readers

The L.A. Indie Book Crawl

Posted on by Wendy Kennar
Most of the books I bought during the Indie Book Crawl. I purchased a few children's books I plan on donating to local free libraries. I also bought bookmarks. And in this photo you can see the sticker I earned after visiting 4 stores and the pin I earned after visiting 10 stores.

Recently I did a few things I don’t normally do.

I skipped writing a to-do list for two days.

I left my home for many hours on two consecutive days.

I visited neighborhoods I don’t normally visit.

I spent money on purchases I don’t “need.” (Need can be subjective. Do I need these items the way I need air to breathe and water to drink? No. But, do I need these items the way I need a kiss from my husband, candles on the dining table, and flowers in my writing room? Yes.) 

You may be wondering why I did these things. 

Because one of my closest friends and I were on a mission. 

We chose to participate in an adventure/challenge. 

Maybe I should refer to it as a challenging adventure? 

Or an adventurous challenge? Both seem applicable.

We chose to participate in the first ever Los Angeles Indie Book Crawl. Thirteen independent bookstores joined forces during this weekend-long event. (While the Book Crawl was a three day event – July 24th-26th, my friend and I did it in two days – Friday, July 24th and Saturday, July 25th.)

Now that I’ve had a few days to process the experience, here are some of my biggest takeaways:

1. Book people are friendly. My friend and I chatted with others “on the crawl.” We noticed familiar faces at different stores. We shared stories about our progress, the stores we had already visited, those we planned to visit next. Everyone seemed genuinely excited to be participating in this new event and sharing the experience with others. 

2. Book people are generous. During our two days, I noticed participants chatting about book recommendations and offering suggestions about parking. I was super fortunate to be on the receiving end of another reader’s generosity on Day 2 of our adventure. We were at Chevalier’s Bookstore in Larchmont Village, waiting in line to see Gabrielle Zevin. I had planned to purchase a copy of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow a book I haven’t yet read, that I would then ask Ms. Zevin to sign. Except the bookstore ran out of copies. I waited in line with my friend, who had brought from home her copy of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. The woman in line in front of us started chatting with us, and when she learned I wasn’t going to be able to have a book signed, she handed over a copy of the book she had planned to purchase. (She had her own hardcover copy with her and was happy to give me the paperback version.)

3. Authors are rock stars. My friend and I waited in line to see Taylor Jenkins Reid at Skylight Books in Los Feliz and Gabrielle Zevin at Chevalier’s Bookstore. There were long lines of readers waiting to get books signed. And, these authors didn’t just sign our books. They personalized them. They took a moment to chat. Ms. Zevin posed for photos with anyone who asked her. And as if all that wasn’t enough, let’s not forget that authors are Master Creators. The only tools they have are the same tools we all have — the twenty-six letters of our alphabet. And yet, it’s enough. It’s enough for them to create worlds and characters and circumstances that can transport us and offer new ways of thinking, understanding, and caring for our fellow humans.

4. Los Angeles is pretty incredible. Think about how many bookstores (both independent and big-chain) are located in and around L.A. (While this Lit Crawl focused on thirteen indie bookstores, there are many more independent bookstores in L.A. If you’re feeling inspired to visit one/a few/many of these bookstore, check out this post I wrote for MomsLA.com — “32 Awesome Independent Bookstores in Los Angeles.” Keep in mind, the post was updated a year ago, so be sure to check that all the information is still accurate before heading over to visit any of the stores on this list.)

5. I have bought a lot of books. And not just during these two days. I think it really started back in 2022, when I participated in the #22in22 challenge. (You can read about that initiative here.) Four years ago, I visited 22 bookstores and bought more than 22 books. Since then, my book-buying hasn’t stopped, even though the amount of time I spend reading does vary depending on what is going on in my life. But that’s okay. Because when it’s time for me to pick out a book to read, I have many options to choose from. So many options, in fact, that they don’t all fit on shelves. Or the plastic bin I use as additional storage. Or the tote bag I use for another source of additional storage. In fact, now I have piles on the floor adjacent to my bookshelves, my plastic bin, and my tote bag. When it’s time to select the next book I’m going to read, it’s almost as if I get to “shop” from my own mini-indie bookshop.

6. Sometimes you have to give yourself permission to stop doing certain things so you can start doing other things. The Book Crawl was a significant time commitment. Participating meant I wasn’t home to work on my posts for MomsLA or to tend to my garden, like I would have ordinarily. And it’s okay. It’s actually more-than-okay to change things up, to do things not because I’m trying to be productive and get important things done, but simply because I want to do these things. I want to have these particular experiences.

7. Pain is just a fact of life for me. So I knew standing in long lines, sitting in a car for an extended period of time, getting in and out of the car multiple times each day would all contribute to my overall levels of pain. Being ill for sixteen years has taught me that I can’t wait to feel better to do certain things. Feeling better isn’t a guarantee – ever. That means I have to weigh the possible negative side effects with the potential good. Sometimes what is good for my mental health may not be great for my physical health. That’s when “stubborn gladness” comes in. (You can click here to read my blog post from several years ago that explains this phrase and its relevance to my life.)

Another photo of my purchases. It's easier to see my new bookmarks in this picture.

Los Angeles-area friends, did any of you participate in the Indie Book Crawl? If you did, I’d love to know about your experience. What stood out for you?

If the Book Crawl becomes an annual event, do you think you’ll participate next year? (I know I want to!)

Be sure to check out my Instagram for more photos from my two, very bookish days!


It’s Not Easy

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

It’s not easy living with an invisible disability. 

That’s an understatement, for sure. 

At the same time, it is also a sentence with multiple meanings.

For example, if I had to rely on a walker or a wheelchair all the time, it would be easier in the sense that what I could and could not physically do would be a lot more obvious to, not just those around me, but myself.

I became sick in 2010. I received my diagnosis in late 2011. (Which is actually kind of fast for autoimmune diseases, but I didn’t know that then.)

In the years since, I have retired from teaching, and have begun a new career as a writer.

But, I still haven’t figured out how to do this — how to be in the world as a woman who lives with a chronic illness causing chronic pain. I don’t always know how to make decisions about my activities. When do I push myself? When do I admit something is just too hard? And not just too hard in that moment, but usually, physically taxing activities can wipe me out for days after the event.

This was the situation I found myself in recently.

If you follow me on Instagram (and if you’re on Instagram, I hope you do follow me. I’ll follow you back, and it will be another way we can support each other!) you saw my posts from my Saturday adventure. I attended the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on the campus of USC.

I wanted to attend because I’m a reader and a writer. Because I am actively seeking publication of my memoir. Because I want to connect with other readers and writers. 

So here are a few things you should know about Saturday:

– Parking is an issue. There were very few handicap parking spots in the parking structure I used. I ended up parking on level 5 and then had to decide if I wanted to use the elevator or take the stairs. It wasn’t an obvious decision, because I have used this elevator before, in previous visits to the Book Festival. It’s a small elevator, and it makes me nervous. I opted to take the stairs. 

– The walk from the parking structure to the exhibit area is quite substantial. With each step I took, my frustration grew. I felt like I was wasting my energy, wasting my legs, before I even reached the main event. 

– I wanted to see and do as much as I could. I had a list of certain exhibitors I wanted to visit (including Village Well Books and Coffee, She Writes Press, and the opening-in-September Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, to name a few). They weren’t all near each other, which meant I had to walk to different “zones,” spread out throughout the Festival.

– My work, the writing I do for MomsLA.com , made me eligible for a Media Pass, which was easy enough to apply for, and not so easy to actually pick up. I asked Festival volunteers and security guards for guidance about where I could find the Media Center and no one I asked could help me. (Because it’s been a couple of years since I’ve attended the Festival, I didn’t remember where this mystery room was. Hence the need for me to ask others.) More walking, more wandering, until I eventually found it. Not that I minded, necessarily, because I got to explore some more, but it was additional walking that would contribute to my fatigue. (I wound up not really needing the Media Pass since I did not attend any ticketed events or panel discussions; however, it makes a nice souvenir.)

– I stayed at the Festival for a few hours. The walk back to the parking structure was slower and harder for me. And once I reached it, I had another difficult decision to make — take the elevator or climb the stairs to reach my car on level 5. By this time, I had finished up my water bottle, and all I could think about was the possibility of getting stuck in the elevator, feeling hot and sweaty, and having no water with me. My heart started beating faster, and my fear of getting stuck in the elevator won out. (This isn’t a completely irrational fear — before I left teaching, I spent almost an hour stuck in our school’s elevator early one morning.) I climbed the stairs to level 5. Slowly. Gripping the handrail. Pausing for a few minutes on level 3, before continuing and eventually making my way to my car on level 5. 

On my slow walk back to the parking garage, I stopped to pose with this sculpture of astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first human to walk on the moon. He received his Master's degree in aerospace engineering from USC.

So I did it. I drove myself to the Festival. I wandered and chatted and took photos and purchased books. I loved being among the positive energy from other book lovers. (I have found the writing community and fellow readers to be generous, uplifting folks. I felt that on Saturday.) 

However, if I absolutely needed a wheelchair, climbing the five flights wouldn’t have been an option for me. And even now, days later, I’m still not certain I made the right decision. My knees are in bad shape. Doctors agree my left leg is weaker than my right. And I think it’s fair to say that climbing five flights of stairs, twice, isn’t easy for many people. 

But for me, a girl with an invisible disability, who could “kind-of do it” (there’s a wishy-washy phrase for you), it was another example of me not knowing, still not knowing, when to push and when to ease up. When to acknowledge my physical limitations and when to seize an opportunity. 

Spoonie friends, does this resonate with you? Anyone else struggle in a similar way? 

Friends, a reminder that author Joanna Monahan is generously offering a giveaway to my Substack subscribers. All you have to do is subscribe to my Substack no later than Thursday, April 23rd. Then on Friday the 24th, I’ll pull a name from my sun hat (the same hat you see here), and one lucky subscriber will win a signed copy of Joanna’s just-published novel, WELCOME TO BLOOMS!! 🌸🌺🌼
I can’t wait to read it— the book features a main character named Daisy whose family owns a flower shop! Be sure you have subscribed to my Substack so you can participate in this special giveaway opportunity.