Take Me to Your River Publication Launch

Join us on Thursday, October 8, for the book launch of Take Me to Your River / Llévame a tu río, a bilingual publication companion to our community storytelling initiative centered on the four rapidly gentrifying and changing neighborhoods of Elysian Valley, Cypress Park, Glassell Park, and Atwater Village. This publication features five newly commissioned essays by local residents, a collection of photographs, and excerpts from the oral histories gathered over the course of the project. Over the course of the evening, hear from all five commissioned authors (Betty Avila, Sandra de la Loza, Ruben Molina, Maryam Hosseinzadeh, and Annette M. Kim) who will read a short excerpt from their essays. The event will explore themes of childhood nostalgia, punk activism, growing up alongside the unique neighbor that is the LA River, and responding to gentrification forces that seem too powerful to combat. A brief discussion and Q&A will follow with project leads and editors, Darío Herrera and Julia Meltzer. Celebrate community with us, as we honor the stories, people, and moments that shaped and continue to steer these neighborhoods forward. Ruben Molina will DJ a collection of soul and blues 45 vinyl tunes, inspired by his upbringing in Elysian Valley throughout the evening. SUPPORT Take Me to Your River, and related programs, are supported through generous funding from the Mellon Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant, the California Arts Council, The Nature Conservancy, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, and Clockshop’s generous community of individual donors.