Dear Los Angeles: The City in Diaries and Letters, 1542 to 2018

What might Marilyn Monroe, Cesar Chavez, Susan Sontag, and Albert Einstein have to say about Los Angeles? Their diary entries, along with those of other actors, musicians, activists, cartographers, students, geologists, cooks, merchants, journalists, politicians, composers, and many more—provide a kaleidoscopic view of Los Angeles over the past four centuries from the Spanish missionary expeditions of the 16 century to the present day. Book editor, critic, and Los Angeles native David Kipen has scoured the archives of libraries, historical societies, and private estates to assemble a remarkably eclectic story of life in his beloved Los Angeles. Join us for a special staged reading of these first-person accounts—representing a range of experiences and voices as diverse as Los Angeles itself.