Photo: Wayne Miller (1947). Girl reading Ebony magazine.
We’ve been at this for over a year now. We kept our eyes peeled for things to share, stuck to a format, and sent the newsletter out by the first of the month with an almost perfect record. We’ve also gotten some feedback from subscribers, which is always appreciated, but overall, the question of how this newsletter is landing is…opaque.
So, as we move into our second year, we are looking for where the energy is - for our audience and for ourselves. In that vein, we wanted to try and understand a bit more about you, dear reader: what is working for you and where can we change things up for the better. To that end, we’ve put together a very short survey, and it would mean the world to us if you could take the time (a very short time, we swear!) to fill it out. As a thank you for participating, you will be entered in a raffle to win a $50 gift certificate to Loose Land favorite, Vidiots.
As always, cultural recs are below, and though felt but not said enough, we are so glad you are here.
-Betsy Kalven
Cultural Events
Clockwise left to right it’s: Hammer Museum; Ann Friedman & Jade Chang; ACID-FREE; The Witch; Barra Santos; Rilo Kiley’s album The Execution of All Things
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October 3 - The Witch (Braindead Studios) Halloween isn’t for everyone, and I am one of the people that Halloween is not for. I just don’t have the levels of skill and bravery required to participate in life’s great costume contest, and I don’t love horror movies enough to enjoy a binge.That said, I don’t want to be fully left out of the season’s creepenings, so even though you won’t catch me dead at The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, I’m very excited to return to Robert Eggers’ debut feature The Witch. It’s beautiful, unnerving, and features little of the gonzo mutilation stuff that I hate, with all of the demon-goat content that I love. (DH)
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October 4 - Made in L.A. 2025 Public Opening Night (The Hammer) I love the Hammer Biennial! Taking place since 2012 at my favorite Los Angeles museum, it’s a moment where guest curators uncover the city, surveying the artists practicing across Los Angeles. Every two years I look forward to seeing their selection and the tapestry of stories represented. It’s a snapshot of our city at a given moment, and by dint, a reflection of our times. It’s where I discovered artists like Diedrick Brackens and Christina Quarles, along with breakout stars Luchita Hurtado (2019) and Huguette Caland (2016) who, at 97 and 85 years old at the time of their respective inclusions, found new recognition in their careers as a result. (MR)
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October 8 - How To Write A Book: A Conversation with Jade Chang + Ann Friedman (Vroman’s Pasadena) Ann Friedman’s newsletter was the first newsletter I ever subscribed to, and a decade in, I’m still an avid reader (LTR newsletter status). In addition to her mastery of this form, she has a fruitful collaboration with Jade Chang in the form of Midwives of Invention where they support others through idea development and writing workshops. On the occasion of the release of Jade’s newest book What A Time To Be Alive, they are in conversation discussing the creative writing process (for free)! (BK)
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October 11 - Sense/Make: Bioremediation 101 - A Zine Workshop (Trade School)Sense/Make is a three-part series exploring the intersection of ecological remediation and creative practice co-presented by CAER (Centre for Applied Ecological Remediation), Trade School in Altadena and Fathomers (an organization I have supported and loved for a long time and have now…cue the horns…joined full-time!) This will be an educational and fun afternoon - two of my favorite things - where guests will learn about using fungi and plants to heal contaminated soil and then make zines relating to their own personal stories connected to land and pollution. Heal the soil and heal your heart. (MR)
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October 14 & 18 -Rilo Kiley (The Greek) Growing up, my sister and I were obsessed with Troop Beverly Hills. I’m surprised the movie hasn’t made an appearance on this newsletter yet, considering it was one of my introductions to LA and to Jenny Lewis who is 9-years-old in the movie. Alas, Jenny grew up and so did we. Luckily, she started Rilo Kiley in 1989, which allowed us to sing and scream sing through our teen and young adult years about things like friendship and the cosmos and the general anxieties of everyday living. After a long breakup, the band has reunited with a greatest hits album That’s How We Choose to Remember It and I will most certainly be catching them belt some of their best outdoor at the Greek, one of the joys of Fall in LA. (MR)
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October 23 On - Monuments (MOCA Geffen & The Brick) Monuments is a joint show that is almost a decade in the making. It pairs "decommissioned" confederate statues with an impressive roster of contemporary artists (from Julie Dash, Hank Willis Thomas, and more). This show resists the binary conversation around these confederate relics and considers the idea “that there is value in looking at monuments after they have come down.” (NYT) I’m particularly excited to see Kara Walker’s piece in which she has deconstructed the statue of Stonewall Jackson and resoldered the pieces together in a radical tangle. (Note: Walker’s sculpture will be shown at The Brick.) (BK)
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October 24-26 - ACID-FREE Book Fair (Marta Gallery) This fantastic art book market & bazaar was started by a group of local publishers, librarians, and artists to celebrate independent and small press publishing. Every year, they capture the DIY spirit of LA with an impressive array of independently published books, zines and objects (all very art-forward), in addition to inspiring musical and culinary programming. After years of taking place at the now-shuttered Blum gallery, ACID-FREE will be popping up at Marta Gallery in Silverlake. (MR)
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Anytime - Barra Santos (Cypress Park) I recently went back to Barra Santos, the cozy portuguese wine bar in Cypress Park, and I have to say, it really hit the spot. The food is unfussy, but still feels like something I wouldn’t make at home. My favorite dish is the endive salad, where each leaf cups the perfect amount of cheese, pistachio, citrus, and dressing. It’s a salad you can eat with your hands (the ideal way to eat a salad, in my opinion). The design is personal and feels more point of view than a pinterest board. And the wait staff are easy going, knowledgeable, and confidently themselves. (BK)
Ode To A Strip Mall: Orchard Hardware Plaza (aka The Twohey’s Strip)
Some strip malls charm you with their little songs and dances; others stare blankly at you while they overcharge you for essential services. The Twohey’s strip (which is more parking lot than business establishment) is firmly in the latter camp, and I would happily avoid it for the rest of my days were it not for the fact that it has certain things that my children and I cannot do without. These things include a diner with a gumball machine (Twohey’s), our closest outpost of America’s best fast food option (Jersey Mike’s), and a Fed Ex store. Only one of those three can be described as a financially prudent option, and that’s before I even get to Ace Hardware – which prices its lumber like lumber is a precious metal, harvestable only by an elite crew of lumberjacks (lumberjacksons). This strip is not a place I want to go, ever; and yet there I continue to go, once a month at least. The place has gravity, is what I’m saying, and that’s something.
One Essential Neighborhood Business: Twohey’s. It’s hard to naysay an immaculately clean diner with a mascot named “Little Stinko.”
Whimsy Factor: Lower than your opinion of yourself after hitting up Jersey Mike’s, Baskin Robbins, and See’s Candy without leaving a parking lot.
Variety Level: Decent? But that grade may be inflated by the fact that several of the relatively typical strip-mall businesses have deeply unnerving names (Phoenix Food Boutique, Kelley’s Kookies, Tinzee Nail Salon, and of course the aforementioned, unpronounceable Twohey’s).
Life Expectancy, if Forced to Take Residency for an Extended Period of Time: How long can you wander around a parking lot while waiting for your queued documents to print before you go insane?
