If, like me, you’re a little tired of having to defend L.A. from people who like to call it shallow—and/or base their entire L.A. knowledge on one neighborhood—then you might be interested in a new book from Knock Knock called This Is (Not) L.A. Written by Knock Knock founder Jen Bilik and Kate Sullivan, a long-time transplant and a native, respectively, the book addresses 18 typical claims about L.A. and debunks them with the help of experts on the history and culture of the city. The book also features a foreword written by the late Jonathan Gold.
The Natural History Museum is celebrating the book’s release on Thursday, September 20th from 6-9pm with a panel of other knowledgeable locals and transplants, curated by Bilik and followed by a Q&A. Here are the panelists as listed on the event site:
“Patty Rodriguez: Radio producer (On Air with Ryan Seacrest), publisher (Lil’ Libros), author, and first-generation Mexican American
Lynell George: Journalist and essayist (After/Image: Los Angeles Outside the Frame, KCET)
Alissa Walker: Urbanism editor at Curbed, journalist, and public transportation activist
Ed Leibowitz: Veteran magazine writer (LA Magazine, The Atlantic, Smithsonian) and PEN USA journalism award recipient.”
