The WeHo Reads series, established in 2013, is a celebrated literary series featuring new, diverse, and noteworthy authors of interest to the West Hollywood community.

Just a few of our notable past participants include:

• Alonso Duralde
• André Aciman
• Andrew Rannells
• Annabelle Gurwitch
• Attica Locke
• Arlene and Alan Alda
• Armistead Maupin
• Arthur Dong
• Bianca Del Rio
• Brian Sonia-Wallace
• bridgette bianca
• Bryan Fuller
• Carla Sameth
• Carrie Brownstein
• Charles Flowers
• Charles Phoenix
• Charles Jenson
• Charles Yu
• Chris Kraus
• Curtis Chin
• Danez Smith
• Dasha Kelly Hamilton
• David Francis
• David Ulin
• Eileen Myles
• Eloise Klein Healy
• Emma Donoghue
• Erwin Chemerinsky
• Henry Rollins
• Imani Tolliver
• Ivy Bottini
• Jacob Tobia
• James Sie
• Jasmin Iolani Hakes
• Jervey Tervalon
• Joe Ide
• Josephine Giles
• Kazim Ali
• Kim Dower
• Lester Graves Lennon
• LeVar Burton
• Lillian Faderman
• Lisa Napoli
• Lloyd Schwartz
• Lorna Luft
• Luis J. Rodriguez
• Lynell George
• Lynne Thompson
• Meredith Maran
• Michael York
• Michelle Visage
• Morgan Parker
• Myriam Gurba
• Natalie Goldberg
• Natasha Deón
• Nina Revoyr
• Patrisse Cullors
• Patt Morrison
• Peter J. Harris
• PJ Manney
• Pickle the Drag Queen
• Rachel M. Harper
• Randa Jarrar
• Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco
• Rasheed Newson
• Ryan Gosling
• Ryka Aoki
• Sam Wasson
• Sarah Silverman
• Seymour Stein
• Shonda Buchanan
• Steph Cha
• Stephen Chbosky
• Steven Reigns
• Tananarive Due
• Terry Wolverton
• Tim and Eric (Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim)
• Timothy Simons
• traci kato-kiriyama
• Walter Mosely

You can access our reading list here.

All recorded presentations can be viewed on our WeHo Arts YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/wehoarts.

Please support your local West Hollywood bookseller by buying books from WeHo Reads authors from Book Soup.

For questions regarding WeHo Reads, contact Mike Che, City of West Hollywood Arts Coordinator, at mche@weho.org

WeHo Reads: Inspirations and Intersections

Wednesday, February 7, 2023 | 6–7:30 p.m. PT

Free, Online

We explore authors’ creative inspirations and intersections during Black History Month.

View below or RSVP here for a reminder 

How do breakthrough writers pave the way for a more inclusive publishing landscape? How do contemporary writers want their work to be received? Where do literary legacies and ambitions intersect? The series opener for WeHo Reads 2024 will feature authors celebrating their inspirations and examining how their work intersects with literary luminaries during Black History Month. 

Participating writers will include: Rachel Howzell Hall, the bestselling author of multiple crime novels, including What Never Happened (Thomas and Mercer, 2023); Lisa Teasley, author of Fluid: Stories (Cune Press, 2023) and librettist of The Passion of Nell, commissioned by the Long Beach Opera; Jervey Tervalon, an award-winning poet, screenwriter, lecturer, and dramatist, who is the author of Monster’s Chef (Amistad/HarperCollins, 2014) and All the Trouble You Need (Atria Books/Washington Square Books, 2002); and Tamika Thompson, a writer, producer, and journalist, who is the author of the speculative fiction collection Unshod, Cackling, and Naked (Unnerving, 2023).

WeHo Reads is a literary series presented by the City of West Hollywood. BookSwell, a literary events and media company dedicated to lifting up writers from historically excluded communities, is producing the WeHo Reads 2024 season. Additional support is provided by UCLA Extension Writers’ Program and Poets & Writers as well as media partnerships with Bookshop.org, Book Soup, and Los Angeles Review of Books. More information and events at www.weho.org/wehoreads.

WeHo Reads: Poetry Spa

Wednesday, April 17, 2024 | 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. ‘spa day’, 7:30 p.m.  - 8 p.m. program

Self-care is a radical act.

The ARC - Respite Deck, West Hollywood Aquatic and Recreation Center (ARC), 8750 El Tovar Place, West Hollywood, CA 90069

In-person event. RSVP requested at: https://WeHoPoetrySpa2024.eventbrite.com

Celebrate National Poetry Month and lounge with a poet at the City’s 2nd annual Poetry Spa Day!

This is an in-person event that will refresh and renew your soul through creative intersections with poetry, poets, and poetic “treatments.”

Join the fun and relaxation at the Respite Deck of the City of West Hollywood’s Aquatic and Recreation Center at West Hollywood Park. From 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., explore poetry at “spa stations” such as Feng Shui Poetry, Poemaroma (essential oils), Lotus Poetry (origami), and other poetic experiences. At 7:30 p.m., gather at the steps to hear all the poets share their words. 

Poetry Spa is a concept created by Brian Sonia-Wallace during his term as 2020-23 West Hollywood City Poet Laureate. This year’s event is curated by current West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Jen Cheng, and the spa stations and poets include:

• Terry Wolverton, author of eleven books, including her latest, Season of Eclipse, hosts the Poemaroma spa station.

• A. K. Toney is a griot, writer, musician, and educator who hosts the Listening Libations spa station where attendees get to mix poetry with soothing sounds.

• Brian Sonia-Wallace, author of Poetry of Strangers hosts the Poetry Bath spa station.

• Pride Poets members Timothy Nang will host the Lotus Poetry spa station and Jose Rios will host the Poetry Bingo spa station.

• West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Jen Cheng, author of Braided Spaces, hosts the Feng Shui Poetry spa station which guides attendees through the Five Elements.

This event is open to the public and free to attend; RSVPs are requested.

Poets

Terry Wolverton

Terry Wolverton is author of twelve books of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction, including Embers, a novel in poems, Insurgent Muse: art and life at the Woman’s Building, a memoir, and Season of Eclipse, a novel. She has also edited sixteen literary compilations. Terry has received a COLA Fellowship from the City of Los Angeles, a Publishing Triangle award for nonfiction, and a Fellowship in Poetry from the California Arts Council, among other honors. She is the founder of Writers At Work, a creative writing studio in Los Angeles, and Affiliate Faculty in the MFA Writing Program at Antioch University Los Angeles. More information: terrywolverton.net/TerryWolvertonBooks.html.

A. K. Toney

In a few words, A.K. Toney is a griot, musician, and educator. Toney is writing his first book along with a double-album chronicling his life as an ethnographer through the experiences of an urban griot. As the Neo Griot, Toney uses musical accompaniment with poetry to provide call and response with listeners as a tool of engagement for participation. He is a founder and the Literacy Coordinator of Reading Is Poetry, LLC. More information: aktoney.com.

Brian Sonia-Wallace

Brian Sonia-Wallace (RENT Poet) uses dialogue at typewriters to bridge communities, and has been a full-time poet-for-hire for a decade. He was the Poet-in-Residence for the Mall of America, Amtrak Trains, and the National Parks, and most recently completed a term as Poet Laureate for the City of West Hollywood. Brian’s work appears in such places as The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and American Poets, and he is the author of the memoir The Poetry of Strangers: What I Learned Traveling America with a Typewriter (Harper Collins) and two books of poetry: Maze Mouth and I Sold These Poems, Now I Want Them Back. Brian curates regular poetry installations for The Getty, is a host for 90.7 KPFK’s Poet’s Cafe, and teaches at the UCLA Extension Writers Program. The motto of his company, RENT Poet, which brings poets on typewriters to events, is “everyone deserves a poem”. More information: rentpoet.com.

Timothy Nang

Timothy Nang, a Cambodian American poet born in Long Beach’s Cambodia Town, emerged from small beginnings to share stories that illuminate the complex nature of the Cambodian American experience. Through their poetry, Timothy focuses on overcoming hardship, shedding light on trauma, resilience, and the intrinsic beauty that exists within us all.

Jose Rios

Jose Rios is a poet and educator living in the hills above the high desert of Palmdale, California. He is a West Hollywood Pride Poet, and his poems are found in Catamaran and San Pedro River Review. He’s been part of two exorcisms, the longtime host of Southern California’s only biweekly birdless cockfight, and the last person to have seen the Taco Bell chihuahua alive.

Jen Cheng

Jen Cheng is the Fifth West Hollywood City Poet Laureate, the author of Braided Spaces, and a multidisciplinary storyteller who amplifies under-represented voices. Jen is the founder of Palabras Literary Salon, celebrating BIPOC poets and writers, and a 2023 California Arts Council Fellow. Jen blends East-West cultural influences in a new form, Feng Shui Poetry. With stories for tween audiences, mystery detective fans, and queer love, Jen is a cross-pollinator. She is a filmmaker with a documentary project celebrating LGBTQ Elders. More information: www.JenCvoice.com

WeHo Reads: Asian Pacific Diaspora Talk Story

Wednesday, May 8, 2024 | 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

6:30 reception, 7 pm start, 8:30 end

Free to attend, RSVP requested at: https://talkstoryweho2024.eventbrite.com 

West Hollywood Library Community Room, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd.

Hear from a panel of poets and writers during Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month as they share their stories, connect across the diaspora, and discuss what it means to be from the Asian-Pacific diaspora. Musical guest Jett Kwong opens this event by celebrating the panel of Asian/Pacific American authors, including Ryka Aoki, Curtis Chin, Jasmin Iolani Hakes, Angela Peñaredondo, and Fariha Róisín, and hosted by West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Jen Cheng.

WeHo Reads is a literary series presented by the City of West Hollywood. More information and events at www.weho.org/wehoreads. BookSwell, a literary events and media company dedicated to lifting up writers from historically excluded communities, is producing this WeHo Reads season. Additional support is provided by UCLA Extension Writers’ Program and Poets & Writers as well as media partnerships with Book Soup, and Los Angeles Review of Books.

Participants:

Ryka Aoki

Ryka Aoki is a poet, composer, teacher, and novelist. Her latest novel, Light From Uncommon Stars (Tor 2021) was awarded the 2022 Alex and Otherwise Awards, and was a finalist for the 2022 Hugo, Locus, and Ignyte Awards. She is the 2023 recipient of Lambda Literary’s Jim Duggins Award for Outstanding LGTBQ Mid-Career Novelist. Ryka has been honored by the California State Senate for “extraordinary commitment to the visibility and well-being of Transgender people.” She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Cornell University and is professor of English at Santa Monica College. More information: www.rykaryka.com.

Jen Cheng

Jen Cheng is the Fifth West Hollywood City Poet Laureate, the author of Braided Spaces, and a multidisciplinary storyteller who amplifies under-represented voices. Jen is the founder of Palabras Literary Salon, celebrating BIPOC poets and writers, and a 2023 California Arts Council Fellow. Jen blends East-West cultural influences in a new form, Feng Shui Poetry. With stories for tween audiences, mystery detective fans, and queer love, Jen is a cross-pollinator. She is a filmmaker with a documentary project celebrating LGBTQ Elders. More information: www.JenCvoice.com

Curtis Chin

A co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City, Curtis Chin served as the non-profits’ first Executive Director. He went on to write for network and cable television before transitioning to social justice documentaries. Chin has screened his films at over 600 venues in sixteen countries. He has written for CNN, Bon Appetit, the Detroit Free Press, and the Emancipator/Boston Globe. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Chin has received awards from ABC/Disney Television, New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and more. His memoir, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant was published by Little, Brown in Fall 2023. His essay in Bon Appetit was just selected for Best Food Writing in America 2023 and he just produced an episode of America’s Test Kitchen’s podcast, Proof. More information: http://curtisfromdetroit.com.

Jasmin Iolani Hakes

Jasmin Iolani Hakes was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii. She has received support from Writing x Writers, Community of Writers, Hedgebrook, VCCA, and Storyknife. Her essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and the Sacramento Bee. She is the author of Hula, named a must-read book by Oprah Daily, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and others. More information: www.jasminiolani.com.

Angela Peñaredondo

Born in Iloilo City, Philippines, ANGELA PEÑAREDONDO is a queer Filipinx, interdisciplinary writer and educator. They are the author of nature felt but never apprehended (Noemi Press), All Things Lose Thousands of Times (Inlandia Institute, Winner of the Hillary Gravendyk Regional Book Prize) and Maroon (Jamii Publications). Their work has appeared in The Academy of American Poets, Pleiades, Michigan Quarterly Review, Southern Humanities Review and elsewhere. They’ve received fellowships and awards from Hedgebrook, Kundiman, Macondo, TinHouse, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown among others. They are an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at California State University San Bernardino. Currently, Peñaredondo lives in Los Angeles with their partner and many cramped plants. More information: https://linktr.ee/angelapenaredondo.com.

Fariha Róisín

Fariha Róisín is a multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles. As a Muslim queer Bangladeshi, her work has pioneered a refreshing and renewed conversation about wellness, contemporary Islam, degrowth and queer identities. She is the author of books Like a Bird, How to Cure a Ghost, Who is Wellness For?: An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who it Leaves Behind, and her latest collection of poetry, Survival Takes a Wild Imagination. More information: https://www.fariharoisin.com

WeHo Reads: Creating Queer Families and Communities

Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024 | 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Online, Free

In celebration of National Coming Out Day, we gather authors and poets to discuss coming out and creating queer families and communities. Participants will reflect on the evolution of coming out with the rise in equality and visibility of LGBTQ+ individuals and families. Our conversation will address giving and receiving love in the families we build or choose, pathways to LGBTQ parenting, as well as the power of being out, the power of community, and the power of storytelling for families and folks in the margins.

Our guests include Meliza Bañales, poet and author of the 90s coming-out/coming-of-age novel Life Is Wonderful, People Are Terrific (Ladybox Books 2015), which was a 2016 Lambda Literary Finalist; Lane Igoudin, author of the foster-adoptive memoir A Family, Maybe (Ooligan Press, Portland State University 2024); and Hazel Kight Witham, author of the memoir-in-verse The Truth About Secrets (Strikethrough Press 2024).

WeHo Reads is a literary series presented by the City of West Hollywood. BookSwell, a literary events and media company dedicated to lifting up writers from historically excluded communities, is producing the WeHo Reads 2024 season. Additional support is provided by media partnerships with Book Soup and Los Angeles Review of Books. More information and events at www.weho.org/wehoreads.

WeHo Reads: Imagining and Building Restorative Communities

Wednesday, November 20, 2024 | 6:30 - 8:00 pm

Online, Free, RSVP requested here

Some authors are taking a hard look at society IRL and virtually, pinpointing the ways we come up short in connecting with and loving each other. Featuring Ryane Nicole Granados (author of The Aves), PJ Manney (author of the bestselling and Philip K. Dick Award nominated Phoenix Horizon trilogy, (R)EVOLUTION, (ID)ENTITY, and (CON)SCIENCE), and Sarah Rafael Garcia (author, community educator, and performance ethnographer and founder of LibroMobile).

The event will open with an original poem read by Jen Cheng, current West Hollywood City Poet Laureate and author of Braided Spaces (2023). 

WeHo Reads is a literary series presented by the City of West Hollywood. BookSwell, a literary events and media company dedicated to lifting up writers from historically excluded communities, is producing the WeHo Reads 2024 season. Additional support is provided by Poets & Writers as well as media partnerships with Book Soup and Los Angeles Review of Books. More information and events at www.weho.org/wehoreads.

RSVP Here or view below.

WeHo Reads: Through a Lens Queerly

Wednesday, December 11, 2024 | 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Venue: West Hollywood City Council Chambers, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069.

Free, RSVP Requested Here.

What makes a memory? What makes an idol? Through what lens do we examine ourselves and our community?

This discussion brings together a poet and author, a photographer, and a culture writer to discuss how they point a critical lens at themselves and their community. Charles Jensen is the author of Splice of Life: A Memoir in 13 Film Genres (Santa Fe Writer’s Project 2024) and the collection of poetry Instructions between Takeoff and Landing (University of Akron Press 2022). Manuel Betancourt is the author of The Male Gazed: On Hunks, Heartthrobs, and What Pop Culture Taught Me About (Desiring) Men (Penguin Random House 2024). Aaron Jay Young is a portrait photographer and the author of Queen (Padlock Publishing 2023).

The event will open with an original poem read by Jen Cheng, current West Hollywood City Poet Laureate and author of Braided Spaces (2023). 

WeHo Reads is a literary series presented by the City of West Hollywood. BookSwell, a literary events and media company dedicated to lifting up writers from historically excluded communities, is producing the WeHo Reads 2024 season. Additional support is provided by Poets & Writers as well as media partnerships with Book Soup and Los Angeles Review of Books. More information and events at www.weho.org/wehoreads.

RSVP Here.

Watch past videos on WeHo Arts YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/wehoarts

See photos from past events here.

WeHo Reads 2019, WeHo Reads 2018, WeHo Reads 2017.

WeHo Reads 2016, WeHo Reads 2015, 2014 WeHo Reads NOIR,  WeHo Reads 2013