Spoken-word artist Sally Shore's New Short Fiction Series is the longest-running literary spoken-word series in town, 14 years, 160-plus shows so far. Basically, actors read short stories and, if you're the writer, make them sound better than they have a right to be. The writing is a little more variable, because Shore is open to new voices, some even unpublished. When it works, the results can be unsafe and astonishing. This should be one of those rare shows, since tonight introduces Suzanne Rivecca to L.A. Rivecca's debut collection Death Is Not An Option & Other Stories (W.W. Norton) is one of those heartening books you get once in a generation, which restores your faith in a generation. Rivecca creates a world that is so rich in emotional truths, and characters that are so precisely fucked-up and defiantly human that they will stay with you a long while. Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery at Barnsdall Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. Sun., July 11, 7 p.m.; $10 advance, $15 at the door. (866) 811-4111, newshortfictionseries.com. –Lou Mathews

Sun., July 11, 2010

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