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What is an L.A. writer? What and who inspires them? We decided to ask. Setting out to map L.A.’s literary geography, The Times surveyed 49 writers to find out about their favorite bookstores, writing nooks, neighborhoods and authors. Their responses constitute their own map of the city, in which buildings and landscapes find their way into essays, fiction and poetry. Below, writers tell us what literary passages they find most evocative — from Joan Didion to Wanda Coleman to Ice-T. They mark the neighborhoods and streets that mean the most to them as writers and they reflect on whether there is even such a thing as a “Los Angeles writer.”
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The places that inspire Los Angeles writers
Steph Cha, Lisa See and Charles Yu.
(Photo illustration by An Amlotte / Los Angeles Times; illustrations by Asia Pietrzyk / For The Times; photographs by Myung J. Chun, Dania Maxwell and Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
When you think of the most “literary” places in Los Angeles and/or Orange County, what streets or neighborhoods come to mind? We asked that question to several Southern California writers, along with these follow-up questions: What places in the city have most inspired you? Where do you encounter other writers, to share ideas or just socialize? Where do you like to hang out with your writer friends or just get work done? Here are their answers about how the place they live shapes their work.
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24 ways of looking at the city, one passage at a time
Ice-T, Joan Didion and Andy Warhol.
(Photo illustration by An Amlotte / Los Angeles Times; photographs by Liz O. Baylen / For The Times, Richard Drew / Associated Press, Jo Hale / Redferns)
Writers answering a survey from The Times, part of our comprehensive Lit City guide, cited their favorite passages about the city from a wide array of authors., ranging from the usual suspects to unexpected sources of L.A.-related wit. 27 writers on their 24 favorite passages.
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What does ‘L.A. writer’ even mean?
Héctor Tobar, Susan Straight and Rachel Howzell Hall.
(Photo illustration by An Amlotte / Los Angeles Times; illustrations by Asia Pietrzyk / For The Times; photographs by Patrice Normand / Opale, Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times and Andre Ellis)
What makes a writer a Los Angeles writer? How much does place really affect a writer’s work? We asked Southern California writers to find out what they think.
