Siel Ju's Blog, page 4

7 big annual literary events in Los Angeles to put on your calendar now

If you’re here reading this, you’re likely a writer, and if you’re a writer, you’re likely really good at spending long swaths of time alone — because that’s basically what you need to do, to write.

For those times you need a little break from the isolation, here are seven big literary fetes where you can meet other people more comfortable in solitude:

Lit Crawl LA. The North Hollywood Arts District becomes the hub of Literary LA for one night each year, when irreverent readings and other fu...

I’m reading at UC Riverside Writers Week Conference 2019

I’ve long dreamed of reading at the same event as Margaret Atwood and Rachel Cusk — and next month, it’s really happening!

UC Riverside’s 42nd Annual Writers Week Conference happens February 4-5 and 11-15, 2019. Margaret Atwood will be there to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, Rachel Cusk will be there to give the keynote, and I — will be there as one of the writers.

There’ll be 23 writers in all, including Aimee Bender, Quincy Troupe, and Chris Kraus. And it’s all free, including par...

10 creative writing graduate degree programs in Los Angeles (PhD, MFA, MA)

The issue of whether or not writers should get an MFA is one fraught with controversy — and I won’t tackle that here. But if you’re interested in getting a graduate degree in creative writing — without leaving the beach, the palm trees, the great weather, and diverse population of this city — here are 10 local programs to consider.

For this list, I defined Los Angeles widely — and included programs that you could conceivably drive to while living in the city of LA proper. That said, I left ou...

11 creative writing graduate degree programs in Los Angeles (PhD, MFA, MA)

The issue of whether or not writers should get an MFA is one fraught with controversy — and I won’t tackle that here. But if you’re interested in getting a graduate degree in creative writing — without leaving the beach, the palm trees, the great weather, and diverse population of this city — here are 10 local programs to consider.

For this list, I defined Los Angeles widely — and included programs that you could conceivably drive to while living in the city of LA proper. That said, I left ou...

5 best writing workshops and classes in Los Angeles

Some writers are self-taught. I’m really, really not one of these. I’ve taken a lot of — perhaps too many — writing workshops. I majored in English writing as an undergrad, then got a PhD in creative writing — and apparently all that still wasn’t enough, because I’ve also taken a bunch of one-off writing classes all over town!

Single creative writing classes can be great for a lot of reasons: if you have no idea what you’re doing and need some direction from a mentor, if you’re not ready to c...

‘The Idiot’ makes me want to do college over again

Of all the many bad decisions I’ve made in my life, one of the most baffling was my decision, at seventeen, to go to college in Indiana.

What was going through my mind then? What was I thinking — or was I not thinking at all? I did have a full ride — that played a role in the decision, sure — but it was a real culture shock, going from sunny, cosmopolitan Los Angeles to a tiny university in a tiny college town, where students walked around wearing shapeless khakis and fleeces and corduroy p...

3 Los Angeles writing meetups where you can write in company

Writing can get lonely. At writing meetup groups you can meet other writers — so you can be lonely together, sitting inches apart but not talking or making eye contact because, well, you’re writing.

If such get togethers appeal to you as much as they do to me, here are three to check out:

1. Writers Blok. The goal of Writers Blok is simple. You come, you buckle down and write for a set time, then you chat a little about your writing with other writers. The idea is that a little structure and...

6 best literary podcasts in Los Angeles

Want to feel mildly productive when you can’t write — because you’re spending your minutes and hours stuck in Los Angeles traffic? Listen to a literary podcast while you wait on the 405. Here are five entertaining podcasts with an L.A. connection for your listening pleasure:

Otherppl with Brad Listi. Hosted by The Nervous Breakdown founder Brad Listi (Attention. Deficit. Disorder), each weekly Otherppl episode features an intimate interview with a writer, recorded in Brad’s garage in Los Ange...

Setting goals and finding community at Writers Blok

There’s something irresistible about the promise of bottomless mimosas on New Year’s Day. It sounds so — festive — even if I know that in real life, day drinking has a way of turning me into a depressed and maudlin sloth.

I did not want to start the new year as a depressed and maudlin sloth. However, I did want to start the new year writing. So at 9 am on Jan. 1, I found myself at Writers Blok for its Kickstart Your Year in Writing event: three hours of semi-structured writing time intercut...

11 Los Angeles literary presses — with 11 books by local authors

Not all great publishers are based in New York. Here are 11 local presses to get to know — along with a book from that press by a local author that I’ve read or want to read:

Red Hen Press. A quarter century old, this Pasadena-based literary press has been especially known for its many books of poetry — but has in recent years focused more on literary fiction and nonfiction. My own novel-in-stories Cake Time was published by Red Hen in April 2017! Red Hen also organizes regular readings acro...