Aloud @ Los Angeles Public Library

More than half of the worlds' 1.3 billion Muslims live along the tenth parallel, as do roughly sixty percent of the world's 2 billion Christians. Griswold, award-winning poet and investigative journalist, traveled for seven years on the tenth parallel, examining the complex relationship of religion, land, oil; local conflicts and global ideology; politics and contemporary martyrdom, both Islamic and Christian.

Join us for an illuminating journey through history, geopolitics, and religion to investigate whether Islam is indeed the cause of some of today's most important international crises and how we might move conversations beyond religious and ideological divides.

Hyde--MacArthur Fellow and author of the ground breaking study of art and commerce The Gift--offers a stirring defense of our cultural commons, that vast store of art and ideas we inherited from the past which continues to enrich the present.

A Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter chronicles a watershed event in American history-- the decades-long migration of African Americans from the South to the North and West--through the stories of three individuals and their families.

The new novel by the celebrated author of Anywhere But Here tells the story of two women whose lives entwine and unfold behind the glittery surface of Hollywood.

In Freedom, his first novel since The Corrections Franzen comically and tragically captures the thrills of teenage lust, the shaken compromises of middle age, the wages of suburban sprawl, the temptations and burdens of liberty, and the heavy weight of empire.

Fascinating stories of key Supreme Court decisions, told from a unique perspective, illuminate this original and accessible theory of the United States Supreme Court's responsibility and integrity.

Trombley, the preeminent Twain scholar at work today (and the president of Pitzer College), cracks open the enduring mystery of Mark Twain's final decade to reveal the true story of Isabel Lyon, the \"forgotten woman\" who haunts the official Twain narrative.

A panel discussion and conversation about a public art theater project that chronicles the emergence of a permanent community and culture in what has been perceived as a transient Skid Row. Join the social and artistic visionaries who have contributed to reweaving the social fabric of Skid Row.

Join us in a celebration and exploration of traditional American vocal music, drawn from several rich sources of community singing- from 19th century Sacred Harp shape note hymnals, to songs from the oral tradition of the Appalachian mountains, to glee club-style rounds. No prior singing experience or musical knowledge necessary. All voices and ages are welcome-the only requirement is a willingness to sing.

How do the technologies we use every day affect our state(s) of mind? One of the country's leading commentators on the information culture ponders the conundrum of connectedness, and offers a new philosophy of life in a world of screens.

Two L.A.-native novelists read and discuss fiction, theatre, magic spells, cats, MFAs, and some other stuff.

Two brilliant young writers-both daughters of the 1960s and '70s civil rights, black power and feminist political movements-read and discuss the inspiriation for their fiction.

Introducing six accomplished poets from the Los Angeles literary world in a lively showcase of poetic voices and styles.

The author of Love and Other Impossible Pursuits offers a sane and bracingly honest perspective on the challenges of motherhood.

Black, white and biracial contributors to a brave and unprecedented anthology take on the challenge of interpreting the black body's dramatic role in American culture. What does it mean to have, or love, a black body?

A book and a documentary film chronicle how a family built a paper to greatness and how the confluence of a family feud and a cultural-economic cataclysm changed media history.

Workman, a skilled storyteller, uncovers the universal politics of water and draws wisdom from tragedy in the Kalahari desert-opening our eyes to the ongoing struggle to secure water for life on earth.

A staged reading of John Ashbery's great, dense work-one of the defining poems of the 20th century. Six readers, accompanied by projected text and image, illuminate and bring to life Ashbery's tonal shifts and juxtapositions. Directed by Jim Paul with technical direction by Beth Thielen.

Operatic Vaudeville with a Bohemian Attitude Blending a tenor's haunting vocals with cabaret-inspired reinventions of songs both old and new. Featuring selections by Russian Gypsy songwriter Vadim Kozin from the 1930s to songs by Radiohead and David Bowie, this eclectic performance will provide the eyes and ears with beautiful and slightly dark entertainment.