Poetry

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WHISKY & POETRY SALON with Noir Poet CECE PERI

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We can’t wait to trade you whisky for your words at the Whisky & Poetry Salon with noir poet Cece Peri (a Poetry Noir presenter at the LAVA Sunday Salon on April 27th!)

Bring a poem, original or not, and read it in a candle-lit circle of fellow aficionados in the 1920’s B Black Penthouse with its dramatic cityscape views.  You’ll climb six floors to get there but a stop at the Whisky Way Station will send you on your way rejuvenated.

Light bites and more whisky await you in the penthouse! Our cheeky Spirits Ambassador Johnnie “the Scot” Mundell pours fine single malt Scotch throughout the evening and offers erudite whisky education in between the reading of poems.

Our wonderful feature Cece Peri is the evening’s grand finale!  (Psst: there are rumors of exciting special guests!)

Cheers!

Kim Ohanneson & Karolyn Kiisel

 

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20 Years After: Charles Bukowski Memorial Gathering

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Henry Charles Bukowski (August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994)

You are cordially invited to join with friends, fans and followers of Charles Bukowski on the 20th anniversary of his death for an evening of poems, toasts and memories.

The evening is hosted by Richard Schave (Esotouric’s Haunts of a Dirty Old Man bus tour & the De Longpre bungalow preservation campaign) and will include readings from five notable Los Angeles poets and friends of the late writer: Dan Fante, S.A. Griffin, Suzanne Lummis, Joan Jobe Smith and Fred Voss.

The location for this free event is the King Eddy Saloon, a location celebrated in the fiction of Bukowski’s idol, John Fante, and located smack on The Nickel, where the young Bukowski came to learn about the world of men. The formal program is scheduled to run from 6:00 – 7:30pm, after which you are encouraged to remain and talk Bukowski into the night.

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Haunts of A Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski’s Los Angeles tour

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“[This tour is] a poetic journey full of rare insight into the life of a man who’s come to represent the ghettoized contingency of the City of Angels.” – Tanja M. Laden, Flavorpill

“Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski’s LA” focuses on Bukowski’s great passions: writing, screwing and Los Angeles. We’ll take in the canonical locations of his life and myth: the Postal Annex Terminal where he gathered the material for “Post Office,” the De Longpre apartment where he briefly experimented with marriage and fatherhood, one of his favorite bars and liquor stores, and many other spots. Along the way, we’ll explore the people and ideas that made up the warp and weft of Buk’s rich inner life. This Esotouric bus adventure is hosted by Richard Schave.

The tour spans Bukowski’s personal city, from Skid Row to once-genteel Crown Hill, to Bukowski’s favorite East Hollywood liquor store, the Pink Elephant.

Esotouric has made its name with true crime bus tours (Black Dahlia, Pasadena Confidential) and explorations of literary LA (Raymond Chandler, John Fante, James M. Cain). Now they turn their creative attentions to Bukowski, the prolific poet, novelist and screenwriter whose rough-hewn tales of boozing, wild women and rotten jobs never obscure the deep vein of sweetness and hope that runs through all his work. In one of his finest poems, he described this as a bluebird he kept caged, and that bluebird is been represented in the Bukbird, a pale blue version of his beloved alcoholic crow character, represented by a logo created by cartoonist Tony Millionaire exclusively for this tour. The Bukbird is available on T-shirts, beer coasters and fine art prints by plasticmuse.

Press clips:

Silver Birch press gives our Bukowski bus a most auspicious rating.

LA Weekly interviews Charles Bukowski tour host Richard Schave to compile a list of L.A. sites that were important to the writer.

Slake wonders if the Charles Bukowski tour is “‘Fawlty Towers’ on wheels.”

Spike Magazine digs our literary tours.

Novelist Anna Stothard explores the hidden gems of Los Angeles for the London Guardian, including our Bukowski tour.

Annenberg News Radio covers our Charles Bukowski tour in a video/slideshow.

Marco Mannone on the Charles Bukowski bus: “Four hours after we departed, the tour drops us back off at Philippe’s. This is a terrible way to simplify the tour, filled with so much wit and insight into not only Bukowski, but lost parts of Los Angeles.&quot

Girls Gone Wild digs the Charles Bukowski tour.

For more info, see this short film on the landmarking of Bukowski’s former bungalow on De Longpre.

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Whisky & Poetry Salon with Brendan Constantine

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Straight from Literary Libations to your lips: the Whisky & Poetry Salon is an intimate evening of Scotland’s finest whiskies and the communal love of all things poetic.

Bring a poem (your own or someone else’s) and read it in a candlelit circle of of fellow aficionados in a 1920’s penthouse loft with a dramatic view of the downtown L.A. cityscape.  

In return, you’ll get a flight of fine, single malt scotches and — just in time for Robbie Burns Night the following week — a wee bit of whisky education from our cheeky and erudite Whisky Ambassador Johnnie “the Scot” Mundell.

 We’re thrilled to announce that Brendan Constantine, the “guerrilla fighter of poets” will be the featured poet for 2014’s first Whisky & Poetry Salon on Thursday, January 16! 

Brendan always draws a crowd so don’t delay getting your tickets.  

Cheers! We can’t wait to trade you whisky for your words….

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Charles Bukowski’s Los Angeles

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“[This tour is] a poetic journey full of rare insight into the life of a man who’s come to represent the ghettoized contingency of the City of Angels.” – Tanja M. Laden, Flavorpill

“Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski’s LA” focuses on Bukowski’s great passions: writing, screwing and Los Angeles. We’ll take in the canonical locations of his life and myth: the Postal Annex Terminal where he gathered the material for “Post Office,” the De Longpre apartment where he briefly experimented with marriage and fatherhood, one of his favorite bars and liquor stores, and many other spots. Along the way, we’ll explore the people and ideas that made up the warp and weft of Buk’s rich inner life. This Esotouric bus adventure is hosted by Richard Schave.

The tour spans Bukowski’s personal city, from Skid Row to once-genteel Crown Hill, to Bukowski’s favorite East Hollywood liquor store, the Pink Elephant.

Esotouric has made its name with true crime bus tours (Black Dahlia, Pasadena Confidential) and explorations of literary LA (Raymond Chandler, John Fante, James M. Cain). Now they turn their creative attentions to Bukowski, the prolific poet, novelist and screenwriter whose rough-hewn tales of boozing, wild women and rotten jobs never obscure the deep vein of sweetness and hope that runs through all his work. In one of his finest poems, he described this as a bluebird he kept caged, and that bluebird is been represented in the Bukbird, a pale blue version of his beloved alcoholic crow character, represented by a logo created by cartoonist Tony Millionaire exclusively for this tour. The Bukbird is available on T-shirts, beer coasters and fine art prints by plasticmuse.

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Whisky & Poetry Salon One Year Anniversary Bash

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Please join Literary Libations and Whisky & Poetry Salon in celebrating a year of trading whisky for words.

Enjoy whisky punch and a flight of single malt scotches while listening to, among others, internationally acclaimed Irish poet Neil McCarthy — this will be one of his final Los Angeles performances before he returns to Ireland — and iconic City of Angels poet Dennis Cruz  whose book of poems Moth Wing Tea was just published by Punk Hostage Press.

Presale tickets are $25 and available at Eventbrite

PLEASE NOTE: this is 21+ event; all guests must have a valid photo I.D. Seven Grand’s dress code prohibits: ball hats, sandals, shorts, tank tops or sports jerseys.

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Haunts of A Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski’s Los Angeles

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“[This tour is] a poetic journey full of rare insight into the life of a man who’s come to represent the ghettoized contingency of the City of Angels.” – Tanja M. Laden, Flavorpill

Esotouric’s “Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski’s LA” focuses on Bukowski’s great passions: writing, screwing and Los Angeles. We’ll take in the canonical locations of his life and myth: the Postal Annex Terminal where he gathered the material for “Post Office,” the De Longpre apartment where he briefly experimented with marriage and fatherhood, one of his favorite bars and liquor stores, and many other spots. Along the way, we’ll explore the people and ideas that made up the warp and weft of Buk’s rich inner life. This Esotouric bus adventure is hosted by Richard Schave.

The tour spans Bukowski’s personal city, from Skid Row to once-genteel Crown Hill, to Bukowski’s favorite East Hollywood liquor store, the Pink Elephant.

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Serial Time for Tiny Humans!

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The Ukulady and her imaginary friend, Astrid Strudelman, the Unicorn Whisperer, host the kids show of the LA Storytelling Festival!  6 Amazing storytellers weave magical adventures and meep for tiny humans and handlers!  Featuring Astrid Strudelman, the Unicorn Whisperer, Heidi Swedberg, Don Black, Jackie Jones, Jayne Entwistle and Mista Cookie Jar!  At Santa Monica’s only bookstore geared for kids and their handlers!  Cookies, Snacks, Friends, Music, Stories!   Meep with us and bring the tiny humans in your life!

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The LAVA Literary Salon: A Charles Bukowski Evening

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Due to circumstances beyond our control, this event has been canceled. 

ABOUT THIS SALON:

Charles Bukowski is internationally recognized as an iconic Los Angeles poet and novelist, a voice of the underclass and of the gentleness hiding beneath a prickly exterior.

You are cordially invited to celebrate all the sides of Charles Bukowski at a LAVA Literary Salon, on the evening of Saturday, October 26.

Your ticket entitles you to entry to the event, which includes a buffet dinner featuring mid-century gourmet fare and the presentations. There will be a cash bar featuring drink specials as well as a complementary glass from Charles Smith Wines. 

  • Dan Fante: the author most recently of Point Doom will talk about Bukowski’s relationship with his father, the great L.A. novelist John Fante.
  • Suzanne Lummis: the noted Los Angeles poet will share her memories of Bukowski, and discuss his seminal role in the development of the Los Angeles poetry scene.
  • Melanie Villines: the editor of Bukowski: An Anthology of Poetry & Prose About Charles Bukowski (Silver Birch Press, 2013), will discuss this project and Bukowski’s continued literary influence, two decades after his death.
  • Thomas Hyry: the Director of UCLA Library Special Collections will share material from the John Fante Papers that illuminate Bukowski’s relationship with the older writer he called “my God.”

Drink specials will be available in the newly renovated Invention bar, and parking will be validated for a flat rate of $4.50 in the LAAC lot. Also, Salon guests will enjoy a complentary glass courtesy of Charles Smith Wines. Sample Eve Chardonnay, Kung Fu Girl Riesling or Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon. About Charles Smith Wines: A self-taught winemaker, Charles is a true artisan and a pioneer in the wine world. In 2008, K Vintners was recognized by Wine & Spirits magazine as one of the “Best New Wineries of the Last Ten Years,” and as “Winery of the Year” in their annual buying guide. In 2009 Food & Wine magazine awarded Charles “Winemaker of the Year” and in 2010 Seattle Magazine recognized Charles as their “Winemaker of the Year.”

The Bukbird illustration drawn by Tony Millionaire. Limited edition fine art prints by plasticmuse are available.

Esotouric offers a quarterly bus tour of Charles Bukowski’s Los Angeles. Recommended reading for the Salon or tour.

ABOUT THE SERIES

The LAVA Literary Salon is a place for lovers of great Los Angeles writers to come together in historic spaces for good company, fine food and fascinating discussions by experts in the field. Join us in the historic Los Angeles Athletic Club, where Raymond Chandler, then a young oil executive, played bridge and eavesdropped on the powerful men who would shape the city and his detective fiction, as we honor the writers who gave this young city its abiding personality. 

Past Salons have celebrated the life and work of John Fante, Raymond Chandler, Jim Tully, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Dorothy Parker, Dashiell Hammett and the booksellers Jake Zeitlin, Stanley Rose, Louis Epstein (Pickwick Books) and Ernest Dawson (Dawson’s Bookshop).

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