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# Instagram-Born Book Club Walks Its Way Across Los Angeles
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/instagram-born-book-club-walks-its-way-across-los-angeles/
- Published: 2026-08-19T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-19T17:09:45.000Z
- Author: Maaz Alin
- Tags: Lifestyle, Los Angeles

When Samantha Dockser and Morgan Messing set out to fix a problem in Los Angeles' literary scene, they started on Instagram.

The two founded [Preoccupied LA](https://www.instagram.com/thepreoccupied/?hl=en&ref=smdp.com) after discovering that author talks and book events across the city were underattended. The obstacle, as they saw it, was that there was no single place to find out about them.

"There was no central place to see the book events happening all across LA on a given week," Dockser said.

Their account, @ThePreoccupied, began as a weekly roundup of literary happenings and has grown into a hub that connects readers with authors and independent bookstores. The community now counts more than 7,000 followers and has expanded to more than eight cities nationwide, with a Canadian chapter set to launch this fall.

At the center of the operation is the Preoccupied Walking Book Club, a monthly gathering that brings online followers together in person. Each month, readers meet a featured author for a neighborhood walk, building a connection before the group gathers at a local independent bookstore for conversation and a book signing.

"It's just a nice way to take that online community and bring it offline for an hour once a month," Dockser said.

The path from a social media follower to a reader standing on a sidewalk runs through the platform. By following the account, Dockser said, people can find out exactly when and where the group will meet and which author will join them. Authors and brand partners reach out through the same channel.

"Instagram has been invaluable," Dockser said. "That is where our community lives."

Though Preoccupied LA shares book events across the greater Los Angeles area, its roots run deepest in Santa Monica, where the founders host their monthly walk and where they live.

"Santa Monica functions as our home base because it is in fact our home," Dockser said.

Even so, the pair make a concerted effort to support book events across the city. Their "Preoccupied Picks" shelves now appear in bookstores around greater Los Angeles, and Walking Book Club locations have begun popping up in other parts of the region.

The founders met, fittingly, at a book event.

"Fittingly, we met through a book event here in Los Angeles," Dockser said.

Together, the two also run Logue Social, an author-exclusive social media marketing agency.

Scaling a venture built on in-person connection has meant leaning on people who live in each [community](https://www.smdp.com/beyond-rebuilding-what-the-palisades-comeback-can-teach-santa-monica-about-economic-recovery/). Preoccupied LA relies on local chapter leaders who organize events on the ground, while the founders provide administrative support, facilitate relationships with authors and secure branded partnerships.

"We have nationwide — and starting this fall in Canada, too — chapter leaders who are local and organize the events in their cities," Dockser said.

Wherever the walks take place, Dockser said, the core of the event stays the same. No matter the city, she said, readers build connections with one another and with authors while taking a walk.