Eastsider on the Go

Love Letters & Hate Mail

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:58:00 +0000

Chicano artist and Eastside resident Linda Gamboa has been part of the city's cultural scene since the early 1980s. After taking a break from poetry readings, she is back and will join fellow female poets Frankie Salinas and Pat Viera at a La Palabra Poetry Reading this afternoon (Sunday, Nov. 22) at Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park.

The program is titled "Love Letters & Hate Mail" and here is one of Gamboa's poems:

Nevermore ... I Say

"Nevermore, will I go back..."
I've said (over and over)
Put myself in the position
Of ridicule and disrespect
Still, I find myself
Here
Sitting in the threshold of pain
Eating my pride
Once more
With each bitter bite
I cringe
Just to think
I have sunk
So low

Artists respond to the recession by printing money

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:42:00 +0000

The Arroyo Arts Collective's 17th annual studio tour on Sunday has an economic theme - the "Recovery Discovery Tour" - and even its own currency. Those who take the self-guided tour of artist studios and homes in Eagle Rock, Highland Park and Mt. Washington will receive a $10 Arroyo Bucks coupon that is good toward a single purchase of at least $100 from any one artist on the tour. Tour-goers who arrive by Metro will receive a pair of $10 Arroyo Bucks.

The $10 Arroyo Buck - designed by artist C.J. Metzger, who will be on the tour - features the image of Hendrick Stooker, one of the founders of the Arroyo Arts Collective, a former arts historian at Occidental College and a longtime supporter of the arts in Northeast Los Angeles (Stooker will also be on the tour). It's not clear what a wad of Stookers will be worth after the tour but organizers hope the coupons will perk up sales on Sunday:

"Need a plein-air painting to stand in for that view you used to have? Could that barrel you're wearing use a jaunty hand-painted scarf? Seriously, folks, artists have always known how to have a good time and bring out the best of an economic downturn."

Artwork by C.J. Metzger/Arroyo Arts Collective

The Future of Echo Park is filled with printed t-shirts, Doc Martens and vintage VHS tapes

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:03:00 +0000

After running an online store, blog and collective, Will Brinkerhoff is taking a step out of the virtual world and into the realm of retailing with an apparel and accessories store called Future. The 28-year-old Brinkeroff said the newly opened Sunset Boulevard store west of Lemoyne Street in Echo Park will feature the artwork and merchandise created by artists and new designers. Future will also stock as some well know brands - such as Doc Marten shoes - and mainstream products - such as jeans - that appeal to a young, budget-minded shopper.

"The physical shop is a way for us have a little business and is also a way to showcase things we think are rad at the street level," Brinkerhoff said. "Another cool component of FUTURE is our relationship with creatives all around the world and we're always thinking of new ways to share what they are doing with our customer base."

Why Future? "I thought it would be a cool name," said Brinkerhoff of his first retail venture.

Future and friends will be holding a party tonight featuring some a DJ and some deals on merchandise.

Eastside Shopper & Diner

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:39:00 +0000

Dress up that holiday table: Oil Cloth International holds its bi-annual warehouse sale in Highland Park on Saturday.

The Beaujolais Noveau has arrived and Taix in Echo Park is pouring it tonight for $7 a glass.

Skip the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie and go for the cannoli from the Village Bakery & Cafe in Atwater.

Fix up those cracked walls with non-toxic American Clay now sold at Par Paint in Echo Park.

Skip Thanksgiving cooking all together had have dinner prepared and delivered ($25) from Auntie Em's in Eagle Rock.

Beer and wine now being served (but you can still bring your own) at The Park in Echo Park.

Shop for hand-crafted hand bags to soy candles at the Eagle Rock Holiday Boutique.

Now open in Echo Park: Blue Collar for working dogs and Future for working hipsters.

Photo from Oil Cloth International

Working dogs have a new place to shop - and sniff - in Echo Park

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:40:00 +0000

Blue Collar, a pet supply store primarily for dogs and the occasional cat, quietly opened its doors for business this week on Echo Park Avenue. The store, located in a renovated 2,600-square-foot warehouse space, is serious about promoting itself as selling "supplies for the working dog." Not only does the store sell pet food and toys but training collars, bite-sleeves, and other equipment for police, rescue, hunting and service dogs used by the blind.

The owners, former music industry workers Michelle van Arendonk and Barry Hewitt (pictured above with their dog, Grimm, recovering from recent surgery), also said they will stock bigger harnesses and and supplies for bully breeds and pit bull mixes popular in the neighborhood. It will be several weeks before all the merchandise arrives and a grooming station and training classes will be available, van Arendonk said. The store, which is making available samples of grain-free and holistic pet food, is currently open seven days a week from 10 am to 7 pm.

Eastside Shopper & Diner

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:54:00 +0000

Hydroponically grown lettuce & greens now on sale at the Friday's Echo Park Farmers' Market.

Duck carnitas hit the spot at Eagle Rock's Cacao Mexicatessen.

Forget duck, go for the pig: eight types of pork carnitas served on the weekends at Metro Balderas in Highland Park. (h/t to LA Taco)

Where to dine with mom & dad in Echo Park? Jonathan Gold says the Alston Yacht Club.

Beer fans preparing to tap into the Eagle Rock Brewery.

Photo courtesy Echo Park Farmers' Market

Peanut butter on paper? Anything goes at the Monster Drawing Rally

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:54:00 +0000

There is really only one rule that matters for the more than 100 artists who will participate in Sunday's Monster Drawing Rally in Eagle Rock to benefit Outpost for Contemporary Art. They must finish a drawing in an hour or less. What materials they use- including last year's peanut butter creation by Evan Holloway - is up to them.

The group supplies the artists with more conventional art supplies, said Julie Deamer of the Highland Park-based arts group. "Artists do often bring their own stuff to supplement our offerings, however, and to really great results."

In addition to peanut butter, one of last year's artists, Enrique Castrejon, used a ruler, prot ractor and calculator to shape his drawing. Castrejon's math-based art is featured in the posters for this year's event.

About 25 artists will be drawing in one-hour shifts. Once the hour is up, the artists put down their tools and supplies and their drawings can be purchased for $75. Peanut butter sold separately.

Top photo courtesy of Outpost; Bottom drawing by Enrique Castrejon.

A Silver Lake exhibit comes to a tasty conclusion

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:27:00 +0000

This coming weekend marks the end of the "Back to Basics" exhibit at Silver Lake's Materials & Applications. But first, the stars of the show must be caught, filleted and then shoved into a taco. The Saturday night Fish Taco Party will feature the approximately 20 tilapia that have been raised in a tank in the M&A courtyard as part of an exhibit to get city dwellers interested in raising their own food, said Jenna Didier, founder of the Silver Lake Boulevard exhibition space that focuses on architecture and landscape.

Didier has watched the tilapia grow in the tank outside her office since May. But she said she will have no trouble savoring a tilapia taco. "I don't think I will have any misgivings about it," she said. But, "there is definitely an amount of respect you gain from that animal."

Didier faced an unexpectedly difficult time trying to buy live tilapia. Fish farmers were very reluctant to sell the baby fish for fear of creating a competitor, Didier said. M&A had to promise not to go into the seafood breeding business before a fish farm donated the fingerlings. Normally, the tank at the exhibition space could have held 200 Talapia but M&A was able to get only 20.

The M&A Talapia were fed a combination of organic fish food and protein-rich Duckweed, which was also grown in tanks at the exhibition space. On Friday, those fish, which now weigh about a pound each, will be caught, prepared and marinated overnight. Since Didier expects a big crowd for the closing on Saturday, which will coincide with the Silver Lake Art Crawl, other farm-raised fish will be purchased to make sure there are enough fish tacos (there were also be M&A grown veggies, too).

Didier prefers breaded, Baja-style fish tacos with crema and cabbage. But the M&A fish tacos will be barbecued instead.

Photo from Materials & Applications

Eastside Shopper & Diner

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:38:00 +0000

If you don't read them, wear them: recycled newspaper and magazine costumes at Tavin in Echo Park.

All books 10% to 70% off at Skylight Books anniversary sale this weekend.

Decorate your home for Halloween for $6.58 at the Silver Lake 99 Cents Only store.

Another reason to give up drinking: House of Spirits liquor store in Echo Park raises the minimum purchase on credit cards to $20.

Echo Park landmark makes room for a new restaurant *

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:14:00 +0000

Several of the storefronts in the landmark Jensen's Recreation Center in the heart of Echo Park's business district have been vacant as the building undergoes an extensive renovation. One of the empty spaces had been a high-profile corner spot at Sunset Boulevard and Logan Streets. But that space, a former medical clinic that has been transformed into a dramatic two-story space (pictures above under construction) has apparently been leased out to vegan and raw cuisine caterer Stephen Hauptfuhr of Mooi Food.

***

Hauptfuhr has been looking for a space to open a vegan-raw food restaurant earlier in the year nearby on Glendale Boulevard where it passes underneath Sunset Boulevard, according to Daily Dish. But he ended up in a much more high profile location in the historic 1924 structure. Hauptfuhr said by email he will provide more details about the restaurant later today. News about Mooi moving into Jensen's comes after another local restauranteur, Gareth Kantner of Silver Lake's Cafe Stella, abandoned plans earlier this year to open a restaurant in the same building.

* Update: Hauptfuhr said his vegan-raw food restaurant might be as open as early as December on a limited basis for private parties before a grand opening early next year. He does not use animal products - not even honey. The tentative plans are to serve sit-down dinners on Wednesday through Saturday, featuring affordable meals - priced from $25 to $40 a couple -as well as more expensive specials. During the day, Mooi would focus on selling deserts, snacks and ice cream (based on cashews) during much of the week.

"This place is perfect," said Mooi. "It's just an amazing space."

Mooi (pronounced moy) means "beautiful" in Dutch, said Hauptfuhr who is half German.

Eastside Shopper & Diner

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:22:00 +0000

Dodgers lose but fans win with a weekend sale on team apparel at 4th Quarter Shop in Highland Park. (h/t to 90042).

When did fanny packs come back? In green for $17 at American Apparel in Echo Park.

Who needs meat? Vegan ice cream on sale at Figueroa Produce in Highland Park; Vegan Happy Hour at the Short Stop in Echo Park.

Half off organic printed t-shirts with purchase at Feeding Birds Boutique in Echo Park.

Class is in session at Barbrix in Silver Lake.

Strange name, good deal: $8 dinner at It's Thai Hometaurant in Echo Park.

Start the morning with a clean car. Early birds pay $8.99 from 8 AM - 11 AM at Echo Park's Car Wash on Sunset Monday-Thursday.

New businesses on the block: The Future, apparel for young men and women, is coming to Echo Park in November; Bobbie, an apparel and accessories for women, opening in the former Peron Antique store on Sunset by early December.

Thumbs up for Witch's Fingers at the Village Bakery in Atwater.

Image from 4th Quarter Shop

Who would you honor on the Day of the Dead?

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:01:00 +0000

Would it be the memory of a beloved family member, teacher, pet or barista? It's your decision what you want to do with a 10' x 10' altar space at a Dia de Los Muertos celebration being organized by El Centro del Pueblo in Echo Park. No fee is required for individual altars but space is limited and burning candles are not allowed. Click here for the application.

Image from El Centro Del Pueblo

Eastside Shopper & Diner

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:22:00 +0000

Handmade bunny and animal buttons on sale at $18 each at Home Ec. in Silver Lake.

Butter Tart in Glassell Park gets a new owner and a new menu with corned beef hash and "heirloom" grits for breakfast.

American Apparel in Echo Park celebrates its 6th anniversary with 20% off selected items and an after-hours party on Sunday.

It pays to eat early: Taix in Echo Park serving three course meals from 5 pm to 6 pm for $12.95.

Beginners banjo class (5 sessions for $62.50) at Eagle Rock Music Studio.

Antigua coffee to brew once again in El Sereno.

More wine and beer to begin flowing soon after Costa Alegre in Echo Park opens a patio bar.

Cocktails as well as coffee to be served at LA Mill in Silver Lake.

Photo from Home Ec

Day of the Dead celebration to make more room for the living

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:16:00 +0000

By Ana Facio Contreras

The people who plan to attend next month's Dia De Los Muertos celebration organized by Self Help Graphics and Art won’t have to worry about having enough elbow room or finding a parking spot on the side streets. What they will have to worry about is making sure they head for the right location. For the first time in more than 10 years, the Dia de Los Muertos celebration will be held away from the Self Help Graphics building at the corner of Cesar Chavez and Gage Avenue in East Los Angeles. Instead, this year's Day of the Dead event will be held at the East Los Angeles Civic Center on 3rd Street near Mednik Avenue. The idea is create more room for the estimated 5,000 to 8,000 revelers who attend what organizers call the longest running Day of the Dead celebration in the county.

***

After Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina’s office offered the civic center and Belvedere Park for the Nov. 2 event, the non-profit Chicano arts center decided to change the venue, said Evonne Gallardo, Self Help Graphics and Art executive director.

“They sort of extended the offer, and it came at a really great time because we were thinking about all our space constraints and our desire to make it more comfortable for our attendees,” Gallardo said.

“I think what Self Help Graphics and Art is really about is that we’re not about being in a building; we’re about community. And so wherever we go, I think our community will go with us, and that includes our 36th Annual Day of the Dead event.”

Gallardo said the last time the event was held outside the arts center was in the 1990s at the Ford Amphitheater.

A procession starting at 4 p.m. at the Virgen de Guadalupe mural at Cesar E. Chavez and Mednick avenues near Belvedere Park will kick off the event, which will continue at the civic center from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The event’s featured artist and curator is Diane Gamboa, who came up with this year’s theme: “Deadly Stylish.” Based on the theme, Gamboa and fellow artist Victoria Delgadillo conceived the Camino de Calaca Couture fashion walk.

“It’s not a fashion show,” Gallardo said. “It’s just people who are fabulously dressed that night will be asked to walk across the stage and share their creative expression with everyone at the event.”

Everyone who attends is encouraged to dress in his or her finest Day of the Dead attire, she said.
Besides the Camino de Calaca Couture fashion walk, the event will also feature live music, vendors and activities for children and adults.

The Self Help Graphics building will still host a series of events - including art exhibits, free art workshops and the building of a community alter - in the weeks before and after the Day of the Dead.

“We’re taking the celebration to Belvedere Park, but so many of the programs that accompany our Day of the Dead activities are still happening here,” Gallardo said.

Photos and images from Self Help Graphics & Art

The cultural and environmental legacy of an Occidental College poet

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:31:00 +0000

The poetry of Robinson Jeffers is in the spotlight as Occidental College hosts a series of events celebrating one of its most notable alums (class of 1905) who wrote extensively on the environment. On Saturday, Jeffers poetry will be part of several events - including a reading, sculpture dedication and garden opening - at The Southwest Museum in Mt. Washington and the Lummis House in Highland Park. The events will continue through early November as part of The Big Read: Jeffers and the Ecologies of Poetry.

***

Jeffers, who died in 1962, is best known for his poems inspired by the Western landscape, the Central California coast, in particular. So, why should his work be of interest to modern day Angelenos, particularly those who live in the Eastside? Occidental College professor Thomas Burkdall said Jeffers' words and sentiments still resonate with Americans living far from the Pacific.

"Even though Jeffers did focus his work on the Central Coast of California, I see his poetry as relevant to all of California ecology and, indeed, much of America," Burkdall said in an email. "In his poem, Carmel Point, Jeffers observes:

'This beautiful place defaced with a crop of suburban houses-

How beautiful when we first beheld it.'

Whether this is the Carmel coast or the Verdugo Hills, I think we can all understand this nostalgia for a pristine landscape," Burkdall said. In the wake of the recent fires that swept through the nearby mountains, Burdall offered up this Jeffers poem titled Fire on the Hills:

The deer were bounding like blown leaves
Under the smoke in front of the roaring wave of the brush-fire;
I thought of the smaller lives that were caught.
Beauty is not always lovely; the fire was beautiful, the terror
Of the deer was beautiful; and when I returned
Down the back slopes after the fire had gone by, an eagle
Was perched on the jag of a burnt pine,
Insolent and gorged, cloaked in the folded storms of his shoulders
He had come from far off for the good hunting
With fire for his beater to drive the game; the sky was merciless
Blue, and the hills merciless black,
The sombre-feathered great bird sleepily merciless between them.
I thought, painfully, but the whole mind,
The destruction that brings an eagle from heaven is better than men.

- Robinson Jeffers

Portrait of Jeffers by Remsen Bird/Occidental College

Echo Park's Gold Room gets polished up

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:13:00 +0000

The Gold Room was one of a string of Sunset Boulevard dive bars - such as El Prado, Little Joy Jr., New Hollyway and The Short Stop - that attracted the loyalty - and ire - of Echo Park residents. Those bars have either closed or been transformed into havens for hipsters. Locals have been debated whether The Gold Room, which was long popular with Latino immigrants and working class drinkers, lost its dive bar status long ago. The bar's owners insist it's still a dive bar despite a recent renovation that left it with more of a lounge-like look, complete with a glowing wall of gold, a new banquette and furniture, sound system and digital jukebox. But what about the free peanuts, tacos and the $4 beer with a shot?

***

Don't worry - the prices and specials remains the same, said general manager Lionel Ledezma, who used work down the street at The Echo. "We are just trying to bring out the gold in the Gold Room. I think people are going to love the change."

But things have not changed too much, he cautions. "It still has the vibe of a dive bar."

The Highland Park man behind Mountains & Myths

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:58:00 +0000

The future role of the Southwest Museum remains unclear amid an ongoing dispute between the Autry Museum, which controls the Southwest, and residents. But the historic Mt. Washington cultural center remains open - on a limited basis - and continues to stage exhibitions. This weekend, artist Raoul de La Sota closes an exhibit of paintings - Of Mountains & Myths - in the museum's Plains Gallery. The exhibit of about three dozen paintings is a good opportunity to explore the work of De La Sota, a long time Highland Park resident, whose work has been exhibited in 15 countries.

The show at the Southwest Museum came about after De La Sota staged a smaller exhibit at museum's Casa de Adobe on Figueroa Street. The Mountains and Myths show focuses on the connection between the mountains and myths and believes of Native Americans, said De La Sota, who has lived in Highland Park since 1977.

De la Sota will be at the museum on Saturday after 1 pm to discuss the show and his work.

Photo by Katrina Alexy

Scenes from East of the River

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:23:00 +0000

Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park will hold a closing reception tonight for
East of the River – Images from the ‘Perdido en Califas’ Series, featuring 41 Polaroid photos by John Tapia Urquiza. The region covered by the exhibit extends from the banks of the Los Angeles River east to the desert. "The southwest prints evoke an era long past while the objects and scenes of East Los Angeles recall childhood memories," said a gallery press release. The closing reception and "Happy Docent Hour" mixer will be held from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

Urquiza, who grew up in El Sereno, lives in Eagle Rock.

Photo: Beat 64/By John Tapia Urquiza

Eastside Shopper & Diner

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:58:00 +0000

Apparel by Whish and other designers will be sold at 15% to 40% off this weekend at Feeding Birds Boutique in Echo Park.

Now serving bacon scones at the Village Bakery & Cafe in Atwater.

Shop and eat green with the new Eastside Green Guide.

Pescado Mojado celebrates 25 years in Echo Park with 50% off selected items on Monday through Friday, 3 pm - 6 pm.

Beauty Box to offer manicures and pedicures after it moves to its new Echo Park location at 1498 Sunset Blvd.

Photo from Feeding Birds Boutique

Will coffee perk up an East Los Anglees landmark?

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:24:00 +0000

The owner of Silver Lake's Coffee Table restaurant plans to open a cafe inside the mosaic-covered Self Help Graphics & Art building in East Los Angeles. Brett Schoenhals expects to open Cafe con Leche early next year within the arts center at the corner of Cesar Chavez and Gage avenues. The menu at the cafe, which won't have a full kitchen, will focus on soups, salads and sandwiches, Schoenhals said.

Self Help, founded nearly 40 years ago, hired a new executive director earlier this year as the nonprofit seeks to establish a more solid financial footing. The building is home to a print-making studio, classrooms and gallery spaces. Schoenhals said his cafe will occupy about 2,000-square-feet of space, including the highly visible corner location. His plan is to showcase the work of Self Help artists during ongoing exhibitions in the cafe.

Photo from SelfHelpGraphics.com

Eastside Shopper & Diner

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:45:00 +0000

No butter, just fat: Happy hour and duck-fat-popped popcorn with fennel powder are back Barbrix in Silver Lake.

Rockaway Records celebrates 30 years in Silver Lake with a parking lot sale - 99 cent CDs - and up to 75% off on in-store merchandise.

Everyone has a top 10 list: Bon Appetit magazine names Viet Noodle Bar in Atwater as one of the nation's top 10 new noodle bars.

Paper, please: Newsstand opens in Echo Park.

Tired of chicken? Figueroa Produce in Highland Park now selling grass-fed beef.

Photo from Barbrix.com

Paper, please: A newsstand opens in Echo Park *

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:39:00 +0000

If everyone is buying, selling, reading and doing everything else online, somebody forgot to tell Echo Park business owners. The past year has seen the opening of retro retailers like a bookstore -Stories - and a record shop - Origami Vinyl - despite the explosion of online book and music sales. Now, another old school business has opened its doors in Echo Park, the Mohawk Newsstand on Mohawk Street north of Sunset Boulevard. Tucked into what looks like a former one-car garage behind The Coffee Pot cafe, the Mohawk Newstand is owned by Neil Forn, a Woodland Hills resident and businessman with a love of magazines. He opened the spot in partnership with the owners of the Coffee Pot, which will also make room for one of his magazine racks.

Echo Park used to have a large newsstand that once stretched along what is now a medical clinic at the northwest corner of Echo Park Avenue and Sunset Boulevard. What's left is a much smaller news hut of sorts that sells many Spanish-language publications. There's another small newsstand on Sunset Boulevard west of Alvarado. The Mohawk Newsstand, however, is much larger, stocking more than 200 titles that seem to appeal to every neighborhood niche. Some of the specialty titles include Vanidades, Pilates Style, Taost, Low Rider, Tattoo and Cesar's (of Dog Whisperer fame).

"People still want to buy magazines," said Forn, who is a fan of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics. "Print is not completely dead yet."

* Correction: Previous versions of this post misspelled the owner's last name as Form. The correct spelling is Forn.

It's not all about kids at 826LA in Echo Park

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:55:00 +0000

The Echo Park branch of 826LA is best known for its work helping kids through tutoring and writing programs. But the non profit also holds programs and events for adults. On Tuesday night, the organization will hold one of its Adult Writers Panels in Echo Park on the comic book business. The panel features such ground breaking cartoonists as Lalo Alcaraz, creator of the La Cucaracha strip; Jaime Hernandez of Love and Rockets fame; Candorville cartoonist Darrin Bell; and industry veteran Marv Wolfman. The seminar, which costs $25 to attend, will be hosted by author Salvador Plascencia (the $25 helps pay for the free tutoring and writing programs.)

Erica Flores with 826LA said the organization hosts Adult Writer Panels every four to six weeks, with most of them held in the group's Venice outpost. "But we would like to even it out a bit and have these events equally at both locations, especially if the community shows an interest," Flores said by email. "As a writing-focused center, these panels tend to center around different aspects of writing in various fields. Mostly these panels are a way for aspiring writers to get insight and advice from well known writers in their field."

Top image by Lalo Alcaraz; bottom image by Jaime Hernandez

Eastside Shopper & Diner

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:44:00 +0000

Why settle for an omelette when you can have duck confit, sweet potato hash and a "Ship to Shore" Bloody Mary? It's the new Sunday Brunch starting this weekend at Echo Park's Allston Yacht Club.

Yoga on the cheap ($10 a semester) at the Yosemite Recreation Center in Eagle Rock and Glassell Park Senior Center.

Closing sale: All Shades of Green is discounting its green products as it prepares to shut down its Silver Lake store.

Sleep on this: Sleep E-Z Mattress is closing its Echo Park showroom and discounting remaining merchandise by about 40%

LA Bread becomes The Village Bakery in Atwater

Step this way: Serifos in Silver Lake is carrying the new "A Guide to the Public Stairways of Los Angeles"

Silver Lake block party and sale on Saturday.

Photo from All Shades of Green

Elysian Valley prepares for another Frogtown Artwalk

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:24:00 +0000

Wedged between the Los Angeles River and the 5 Freeway, the tiny homes and warehouses packed into Elysian Valley seem cut off from the rest of the city. The sense of isolation and seclusion appeals to many residents as well as long-time artists. But Elysian Valley, also called Frogtown, has been attracting more attention as more high profile artists convert former warehouse and industrial buildings into studios. On Saturday, outsiders can take a peek inside this artist community in this year's Frogtown Art Walk. More than 30 artists will be opening up their studios this year on the self-guided tour. If you are not into site specific installations or performance art, there will also be live music and, if you like, a night time stroll along the river.

Photo by Tasawa via Flickr