If you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times—the book was better! There's nothing like debating the differences between a favorite book and its translation to the screen. But if you don't know your beloved series is coming out as a movie or that the fun-looking preview you saw was adapted from a book, how can you join the debate? The Library is here to the rescue! Here, we will be...
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Interview With a Director: Matt Porterfield
Matt Porterfield has written and directed four feature films, all set in his hometown of Baltimore. His latest, Sollers Point, tells the story of a young man just released from prison and living under house arrest with his father.
Drawing on the Classics
It’s back-to-school time! Time to sharpen up your pencils, meet your new teachers, and grab your list of classics to read for homework. Time to put away those comic books and graphic novels in favor of “serious” literature, right? Wrong!
Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Lion, Oh My!
Once upon a time in Hollywoodland, 80 years ago today, The Wizard of Oz had its Hollywood Premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
Interview With an Author: Del Howison
Del Howison is an award-winning editor, journalist, fiction author, and actor. He has been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award four times (and won it once), for the Black Quill Award twice, for the Shirley Jackson Award and for the Rondo Hatton Award.
Helter Skelter in the Summer of 1969
1969 was a tumultuous year. The US Apollo 11 mission brought men to the moon, and the Beatles gave their final live performance. Richard Nixon was sworn in as President, the war raged on in Vietnam (along with huge protests), and the draft was reinstated.
Bringing the Heat!
The Los Angeles basin cannot escape the fact that its climate tends to extremes, particularly of the hot variety. Global warming and galloping urbanization have exacerbated the situation Temperatures have increased over the past century, while heatwaves are becoming ever more common and last longer.
Video: Navigating L.A. in the Pre-GPS Era
Before the advent of GPS and smartphones, residents of Los Angeles were wholly dependent on the street guide to navigate their sprawling metropolis. In this video, map librarian Glen Creason explores the history of the L.A. street guide, and explains why they are still relevant today:
Interview With an Author: Casey McQuiston
Casey McQuiston grew up in the swamps of Southern Louisiana, where they cultivated an abiding love for honey butter biscuits and stories with big, beating hearts.
Bring the Kids! Fun at the California Alligator Farm
Before Mickey and his Magic Kingdom, there was Billie the Alligator and his reptilian pals at the California Alligator Farm.
Interview With an Author: Sarah Gailey
Hugo award winner Sarah Gailey lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Their nonfiction has been published by Mashable and the Boston Globe, and their fiction has been published internationally.





![Deputy sheriffs lead Charles Manson to court during the Sharon Tate murder trial, [1970]. Herald Examiner Collection Charles Manson being lead away by deputies](https://www.lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/whats_on_list_120x90/public/blogs/2024-02/manson2header.jpg?itok=L9xaRTfL)
![“Real cool pool: Little David Allan Siddon, 2 1/2, splashes happily in his plastic wading pool…while young David was cooling off, temperatures soared to highest this year—a scorching 107,” [1957]. Valley Times Collection Baby splashing in a pool](https://www.lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/whats_on_list_120x90/public/blogs/2019-07/splashheader.jpg?itok=xmsSVikZ)


![Color postcard of California Alligator Farm with a baby surrounded by baby alligators, in Los Angeles [ca.1911] Color postcard of California Alligator Farm, in Los Angeles [ca.1911]](https://www.lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/whats_on_list_120x90/public/blogs/2019-07/gatorbabyfarmheader.jpg?itok=8QtCS0GM)
