Skylight Books Podcast Series

DAGMARA DOMINCZYK

The Lullaby of Polish Girls (Spiegel & Grau) 

Inspired by her parents’ political history and her family’s immigrant story, Dominczyk has written THE LULLABY OF POLISH GIRLS, a beautiful debut novel that follows the friendship of three women — Anna, Justyna and Kamila — from their coming of age in a small Polish town in the 1980s to their complicated adult lives.

When Anna and her parents emigrate to the United States in the 1980s, they settle in Brooklyn among immigrants of every stripe, yet Anna never quite feels that she belongs.  Then, at the age of twelve, she spends a summer in Kielce, Poland, with her grandmother.  She quickly develops a close friendship with beautiful Justyna and awkward Kamila.  With each passing summer when Anna returns, they renew that bond.

Over a decade later, when they have each gone their separate ways — Anna, an actress in New York; Kamila, a divorcee in Michigan, and Justyna, a wife and mother in Poland — a shocking murder pulls them together again in the place where their friendship first began. 

“The Lullaby of Polish Girls is a striking and vivid debut novel, absolutely buzzing with energy. Dagmara Dominczyk's freshly observed story about the intertwined lives of three friends is both sexy and sensitive, with a raw, openhearted center. Dominczyk's love for her complicated characters is apparent from the first page to the last, and by the novel's end, the reader cares for them just as deeply.”
— Emma Straub, author of Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures

Dagmara Dominczyk was born in Poland and immigrated to New York City at the age of seven. She has acted in numerous films, TV series, and plays. Most recently she appeared in the motion picture Higher Ground and on Broadway in Golden Boy. She is married to the actor Patrick Wilson, with whom she has two sons. She lives in New Jersey.

Photo by Patrick Wilson  

THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 11, 2013

COPIES OF THE BOOK FROM THIS EVENT CAN BE PURCHASED HERE: http://www.skylightbooks.com/book/9780812993554

LGBT Writers Who Inspire Us

On the eve of LGBT Pride Weekend, Skylight hosts its second annual "LGBT Writers Who Inspired Us."  Writers Bernard Cooper, Eduardo Santiago, Myriam Gurba, Alexis Fancher, Trebor Healy read the works of  LGBT literary giants Reynaldo Arenas, Susan Sontag, Tom Spanbauer and more! Curated by Noel Alumit.

THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 7, 2013.

JOHN ANDREW FREDRICK

KING OF GOOD INTENTIONS (Verse Chorus Press)

Set in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, John Andrew Fredrick's debut novel chronicles the early days of an indie band as they meet, practice, make their first recordings, and get their first break/ big gig.  It's also the story of the flowering love affair between John and Jenny, the two charming but, let's say, troubled guitarists/singers in the band.  John is by day a misanthropic substitute teacher in the crazy, sometimes horrifying world that is the LA Unified School District, while Jenny is a mysterious recovering child prodigy. Along the way, the couple and their bandmates make all kinds of discoveries about themselves and the Hollywood milieu in which they are trying to succeed, a world peopled by narcissistic actors, wannabe screenwriters, pretentious musicians, weirdo fans, crazy neighbors--oh, and an emu.

Advance praise for The King of Good Intentions:

"Stylish, poetic and mischievous, this is the funniest contemporary novel I've read in a long time"--John Tottenham, author of The Inertia Variations

"Witty, quirky, and painfully funny... offers a sweet, sharp take on music, love, and Los Angeles, not to mention subbing.  Wonderful."--Meg Gardiner, author of Ransom River

John Andrew Fredrick is the principal singer and songwriter for indie rock band the black watch, who have released 17 CDs to considerable underground acclaim.  His comic novella, the knucklehead chronicles, was published in 2008.  He has taught in The Writing Program at USC, and the English Departments at LMU, SMC, and UCSB, where he received his Ph.D. in English Literature.  He lives in Los Angeles, plays tennis five times a week, and often has been known to treat audiences at his readings to a few acoustic songs from his vast canon as a songwriter.

THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 6, 2013.

COPIES OF THE BOOK FROM THIS EVENT CAN BE PURCHASED HERE: http://www.skylightbooks.com/book/9781891241109

CECIL CASTELLUCCI

ODD DUCK (First Second)

Prolific young adult author and longtime friend of Skylight Books Cecil Castellucci is BACK with a brand new graphic novel picture book for children and the young at heart.  Illustrated by the wonderful Sara Varon! (Robot Dreams)

Theodora is a perfectly normal duck. She may swim with a teacup balanced on her head and stay north when the rest of the ducks fly south for the winter, but there's nothing so odd about that. Chad, on the other hand, is one strange bird. Theodora quite likes him, but she can't overlook his odd habits. It's a good thing Chad has a normal friend like Theodora to set a good example for him. But who exactly is the odd duck here? Theodora may not like the answer. Sara Varon ("Robot Dreams") teams up with Cecil Castellucci ("Grandma's Gloves") for a gorgeous, funny, and heartwarming examination of the perils and pleasures of friendship.

Advanced praise for ODD DUCK:

"Fresh and funny."--New York Times

"Varon's gentle art and Castellucci's nuanced writing combine in a sweet, quiet tale that celebrates the joys of being unique." -- Booklist

"This clever celebration of individuality delights." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"A lively friendship story that shows it's more fun to be different than "normal," and most fun of all to be different with a buddy." -- The Horn Book

Cecil Castellucci is the author of books and graphic novels for young adults including Boy Proof, The Plain Janes, First Day on Earth, The Year of the Beasts and Odd Duck. Her picture book, Grandma’s Gloves, won the California Book Award Gold Medal. Her short stories have been published in Strange Horizons, YARN, Tor.com, and various anthologies including, Teeth, After and Interfictions 2. She is the YA editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books, Children’s Correspondence Coordinator for The Rumpus and a two time Macdowell Fellow. She lives in Los Angeles.

THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS MAY 25, 2013.

COPIES OF THE BOOK FROM THIS EVENT CAN BE PURCHASED HERE:
http://www.skylightbooks.com/book/9781596435575

The Shelf Talker podcast - Featuring Dan Kusunoki

Welcome to the first edition of the Shelf Talker podcast - where Skylight booksellers talk about books they love. It's an audio recommendation for your ears! This edition of the Shelf Talker features our graphic novel master - Dan Kusunoki. He talks about:

The Nao of Brown by Glyn Dillon - http://www.skylightbooks.com/book/9781906838423
Hair Shirt by Patrick McEown  - http://www.skylightbooks.com/book/9781906838270
and Sandcastle by Frederik Peeters - http://www.skylightbooks.com/book/9781906838386

All these books are published by one of Dan's favorite publishers - SelfMadeHero. You can find them here: www.selfmadehero.com

Enjoy.

Rattling Wall

The Rattling Wall

Contributors to this exciting new literary journal will read from their included work! Readers and authors include: James Greer Lou Mathews Jessica Garrison Kathleen Tyler Lisa Giaffo Find out more about this new Los Angeles based journal at: http://therattlingwall.com/ THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 23, 2011.

Susan Straight

Take One Candle Light a Room (Pantheon)

Novelist Susan Straight (A Million Nightingales) returns to Skylight to read and sign her latest novel, Take One Candle Light a Room! "A searing, ultimately redemptive novel about America’s legacy of racial violence and a woman’s struggle to forge her own identity. . . . Deeply rooted in the African-American experience, yet filled with insights that resonate for anyone seeking to make a better life without disowning the past. Straight writes about the thorny subject of race with sensitivity and nuance." --Kirkus Reviews Susan Straight is the author of six novels, including A Million Nightingales and the National Book Award finalist Highwire Moon. She has written for The New York Times Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Harper’s Magazine, and NPR’s All Things Considered. Her short stories have won an Edgar Award and an O. Henry Award. She teaches at the University of California, Riverside. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS OCTOBER 12, 2010.

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.

About Skylight Books

We are a general bookstore serving such historic Los Angeles neighborhoods as Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and Echo Park; located in the shadow of Griffith Park and its iconic Observatory, and surrounded by the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, R.M. Schindler, and Richard Neutra. Our eclectic clientele, including many local artists, musicians, writers, and scholars, challenges us to provide the cutting edge of culture including the best in literary fiction, books on music, art, film and theatre, Los Angeles regional culture and history, graphic literature, children’s books, political theory and more. We opened November 1, 1996 on the former site of another local bookstore landmark, Chatterton's. Download (free!) some recent author events and interviews, or visit our website to learn about more events: www.skylightbooks.com