Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center facts for kids
The Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center is a special place in Venice, Los Angeles, California, where people who love books, poetry, and art come together. It started in 1968 and is located in an old building that used to be the Venice City Hall. This center offers many exciting things like public readings, creative workshops, a bookstore, and a huge collection of small, independent books and magazines. It's a hub for new ideas and creative expression!
History of Beyond Baroque
Beyond Baroque was started in 1968 by George Drury Smith. He began by publishing a magazine called Beyond Baroque from a small shop in Venice. This shop quickly became a popular meeting spot. People came for workshops, to read their poems, and to enjoy art and music.
Over the years, many famous writers and poets from Los Angeles have visited or learned at Beyond Baroque. Some of these include Joseph Hansen, John Harris, and Simone Forti. Even Exene Cervenka, who later formed the band X, was the center's first librarian! Some of artist Mike Kelley's first performances happened here too.
The center hosts over 200 writers each year for readings. Some well-known names who have shared their work include Amanda Gorman, Allen Ginsberg, Patti Smith, and Viggo Mortensen.
Beyond Baroque also keeps and sells special small books called chapbooks, and other poetry and experimental stories from small publishers. They also have events for experimental music, film showings, and art exhibits. They organize cool festivals like the Les Femmes Underground International Film Festival and the World Beyond Festival. They even team up with the LA Poetry Festival for an event called Younger Poets, which helps new poets from the Los Angeles area share their work.
Since it began, the people who run Beyond Baroque have often been writers and artists themselves. This helps keep the center a creative and inspiring place for everyone.
Publishing at Beyond Baroque
In 1998, Beyond Baroque started its own publishing company called Beyond Baroque Books. This company focuses on publishing new and experimental writing and poetry from Los Angeles. They have published many books, including works by Ammiel Alcalay and Simone Forti. They also publish collections of writings from their workshops and other art and literature magazines.
Other publications have also been created at the center, like Momentum Press and Little Caesar. This shows how Beyond Baroque is not just a place for readings and workshops, but also for creating and sharing new literary works with the world.
