Skylight Books Podcast Series

Eli Horowitz and Mac Barnett

The Clock Without a Face (McSweeney's)

An event for this new eye-catching, pentagonal mystery/puzzle/board book, featuring Eli Horowitz and Mac Barnett, two of the book's authors. Twelve emerald-studded numbers, each handmade and one of a kind, have been buried in 12 holes across the land. These treasures will belong to whoever digs them up first. The question: Where to dig? The only path to the answer: solve the riddle of the book. Eli Horowitz has edited and designed books and journals for McSweeney's for the past eight years. Before McSweeney's, Eli was employed as a carpenter and wrote science trivia questions tenuously linked to popular films. He was born in Virginia and now lives in San Francisco. Mac Barnett: Born to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 14, 2010.

David Mitchell

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (Random House)

"Mitchell is, clearly, a genius." --The New York Times Book Review (review of Cloud Atlas) "Mitchell really is his generation's Pynchon." --Kirkus Reviews (review of Cloud Atlas) "Brilliant…Mitchell creates an evocative yet authentically adolescent voice, an achievement  even more impressive than the ventriloquism of his earlier books." --The New York Times Book Review (review of Black Swan Green) David Mitchell is an internationally bestselling two-time Booker Prize finalist, a Time magazine 100 Most Influential People, and a Granta Best Young British Novelist. His first novel, Ghostwritten, was awarded the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for the best book by a writer under 35 and a Guardian First Book Award finalist. His second novel, Number9Dream, was a finalist for the Booker Prize finalist and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. His third novel Cloud Atlas was short-listed for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and was an international bestseller. His most recent novel, Black Swan Green, was long-listed for the Booker Prize and named a Time Best Book of the Year. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS ON JULY 23, 2010.

Justin Halpern

Sh*t My Dad Says (It Books)

The author of this very popular book, based on the also very popular Twitter feed, will be here to discuss and sign his book! Justin Halpern, 29, is the founding editor of the comedy website HolyTaco.com and a senior writer at Maxim.com. Halpern created the Twitter page "Shit My Dad Says," which boasts more than a million followers, and is co-writing and co-executive producing a sitcom adaptation for Warner Bros and CBS. He splits his time between Los Angeles and his parents' home in San Diego. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 12, 2010.

Slake Magaine

Slake Magazine

A launch party for the new Los Angeles-based literary magazine Slake, featuring writers and premiere-issue contributors Mark Z. Danielewski, Jonathan Gold, Michelle Huneven, and David Schneider!  Slake is founded by former LA Weekly editors Joe Donnelly and Laurie Ochoa, who put together a 232-page first issue that's filled with substantive content from an impressive list of local writers, artists, and photographers.  Want to learn more?  The Los Angeles Times book blog Jacket Copy covered this new mag -- read about it here -- and Brand X has an interview with Slake's founders here. Mark Z. Danielewski was born in New York City and now lives in Los Angeles. He is the best-selling author of the novels House of Leaves and Only Revolutions, a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award for Fiction. Jonathan Gold, restaurant critic for the L.A. Weekly and author of Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles, is the first food writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. In addition to his writing for Gourmet, Saveur, and other national food and travel magazines, Gold has a shady past as a composer and performance artist, spent time as the rap and heavy-metal correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, was the L.A. Weekly's music editor, and wrote about music and popular culture for Spin, Rolling Stone, and Details. Michelle Huneven's most recent novel, Blame, was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award and named a finalist for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Her first and second novels, Round Rock and Jamesland,, were New York Times notable books and finalists for Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. She has received the Southern California Booksellers Award for Fiction, a G. E. Younger Writers Award, and a Whiting Award. She teaches creative writing at UCLA and lives with her husband in the town where she was born, Altadena, California. David Schneider was born and raised in San Francisco. He has worked in commercials, film, television, and theater since moving to Los Angeles in 2002. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 11, 2010.

Esther Pearl Watson

Unlovable Vol. 2 (Fantagraphics)

Esther Watson, co-author of Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine? and author of Unlovable will discuss and sign the second volume in her hilarious and heartbreaking series that's loosely based on the 1980s-era diary of a high school girl that she found in a gas station bathroom. "Watson's graphic style and messily scrawled confessions read like a genuine diary, filled with humor and despair. Unlovable makes me grateful to be past that painful stage." --The Seattle Weekly Esther Pearl Watson lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and fellow artist, Mark Todd. Together they authored the influential D.I.Y. tome, Whatcha Mean, What's A Zine? Learn more at funchicken.com.

Michele Dominguez Greene

Keep Sweet (Simon Pulse)

Michele Dominguez Greene will read from and sign her powerful new young adult novel about a Mormon fundamentalist girl's struggle to escape a forced polygamist marriage. Michele Dominguez Greene has had a long-standing successful career as an actress, appearing in television, film, and theater.  She received an Emmy nomination for her role as Abigail Perkins on the NBC series, “L.A. Law”, and she is currently recurring in HBO's “Big Love” and ABC's “Brothers and Sisters.” Greene’s debut novel, Chasing the Jaguar is included on reading lists around the country.  She lives with her family in Los Angeles. Visit her at michelegreene.com. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 6, 2010.

James Kaelan

We're Getting On (Flatmancrooked)

A launch party for the new novel by James Kaelan, We're Getting On! This is the kickoff for a "zero-emissions book tour," on which the author will be touring from Los Angeles to Vancouver, all on bicycle.  The book is also biodegradable, and the cover is made out of a specialty paper that contains spruce tree seeds. You can plant the book and it becomes, literally, the very thing books are made of. "James Kaelan is a fine, intelligent writer. We’re Getting On is so elegantly and imaginatively written that it should be a significant debut.” --Ha Jin James Kaelan is the author of the novel We're Getting On, which grows into a tree, and which he's touring this summer by bicycle. When he isn't writing or training, he teaches at Pepperdine University and writes criticism for TheMillions.com. His short fiction has appeared in Best New Writing, Monkeybicycle, Avery, and Opium, amongst others. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 2, 2010.

Shane Jones

Light Boxes (Penguin)

Shane Jones will be here to read from and sign his book Light Boxes! This debut novel was a staff favorite when it came out from a small press last year; now that it's been optioned by Spike Jonze, it's getting a new release from Penguin! Shane Jones was born in February of 1980. His poetry and short fiction have appeared in numerous literary journals, including New York Tyrant, Unsaid, Typo, and Pindeldyboz. He lives in upstate New York with two cats and one wife. This is his first novel. Director Spike Jonze (Where The Wild Things Are, Being John Malkovich) purchased the film option for Light Boxes in July 2009. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 30, 2010.

Rich Fulcher

Tiny Acts of Rebellion: 97 Almost-Legal Ways to Stick It to the Man (Michael O'Mara Books)

Rich Fulcher of the British TV hit The Might Boosh will be here to discuss and sign his new book, Tiny Acts of Rebellion!

Rich Fulcher is an American comedian, writer and improviser. He is best known for smash-hit The Mighty Boosh, with whom he has toured and taken many roles in their BBC3 series. Most recently he has been seen as his alter-ego, Eleanor – aka "the world’s greatest groupie," playing sell-out seasons in Australia before heading up to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August. Rich released his book Tiny Acts of Rebellion in 2009 and is also known for his performances in the award-winning and subsequently televised Modern Problems in Science (BBC3), Snuff Box (BBC3), and Skins (E4).

THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 7, 2010.

Cambridge Companion to the Literature of Los Angeles

The Cambridge Companion to the Literature of Los Angeles (Cambridge University Press)

Editor Kevin McNamara and contributors William Mohr, Scott Bryson, and Eric Avila will read from their selected pieces in this great new anthology of local literature! William Alexander McClung and Mark Shiel, who were originally scheduled to appear, will be unable to make it.

Kevin McNamara writes on cities and their cultures.  A professor of literature and American studies at the University of Houston–Clear Lake, he received his Ph.D. from UC Irvine and has also taught in Turkey and the Czech Republic.

William Mohr is a poet who teaches literature and creative writing at CSU Long Beach. His longstanding project, Backlit Renaissance: Los Angeles Poets during the Cold War will be published by the University of Iowa Press in early 2011. (Photo of William Mohr by Linda Fry.)

Scott Bryson is a professor of English at Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles. He is the author of The West Side of Any Mountain: Place, Space, and Ecopoetry (University of Iowa Press, 2005) and has edited several collections of literary criticism. His current scholarship focuses on urban theory and culture, primarily as it relates to the phenomenon of Los Angeles literature.

Eric Avila is the author of Popular Culture in the Age of White Flight: Fear and Fantasy in Suburban Los Angeles (University of California Press, (2004) and is currently working on second book project that considers the cultural history of urban highway construction in postwar America. He is a professor of History, Chicano Studies and Urban Planning at UCLA.

THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 24, 2010.

John Marshall High School with 826LA

You Never Forget How to Ride a Bike: Lessons Learned by the Students of John Marshall High School (826LA)

826LA is releasing its newest book, You Never Forget How to Ride a Bike: Lessons Learned by the Students of John Marshall High School. The young authors lead us through the moments that have shaped their lives— among them encounters with Def Leppard albums, wormy peaches, campus police, and Mara Salvatrucha—and share with us the things they've learned about the kindness of strangers, letting go of love, resolve in the presence of naysayers, and the value of a dollar. 826LA is a writing and tutoring nonprofit, with centers in Echo Park and Venice, that provides after-school tutoring, evening and weekend workshops, in-school tutoring, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 23, 2010.

Jenny Hollowell

Everything Lovely, Effortless, Safe (Holt McDougal)

A launch party for the debut novel by Los Angeles author Jenny Hollowell! "Everything Lovely, Effortless, Safe tells us in quick witty scenes and sharp psychological details what it's like to be a needy spirit in a beautiful body, yearning for success. This novel is smart, spare, comic and sad. It rings beautifully true." --John Casey, National Book Award-winning author of Spartina Jenny Hollowell's short fiction has appeared in Glimmer Train, Scheherezade, and the anthology New Sudden Fiction, and was named a distinguished story by Best American Short Stories. She received an MFA from the University of Virginia, where she was a Henry Hoyns Fellow in Fiction and recipient of the Balch Short Story Award. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter. This is her first novel. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 21, 2010

Lit Thing Book Bash

Our second in a series of rant/rave nights featuring local authors talking about books that they love or love to hate!  This time, our ranters and ravers are Mark Haskell Smith (Moist), Amy Spalding, Amy Goldman Koss (The Girls), Justine Musk (Uninvited) and host Cecil Castellucci (Beige). THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 16, 2010.

Catherine Kirkwood

Cut Away (Arktoi Books)

Writer Catherine Kirkwood will read from and sign her first novel, Cut Away. Catherine Kirkwood holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard University, a PhD in Women’s Studies from the University of York, England, and a BS in psychobiology. Her work has appeared in the Pitkin Review, and in the fiction anthology Under the Flesh of Oranges. Her acclaimed feminist work, Leaving Abusive Partners, has been translated and sold internationally. Cut Away is her debut novel. Born in Los Angeles, she grew up in a family that held science—physics and math—as the main form of faith, but her mother firmly believed in the power of wonder that resides in nature. She took her into the back-country as soon as she could walk and taught her never to be afraid of the urge to go deep into the wilderness, to always trust her instincts in finding her path. Catherine now lives in Seattle in a small, yellow cottage with her partner, a border collie mix, and two geriatric cats. When she’s not writing, she works as a systems analyst in cancer research. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 6, 2010.

Janelle Brown

This Is Where We Live (Spiegel & Grau)

A launch party for the new novel by L.A. writer Janelle Brown (All We Ever Wanted Was Everything). Janelle Brown is a freelance journalist who writes for The New York Times, Vogue, Wired, Elle, and Self, among other publications, and was formerly a senior writer for Salon. She lives in Los Angeles. Praise for All We Ever Wanted Was Everything: "A razor-sharp critique of the absurd expectations that, these days, have come to stand for ambition, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything is wrenching, riveting, and still manages to be great fun. This is a wise, intimate chronicle of one family's struggle to take off their masks and live in the place they most feared: the real, imperfect world." --Meghan Daum, author of The Quality of Life Report "A withering Silicon Valley satire . . . From the ashes of their California dreams, the three [women] must learn to talk to each other instead of past each other, and build a new, slightly more realistic existence--but not without doses of revenge and hilarity. Brown's hip narrative reads like a sharp, contemporary twist on The Corrections." --Publishers Weekly THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 21, 2010.