If a random stranger started picking through your trash, what do you think he'd learn about you? Discarded objects can tell you a lot about a person: It's amazing what you can discern from an old shopping list, a scrap of homework or a greeting card. For years now, FOUND magazine editor/memoirist Davy Rothbart has been spilling other people's secrets, publishing found items submitted by readers from all over the globe. Now he's sharing his own stories in My Heart Is an Idiot, a collection of deeply personal essays, which the New York Times has described as “achingly funny.” We wouldn't expect less from a writer who frequently contributes to GQ, The New Yorker and NPR's This American Life. On his Unfinished Business tour, he will be joined by L.A.-based sword swallower Brett Loudermilk. Rothbart will read from his book and, of course, delight audiences with his latest collection of FOUND treasures. Home of Joshua Wolf Shenk, 2306 Kenilworth Ave., Silver Lake; Thurs., Oct. 24, 8 p.m.; $10 at the door (free copy of the book included). myheartisanidiotbook.com.

Thu., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., 2013

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