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Author Anna Kovatcheva and her debut novel, She Made Herself a Monster
Photo of author: Sylvie Rosokoff
Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch Library, March 12, 2026

Anna Kovatcheva was born in Bulgaria and now lives in Brooklyn. She holds an MFA in fiction from New York University. Her chapbook, The White Swallow, was selected by Aimee Bender as the winner of the Gold Line Press Chapbook Competition; her short fiction has been anthologized in...

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Ann Forst testifies in court regarding collaboration with LAPD Vice Squad in photo dated August 5, 1940.

Seduction, Corruption, Deception, and Protection – The Black Widow and the Vice Queen (Part 1)

Photo Friends, Thursday, May 31, 2018

And now, a bit of real life noir compliments of the photo collection of the Los Angeles Public Library and the real lives of two L.A. femme fatales – the Black Widow and the Vice Queen.


Photo of author C.L. Polk  and her book Witchmark

Interview With an Author: C.L. Polk

Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch Library, Thursday, May 31, 2018

C. L. Polk wrote her first story in grade school and still hasn't learned any better. After spending years in strange occupations and wandering western Canada, she settled in southern Alberta with her rescue dog Otis. C. L.


Portrait of Yun Isang

Eastern and Western Sounds Combined: Korean Composer Yun Isang

Alan Westby, Librarian, Art, Music & Recreation Department, Tuesday, May 29, 2018

The library has recently added its first scores by the Korean composer Yun Isang (윤이상 / 尹伊桑) to our collection.


Decoration Day parade in Pasadena, 1891

What Memorial Day Looked Like in Vintage Los Angeles

Tina Lernø, Librarian, Digital Content Team, Saturday, May 26, 2018

Memorial Day is officially observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. military. It was originally known as Decoration Day because families would decorate the graves of those who had fallen in the Civil War.


Looking northeast towards Brighton Beach

Brighton Beach Memoir: A Look at a Lost Los Angeles Community

Nicholas Beyelia, Librarian, History and Genealogy Department, Friday, May 25, 2018

At some point in 1889 the president and (later) chairman of the board of the Farmers and Merchants National Bank of Los Angeles, Jackson A. Graves, decided that his Alhambra residence simply wasn’t as relaxing for his family as he would like.


Photographer Rolland J. Curtis and his mother, Mathilda Curtis. They are standing near a Delta Airlines plane, and she is wearing a corsage.

Speedy and His Camera: The Rolland J. Curtis Collection of Negatives and Photographs

Photo Friends, Thursday, May 24, 2018

Born in Louisiana in 1922, Rolland J. Curtis came to Los Angeles with his wife in 1946 after serving in the Marines during WWII.


Mrs. Elwood Berney lying in bed with her children

What Mother's Day Looked Like in Vintage Los Angeles

Tina Lernø, Librarian, Digital Content Team, Saturday, May 12, 2018

In the United States, Mother's Day is always celebrated on the second Sunday of May. In some countries, it was changed to dates that were significant to the majority religion, or to historical dates.


Teens crowned prom king and queen, 1961

Will You Go To Prom With Me?

Tina Lernø, Librarian, Digital Content Team, Friday, May 11, 2018

The prom in all its drama has been around a lot longer than I thought. Originating somewhere in the1870s as a college tradition called the Promenade, it was a debutante coming out kind of thing.


John Kessel and his book Pride and Prometheus

Interview With an Author: John Kessel

Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch Library, Wednesday, May 9, 2018

John Kessel holds a B.A. in Physics and English and a Ph.D. in American Literature. He helped found and served as the first director of the MFA program in creative writing at North Carolina State University, where he has taught since 1982. He is also an award-winning author.


Claire Evans author photo

Interview With an Author: Claire Evans

Angi Brzycki, Senior Librarian, Digitization & Special Collections, Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Claire L. Evans is a writer and musician.


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