Poesia Para La Gente & Writ Large Press Present:
the Neighborhood Literary-scape Project

Avenue 50 Studio (Poesia Para La Gente) & Writ Large Press have teamed up to develop a year long three-part project that aims to explore the literary talent and inspiration that is embedded, but unseen, deep within our cities roots. And then we’ll publish them, and then the books will be sold throughout the city, in neighborhood businesses transformed into bookstores!

The Goldhirsh Foundation’s LA2050 Challenge is funding 10 creative projects with $100,000 each. Five will win based on number of votes.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!!

All we need is your VOTE!!!!

1. Beginning on September 2nd at 12pm (pdt) visit:
http://myla2050create.maker.good.is/projects/NEIGHBORHOODLITSCAPE

2. click “Vote ” (YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE IN LA)

3. Log in with your GOOD account. If you don’t have a GOOD account, it’s free to join. All you need is an email address or FACEBOOK account.

4. You can only vote once, so make sure to share with your friends!

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So, what’s the project?

“Neighborhood Literary-scape Project”

Our project seeks to highlight and legitimize local literary voices as a means for sparking public discourse and energizing the authentic spaces of the city. The neighborhood becomes, in effect, a literary event space, a literary-scape. The goal therefore is to not only continue drawing new visitors to the underserved neighborhoods of Los Angeles, but to draw their attention to overlooked or unusual spaces and to explore the idea that art can be everywhere and benefit everyone. In lieu of economic development being tied solely to new outsider business, this project cultivates and highlights the rich resources, everyday sites, and traditions of the existing community, enabling residents, local artists, and established businesses to benefit from the area’s increasing economic vitality, rather than being replaced.

The “Neighborhood Literary-scape Project” consists of 7 three-part programs, taking place over a twelve month period.

#1 – Each program will begin with a 5-day poetry workshop held at a service facility/organization typically lacking in opportunities for literary participation – e.g. women’s shelter, foster care facility, day laborers center. These workshops will be facilitated by a poet, feature a guest poet speaker for inspiration, and result in preparation of participants’ poems for publication.

#2 – The second phase will result in the publication of the work created during the workshop. The books will be published by Writ Large Press, the proceeds of which will go to support future literary projects, and/or for fundraising purposes for the organization where the workshop was held.

#3 – In the final phase, workshop participants (and/or their families), and a selection of poets (along with local musicians), who are local to the specific neighborhood, will read their published work at an open mic book launch at a selected local business, – e.g. a small produce market, a laundromat, or a bakery. The local business will then have the option of selling the book at their facility.

At the culmination of the year-long project, we will celebrate the publication of the entire 7 book series at larger book launch event(s), to be held at a public space(s), venue(s) and bookstore(s). The series of 7 books will be made available for purchase individually or as a complete series box set, to be sold at local bookstores, and possibly state and nation-wide.

We hope to take this project to other cities, that lack programs that serve underrepresented communities.
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Writ Large Press and Avenue 50 Studio have worked tirelessly to promote the literary community that exists in Los Angeles through projects under the umbrellas of DTLAB and Poesia Para La Gente. This project isn’t only a dream, their track record of producing successful public literary events is proof that this is very well possible, and will happen one way or another .

Please support Peter Woods, Chiwan Choi, Judeth Choi, Jessica Ceballos, Sarah Meacham, Kathy Gallegos and poets throughout Los Angeles, and the service organizations and businesses that this project looks to serve as a means of connecting with the community.

We appreciate your support! XO