All posts in Events

Those who made it out to 3rdSpace for Vermin on the Mount on Thursday June 9 were treated to a great night of irreverent readings by Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi, Maggie Thach Morshed, Hari Alluri, Jessica Hilt and Matthew Quirk. Our next event in San Diego is Saturday August 20 but will look into continuing Thursday night Vermin in San Diego in the Fall. If you’re going to be in LA Saturday June 11 don’t miss our next event at Book Show in Highland Park!

A gathering of guys and ghouls assembled at Book Show in Highland Park for a special Halloween Eve edition of Vermin on the Mount. Novelist Andrea Kleine read from her new novel Calf, Allan MacDonell read from Punk Elegies and reminisced about the early days of L.A. punk, Janice Lee read two short essays, Sesshu Foster read three poems and L.A. Times book critic David Ulin shared excerpts from his new book Sidewalking. Live recordings from all of the readers will be posted on the Gorsky Press bandcamp page soon. This was the final Vermin on the Mount of 2015. We’ll be back early next year in Los Angeles and San Diego! In the meantime, stop by Book Show and pick up something amazing…

Vermin on the Mount celebrated its 11-year anniversary with a pair of special events in Los Angeles and San Diego. Sean H. Doyle, Wendy C. Ortiz, Shanna Mahin, Joshua Mohr and Jennifer Pashley read on Friday night at BOOK SHOW in and on Saturday night at 3rdspace in San Diego. In addition, Patrick O’Neil  read Friday night in L.A. and J Ryan Stradal read Saturday night in San Diego. Also, a very special guest took a break from the campaign trail to make an appearance at both events… 

Many thanks to all of the writers, readers and fans of the literary arts who have supported Vermin on the Mount over the years. Without your infectious enthusiasm, there is no community of Vermin. It has been both an honor and a privilege to serve as curator of this irregular, irreverent series and I want you to know that it’s not going anywhere. In fact, thanks to our partnership with Razorcake, we’ll be introducing some new features, including an audio recording of all L.A. events. Here’s to the next 11 years…

Another Vermin on the Mount is in the books! After a great event in LA, Portland writer Kevin Maloney kicked things off at 3rdSpace in San Diego with a reading from his debut novella Cult of Loretta. SD local Julia Dixon Evans read “19 Things Only People Who Are Not Going to Survive the Hour Will Understand.” Emile Barrios read a fiction piece about delicious pizza called “The Pickle Rabbi.” After a brief intermission, Ana Carrete, visiting from Austin by way of Tijuana, read a selection of poems. Jerry Gabriel, visiting from Maryland by way of Flagstaff, Arizona, shared an excerpt from his new collection of long stories, The Let Go. Karen Stefano wrapped up the evening with a reading from her new book The Secret Games of Words. (For more images, check out Bonnie ZoBell’s photos.) Save the date: Vermin will return to San Diego to celebrate 11 years of irreverent readings on Aug 22, 2015!

It was a night of firsts. Meredith Aling’s prose piece about the fragility of friendship was her first reading ever. Portland’s Kevin Maloney read from his first book Cult of Loretta (Lazy Fascist) for the first time. Michal Lemberger celebrated the release of her debut After Abel (Prospect Park) and Jerry Gabriel was in town form Maryland, by way of Flagstaff, Arizona to read from his new book The Let Go (Queen’s Ferry) Porochista Khakpour closed out the night with her first public reading of her memoir in progress, Sick. Many thank to everyone who came to Book Show where there was standing room only. So many old, new and future friends. So much love in the room. My heart is filled with gratitude. Vermin por vida!