Siel Ju's Blog, page 10

It’s true — I’ve become one of those gluten-free, dairy-free L.A. women who drinks green smoothies for breakfast and owns two different spiralizers for zoodles.

I wasn’t always this way. In fact, I have a distinct memory of eating powdered milk on a semi-regular basis as a kid — spooned straight from the can. As a young teen one of my favorite snacks was a cheese single on a slice of white bread, microwaved for thirty seconds to make the yellow stuff bubble. So fun to watch!

But now, an ener...

Start going to literary readings in L.A., and you’ll likely run into Rich Ferguson fairly soon. Rich is a fixture in the L.A. literary community known for three things: His wide-brimmed straw hat, his ability to perform long poems of his from memory, and his fantastic reading series, All Lit Up.

Okay, he’s known for other things too, like his lovely novel, New Jersey Me — but this post is about All Lit Up!

Originally started by Rich and Stephanie Barb�� Hammer more than two years ago, All Li...

Here’s your chance to spend a blissful weekend writing in the desert — getting inspired by the natural habitat around you while communing with and learning from fellow writers and artists.

That’s the goal behind The Joshua Tree Experiential Arts and Writing Retreat, happening November 17 to 19 at Mojave Stars Ranch in Wonder Valley. This weekend event includes explorations through Joshua Tree as well as creative writing exercises and ecology talks — plus a unique opportunity to publish your n...

Every month, I interview an author I admire on her literary firsts.

I first discovered Amelia Gray’s writing through Gutshot, her collection of sharp, macabre short stories that took me through all sorts of emotions: fear, discomfort, anxiety — and almost always, surprise. So when I picked up her��latest novel, Isadora, I was expecting something similar — and was surprised again.

This historical novel is much more lyric in style, dissolutely sad and languorous — Fittingly so, since it’s base...

What is the difference between a Cafe Gratitude restaurant and the new Beverly Hills spot called just plain Gratitude? Both offer delicious, organic, vegan food with a dose of self-empowering messages — but only the latter boasts a full bar.

So though I rarely drink, when I stopped by the newish Beverly Hills spot for happy hour with Esther of e*star LA fame, I had to try the cocktails.

And in regular Gratitude-style, these cocktails are the most healthy-sounding cocktails ever. Case in p...

I’m one of those people who don’t function well when there’s a lot of drama going on in life, yet I often find myself pulled towards it, and to people who go out of their way to seek it out. I think many people are this way — which explains why Isadora Duncan, with her brief, wayward life, provokes such fascination in the public imagination.

Widely considered the mother of modern dance, Isadora had quite the dramatic life, traveling all over the world to live, teach, and perform, flouting so...

If you follow me on Facebook, you know I just quit my day job. And while I suddenly have��a lot more time for socializing and posing for pics with photogenic purple veggies, I’d love to see you at one of my three September readings — all of which are free and open to the public:
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All Lit Up. (Facebook event page) Thursday, September 7, 7 pm,��126 N Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles

I’ve wanted to be a part of this monthly series at Chevalier’s since forever — so this reading is a dream come tru...

Brief reviews of books by contemporary authors I read this month — along with photos of what I ate while reading. The list is ordered by the level my enjoyment:

Person/a by Elizabeth Ellen (Short Flight/Long Drive Books, 2017)

“I click on the link as a way of saying hi. I click on the link as a way of saying I hate you and I love you and I wish we’d never met and I wish you were dead and I am sick and I wish I didn’t love you.”
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It’s a strange and thrilling experience, reading as a finished...

It’s a strange and thrilling experience, reading as a finished book what you once read in rough manuscript form. Last summer, I read a draft of Elizabeth Ellen’s novel-in-progress while at a residency at The Anderson Center. At that time, the manuscript — a highly autobiographical work about a short-lived affair that turns into a years-long obsession — was less than 300 pages long. I devoured the whole thing in a night and sent her some comments.

This summer, I finally read the completed no...

There’s nothing quite like lounging by a lush green living wall to make the hot muggy weather seem alright. The summer swelter feels just a part of a tropical paradise, where you’re on vacation to soak it all in.

That’s the feeling I get from American Tea Room, whose downtown arts district patio boasts a 25-foot living wallscape. It’s a great place to sip iced tea and spend a few hours working on a novel — equipped with free wifi and fire pits wired for USB charging.

I liked it outside, b...