Siel Ju's Blog, page 15

Thank you — plus two more Cake Time readings this week!

Thank you to Rio Hondo College for having me at the Writes of Spring festival! It was an amazing time — A special thanks to Tom Callinan, who organized this annual two-day event.

And thank you also to Why There Are Words — Los Angeles for letting me read from Cake Time over the weekend too.

And last but not least — Thank you to Kaya Press for hosting the Pre-Smokin’ Hot Lit Lounge Reading at Other Books!

I have two more readings to celebrate the launch of my own novel-in-stories Cake Time t...

Deus Cafe: Best coffee shop for reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

“We’re in such a hurry most of the time we never get much chance to talk. The result is a kind of endless day-to-day shallowness, a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later where all the time went and sorry that it’s all gone.”

— Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

Motorcycles, matcha lattes, postmodern style, and philosophy. Combine all four by spending an afternoon at Deus Cafe with a copy of Robert M. Pirsig’s classic, Zen and th...

The Window @A.G. Geiger: A new literary series at a Chinatown art bookstore

Why host just one literary reading series when you can host two? Susan Haymer, the woman behind the Library Girl reading series in Santa Monica, has teamed up with Alexis Rhone Fancher and started a brand new series across town: The Window @A.G. Geiger.

Held at A.G.Geiger Fine Art Books in Chinatown one Sunday afternoon a month, The Window has a similar format as Library Girl — a handful of readers, musical performance, wine.

The first event happened in February, featuring playwright/essayis...

Thank you west coast! And more Cake Time in LA

Thank you to everyone who came to my readings in Oakland, San Francisco, Portland, Bellingham, and Seattle last week!

Thanks especially to Brad Johnson at Diesel Oakland, Charlie Jane Anders of Writers With Drinks, Kevin Sampsell at Powell’s Books, Kelly Magee at  Western Washington University, the good people at Village Books, and Christine Texeira at Hugo House — as well as Book Soup and Stories in Los Angeles, where I read over the weekend —

And more thanks to everyone who read with me:...

Top 11 coffee shops for writers in Portland

This post comes with a caveat: I’ve only been to Portland twice, and between both visits, spent like five days in the city. That said, I did a lot of wandering around — and discovered that there’s a cute indie coffee shop or two on pretty much every block. These coffee shops generally come with all the amenities a writer desires — fantastic coffee, pretty latte art, yummy nibbles, kind baristas, open tables, and usually, free wifi.

My theory as to why Portland has such a great cafe culture: P...

Los Liones Trail: Best place to hike with your state senator

I’d made a vague New Year’s resolution to hike more often — and done nothing about it — when an email popped into my inbox with this subject: Santa Monica Mountains Hike with Senators Allen and Stern!

Post-elections, I’d signed up for all my elected officials’ email lists, vowing to be more politically engaged. And now, my state senator Ben Allen was inviting me to go hiking:

The Santa Monica Mountains offer exceptional outdoor recreation, with beautiful views and wildlife sightings right in...

Five Firsts: Me on voyeurism, desire, identity

So usually I post a monthly interview with an author I admire whose book I’m giving away.

But since I’m giving away my own Cake Time this month to celebrate its publication, I’ll take this opportunity to link to interviews with me in other places and hope that you won’t think that’s too narcissistic!

These are both amazing lit zines that deserve your time and attention. Thank you to the interviewers for featuring me and my work —

__

Michelle Ross at Fiction Writers Review: This sensation of w...

Renew Juicery: Best juice shop for chilling out

When the weather gets warm, I start drinking less latte and more juice. And I’ve found a new favorite green juice for spring: Balanced at Renew Juicery.

This cold-pressed drink’s a blend of pineapple, cilantro, cucumber, parsley, chlorophyll, lemon, and ashwagandha. I love that it’s not too sugary but still has a taste of tropical sweet —

Plus the Culver City’s spot’s a nice place for writers — a sunny vibe with free wifi and friendly people. There are some raw vegan meals and snacks for sal...

Thank you LA! Now Cake Time in Oakland (4/7) and San Francisco (4/8)

First, thank you to everyone who came to Skylight Books in Los Angeles last night to celebrate the launch of Cake Time! And thank you to the amazing people at Skylight Books!

Your being there meant so much to me —

And a special thanks to the amazing writers who read with me: Janice Lee, Victoria Patterson, and Jim Ruland!

And if you live in the Bay Area, I hope to see you this weekend! I’ll be reading twice, first in Oakland —

Siel Ju reads from CAKE TIME with Andrew Lam and Brynn Saito
(F...

Young Literati: Party with book lovers, support libraries

Shepard Fairey DJs, Andrew Bird whistles and sings and plays the violin, Chelsea Handler mocks Trump by reading a damning excerpt of his book. Before and after those performances, you get to mingle with fellow book lovers over gourmet hors d’oeuvres next to an open bar. If that sounds like a fun night to you, make sure you go to the next Young Literati event!

The Young Literati Ninth Annual Toast happened on Saturday at NeueHouse Hollywood — and along with the celebrities mentioned above, fe...