River of Angels, City of Words: Stephen Cooper on John Fante & Writing LA
About the Event
Join us for an author chat with Stephen Cooper about writing L.A. and the legendary John Fante. Dive into tales of the City and get inspired by one of its coolest voices. Don't miss this chance to connect with fellow book lovers and Angelenos!
Stephen will delve into his latest story collection, River of Angels (2025), a ten-story collection about blood relations, ancestral revenants, random forces, and the often-violent folly of love. Set against the double-edged splendors of greater Los Angeles, from downtown streets to studio soundstages to gated mansions, from desert to mountains to sea, these are stories of people striving to reckon with the American hands they've been dealt in the marked-card gamble of their lives.
We'll also discuss John Fante and why some of his writings, dating back to the 1930s, have become such touchstones in our regional literary history, perhaps more today than ever.
Stephen Cooper, a born and raised Angeleno, is a veteran professor of English at California State University, Long Beach, and the winner of a National Endowment for the Arts Grant for his fiction. His Full of Life: A Biography of John Fante was named a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year, and he co-wrote and produced the Netflix Original Documentary Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski.
For disability-related accommodations, please call (213) 228-7430 at least five business days prior to the event. The City will make every effort to accommodate requests received with less notice.
