Playhouse Village Association

USC PAM: Conversations@PAM: Mythical Creatures | Panel Talks-Part 2 of 2
2026-08-09 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | USC Pacific Asia Museum, 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
USC Pacific Asia Museum presents an afternoon of insightful discussions featuring the artists, curators, and creative collaborators behind the acclaimed exhibition Mythical Creatures: The Stories We Carry. Through two engaging panel discussions, attendees will explore the ideas, stories, and creative processes that brought the exhibition to life.
2:00 PM: Stories We Carry: Myth, Identity & Diaspora
Part 2, Stories We Carry: Myth, Identity & Diaspora, brings together celebrated exhibition curator Dave Young Kim and esteemed multidisciplinary artists Lauren YS, Victoria Jang, and Kyungmi Shin for a conversation about identity, mythology, migration, and the personal narratives that shape both the exhibition and their artistic practices.

Vroman's Bookstore: Books Search Search for your next favorite book Search Rey M. Rodríguez, in conversation with Obed Silva, discusses & signs Todos Somos Sagrados/All Are Sacred
2026-08-09 15:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Poet and attorney Rey M. Rodríguez releases his debut Todos Somos Sagrados/All Are Sacred, a tribute to the women of Proyecto Pastoral in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. Readings followed by Q&A with professor Obed Silva.
“A treatise in poetry about one of the most important stories of our time-the formation and work of Proyecto Pastoral in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. Violence, drugs, and death plagued these streets, which in the 1990s and into the 2000s were the most gang-inflicted in the country. But mothers stood up for healing, peace, for saving the children. Projects arose to help youth but also the unhoused and migrants. People in need. God’s work. Powerful figures like Father Greg Boyle met the call. Here Rey M. Rodríguez uses poems to carry their voices, stories, pains, and joys. In Spanish and English, in any language, it’s a work of art, a work of action.”
-Luis J. Rodríguez, former Los Angeles Poet Laureate, author of Always Running, La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. and It Calls You Back: An Odyssey through Love, Addiction, Revolutions, and Healing
Rey M. Rodríguez is a writer, advocate, and attorney. He lives in Pasadena, California. He is working on a novel set in Mexico City. He attended the Yale Writers’ Workshop and Palabras de Pueblo workshop. He participated in Story Studio’s Novel in a Year Program. He received his MFA in fiction from the Institute of American Indian Arts in May 2026. His poetry is published in Huizache, Anger is a Gift, and Altadena Poetry Review. His interviews and book reviews can be found at La Bloga, Chapter House’s Storyteller’s Corner, Full Stop, Pleiades Magazine, and the Los Angeles Review. He is a graduate of Cornell, Princeton, and U.C. Berkeley Law School. His debut poetry collection, Todos Somos Sagrados/All Are Sacred, a tribute to the women of Proyecto Pastoral, was published by El Martillo Press in May 2026.
Obed Silva was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States as a toddler. After years in the gang lifestyle—which left him paralyzed from the waist down, the result of a gunshot wound—he discovered the power of book learning, earned a master’s degree in medieval literature, and is now a respected English professor at East Los Angeles College. The Death of My Father the Pope (MCD/FSG) debuted in 2021, and his follow-up memoir In the Hands of My Mother: A Tale of Love and Redemption (MCD/FSG) is slated for release in 2027.

Vroman's Bookstore: Joss Richard discusses & signs Let’s Kiss & Tell
2026-08-10 08:00 - 17:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A sex columnist and a news reporter realize a fake relationship can help them both professionally and personally—but they aren’t prepared for the real feelings that start to develop beyond the headlines—from the bestselling author of It’s Different This Time.
Lucy Reid is a sex columnist whose views on relationships aren’t exactly optimistic. She empowers readers to embrace their sexuality and challenge the idea that you need a partner to be happy—until her editor points out their audience is mostly coupled up . . . and maybe it’s time for something (or someone) new. To buy herself time, Lucy impulsively claims she’s started a new relationship she can write about. Enter Marshall Oakley.
Marshall is the new senior news writer at Lucy’s company. When they meet at a work event, he reveals his ex of nine years is getting married, and he needs a plus-one to keep his family off his back. They agree to fake date until the wedding—Lucy can write about finding “the one” before proving relationships don’t solve everything when they “break up”, and Marshall gets a no-strings date to convince his friends, family, and ex he’s moved on.
But as they spend more time together, the lines blur and each begins to reevaluate their views on love. As fear gives way to misunderstandings, can they find the courage to rewrite their story with a happily ever after?

This is a ticketed event at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Tickets include one entry and one copy of Let’s Kiss & Tell to be handed out at check-in.
A public book signing with Joss and Lyla will follow the presentation.
Questions? email promo@vromansbookstore.com or call us at (626)449-5320

Pasadena Playhouse: Courtyard Karaoke
2026-08-10 19:00 - 22:00 | Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Join Playhouse Singers Music Director, Adam McDonald, and Brigadoon Music Director, Brad Gardner for a joyful night of Courtyard Karaoke where we turn the Playhouse into our very own piano bar. Warm up your voices, grab a drink, and get ready to sing along with your choice of repertoire from the Broadway songbook. Whether you’re a spectator or a participant, it’s going to be “a grand night for singing!”

Vroman's Bookstore: Olivie Blake discusses & signs Dreamland
2026-08-11 19:00 | Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 585 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena , CA, 91101, United States
The headlines are calling it the “summer of exsanguination” in LA—girls are being murdered, the Santa Ana winds are blowing a strange energy into the city, and all signs point to fire season.
More pressing for Anya Morris, though, is the drudgery of living at home, working part time at the family store, and contending with her mother’s disdain for the acting career Anya knows she’s destined for but that feels more impossible by the day.
It’s in this suffocating late summer heat that Anya receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, an invitation to work for the de Witt family, one of LA’s most influential film dynasties. Soon, she’s spending her days and nights at their strange villa high in the Hollywood Hills, where she meets Jude, a recluse who is both the family’s heir apparent and its most closely guarded secret.
There’s a magnetism to Jude that Anya cannot resist, despite warning signs that scream like sirens in the night. Because the villa holds generations of bloodstained history, and an occult family curse may even live within its walls—or within Jude himself.
In this city, everyone cuts a deal with the devil. When Anya comes face to face with a devil of her own, she’ll learn just how far she’s willing to go to get everything she’s ever wanted.
This is a ticketed event at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Tickets include one entry and one copy of Dreamland to be handed out at check-in.
A public book signing will follow the presentation.
Questions? email promo@vromansbookstore.com or call

Vroman's Bookstore: Kate Eberle discusses & signs If Books Could Kill
2026-08-13 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A NOVEL LOVE STORY meets LOVE IN THE TIME OF SERIAL KILLERS in this rom-com following Roxie Mitchell, an adventure-loving romance reader who finds herself trapped in a meet-cute turned murderous
When Roxie makes a tongue-in-cheek wish to live out the plot of her favorite author’s next novel, she has romance in mind–namely, the sweet, safe, swoon-worthy storylines Anna Matthews is known for. It should be a dream come true when her wish is granted and she finds herself swept into a first date with a handsome stranger who seems designed to take her breath away.
Except for one little hiccup: That handsome stranger tries to take her breath away. Literally. With a knife. The thing is, Roxie may be the new Anna Matthews protagonist–but this time, Anna is writing a crime thriller.
Thrown into a perilous genre she’s never read, Roxie is desperate for help. So when her escape takes her straight into the path of Grant Hoffman, an anxious English professor with a convenient love of crime novels, she decides that kidnapping a grown man is a small price to pay for her own survival. Together, Roxie and Grant navigate a madcap story in which the lines between fiction and reality blur. They’ll find out if they have what it takes to make it to The End–or maybe even Happily Ever After.
Kate Eberle studied journalism at Boston University before rediscovering her love of fiction. She lives and writes in Connecticut, where she spends the rest of her time being the ultimate menace to society: a grown-up Theater Kid. If Books Could Kill is her first novel.
Elissa Sussman is the bestselling author of Totally and Completely Fine, Once More with Feeling, Funny You Should Ask, and three young adult novels. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their many pets.

Vroman's Bookstore: Bridget Morrissey discusses & signs In What World
2026-08-14 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Two high school rivals begrudgingly reunite as adults to investigate the disappearance of their beloved former teacher, only to wind up traveling through a series of alternate realities together.
Total opposites, Marlowe Jenkins and Priscilla Covington-French hated each other in high school. Now in their thirties, Marlowe is barely scraping by while Priscilla is wildly successful. Their rivalry should be long dead, yet both women remain connected through their mutual mentor, drama teacher Dallas Winthrop. Their unending tension has nothing to do with the fact that they’ve kissed. More than once.
When Dallas goes missing, each woman believes she can figure out where he is. Except this is no ordinary disappearance. Dallas has found a way to explore alternate versions of reality. While trying to follow him, Marlowe and Priscilla find other versions of themselves instead, surprised to learn not all Marlowes and Priscillas are fueled by hate. In fact, some Marlowes and Priscillas have very different strong feelings for one another. . .
The more Marlowe and Priscilla are forced to rely on each other, the harder it becomes to ignore their simmering attraction. But with every alternate reality they search, they only get further from their real life and responsibilities. Do they play it safe and hide behind their rivalry, or take a chance on each other that could permanently change the world as they know it?

Vroman's Bookstore: April Dávila discusses & signs Sit Write Here: 6 Mindfulness Practices to Help You Write More and Suffer Less
2026-08-17 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A transformative path to overcome creative blocks and cultivate a joyful, sustainable writing practice through mindfulness.
In Sit Write Here, award-winning novelist and certified mindfulness instructor April Dávila presents a groundbreaking approach to writing that integrates the practice of Insight Meditation. Drawing from her personal journey and professional experience, Dávila reveals how mindfulness can help writers improve their craft and navigate common challenges such as writer’s block, self-doubt, and ubiquitous distractions. Through practical exercises and relatable anecdotes, she demonstrates how cultivating present-moment awareness can enhance creativity and bring greater ease to the writing process.
Structured around six key practices, the book guides writers to:
-Get Writing by developing deep concentration to foster a state of creative flow.
-Embrace Discomfort to better portray conflict on the page.
-Keep Going by identifying and overcoming internal obstacles that masquerade as “writer’s block.”
-Explore Emotions to deepen authenticity.
-Engage Reality to refine the editing process with mindful awareness.
-Find Equanimity to maintain resilience in the face of feedback and rejection.
Whether you’re a seasoned author or just beginning your writing journey, Sit Write Here offers a compassionate and practical framework to transform your writing practice. By embracing mindfulness, writers can not only enhance their craft but also find greater fulfillment and joy in the creative process.

Vroman's Bookstore: James Queally discusses & signs Surviving the Lie: A Russell Avery Novel
2026-08-18 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
From the critically acclaimed author of Line of Sight and All These Ashes comes the exciting final installment of the Russell Avery series, a trilogy of “turnpike noir” that brings the neighborhoods of New Jersey to life (CrimeReads)
After the death of his two oldest sources, Russell Avery trades in his life as a former journalist turned private investigator for peace and quiet at home. Aside from the occasional online reporting under the safety of an alias, Russell is enjoying being a normal guy with a normal girlfriend and suburban bliss just within reach. Until his onetime mentor disappears. Russell soon learns that other journalists in the area have gone missing, too, all under mysterious circumstances. Unable to resist the pull of a good story, he quickly finds himself at odds with a violent band of conspiracy theorists and ex-cops convinced that reporters are the “enemy of the people.” Russell sacrificed two careers to the belief in the power of truth. But now, face-to-face with an America where facts are more fluid than Newark’s Passaic River, he must decide if the truth is still worth fighting for.

Boston Court - Pericles
2026-08-20 19:30 | CA
In partnership with Play On Shakespeare, one of Shakespeare’s most adventurous and least staged plays, Pericles follows a young prince forced into exile after uncovering a deadly royal secret. What follows is a sweeping journey across oceans and kingdoms marked by storms, shipwrecks, separation, survival, and ultimately reunion. This re-conceptualization of Shakespeare’s Pericles in Ellen McLaughlin’s gorgeous translation embraces movement and music to tell a thrilling adventure tale that celebrates the power of love and the resilience of the human spirit.

Vroman's Bookstore: Brian Clune discusses & signs Legends & Lore Along Route 66: Tales from the Mother Road
2026-08-21 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
100 years of cruising from Chicago to Santa Monica.
Opened in 1926, Route 66 was one of America’s original highways. In modern times, the Mother Road is an icon of nostalgia and kitsch, but behind each pit stop is a uniquely human story. From Alberta Ellis, who created safe havens for African American travelers in the first half of the twentieth century to Bob Waldmire and Angel Delgadillo, who worked to preserve the history of the route after the interstates came through, the people behind these places are what truly make them special.
Just off the well-traveled path are places like the Santa Fe Internment Camp, where many Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated during World War II, and the Apache Death Cave near Two Guns, Arizona, said to be the site where many Native Americans lost their lives. Visit the Amboy Crater, a dormant volcano in the Mojave Desert of California that hints at the distant geological past, and the town of Baxter Springs, which was once a major part of America’s Main Street.
Author Brain Clune brings to life the tales that left a legacy along Route 66.

Movies in the Park: Clueless
2026-08-21 19:00 - 22:00 | Playhouse Village Park, 701 Union St, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
FREE Outdoor 90’s Films at Playhouse Village Park
Friday August 21 and 28
Playhouse Village Park | 701 Union St
Playhouse Village continues the summer season with Movies in the Park presented by Playhouse Village Foundation and Arash Danialifar. We’re celebrating Playhouse Village’s 30th Anniversary with a nostalgic lineup of iconic films from the decade Playhouse Village was found!
Join us for free outdoor community movie screenings of 90’s classics on select Friday evenings in August at the lawn of Playhouse Village Park, featuring Clueless (PG-13) and The Sandlot (PG). Bring a blanket, grab some free popcorn, and settle in for a fun night on the lawn at Playhouse Village Park.
7PM | Seating on the lawn opens – Arrive early to secure a prime viewing spot with a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy pre-movie activities like FREE popcorn, photo ops, and arts & crafts.
8PM | Movie will begin after sunset
Playhouse Village Park is located at 701 E Union St.

August 21: CLUELESS (1995, PG-13)
Clueless is snappy comedy film loosely based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel Emma! Set in the town of Beverly Hills, beautiful, popular, and rich high school student Cher befriends a new student and decides to give her a makeover while playing a matchmaker for her teachers and examining her own existence.
Let us know your coming!
Register

Vroman's Bookstore: Lisa Johnston Hancock reads from & signs Santiago and Great Bear: A Friendship Written in the Stars
2026-08-22 11:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Santiago and Great Bear tells the story of a boy who moves from the busy city to the quiet countryside. Surrounded by stars, Santiago feels lonely and misses his friends. When he wishes on Great Bear, the constellation becomes his companion. But Great Bear cannot stay forever. With creativity and courage, Santiago helps his friend return to the sky. Though sad, he discovers resilience, hope, and the joy of new friendships in this lyrical, socially relevant tale.

Vroman's Bookstore: Jaime Parker Stickle discusses & signs Take Hart: A Thriller (Corey in Los Angeles #2)
2026-08-22 16:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Between her LAPD consulting gig, fledgling indie news blog, and postpartum panic disorder, former TV journalist Corey Tracey-Lieberman is barely keeping it together. Then a mother named Sonja Hart vanishes in her Highland Park neighborhood, and the case is all but ignored. Sparked by maternal fury, Corey’s investigative instincts come roaring back to life.
To see the truth clearly, Corey must stop taking the meds that keep her anxiety at bay. Forced to confront her own failing marriage, she struggles with her growing feelings for her crime-fighting partner. Strapping her fifteen-month-old son to her chest, she follows a trail that leads from a suspicious house fire to the furtive activities of new neighbors.
The more she digs, the more she uncovers about the secret toll of gentrification–and the closer she comes to the verge of a breakdown. And the horror dawns that the killer she’s been chasing has been watching her all along…

Vroman's Bookstore: Local Author Day Introducing Joe Belk, Dan Joyce & Jason Mahoney
2026-08-23 16:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Joe Belk presents A Fan’s Calendar
A Fan’s Calendar is a fun ride through popular culture throughout the 20th century and up to the present day. The book reflects the enthusiasms of author Joe Belk, who has enjoyed and often written about music, film, and other forms of art and entertainment throughout his life. No matter what your tastes are, you will find areas of overlap with this personally specific yet culturally vast appreciation of a wide variety of cinematic and musical genres and styles.
Dan Joyce presents Have You Taken Your Meds? Part 1
Have You Taken Your Meds? Part 1 is an illustrated autobiographical graphic novel by Dan Joyce exploring mental illness, addiction, homelessness, family conflict, and survival with humor, raw honesty, and surreal imagination Through art, storytelling, and dark comedy, Joyce invites readers into a chaotic yet journey understanding, recovery, and hope.
Jason Mahoney presents Song of a Dromedary
Something is terribly wrong with Vernon Rivers, a young boy whose parents have taken him to every specialist they can think of. At the end of their rope, they finally take him to see a priest, who determines the only remedy is an exorcism. Before the big night, his father, Kirk, has his first of many encounters with the paranormal: an encoded message telling him he must intervene in the exorcism, and to his wife’s dismay, Kirk obeys. Throughout his childhood, Vernon, a musical phenomenon, shows signs of demonic possession in benign ways. But as the danger grows more apparent, Kirk engages with his own outrageous and time-distorting obstacles to save him–and discover the unfortunate truth about his prodigious son.

Vroman's Bookstore: Diana Giovinnazzo discusses & signs Daughters of Naples
2026-08-25 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Diana Giovinazzo returns to the historical genre in a lush and thrilling novel, perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah and Elena Ferrante.
Set in Naples, Italy, during World War II, three sisters must survive in the face of danger.
Naples, 1940. The three Cozzolino sisters, Leta, Marcella, and Bianca, live together in their small home during Mussolini’s domination. Leta runs the De Rosa dress shop, where she takes care of her mother-in-law while her husband is at war. Marcella is an apprentice to a midwife, bringing up the next generation of Italian soldiers, much to the pride of her boyfriend, who is inspired by Mussolini’s rule. But when their youngest sister, Bianca, decides to join the partigiani–the Italian resistance–after her childhood sweetheart is sent to war, familial tensions are brought to light.
The sisters are soon at odds, questioning where they stand in the war effort. When Leta’s old flame, Pasquale, asks if he can use the dress shop to send messages for the partigiani, she refuses. But when Naples is bombed, the sisters are forced to reevaluate their stances and how far they are willing to go for each other and their country. With the threat of Nazism looming over the city after Mussolini is ousted, the Cozzolino sisters will have to confront what they are willing to sacrifice and their loyalties to each other and to their country.
This inspiring novel examines the true nature of sisterly bonds and what one will do to survive.

Wellness in the Park: Brick City Boxing LA
2026-08-27 18:00 - 19:00 | Playhouse Village Park, 701 Union St, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Get outside, get moving and have fun with FREE group wellness classes every 4th Thursday of every month in Playhouse Village Park. Get ready for a free high-energy boxing tutorial with Brick City Boxing LA. Participants will learn basic boxing fitness, technique, and light sparring in a fun and supportive environment. No experience is necessary, and all skill levels are welcome! This class is part of our Wellness in the Park series where we encourage you to get outside, get moving, and have fun with our awesome Playhouse Village instructors! We’re bringing a FREE group wellness program every 4th Thursday of the month at Playhouse Village Park, led by local fitness & wellness studios

Vroman's Bookstore: Yance Wyatt discusses & signs The Watersmith
2026-08-28 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
When hard-drinking handyman Jack Calloway discovers an old moonshine still behind the Smoky Mountain cabin he plans to flip, his teenage son dares him to get it running. Jack accepts– until his wife, Jolene, tries to sabotage the first batch and is horribly burned in the process. Wracked with guilt, Jack sends their son away and moves Jolene into the cabin to recover while he tries to sober up. Doctors diagnose Jolene with a rare post-traumatic dementia that responds only to scent– smell being the strongest trigger of memory. Desperate to help, Jack begins distilling essential oils from her favorite flowers, searching for the one that might bring her back. When a fleeting moment of clarity during a visit from their son slips away again, Jack grows frantic– willing to distill anything in his grasp to reach her. A haunting, tender tale of love, regret, and the volatile bonds between parents and children, The Watersmith is a story of oil and water, memory and mercy– and how far one man will go to bring his family home.

Vroman's Bookstore: Linda Liu reads from & signs I Guess I’ll Go Eat Worms
2026-08-29 11:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Yup! You read that right . . . WORMS!
Only thing for an outcast to eat . . .
But what if wet, gooey, chewy worms could be a way to meet someone new? What if there’s somebody out there who wallows in worms just as much as you do? Well, for an ugly duckling and a black sheep, there may just be a cure for their loneliness . . .
And you know the cure can only be one thing: worms–I mean, friendship.
In this hilarious remix of the classic nursery rhyme, Linda Liu breathes new life into the importance of connection–with a book that demands to be sung

Vroman's Bookstore: Sam Quinones discusses & signs Our Lady of the Angels: The Virgin of Guadalupe on the Walls of Los Angeles
2026-08-31 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
On storefronts, alleyways, and street corners across the city, murals of the Virgin of Guadalupe grace the walls of Los Angeles in a tapestry of faith, identity, and culture. Our Lady of the Angels: The Virgin of Guadalupe on the Walls of Los Angeles captures the sacred and everyday presence of Guadalupe murals across the city, offering a poignant lens into the cultural heartbeat of LA neighborhoods. Each image is a testament to community, artistry, and devotion—a visual pilgrimage through urban altars where spirituality meets street art. Whether you’re drawn to religious iconography, Latino culture, or the layered stories of LA itself, this collection invites you to see the city anew—through the lens of its most beloved saint.
En escaparates, callejones y esquinas de toda la ciudad, murales de la Virgen de Guadalupe adornan los muros de Los Ángeles como un tapiz de fe, identidad y cultura. Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles: La Virgen de Guadalupe en los muros de Los Ángeles captura la presencia sagrada y cotidiana de los murales guadalupanos en la ciudad, ofreciendo una mirada conmovedora al pulso cultural de los vecindarios angelinos. Cada imagen es un testimonio de comunidad, arte y devoción: una peregrinación visual a través de altares urbanos donde la espiritualidad se encuentra con el arte callejero. Ya sea que te atraiga la iconografía religiosa, la cultura latina o las historias entrelazadas de Los Ángeles, esta colección te invita a ver la ciudad de una nueva manera: a través del lente de su santa más querida.

Vroman's Bookstore: Joseph Fink, in conversation with Mara Wilson, discusses & signs The Nudge: A Psychological Thriller
2026-09-01 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A purchase of the book from Vroman’s is greatly appreciated and makes events like this possible.
A new horror novella from the creator of Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isn’t Dead featuring original illustrations from Night Vale series artist Jessica Hayworth.
On the open road, evil doesn’t chase you. It waits . . .
Late one night, a wounded man checks into a remote roadside hotel. He’s running from something he can’t explain or escape. And over the course of a night, he’ll tell the hotel’s proprietor how his life fell apart.
It started with his wife. Subtle changes. Smiles that didn’t belong to her. Then violence–sudden, intimate, almost casual. Therapy offered hope. Recovery seemed possible. Until it wasn’t. He believes a hidden influence has attached itself to him, one that never forces, never commands. It whispers. It suggests. Nudges people toward their worst impulses.
Now the man wanders the country as a fugitive, hoping to break free from the evil that’s wormed its way into him. But as our narrator’s story unfolds, he begins to question whether he’s fled far enough . . .
Tense, atmospheric, and chilling, The Nudge is a slow-burn tale of suspense that will linger like a whisper in the dark, long after the story is over.
Can’t make it to the event but still want a signed copy? Pre-order your signed copy here.

Ice House Comedy Club: Alfred Robles
2026-09-01 19:30 - 21:00 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents a live taping of Alfred Robles.
LIVE IN THE LEGENDARY ROOM!
Ice House doors open at 6:30pm.
Show Starts at 7:30pm.
21+ with a 2 item minimum per seat in the showroom.
Lineups are subject to change.
We are a cashless venue.

Vroman's Bookstore: Andre Hardy, in conversation with Mark Sarvas, discusses & signs Tear the City Down
2026-09-02 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
This debut novel from a former NFL player is a hard-hitting, heart-wrenching crime novel that brilliantly blends elements of jazz, football, and a gritty portrait of a city divided–perfect for fans of S.A. Cosby and Walter Mosley.
Coltrane Davis is at once a knight and a hustler. He has risen to wealth and success, graduating from San Diego’s back alleys to the halls of power through his partnership with Saul Sollman, a crooked kingmaker among the city’s elite. Running multimillion-dollar scams with Saul, he has been Saul’s fixer, but now he wants out of the hustle so that he can focus on his teenage daughter’s burgeoning tennis career and finally be the dad he has always wanted to be.
But when the Los Angeles Chargers’ star running back vanishes one evening before a big game, Coltrane is drawn into an investigation of what happened by Saul and his protégé, the player’s agent; the stakes escalate with a gut-punch when the trail leads into San Diego’s underworld of drugs and prostitution and reveals clues to the disappearance of his daughter’s best friend, whose loss has haunted him.
Torn by the unreconcilable demands of the life he can’t seem to quit and the fierce desire he has to protect his own, Coltrane brings himself and his loved ones to the brink of destruction in his quest to free himself once and for all of Saul’s control–and focus on what really matters: family.

Vroman's Bookstore: Sonali Kolhatkar discusses & signs Breaking Ice: Community Defense Against State Terror and Maga Fascism
2026-09-03 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A gripping, on-the-ground account of the growing movement against state violence, featuring interviews with those on the frontlines of the fight for immigrant justice and what it means to belong.
Features a foreword by Salvadoran American journalist and author Roberto Lovato.
A war is being waged on the streets of the United States of America: MAGA’s violent anti-immigration regime is being challenged by a growing national movement dedicated to protecting communities and reversing racist and authoritarian policies. In Breaking ICE, award-winning journalist Sonali Kolhatkar presents her conversations with over a dozen movement organizers, lawyers, artists, labor leaders, and scholars on the frontlines of the fight. Through their courageous stories, Kolhatkar documents the impact of ICE violence, workplace raids, mass surveillance, and intimidation tactics, and how communities from Maine to California are organizing for a better world. Our present actions will not only determine the nature of American demographics from here on out, but also whether the future of the United States will look like an open multiracial democracy or a fascist police state.
Features conversations with: Pablo Alvarado, Nikki Marín Baena, Eduardo Delgado, Adela de la Torre, Shannon Gibney, Ron Gochez, David Huerta, Ibram X. Kendi, Robin D. G. Kelley, Josefina Lopez, Leonardo Martinez, Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Favianna Rodriguez, Luis Rodriguez, Ruben Torres, Richard Wallace, Yohuru Williams, and Kent Wong. Foreword by Roberto Lovato.

Vroman's Bookstore: Sara Kehaulani Goo discusses & signs Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai'i
2026-09-04 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Set in one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes, Kuleana is the story of an award-winning journalist’s effort to hold on to her family’s ancestral Hawaiian lands—and find herself along the way.
“A powerful story of land, belonging, loss, and survival that challenges us all to think about what we are responsible for.” —Rebecca Nagle, bestselling author of By the Fire We Carry
From an early age, Sara Kehaulani Goo was enchanted by her family’s land in Hawai‘i. The vast area on the rugged shores of Maui’s east side—given by King Kamehameha III in 1848—extends from mountain to sea, encompassing ninety acres of lush, undeveloped rainforest jungle along the rocky coastline and a massive sixteenth-century temple with a mysterious past.
When a property tax bill arrives with a 500 percent increase, Sara and her family members are forced to make a decision about the property: fight to keep the land or sell to the next offshore millionaire. When Sara returns to Maui from the mainland, she reconnects with her great-uncle Take and uncovers the story of how much land her family has already lost over generations, centuries-old artifacts from the temple, and the insidious displacement of Native Hawaiians by systemic forces.
Part journalistic offering and part memoir, Kuleana interrogates deeper questions of identity, legacy, and what we owe to those who come before and after us. Sara’s breathtaking story of unexpected homecomings, familial hardship, and fierce devotion to ancestry creates a refreshingly new narrative about Hawai‘i, its native people, and their struggle to hold on to their land and culture today.

Pasadena Heritage: Arts & Crafts Embroidery with Natalie Richards
2026-09-05 09:00 - 16:30 | Pasadena Heritage, The Blinn House 160 N Oakland Ave, Pasadena, 91101, United States
Roycroft Master Artisan and instructor, Natalie Richards will lead a one-day workshop on Arts & Crafts embroidery on Saturday, September 5th.
The class will be geared toward not only individuals new to embroidery but attendees who have taken previous embroidery workshops. The class will focus on perfecting prominent stitches present in historic Arts & Crafts textiles.
Each participant will receive a kit that includes linen with a marked design, amble embroidery thread, hand-dyed silk thread, photographs, written instructions, and illustrated instructions. The different stitches will be demonstrated in class, followed by hands-on application with assistance from Natalie. Attendees will leave with the confidence to complete the embroidery project at home.

Vroman's Bookstore: Dan Werb discusses & signs Our Wild Familiars: How Animals Are Adapting to Cities and Reshaping the Natural World
2026-09-08 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A dazzling journey into the hidden lives of synanthropes, the wild animals who’ve found ingenious ways to survive and thrive in human communities—from award-winning writer and scientist Dan Werb
Synanthropes have always been an immutable part of the tapestry of our lives. They are the reason we hear birdsong in the morning and skittering throughout the day, and why we take such pains to fix lids to our garbage cans. But they are so much more than that, too: epidemic vectors, churners of soil, ecosystem evolvers, spiritual lodestars, and, sometimes, sharp-toothed marauders making their way through our most intimate spaces with cruel intent. But beyond their quotidian impact on our lives, synanthropes have a critical part to play in how our communities are shaped and how sustainably they function. These creatures are ambassadors from nature, arbiters of our planet’s future, and a key influence on our species’ ongoing evolution; and recently, something essential has shifted with them.
We are in a fraught era of environmental disruption, habitat destruction, and human population expansion that is ravaging formerly wild and untouched habitats. That’s caused us to become ever more inundated with synanthropes, which are bringing delight, chaos and danger to our doorstep. These species, so long dismissed, are forcing us to reckon with them—from the hundreds of thousands of raccoons in urban spaces that spread our refuse no matter how many “raccoon-proof” bags and bins we invent, to the invasive kudzu plants that grow a foot a day, enveloping houses, telephone poles, trees, and any other structures into their green abyss. Now, as urban spaces increasingly become wild spaces, we have a choice: continue to resist them by any means necessary, or take the opportunity to promote a more harmonious coexistence.
Through vivid storytelling, Our Wild Familiars brings to spectacular life the world’s most successful synanthropes, from bats, raccoons, and crows, to some of its weirdest, including the Giant Pacific Octopus. Acting as a guide to the curious, Werb reveals how the cracks in our millennia-long efforts to shield ourselves against the outside world might just lead us to a new and necessary balance with nature—or to an ever more savage future.

Vroman's Bookstore: Kate Stayman-London, in conversation with Maurene Goo, discusses & signs See You Next Tuesday
2026-09-09 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
From the bestselling author of One to Watch comes a heartwarming enemies-to-lovers romance perfect for fans of The West Wing and When Harry Met Sally, featuring two campaign staffers who agree on their politics, but disagree on everything else.
“A West Wing love story with Heated Rivalry storytelling . . . all of the heat of an enemies-to-lovers romance with the adrenaline-pumping excitement of a political drama . . . charming, propulsive, topical.”–Iman Hariri-Kia, bestselling author of Female Fantasy
In every election, they’re the issue.
Anya Katz is Type A and highly driven with unfaltering morals; she’s never met a group project she wouldn’t rather do all by herself. Gabe Hunt is a staggeringly handsome and charming golden boy who’ll do whatever it takes to win. At work on Democratic campaigns, Anya and Gabe fight about everything–but how long can they fight their undeniable attraction?
See You Next Tuesday follows Anya and Gabe through a decade of elections, from all-night phone banks and piles of greasy takeout to glitzy celebrity fundraisers and presidential debates. They say politics is the art of making change, but working in politics changes you–and Anya and Gabe navigate dizzying highs and devastating lows in their professional and personal lives as they evolve from enemies to grudgingly respectful colleagues to best friends to lovers . . . to bitter rivals.
With breakneck banter, sizzling chemistry, and clear-eyed optimism, See You Next Tuesday is an uplifting and addictive portrait of two lovers passionately working to make history–if only they can overcome their own.

Pasadena Playhouse: The Visit
2026-09-09 19:30 | Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A DESPERATE TOWN. A DETERMINED WOMAN. AN IMPOSSIBLE OFFER.
When the richest woman in the world returns to her struggling hometown, she’s ready and willing to rescue it from ruin… on one condition. In this haunting, twisted, and truly grotesque comedy, an entire community is forced to confront an unthinkable question: how far are you willing to go for a billion dollars?
Following the triumphant run of Amadeus, Tony Award-winners JEFFERSON MAYS and DARKO TRESNJAK return to the Playhouse for another gripping and truly unmissable theatrical event.

The Visit is presented with generous philanthropic support from The David Lee Foundation and Season Sponsors Ellen and Harvey Knell and Tammi and Lenny Steren.

El Portal: Annual Tequila & Mezcal Tasting
2026-09-10 17:30 - 20:30 | El Portal Restaurant, 695 East Green Street , Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
El Portal’s famous annual event returns for a special evening celebrating a wide range of exceptional tequilas and mezcals. Every bottle tells a story, and guests are invited to discover the flavors and traditions behind each pour.
The celebration takes place in the courtyard with live music, raffles, bocadillos (appetizers), and, of course, mucho tequila!
