It’s almost time for Thursday’s event with Myriam Gurba! We hope you’ve had an invigorating time reading Mean, and we are excited to announce that Gustavo Arellano, an Alta Journal contributing editor and an editor at the Los Angeles Times, will host the discussion with Gurba.
Arellano is the author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America and, as a journalist, covers arts, culture, and politics in Southern California. He was the editor of OC Weekly, where he wrote a column, ¡Ask a Mexican!, that had a circulation of more than two million readers. Arellano has received the President’s Award from the Los Angeles Press Club, an Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and a 2008 Latino Spirit Award from the California State Legislature. He lives in Orange County.
We look forward to hearing Arellano talk with Gurba about the genre of memoir and writing about misogyny, violence, and coming-of-age in California.
Here are the details of the event:
- When: Thursday, April 15, at 5 p.m. Pacific time.
- Where: To join the event on Zoom, click here.
- What: Your guest host, Gustavo Arellano, will be in conversation with Myriam Gurba, author of Mean.
- Author questions: Please send questions for Myriam Gurba to info@californiabookclub.com. You can also submit them using Zoom’s chat feature after the event begins.
- Attend to win: We will be giving away author-signed copies of Mean to five attendees, selected at random, following Thursday’s program.
- Mark your calendars: Upcoming CBC discussions with Rachel Kushner, author of The Mars Room, on May 20, and Robin Coste Lewis, author of The Voyage of the Sable Venus, on June 17.
To sign up for Alta’s California Book Club for free, click here.
Thanks, and see you Thursday!
SURVIVOR NARRATIVES
CBC selection panel member and host John Freeman considers the power of style in Mean and how Gurba offers an unforgettable perspective on trauma and sexual assault. Alta
ALTERNATE HISTORY
In a book review, Mark Haskell Smith describes the multiform and visionary work of Sesshu Foster and Arturo Ernesto Romo’s latest project, ELADATL. Alta
#METOO AND MEAN
A few critics have pointed out the connections between the #MeToo movement and Gurba’s memoir, Mean. Let’s consider what Gurba thinks of this comparison and why it is important. Alta
LOVE OF HOME
Five poets share what it means to call Los Angeles their home. Los Angeles Times
SAVE YOUR DARLINGS
“I want any novel I write to be full of darlings. If possible, all darlings.” R.O. Kwon makes the case for sparing your darlings. Catapult
THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY
Michael Prior speaks of his latest poetry collection, Burning Province; poetic restraint; and the legacy of Japanese internment camps in Canada during World War II. Rumpus
INDUSTRY POLITICS
Have you wondered why the publishing industry pays politicians extraordinary advances for books that typically don’t do well on the market? Look no further: Alex Shephard has an answer. New Republic
HONORING ANTHONY VEASNA SO
Anthony Veasna So—whose highly anticipated debut short story collection, Afterparties, is due out in August—died late last year. Literary magazine n+1, where So was a contributor, established an eponymous fiction prize in his honor. Publishers Weekly
WITHOUT EXPECTATIONS
“I wrote the book for the characters and not for the reader—it’s what I was trying to tell them and not to tell people about them.” Douglas Stuart talks about his debut novel, Shuggie Bain, and writing about traumatic childhoods. Los Angeles Times
ARCHIVES AND FOLKLORE
UCLA’s Archive of Healing—considered one of the most expansive databases of medicinal folklore—is now digitally accessible. Hyperallergic
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