Rick Moody at Black Clock Launch Party

I just returned from seeing Rick Moody read at the Mandrake from the most recent issue of Black Clock. The reading also featured Merrill Feitell, Seth Greenland, and CalArts alum Sara Gerot. The reading and party were fantastic. I love the Los Angeles literary scene. So rich, yet unpretentious. People are approachable. It seems like lately magazines like Slake and Black Clock have done a good job of fostering a community for L.A.-based writers and publishers.

Though there are many famous writers who call Los Angeles home, it's slightly unexpected and therefore in some ways easier to form connections between writers/lit journals, if only to rival the scene in New York.

Tonight was a great example. My friend Nina and I were approached by a very interesting fellow in a three piece suit who runs a lit magazine and just moved here from Paris yesterday. Over a post-reading dinner I learned that in addition to editing, he is writing a novel and his agent is someone who is currently considering my manuscript in New York. What are the odds? He is also a fascinating character. I feel like I could learn something from him. Why not get off a plane, walk up to two strangers, make new friends and go to dinner? Isn't that how this socializing thing is supposed to work? No one ever explained to me that you could do that.

Nights like these make me annoyed about having to leave L.A. for San Francisco, though there are great friends there. I just think one of the best things about Los Angeles is that the creative industries are the dominant fields. I also think one of the worst things about being in Los Angeles is that the creative industries are the dominant fields; and on that, I do not care to elaborate!