EVENTS – All events are on our outside patio –
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TUES MAY 28th; 7pm
AMANDA JO WILLIAMS
ART OPENING
New work from the Hi Aliens do Hot Women series
with live music from
BORTS MINORTS
http://amandajowilliams.
In a short 2 year SF life, Borts Minorts was nominated 2 years in a row for BEST EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC in the SF Weekly Music Awards. Borts played music festivals in Chicago, Arizona and played gigs in LA and did a small tour of 4 French cities in 2008. (Marseille, Paris, Nantes and Bordeaux).
http://www.facebook.com/
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FRI MAY 31st; 7:30pm
SASCHA ALTMAN DUBRUL
presents
“MAPS TO THE OTHER SIDE: The Adventures of a Bipolar Cartographer”
Sascha Altman DuBrul is an American activist, writer, farmer and punk rock musician. He is the co-founder of The Icarus Project
http://theicarusproject.net/
Part mad manifesto, part revolutionary love letter, part freight train adventure story—Maps to the Other Side is a self-reflective shattered mirror, a twist on the classic punk rock travel narrative that searches for authenticity and connection in the lives of strangers and the solidarity and limitations of underground community.
Beginning at the edge of the internet age, a time when radical zine culture prefigured social networking sites, these timely writings paint an illuminated trail through a complex labyrinth of undocumented migrants, anarchist community organizers, brilliant visionary artists, revolutionary seed savers, punk rock historians, social justice farmers, radical mental health activists, and iconoclastic bridge builders.
This book is a document of one person’s odyssey to transform his experiences navigating the psychiatric system by building community in the face of adversity; a set of maps for how rebels and dreamers can survive and thrive in a crazy world.
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SAT JUNE 1st; 8pm
TWO HEADED BEAST
a monthly Story Telling Show
hosted by
JAKE WEISMAN and DAVE ROSS
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SUNDAY JUNE 2nd; 4pm
DAN KENNEDY
presents
AMERICAN SPIRIT
AMERICAN SPIRIT is a tribute to the bizarre, incongruous and extreme measures taken by people who find their lives’ turned upside down. Dan Kennedy’s Matthew is heroic and hilarious, an everyman that will take readers to the neon-lit edges of contemporary American Life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Kennedy is the author of the national best seller Rock On: An Office Power Ballad and the widely acclaimed Loser Goes First, as well as a longstanding contributor to McSweeney’s, and host of The Moth storytelling podcast and Moth StorySLAM in New York.
www.dankennedynyc.com
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FRI JUNE 7th; 7:30pm
Richard Lange
presents
ANGEL BABY
Richard Lange is the author of the story collection Dead Boys, which received an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the novel This Wicked World. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and his fiction has appeared in Best American Mystery Stories 2004 and 2011. He lives in Los Angeles.
From an author whose work has been called “violent, truthful, and devastating” (New York Times Book Review), Angel Baby is a wild cat-and-mouse chase across a sun-bleached Southern California landscape fueled by a mother’s regrets and her fierce love for her child.
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SUN JUNE 9th; 5pm
MARCI BLACKMAN
presents her latest novel
TRADITION
+
readings by this illustrious line-up of local and adored authors:
ANNA JOY SPRINGER,
MELISSA CHADBURN,
ANTONIA CRANE
&
TREBOR HEALEY
Join Marci Blackman for the release of her new novel, “Tradition,” following the story of Gus Weesfree, who witnessed a brutal crime in his hometown of Tradition, Ohio, at the age of 21 and fled, leaving behind the thriving African American community that existed there before and during World War II. Now an old man, he is compelled to confront his past only to find most of his memories buried by urban sprawl. Marci Blackman is an original member of the touring spoken word troupe, Sister Spit, and she co-edited the ground-breaking anthology, “Beyond Definition: New Writing from Gay and Lesbian San Francisco. Her first novel, “Po Man’s Child,” received the American Library Association’s Stonewall award for Best LGBT Fiction and the Firecracker Alternative Book Award for Best Fiction. Blackman will be joined by filmmaker and Tribe8 member Silas Howard and wanderer, writer, performer and video-maker T.L. Cowan.
About Us
Stories Books and Cafe
Stories Books and Cafe is Echo Park’s stalwart supplier of written works and organic/fair trade coffee and espresso. We carry both new and used books all chosen for their unique worth.
The cafe offers baked goods from the award winning “BitterSweet Treats” and “The Village Bakery”. We have the delectable Laura Ann’s Jams, and a variety of grab & go sandwiches. Our espresso is hand roasted in Silver Lake by the beloved Cafecito Organico.
We sell new, used and rare books. Fiction, History, LA Arcana, Art, Photography, Philosophy and more.
We also buy and trade.
Any questions can be answered by calling 213 413 3733
for event booking info: Liz@storiesla.com & Alex@storiesla.com
From Martha Stewart Magazine (weird, I know)
“Stories Books & Cafe has it all: a terrific selection of new and used books, a cafe that features delicious and locally sourced baked goods and organic coffee, and a busy schedule of readings and events.”
Café
The café hums and buzzes throughout the day with espresso drinks and coffee provided by Cafecito Oragnico – a local roaster who also have their own cafes located in Silver Lake. The coffee beans come from South and Central America and create a drink that is rich and warm and full body. It’s a great way to start the day or take a break in the afternoon.
We are proud to be a retailer for Laura’s Ann artisanal jams (who knew bay leaf and strawberries made sense?) and Farmer Dave’s hot nuts ( spicy almonds with a kick) We serve breakfast in the morning and have mac n’ cheese, vegetarian chili and baked goods served all day.
The grab’ n go sandwiches and salads come from Delilah’s Bakery, those wildly delicious whoopee pies are crafted from Bittersweet Treats and the melt-in-your-mouth-brownies are from the Village Café in Atwater.
Events
We like to get people together and see what happens. Stories hosts monthly storytelling and reading events, sometimes poetry and parties with Los Angeles literary journal SLAKE and or our neighbor, 826LA – the youth creative writing center started by Dave Eggers. A few authors that have read for us are: Jerry Stahl, Lydia Lunch, Ralph Herzog, Joseph Mattson, Richard Lange, Patrick Dewitt, Kristen Hersh and John Tottenham. Stories is a music-centric bookstore and local bands have played as well: Henry Clay People, Amanda Jo Williams, Frank Fairfield, Triple Chicken Foot, Tommy Santee Klaws. What we think works best is stuff that’s acoustic/country/folkie/old-timey. Some Friday nights there’s a group of knitters and on late Saturday afternoons there sometimes chess games. Our events take place on the patio surrounded by potted plants, stray cats and strings of Christmas lights. If you are interested in doing a reading or putting on an event here please contact liz@storiesla.com
The Store
Stories Books & Café opened in November 2008 by co-owners Claudia Colodro and Elizabeth Garo. As the world economy shifted and slid, we were told how “brave” we were to open a business. Really, we were just too stubborn to do otherwise.
Stories embraced Echo Park and felt a kindred spirit with the neighborhood: both a mix of old, new, creative, resourceful, tenacious and always evolving. The front counter and some shelves came from Dutton’s Books in Brentwood, the table tops on the patio are made from the original store sign, Claudia found the wall paper at a garage sale, Liz’s dad did most of the paintings and the enchanting mural outside was there when they moved in. Stories Books & Café opened with humble goals: to be part of the community, to provide an inspired collection of books, to serve a good cup of coffee and to create a place where a person wanted to be.
Gifts
We have gift items for those with creative taste and those who like their basics with a twist. Reading Is Sexy coffee mugs, over sized matchboxes, a hand & heart bottle opener, birds’ nests and pretty blue eggs, perfumed candles and Echo Park t-shirts.
We have cards for all occasions and journals for your scribbled thoughts, work-in-progress poetry or just if you need a place to keep all your “things to do.”
We carry Geronimo Postcards with real images of Los Angeles: coyotes, a car cruising at sunset, eastside landmarks and commercial folk-art.
And yes we are happy to gift wrap – butcher paper with a pretty fabric bow.
Used Books: Buy-Sell-Trade
We like words – the way they’re put together and the way they fall apart. We like to turn a page and feel the weight of a book in our hands. The old adage, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” rings true as we find our books in thrift stores, garage sales, from an Aunt cleaning out a closet or a friend about to move.
We take in used books and will give you cash or store credit; best to bring them by after 2pm.
Books
We like words – the way they’re put together and the way they fall apart. We like to turn a page and feel the weight of a book in our hands. The old adage, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” rings true as we find our books in thrift stores, garage sales, from an Aunt cleaning out a closet or a friend about to move. We take in used books and will give you cash or store credit; best to bring them by after 2pm. We carry new books too but instead of just grabbing national best sellers, our selection is handpicked and curated. You’re going to find new authors on small presses, classic literature, thought challenging philosophy, cookbooks, history, crime, LA noir, and lots of classic titles from John Fante, Bukowski, Carver, Murakami, Jane Austen and other greatest hits. There will be weird art books, rock star bios and lots of colorful playful kids books. We’ve recently launched our own eBay store http://myworld.ebay.com/storiesla with hard-to-find-treasures and collectibles.
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Café
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Events
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The Store
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Gifts
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Used Books: Buy-Sell-Trade
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Books
Stories Ebay Books
You can purchase more books online through our Stories Ebay Store.
Lots of hard to find titles available
PRESS
www.curvewire.com/posts/blog/another-great-independent-bookstore-stories-books-and-cafe-echo-park
www.latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/01/stories-books-cafe-echo-park.html
http://www.marthastewart.com/
http://unlike.net/los-angeles/shop/stories
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/01/entertainment/la-et-mn-celeste-jesse-locations-20120802
Hours, Location & Contact
PHONE
(213) 413-3733
CAFÉ HOURS
Open at 8:30 am Monday – Friday
(Before 10am, please enter through the back alley)
STORE HOURS
Monday – Thursday 8:30 am – 9 pm
Friday 8:30 am – 10 pm
Saturday 10 am – 10 pm
Sunday 10 am – 8 pm
LOCATION & MAP
Stories Books and Cafe, Echo Park
1716 West Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026-3225
Get Directions
(213) 413-3733