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Order online 24 hours a day - every book in print!
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Steve's View from the Skylight |
After a busy and monumental Spring and Summer, the bigger and better Skylight Books is finally raging full on. It was challenging work to get here - 12 years of discovering and promoting wonderful writers, hosting unique and exciting readings, and creating a welcoming, comfortable space to visit and shop - culminating in building and creating a wonderful new expansion this year. The community that surrounds Skylight Books has played an incredibly supportive role and I can only hope that we are giving back what we have received. 
The response to our new expansion next door, Skylight Books 1814, could not have been better. I am so proud and so truly happy. Every day the comments I receive from readers and art lovers about our staff, about our selection, about our vibe, feel, atmosphere . . . makes me glow and feel warm like a proud papa. Locals, visitors, tourists, and friends all seem to feel at home and inspired in both the new arts annex and the original store. In a time of political uncertainty, scary economic weirdness, and sterile corporate overload, it is nice for an independent pusher of knowledge and creativity to feel encouraged and even championed.
It is my goal that Skylight Books as a space and as a community of people (staff, customers, readers) continues to be a beacon of hope, a place to breathe freely and have strong discussions, and an example of the rewards of hard work and love. For you and for me.
Steven Salardino, Manager
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| and a note from Kerry |
I just returned from a much needed post-Grand Opening vacation and feel greatly renewed and ready to take on this eventful fall season. On my coastal cruise--from Vancouver to Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to meet with book world colleagues--Stacey Lewis and Elaine Katzenberger at City Lights Books in San Francisco, and my bookstore mentor Richard LaBonte, the former long-time beloved General Manager of A Different Light bookstores, who now edits prize winning anthologies and reviews books while livng on idyllic Bowen Island in British Columbia.
On the eve of my departure, we were saddened to hear  of the tragic death of the remarkable novelist and essayist David Foster Wallace. I have been told that we sell more copies of his monumental work, Infinite Jest, than any other store. For an introduction to Wallace's work, however, you might want to dip into the story collection, The Girl With Curious Hair or some of the delightful and oddly humorous essays in A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again.. Many of you have called or emailed to see if we are doing something to commemorate this fine writer, which we will do at a later time. We'll keep you posted.
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| JONATHAN AMES |
Thursday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m.
The Alcoholic (DC Comics)
 Jonathan Ames' acclaimed novels and essays have drawn comparisons across the literary spectrum, from David Sedaris to F. Scott Fitzgerald, from Woody Allen to P.G. Wodehouse; his abilities as a performer have made him a favorite of the McSweeney's crowd and earned him repeat appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman. Now, with his graphic novel debut, Ames creates a vivid, intoxicating and loosely autobiographical look at a tumultuous and troubled life.
 Jonathan A. was your average high school student-good grades, good athlete-but he had a secret. Every weekend Jonathan A. became a binge drinker.
Dramatically illustrated by acclaimed New York City-based artist Dean Haspiel, The Alcoholic is a hard-hitting look at the realities of alcoholism, friendship, rehab, sexual escapades, obsession, tragedy, escape, death, and the struggle to keep going.
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PERCIVAL EVERETT and CHRIS ABANI |
Thursday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Abstraktion und Einfuhlung: poems by Percival Everett (Black Goat/Akashic Books)
 Chris Abani has developed his groundbreaking Black Goat poetry series with exciting and provocative new voices. Here, Percival Everett proves that his fine literary talents move far beyond the realm of the novel.
If you said "cubism" fifteen times, you would be getting close to some of what Percival Everett, a famous novelist and gifted painter himself, is playing with in this new book of poems. In words that mimic process, the poems here attempt to reverse the canvas, taking perspective and skewing it to reflect the world around it, spiraling into the work as a way to get out of it. Often what stands in the way of art is art itself, a lingering delusion that there is such a thing as beauty, especially universal beauty. The same is true of a belief in transcendence. To buy into it is to merely substitute one word for another, to fall prey to a correspondence theory of truth.
Percival Everett is the author of fifteen novels, among them The Water Cure, Erasure, and Glyph. He is Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California.
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ANN POWERS, SOLVEJ SCHOU, OLIVER WANG, JEFF WEIS, BRANDON PERKINS, and more
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Friday, October 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Best Music Writing 2008 (DaCapo Press)
 To celebrate the newest volume of this highly anticipated annual "Best," Ann Powers hosts a panel of other notable music writers (and contributors to this year's book) .
This book is famously known as the definitive guide to the year in music writing, an annual feast of essays, missives, and musings on every musical style by critics, novelists, and musicians themselves. Culled from publications ranging from blogs to The New Yorker, the 2008 edition captures a year in music writing as diverse and riveting as the music it illuminates.
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JENNIFER BAUMGARDNER
and AMY RICHARDS |
Saturday, October 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Abortion and Life (Akashic Books) - by Baumgardner
Opting In: Having a Child Without Losing Yourself (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) - by Richards
 In Baumgardner's bold new work, she goes beyond pro-choice and pro-life, transcending politics, and emphasizes the voices and lives of the women (and men) involved in abortion.
"If Jennifer Baumgardner ever needs another mom, I'll be the first in line to adopt her. She's smart, fearless, and a formidable force for change."
-Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed
 With Opting In, Amy Richards addresses the anxiety over parenting that women face today in a book that mixes memoir, interviews, historical analysis, and feminist insight. In her direct and thoughtful approach, Richards covers everything from the truth about our biological clocks and the trends toward extending fertility, to parenting with nature and nurturing in mind, to our relationship with our own mothers, to what feminism's relationship to motherhood is and always has been.
 "Amy Richards is always showing a new way forward for her generation of feminists and has done so once again with Opting In-a smart, savvy exploration of real-life, real-time motherhood that is sure to resonate." -Naomi Wolf
 Baumgardner is the producer/creator of the award-winning film I Had an Abortion. She is the coauthor (with Amy Richards) of Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future and Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism (both Farrar, Straus & Giroux). Her most recent book is Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics. She writes regularly for women's magazines like Glamour, Elle, and Allure, as well as more political outlets such as the Nation, Harper's, and NPR's All Things Considered.
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HOWARD ROSENBERG and
CHARLES S. FELDMAN |
Wednesday, October 15 at 7:30 p.m.
No Time to Think: The Menace of Media Speed and the 24-Hour News Cycle (Continuum)
 This new book is an eviscerating look at the state of journalism in the age of the 24-hour news cycle written by Pulitzer Prize-winning LA Times TV critic Howard Rosenberg and 20-year CNN veteran correspondent Charles S. Feldman.
"Left, right? Crushed between? You need this book. Read it."
-Ray Bradbury
"This is a dangerous book because it's all true. Every one of us inside the media (and outside it, if there are any left) ought to read every word, and then question all we see, hear and say. And think. Every day, twenty-four hours a day. The book will explain why. Beautifully."
-Linda Ellerbee, television producer, journalist, and author
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MARK OLIVER EVERETT |
Friday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Things the Grandchildren Should Know (St. Martins Press)
 As "A Man Called E," Mark Oliver Everett sprung onto the mid-'90s indie scene with upbeat, experimental rock. As frontman and creative force behind the EELS, he drew deep critical praise. (Rolling Stone dubbed him "the Kurt Vonnegut of rock" and the Sunday Times wrote, "You have to rank Everett alongside John Lennon and Kurt Cobain. That's how good he is.")
"How do you think it felt finding out that one of your favorite rock stars in history is also a better, funnier, and more touching writer than I am after 10 years at Time magazine? I'm going to record a catchy, complicated, uplifting song about heartbreak and see how he feels."
-Joel Stein, Time magazine
"E's story is a good example of the way an adverse life in childhood and adolescence shapes an artist, creates eccentricity and ultimately contributes to brilliance. This is one of the best books ever written by a contemporary artist. I learned more about my own business and my own methods by reading this book than I did by reading the life of Chuck Berry, Elvis or David Bowie."
-Pete Townshend
"Terribly sad and painfully funny-Mark Oliver Everett has written a memoir to remember."
-Sean Wilsey, author of the New York Times bestseller Oh the Glory of It All
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MILTON KATSELAS |
Saturday, October 18 at 5:00 p.m.
Acting Class: Take a Seat (Phoenix Books)
 Legendary acting teacher, director, and artist Milton Katselas began his directing career with the original off-Broadway production of Edward Albee's The Zoo Story, and he has since directed over sixty plays (on Broadway, Off Broadway, regional theatre, and Los Angeles) and eight feature films. He is also an award-winning painter and sculptor, and has had solo exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, and Tokyo.
But it is his great love for teaching actors for which he is particularly known. For over forty years, he has been considered one of the premiere acting teachers in the country.
His previous book, the New York Times bestseller Dreams Into Action, focused on the practical aspects of career goals. Now, for the first time, Katselas talks publicly about the craft of the artist-and the specifics of his methods of teaching actors and directors.
More info... |
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THE ROLLING DARKNESS REVUE
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Sunday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m.
 Don't touch that dial! Travel back to an October night in 1933 and become part of the in-studio audience at local radio station KRDR (66.6 khz) as the hosts of the weekly Spook Story Hour entertain you-until things begin to go horribly wrong . . .
The Rolling Darkness Revue is a traveling fraternity of some of horror fiction's premier talents, as they tune in to a midnight wavelength and an October frequency in celebration of the genre's favorite holiday.
Now in its fifth year, the Rolling Darkness Revue is a multimedia experience that incorporates theatrical lighting and live music to provide much more than the usual bookstore reading.
As well as becoming a much-anticipated Halloween event for fans and readers, the Revue has received glowing notices from, among others, the Los Angeles Times and NPR's All Things Considered.
Peter Atkins: Author of Morningstar, Big Thunder, Moontown, and the movies Wishmaster and Hellraiser II-IV.
"Atkins is a brilliant supplier of shudders and splendors" - Clive Barker.
"Writes with elegance and wit" - The Times ( London ).
Glen Hirshberg: Award-winning author of The Two Sams, The Snowman's Children, and American Morons.
"A writer to watch and treasure" - Peter Straub
"Stories as unsettling as they are scary, as disturbing as they are profound."
- Los Angeles Times
Kevin Moffett: Author of Permanent Visitors. His work has appeared in McSweeney's, Tin House, The Believer, and The Best American Short Stories, and he is the recipient of both the Nelson Algren Award and an NEA Fellowship.
With live music from Jonas Yip & Rex Flowers.
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INGRID NEWKIRK
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Wednesday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m.
One Can Make a Difference: How Simple Actions Can Change the World (Adams Media)
 Newkirk is an animal rights activist, an author, and the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). She is best known for the animal rights awareness campaigns she organizes on behalf of PETA, which she cofounded in 1980.  In her new book, Newkirk has collected the wisdom, stories, and insight of more than 50 activists and world-changers who have proven that one person can create a movement. Through fascinating stories and advice, this book offers a roadmap for those of us seeking to better the world, and also provides a boost of inspiration for seasoned activists and other quiet agents of change.
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DAVID FRANCIS
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Friday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Stray Dog Winter (MacAdam/Cage)
 "Elegantly written and grippingly suspenseful, David Francis's Stray Dog Winter takes readers right into the heart of Graham Greene country."
- Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander and Paint It Black
David Francis grew up on his family's farm in rural Australia. He represented Australia on an equestrian team in Europe and went on to ride on the United States show-jumping circuit. He was awarded the Australia Literature Fund Fellowship to the Keesing Studio in Paris. Agapanthus Tango, his first novel, was published to acclaim in seven countries and was then released in the United States in 2005 as The Great Inland Sea. Stray Dog Winter is his second novel.
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AMY WALLACE, DEL HOWISON,
SCOTT BRADLEY, and more |
Saturday, October 25 at 7:30 p.m.
The Book of Lists: Horror (Harper)
 Join us for a ghoulish pre-Halloween monster mash. There will be frightening food (from Palermo) and demented drinks, as well killer contests (with prizes) and sinister special guests, including author David Wallechinsky, writer/director James Gunn (Slither), author John Skipp (The Long Last Call), author Mick Farren, author/screenwriter F.X. Feeney, and many others.
Wallace is author of several books, including Sorcerer's Apprentice: My Life with Carlos Castaneda. Howison, proprietor of the one-of-a-kind horror bookstore, Dark Delicacies, in Burbank, is also an American horror author, editor and actor.
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USC Master of Professional Writing Students with CHRISTOPHER MEEKS
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Friday, October 31 at 7:30 p.m.
USC Master of Professional Writing Student Reading Series
A Halloween Scare Session from the USC Master of Professional Writing Student Reading Series, with special guest author Chris Meeks. Stephen Silke will host, and the student readers will be Autumn Canaday, Ilir Lita, Emily Ogle, and Todd Spence.
Christopher Meeks will read from his story collection, Months and Seasons. He teaches creative writing at USC, CalArts, UCLA Extension, and the Art Center College of Design. His short fiction has been published in a number of journals, including Rosebud, The Clackamas Literary Review, The Southern California Anthology, The Santa Barbara Review, Midday Moon, and Writers' Forum. His collected works are published by Whisker Books as The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea. His plays include Fiveplay, Suburban Anger, and Who Lives? Who Lives? is published by White Whisker Books. He has also published four nonfiction children's books, two of which are still in print, and has published articles in nearly 20 newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Cinefantastique, Writer's Digest, Smart Computing, and Chic. Chris was a theater critic for Daily Variety for eight years and wrote a number of columns about creative writing for Efuse. |
Women Writers Wanted
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You Love to Write-You'll Love WriteGirl
And WriteGirls is looking for mentois rs and volunteers for their 8th season of creative writing workshops and mentoring for teen girls. WriteGirl welcomes all women of diverse professional backgrounds to join their energetic community of writers. Apply your professional skills, enrich a young woman's life-and let her enrich yours!
What is WriteGirl?
WriteGirl pairs professional women writers with teen girls to explore the power of words and writing. Through mentoring, writing workshops, public readings, performances, and publications, WriteGirls get help from expert writers on poetry, fiction, journalism, screenwriting, songwriting and more. Since 2001, WriteGirl has been helping girls discover confidence, self-esteem, communication skills and the power of their own unique voice.
- For more information, visit www.writegirl.org or call (213) 253-2655
- Download an application from the website.
- Deadline for volunteer applications: September 30th
- Orientations/trainings coming up in October
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