Photo credit: Anne Cusack/LA Times
Literature pimp David Kipen and his libros volunteer crew are making their way west, as the newest artist in recedency at the Hammer Museum in Westwood. From now till October 9, the lending library will be posted up at the lobby gallery pretty much doing the same thing it does at the eastside store front, sharing the gift of literature with folks across town. According to the museum, “Westwood has also seen the closure of several bookstores recently, as well as a reduction in some hours at nearby libraries. Libros Schmibros at the Hammer will increase Westwood’s access to books, while serving as a public square where visitors can check out, acquire, or donate books, and interact with Kipen, his team of volunteers, and other visitors.”
There’s a lot of things going on with the schmibros crew that is of course, taking away from them keeping to their regular hours. I can only imagine how David and everyone else is able to keep up, but they’re making it work. Folks who wanna visit are still encouraged to donate books about Los Angeles or by L.A. authors, high school or college syllabus paperbacks, Spanish-language or Farsi-language books, and first editions or advance reading copies of all sorts. All visitors are welcome to borrow books for free or to keep one. Same rules applies of a suggested donation of half the cover price, except for Westwood and Boyle Heights residents, who can donate a buck. Anyone who donates books will receive free museum admission.
As of right now, the book stores hours on both sides of town are Wed through Sat 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. I haven’t checked out the new westside spot, but folks say that a 23-foot map of literary Los Angeles by J. Michael Walker is something to behold, and also one of the featured discussions in the events line up. With that being said, the line up of what they have coming up is at the bottom for folks to check out the eclectic mix of authors, poets and artist from both sides of town.
*September 1, 2011 Boyle Heights Poetry featuring Kristy Lovich, Luis Rodriguez, and Abel Salas.
*September 3, 2011 Progressive Labor Day Pub Quiz. Hammer and Boyle Heights.
*September‚ 8, 2011 Ruben Martinez y RUEBEN Martinez. Boyle Heights.
*September 10, 2011 Car Schmar–Nondriving L.A. Writers Richard Rayner, Marisela Norte, D.J. Waldie. Hammer.
*September 15, 2011 L.A. Cartography: J. Michael Walker, Glen Creason. Hammer.
*September 22, 2011Marathon Reading of On The Road. Hammer.
*September 24, 2011 Young Writers of Westwood: Mona Simpson and UCLA’sWestwind Journal. Boyle Heights.
*September 29, 2011 Pynchon’s L.A.: Mark Z. Danielewski and guests. Boyle Heights.
*October 1, 2011 Boyle Heights History Event: George J. Sanchez Ph.D. Boyle Heights
*October 2, 2011 Pacific Standard Time Opening. Hammer open 12-5.
*October 6, 2011 LA Oracles: Mike the Poet Sonksen, Susana Chavez-Silverman, Sharon Sekhon (the Studio for Southern California History). Hammer.
*October 8, 2011 Havdalah with Jonathan Gold. Boyle Heights.
*October 9, 2011 Closing with CicLAvia. Boyle Heights and HAMMER.
Great post, Random. Love to see David expand literature across LA.
There’s irony in a grassroots Eastside institution having to strain its resources to come to the rescue in preventing a Westside area from becoming more of a literary desert. Viva Libros Schmibros!
When’s the Hammer going to open a satellite to serve the people of Boyle Heights?
Hammer already has Occidental College in Eagle Rock. Not really the eastside but very close, at least geographically if not socially. Oxy is named for Occidental Petroleum, Armand Hammer’s oil company.
It’s a common misunderstanding that the college and the oil company are related. But the reality is Occidental College (founded 1887) and Occidental Petroleum (founded 1920) have nothing in common other than their first names. And both were around long before Armand Hammer took control of the company in 1957.
cool to see this stuff basically in my ‘hood. is the sept 1 event in boyle heights?
Don’t get too excited cindylu, that place looks like a dump. But maybe they’ll clean it up a bit since I hear about it every other hour on KPCC.
My error. I didn’t know that they were two different things.
It’s true what EC says. Why does Schmibros get on public radio all the time? Flor Y Canto was a happening spot, a bookstore in a similar neighborhood, but barely ever got on public radio.
There are other examples. Esowon. Sisterhood. Imix. These three got an ok amount, but not like Schmibros. Both Sides of the Equator. Premiere Aztlan. Arroyo Books. They got almost none. The bookstore at JANM, nada, not even in the Asian American press.
It seems like public radio (and this even includes KPFK much of the time) only respects and hobnobs with intellectuals who came up through the official channels of power — the university system, the government, the nonprofits/ngo system. Intellectuals who develop themselves and seek to create an intellectual culture “on the streets” by the streets, and for the streets… they get ignored.
Organic intellectuals from the community get ignored as if they are the Tea Party or something equally pernicious.
I will say it, Libros Schimbros gets press and hype because it is part of the gentrification process of BH and it is headed up by a Jewish man from Beverly Hills. Simple.
The whole mythology of BH being such a “utopia of racial democracy… blah blah blah” that is spreading like a case of the flu as of late has me asking: If it was SO awesome and bitchin why did the white folks and jewish folks leave? And now why are they wanting back in?