Skylight Books Podcast Series

The Cutting Season (Harper)

Attica Locke, whose first novel Black Water Rising was nominated for major book prizes from Los Angeles to the UK, now launches her highly anticipated second novel, The Cutting Season, a riveting thriller that intertwines two murders separated by over a century as it tackles the themes of race, class, and justice in contemporary America.

Praise for Black Water Rising: "A near-perfect balance of trenchant social commentary, rich characterizations, and action-oriented plot.... Attica Locke [is] a writer wise beyond her years." — Los Angeles Times "Atmospheric… deeply nuanced... akin to George Pelecanos or Dennis Lehane....  Subtle and compelling." — New York Times Attica Locke's widely acclaimed novel Black Water Rising was nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, an Edgar Award, an NAACP Image Award, and the UK’s Orange Prize. A native of Houston, she now lives in Los Angeles. Copies of the book can be purchased here: http://tinyurl.com/aafqv7q THIS EVEN WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS SEPTEMBER 24, 2012.

Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace (Viking Books)

D.T. Max, a New Yorker staff writer and author of The Family That Couldn't Sleep, will discuss his highly anticipated biography of David Foster Wallace. "This book is vey well-researched, deeply sympathetic, and incredibly painful to read. We should feel grateful that this story was told by someone as talented and responsible as D.T. Max." —Dave Eggers "This book should be handed to anyone who wants to write, if only to remind the aspiring writer that becoming a voice of generational significance turns out to be very poor insulation indeed from struggle, fear, and despair. D. T. Max is beautifully attuned to Wallace's strengths, whether personal or literary, and bracingly clear-sighted on his flaws. The result is a book that's moving, surprising (Wallace voted for Reagan?), and hugely disquieting. If you love Wallace's work, you obviously need to read this book; if you don't love Wallace's work, you especially need to read this book." —Tom Bissell D.T. Max is currently a staff writer for The New Yorker and has worked as a journalist and editor at publications ranging from The New York Observer to Elle. He is the author of The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery. Max's long essay on David Foster Wallace, "The Unfinished: David Foster Wallace's struggle to Surpass Infinite Jest," was published in the March 9, 2009 issue of The New Yorker to wide acclaim. He is a graduate of Harvard University and lives outside of New York City with his wife and two young children. Photo of the author by Flash Rosenberg. Copies of his book can be purchased here: http://tinyurl.com/c6h5o49 THIS EVENT  WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS SEPTEMBER 19, 2012.

Desert America: Boom and Bust in the New Old West (Metropolitan Books)

Rubén Martínez, the acclaimed author of Crossing Over and the Fletcher Jones Chair in Literature and Writing at Loyola Marymount University, will discuss and sign his revelatory new book on the 21st century American West, Desert America. "No book that I've read in the last twenty years has inspired so much genuine hope for the future of the West." —Mike Davis, author of City of Quartz "Most people experience the desert by car—they drive, stop to get gas, drive on, and after a while, they don’t see it anymore. Now the big plan is to cover the desert with solar panels and in ten years or less, it will all be gone, just like that. Maybe then, Rubén Martínez’s testament will be as close as you can get to the living feel of this beautiful land. After reading, I bet you’ll want to drive out there and take a look. But you better hurry." —Ry Cooder, guitarist, singer, composer, and author of Los Angeles Stories "Martínez offers reportage beyond the simple binaries of the immigration issue or the drug war. He delivers a lively, compassionate intervention into our collective conception of the Southwest… This thoughtful and well-written account intimately explores the convolutions of racism and class conflict that have come to define a divided America." —Publishers Weekly Rubén Martínez, an Emmy-winning journalist and poet, is the author of Crossing Over and The New Americans. He lives in Los Angeles, where he holds the Fletcher Jones Chair in Literature and Writing at Loyola Marymount University. Copies of the books can be purchased here: http://tinyurl.com/d2l4ruc THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS SEPTEMBER 15, 2012.

Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures (Riverhead Books)

Brooklyn-based writer Emma Straub, author of the short story collection Other People We Married, returns to Skylight to read and sign her debut novel, Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures. "Emma Straub is a magician, full of brilliance and surprise." --Lorrie Moore "An exquisite debut novel that brings Depression-era Hollywood to life with startling immediacy. Laura Lamont is a memorable character, and Emma Straub illuminates her inner life with uncanny authority." --Tom Perrotta Emma Straub is from New York City. Her fiction and non-fiction have been published by Tin House, The Paris Review Daily, Time, Slate, and The New York Times, and she is a staff writer for Rookie. Emma lives with her husband in Brooklyn, where she also works as a bookseller. Photo of the author by Sarah Shatz.

THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS SEPTEMBER 12, 2012.

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving (Algonquin Books)

Jonathan Evison, author of the novels West of Here and All About Lulu (both Skylight staff picks), returns to Skylight to read and sign his new book, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving. “The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving is the funniest and most tough-minded novel I’ve read in a long time. Jonathan Evison is a great lyrical talent who deserves to be better known, and this is his best novel yet. You owe it to yourself to read it.” —Darin Strauss, author of Half a Life “Jonathan Evison is a gifted raconteur with a wicked sense of humor and an unflagging empathy for humankind in all its sad, foible-filled magnificence. In The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, his myriad talents are displayed in full bloom.” —Patrick DeWitt, author of The Sisters Brothers Jonathan Evison is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel West of Here and All About Lulu, which won the Washington State Book Award. In 2009, he was the recipient of a Richard Buckley Fellowship from the Christopher Isherwood Foundation. He lives on an island in western Washington.

 

THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS SEPTEMBER 11, 2012.

What Happened to Sophie Wilder (Tin House Books)

Christopher Beha, author of the memoir The Whole Five Feet, will read and sign his debut novel, What Happened to Sophia Wilder. "A thoughtful journey about the place of intellectual curiosity in relation to faith, friendship, and love." --Publishers Weekly "Christopher R Beha's What Happened to Sophie Wilder manages, somehow, to read both like an auspicious debut and a veteran achievement: it offers at once the vivid, old-fashioned pleasures of a classic bildungsroman and a frighteningly intelligent contemporary take on the ambitions and limits of storytelling and faith. It's a glass-and-steel penthouse on a foundation of oak, and the most memorable first novel I've read in some time." --Gideon Lewis-Kraus, author of A Sense of Direction Christopher R. Beha is an associate editor at Harper’s Magazine and the author of a memoir, The Whole Five Feet. He contributes frequently to the New York Times Book Review. What Happened to Sophie Wilder is his first novel. You can purchase his books online here: http://tinyurl.com/9k6wn8j Photo of the author by Josephine Sittenfeld. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 13, 2012.

You Take It From Here (Gallery Books)

Los Angeles-based author Pamela Ribon (Why Girls Are Weird) launches her new novel You Take It from Here!

Pamela Ribon is the bestselling author of the novels Why Girls Are Weird, Why Moms Are Weird, and Going in Circles. A writer for stage, screen, and television, her credits include the Emmy Award-winning Samantha Who? Visit her popular blog at pamie.com, or find her in the dictionary under "muffin top." (That is not a joke.) THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 3, 2012.

Venice: A Contested Bohemia in Los Angeles by Deener; Operation Fly Trap: L.A. Gangs, Drugs, and the Law by Phillips (both books published by University of Chicago Press)

Andrew Deener and Susan Phillips will discuss and sign their new books, which take a fresh look at Los Angeles neighborhoods and culture. Praise for Venice: A Contested Bohemia: “In this tour de force of dialectical observation, Andrew Deener explains how Venice Beach is both L.A.'s democratic libido and the summation of its inequalities.” —Mike Davis, author of City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles Praise for Operation Fly Trap: L.A. Gangs, Drugs, and the Law: “I thoroughly enjoyed reading Operation Fly Trap. The dramatis personae are treated as human beings, and the reader gets a chance to look at them in the flesh: loving, betrayed, strung out, anxious, and more. The book marries the real conditions of poverty, racism, and war with the day-to-day lives of victims and offenders. This is first-class ethnography.” —John Hagedorn, author of A World of Gangs

Andrew Deener is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. He lived in Venice for close to six years. Susan A. Phillips is assistant professor of environmental analysis at Pitzer College. She is the author of Wallbangin’: Graffiti and Gangs in L.A., also published by the University of Chicago Press.

THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 27, 2012.

The People's Pension: The Struggle to Defend Social Security Since Reagan (AK Press)

Journalist Eric Laursen will discuss and sign his new book on the decades-long attempt to dismantle or diminish Social Security. "Laursen has given us a comprehensive account of the three decade long war against Social Security. . . . This is a fascinating history that progressives must learn, not only to protect Social Security but also to understand the dynamics behind an effective long-term strategy." --Dean Baker, author of False Profits: Recovering From the Bubble Economy "This magnificent history documents the hydra-headed campaign to cut and kill Social Security, conducted over decades by rightwing bankers, foundations, economists, and politicians. [The People's Pension] is utterly urgent."--James K. Galbraith, author of The Predator State "Independent financial reporter Laursen offers a breathtakingly comprehensive look at the history and politics behind 'the largest income support program in the U.S.,' ... Comprehensive and compelling reading on an important topic." --Booklist, starred review Eric Laursen, born 1960, is an independent financial and political journalist, activist, and commentator. A native of San Francisco and graduate of Columbia University in New York (B.A. in History, Master’s in International Affairs), he began his journalistic career as a reporter for Wall Street Letter, a weekly newsletter for the financial services industry. He later worked for a succession of publications: as a staff writer for Corporate Finance Magazine; editor of Asset International, a weekly newsletter for international investment firms; and as co-founder and managing editor of Plan Sponsor, the leading monthly magazine for North American pension executives. It was there he became interested in the debate over Social Security. An independent journalist since 2000, Eric has written for publications ranging from Z Magazine and The Nation to Institutional Investor and CFO. His specializations are national politics, retirement and aging, global trade, U.S. fiscal policy, social services, business and financial services, civil liberties, and alternative economics. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 25, 2012.

Herself When She's Missing (Soft Skull Press)

"Herself When She's Missing explores the irrationality of sex with uncommon wit and fearlessness. I can never resist the story of a bad romance and this one grabbed me by the collar and dragged me through a love-sick mind's tilted, temporally disordered terrain. Don't forget to drink a glass of water and eat a protein bar before reading. This book might leave you faint." --Sara Levine, author of Treasure Island!!! "Sarah Terez Rosenblum's Herself When She's Missing marks the emergence of a riveting and beautifully strange new voice in American fiction. And Andrea and The Criminal Mastermind are unforgettable characters. I especially love Andrea because she jogs in cemeteries. The book made me feel more alive, I can't ask for much more from any novel." --Peter Orner, author of Love and Shame and Love Sarah Terez Rosenblum is a writer whose work has been featured in Pop Matters, The Chicago Sun Times and The Shepherd Express. When not writing, Sarah supports herself as a figure model, spinning instructor, and creative writing teacher at Chicago's Story Studio. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 20, 2012.

Four Fathers

Tony Abatemarco’s award-winning monologue, Four Fathers, developed at Highways Performance Space and Stages Theatre Center, was first produced at the Tiffany Theatre in West Hollywood, directed by Don Amendolia and produced by Suzi Dietz and Paula Holt in 1992. The set consisted of original paintings and sculpture by John Nava. Excerpts are published in Michael Kearns’ book, Getting Your Solo Act Together. Tony’s work for the theatre includes Cologne, (published by Windfall Press) and the current run of Beautified, (LA Weekly "Pick of the Week") next door at the Skylight Theatre through July 1st. His most recent published story is "Schwinn," which appeared in Volume 4 of Boneshaker. He teaches acting at USC, and is Co-Artistic Director of The Katselas Theatre Company. From the Author: "I guess I’m something of a eulogist. Most of my original work for the theater has relied on a very deep need to honor the dead. My first solo, Four Fathers, did. It was a knee-jerk reaction to my father’s death, begun in that very week before we had lowered him into the ground. My father honored things. He lived in gratitude, and before I could allow my grief over losing him to engulf all that he taught me to cherish, I started to put the particulars of his life on paper. He was a great character—one of those 20th-century self-made men who grew out of poverty and little education to build a fiefdom in his birthplace, Brooklyn, significant enough to provide for his heirs. So I sang his song." -Tony Abatemarco "Art is our chief means of breaking bread with the dead." W. H. Auden.

THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 10, 2012.

The Truth Is Bad Enough, What Became of the Happy Hustler?

Actor and writer Michael Kearns (The Drama of AIDS) will discuss and sign his brand-new autobiography, The Truth Is Bad Enough, What Became of the Happy Hustler? "Hollywood's first openly gay actor . . . puts most other show-biz autobiographies to shame." --Sir Ian McKellen Michael Kearns is an actor-writer-director-teacher who has been an active member of the Los Angeles art scene for more than four decades. His books include T-Cells & Sympathy, Acting = Life and The Drama of AIDS. Kearns has written several solo pieces that have been performed worldwide (including intimacies, Rock, and Attachments). A contributor to more than a dozen anthologies, he is also the co-writer of the screenplay Nine Lives. He lives in Los Feliz with his daughter, Katherine, an up and coming filmmaker. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 16, 2012.

Afterlives of the Saints (Unbridled Books)

Colin Dickey (Cranioklepty) returns to Skylight Books to launch his new book Afterlives of the Saints, an unusual and highly entertaining history of the canonized. "An unusual and quite fascinating collection of tales." --Booklist Colin Dickey is the author of Cranioklepty: Grave Robbing and the Search for Genius and Afterlives of the Saints. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Lapham’s Quarterly, Cabinet, TriQuarterly, and The Santa Monica Review. He is also co-editor (with Nicole Antebi and Robby Herbst) of Failure! Experiments in Aesthetic and Social Practices. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, he now lives in Los Angeles. Photo of the author by Seth Sherwood. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 19, 2012.

America the Philosophical (Knopf)

Carlin Romano, a distinguished book critic and professor of philosophy, will discuss and sign his new book, America the Philosophical. “Carlin Romano's review of the American contribution to real philosophical thinking is genuinely exciting and provocative.  If Romano wanted to discombobulate the traditional landscape of American philosophy, he managed to achieve his goal.” --Umberto Eco “Engaging . . . With illuminating anecdotes and an addictive prose style, Romano renders complex ideas lucid without sacrificing depth of understanding or his splendid sense of humor. His breathtaking intellectual range and passion will make every reader want to be a philosopher.” --Starred review, Publishers Weekly Carlin Romano, Critic-at-Large of The Chronicle of Higher Education and literary critic of The Philadelphia Inquirer for 25 years (1984-2009), is Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Ursinus College. His criticism has appeared in The Nation, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Village Voice, Harper’s, the Times Literary Supplement, and many other publications. A former president of the National Book Critics Circle, he was a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Criticism, cited for “bringing new vitality to the classic essay across a formidable array of topics.”

THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 15, 2012.

God Bless America: Stories (Lookout Press)

Steve Almond, a perennial Skylight favorite, returns to the store to read and sign his latest short story collection, God Bless America, with a performance from the amazing singer-songwriter Dan Bern! Praise for God Bless America: Stories: "A comic masterpiece." --Library Journal "God Bless America showcases Almond's fascination with the dark underbelly of American life. Sometimes he laughs at it; sometimes he stares directly into the abyss and produces something stunning. What's obvious is that Almond creatively inhabits the confused soul of modern American life. Whether he finds comedy or tragedy there, the result is provocative and memorable." --The Boston Globe Praise for Dan Bern: "An amphetamine folkie with a provocateur's wit." --Entertainment Weekly "[He's] just drunk on words, like the young Dylan. And the young Beck." --Robert Christgau Steve Almond is the author of ten books of fiction and non-fiction, three of which he published himself. This Won’t Take But a Minute, Honey is composed of 30 brief stories, and 30 brief essays on the psychology and practice of writing. Bad Poetry and Letters from People Who Hate Me are exactly what they sound like. His stories have appeared in the Best American and Pushcart anthologies. In October, Lookout Press published his third story collection, God Bless America. Dan Bern is the musician behind the albums Dan Bern, Smartie Mine, Breathe, and many more. He contributed several songs to the Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story soundtrack, the Get Him to the Greek sountrack, and other films. He has a devoted following and is known for his live shows, so don't miss this one! Visit danbern.com for discography, lyrics, tour info, the opportunity to commission a custom song or ringtone, and more. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS ON JUNE 5, 2012.