Events – All Events on the back patio

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Thurs July 10th; 7:30pm

Music on the Patio with

Doug Cox (Tramps for the Lord)

&

Terry Durbin

Doug Cox is the force behind Tramp for the Lord. His music wanes and waxes like a forlorn radio signal bounced from the ionosphere, ultimately coming down to Earth to embrace you like a healing tent preacher-or a besotted hooker, up to you to decide! -John Dentino

trampforthelord.bandcamp.com/album/shaking-a-tree

soundcloud.com/tramp-for-the-lord

Terry Durbin is a singer-songwriter guitarist and pianist. Listen to Terry Durbin “Funny That Way” 13 songs CD on East of Sideways Music/B.M.I. (2009) Produced and recorded by James Mankey of Concrete Blonde. The recording band: James Mankey also plays electric guitar, David Kendrick on drums and William Tutton on bass. Terry is former leader of bands:Shoofly “Dirty White Town” (E.O.S. Music 1999) and Apache Dancers “War Stories” on Happy Hermit/I.R.S, 1989. Last year recorded a track “Picture From Life’s Other Side” (Catasonic Music, Echo Park) Mark Wheaton recorded. All Terry Durbin recording can be bought online at retail record stores: Amazon, iTunes, CDBaby, Napster, Emusic, etc. See Terry Durbin music website for more information: reverbnation.com/terrydurbin

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Fri July 11th; 7:30pm

Domenic Priore

&

Christopher Merritt

present

Pacific Ocean Park: The Rise and Fall of Los Angeles’ Space Age Nautical Pleasure Pier

with live music from The Unclaimed and Willow Willow

Pacific Ocean Park–or as it was commonly known in Los Angeles from the ’50s through the ’70s, P.O.P.–was extraordinary in both its glamorous rise and spectacular fall.
As a family-oriented attraction in the ’50s with modernist-styled rides designed by Hollywood’s best, P.O.P.’s attendance briefly surpassed that of Disneyland.
Christopher Merritt and Domenic Priore’s spectacular history includes hundreds of images, most of them unseen elsewhere, including original ride designs and illustrations, including Tiki-rich, space age, and nautical rides. P.O.P. was often widely seen in movies and television shows throughout the ’60s. Its Cheetah auditorium hosted important early rock shows, including those by Ritchie Valens, The Doors, and Pink Floyd.
P.O.P. was located at the dividing line between Santa Monica and Venice, the only spot during Prohibition-era Los Angeles where residents were allowed to dance and consort in a carnival-like atmosphere. The book also backgrounds the infamous “Dogtown” of the ’70s in which surfers took advantage of big waves that rolled through P.O.P.’s rotting piers near homeless junkies.

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Sat July 12th; 7pm

Release party for

“The New Black”

a Neo-Noir anthology from Dark House Press

with authors Richard Lange, Antonia Crane and editor Richard Thomas

The New Black is a collection of 20 neo-noir stories exemplifying the best authors currently writing in this dark sub-genre. A mixture of horror, crime, fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, the transgressive, and the grotesque all with a literary bent, these stories represent the future of genre-bending fiction from some of our brightest and most original voices.

Antonia Crane is the author of Spent (Rare Bird Books). She teaches teenagers creative writing in Los Angeles when she can convince them to log off of Facebook. Her work can be found in Akashic’s The Heroin Chronicles, Soft Skull Press’ Johns, Marks, Tricks & Chickenhawks: Professionals & Their Clients Writing about Each Other, The Rumpus, Dame Magazine, Salon, PANK, Black Clock, Slake, The Los Angeles Review and other places.

Richard Lange’s stories have appeared in The Sun, The Iowa Review, and Best American Mystery Stories, and as part of the Atlantic Monthly’s Fiction for Kindle series. He is the author of the collection Dead Boys and the novels Angel Baby and This Wicked World. He received the Rosenthal Family Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was a 2009 Guggenheim Fellow. He lives in Los Angeles.

Richard Thomas is the author of five books: Disintegration (Random House Alibi), Transubstantiate (Otherworld Publications), and two short story collections, Herniated Roots (Snubnose Press) and Staring Into the Abyss (Kraken Press), as well as one novella Of Four Corners (Dzanc Books). With over 100 stories published, his credits include Cemetery Dance, PANK, Gargoyle, Weird Fiction Review, Midwestern Gothic, Arcadia, Pear Noir!, Chrial Mad 2, and Shivers VI (with Stephen King and Peter Straub). He has won contests at ChiZine, One Buck Horror, and Jotspeak and has received five Pushcart Prize nominations to date. He is also the editor of three anthologies out in 2014: The New Black (Dark House Press), The Lineup (Black Lawrence Press) and Burnt Tongues (Medallion Press) with Chuck Palahniuk. In his spare time he is a book critic at The Nervous Breakdown, a columnist at LitReactor, and Editor-in-Chief at Dark House Press

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Tues July 15th; 7:30pm

Come join October Crifasi for a pre comic-con celebration of all our favorite nerd songs!

October Crifasi is a musician, writer, music educator, amazon princess and fan girl extraordinaire. A former member of the L.A. music collective, Killsonic, October has experience performing and teaching nationwide. She was a faculty member at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and has provided guitar coaching and consultation for the Great American Country Channel (GAC), MTV Networks, and Lifetime Television. She lives a parallel life as comics and magazine writer with a short story in the 2014 Eisner-nominated anthology, Outlaw Territory, Vol 3 (Image Comics) and a monthly column in Acoustic Guitar Magazine.

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Thurs July 17th; 7:30pm

its Homo-Centric

our monthly LBGT literary juggernaut

hosted by the luminous

Hank Henderson

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Tues July 22nd; 7:30pm

Nathan Sutton

presents

“Tower Grove Park”

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Thus July 24th; 7:30pm

Randy Cauthen

presents his newest collection of poetry

“Slow Night”

Randy Cauthen is Poet in Residence and Associate Professor of English at Cal State, Dominguez Hills. He has also worked as a horse-drawn carriage driver, First Mate of an Erie Canal packet boat, disc jockey, bartender, and actor, most notably in the world premiere of Samuel Beckett’s “Radio One.” His previous books are The Use of Force (poems) and Black Letters (nonfiction).His blog Killing Goliath (in collaboration with Tom Dolan, Don Aplin, and Mike Haile) was named by The Guardian (London) as one of the best American antiwar resources during the Bush Administration’s marketing campaign for the Iraq War.

Slow Night is a book of lyrics set in the third century A.D. along the Silk Road, and written in the imagined voice of a poet named Po Kuan. Like many Chinese poets of his time and afterwards, Po was also a minor state official who, before the book itself takes place, was exiled for some unknown bureaucratic sin. He was unique in how far his exile took him — instead of traveling back and forth between individual stations on the Silk Road, Po appears to reached the outer edges of the Roman Empire, coming into contact with the various competing mythologies of that time and place. The persona of Po Kuan allowed (and in fact forced) Cauthen to write clearly and simply, using only the oldest poetic materials — wind and rain, mountains and deserts.

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Fri July 25th; 7:30pm

Release party for

Joseph A. Pasquale’s

latest novel

“Hollywood Love Crimes”

w/

Steve Abee author of

“Johnny Future”

JOSEPH A PASQUALE is the author of Hollywood Love Crimes and Hollywood Downbeat. He has written 25 books and is the creator and owner of the “LOVE JUNKY” trademarked series. This series spans eight unpublished novels and seven short story books embracing thousands of pages and millions of words. Mr. Pasquale resides in Los Angeles, California where he is hard at work on revising and editing the novels and his unreleased body of “Love Junky” work.

STEVE ABEE began writing when he held a job as an orderly at St. John’s hospital in Santa Monica. His mind started to unfold itself and he thought if he was going to save it, he better start writing things down. Abee has previously published two books, King Planet and The Bus: Cosmic Ejaculations of the Daily Mind in Transit. He teaches middle school English and lives on the eastern-most edge of Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.

Cafe Menu

Breakfast served til 1pm daily …

Breakfast Burrito …………………………………. $6.75

Scrambled Eggs & Toast ………………………… $5.25

Scrambled eggs w/ fresh goat cheese & basil … $7.25

Egg & cheese bagel …………………………………. $4.95

Served all day, everday ….

Bagel & cream cheese ……………………………….. $2.95

Bagel & hummus made from scratch …………… $3.95

Bagel & butter ……………………………………….. $2.50

Stories’ Neighborhood Famous Veggie Chili w/ cheese & onions ………..$6.75

Hummus with warm pita ………………………….. $4.50

Raisin Walnut Toast with Cialis fig jam, goat cheese & arugula …………………$6.25

Toast & Laura Ann’s Jam ………………………….. $4.25

Oatmeal w/ strawberry OR fig jam, cranberries & steamed milk ………..$4.95

Yogurt w/ fruit & MIXED artisan granola drizzled w/ honey …………. $4.95

Kate’s Mid-West Chili- Mac …………………………. $6.95

Spicy mac n’ cheese w/ spinach salad ……………..$7.50

Fresh made sandwiches from our grab n go fridge!

Baked goods from Village Bakery!

Croissants from Bread Bar!

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.

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

Need a bookseller for your event? Write to 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.”

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.