Happy New Year to Paperback L.A Books 1 & 2 contributors and readers! We’re proud to be part of KCET’s “Best of 2018” listings in Mike Sonksen’s Dec. 20 review list “From L.A. History to Poetry: 23 Notable Books for 2018.”
From KCET “Best of 2018” Dec. 20, 2018 by poet/essayist Mike Sonksen
From L.A. History to Poetry: 23 Notable Books for 2018
Paperback L.A., Books 1 & 2, Edited by Susan LaTempa, Prospect Park Books
“The first two books of this eventual [three]-book series move across nearly 200 years of Southern California history. Moving from Native American roots to the Mission era to early Hollywood to race relations in the 1940s to hardcore punk to Dodger baseball and Vin Scully, this series of stories and vintage photos aims to create a new-school anthology. Book One includes Eve Babitz, Paul Beatty, Susan Sontag, Vin Scully, Hector Tobar, and Victor Valle among others and Book Two includes Ray Bradbury, Naomi Hirahara, Wendy Gilmartin and a rare short story by Chester Himes along with several others. The mix of short fiction, architectural criticism, poetry, creative nonfiction, photography, and even a recipe, make these two titles unique among the dozens of anthologies celebrating Literary Los Angeles. Both titles are stand-alone collections but the brief nature of most of the pieces make for quick reads that bring a new dimension to the city’s literary canon.”
