Posts by Live Talks LA
Diane Ackerman & Daniel Siegel
Thursday, March 15, 2018
8pm
An Evening with
Diane Ackerman & Daniel Siegel
celebrating the life and works of poet and philosopher, John O’Donohue
The Writers Guild Theatre
135 S Doheny Dr,
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
PURCHASE TICKETS
$30 Reserved Section Seat
$20 General Admission
A book signing follows the event
Presented in association with the UCLA Interpersonal Neurobiology conference
John O’Donohue is the beloved Irish author who won hundreds of thousands of international admirers with his now classic work on Celtic spirituality Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom and the bestsellers To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace, and Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong, as well as numerous collections of poetry, including Echoes of Memory and Conamara Blues. Sadly, he died unexpectedly at age fifty-two in 2008 and the loss of his powerfully wise and lyrical voice has been profoundly missed. O’Donohue’s readers know him as both poet and a philosopher, sharing his Celtic heritage and love for his native landscape in the West of Ireland. He often traveled to the United States to give lectures, and would conduct workshops with Daniel Siegel, and with Daniel, Diane Ackerman and Jon Kabat Zinn.
Diane Ackerman is a poet, essayist, and naturalist. She is the author of twenty-four works of nonfiction and poetry, including three New York Times bestsellers: The Zookeeper’s Wife, which received the Orion Book Award and inspired a feature film (2017); The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us, which received the PEN Henry David Thoreau Award; and A Natural History of the Senses, which led to the PBS NOVA series, Mystery of the Senses, which she hosted.
Her other nonfiction includes One Hundred Names for Love, An Alchemy of Mind, a poetics of the brain based on modern neuroscience; Cultivating Delight: A Natural History of the Garden; Deep Play, which considers play, creativity, and our need for transcendence; A Slender Thread, about her work as a crisis line counselor; The Rarest of the Rare and The Moon by Whale Light, in which she travels the world exploring the plight and fascination of endangered animals; A Natural History of Love, a tour of love’s many facets; and On Extended Wings, her memoir of flying. She received her M.F.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University.
Dr. Daniel Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute which focuses on the development of mindsight, which teaches insight, empathy, and integration in individuals, families and communities.
Dr. Siegel has published extensively for both the professional and lay audiences. His four New York Times bestsellers are: Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human, Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain, and two books with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D:The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline. His other books include: The Developing Mind (2nd Ed.), Mindsight, The Mindful Brain, The Mindful Therapist, The Yes Brain (also with Tina Payne Bryson, PH.D), and his upcoming book Aware (2018). Dr. Siegel also serves as the Founding Editor for the Norton Professional Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology which contains over sixty textbooks.
Robert Kirkman with Jason Mantzoukas
8pm
Robert Kirkman
in conversation with Jason Mantzoukas
Oblivion Song
Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre
New Roads School
Herb Alpert Educational Village
3131 Olympic Blvd.,
Santa Monica, CA
PURCHASE TICKETS
$25 General Admission Seat + a signed copy of Oblivion Song, Issue #1
$35 Reserved Section Seat + a signed copy of Oblivion Song, Issue #1
$95 Pre-Reception (6:30-7:30pm) + Reserved Seat
+ a signed copy of Oblivion Song, Issue #1
Robert Kirkman is creator, writer and executive producer of The Walking Dead on AMC TV and Outcast on Cinemax. He is also a successful creator of independent comics. He created and continues to write the long-running Image Comics title The Walking Dead, on which the show is based, and the comics have been gaining popularity throughout its run. He also writes the acclaimed and equally long-running super-hero comic Invincible, which he created with Cory Walker, and the all-ages comic Super Dinosaur, which he created with Jason Howard.
— Robert Kirkman’s Next Adventure, Oblivion Song (New York Times)
— The Walking Dead creator goes ‘apocalyptic adjacent’ in new comic (Entertainment Weekly)
Jason Mantzoukas most recently appeared in the American road trip comedy film, THE LONG DUMB ROAD, costarring Tony Revolori. He can also be seen as the lead in THE HOUSE for Good Universe and New Line Cinema, alongside Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell. Jason is perhaps best known for his role as the lovable psychopath Rafi on FXX’s THE LEAGUE. Other film credits include HOW TO BE SINGLE, DIRTY GRANDPA, SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE, BABY MAMA, NEIGHBORS and THE DICTATOR. In television, Mantzoukas has appeared on BROOKLYN NINE-NINE, I’M SORRY, KROLL SHOW, MODERN FAMILY, TRANSPARENT, BROAD CITY, PARKS AND RECREATION, ENLIGHTENED and COMMUNITY. Jason co-hosts the comedy podcast, “How Did This Get Made?” on the Earwolf Network alongside June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer, where the trio analyzes bad movies. One of iTunes’ top comedy podcasts, the show was also the winner of the 2012 LA Weekly Web Award for Best Podcast.
Oblivion Song is a unique take on the sci-fi genre that lives somewhere in between being less depressing than Kirkman’s The Walking Dead but not as fun as his second-longest running book, Invincible, when it’s at its most fun. Oblivion Song follows an agent, Nathan Cole, who goes into another dimension, Oblivion, to find people who have been left behind. With limited resources and equipment coupled with government abandonment, Nathan’s mission to save those left behind in Oblivion is even more challenging. A decade ago 300,000 citizens of Philadelphia were suddenly lost in Oblivion. The government made every attempt to recover them but after many years they gave up. Nathan Cole won’t. He makes daily trips, risking his life to try and rescue those lost, alone and afraid, living in the apocalyptic hellscape of Oblivion. But maybe… Nathan is looking for something else? Why can’t he resist the siren call of the Oblivion Song?
Oblivion Song is co-created by Kirkman (writer) and Lorenzo De Felici (artist). Other credits include Annalisa Leoni (colorist); Rus Wooton (letterer) and Sean Mackiewicz (editor), and is published by Image Comics for Skybound Entertainment. The first issue will be released on March 7 and will be an ongoing series.
Chloe Coscarelli with John Salley
8pm (Reception: 6:30-7:30pm)
Chloe Coscarelli
in conversation with John Salley
Chloe Flavor: Saucy, Crispy, Spicy, Vegan
Cross Campus – Santa Monica
929 Colorado Ave,
Santa Monica, CA 90401
PURCHASE TICKETS
$45 Reserved Section Section + Book
$95 Reception (6:30-7:30pm) + Reserved Section Seat + Book
$20 General Admission Seat
$30 Reserved Section Seat
Chloe Coscarelli made her mark into the culinary scene as the only vegan chef to capture the top prize on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. She has been recognized for bringing vegan cuisine to the mainstream as an award-winning chef, successful entrepreneur, and bestselling cookbook author. Debunking the myth that vegan cooking is bland and visually unenticing, Chloe shares her bright, colorful, and tasteful recipes using fresh, healthy ingredients. She has published three bestselling cookbooks, bringing healthy and satisfying vegan and plant-based dishes to the masses.
“As a Southern cook, the biggest challenge in making vegan dishes is trying to figure out how to leave out meat and dairy without sacrificing flavor and texture. Chloe is one of my favorite vegan chefs because she really understands that you have to maintain not only the great flavors of traditional dishes, but also preserve those great textures. Whether you are 100% vegan or just want to incorporate more whole food, plant-based dishes into your life, Chloe’s got the answers.” —Trisha Yearwood
“Chloe has changed the way vegans are seen, she has transformed the vegan landscape, and she has stolen this vegan’s heart. Chloe Flavor is a must-have for anyone looking to expand their diet, their mind, and their palate as part of Chloe’s plant-based revolution.” —Mayim Bialik
Chloe Coscarelli has revolutionized vegan diets with exciting vegan recipes that are fun to cook and full of flavor. When she decided to become a vegan chef, she dreamed of changing the way the world ate. This was in the “pre-kale” days, when veggie burgers were frozen, tasteless patties loathed by the general public and if a vegan wanted to eat, well, then she had to cook! Today, corner stores stock their shelves with almond milk and mainstream restaurants pepper their menus with quinoa, tempeh, chia seeds, faro, ramps, and so many variations of avocado toast. There is truly no better time to love to eat than now—and no easier time to be a vegan.
In Chloe Flavor, every recipe is bold in taste, loud in color, unabashedly unique, and, above all, easy to make. With dishes like Smoky Grits & Greens, Mango-Guacamole Crunch Burgers, and Sea Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies, this food is for fun, friends, and family—and it’s all about the flavor. Vegans will delight in Chloe’s creations and carnivores won’t miss the meat one bit.
Most can achieve a goal and be pleasantly satisfied with their results but to continually create new tasks to accomplish and to reinvent your self is the mark of a versatile and motivated individual. It is the definition of father, athlete, actor, entrepreneur, talk show host, philanthropist, wellness advocate, vegan and champion: John Salley.
John Salley has adopted a plant based (raw vegan) lifestyle, and is a frequent speaker at VegFest’s across the USA. As a Wellness Advocate, one of John’s main missions in life is to continue to educate people on the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle thru better eating habits. With a passion for real food, wine and spirits, John is a partner in the label “Vegan Vine” in partnership with Clos LaChance Winery. John has contributed articles to Wine Spectator, Cigar Aficionado and LA Confidential. He has spoke in Washington speaking to Congress about the Child Nutrition Act, asking Members to support legislation that would increase vegetarian options in meals served in public schools.
John Salley played basketball at Georgia Tech and from there went on to become a 15-year NBA veteran and was the first NBA player to win four championships with three different teams — the Detoit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Since retiring from the NBA, he has worked in television, film and radio. Film credits include Bad Boys 1 & 2, Eddie and Confession of a Shopaholic. John has served as host for numerous award shows and was also the host of The John Salley Block Party on 100.3 The Beat Morning Show in Los Angeles. John recently hosted the Reunion Shows of VH-1’s #1 rated show, Basketball Wives. For 7 years he was co-host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period on Fox Sports Net. He was also the host of the sports talk show Ballers on BET and Game On! airing on The Reelz Channel. Visit his website.
Amy Tan with Charmaine Craig
Thursday, March 8, 2018
8pm
Amy Tan
in conversation with Charmaine Craig
discussing her new book,
Where the Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir
The Writers Guild Theatre
135 S Doheny Dr,
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
PURCHASE TICKETS
$55 Reserved Section Seat + book
$45 General Admission + book
$20 General Admission seat
A book signing follows the event
Amy Tan is the author of The Valley of Amazement, The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, The Opposite of Fate, Saving Fish from Drowning, and two children’s books, The Moon Lady and Sagwa the Chinese Siamese Cat. Tan was also a co-producer and co-screenwriter of the film version of The Joy Luck Club and the librettist for the opera The Bonesetter’s Daughter. Her essays and stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. Her work has been translated into thirty-five languages.
Charmaine Craig is the author of the novels Miss Burma, longlisted for the 2017 National Book Award for Fiction, and The Good Men, a national bestseller. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine and Narrative Magazine, among other venues, and on PBS NewsHour. Formerly an actor, she grew up and resides in Los Angeles, and teaches in the Department of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside. Charmaine Craig appeared at Live Talks Los Angeles in conversation with Jane Smiley in 2017 for her book, Miss Burma.
In Where the Past Begins, Amy Tan is at her most intimate in revealing the truths and inspirations that underlie her extraordinary fiction. By delving into vivid memories of her traumatic childhood, confessions of self-doubt in her journals, and heartbreaking letters to and from her mother, she gives evidence to all that made it both unlikely and inevitable that she would become a writer. Through spontaneous storytelling, she shows how a fluid fictional state of mind unleashed near-forgotten memories that became the emotional nucleus of her novels.
Tan explores shocking truths uncovered by family memorabilia—the real reason behind an IQ test she took at age six, why her parents lied about their education, mysteries surrounding her maternal grandmother—and, for the first time publicly, writes about her complex relationship with her father, who died when she was fifteen. Supplied with candor and characteristic humor, Where the Past Begins takes readers into the idiosyncratic workings of her writer’s mind, a journey that explores memory, imagination, and truth, with fiction serving as both her divining rod and link to meaning.
Patton Oswalt
Monday, March 5, 2018
8pm
Patton Oswalt
in conversation with Clarissa Cruz
discussing his late wife Michelle McNamara’s book,
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
The Writers Guild Theatre
135 S Doheny Dr,
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
SOLD OUT
Video will be posted soon — on Facebook and YouTube.
“I was married to a crime fighter for a decade,” writes Patton Oswalt in describing his wife, Michelle McNamara. “She was born with a true cop’s heart and mind… She made everything about me and everyone around her better. And she did it by being quietly, effortlessly original.” When Michelle died in the spring of 2016, she was still hard at work on her debut book.
“I’ll Be Gone in the Dark will undoubtedly be stocked in the True Crime section, which is fine, but in so many ways it’s a brilliant genre-buster. It’s propulsive, can’t-stop-now reading, which makes it all too easy to ignore the clean and focused writing.
What readers need to know—what makes this book so special—is that it deals with two obsessions, one light and one dark. The Golden State Killer is the dark half; Michelle McNamara’s is the light half. It’s a journey into two minds, one sick and disordered, the other intelligent and determined. I loved this book.” —Stephen King
Patton Oswalt is a comedian, actor, and writer. From his award-winning comedy specials to his many memorable film roles and guest appearances on his favorite TV shows (including Parks and Recreation, for which he received a TV Critics Choice Award), Oswalt continues to choose work that inspires him and entertains audiences. He tours regularly and extensively, headlining both in the United States, Canada, and the UK.
On TV, Oswalt had a starring role on Adult Swim’s The Heart, She Holler, was a series regular on Showtime’s United States of Tara, recurred on the SyFy series Caprica, and has had many guest roles on Veep, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Parks and Recreation, Justified, Two and a Half Men, Portlandia, Bored to Death, Flight of the Conchords, The Sarah Silverman Program, Tim and Eric’s Awesome Show, and Seinfeld, among others. He is also very well known for playing ‘Spence’ on The King of Queens for nine seasons. He was also a regular contributor to Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil.Oswalt also has a regular, bi-monthly show at the new Largo at the Coronet Theater in Los Angeles. Both of his published books Zombie Spaceship Wasteland (2011) and Silver Screen Fiend (2015) are New York Times Best Sellers.
Michelle McNamara’s (1970-2016) fascination with unsolved murders began as a teenager, when a young girl was killed less than half a mile from her family’s home. As an adult, she channeled her obsession into the website True Crime Diary. After earning an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Minnesota, she sold two television pilots to ABC and Fox and a screenplay to Paramount. She lived in Los Angeles and is survived by her husband, Patton Oswalt, and their daughter, Alice.
For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator — The Golden State Killer — committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.
Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called “the Golden State Killer.” Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.
At the time of the crimes, the Golden State Killer was between the ages of eighteen and thirty, Caucasian, and athletic—capable of vaulting tall fences. He always wore a mask. After choosing a victim—he favored suburban couples—he often entered their home when no one was there, studying family pictures, mastering the layout. He attacked while they slept, using a flashlight to awaken and blind them. Though they could not recognize him, his victims recalled his voice: a guttural whisper through clenched teeth, abrupt and threatening.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the book McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Framed by an introduction by Gillian Flynn and an afterword by her husband, Patton Oswalt, the book was completed by Michelle’s lead researcher and a close colleague. Utterly original and compelling, it is destined to become a true crime classic—and may at last help unmask the Golden State Killer.
Clarissa Cruz is the Senior Editor, Books at Entertainment Weekly. She was previously an editor at O, The Oprah Magazine and People Magazine, and has written for many publications, including InStyle, Inc., New York and Time Out.
Andrew Friedman with Ruth Reichl
8pm
Andrew Friedman
in conversation with Ruth Reichl
Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll:
How Food Lovers, Free Spirits, Misfits and Wanderers Created a New American Profession
Cross Campus – Santa Monica
929 Colorado Ave,
Santa Monica, CA 90401
PURCHASE TICKETS
$45 General Admission Seat
+ a copy of Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll
$55 Reserved Section Seat
+ Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll
$20 General Admission Seat
$30 Reserved Section Seat
Andrew Friedman has chronicled the life and work of some of the best American chefs. He is the author of Knives at Dawn: America’s Quest for Culinary Glory at the Bocuse d’Or, the World’s Most Prestigious Cooking Competition and coeditor of the internationally popular anthology Don’t Try This at Home. He has also coauthored more than two dozen cookbooks and memoirs with chefs including Alfred Portale, Paul Liebrandt, and Michael White, and collaborated on the New York Times bestselling memoir Breaking Back with tennis star James Blake. Friedman writes about chefs on his Toqueland blog and interviews them on his Heritage Radio Network podcast Andrew Talks to Chefs.
Ruth Reichl began writing about food in 1972, when she published Mmmmm: A Feastiary. She moved to Berkeley, California in 1973, and became co-owner and cook at The Swallow Restaurant. In1978 she became restaurant critic for New West and California magazines, and went on to be the restaurant critic and food editor of the Los Angeles Times. From 1993-1999 she served as restaurant critic for the New York Times. In 1999 she moved to Gourmet Magazine, where she was Editor in Chief for ten years.
She has authored four memoirs, Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me with Apples, Garlic and Sapphires, and For You, Mom, Finally. Her novel, Delicious! was published in 2014, and her cookbook, My Kitchen Year, 136 Recipes that Saved My Life in 2015. She edited The Modern Library Food Series, which currently includes ten books. She was Executive Producer and host of the public television series, Adventures with Ruth and a judge on Top Chef Masters. She is the recipient of six James Beard Awards. At the moment she is at work on a memoir of the Gourmet years and another novel, both to be published by Random House.
“Andrew Friedman’s genuine curiosity and deep admiration for chefs and the American restaurant industry have enabled him to capture some of the greatest history of our times. I encourage you to accept his invitation to join in the most fascinating tableside storytelling as heard from the colorful characters who shaped our contemporary restaurant culture.”
—Michael Anthony, Executive Chef, Gramercy Tavern
Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll transports readers back in time to witness the remarkable evolution of the American restaurant chef in the 1970s and 1980s. Andrew Friedman goes inside Chez Panisse and other Bay Area restaurants to show how the politically charged backdrop of Berkeley helped spark this new profession; into the historically underrated community of Los Angeles chefs, including a young Wolfgang Puck; and into the clash of cultures between established French chefs in New York City and the American game changers behind the Quilted Giraffe, River Café, and other storied establishments. Along the way, the chefs, their struggles, their cliques, and, of course, their restaurants are brought to life in vivid, memorable detail. As the ’80s unspool, we watch the profession evolve as American masters like Thomas Keller rise, and watch the genesis of a “chef nation” as chefs start crisscrossing the country for work and special events and legendary hangouts like Blue Ribbon become social focal points, all as the industry-altering Food Network shimmers on the horizon.
A (mostly) oral history told primarily in the words of the people who lived it—from writers like Ruth Reichl to chefs like Jeremiah Tower and Jonathan Waxman—Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll treats readers to an unparalleled 360-degree re-creation of the industry and the times through the perspectives not only of the pioneering chefs but also of line cooks, front-of-house personnel, investors, and critics who had front-row seats to this extraordinary transformation.