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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241006T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241006T180000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240926T174627Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240926T175100Z
UID:10007468-1728230400-1728237600@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Kathleen Glasgow\, in conversation with Alexa Donne\, discuss The Glass Girl
DESCRIPTION:From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces comes a raw\, heart-wrenching novel about a teenager facing down her struggles with alcohol–and the journey she must take to heal. \nEveryone in fifteen-year-old Bella’s life needs something from her. Her mom needs her to help around the house\, her dad needs her to not make waves\, and her ex needs her not to be so much. The only person who never needed anything from her was her grandmother–and now she’s dead. \nThere’s only one thing that dulls the pressure: alcohol. Vodka\, beer\, peppermint schnapps–alcohol smooths the sharp edges of Bella’s life. And what’s the big deal? Everyone drinks. Besides\, Bella can stop whenever she wants. But after she gets blackout drunk at a Thanksgiving party and wakes up in the hospital\, it’s time to face reality. And for Bella\, reality means rehab. \nGorgeously written and deeply compassionate\, Kathleen Glasgow’s The Glass Girl is a candid exploration of the forces pushing young women toward addiction–and what it takes to help them get better.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-kathleen-glasgow-in-conversation-with-alexa-donne-discuss-the-glass-girl/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,Ice House,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/kathleen-glasgow-600x600_0.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241005T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241005T160000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240926T174253Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240926T174253Z
UID:10007467-1728140400-1728144000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Kate Stayman-London\, in conversation with Amber Benson\, discusses Fang Fiction
DESCRIPTION:Tess Rosenbloom is no stranger to the dark. An assault survivor and grad school dropout\, Tess spends her nights managing a chic Brooklyn hotel and her days reading her favorite vampire novel\, Blood Feud. She even dabbles in online conspiracies claiming Blood Feud is real—it’s fun to hunt for clues! But deep down\, Tess doesn’t believe vampires exist . . . until one walks through her door. \nThe sexy villain of Blood Feud is trapped\, and only Tess can rescue him. Eager to escape her life\, Tess agrees to help\, and soon she’s on a secret island where the sun never shines\, surrounded by deadly vampires—and most terrifying of all\, she’s falling in love with one of them. (Meanwhile\, back in New York\, Tess’s estranged best friend is having a sapphic paranormal affair of her own.) \nVisiting the world of your favorite story is any fan’s dream\, but can Tess outrun the demons of her past (and vampires of her present) before it becomes a nightmare? In this darkly glamorous rom-com\, Tess will find out if it’s worth risking her neck—and her heart—for a chance to reclaim her future.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-kate-stayman-london-in-conversation-with-amber-benson-discusses-fang-fiction/
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:20241004T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241004T200000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240926T173930Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240926T173930Z
UID:10007466-1728068400-1728072000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstor: Scott Dominic Carpenter\, in conversation with Joan Meyerson\, discuss Paris Lost and Found: A Memoir of Love
DESCRIPTION:Following his hilarious introduction to Paris in French Like Moi\, Midwesterner Scott Dominic Carpenter returns to the scene of the crime with more tales of intrigue. \nThis time\, though\, the story starts with sorrow as Carpenter’s wife struggles with dementia. Humor may be the best medicine\, but even the antics of a vandal in their building can’t cement the tiles of her memory for long. Before he expects it\, the author finds himself alone in a capital that is also blighted by the pandemic. \nIt’s against this backdrop that the city comes roaring back to life. From bizarre encounters on the Metro to comical clashes with authority figures\, and even a quixotic battle against a flock of migrant parrots\, Paris Lost and Found unveils sides of the great city that are as quirky as they are authentic. With his unique blend of wit\, insight\, and wistfulness\, Carpenter charts a path through his new labyrinth of solitude–only to emerge on the other side\, squinting into the bright light of hope and new beginnings.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstor-scott-dominic-carpenter-in-conversation-with-joan-meyerson-discuss-paris-lost-and-found-a-memoir-of-love/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241003T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241003T200000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240926T173710Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240926T173710Z
UID:10007465-1727982000-1727985600@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Mike Madrid discusses The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy
DESCRIPTION:An insightful investigation of how and why the two major political parties have failed to appeal to the Latino vote—the largest ethnic voting group in the country—and the impact it will have on American democracy and politics for decades to come. \nIn 2020\, Latinos became the second-largest ethnic voting group in the country. They make up the largest plurality of residents in the most populous states in the union\, as well as the fastest segment of the most important swing states in the US Electoral College. Fitting neither the stereotype of the aggrieved minority voter nor the traditional assimilating immigrant group\, Latinos are challenging both political parties’ notions of race\, religious beliefs\, economic success\, and the American dream. Given their exploding numbers—and their growing ability to determine the fate of local\, state\, and national elections—you’d think the two major political parties would understand Latino voters. After all\, their emergence on the national scene is not a new phenomenon. But they still don’t. \nRepublicans\, not because of their best efforts but rather despite them\, are just beginning to see a movement of Latinos toward the GOP. Democrats\, for the moment\, still win a commanding share of the Latino vote\, but that share is dwindling fast. Now\, in The Latino Century\, veteran political consultant Mike Madrid uses thirty years of research and campaign experience at some of the highest levels on both sides of the aisle to address what might be the most critical questions of our time: Will the rise of Latino voters continue to foment the hyper-partisan and explosive tribalism of our age or will they usher in a new pluralism that advances the arc of social progress? How and why are both political parties so uniquely unprepared for the coming wave of Latino votes? And what must each party do to win those votes? \nBy answering these questions\, The Latino Century explores the true meaning of America at a time of rapid cultural change\, the founding principles of self-government and individual responsibility\, and one man’s journey through a political party that has turned itself inside out.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-mike-madrid-discusses-the-latino-century-how-americas-largest-minority-is-transforming-democracy/
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/2024/09/mike-madrid-600x600-1.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241002T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241002T203000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240926T173404Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240926T173404Z
UID:10007464-1727895600-1727901000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: MG Lord\, discusses Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story of Women in Water
DESCRIPTION:A groundbreaking history of how women found synchronicity―and power―in water. \n“If you’re not strong enough to swim fast\, you’re probably not strong enough to swim ‘pretty\,’” said a young Esther Williams to theater impresario Billy Rose. Since the nineteenth century\, tensions between beauty and strength\, aesthetics and athleticism have both impeded and propelled the careers of female swimmers―none more so than synchronized swimmers\, for whom Williams is often considered godmother. \nIn this revelatory history\, Vicki Valosik traces a century of aquatic performance\, from vaudeville to the Olympic arena\, and brings to life the colorful cast of characters whose “pretty swimming” not only laid the groundwork for an altogether new sport but forever changed women’s relationships with water. Williams\, who became a Hollywood sensation for her splashy “aquamusicals\,” was just one in a long\, bedazzled line of swimmers who began their careers as athletes but found greater opportunity\, and often social acceptance\, in the world of show business. \nNow\, on the fortieth anniversary of synchronized swimming’s elevation to Olympic status\, Swimming Pretty honors its incredible history of grit\, glamor\, and sheer athleticism.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-mg-lord-discusses-swimming-pretty-the-untold-story-of-women-in-water/
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/2024/09/vicki-valosik-600x600_0-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241001T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241001T193000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240926T172354Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240926T172354Z
UID:10007451-1727805600-1727811000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore:  Robin Benway discusses The Girls of Skylark Lane
DESCRIPTION:National Book Award winner Robin Benway debuts a coming-of-age middle grade novel about friendships\, family\, and discovering the person you’re meant to be. Babysitters Club meets The Sandlot when twin sisters join a ragtag neighborhood girls softball team at a time when growing up could mean growing apart. \nAggie and Jac might be twin sisters\, but lately they haven’t felt the same about anything. While Jac is excited about their move to Los Angeles and a chance to seem cool and mysterious\, Aggie is worried her new locker won’t open\, that Jac could make new friends without her\, and that her friends from home will move on\, leaving her all alone. \nWhen the first day at school ends with an invite to join the neighborhood softball team\, Aggie jumps at the chance to meet the other girls\, even if she has to drag Jac along\, whose own interest in the softball team might have more to do with the captain’s older brother… \nAggie is relieved to learn that each girl is dealing with their own problems and becomes excited at the opportunity to create strong friendships. But as Jac and Aggie grow into different people\, will they be able to hold on to their sisterhood? For life throws the biggest curveball of all: growing up.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-robin-benway-discusses-the-girls-of-skylark-lane/
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/2024/09/robin-benway-600x600-2.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240930T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240930T190000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240910T182455Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240910T182455Z
UID:10007103-1727722800-1727722800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Gareth Higgins and Kathleen Norris discuss A Whole Life in Twelve Movies
DESCRIPTION:Come to the movies with two celebrated spirituality writers–American poet and author Kathleen Norris and Irish storyteller and peace activist Gareth Higgins. \nIn A Whole Life in Twelve Movies\, Norris and Higgins invite readers along as they discuss acclaimed movies that can help us better understand our lives–from before birth to death and beyond. \nFeaturing 12 films\, including 2001: A Space Odyssey\, Malcolm X\, and Babette’s Feast\, this book is perfect for individuals or groups to watch and discuss movies over the course of a year. Each chapter recommends additional films and includes discussion questions ideally suited for churches\, small groups\, and book clubs. \nAs readers watch and read\, they will journey through the human life cycle and explore themes of existence\, goodness\, belonging\, vocation\, identity\, success\, generosity\, dealing with conflict\, and what it means to be human. The book outlines a cinematic path toward a deeper spirituality and a more meaningful life for people across the faith spectrum and seekers alike.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-gareth-higgins-and-kathleen-norris-discuss-a-whole-life-in-twelve-movies/
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/2024/09/Gareth-and-Kathleen-Website-Banner.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240929T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240929T160000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240910T182120Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240910T182120Z
UID:10007102-1727625600-1727625600@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Local Author Day with R.W. Meek\, Sheldon Paul Herman\, and S.Z. Estavillo!
DESCRIPTION:R.W. Meek presents The Dream Collector: Sabrine & Vincent van Gogh – Book Two \nSheldon Paul Herman presents It’s Late: Short Fiction and Poetry \nS.Z. Estavillo presents The Serpent’s Bridge
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-local-author-day-with-r-w-meek-sheldon-paul-herman-and-s-z-estavillo/
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/2024/09/LAD-Sept-29-Website-Banner.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240928T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240928T110000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240910T181830Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240910T181830Z
UID:10007101-1727521200-1727521200@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: E. Katherine Kottaras and Vanitha Swaminathan discuss A Rainbow Inside My Body
DESCRIPTION:Learn yoga\, breathing exercises\, and mindfulness through the rainbow of the chakras! \nWhen I need to know how I am feeling\, I can close my eyes and breathe. \nIn an increasingly stressful world\, it is more important than ever to help kids establish helpful tools to manage it. In this colorful meditation written by experts on healthy living\, young readers will learn yoga poses\, breathing exercises\, and more through the colorful rainbow inside them: the chakras. With a playful and imaginative approach\, children can find energy and better understand their feelings by focusing within. With accessible information about the history of yoga and ayurveda\, A Rainbow Inside My Body reveals how when the mind\, body\, and spirit are balanced\, we can make better decisions and respond to stress in a peaceful way. \nAbout E. Katherine Kottaras: E Katherine Kottaras is the author of two critically acclaimed YA novels\, How to Be Brave and The Best Possible Answer. Currently an Associate Professor of English at Pasadena City College\, she is also a certified yoga teacher\, personal trainer\, and health coach. She holds master’s degrees in English and Kinesiology. She lives in Southern California. \nAbout Vanitha Swaminathan: Vanitha Swaminathan was raised in Eastern India and learned mindfulness practices from her parents. Twice a year\, she returns to India to help her mother with her yoga practice. She graduated from the University of Sheffield\, UK\, with a master’s degree in education and has taught on two different continents for over forty years. She currently lives in California with her husband\, two sons\, and three grandchildren.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-e-katherine-kottaras-and-vanitha-swaminathan-discuss-a-rainbow-inside-my-body/
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/2024/09/e-katherine-Website-banner_0.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240927T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240927T190000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240910T173338Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240910T181528Z
UID:10007100-1727463600-1727463600@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Elizabeth Acevedo\, in conversation with Yesika Salgado\, discuss Family Lore
DESCRIPTION:From National Book Award-winning author Elizabeth Acevedo comes the story of one Dominican American family told through the voices of its women \nFlor has a gift: she can predict\, to the day\, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake—a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she’s led—her sisters are surprised. Has Flor foreseen her own death\, or someone else’s? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters\, Matilde\, Pastora\, and Camila. \nBut Flor isn’t the only person with secrets: her sisters are hiding things\, too. And the next generation\, cousins Ona and Yadi\, face tumult of their own. \nSpanning the three days prior to the wake\, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women\, weaving together past and present\, Santo Domingo and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo’s inimitable and incandescent voice\, this is an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins\, aunts and nieces—one family’s journey through their history\, helping them better navigate all that is to come.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-elizabeth-acevedo-in-conversation-with-yesika-salgado-discuss-family-lore/
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/2024/09/elizabeth-acevedo-website-banner-1.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240926T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240926T190000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240910T172735Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240910T172735Z
UID:10007099-1727377200-1727377200@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Chris Nichols and Adriene Biondo discuss Bowlarama: The Architecture of Mid-century Bowling
DESCRIPTION:Bowlarama: The Architecture of Mid-Century Bowling takes aim at the obsession that swept the post-war nation: bowling! More than just a sport or a hobby\, bowling became the ultimate modern lifestyle for Americans savoring the boom years that followed World War II. Bowling alleys were modern palaces; companies constantly aimed to outdo each other\, whether competing for the most spectacular architecture\, the most luxurious lanes\, the snazziest bowling balls\, or the most exciting refreshments they could offer. Bowlarama brings back―in living color―all the excitement in its lavishly illustrated pages\, packed with vintage photographs\, exciting ephemera\, and detailed hand-drawn architectural renderings that capture all the optimism\, enthusiasm\, and joie de vivre of the era.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-chris-nichols-and-adriene-biondo-discuss-bowlarama-the-architecture-of-mid-century-bowling/
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/2024/09/Chris-and-Adriene-Website-banner-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240925T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240925T190000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240910T172352Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240910T172352Z
UID:10007098-1727290800-1727290800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Esinam Bediako\, in conversation with Jayne Allen\, discuss Blood on the Brain
DESCRIPTION:An impulsive\, madcap and newly concussed young woman comes of age as she navigates her Ghanaian American identity\, her relationships\, and the muddled landscape of history\, memory\, imagination\, and delusion. \nTwenty-four-year-old Akosua is easily knocked off her feet. When she falls and hits her head\, she’s too preoccupied with her latest dramas to fully absorb the shock. In three months\, she has broken up with her boyfriend Wisdom\, discovered that her deadbeat dad has moved back to the States from Ghana\, and dropped so many classes that she believes she’s the only history grad student in the history of grad students to be registered for just one partial-credit class. Instead of facing her problems\, Akosua seeks distraction from Daniel\, a “good Ghanaian man.” But as her head injury worsens\, she questions whether she can continue to run away from her father any more than she can keep ignoring her brain and its traumas. Vibrant\, funny\, and bittersweet\, Blood on the Brain is a novel about the complications of family\, romance\, and culture—and how coming of age can feel like a blow to the head. \nEsinam Bediako is a Ghanaian American writer from Detroit. She is the author of the Ann Petry Award-winning novel\, Blood on the Brain (Red Hen Press\, 2024)\, as well as the essay/poetry chapbook\, Self-Talk (Porkbelly Press\, 2024). You can find some of her recent work in Porter House Review\, Cathexis Northwest Press\, Great River Review\, North American Review\, and Southern Humanities Review. Esi lives in Claremont\, CA with her husband and their two sons\, who create stories\, videos\, and other artwork with enviable speed and imagination.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-esinam-bediako-in-conversation-with-jayne-allen-discuss-blood-on-the-brain/
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/2024/09/Esinam-Bediako-Website-Banner.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240924T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240924T190000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240910T171855Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240910T171855Z
UID:10007097-1727204400-1727204400@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Bob Weis discusses Dream Chasing
DESCRIPTION:Dream Chasing is a recounting by author Bob Weis of four decades of creating and seeing to completion challenging projects\, leading teams from the top secret\, high-tech corridors of Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) to the highest levels of The Walt Disney Company. Our author recounts working on and overseeing projects that took him from Anaheim\, California\, to the swampy wetlands of Central Florida\, and even on to Paris; Washington\, D.C.; Russia; Tokyo; Shanghai; and the massive shipyards of Papenburg\, Germany. \nBob Weis is a dreamer who believes that if you can imagine it\, you can do it. He was an Imagineer over a forty-year span\, from 1980 to 2023. In those years\, Bob worked on every Disney park and resort around the world. He was president of Walt Disney Imagineering from 2016 to 2022\, and a Disney Global Imagineering Ambassador after that. His passion for storytelling and creative collaboration\, new technologies\, and for the vibrancy of the guest experience has driven him through projects from Tokyo Disneyland (and later its accompanying park\, Tokyo DisneySea) and Disney Hollywood Studios to the reinvention of Disney California Adventure and on to Shanghai Disneyland. Weis also led the creative development of the new Triton class of cruise ships\, the first of which was the critically acclaimed Disney Wish.Outside of Disney\, Weis has served as a consultant to the Kennedy Space Center\, Smithsonian\, New York City’s Rockefeller Center\, U. S. Navy\, and Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-bob-weis-discusses-dream-chasing/
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/2024/09/bob-weis-website-banner.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240923T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240923T190000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240910T171247Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240912T181144Z
UID:10007096-1727118000-1727118000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Nora Lange\, in conversation with J. Ryan Stradal and Graham Moore\, discuss Us Fools
DESCRIPTION:A tragicomic\, intimate American story of two precocious sisters coming of age during the Midwestern farm crisis of the 1980s. \nJoanne and Bernadette Fareown are raised on their family farm in rural Illinois\, keenly affected by their parents’ volatile relationship and mounting financial debt\, haunted by the cursed history of the women in their family. Largely left to their own devices\, the sisters educate themselves on Greek mythology\, feminism\, and Virginia Woolf. They realize they must find unique ways to cope in these antagonistic conditions and question the American Dream as the rest of the country abandons their community in crisis. \nAs Jo and Bernie’s imaginative solutions for escape come up short against their parents’ realities\, the family leaves their farm for Chicago\, where Joanne—free-spirited\, reckless\, and unable to tame her inner violence—rebels in increasingly desperate ways. After her worst breakdown yet\, Jo goes into exile in Deadhorse\, Alaska\, and it is up to Bernadette to use all she’s learned from her sister to revive a sense of hope against the backdrop of a failing world.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-nora-lange-in-conversation-with-j-ryan-stradal-and-graham-moore-discuss-us-fools/
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/2024/09/Nora-Lange-Website-Banner.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240922T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240922T150000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240910T170733Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240910T170733Z
UID:10007095-1727017200-1727017200@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Ticketed In-store event: Terry Szuplat discusses Say it Well
DESCRIPTION:In Say It Well\, Terry Szuplat \, one of Barack Obama’s longest-serving speechwriters\, shares the life-changing lessons he learned from President Obama and how he applied these techniques to become a better speaker and communicator himself. In every chapter\, he brings readers never-before-heard insights and advice on public speaking from President Obama\, riveting never-before-told behind-the-scenes stories from inside the Oval Office and aboard Air Force One\, and practical tips to help readers communicate more effectively with any audience\, from their company to their community. Say It Well empowers readers to become more confident and compelling speakers\, communicators\, and leaders in their work and in life. \nThis is a ticketed in-store event with two tiers of tickets: \nTier 1: includes entry to the event. \nTier 2: includes entry and one copy of Say it Well which will be handed out at check-in. \nA book signing will follow the conversation.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-ticketed-in-store-event-terry-szuplat-discusses-say-it-well/
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/jpeg:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Terry-Szuplat-Banner-2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240921T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240921T170000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240910T170257Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240910T170257Z
UID:10007094-1726938000-1726938000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:TICKETED- IN-STORE EVENT: Edward Burns discusses A Kid from Marlboro Road
DESCRIPTION:Kid from Marlboro Road opens at a wake where “Kneeney\,” as his mother calls him\, takes in the death of his beloved grandfather\, Pop\, a larger-than-life figure to him. The overflowing crowd includes sandhogs in their muddy work boots\, old Irish biddies in black dresses and cops in uniform\, along with the family in mourning. There’s an open casket\, the first time he’s seen a dead person. \nHe watches it all\, writing his observations for school projects\, not yet realizing how this world defines and explains who he is and will be. His older brother Tommy has no patience for rules and domesticities\, his father is emotionally elsewhere. Kneeney knows he’s the best thing his mother’s got\, though her sadness envelops them both. \nStories cascade between the prior generation’s colorful origins in the Bronx and Hell’s Kitchen\, and the softer world of Gibson\, the town on Long Island where the family lives now. There are scenes in the Rockaways\, at Belmont Race Track\, and in Montauk. Out of individual struggles a collective warmth emerges\, a certain kind of American story\, raucous and joyous. \nIncludes black and white photographs from the author’s Irish-American New York family history.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/ticketed-in-store-event-edward-burns-discusses-a-kid-from-marlboro-road/
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/jpeg:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Ed-Burns-Banner-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240921T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240921T110000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240910T165854Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240910T165854Z
UID:10007093-1726916400-1726916400@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman’s Special Storytime With Will Power Presenting Nana’s New Soul Food
DESCRIPTION:Theater pioneer Will Power inspires families to connect through healthy eating choices\, vegan soul food\, and community in this heartwarming story of a boy’s love for his grandmother–and good food! Includes a vegan recipe! \nCan healthy food be delicious food\, too? A young boy helps us discover that yes\, it can! Nana’s New Soul Food follows this energetic boy on an adventure with his mom to find healthy food in his neighborhood. Motivated by his love for his nana\, who has to change the way she eats because of her health\, the boy rediscovers his neighborhood while finding tasty vegan soul food. \nAward-winning playwright\, pioneer of hip-hop theater\, and performer Will Power injects masterful rhythm into this uplifting story of family and community\, which teaches us that healthy food can be a joy. The pages are graced with beautiful\, vibrant illustrations from Coretta Scott King Award Honor and Caldecott Honor illustrator R. Gregory Christie\, who captures the loving relationships within a family as they connect through their mission to make better eating choices. Back matter includes a fun recipe for Mango-Coconut-Lime Ice Pops courtesy of Chef Bryant Terry\, along with a letter from Will Power.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-special-storytime-with-will-power-presenting-nanas-new-soul-food/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Families,In-Person,Kids,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/will-power-.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240920T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240920T190000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240910T165134Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240910T165134Z
UID:10007092-1726858800-1726858800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Eli Greenbaum discusses Hell\, No\, We Didn't Go! Firsthand Accounts of Vietnam War Protest and Resistance
DESCRIPTION:In Hell\, No\, We Didn’t Go!\, Eli Greenbaum presents firsthand accounts of men who were driven to resist or dodge the Vietnam draft at all costs. He introduces readers to a cross section of individuals who found ways to defy the draft by leaving the country\, going to prison\, becoming conscientious objectors\, gaming the system\, conspiring to fail physicals\, and even enlisting—anything to avoid being drafted. These vivid essays and candid oral histories detail events that were often controversial\, sometimes volatile\, and almost always emotionally charged. Greenbaum brings together a chorus of first-person accounts of draft resistance and protest held together by an overarching personal narrative while providing context\, commentary\, and an unusual fifty-year perspective on the men’s decisions to avoid the Vietnam War\, no matter what.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-eli-greenbaum-discusses-hell-no-we-didnt-go-firsthand-accounts-of-vietnam-war-protest-and-resistance/
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/2024/09/eli-greenbaum-.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240918T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240918T110000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240828T170111Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240828T170111Z
UID:10007085-1726657200-1726657200@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Storytime with Mr. Steve!
DESCRIPTION:Join Mr. Steve and the gang at our Colorado Blvd. location at 11 am for storytime!
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-storytime-with-mr-steve-3/
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/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Storytime-4.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240917T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240917T190000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240828T165016Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240828T165016Z
UID:10007084-1726599600-1726599600@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Attica Locke discusses Guide Me Home
DESCRIPTION:In the final novel in the “timely and evocative” (NPR) Highway 59 trilogy\, from Edgar Award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author Attica Locke\, Darren Matthews is pulled out of an early retirement to investigate the disappearance of a Black college student from an all-white sorority and soon finds nothing is as it seems. \nTexas Ranger Darren Mathews isn’t sure he’s been a good cop\, but believes he’s got a shot at being a good man—if he manages to dodge the potential indictment hanging over his head and if he\, from here on out\, pledges allegiance to the truth. It’s a virtue the country appears to have wholly lost its grip on\, but one Darren sees as his salvation. He is in the midst of remaking his life with the woman he loves\, hoping for the peace of country living at his beloved farmhouse\, when he is visited by someone who couldn’t hold the truth on her tongue if it was dipped in sugar\, a woman who’s always been bent of tearing his life apart. His mother. Armed with a tall tale about a missing Black college student\, Sera (whose white sorority sisters insist she isn’t missing at all). Darren must decide if his can trust his mother is telling the truth—and what her ulterior motive may be\, and what if that motive has to do with a grand jury deciding his fate. \nDarren gets his hooks into the investigation\, along the way discovering things about Sera’s family and her hometown that are odd at best\, vaguely sinister at worst. Hamstrung by local law enforcement and the Texas Rangers who likewise doubt the account of a missing girl\, if Darren wants answers\, he’ll need help from the person whom he swore to never trust again—his mother. \nIn this emotionally stirring conclusion to the singular Highway 59 series\, set three years after the events of Heaven\, My Home\, Darren reckons with his life’s purpose as he’s forced to choose between his own peace and the higher call to do good. \n  \nAbout Attica Locke: Attica Locke is a NY Times best-selling author of five novels\, including Bluebird\, Bluebird\, which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. She is also a winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction\, the Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence\, and she has been short listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and nominated for an LA Times Book Prize and an NAACP Image award for her work as a novelist. Locke is also a screenwriter and TV producer\, with credits that include Empire\, When They See Us and the Emmy-nominated Little Fires Everywhere\, for which she won an NAACP Image award for television writing. She co-created and executive produced an adaptation of her sister Tembi Locke’s memoir From Scratch: A Memoir of Love\, Sicily\, and Finding Home for Netflix. A native of Houston\, Texas\, Attica lives in Los Angeles\, California.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-attica-locke-discusses-guide-me-home/
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/2024/08/Attica-Locke-Website-Banner.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240916T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240916T200000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042155
CREATED:20240828T164733Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240828T164733Z
UID:10007083-1726509600-1726516800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman’s Ed - Boookbinding Workshop with Madeline Helland
DESCRIPTION:Curious about bookbinding but not sure where to start? This is the class for you! During this hands-on workshop\, participants will create a series of 3 different soft-cover book structures that can be easily recreated at home. This class will show how to properly cut\, fold\, and sew a book as well as what tools and materials to use. All supplies will be provided\, and beginners are welcome. \nMadeline Helland is a Los Angeles based bookbinder and letterpress printer. She received her BA in art conservation and studio art\, with a concentration in book arts and digital design\, from Scripps College in Claremont\, CA. Since 2018\, she has been self-publishing artist books and zines featuring found ephemera and her illustrations. She has previously led bookbinding workshops at the International Printing Museum\, Hiromi Paper Inc.\, and Otis College of Art & Design\, among others. When she’s not making books\, she works as a studio technician at Laboratory Press.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-ed-boookbinding-workshop-with-madeline-helland/
LOCATION:Atrium Building\, 709 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Vromans-ED2.png
GEO:34.1462716;-118.1358372
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Atrium Building 709 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena CA 91101 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=709 E. Colorado Blvd.:geo:-118.1358372,34.1462716
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240915T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240915T140000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042156
CREATED:20240828T164343Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240828T164343Z
UID:10007082-1726408800-1726408800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration with Lil' Libros
DESCRIPTION:We welcome our friends from Lil’ Libros\, the Go-To Destination for Bilingual Children’s Books\, Games\, & Toys\, as we celebrate the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month! We will be joined by an amazing panel: Cindy Montenegro (author My Mind is a My Mind is a Mountain / Mi mente es una montaña)\, Mariana Galvez (author/illustrator My Pet Flamingo)\, CHOGRIN (author Kid del Toro)\, and Cynthia Gonzalez (author The Life of / La vida de Llort). The panel will discuss their books before we have a Special Storytime that will be followed by activities for kids and a book signing. \n  \nCindy Montenegro is a Salvadoran American mental health therapist and storyteller from Paramount\, California. She received her graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Chapman University and a bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara. In the therapy room\, Cindy works with people of all ages to explore their emotions and strengths to create a roadmap to self-love\, growth\, and healing. Her imagination is influenced by her childhood\, love of the outdoors\, and passion for mental health. Cindy hopes that her writing will inspire readers to celebrate all of their emotions\, no matter how big or small they may be! This is her first children’s book. \nMariana Galvez was born in Mexico and grew up in South Los Angeles. In her childhood\, it was during weekend trips to the library that her love for illustrating and writing was forged. After a number of years in the corporate world\, she was called back to illustrating when creating art for her three children. She currently resides in Whittier\, CA with her husband where she loves to garden\, cook vegan food\, and chase after her beloved dog and cat. \nCHOGRIN is an artist & storyteller from Guayaquil\, Ecuador. His work is inspired by his neverending childhood and pop-culture. For the last decade\, he has worked in the animation industry for companies like Cartoon Network and currently works at Disney. His artwork has been featured in multiple galleries and publications around the world. He’s currently designing vinyl toys like “Guru del Toro\,” as well as writing\, drawing\, and directing other art projects from his secret art lair in Burbank (CA). \nCynthia Gonzalez was born in El Salvador and raised in South Los Angeles. She’s multi-faceted with talents as an author\, poet\, Cultural Advisor\, and Entertainment Director for the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Cynthia has served as an executive board member for non-profits in Los Angeles and Long Beach\, has written articles for the local Long Beach press\, and was featured in the L.A. Times. Her passion for seeing a positive representation of the Salvadoran community led her to establish Salvies Who Lunch\, a platform dedicated to connecting and empowering Salvadorans of all backgrounds through events. Cynthia’s recent contributions include translating eight books for Lil’ Libros’ VÁMONOS series and serving as Associate Producer and Cultural Advisor on award-winning filmmaker Kase Peña’s upcoming new film. On her free days\, she enjoys watching sci-fi movies and Rocky Road ice cream.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-hispanic-heritage-month-celebration-with-lil-libros/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HHMLilLibros1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240914T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240914T180000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042156
CREATED:20240828T163534Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240828T163534Z
UID:10007081-1726336800-1726336800@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Annual Teachers' Night Out! (Free ticket link)
DESCRIPTION:You are cordially invited to join us for our annual Teacher’s Night Out! \nJoin us for an evening that celebrates you – the incredible teachers and librarians of our community! We will have snacks and beverages\, plus a bunch of goodies (including books!) to give away. Our knowledgeable staff will be on hand to recommend great new books for your classroom discussions and libraries and share some services we offer to teachers. We will have a publisher-sponsored table full of reading and classroom recommendations. \nBrowse the table of recommendations\, speak with our booksellers\, mingle with fellow educators\, and enjoy some treats. You’ll also receive a 20% off coupon to use for any personal shopping that night. \nAs a special added bonus this evening\, we will be honoring 2023-2024’s Teacher of the Year\, Miss Helena Alves and her school\, Madison Elementary! We will have the award presentation at 6PM in our Events Space!
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-annual-teachers-night-out-free-ticket-link/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Vroman's Bookstore
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Teachers-Night-Out-Banner.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240914T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240914T110000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042156
CREATED:20240828T163200Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240828T163200Z
UID:10007080-1726311600-1726311600@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman’s Special Storytime featuring Linda Liu discussing Sour Apple
DESCRIPTION:From the creator of Hidden Gem comes a funny and delightful new picture book about an apple who learns the importance of self-acceptance and patience after being left behind during picking season. \nEver been picked last? Well\, this sour apple knows a thing or two about what it feels like to be forgotten. When apple season passes and he’s left on the cold\, hard ground\, he questions his place in the world. \nAs his introspection branches out into different ideas of what could have been if he was chosen\, he learns some core truths about what it means to be alive. \nAbout Linda Liu: Linda Liu is an illustrator and a designer based in Southern California with a taste for tactile textures\, saucy shapes\, and palatable palettes. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and now works freelance and full-time so she can be a girl boss and a girl employee at the same time. She is the author and illustrator of Hidden Gem and Sour Apple.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-special-storytime-featuring-linda-liu-discussing-sour-apple/
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/2024/08/linda-liu-banner.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240913T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240913T190000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042156
CREATED:20240828T162834Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240828T162834Z
UID:10007079-1726254000-1726254000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Désirée Zamorano\, in conversation with Naomi Hirahara\, discusses Dispossessed
DESCRIPTION:Manuel Galvan is separated from his parents and sister during the mass expatriation of Mexicans and Mexican Americans in the 1930s. He grows from a small\, lost and confused boy into a wandering and angry teenager pushed out of high school and into the dockyards. Later as a loyal\, passionate husband he is a man searching for a life of value and dignity despite his losses. Set against the backdrop of (Mexican) American history in Los Angeles\, forced deportations\, the demolition of Chavez Ravine\, sterilization of Latinas\, student protests and rising political consciousness\, this story spans his life\, from 6 to 60\, and his search for his missing family\, the missing pieces of his life. \nAbout Désirée Zamorano: Born and raised in Los Angeles Désirée Zamorano is the author of the highly acclaimed literary novel\, The Amado Women. Her novel Human Cargo was Latinidad’s mystery pick of the year. She is a Pushcart prize nominee and award-winning short story writer. Her work is often an exploration of issues of invisibility\, injustice\, or inequity. A selection of her writing can be found in Catapult\, Cultural Weekly\, The Kenyon Review Online\, and Akashic’ s South Central Noir. She teaches linguistic and cultural diversity at Cal State Long Beach. \nAbout Naomi Hirahara: Naomi Hirahara is the Edgar® Award-winning author of the Officer Ellie Rush Mysteries\, including Grave on Grand Avenue and Murder on Bamboo Lane (which received the T. Jefferson Parker Mystery Award). Born and raised in Pasadena\, Naomi received her bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford University and studied at the Inter-University Center for Advanced Japanese Language Studies in Tokyo. She worked as a reporter and editor of The Rafu Shimpo in downtown Los Angeles. She is also the author of the Mas Arai Mysteries (including Summer of the Big Bachi\, Gasa-Gasa Girl\, and Snakeskin Shamisen) and the middle-grade novel 1001 Cranes\, and has written\, edited\, and published several nonfiction books\, largely about the Japanese American experience.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-desiree-zamorano-in-conversation-with-naomi-hirahara-discusses-dispossessed/
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/2024/08/Desiree-Zamorano-Banner.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240912T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240912T190000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042156
CREATED:20240828T162552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240828T162552Z
UID:10007078-1726167600-1726167600@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Aurélie Thiele\, discusses The Paris Understudy
DESCRIPTION:This powerful debut novel brings to life the hard choices Parisians made–or failed to make–under Nazi occupation\, in the tradition of Pam Jenoff and Fiona Davis. \n1938. Paris Opera legend Madeleine Moreau must keep newcomer Yvonne Chevallier\, whose talent she fears\, off the stage. As the long-standing star of the opera\, she is nowhere near ready to give up her spotlight. The perfect solution: enlist Yvonne as her understudy so she can never be upstaged. When Madeleine is invited to headline at Germany’s pre-eminent opera festival\, she is sure this will cement her legacy. But war is looming\, and when she learns that Adolf Hitler himself will be in attendance\, she knows she’s made a grave error. As Madeleine makes a hurried escape back to France\, Yvonne finds herself unexpectedly thrown into the limelight on the German stage. \nWhen a newspaper photograph shows Hitler seemingly enraptured by Yvonne\, Yvonne’s life is upended. While she is trying frantically to repair her reputation at home\, Yvonne’s son is captured and held as a prisoner of war. Desperate to free her son\, she makes an impossible choice: turn to the enemy. \nAs the Nazis invade Paris\, both women must decide what they are willing to do in pursuit of their art. They form an unlikely alliance\, using their fame to protect themselves and the people they love from the maelstrom of history. \nPainting an enrapturing portrait of resilient wartime women\, The Paris Understudy is a love letter to the arts and a stark depiction of the choices we make to survive\, for fans of Kate Quinn and Kristen Harmel.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-aurelie-thiele-discusses-the-paris-understudy/
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/2024/08/aurelie-thiele-website-banner.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240912T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240912T180000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042156
CREATED:20240826T235415Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240826T235415Z
UID:10007077-1726164000-1726164000@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Ed - Shamanic Sound Bath Workshop with Shaman Ada Trinh and Erica Medina
DESCRIPTION:Shamanic Sound Bath with Ada Trinh & Erica Medina at Vroman’s Bookstore\n$60.00 per person \nJoin us for an immersive Shamanic Sound Bath at Vroman’s Bookstore\, led by Ada Trinh and Erica Medina. This special event offers a unique opportunity to experience the healing power of sound\, even if you’re new to spiritual practices. In this session\, Ada and Erica will guide you through a transformative journey using the resonant tones of gongs and crystal sound bowls. These sounds serve as a powerful medicine for the soul\, helping to clear your mind\, release stress from your body\, and restore your natural balance. Whether you’re seeking deep relaxation\, a moment of peace\, or a spiritual connection\, this sound bath will provide a calming space to reconnect with yourself. No prior experience is necessary—just bring an open heart and a willingness to relax. Come as you are and leave feeling rejuvenated\, centered\, and more in tune with your inner self. Don’t miss this chance to unwind and nourish your spirit. Secure your spot today and discover the soothing and transformative effects of sound. \nPlease bring a yoga mat\, water and a journal.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-ed-shamanic-sound-bath-workshop-with-shaman-ada-trinh-and-erica-medina/
LOCATION:Atrium Building\, 709 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore,Workshop
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240911T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240911T190000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042156
CREATED:20240826T234703Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240826T234703Z
UID:10007076-1726081200-1726081200@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Ava Dellaira\, in conversation with Nicola Yoon\, discusses Exposure
DESCRIPTION:Best friends Juliette Marker and Annie Ricci shared an enviable childhood bond\, both mesmerized by Juliette’s famous mother\, Margot\, a renowned photographer who documented their idyllic southern California adolescence. \nAfter a series of unexpected events\, Juliette leaves Annie and California for Chicago\, where\, as a white college freshman\, she meets Noah King\, a Black high school senior. These two lonely souls enter each other’s orbit\, forge a connection\, and\, after a chance meeting\, spend one eventful evening together. \nYears later\, Noah has done the impossible and made it in Hollywood. His first film is about to be released. He and his beloved wife Jesse\, a successful writer herself\, have just had a baby when Annie makes a startling discovery about Juliette that will threaten to blow up the life Noah has struggled to build. Details of that fateful Chicago night more than a decade earlier come to light\, causing all who love Juliette and Noah to confront the discomfort of conflicting truths. \nSpanning decades and told from multiple perspectives\, this powerful\, provocative debut delves into the complex lives and relationships of those affected by one life-changing moment\, sharply exploring how race\, artistic ambition\, friendship\, and grief expose different versions of the same story. \nAbout Ava Dellaira: Ava Dellaira was born in Los Angeles. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago\, and then received her MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop after which she moved to Los Angeles assisting Stephen Chbosky\, the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower\, as an associate producer on his film adaptation of the book. Author of Love Letters to the Dead\, Ava adapted it into a screenplay for Temple Hill (the company that produced Twilight and The Fault In Our Stars). She has since written In Search of Us and the upcoming adult novel Exposure.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-ava-dellaira-in-conversation-with-nicola-yoon-discusses-exposure/
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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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240909T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240909T190000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042156
CREATED:20240826T233932Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240826T233932Z
UID:10007075-1725908400-1725908400@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Mary Lea Carroll discusses Across the Street Around the Corner…A Road Home
DESCRIPTION:Across the Street\, Around the Corner: A Road Home  is an inspiring\, wisdom-packed\, funny collection of neighborhood life set during the pandemic\, when everyone-everywhere-was forced to stay home. As a world traveler and now not able to go anywhere\, the author thinks\, Well\, I can’t travel the world? Why not travel the block-see who and what’s right under my own nose? Having been in her neighborhood 35 years\, and alarmed by how isolating the lockdown was\, Carroll began a pandemic practice of reaching out to neighbors she’d known for years but may have lost track of: saying hello\, checking on them and setting up walks and talks.  Her aim was to rediscover the elusive element that turned their not-so-great neighborhood into a cherished\, even prized place to live. The conversations that ensued with her current neighbors -funny\, touching\, nostalgic-brought memories of her own childhood back to life\, in a neighborhood a mere mile or two from where she lives today but more than 60 years apart in time:  Memories of the neighbors who helped form her\, of growing up in the 1960s amid nine brothers and sisters with an eccentric former movie-star grandmother and a street packed with kids. \nAcross the Street\, Around the Corner: A Road Home melds together these neighborhoods\, combining stories both hilarious and uplifting with simple observations and inspirations. The book opens our eyes on how to live a little bit better in the neighborhood life happens to place you. In these divisive times\, this slim\, giftable book is a comfort and a balm and every bit as warm\, engaging\, inspiring\, and funny as the author’s first two enduringly popular books\, Saint Everywhere and Somehow Saints.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-mary-lea-carroll-discusses-across-the-street-around-the-cornera-road-home/
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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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240907T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240907T140000
DTSTAMP:20260504T042156
CREATED:20240826T233659Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240826T233659Z
UID:10007074-1725717600-1725717600@playhousevillage.org
SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Local Poetry Day featuring Brent Ameneyro\, Lory Bedikian\, Blas Falconer\, and Cherene Sherrard\, in Conversation With Doug Manuel
DESCRIPTION:Brent Ameneyro is the author of the collection A Face Out of Clay (The Center for Literary Publishing\, 2024) and the chapbook Puebla (Ghost City Press\, 2023). His E-Lit has been selected for the 2022 Education and Electronic Literature Conference and Art Festival in Italy\, as well as for film festivals in Denmark\, Barcelona\, Canada\, and Los Angeles. He was the 2022-2023 Letras Latinas Poetry Coalition Fellow at the University of Notre Dame. He currently serves as the poetry editor at The Los Angeles Review. \nLory Bedikian’s second book Jagadakeer: Apology to the Body won the 2023 Prairie Schooner/Raz-Shumaker Book Prize in Poetry forthcoming September 2024 from the University of Nebraska Press and her first collection The Book of Lamenting won the Philip Levine Prize for Poetry. Several of Bedikian’s poems received the First Prize Award in the Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry as part of the 2022 Nimrod Literary Awards.  Her work is published in Tin House\, Gulf Coast\, The Los Angeles Review\, BOULEVARD\, The Adroit Journal\, Orion\, wildness\, and was featured on Pádraig Ó Tuama’s Poetry Unbound podcast. Her poem “The Mechanic\,” is included in the anthology Border Lines: Poems of Migration\, KNOPF\, 2020.  Bedikian’s manuscript-in-progress received a 2021 grant from the Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund. New work appears in Massachusetts Review’s “Revisiting WOMAN: An Issue\, 50 Years Later.” Bedikian earned an MFA from the University of Oregon. She teaches poetry workshops in Los Angeles and elsewhere. \nBlas Falconer is the author of four books\, including Rara Avis (Four Way Books 2024)\, as well as the coeditor of two anthologies\, Mentor and Muse: Essays from Poets to Poets and The Other Latin@: Writing Against a Singular Identity. The recipient of a poetry fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award from Poets & Writers\, he teaches in San Diego State University’s MFA program and is the editor in chief at Poetry International Online. \nCherene Sherrard is a poet\, scholar\, and essayist. She is the author of two poetry collections\, Vixen\, and Grimoire\, and an award-winning chapbook\, Mistress\, Reclining. Recent creative nonfiction and poetry have appeared in the New York Times Magazine\, Hidden Compass\, Ecotone\, Terrain.org\, Blackbird\, Water~Stone Review\, and elsewhere. She is a professor of English at Pomona College \nDouglas Manuel was born in Anderson\, Indiana and now resides in Whittier\, California. He received a BA in Creative Writing from Arizona State University\, an MFA in poetry from Butler University\, and a PhD in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Southern California. He is the author of two collections of poetry\, Testify (2017) and Trouble Funk (2023). His poems and essays can be found in numerous literary journals\, magazines\, and websites\, most recently Zyzzyva\, Pleiades\, and the New Orleans Review. He has traveled to Egypt and Eritrea with The University of Iowa’s International Writing Program to teach poetry. A recipient of the Dana Gioia Poetry Award and a fellowship from the Borchard Foundation Center on Literary Arts\, he is an assistant professor of English at Whittier College and teaches at Spalding University’s low-res MFA program.
URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-local-poetry-day-featuring-brent-ameneyro-lory-bedikian-blas-falconer-and-cherene-sherrard-in-conversation-with-doug-manuel/
LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore
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