The last weekend of January is upon us and the rain has come and gone, leaving the air clean and the earth damp. We’re starting to get back into our groove despite all of the chaos around us. There are plenty of fun things to do and creative outlets to explore this weekend, including a Latinx-themed wine tasting in downtown, Indigenous plant-based cooking class at La Cocina de Gloria Molina and LACMA docent tours of Judy Baca’s new “Painting in the River of Angels” mural and Vincent Valdez’s El Chavez Ravine. Round up the homies or roll solo to feast your senses on the city’s offerings.
POETRY
The Libros Heartbeats Open Mic: Lincoln Heights has a new indie bookstore meant to create community, highlight local talent and inspire folks to read more and scroll less. Owner Jesse Marez, a proud Wilson High School alum, opened the family-run bookstore in November and has had David Romero, Matt Sedillo, Viva Padilla, Brenda Vaca, Dr. Bertha Barraza and Obed Silva in the house. Los Angeles Poet Society founder Jessica Wilson Cárdenas hosts Heartbeats Open Mic here every last Saturday of the month and showcases a diverse array of aspiring and published writers. This weekend’s roster includes poet and educator Teresa Mei Chuc; conga player and spoken word artist Julio Rodriguez a.k.a. Conga Poet; actor, writer, director, musician and educator Angel Miguel Lopez and “Anatomy of a Flame” author Mauricio Moreno. It’s the perfect place to be inspired and share if you dare.
When: 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Libros Lincoln Heights, 3422 N. Broadway, Los Angeles
Admission: Sliding scale donations; $5+ receive an L.A. Poet Society journal, $13+ receive a copy of “Acid Verse Literary Journal V.1: Queer Uprising” and a journal.
A video of Vietnamese men dressed in pachuco style has gone viral on social media, sparking conversations about appropriation and who gets to partake in the culture.
Miriam’s Garden Poetry Reading Series: Named after the first Black librarian in California, Hyde Park Miriam Matthews Branch Library is host to this poetry series featuring “Maestra” author Angelina Sáenz, “Throat Full of Forest-Dirt” chapbook author Bri Stokes and renowned poet, author and Tía Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore owner Luis Rodriguez. Housed in an architecturally stunning building designed to reflect a community impacted by the 1992 L.A. uprising, this library is the spot to feast your eyes and ears on some of the most powerful poets around.
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Hyde Park Miriam Matthews Branch Library, 7150-7156 Arlington Ave., Los Angeles
Admission: Free
FOOD & DRINKS
Indigenous Veganism in Mesoamerican Traditions: This two-part cooking series taught by Indigenous culinary anthropologist and chef Dr. Claudia Serrato is ideal for anyone interested in food history, cultural studies, nutrition and Indigenous plant-based eating. This first class sheds light on Mesoamerican culinary practices erased by colonialism and the benefits of eating a local, sustainable, organic native-plant-based diet. It offers insight into the true essence of Indigenous veganism, its divergence from mainstream veganism and deep connection with cultural identity, spirituality and sustainable living. Next week’s class allows you to take a crack at making simple nutrient-packed recipes such as corn milk chia pudding, quinoa and amaranth porridge, raw cacao and avocado pudding and pecan cream sprinkled with rosehip powder. Decolonizing your diet doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Incorporating some of these sacred practices is a start.
When: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday Jan. 27 and Feb. 2
Where: LA Cocina de Gloria Molina, 555 N. Spring St., Los Angeles
Admission: $110 for two classes
From birthing to long-distance running, atole has remained a ‘staple nourishment’ for thousands of years
To warm up in the crisp of frigid mornings or at the dawn of life, for energy and vitality, there is atole.
Como La Flor & Chismosa Wine Tasting: Mas Vino Please natural wine enthusiast, educator and non-somm (amateur wine lover) advocate Andrea Jaramillo works at a San Gabriel Valley nonprofit by day and concocts wines by night. Her latest creations are Como La Flor and Chismosa wines, a collaboration with local natural winemaker Wonderwerk to make an approachable bottle that resonates with the Latinx community. Now’s your chance to try a glass accompanied by Chris Superette’s homestyle Sicilian and Mediterranean cooking for purchase in celebration of downtown coffee shop ilCaffè’s 10-year anniversary. Wines available by flight, glass or bottle and sounds are provided by DJ Sof.
When: 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday
Where: ilCaffè, 855 S. Broadway, Los Angeles
Admission: $20 to try both wines
ART
LACMA Gallery Tours: Get up close and personal with artist, activist and Social and Public Art Resource Center co-founder Judy Baca, whose iconic North Hollywood “Great Wall of Los Angeles” mural is being expanded at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. “Painting in the River of Angels” is a work in progress by Baca and her SPARC crew that will expand on two sections of the original mural. These LACMA docent tours also visit Vincent Valdez’s “El Chavez Ravine,” an oil painting on a 1953 Good Humor ice cream truck portraying the forced removal of a predominantly Mexican American community for the construction of Dodger Stadium in the late 1950s. In 2004, L.A. musician Ry Cooder invited Valdez to collaborate and create a painting to align with his 2005 album “Chavez Ravine,” a musical interpretation of the neighborhood’s history. This is the result.
When: 1 and 1:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: LACMA, Resnick Pavilion, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles
Admission: Free with museum admission
Eladio Carrión is having a moment. The Times spoke to the Puerto Rican multi-hyphenate about his new album ‘Sol Maria,’ mastering hip-hop in Spanish and how family is the key to his success.
L.A. Intersections: The Broad museum is host to this two-part after-hours festival-style series celebrating the music and spoken word scenes that put Los Angeles on the map, including punk, jazz, rap, noise and a new generation of experimental Filipinx performers. Folks from the early ’80s guerrilla-style music and art movement known as Desolation Center, which inspired Burning Man, Lollapalooza and Coachella, will be in the house, as well as artists from Leimert Park’s historic jazz space the World Stage, hip-hop open mic haven The Good Life Cafe and Hollywood punk hotspots Cathay De Grande and Raji’s. Catch live music by Myka 9 and Aceyalone of Freestyle Fellowship, Los Angeles-based producer, composer, and percussionist Carlos Niño & Friends featuring Idris Ackamoo, a slideshow of punk club flyers and a vocal performance by Micaela Tobin, a.k.a. White Boy Scream.
When: 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Broad, East West Bank Plaza, 1st Floor Exhibition Galleries, Oculus Hall, 221 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles
Admission: Tickets $30
Shepard Fairey “Peace Is Radical”: Artist and Obey Clothing founder Shepard Fairey is best known for the iconic red, white and blue “Hope” poster he designed for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential election, and he now delivers a message of peace in a new Glendale exhibit. “Peace Is Radical” features a series of screen prints that inspire us to see ourselves in others and strive for equality. Fairey stated the exhibit’s name comes from his belief that “humanity seems to be in a perpetual state of conflict.”
“Through my art, I want to remind people of the equal humanity of all people, regardless of their race, religion, nation, or culture. There is no us versus them; there is only us.”
When: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thurs., 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fri. & Sat., 1 to 6 p.m. Sun.
Where: ReflectSpace Gallery, Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard St., Glendale
Admission: Free
MUSICA Y MÁS
The Paranoias & Profesor Galactico: They call themselves your lady’s favorite band, and this could very well be true. The Paranoias are a South L.A. quintet that bring a Latin soul and bossa nova vibe to ska and punk, earning them top billing at the annual Los Angeles Skawars fest and MacArthur Park’s Levitt Pavilion. They’ve shared the stage with the late cumbia great Celso Piña at The Troubadour and Mexican ska band Inspector at The Union. This weekend, they perform with Watts-bred singer-songwriter and producer Profesor Galactico, who they collaborated with on their “Nightmare/Hope to See You Next Year” LP. Special guests include indie rockers Ear Ringers at this historic restored Boyle Heights ballroom.
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Paramount, 2708 E. Cesar Chavez Ave., Los Angeles
Admission: Tickets $10
East Los Lucha: Lucha Block Party II: Live lucha libre comes to East L.A. with six matches featuring some of the best Mexican-style professional wrestlers in the industry. This family-friendly event at East L.A.’s newly renovated, premier concert and event space features heavyweight champion Doble Cara, cruiserweight champion Koto Hiro, Eli Everfly, Chris Nastyy, Delilah Doom and more. Music by Mariachi Alma Atlense sets the stage for these colorful mask-wearing, high-flying luchadores.
When: 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Don Quixote, 2811 E. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles
Admission: Tickets $25 to $50; For more information, call or text 626-689-5027
Vision Board Workshop: Resolutions are out, vision boards are in. El Monte’s community library, bookstore and creative space Matilija Lending Library hosts this workshop to create your own visual reminder of what you want to manifest this year. Facilitated by HipLatina staff writer and De Los contributor Sofía Aguilar, vision boards allow you to filter out the stuff that no longer serves you and set intentions for what you want to see more of in your life. Using writing prompts, journaling and found materials, this workshop supplies all of the materials needed to help you figure out what your heart truly desires.
When: 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday
Where: Matilija Lending Library, 3571 Lexington Ave., El Monte
Admission: Free
L.A. is too big for us to know about all the events happening this weekend. If we missed something you think we should know about, let us know.
Kamren Curiel is a fourth-generation Xicana born in East L.A. and raised in Monterey Park and South San Gabriel. She’s written for the Los Angeles Times, L.A. Taco, Latina magazine, LAist, KCET, Alta and the Huffington Post, and was the senior editor at Remezcla and Sí TV.
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