One of the things I miss about Houston is Inprint, the city’s literary arts nonprofit organization. If you are interested in the written or spoken word, and aren’t familiar with Inprint, you need to be, no matter where you live. Its programming agenda is rich and diverse, and includes myriad writing workshops for children and adults, podcasts, and other engaging events. It also supports emerging writers through fellowships and prizes.

The component of the organization that I most enjoy is the Margarett Root Brown Reading Series, which, since 1980, “has featured more than 370 writers, including winners of nine Nobel Prizes, 62 Pulitzer Prizes, 56 National Book Awards, 50 National Book Critics Circle Awards, 15 Man Booker Prizes, as well as 19 U. S. Poets Laureate. The authors read from their work, followed by on-stage interviews and book signings at which audience members can meet the writers.”

It truly is one of the city’s treasures.

I’m a resident of Los Angeles now, and before COVID-19 hit I had been devouring the riches of the city’s vibrant arts and culture scene, including the Geffen Playhouse, the LA Phil, the Mark Taper Forum, to name but three of the hundreds of stages and venues at our disposal. When the virus has played itself out, I’ll be back in attendance at plays and concerts and exhibits. That cannot come soon enough.

Kevin Kwan: A chronicler of vanity, excess, and status anxiety.

Despite the distance, Inprint is still part of my existence. The pandemic has thrown events online, and at the end of this month I’ll be (virtually) at the live reading series, which is featuring Kevin Kwan, who’ll be reading from his new novel, Sex and Vanity. Kwan, as you are likely to know, wrote Crazy Rich Asians, which was made into a successful film of the same name. Expect droll and witty repartee and lots of humor.

You should join me on August 31, so get your (free) ticket here.