madonnas of echo park – Echo Park Now

Have you read The Madonnas of Echo Park yet?

If not, do! It’s a magical book that takes place in Echo Park, where author Brando Skyhorse also grew up. Many view it as a commentary on the gentrification of the neighborhood – which is the direction that HBO is taking on developing a series of the novel. But if you’re tired of the overuse of the “g” word (gentrification), there’s a lot more to the novel.

Fans of the novel will have an opportunity to get some insight into the book in its original location next week. Skyhorse will be reading excerpts of the novel at Stories Books & Cafe in Echo Park on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 starting at 7:30 pm. He will also join authors Joseph Mattson of Los Angeles and Carlene Bonnivier of Echo Park.

Twitpic by RosalineMae

You may have read that Echo Park’s famous goose Maria (made famous by an OK Go music video, then a Facebook page, then the brilliant snowball effect that comes with celebrity life in Los Angeles) was moved to the Los Angeles Zoo in preparation for the upcoming Echo Park Lake rehab project this summer. Well, as it turns out, Maria is actually a boy! The Zoo learned of the official gender while doing a checkup after the gander arrived. Dominic Ehrler told the LA Times, “He’s Mario now. But I’ll call him Maria if he doesn’t respond to Mario.”

In case you’re wondering, Dominic will be able to visit Mario/Maria.

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LA TACO @ STREET ART POP UP! from LA TACO on Vimeo.

Street Art Pop-Up Store opened last Friday, March 4 at 1461 1/2 W. Sunset Blvd. (formerly Warwick Vintage Store). The temporary art space will be featuring new artwork daily from a variety of artists, including Bigfoot, Robots Will Kill, Evil Design, Shepard Fairey, and more.

The temp shop is open daily from noon to 7:00 pm. Check out the video about from LA Taco.

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We found out on Tuesday this week that Writer Brando Skyhorse’s “The Madonnas of Echo Park” won the Hemingway/PEN Award for first fiction.

Congrats to Brando Skyhorse! And yes, the book is still on my New Years Resolutions to-do list, but I’ll be stopping by the library fairly soon to grab a copy.

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Author of The Madonnas of Echo Park coming to Stories

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