From the category archives:
May 19 would have been Malcolm X’s 86th birthday and, to mark the occasion, Amy Goodman’s “Democracy Now!” invited writer/activist Amiri Baraka (left) and professor/radio host Michael Eric Dyson to discuss Manning Marable’s controversial new biography, “Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention.” The book has reignited a debate over Malcolm’s legacy. With these two eloquent and Read More →
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Artist Justin Bua’s trademark style has been commissioned by big name companies such as Nike, MTV, Sony and EA Sports. But his talents weren’t readily recognizable when he was younger. “I was technically behind my peers growing up,” Bua recalls. Although he was accepted to the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts in New York City, Read More →
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It may only be a coincidence since there doesn’t seem to be any cross-pollination happening, but this weekend as the L.A. Times Festival of Books happens at USC, the University of Guadalajara Foundation is sponsoring LéaLA, a Spanish-language book fair. The fair, which takes place at the Convention Center, has some big names including Isabel Read More →
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In 2007, journalist and Southern California native Daniel Hernández moved to Mexico City to begin research on a book about youth culture in the Distrito Federal. The book, “Down and Delirious in Mexico City,” has recently been published, and the subtitle gives a clue to the mix of history and currency he was after: “The Read More →
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On March 4th, the NAACP held its 42nd annual Image Awards ceremony to celebrate people of color in the fields of literature, television, film, and music. In its own words, the event is “a multi-cultural awards show from an African American point of view.” Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin and President’s Award recipient General Colin Read More →
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If you’re the type of person who can talk for hours about who’s got the best tacos in L.A., or the secret to the perfect tamal, cool your heels for a minute. Diana Kennedy has been traveling to the outer regions of Mexico and back, studying its cuisine for over 50 years, and she might Read More →
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What’s your excuse this week—a Grammys hangover? No time to waste—Monday is Valentine’s Day and we’ve got some options for Tuesday and Wednesday as well. —The Foxxhole: Every Monday, Jamie Foxx presents this evening at L.A. Live’s Conga Room that features a rotating cast of prominent musical guests. This Valentine’s Day edition is hosted by comedian Read More →
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Yes, the weekend is over (and yes, you may have a Super Bowl hangover), but the fun doesn’t have to stop. Here are some options to help get you through the Monday (and Tuesday and Wednesday) blues: —Phil Alvin (pictured): One-half of Downey’s famed Alvin Brothers and one-time linchpin of The Blasters, Phil is still Read More →
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A landmark collection of Latino lit has been published, collecting the voices of 201 writers rooted in the Chicano, Puerto Rican, and Cuban American experience. Twelve years in the making, “The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature,” according to UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center director Chon Noriega, “shows that Latino literature, far from being a newcomer Read More →
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Brando Skyhorse’s “The Madonnas of Echo Park,” a novel that weaves a string of character narratives through the famed but always-in-dispute L.A. neighborhood, isn’t doing as well as it should. Since its release last summer, the L.A. native’s first novel has sold around 5,000 hard cover copies and about 1,500 digital copies, well below the Read More →
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