Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
community centerLiterary arts center in Venice, Los Angeles offering public readings, workshops, a bookstore, publications, and a chapbook/small-press archive. Housed in the historic old Venice City Hall building and founded in 1968, it serves as a longtime hub for poets, writers, and experimental artists.
Upcoming Events (9)
Beyond Baroque Reading Series
An evening of contemporary poetry and prose at the historic Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Los Angeles. This reading showcases diverse writers as part of the venue's literary calendar, offering intimate performances in a warm, artsy setting.
Xicanx Futurism: Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Essays Exploring Xicanx Sci-Fi
In-person at Beyond Baroque and streamed on YouTube, this reading night showcases Xicanx Futurism: Gritos for Tomorrow and Codex I. Featuring Natalia Rivas, Henry Madrid, Osmani Ochoa, and others, the program blends flash fiction, poetry, and essays exploring a Xicanx tomorrow.
Cherry Pie Press: A New LGBTQ Poetry Imprint
Cherry Pie Press launches two LGBTQ poetry titles with live readings by Tee Gardiner and Khalifa Mitchell at Beyond Baroque in Los Angeles, with a lineup that includes Kwyn Townsend Riley, Kwynology, Yana Orlando, Espi Love, Natasha Dennerstein, and Jeffrey Bryant. The event will be held in person and streamed on YouTube, celebrating queer voices in contemporary poetry.
Fix Your Hearts or Die: A Twin Peaks/David Lynch Night
Step into a Lynch-inspired evening at Beyond Baroque, where the Wanda Coleman Theater becomes a surreal Twin Peaks dreamscape. The Black Lodge String Quartet performs classical renditions of the series’ theme songs, delivering a haunting live-musical homage with a cinematic, cult-favorite atmosphere in LA.
Godlike: Richard Hell at Beyond Baroque
Richard Hell gives a solo reading from his novel Godlike at Beyond Baroque in Los Angeles. The intimate, in-person event channels the raw energy of 1970s downtown New York poetry as Hell reads passages about love and rebellious art. An essential stop for fans of punk-lit fusion.
Table Reading: What is Authority?
An intimate, in-person table-reading at Beyond Baroque in Los Angeles, exploring Hannah Arendt’s What is Authority and Fred Dewey’s The School of Public Life through close readings and live interpretation. Led by Renée Petropoulos and the FRDLP, this session runs 10:00–12:30.
UN World Poetry Day: A Celebration in the Poets' Garden
An in-person World Poetry Day celebration at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Los Angeles, featuring a diverse slate of international poets. Presented in partnership with the UN Association Los Angeles, the evening gathers voices from many countries for a communal poetry reading and celebration.
Apocalypse Thriving: L.A. Book Launch for Camille Hernandez's Motherlands
LA book launch at Beyond Baroque for Camille Hernandez's debut poetry collection Motherlands, a lyrical meditation on motherhood, immigration, and the severance of migration. The in-person reading pairs with a YouTube livestream, celebrating resilience and unseen women's voices in a historic literary venue.
Beyond Baroque Reading Night
An intimate reading night at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Los Angeles on March 27, 2027 at 7:30 PM. Local poets and writers share fresh works in a candlelit setting known for bold literary programs.