Best Coast Book Club: Qur'an Shaheed, Enjonu, nahhphet + more

Join us for an evening of music performances inspired by the literary tradition Curated by multidiscplinary artist nahhphet , the program features performances by Qur’an Shaheed, Enjonu, Kwame Adu, and a back-to-back set by Dick Chainey, K. Solar, nahhphe t, and pres.morris . Where music rooted in lived experience of Los Angeles intertwines with music inspired by literary tradition, you will find Best Coast Book Club. An act of love for musicians who make art for readers and pull inspiration from direct relationship to Los Angeles, this event is meant to celebrate the interrelation of a network of contemporary artists engaged in organic dialogue with one another, artists who carry forward musical traditions embedded in our city’s history, from the legacy of Project Blowed to the legacy of the Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra. For curator nahhphet , centering purveyors of literary thought, lived knowledge of the city, and community-oriented arts organizing is essential, particularly within a culture that is rapidly departing from appreciation of the written word, replacing authenticity with similitude, and pushing individualistic success over collective growth. For him, locating and displaying the connectivity between such artists works against conventional notions of musical achievement and “the sound of Los Angeles” to offer a robust counternarrative of intracommunal inspiration, and interplay between mental stimulus and raw emotion. As an artist who has developed amongst the very same community he wishes to highlight, he offers this event as a gift to his peers and to you, too, so you will not lose sight of the importance of community presence, geographical relation, and the intentional word. Originating at Stories Books & Cafe, in Echo Park, Best Coast Book Club comes to Beyond Baroque this month for a special edition featuring Qur’an Shaheed , Enjonu , Kwame Adu , and a back-to-back set by Dick Chainey , K. Solar , nahhphet , and pres.morris . It promises to be a one-of-a-kind evening, in a beautiful space exuding its own literary spirit. We look forward to seeing you at Beyond Baroque! Beyond Baroque is one of the United States' leading independent Literary | Arts Centers and public spaces dedicated to expanding the public's knowledge of poetry, literature and art through cultural events and community interaction. Founded in 1968 as an experimental literary magazine, Beyond Baroque is based out of the original City Hall building in Venice, California. The Center offers a diverse variety of literary and arts programming including readings and workshops. The building also houses a bookstore with a large collection of new poetry books for sale. Livestream: If you can’t join us in person the event will be livestreamed on Beyond Baroque’s YouTube channel at the scheduled time of the event. If you are tuning in this way, no ticket purchase is necessary. If you are attending in person, ticket purchase is required. Tickets will be available at the Beyond Baroque bookstore on the day of the event, but we recommend registering in advance through Eventbrite. Masks are encouraged while inside our center. Please arrive early. Event attendees are expected to behave in a respectful and considerate manner while in our space. Beyond Baroque reserves the right to remove individuals from our events, virtual or otherwise, if they are not respecting the space, staff, fellow attendees, or performers.