The Culver City Book Festival will return on Sunday, March 29, from 10 AM to 5 PM. The event is free and open to everyone, and will highlight the work of local authors, publishers, journals, and literary nonprofits. A partnership between Culver City Arts Foundation, Village Well Books & Coffee, El Martillo Press, Beyond Baroque, the Wende Museum and the City of Culver City. The event takes place on site at the Wende Museum, 10808 Culver Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90230.

“This festival is intended to be accessible to and inclusive of the many creative voices in our community,” says Village Well Books & Coffee founder and owner Jennifer Caspar. Village Well is an independent bookstore and café located in downtown Culver City, opened in 2020. “We are delighted to be the organizers for this year’s festival, which gathers and channels the energy of this very creative community.”

In addition to tables exhibiting the work of local presses, there will be panels on a variety of topics including:

● “Finding Hope & Ways to Cope” with Claire Bidwell Smith, Christiane Wolf, Mandy Kahn, and Alessandra Olanow, moderated by Barry Goldstein
● “LA Women VS the Void” with Anna Dorn, Ruth Madievsky, Allie Rowbottom, Nada Alic, and Kim Samek, moderated by Francesca Lia Block
● “Behind the Meet-Cute: The Mechanics of Modern Romance” with Joss Richard, Myah Ariel, Allison Raskin, and Clare Osongco, moderated by Taylor Capizola

There will also be a variety of kids activities, including:
● Storytime with Barney Saltzberg
● Storytime with Chelsea Lin Wallace
● Live music with Kevin Schatz
● Storytime and signing with Stuart Gibbs
● Storytime with Sasha Mayer
● Storytime with Elana Arnold
● Graphic novel workshop with Karina Evans

And a “poetry river” to celebrate Women’s History Month, convened by El Martillo Press.
● Celebrating Women's History Month, twelve incredible women writers from Los Angeles and beyond come together for a poetry river in the courtyard of the Wende Museum for the Culver City Book Festival! What is a poetry river? It's a reading where each poet reads one piece at a time and where each poet's reading flows into the other. Come hear as this diverse lineup shares their perspectives on womanhood, women's rights, femininity and the divine feminine, history and culture, contemporary politics, and more!

Exhibitors will include literary organizations such as The Museum of Tolerance, What Books Press, Heavy Manners Library, Angel City Press, X Artists’ Press Books, WriteGirl, WriteOn!, and more.

For more information and current list of participants and activities, visit https://villagewell.com/events/culver-city-book-festival; email: bookfest@villagewell.com.

The Culver City Book Festival is a partnership between Culver City Arts Foundation, Village Well Books & Coffee, El Martillo Press, the Wende Museum, Beyond Baroque, and the City of Culver City.