Skylight Books Podcast Series

Down and Derby: The Insider's Guide to Roller Derby (Soft Skull Press) Meet two of L.A.'s own Derby Dolls, Alex Cohen a.k.a. Axles of Evil (also of KPCC renown) and Jenny Barbee a.k.a Kasey Bomber, as they discuss and sign their new book on roller derby, Down and Derby! Alex “Axles of Evil” Cohen is the host of "All Things Considered" on KPCC in Los Angeles and a frequent contributor to National Public Radio. Jennifer “Kasey Bomber” Barbee writes for Blood and Thunder magazine and is a longtime staffer of the WGA. Both authors have skated with the L.A. Derby Dolls since 2003 and live in Los Angeles. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 26, 2010.

Door to the River: Essays and Reviews from the 1960s into the Digital Age (Black Sparrow Books) On the occasion of the release of this new book of nonfiction by the acclaimed writer Aram Saroyan, and the fortieth anniversary of Black Sparrow Press, we're pleased to present Aram Saroyan in conversation with Black Sparrow publisher David Godine. Aram Saroyan is an internationally known poet, novelist, biographer, memoirist and playwright. The recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts poetry awards (one of them for his controversial one-word poem "lighght"). Saroyan is a past president of PEN USA West and a current faculty member of the Masters of Professional Writing Program at USC. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the painter Gailyn Saroyan. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 22, 2010.

Deadliest Sea: The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History (William Morrow) A launch party for local author Kalee Thompson and her new nonfiction book Deadliest Sea, about the tragic sinking of the Alaska Ranger, and one of the most remarkable rescue missions in maritime history. Kalee Thompson is a freelance writer who covers science, the environment, and the outdoors. She was formerly an editor at Popular Science and National Geographic Adventure, and her work has appeared in Women’s Health, Wired, and Popular Mechanics. She lives in Los Angeles, CA.  Visit www.deadliestsea.com. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 20, 2010.

The Clock Without a Face (McSweeney's) An event for this new eye-catching, pentagonal mystery/puzzle/board book, featuring Eli Horowitz and Mac Barnett, two of the book's authors. Twelve emerald-studded numbers, each handmade and one of a kind, have been buried in 12 holes across the land. These treasures will belong to whoever digs them up first. The question: Where to dig? The only path to the answer: solve the riddle of the book. Eli Horowitz has edited and designed books and journals for McSweeney's for the past eight years. Before McSweeney's, Eli was employed as a carpenter and wrote science trivia questions tenuously linked to popular films. He was born in Virginia and now lives in San Francisco. Mac Barnett: Born to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 14, 2010.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (Random House) "Mitchell is, clearly, a genius." --The New York Times Book Review (review of Cloud Atlas) "Mitchell really is his generation's Pynchon." --Kirkus Reviews (review of Cloud Atlas) "Brilliant…Mitchell creates an evocative yet authentically adolescent voice, an achievement  even more impressive than the ventriloquism of his earlier books." --The New York Times Book Review (review of Black Swan Green) David Mitchell is an internationally bestselling two-time Booker Prize finalist, a Time magazine 100 Most Influential People, and a Granta Best Young British Novelist. His first novel, Ghostwritten, was awarded the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for the best book by a writer under 35 and a Guardian First Book Award finalist. His second novel, Number9Dream, was a finalist for the Booker Prize finalist and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. His third novel Cloud Atlas was short-listed for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and was an international bestseller. His most recent novel, Black Swan Green, was long-listed for the Booker Prize and named a Time Best Book of the Year. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS ON JULY 23, 2010.

Sh*t My Dad Says (It Books) The author of this very popular book, based on the also very popular Twitter feed, will be here to discuss and sign his book! Justin Halpern, 29, is the founding editor of the comedy website HolyTaco.com and a senior writer at Maxim.com. Halpern created the Twitter page "Shit My Dad Says," which boasts more than a million followers, and is co-writing and co-executive producing a sitcom adaptation for Warner Bros and CBS. He splits his time between Los Angeles and his parents' home in San Diego. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 12, 2010.

Slake Magazine A launch party for the new Los Angeles-based literary magazine Slake, featuring writers and premiere-issue contributors Mark Z. Danielewski, Jonathan Gold, Michelle Huneven, and David Schneider!  Slake is founded by former LA Weekly editors Joe Donnelly and Laurie Ochoa, who put together a 232-page first issue that's filled with substantive content from an impressive list of local writers, artists, and photographers.  Want to learn more?  The Los Angeles Times book blog Jacket Copy covered this new mag -- read about it here -- and Brand X has an interview with Slake's founders here. Mark Z. Danielewski was born in New York City and now lives in Los Angeles. He is the best-selling author of the novels House of Leaves and Only Revolutions, a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award for Fiction. Jonathan Gold, restaurant critic for the L.A. Weekly and author of Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles, is the first food writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. In addition to his writing for Gourmet, Saveur, and other national food and travel magazines, Gold has a shady past as a composer and performance artist, spent time as the rap and heavy-metal correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, was the L.A. Weekly's music editor, and wrote about music and popular culture for Spin, Rolling Stone, and Details. Michelle Huneven's most recent novel, Blame, was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award and named a finalist for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Her first and second novels, Round Rock and Jamesland,, were New York Times notable books and finalists for Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. She has received the Southern California Booksellers Award for Fiction, a G. E. Younger Writers Award, and a Whiting Award. She teaches creative writing at UCLA and lives with her husband in the town where she was born, Altadena, California. David Schneider was born and raised in San Francisco. He has worked in commercials, film, television, and theater since moving to Los Angeles in 2002. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 11, 2010.

Unlovable Vol. 2 (Fantagraphics) Esther Watson, co-author of Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine? and author of Unlovable will discuss and sign the second volume in her hilarious and heartbreaking series that's loosely based on the 1980s-era diary of a high school girl that she found in a gas station bathroom. "Watson's graphic style and messily scrawled confessions read like a genuine diary, filled with humor and despair. Unlovable makes me grateful to be past that painful stage." --The Seattle Weekly Esther Pearl Watson lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and fellow artist, Mark Todd. Together they authored the influential D.I.Y. tome, Whatcha Mean, What's A Zine? Learn more at funchicken.com.

Keep Sweet (Simon Pulse) Michele Dominguez Greene will read from and sign her powerful new young adult novel about a Mormon fundamentalist girl's struggle to escape a forced polygamist marriage. Michele Dominguez Greene has had a long-standing successful career as an actress, appearing in television, film, and theater.  She received an Emmy nomination for her role as Abigail Perkins on the NBC series, “L.A. Law”, and she is currently recurring in HBO's “Big Love” and ABC's “Brothers and Sisters.” Greene’s debut novel, Chasing the Jaguar is included on reading lists around the country.  She lives with her family in Los Angeles. Visit her at michelegreene.com. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 6, 2010.

We're Getting On (Flatmancrooked) A launch party for the new novel by James Kaelan, We're Getting On! This is the kickoff for a "zero-emissions book tour," on which the author will be touring from Los Angeles to Vancouver, all on bicycle.  The book is also biodegradable, and the cover is made out of a specialty paper that contains spruce tree seeds. You can plant the book and it becomes, literally, the very thing books are made of. "James Kaelan is a fine, intelligent writer. We’re Getting On is so elegantly and imaginatively written that it should be a significant debut.” --Ha Jin James Kaelan is the author of the novel We're Getting On, which grows into a tree, and which he's touring this summer by bicycle. When he isn't writing or training, he teaches at Pepperdine University and writes criticism for TheMillions.com. His short fiction has appeared in Best New Writing, Monkeybicycle, Avery, and Opium, amongst others. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JULY 2, 2010.