Santa Monica College will celebrate the "Alabaster Anniversary" of the Santa Monica Review with readings by four frequent contributors to the national literary arts journal on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 2 p.m.
The celebration will take place at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice. Review editor Andrew Tonkovich will introduce the event and serve as emcee for readings by Jeffrey Bills-Solomon, Kareem Tayyar, Lisa Alvarez and Stephen Cooper.
For 37 years, the review has showcased established authors alongside emerging writers, focusing on narratives of the West Coast. The journal is the only nationally distributed literary magazine published by a U.S. community college.
The latest issue features works by longtime contributors and writers with established literary credentials making their first appearance in the journal.
Bills-Solomon writes short fiction and authored "So Famous and So Gay: The Fabulous Potency of Truman Capote and Gertrude Stein."
Poet and short story writer Tayyar is the author of "The Prince of Orange County" and "Keats in San Francisco."
Alvarez recently published her debut fiction collection, "Some Final Beauty and Other Stories."
Cooper, an acclaimed John Fante biographer, is the author of a new short story collection, "River of Angels."
Santa Monica Review was founded by novelist and SMC English instructor Jim Krusoe, author of "The Sleep Garden." Published twice yearly, the review has presented readers with experimental, thoughtful and original writing, including essays and short stories by Michelle Latiolais, Lisa Teasley, Alice Mattison, Keenan Norris, Emily Greenberg, Ismet Prcic and Gary Soto.
Recent work published in the review has appeared in the annual Pushcart Prize, Best American Short Stories and PEN/O. Henry anthologies.
Tickets for the anniversary party are available at smc.edu/tickets for a suggested donation of $10. Refreshments will be served, and copies of the review will be available for purchase. Free parking is available on premises, and seating is on a first-arrival basis.
The review is sold online at smc.edu/sm_review and in print at the SMC Campus Store at the Main Campus, 1900 Pico Blvd., as well as at Beyond Baroque and Small World Books in Venice and other area booksellers. Individual issues cost $14, or $25 for an annual subscription of two issues.
Santa Monica Review is a project of Santa Monica College, part of its mission to promote literacy and engagement with the literary arts in Southern California.
More information is available at smc.edu/sm_review.
Edited by SMDP Staff