noir Exhibit ~ October 17 to November 17

"Dark Art is indeed enlightening," and, if you're inclined toward the wicked, the brazen, and the satirical, there's a special treat in store for you at the NoHo Gallery LA. An exhibit, kicking off with a free Meet The Artist reception, starts this Wednesday evening. The gallery is located in the Lankershim Arts Center at 5801 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, and there is plenty of free parking available.

What's the Story? @ Cafe Metropol Tuesday, September 25

This just in from Look LA:

What's the Story? @ Cafe Metropol Tuesday, September 25
Come hear the bold, brave and often hilarious voices of the writer-performers of
What's the Story? Workshop. Originally founded as a solo performance workshop,
What's the Story? has expanded to include people writing for the stage, for the
screen, and for the page. You never know what you'll hear, but we promise a
fascinating mix, fabulous food and drink, and interesting folks.
The monthly Tuesday evenings at Metropol are our opportunity to see how our work
lands with you, our friendly invited audience. Without you, we have no idea what we
are writing. So we invite you to join us every month, and watch our work grow, find
out what happens next.
SEPTEMBER READERS
Jake Arnette • Melissa Bales • Trey Burnette · Marc Goldstein
Stephen Grynberg · Stephanie Stephenson • Karen Taback
Amber Willat • & friends
WHAT'S THE STORY? @ CAFE METROPOL
923 East Third Street LA 90013
Reservations: 213-613-1537
Information: 310-450-1312
whatsthestoryLA.com
Enjoy dinner and drinks and Tuesday half-price appetizers at 7pm.
The show starts promptly at 8pm.
Save the dates this fall @ Metropol
Tuesdays · September 25 · October 23 • November 27

Open Mic Reading Event

This just in from the Valley Contemporary Poets:

Tuesday, August 21, 2007, The Valley Contemporary Poets present Mani Suri at
Cobalt Café
22047 Sherman Way in Canoga Park,
(just west of Topanga Canyon)
9pm
Free – one drink minimum
Open Mic

Mani Suri is a veteran of the Poetic License crowd in L.A. Poet Daniel Yaryan said, "Mani is known for crafting images out of thin air and exposing a new perspective on every subject he approaches." He is the author of two chapbooks, Poetry My Wife Hates and the Mistresses I Could Have Had Would Have Loved and Reflection: More Poetry My Wife Hates or the Mistresses I'll Never Have Who Might Have Loved It, and has poems published in several anthologies, online and in print. Mani has read and featured at various venues around Southern California, London's Paddington and Austin's International Poetry Festivals. He co-hosts a weekly reading at the Rapp Saloon in Santa Monica.

And now, for something fun...

Get off that computer for a second on Sunday and go check out friend-o-LAwritersgroup.com and former moderator, J. Keith Van Straaten's cult hit live on stage show, What's My Line. Remember the old television show where they blindfolded the celebrity guest panel members and they had to guess a stranger's off-the-wall occupation by asking questions? Click on over there and go buy your ticket to the last show of the season! They sell out quickly so clickety click click on over there darlings.... go. now. stop reading already. Geez it's not like you have to turn off the computer to buy your ticket. :)

Tongue and Groove

Go check out Conrad and crew's Tongue and Groove monthly readings and "Offering[s] of Short Fiction, Personal Essays, Poetry, Spoken Word, and Music" hosted by the Hotel Cafe on Cahuenga Blvd in Los Angeles. The groovilicious peeps featured this month are, according to Conrad:

• Salvador Plascencia is an East LA and USC kid who had his first novel published by McSweeneys. He'll be reading a new short story.
• Michael O'Keefe - is an actor, director, lyricist and Zen priest among other things. In his spare time he earned an MFA in poetry from Bennington College. Look for him on the golf course or in "Saving Grace" on TV and "American Crime" and "Michael Clayton" in theatres soon.
• David O'Shea drove cabs in NY for nearly a decade and is a master story teller.
• Laura Diamond is the editor and contributor of a book about motherhood and childhood. Proceeds from her book will go to benefit various women's centers.
• Sharon Mosier is an engineer by day and scribbler by night.
• Musical guest is the wild and wonderful Izzy Cox.

Go. Have fun. Be groovy. Fictionalize.

Readings at The Hotel Cafe

Janet Fitch and deluxe word weavers at The Hotel Cafe, from the Hotel Cafe email list:

"On this upcoming Memorial Day weekend, somewhere between a burger and the Sopranos, I urge you to show some uncommonly good sense and head over to the Hotel Café to satisfy the literary quotient on your plate. You never know what surprises may happen at the club. Last week for instance, Leonard Cohen took the stage for a song.
This week I'm proud to bring you this group of writers to read/perform for you. One is a local gal and a best selling author. Another just had her first play accepted for publication and the others have novels in progress to share and all are fine writers with unique voices that I hope you come to hear. And I'll have a musical guest treat too. Come and see and hear for yourself because as always it'll be... pound for pound, word for word, and beat for beat, a fine and cool experience."

Super cool venue, guys - go check it out!

Shriekfest Networking Meeting

This announcement was sent to LAwritersgroup.com:
Welcome to the 2nd Shriekfest Monthly Networking Meeting! Don't miss this chance to join other industry professionals in the horror/thriller & sci-fi fantasy genres for a great night of fun, drinks & networking! Bring those business cards!
Where?
Hollywood Billiards
5750 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
www.hollywoodbilliards.com
When?
Monday, May 28th
(and will continue on the last Monday of every month.)
Time 6:00PM until?
Early Bird drink specials 6pm-7pm
This is a FREE event. Valet parking is available or free street parking!
Drinks and food are very reasonably priced.
Please RSVP to: shriekfest@aol.com
Need more info?
Shriekfest Film Festival & Screenplay Competition
www.shriekfest.com

Hunger Mountain

Hunger Mountain: "The Hunger Mountain manuscript critique auction begins May 1, 2007, on www.Ebay.com. Join us for our second annual fundraising auction, exclusively featuring manuscript critiques with notable authors. One-on-one critiques in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and writing for children will be conducted by phone, e-mail, and mail. This is a great way to study with a writer you admire and support non-profit literary publishing! Click here to learn more about the auction and to view a list of participating authors"
They also have writing contests.