In the classroom and on the air

Last Saturday I was on the radio talking about - what else? - shipwreck songs! On Bob's No Wake Zone Boating Radio Show, on KRMS 97.5. You can catch it in the archives here.

I was also a guest on the Brock Party podcast recently, where I was talking about ghosts - and a little about shipwrecks.

Up next, I'll be doing a reading about Bollywood movies at Machine Project.

Also I'll be teaching short fiction writing in two upcoming classes at The Writing Pad. The first is an intensive one-day workshop on Sunday, September 27, from 2:30-5:30pm.

Then I'll be teaching a five-week short fiction class starting Sunday, October 4, 2:30-5:30pm, also at The Writing Pad.

Come sign up and hang out with me - there will be snacks!

Hot Dish Brunch is Back!

Hot Dish Reading Series returns to 826LA for its third annual brunch party! And we're recommended by both Time Out and KPCC!

Featuring readings by Dorothy Fortenberry, James Hannaham, Ana Kasparian, JJ Keith, Samantha Powell, and Lilliam Rivera, plus a full brunch spread and beverages!

Admission for all of this is only $10, one hundred percent of which goes to support the student programs at 826LA.

Check out our Facebook event page here.

Updates This Week

A few of the projects I'm doing these days:

I've been working with startup Evertoon to create short, funny YouTube videos that showcase their text-to-video app. The first one was posted here just in time for Valentine's Day.

I'm also continuing to do content writing for the smart home automation company Cliqk, as well as maintaining their social media accounts.

I'm now helping out 826LA writing product copy for their awesome Time Travel Mart - look for Tiny Tim's Instant Gruel and Lil' Gutenberg's Moveable Type Kit soon.

My very best assignment, though, is definitely working with Mat Laibowitz on his projects, Endgame and Midnight Madness, researching, writing, and testing scavenger hunt puzzles.

In addition to these regular assignments, I'm writing pieces for The Toast and McSweeney's, plus publishing on Medium. My most recent piece on Medium is here. Another one should be out this week. (And amazingly my last Medium piece, You Have Plenty of Time to Love Them Later, is now at over 207,000 views - thank everyone so much for their support and kind words!)

I'm also working on a new comedy series, "The Best Places to Get Free Coffee in Los Angeles."

I haven't started revising my play The Nightmare Box yet, but I will definitely start doing that any day now.

Also, I've been thinking over the possibility of a novel, a modern retelling of Flaubert's comedy Bouvard et Pécuchet about internet culture. I'm still in the reading and research stage, but feeling excited.

And last but definitely not least - Hot Dish brunch is back! Join us Sunday, March 29th to hear readings by Dorothy Fortenberry, James Hannaham, Ana Kasparian, J.J. Keith, and Samantha Powell.

Dinner Party Hot Dish

The Dinner Party Download and Hot Dish are teaming up for Dinner Party Hot Dish, an evening of short dinner-party anecdotes, stories, and asides from Rico Gagliano, Davy Rothbart, Lou Mathews, Kent Woodyard, and me.

And as if that's not enough, Chef Rossi and his culinary students at the Art Institute will be serving a thematically-appropriate menu inspired by our stories:

Spaghetti Noodle Baskets with Sweet Potato
Blistered Brussels Sprouts and Pickled Radish
Scallion Blini with Beef Bulgogi and Pear Salad
Dr. Pepper Braised Pork Gordita with Fried Shallot Slaw; and 
Rum Cakes with Candied Walnuts and Rum Glaze and Matador Sugar Garnish.

It's all part of Lit Crawl LA: NoHo. Come check it out! Wednesday, October 22, at 9pm.
Find more info and RSVP here.

Hot Dish at the Hammer Museum

This Sunday Hot Dish is putting on a special kid's edition with seven wonderful children's book authors reading their work as part of the Hammer Museum's Family Day. 

Come hear stories by Cecil Castellucci, Erin Hickey, Julia Ingalls, Ben Loory, Antoinette Portis, and the writing/storytelling team of Eugene Yelchin and Mary Kuryla.  I'll also be reading a selection of stories about art, artists, and museums, plus we'll have snacks, crafts, and coloring books to share.

Poetiscape Podcast this Sunday, plus a new event for LA Festival of Books

This Sunday J Ryan Stradal and I will be guests on the Poetiscape Podcast, chatting with Rich Ferguson about Hot Dish and the Los Angeles literary scene.

We'll be taping on Sunday morning and you can tune in to hear it Sunday 2pm PST/5pm EST. Go here to check it out.

Also, on Thursday April 10 Hot Dish will be joining forces with The Rumpus and The Nervous Breakdown to produce an event celebrating the LA Festival of Books, with readings and performances by Gina Frangello, Jerry Stahl, Dana Johnson, xTx, Ted Travelstead, and DJ Mira Gonzalez. For more info, click here.

Hot Dish 12 and an Abandoned Hostess Factory

 

We just celebrated our 12th Hot Dish with a mimosa brunch for more than 100 people last Sunday at 826LA, featuring readings by Zoe Ruiz, Sara Benincasa, Thomas Moore, Cari Lynn, Eric Stolze, and Erin Hickey.  And we were joined by the folks from Book Bound Mobile Library, too.

 

Gillian and Maureen came, too!

 

The Mobile Library

Elina Shatkin serving up Scooby-Doo-shaped pancakes

 

Thank you to Brooke Healy for getting all these wonderful photos!

Last weekend I also did a reading in an abandoned Hostess factory (well, okay, I guess it was just vacated, not abandoned, but that sounds more dramatic).  Curator Martina Dolejsova selected six works of art and architecture and assigned each to a different writer to write a 500-word story inspired by the artwork.  It was incredibly fun to write and to read.

 

Gillian standing on an old factory scale

Thank you, Martina, for organizing this wonderful event!

Hot Dish in the L.A. Weekly

And now we're in the L.A. Weekly!

"Attracting a crowd for a literary event can be tough, but Hot Dish founders Summer Block Kumar and J. Ryan Stradal have found a way to make readings more appetizing: Provide homemade brunch and mimosas."

Come see what everyone is talking about this Sunday at 11:30am.

A Picture Is Worth 500 Words

This Saturday night I'll be reading at this awesome combination of art, architecture, and literature. Check it out!

Hot Dish in Time Out

Thanks to Time Out Los Angeles for highlighting our next Hot Dish.  We'll be serving up brunch (and mimosas) on Sunday, March 16 at 11:30am!  As always, all proceeds go to support the wonderful work of 826LA.

If the winning combination of "day drinking, literature and humanitarian work" sounds good to you, RSVP here!

Hot Dish

Last Saturday night we hosted another fine Hot Dish at our house and it was a blast.  About eighty people turned out to drink beer, eat barbecue, and hear readings by Cecil Castellucci, Andrew Choate, Heather Havrilesky, Michal Lemberger, and Ruth McKee.  The silly thing I read is here.

Thank you so much to Dev for setting up the PA system, the chairs, the lights, and everything else, and to Jason Gutierrez for taking these gorgeous photos. And most of all, thanks to my amazing co-producer for the last four years, J. Ryan Stradal.