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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250514T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250514T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250415T172445Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250415T172445Z
UID:10013209-1747249200-1747252800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Mariah Blake discusses & signs They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals
DESCRIPTION:A landmark investigation of the chemical industry’s decades-long campaign to hide the dangers of forever chemicals\, told through the story of a small town on the frontlines of an epic public health crisis \nIn 2014\, after losing several friends and relatives to cancer\, an unassuming insurance underwriter in Hoosick Falls\, New York\, began to suspect that the local water supply was polluted. When he tested his tap water\, he discovered dangerous levels of forever chemicals. This set off a chain of events that led to 100 million Americans learning their drinking water was tainted. Although the discovery came as a shock to most\, the U.S. government and the manufacturers of these toxic chemicals–used in everything from lipstick and cookware to children’s clothing–had known about their hazards for decades. \nIn They Poisoned the World\, investigative journalist Mariah Blake tells the astonishing story of this cover-up\, tracing its roots back to the Manhattan Project and through the postwar years\, as industry scientists discovered that these chemicals refused to break down and were saturating the blood of virtually every human being. By the 1980s\, manufacturers were secretly testing their workers and finding links to birth defects\, cancer\, and other serious diseases. At every step\, the industry’s deceptions were aided by our government’s appallingly lax regulatory system–a system that has made us all guinea pigs in a vast\, uncontrolled chemistry experiment. \nDrawing on years of on-the-ground reporting and tens of thousands of documents\, Blake interweaves the secret history of forever chemicals with the moving story of how a lone village took on the chemical giants–and won. From the beloved local doctor to the young mother who took her fight all the way to the nation’s capital\, citizen activists in Hoosick Falls and beyond have ignited the most powerful grassroots environmental movement since Silent Spring. \nHumane and revelatory\, this book will provoke outrage–and hopefully inspire the change we need to protect the health of every American for generations to come. \nMariah Blake is an investigative journalist whose writing has appeared in The Atlantic\, Mother Jones\, The New Republic\, and other publications. She was a Murrey Marder Nieman Fellow in Watchdog Journalism at Harvard University.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-mariah-blake-discusses-signs-they-poisoned-the-world-life-and-death-in-the-age-of-forever-chemicals/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mariah-blake-600x600-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250512T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250512T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250415T172145Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250415T172145Z
UID:10013208-1747076400-1747080000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Chris Santiago reads from and signs Small Wars Manual: Poems
DESCRIPTION:“Small Wars Manual is a masterpiece\, one of those books I read and know at once I’ll be coming back to the rest of my life.”–Kaveh Akbar\, author of Martyr! \nFrom award-winning poet Chris Santiago\, a far-reaching collection of erasures and original poems examining the long shadow of American militarism and imperialism. \nStemming in part from a disturbingly mundane military document of the same name\, Small Wars Manual is a how-to for imperialism that critically dismantles itself with each passing line\, “a pidgin // containing elements // of animus and // insubordination.” In its wake\, the very boundaries of oppression and resistance\, art and justice\, and power and truth exploded. \nHighly conceptual yet gut-wrenching\, this meticulous and visionary masterpiece of erasure poetry and other forms sinks into the cold mechanics of American warfare in the Philippines and Vietnam to reveal a brutal rhetoric. In more autobiographical sections\, Chris Santiago’s own Filipino immigrant background reveals hard-lived experiences\, where “stars can guide // either bayonets // or refugees” and “even small wars waged // on the living room floor” cause trepidation and harm. \nThis righteous collection redeems the vulnerable from the aggressors–empire\, army\, their systems and tools–and transforms everything in the process. In the hands of Santiago\, the deconstructive becomes the eviscerating\, condemning all wars that upend countries and mark generations. Here are shining poems that make shelter of chaos\, by one of the most skillful and intrepid poets writing today.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-chris-santiago-reads-from-and-signs-small-wars-manual-poems/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/chris-santiago-600x600-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250510T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250510T140000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250415T170312Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250415T170312Z
UID:10013207-1746882000-1746885600@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman’s Type-In: A Celebration of Typewriters & Typewriting!
DESCRIPTION:A Type-in is a community-based\, family-friendly event at which typewriter enthusiasts share their love for the analog art of putting ink to paper with mechanical marvels of the late 19th and 20th centuries. Come for the demonstrations\, stay for the click\, clack! No plugs-in needed.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-type-in-a-celebration-of-typewriters-typewriting/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pgeo5hvyqd3a1-scaled.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250510T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250510T120000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250415T165622Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250415T165635Z
UID:10013206-1746874800-1746878400@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Kobina Commeh reads from & signs Kwesi & Nana Ruby Learn to Swim
DESCRIPTION:“A wonderful story to show how it is possible to overcome our fears of doing something new by accepting help from others” — School Library Journal\, starred review \nKwesi doesn’t know how to swim… and discovers his grandmother doesn’t either! Can they conquer their fear of water together with the help of the West African legend Mami Wata? \n“How about we make a deal?” Nana rubbed Kwesi’s head. “I will learn to swim\, if you do.” \n“Deal!” \nKwesi likes spending time at the lake with his friends\, except there’s one tiny problem… he can’t swim. But guess what? Neither can Nana Ruby! When she comes over for dinner one night\, she tells Kwesi about when she moved from Ghana to the US and the history of segregation that kept her out of pools and caused a fear of water among many Black people. \n“So I will never learn how to swim?” Kwesi asks. But Nana Ruby tells him they will call on the strength of Mami Wata\, the sea creature of West African legend\, to conquer their fears together. This touching intergenerational story teaches the importance of naming\, acknowledging and facing fears.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-kobina-commeh-reads-from-signs-kwesi-nana-ruby-learn-to-swim/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/kobina-commeh-600x600-1.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250509T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250509T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250415T165413Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250415T165413Z
UID:10013205-1746817200-1746820800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore:  Alyssa Villaire discusses The Glittering Edge
DESCRIPTION:Penny Emberly is caught in a magical feud in order to save her mother’s life – perfect for fans of Tracy Wolff and Maggie Stiefvater.\nRumors are the lifeblood of Idlewood\, Indiana. The locals whisper that the De Lucas are witches\, and that decades prior they cursed the wealthy Barrion family as revenge for a love gone tragically wrong: now\, if a Barrion falls in love with you\, you’ll die. If this isn’t reason enough for wallflower Penny Emberly to stay away from both families\, she doesn’t know what is. But when Penny’s mom is in an accident that leaves her on the brink of death\, Penny can’t ignore the rumors anymore–because the Barrion curse is real. And her mom is its latest victim.\nIn order to save her mom’s life\, Penny must bring together two bitter enemies on either side of the feud and work with them to break the curse. For star quarterback Corey Barrion\, doing so would mean finally saving his family from the magic that killed his mom. And for misfit witch Alonso De Luca\, it would mean convincing everyone in Idlewood–especially Penny–that he isn’t the villain they believe him to be.\nBut as the trio navigates Alonso’s unpredictable magic\, the tangled web of Barrion-De Luca history\, and an increasingly chaotic group chat\, it soon becomes clear that the curse is not what they expected. Did a De Luca really curse the Barrions in a fit of jealousy\, or is something even more sinister afoot? Penny will have to conquer her anxiety\, wrestle with her budding feelings for Alonso\, and delve into dangerous\, forbidden magic to find the truth and save her mom — even if it means putting her own life at risk.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-alyssa-villaire-discusses-the-glittering-edge/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/alyssa-villaire-600x600-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250507T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250507T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250415T165039Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250415T165039Z
UID:10013203-1746644400-1746648000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Meghan Daum discusses The Catastrophe Hour: Selected Essays
DESCRIPTION:From the New York Times–bestselling author of The Unspeakable and The Problem with Everything comes a new collection of unputdownable essays. \n“For the last five or six years\, on many afternoons around 4 or 5 p.m.\, I’ve been overcome with the sensation that my life is effectively over. Note the personal touch here. This is not a sensation of the world ending\, which has been in vogue for quite some time now\, and maybe for good reason. It’s a distinct feeling of being at the end of my days. My time\, while technically not ‘up\,’ is disappearing in the rearview mirror. The fact that this feeling of ambient doom tends to coincide with the blue-tinged\, pre-gloaming light of the late afternoon lends to the whole thing a cosmic beauty\, as devastating as it is awe-inspiring. As such\, I’ve dubbed this the catastrophe hour.” \nWritten between 2016 and 2023\, these essays are classic Daum\, showcasing the author’s wit\, her intellect\, and her uncanny ability to throw new light on even the most ubiquitous of subjects. Delving into divorce\, dating\, music\, friendship\, beauty\, aging\, death and money\, Daum’s unflinching honesty and exacting observations secure her reputation as one of our most important and enduring essayists. \nAnnabelle Gurwitch is a New York Times bestselling author of five books\,  and activist\, actress and two-time Thurber Prize finalist.  She’s written for The New Yorker\, The Los Angeles Times\, The New York Times\, and The Washington Post. Her next book The End of My Life is Killing Me is due out next year from Zibby Publishing.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-meghan-daum-discusses-the-catastrophe-hour-selected-essays/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/meghan-daum-600x600-1.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250429T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250429T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250325T233249Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250325T233249Z
UID:10013180-1745953200-1745956800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Bridget Morrissey discusses Anywhere You Go
DESCRIPTION:A small-town waitress and a big-city Broadway press agent swap homes to escape the messiness of their personal lives\, only to find new purpose–and new love. \nTatum Ward and Eleanor Chapman lead totally opposite lives. Tatum’s never left her Midwestern hometown. She resides in a quaint guest cottage on her parents’ property while working part-time as a waitress\, where she spends most shifts ignoring her feelings for a beautiful regular named June. Eleanor dedicates every waking hour to her high-profile press career\, sacrificing personal relationships for professional success\, save for the occasional hookup to fight off her loneliness. When both women’s lives unexpectedly blow up at the exact same time\, they each need an escape\, and fast. \nIn Tatum’s hometown\, Eleanor expects a quiet hideaway where she can recharge. Instead she gets wrapped up in the family drama that Tatum left town to avoid\, pulled in by Tatum’s charismatic older sibling\, Carson\, who charms Eleanor at every turn. Tatum ends up in Eleanor’s New York high-rise apartment with June. One week together in the big city might make it impossible for Tatum to avoid not just her true feelings for June\, but her real dreams for her life. \nAmid a friendship with a reclusive Hollywood actress and a complicated family reunion\, Tatum and Eleanor each discover much more than they bargained for away from home. Their house swap won’t last forever\, but it might be just long enough for both women to surrender their defenses and finally fight for the life–and love–they deserve.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-bridget-morrissey-discusses-anywhere-you-go/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/bridget-m-600.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250428T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250428T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250325T233009Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250325T233009Z
UID:10013179-1745866800-1745870400@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: NEW DATE! - Gayle Forman\, in conversation with Lauren Oliver\, discusses & signs After Life
DESCRIPTION:One spring afternoon after school\, Amber arrives home on her bike. It’s just another perfectly normal day. But when Amber’s mom sees her\, she screams. \nBecause Amber died seven years ago\, hit by a car while on the very same bicycle she’s inexplicably riding now. \nThis return doesn’t only impact Amber. Her sister\, Melissa\, now seven years older\, must be a new kind of sibling to Amber. Amber’s estranged parents are battling over her. And the changes ripple farther and farther out: Amber’s friends\, boyfriend\, and even people she met only once have been deeply affected by her life and death. In the midst of everyone’s turmoil\, Amber is struggling with herself. What kind of person was she? How and why was she given this second chance? \nThis magnificent tour de force by acclaimed author Gayle Forman brilliantly explores the porous veil between life and death\, examines the impact that one person can have on the world\, and celebrates life in all its beautiful complexity.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-new-date-gayle-forman-in-conversation-with-lauren-oliver-discusses-signs-after-life/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/gayle-forman-600-1.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250426T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250426T120000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250325T232802Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250325T232802Z
UID:10013178-1745665200-1745668800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Teddi Lynn Chichester and Kate McMillan present Wildlife Crossings of Hope and Sustainable Structures
DESCRIPTION:Wildlife Crossings of Hope: Connecting Creatures Around the Globe (Books for a Better Earth) by Teddi Lynn Chichester \nWe all need safe places to live and safe paths to travel. Animals\, too.\nMeet the people who are stitching the planet’s habitats back together. \nAn NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12 \nLet’s explore together how scientists\, engineers\, and lots of everyday people are working to make sure that the wildlife so essential to Earth’s health and beauty continues to freely move through the landscapes\, waterways\, and skylines of this richly inhabited planet. \nAbove all\, this is a book that invites young people to think of themselves and wildlife as part of one community that urgently needs restoration and protection. Back matter includes actions for kids to take\, a complete listing of the scientific names of all creatures discussed\, source notes\, a bibliography\, an index\, and more. \nBooks for a Better Earth™ are designed to inspire children to become active\, knowledgeable participants in caring for the planet they live on. \nA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection\nA CBC-NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book \nSustainable Structures: 15 Eco-Conscious Buildings Around the World (Books for a Better Earth) by Kate McMillan \nA stunning illustrated overview of “green” architecture on every continent\, packed full of cool STEAM facts and fascinating details. \nFrom a waste collection site built entirely from recycled materials\, to a school designed to float during flood season in Bangladesh\, this dazzling book highlights innovative and sustainably built structures around the world. \nPairing a kid friendly\, conversational approach with spectacularly detailed art\, Kate McMillan dissects the design of 15 eco-friendly buildings worldwide. The extraordinary structures fall into five categories\, each emphasizing a key element of sustainable design: 1) local materials\, 2) adaptability\, 3) sustainable construction\, 4) clean energy\, and 5) optimized space. \nReaders of all ages will love poring over the precise\, colorful illustrations and informative close ups featured on eye catching double-page spreads. Perfect for budding architects and engineers\, this book is a work of art! \nBooks for a Better Earth™ are designed to inspire children to become active\, knowledgeable participants in caring for the planet they live on. \nA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection \nAn NSTA Best STEM Book \nA CBC-NSTA Best STEM Book of the Year
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-teddi-lynn-chichester-and-kate-mcmillan-present-wildlife-crossings-of-hope-and-sustainable-structures/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/teddi-and-kate-600x600_0.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250422T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250422T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250325T164551Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250325T164551Z
UID:10013176-1745344800-1745352000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Emily Henry’s Great Big Beautiful Life Release Party!
DESCRIPTION:Please note: Emily Henry will not be in attendance for this event. (You should still come though!)\nJoin Vroman’s Bookstore for a fun-filled night as we celebrate the release of Emily Henry’s latest book\, Great Big Beautiful Life! \nWe will kick off the night at 6 pm with activities\, with raffles through the evening\, and then Romance Trivia at 7pm. \nActivities will include: \n\nFriendship Bracelet Bar\nPhoto Backdrop\nActivity Station with cootie catchers and more!\n\nRomance Trivia (7 pm-8 pm) \n\nThis will be individual trivia\, with the 1st place winner receiving a $25 Vroman’s Gift card and a special Emily Henry goody bag. (We will have prizes for the runners-up too!)\nThe topic will be Romance Trivia (emphasizing movies and books) with a bonus round specific to Emily Henry’s books. The winner of the bonus round will get an Emily Henry goody bag.\n\n  \nThis is an in-store ticketed event with two ticket options: \n\nGeneral Admission to the event (including a party starter pack) + 1 copy of Great Big Beautiful Life that will be handed out at check in.\nGeneral Admission to the event (including a party starter pack)
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-emily-henrys-great-big-beautiful-life-release-party/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/emily-henry-sharable-2.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250419T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250419T150000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250325T164106Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250325T164106Z
UID:10013175-1745071200-1745074800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore:  19 William Archila reads from & signs his poetry collection S is For\, with special guests Michelle Bitting\, Amaud Jamaul Johnson & Luis J. Rodriguez\, moderated by Douglas Manuel
DESCRIPTION:S is For is an investigation by poet William Archila of the Central American migrant crisis haunted by the past of the civil war in El Salvador\, the meanings of family spirits\, and trees disappearing to urban sprawl–always wielding the voice of the immigrant\, the refugee\, and the ever-present exile as a weapon against invisibility and displacement. Inventive and compassionate\, Archila’s poems navigate the meanings of family spirits\, weeds and wildflowers\, and the irreverence to lay down roots with our dead. The collection expresses the importance of an inner voice from the perspective of exile–people with no country\, no language\, ghosts split between present and past\, between home and foreign. In a variety of forms–quasi-sonnet\, sestina\, ekphrastic\, syllabic\, lyric\, memorial–the poems create a bridge between flaws and fractures\, between the northern region of Central America and the beloved north which is the US. S is for: every letter never uttered\, but evoked.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-19-william-archila-reads-from-signs-his-poetry-collection-s-is-for-with-special-guests-michelle-bitting-amaud-jamaul-johnson-luis-j-rodriguez-moderated-by-douglas-manuel/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/william-archila-600x600_0.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250415T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250415T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250325T163805Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250325T163805Z
UID:10013174-1744743600-1744747200@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Anna-Marie McLemore discusses & signs The Influencers
DESCRIPTION:A social media influencer’s empire is burned to the ground–literally. The top suspects? The five daughters who made her famous. \n“A witty and razor-sharp whodunit that will leave you both satisfied and challenged . . . A gorgeous\, gloriously scathing story.”–Ashley Herring Blake\, author of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date \nWhat do you really know about the people you’ve made famous? \n“Mother May I” Iverson has spent the past twenty-five years building a massively successful influencer empire with endearing videos featuring her five mixed-race daughters. But the girls are all grown up now\, and the ramifications of having their entire childhoods commodified start to spill over into public view\, especially in light of the pivotal question: Who killed May’s newlywed husband and then torched her mansion to cover it up? \nApril is a businesswoman feuding with her mother over intellectual property; twins June and July are influencers themselves\, threatening to overtake May’s spotlight; January is a theater tech who steers clear of her mother and the limelight; and the youngest . . . well\, March has somehow completely disappeared. As the days pass post-murder\, everyone has an opinion–the sisters\, May\, a mysterious “friend of the family\,” and the collective voice of the online audience watching the family’s every move–with suspicion flying every direction. \nA campy and escapist exploration of race\, gender\, sexuality\, and class\, The Influencers is an evisceration of influencer culture and how alienating traditional expectations can be\, ripe for the current moment when the first generation of children made famous by their parents are\, now\, all grown up–and looking for retribution.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-anna-marie-mclemore-discusses-signs-the-influencers/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/anna-marie-mclemore-600x600-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250415T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250415T170000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250415T165228Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250415T165228Z
UID:10013204-1744704000-1744736400@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Sam Lumley and Daryl Wood Gerber discuss their new books How to Have a Killer Time in DC and Essence of Foul Play
DESCRIPTION:A young\, gay\, autistic travel writer takes a head-spinning detour when murder and romance unbalance his well-planned life and career in this fun\, quirky debut mystery . . . \nFor twenty-four-year-old Oliver Popp\, autism is just another fact of life. As long as Oliver sticks to a comfortable itinerary planned well in advance\, he gets by just fine as a staff writer for Offbeat Traveler magazine. But a curveball drops into Oliver’s budding career when his first feature assignment takes him to Washington\, DC\, to chronicle the latest tourism trends. \nHis freelance project photographer is Ricky Warner\, a gregarious and impulsively adorable shot of adrenaline. If the flirty gay photographer isn’t enough to unbalance shy Oliver at the get-go\, there’s also an unsettling chance encounter with old acquaintance\, Elise Perkins\, and a congressional hearing that’s shaking up both the capitol and an entrepreneurial billionaire. The unexpected distractions soon collide–quite literally–when Elise is struck dead by a speeding car. Funny how she didn’t move and didn’t scream. She just stared it down like she knew it was coming. Forget the National Mall and Mt. Vernon Square. Oliver and Ricky are game for something much more interesting: solving a mystery and a murder. \nWith their focus shifted and a deadline coming\, they only have a few days to solve the crime. For Oliver\, it’s a weeks of firsts: first crush\, first time without a schedule\, first time playing amateur sleuth\, and first time getting wrestled out of his comfort zone. But with a loosey-goosey new partner like Ricky\, that might not be such a bad thing at all. \n  \nEmma Brennan may have her head in a cloud of eucalyptus\, but her feet are firmly planted on the ground in breathtaking Carmel\, California\, as she prepares to open her new spa business\, Aroma Wellness. But all the reiki\, shiatsu\, and massage in the world can’t help her relax when she’s accused of murder . . . \nEverything is going smoothly as Emma prepares for the grand opening of the spa. The therapy rooms are painted. The sales shop and café are stocked with meditative and delicious goodies\, from essential oils to avocado masks and prickly pear massages. The fountain in the Courtyard of Peace is burbling with good vibrations. In fact\, there isn’t a whiff of trouble until that morning when Emma is shocked to learn that a rival spa owner has been bludgeoned . . . with an item from the goodwill basket Emma gave her. Worse\, a witness is pointing the finger at Emma . . . \nWith the police treating Emma like she’s the only suspect\, and the town’s anti New Age anything posse \nbadmouthing her every step of the way\, she’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Incensed by the accusations but empowered by her cousin\, her nana\, and her trusted Birman cat\, Vivi\, Emma reviews the potpourri of possible suspects\, determined to uncover the essence of foul play–before she’s cold-pressed for murder . . .
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-sam-lumley-and-daryl-wood-gerber-discuss-their-new-books-how-to-have-a-killer-time-in-dc-and-essence-of-foul-play/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sam-and-daryl-600.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250414T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250414T120000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250325T162853Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250325T162853Z
UID:10013172-1744628400-1744632000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Ann Whitford Paul discusses If Animals Celebrated Easter
DESCRIPTION:A must-have for any nursery! If Animals Celebrated Easter is another charming picture book in the bestselling If Animals Kissed Goodnight series that imagines springtime celebration from creatures all across the animal kingdom – making it a perfect gift for Easter baskets. \nWhat if animals did what YOU do? \nColt would weave a basket of hay. Calf would splat-splatter his eggs with spots. Mama and Lamb would lead their friends in a parade. All the farm animals would celebrate Easter in their own special way. \nFeaturing playful rhymes and adorable art\, little ones can see how creatures\, great and small\, celebrate Easter. Families will giggle along as they imagine the critters that inhabit places near and far. A wonderful gift for baby showers\, birthdays\, new parents\, or any occasion! \nDon’t miss the other books in this adorable series: If Animals Kissed Good Night\, If Animals Said I Love You\, If Animals Celebrated Christmas\, If Animals Went to School\, If Animals Gave Thanks\, If Animals Tried to Be Kind\, If Animals Trick-or-Treated\, and If Animals Went to Work.ree
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-ann-whitford-paul-discusses-if-animals-celebrated-easter/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Families,Free,In-Person,Kids,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ann-paul-600.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250410T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250410T153000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250403T220330Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250403T220330Z
UID:10013195-1744275600-1744299000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Blood Drive
DESCRIPTION:The Huntington Health mobile blood donation team is pop-up at Vroman’s Bookstore get out and donate blood!\n\n\n\n\nThursday\, April 10 – 9am – 3:30pm\nVroman’s Book Store\n695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena 91101\nPlease scan the QR code to sign up.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-blood-drive-2/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore
CATEGORIES:Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Vromans-Bookstore-Blood-Drive.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250409T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250409T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250325T162527Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250325T162527Z
UID:10013171-1744225200-1744228800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Jennifer E. Smith discusses Fun For the Whole Family
DESCRIPTION:A breathtaking\, joy-filled novel about the people we love\, the secrets we keep\, and the enduring power of family\, from the bestselling author of The Unsinkable Greta James. \n“A glorious novel of love in all its forms–familial\, romantic\, lost\, and found. Jennifer E. Smith is a ray of literary sunshine.”–Jenny Jackson\, author of Pineapple Street\nThe four Endicott siblings–Gemma\, Connor\, Roddy\, and Jude–were once inseparable\, a bond created by the absence of their dazzling\, mercurial mother\, who would return for a few weeks each summer to whisk them off on sprawling road trips around the country.\nDecades later\, the unthinkable has happened: the Endicotts haven’t spoken in years . . . until an out-of-the-blue text arrives from Jude\, now a famous actress\, summoning them to a small town in North Dakota. They’re each at a crossroads: Gemma\, who put her own ambitions aside to raise the others\, now isn’t sure if she wants to be a mother herself; Connor\, a celebrated novelist\, is floundering after his recent divorce and suffering from an epic case of writer’s block; and Roddy\, at the tail end of a professional soccer career\, is dangerously close to losing his future husband for the chance at one last season.\nJude is the only Endicott who seems to have it all together–but appearances can be deceiving. As the weekend unfolds\, and the siblings wrestle with their shared past and uncertain futures\, they’ll discover that Jude has been keeping three secrets . . . each of which could change everything.\nA captivating journey and an ode to forgiveness that takes readers across all fifty states\, Fun for the Whole Family brims with heart and resonates long after the final page.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-jennifer-e-smith-discusses-fun-for-the-whole-family/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/jennifer-e-smith-600-updated.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250407T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250407T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250324T224719Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250324T224719Z
UID:10013170-1744052400-1744056000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Stephen Witt discusses & signs The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang\, Nvidia\, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip
DESCRIPTION:A purchase of the book from Vroman’s is greatly appreciated and makes events like this possible. \n“Stephen Witt’s deep reporting shines through every page of The Thinking Machine. The result is a page-turning biography of perhaps the most consequential CEO and company in the world.” –David Epstein\, New York Times bestselling author of Range \nNvidia is as valuable as Apple and Microsoft. It has shaped the world as we know it. But its story is little known. This is the definitive story of the greatest technology company of our times. \nIn June of 2024\, thirty-one years after its founding in a Denny’s restaurant\, Nvidia became the most valuable corporation on Earth. The Thinking Machine is the astonishing story of how a designer of video game equipment conquered the market for AI hardware\, and in the process re-invented the computer. \nEssential to Nvidia’s meteoric success is its visionary CEO Jensen Huang\, who more than a decade ago\, on the basis of a few promising scientific results\, bet his entire company on AI. Through unprecedented access to Huang\, his friends\, his investors\, and his employees\, Witt documents for the first time the company’s epic rise and its single-minded and ferocious leader\, now one of Silicon Valley’s most influential figures. \nThe Thinking Machine is the story of how Nvidia evolved to supplying hundred-million-dollar supercomputers. It is the story of a determined entrepreneur who defied Wall Street to push his radical vision for computing\, becoming one of the wealthiest men alive. It is the story of a revolution in computer architecture\, and the small group of renegade engineers who made it happen. And it’s the story of our awesome and terrifying AI future\, which Huang has billed as the ‘next industrial revolution\, ‘ as a new kind of microchip unlocks hyper-realistic avatars\, autonomous robots\, self-driving cars\, and new movies\, art\, and books\, generated on command. \nThis is the story of the company that is inventing the future.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-stephen-witt-discusses-signs-the-thinking-machine-jensen-huang-nvidia-and-the-worlds-most-coveted-microchip/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/storytime-600-x-600-3.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250405T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250405T123000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250324T224249Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250324T224249Z
UID:10013169-1743852600-1743856200@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Pasadena Conservatory of Music presents Musical Storytime: The Bunny Rabbit Show by Sandra Boynton
DESCRIPTION:The Pasadena Conservatory of Music will be putting on a special musical storytime with the featured book: The Bunny Rabbit Show by Sandra Boynton. Caregivers and children aged 3-9 will enjoy the story\, craft activities\, creative movement\, and a mini-concert!
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-pasadena-conservatory-of-music-presents-musical-storytime-the-bunny-rabbit-show-by-sandra-boynton/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Free,In-Person,Kids,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/storytime-600-x-600-3.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250404T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250404T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250324T223309Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250324T223309Z
UID:10013168-1743793200-1743796800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Alwyn Hamilton\, in conversation with Victoria Aveyard\, discusses The Notorious Virtues
DESCRIPTION:Please note: an RSVP does not guarantee seating if we reach capacity. Please plan on arriving early. A purchase of the book from Vroman’s is greatly appreciated and makes events like this possible. \n\nImage\n \n\nBestselling Rebel of the Sands author Alwyn Hamilton is back with a glittering fantasy thriller about a glamorous media darling\, a surprise heiress\, and the magical competition of a lifetime. \nThis gorgeous hardcover first edition features emerald-hued edges\, creating a lush look for this stunning fantasy. \nAt sixteen\, Honora “Nora” Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in all of Walstad. Her family controls all the money–and all the magic–in the entire country. But despite being the center of attention\, Nora has always felt like an outsider. When her mother is found dead in an alley\, the family throne and fortune are suddenly up for grabs\, and Nora will be pitted against her cousins in the Veritaz\, the ultimate magical competition for power that determines the one family heir. \nBut there’s a surprise contestant this time: Lotte\, the illegitimate daughter of Nora’s aunt. When Lotte’s absent mother retrieves her from the rural convent where she’d abandoned her\, Lotte goes from being an orphan to being surrounded by family. Unfortunately\, most of them want her dead. \nAnd soon\, Nora discovers that her mother’s death wasn’t random–it was murder. The only person she can trust to uncover the truth of what happened is a rakish young reporter who despises everything Nora and her family stand for. \nWhile the dangers of the Veritaz competition threaten each of the Holtzfall girls\, and the stark class differences turn political outrage to terrifying violence–the new cousins must fight to stay alive\, no matter what. \nIncredible tests\, impossible choices\, and deadly odds await both girls. But there can only be one winner.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-alwyn-hamilton-in-conversation-with-victoria-aveyard-discusses-the-notorious-virtues/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250403T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250403T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250324T220323Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250324T222800Z
UID:10013167-1743706800-1743710400@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: TICKETED - Patti Callahan Henry\, in conversation with Julia Whelan\, discusses and signs The Story She Left Behind
DESCRIPTION:Inspired by a true literary mystery\, New York Times bestselling author of the mesmerizing The Secret Book of Flora Lea returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book\, a lost mother\, and a daughter’s search for them both. \nIn 1927\, eight-year-old Clara Harrington’s magical childhood shatters when her mother\, renowned author\, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham\, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. Bronwyn stunned the world with a book written in an invented language that became a national sensation when she was just twelve years old. Her departure leaves behind not only a devoted husband and heartbroken daughter\, but also the hope of ever translating the sequel to her landmark work. As the headlines focus on the missing author\, Clara yearns for something far deeper and more insatiable: her beautiful mother. \nBy 1952\, Clara is an illustrator raising her own daughter\, Wynnie. When a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. Clara is skeptical. Compelled by the tragedy of her mother’s vanishing\, she crosses the Atlantic with Wynnie only to arrive during one of London’s most deadly natural disasters—the Great Smog. With asthmatic Wynnie in peril\, they escape the city with Charlie and find refuge in the Jameson’s family retreat nestled in the Lake District. It is there that Clara must find the courage to uncover the truth about her mother and the story she left behind. \nTold in Patti Callahan Henry’s lyrical\, enchanting prose\, The Story She Left Behind is a captivating novel of mystery and family legacy that captures the profound longing for a mother and the evergreen allure of secrets. \nAbout the author\nPatti Callahan Henry is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of several novels\, including Surviving Savannah and Becoming Mrs. Lewis. She is the recipient of the Christy Award\, the Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer of the Year Award\, and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year. She is the cohost and cocreator of the popular weekly online live web show and podcast Friends and Fiction. She lives in Alabama and South Carolina with her family. Find out more at PattiCallahanHenry.com. \n  \nThis is a ticketed in-store event. Tickets include one seat/entry and one copy of The Story She Left Behind which will be handed out at check-in.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-ticketed-patti-callahan-henry-in-conversation-with-julia-whelan-discusses-and-signs-the-story-she-left-behind/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/patti-callahan-henry-600-x-600.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250402T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250402T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250324T215615Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250324T215615Z
UID:10013166-1743620400-1743624000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Nia Imara discusses & signs Painting the Cosmos: How Art and Science Intersect to Reveal the Secrets of the Universe
DESCRIPTION:A stunning portrait of our vast\, dynamic\, and mysterious universe . . . as seen through the lenses of astronomy and art \nWhat is our place in the universe? Where do art and science overlap? How can we use these disciplines to better understand the universe\, and how do they help us shape our reality? In Painting the Cosmos\, astrophysicist and visual artist Nia Imara combines these perspectives to comprehensively illustrate the history of the universe and our position in it. \nIn this eye-opening and accessible book\, Imara asks pivotal questions and explores humanity’s ever-evolving view of nature. Richly illustrated with spectacular full-color images of our universe and beautiful work from creators around the world–particularly the often-neglected work of women and Black artists–this one-of-a-kind book unites the realms of art\, science\, and culture to create a dynamic portrait of the cosmos. \nFrom the Big Bang to life on other planets– while also explaining the most exciting recent developments in astronomy– with Imara’s guiding expertise\, readers will explore: \nThe limits of objectivity in understanding reality The role of harmony and rhythm in the universe and art How light functions as a storyteller How scientists and artists help us “see” the invisible–from black holes to marginalized experiences The possibility of life beyond our solar system\, and how we define intelligence \nPainting the Cosmos will captivate and inspire you to see the world around you in a brand new\, fascinating light where space and art are beautifully intertwined.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-nia-imara-discusses-signs-painting-the-cosmos-how-art-and-science-intersect-to-reveal-the-secrets-of-the-universe/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nia-imara-600.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250331T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250331T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250225T193811Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T193811Z
UID:10013151-1743447600-1743451200@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Ron Currie discusses The Savage\, Noble Death of Babs Dionne
DESCRIPTION:A mythic\, propulsive novel about the tangled fates of a matriarchal crime family in Maine. \nYour ancestors breathe through you. Sometimes\, they call for vengeance. \nBabs Dionne\, proud Franco-American\, doting grandmother\, and vicious crime matriarch\, rules her small town of Waterville\, Maine\, with an iron fist. She controls the flow of drugs into Little Canada with the help of her loyal lieutenants\, girlfriends since they were teenagers\, and her eldest daughter\, Lori\, a Marine vet struggling with addiction. \nWhen a drug kingpin discovers that his numbers are down in the upper northeast\, he sends a malevolent force\, known only as The Man\, to investigate. At the same time\, Babs’s youngest daughter\, Sis\, has gone missing\, which doesn’t seem at all like a coincidence. In twenty-four hours\, Sis will be found dead\, and the whole town will seek shelter from Babs’s wrath. \nThe Savage\, Noble Death of Babs Dionne is a crime saga like no other\, with a ferocious matriarch at its bruised\, beating heart. With sharp wit and profound empathy\, award-winning author Ron Currie\, delivers an unforgettable novel exploring love\, retribution\, and the ancestral roots that both nurture and trap us.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-ron-currie-discusses-the-savage-noble-death-of-babs-dionne/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ron-currie-600.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250329T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250329T120000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250225T193630Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T193630Z
UID:10013150-1743246000-1743249600@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Gabriela Orozco Belt\, in conversation with Mirelle Ortega\, discusses I Am\, Yo Soy
DESCRIPTION:From the author of Only for a Little While comes a lyrical bilingual picture book about the beauty of being part of two cultures. \nI’m from here y soy de allá. \nWith lyrical text in English and Spanish\, this vibrant picture book is a celebration of Hispanic American identity—showcasing the beauty of being part of two cultures. Author Gabriela Orozco Belt and Pura Belpré Award Honor Book illustrator Mirelle Ortega honor all the big and small ways that embracing both heritages are the key to being exactly who you’re meant to be. \nGabriela Orozco Belt is a Costa Rican American writer who knows about family\, change\, and love. She has a large\, loving family\, and while she moved often as a child\, she now calls the Mojave Desert home. Gabriela is a school librarian and Only for a Little While is her debut picture book. You can visit Gabriela at gabrielabelt.com. \nMirelle Ortega is an award-winning Mexican artist and writer for kidlit and animation based in Los Angeles\, California. She is the author-illustrator of River of Mariposas and Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land\, for which she received a 2023 Pura Belpré Award Illustration Honor and an International Latino Book Award bronze medal.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-gabriela-orozco-belt-in-conversation-with-mirelle-ortega-discusses-i-am-yo-soy/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Kids,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/gaby-belt-600x600-updated-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250328T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250328T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250225T193143Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T193143Z
UID:10013149-1743188400-1743192000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Brian Castleberry and Laura Warrell discuss The Californians
DESCRIPTION:It’s 2024\, and Tobey Harlan—college dropout\, temporary waiter\, recently dumped—steals from the wall of his father’s house three paintings by the venerated and controversial artist Di Stiegl. Tobey’s just lost everything he owns to a Northern California wildfire\, and if he can sell the paintings (albeit in a shady way to a notorious tech bro) he can start life anew in a place no one will ever find him\, perhaps even Oregon. \nA hundred years before\, Klaus Aaronsohn—German-Jewish immigrant\, resident of the Lower East Side—inveigled his way into a film studio in Astoria\, Queens. In love with silent cinema\, Klaus will restyle himself Klaus von Stiegl\, a mysterious aristocratic German film director. In true Hollywood fashion\, he will court fame\, fortune\, romance\, and betrayal\, and end his career directing Brackett: a radical\, notorious 60s-era detective show. \nWeaving between Tobey and Klaus is the story of Diane “Di” Stiegl: Klaus’s granddaughter\, raised in Palm Springs\, who claws out a career as an artist in gritty 1980s NYC. As America yields the presidency to a Hollywood cowboy\, as Diane’s grifter father and free-spirited mother circle in and out of her life\, Diane will reflect America’s most urgent and hypocritical years back to itself\, uneasily finding critical adoration as well as great fame and wealth. \nA dazzling novel for readers of Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter and The Candy House by Jennifer Egan\, The Californians is an ambitious and sweeping journey across a century.  Nuanced and textured\, gloriously funny\, a critical portrait of the collective American consciousness that has brought us to today\, it showcases Brian Castleberry as an inventive\, stylish storyteller and a sharp observer of the human condition.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-brian-castleberry-and-laura-warrell-discuss-the-californians/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/brian-castleberry-600x600-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250326T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250326T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250225T192659Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T192659Z
UID:10013147-1743015600-1743019200@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Silvia Park\, in conversation with Jonny Sun\, discusses Luminous
DESCRIPTION:Prescient yet timeless\, perfect for fans of Klara and the Sun and We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves\, this highly anticipated\, sweeping debut set in a unified Korea tells the story of three estranged siblings—two human\, one robot—as they collide against the backdrop of a murder investigation to settle old scores and make sense of their shattered childhood. \n“I once had a family. At least\, the earliest version of me had a family.” \nIn a reunified Korea of the near future\, the sun beats down on a junkyard filled with abandoned robots\, broken down for parts. Eleven-year-old Ruijie sifts through the scraps\, searching for a piece that might support her failing body. There among the piles of trash\, something catches her eye: a robot boy—so lifelike and strange\, unlike anything she’s ever seen before. \nSiblings Jun and Morgan haven’t spoken for years. When they were children\, their brother Yoyo disappeared suddenly\, leaving behind only distant memories of his laughter and near-human warmth. Yoyo—an early prototype of a humanoid robot designed by their father—was always bound for something darker and more complex. Now Morgan makes robots for a living and is on the verge of losing control of her most important creation. Jun is a detective with the Robot Crimes Unit whose investigation is digging up truths that want to stay buried. And whether they like it or not\, Ruijie’s discovery will thrust their family back together in ways they could have never imagined. \nAt once a thrilling work of speculative fiction and a poignant exploration of what it really means to be human\, Luminous is an unforgettably brilliant debut.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-silvia-park-in-conversation-with-jonny-sun-discusses-luminous/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250325T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250325T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250225T192443Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T192443Z
UID:10013146-1742929200-1742932800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour discuss Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival
DESCRIPTION:In Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival\, New York Times bestselling authors Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour tell the no-holds-barred history of the iconic music festival. Through hundreds of new interviews with artists\, tour founders\, festival organizers\, promoters\, publicists\, sideshow freaks\, stage crews\, record label execs\, reporters\, roadies and more\, Lollapalooza chronicles the tour’s pioneering 1991-1997 run\, and\, in the process\, alternative rock’s rise – as well as the reverberations that led to a massive shift in the music industry and the culture at large. \nLollapalooza features original interviews with some of the biggest names in music\, including Perry Farrell and Jane’s Addiction\, Pearl Jam\, Soundgarden\, Nine Inch Nails\, Sonic Youth\, Tool\, Smashing Pumpkins\, Ice-T\, Rage Against the Machine\, Green Day\, Patti Smith\, Alice in Chains\, Metallica and many more. \nConceived by Farrell as a farewell tour for Jane’s Addiction\, Lollapalooza’s inaugural outing across the U.S. in the summer of 1991 helped to coalesce an ideology and aesthetic that not only washed over popular music but seeped into fashion\, film\, television\, literature\, food\, politics and more. Throughout the decade\, Lollapalooza offered a vast and diverse ensemble of bands\, breaking barriers of genre and uniting alternative rock\, heavy metal\, punk\, hip-hop\, industrial\, goth\, avant-garde\, spoken word\, electronic dance music\, and other styles under one big tent\, and setting the template for the modern American music festival and the scores of other contemporary destination fests that are now an integral part of how audiences experience live music. \nUnorthodox not just in music\, Lollapalooza also spotlighted visual arts\, nonprofit organizations\, political outfits\, and even the occasional freak show\, offering a tantalizing cocktail of culture\, art\, and activism that\, taken together\, defined the alternative mindset that dominated the 1990s. Echoes of its impact reverberate strongly today – cemented by annual sell-outs at destination events worldwide\, an estimated 400\,000 attendees at the flagship Chicago fest each summer\, and a spot among the world’s largest and longest-running music festivals. \nA nostalgic look back at 1990s music and culture\, Lollapalooza traces the festival’s groundbreaking origins\, following the tour as it progresses through the decade and documenting the action onstage\, backstage\, and behind-the-scenes in detailed\, uncensored\, and sometimes shocking first-person accounts. This is the story of Lollapalooza and the 1990s alternative rock revolution.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-richard-bienstock-and-tom-beaujour-discuss-lollapalooza-the-uncensored-story-of-alternative-rocks-wildest-festival/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250325T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250325T170000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250325T165037Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250325T165037Z
UID:10013177-1742889600-1742922000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Fiction Reading Group
DESCRIPTION:Description\nINCLUDES A NEW INTRODUCTION BY PATRICK ROTHFUSS \nExperience one of the most enduring classics of the twentieth century and the book that The Atlantic has called “one of the best fantasy novels ever.” \nThe unicorn lived in a lilac wood\, and she lived all alone… \n…so she ventured out from the safety of the enchanted forest on a quest for others of her kind. Joined along the way by the bumbling magician Schmendrick and the indomitable Molly Grue\, the unicorn learns all about the joys and sorrows of life and love before meeting her destiny in the castle of a despondent monarch—and confronting the creature that would drive her kind to extinction…. \nIn The Last Unicorn\, renowned and beloved novelist Peter S. Beagle spins a poignant tale of love\, loss\, and wonder that has resonated with millions of readers around the world. \n“Peter S. Beagle illuminates with his own particular magic.”—Ursula K. Le Guin \nAbout the Author\nPeter S. Beagle was born in 1939 and raised in the Bronx\, just a few blocks from Woodlawn Cemetery\, the inspiration for his first novel\, A Fine and Private Place. Today\, thanks to classic works such as The Last Unicorn\, Tamsin and The Innkeeper’s Song\, along with his forthcoming novel I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons\, he is acknowledged as America’s greatest living fantasy author; and his dazzling abilities with language\, characters\, and magical storytelling have earned him many millions of fans around the world. \nIn addition to stories and novels Beagle has written numerous teleplays and screenplays\, including the animated versions of The Lord of the Rings and The Last Unicorn\, plus the fan-favorite “Sarek” episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. His nonfiction book I See By My Outfit\, which recounts a 1963 journey across America on motor scooter\, is considered a classic of American travel writing; and he is also a gifted poet\, lyricist\, and singer/songwriter.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-fiction-reading-group-4/
LOCATION:CA
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250322T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250322T120000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250225T191940Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T191940Z
UID:10013145-1742641200-1742644800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Matthew Burgess and Doug Salati present Words with Wings and Magic Things and Marla Frazee presents How Elegant the Elephant: Poems about Animals and Insects
DESCRIPTION:Matthew Burgess and Doug Salati present Words with Wings and Magic Things \nFrom award-winning author Matthew Burgess and Caldecott Medalist Doug Salati comes a spellbinding collection of poems for young readers that celebrates the power of words to awaken the imagination and alchemize the everyday. A gorgeous gift book for fans of Shel Silverstein with seven die-cut spreads throughout. \nBeyond the doorway of the first page of this collection awaits a dragon piñata\, an alligator on the A train\, a hungry yeti\, an ice cream dream\, jetpack sneakers\, midnight firelight\, a gray day\, a plump tomato\, a serious question and so much more. Whether you’re feeling blue\, lemon yellow or Day-Glo green\, this inviting and magical book of poems takes young readers on an uplifting journey through everyday moments\, moods and experiences\, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. With enchanting illustrations throughout and seven die-cut portals that open into the realms of Welcome\, Wonder\, Wild\, Weee!\, Whoops & Wallops\, Windows and Whispers & Well Wishes\, Words With Wings and Magic Things explores how words can awaken us to a world of wonder and possibility. Step inside . . . and take flight! \n\nMarla Frazee presents How Elegant the Elephant: Poems about Animals and Insects \nA rollicking collection of poems about the enchanting world of animals and insects\, from former children’s poet laureate and New York Times bestselling author Mary Ann Hoberman and Caldecott Honoree illustrator Marla Frazee. \nSo many kinds of animals\nSo many shapes and sizes\nSo many funny spots and dots\nSo many strange disguises \nWith her signature wordplay and wit\, former children’s poet laureate Mary Ann Hoberman celebrates the magnificence\, ingenuity\, and quirky qualities of creatures big and small. This thoughtfully crafted collection features sixty of Mary Ann’s personal favorite poems curated from her sixty-five-year body of work\, as well as eight new poems. \nFrom a fine fat pig and backward running porcupines to a beastly card game and a yoga class for agile animals\, this memorable menagerie is cunningly brought to life by three-time Caldecott Honoree Marla Frazee\, in an imaginary world where the characters meet and tell an entertaining tale all their own. \nA tour de force collection of poems and pictures by two legendary talents\, this book creates a world that readers will never want to leave.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-matthew-burgess-and-doug-salati-present-words-with-wings-and-magic-things-and-marla-frazee-presents-how-elegant-the-elephant-poems-about-animals-and-insects/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250321T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250321T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250225T190914Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T190914Z
UID:10013144-1742583600-1742587200@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Scaachi Koul\, in conversation with Franchesca Ramsey\, discusses & signs Sucker Punch: Essays
DESCRIPTION:The long-awaited follow-up from one of the most original and hilarious voices writing today. \nScaachi Koul’s first book was a collection of raw\, perceptive\, and hilarious essays reckoning with the issues of race\, body image\, love\, friendship\, and growing up the daughter of immigrants. When the time came to start writing her next book\, Scaachi assumed she’d be updating her story with essays about her elaborate four-day wedding\, settling down to domestic bliss\, and continuing her never-ending arguments with her parents. Instead\, the Covid-19 pandemic hit\, Scaachi’s marriage fell apart\, she lost her job\, and her mother was diagnosed with cancer. \nSucker Punch is about what happens when the life you thought you’d be living radically changes course\, everything you thought you knew about the world and yourself has tilted on its axis\, and you have to start forging a new path forward. Scaachi employs her biting wit to interrogate her previous belief that fighting is the most effective tool for progress. She examines the fights she’s had–with her parents\, her ex-husband\, her friends\, online strangers\, and herself–all in an attempt to understand when a fight is worth having\, and when it’s better to walk away.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-scaachi-koul-in-conversation-with-franchesca-ramsey-discusses-signs-sucker-punch-essays/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250319T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250319T200000
DTSTAMP:20260503T063006
CREATED:20250225T190715Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T190715Z
UID:10013143-1742410800-1742414400@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Jennifer Chen\, in conversation with Edward Underhill\, discusses Hangry Hearts
DESCRIPTION:Love\, family\, and food collide in this sparkling Romeo and Juliet-inspired romance. \nJulie Wu and Randall Hur used to be best friends. Now they only see each other on Saturdays at the Pasadena Farmers Market where their once close families are long-standing rivals. \nWhen Julie and Randall are paired with ultra-rich London Kim for a community-service school project\, they are forced to work together for the first time in years. It quickly becomes obvious that London has a major crush on Julie. But Julie can’t stop thinking about Randall. And Randall can’t stop thinking about how London is thinking about Julie. Soon\, prompted by a little jealousy and years of missing each other\, school project meetings turn into pseudo dates at their favorite Taiwanese breakfast shop and then secret kisses at the beach—far from the watchful eyes of their families. \nJust as they’re finally feeling brave enough to tell their grandmas\, the two matriarchs rehash their old fight and Julie and Randall get caught in the middle and Julie’s brother finds out they are dating. Their families are heartbroken. \nBut it’s the Year of the Dragon\, an auspicious time to resolve disagreements and start anew\, and Randall isn’t going down without fighting for what—and who—they love. Could the Lunar New Year provide not only a second chance for Randall and Julie\, but for their families as well? \nJennifer Chen’s Hangry Hearts is a funny\, big-hearted romance about friendship\, family\, and first love—and being brave enough to have it all.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-jennifer-chen-in-conversation-with-edward-underhill-discusses-hangry-hearts/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
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