READ LIKE A WRITER w/ Rasheed Newson
About this Event
WHO & WHAT: Join Permission To Write at Rep Club for a book-club-meets-writers-group with 'author Rasheed Newson.
Read Like a Writer invites participants to slow down and study how Black authors build their books — examining structure, voice, point of view, and form, not just theme and feeling.
WHEN: Sunday, August 30th from 10:00-11:30am (doors open at 9:45)
WHERE: In-Person at Reparations Club (3054 S. Victoria Ave. LA, CA 90016)
HOW: FREE ticket with book purchase through Rep Club - (duh) for 10% off with code: BOOKCLUB10
$10 GA ticket (book purchased elsewhere)
ABOUT THE BOOK
A CINEMATIC, RAZOR-SHARP NOVEL FOLLOWING A BACKLOT FIXER’S DARING INVESTIGATION INTO THE SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF A CLOSETED BLACK ACTOR WITHIN THE GLAMOROUS WORLD OF HOLLYWOOD, FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MY GOVERNMENT MEANS TO K*ll ME
Xavier C. Barlow, one of Hollywood’s young Black stars taking the industry by storm in the late 1950s, is Skyline Studios’s ambitious attempt to rival Sidney Poitier's burgeoning success. His arrival into the industry is calculated, his charm is magnetic, and his seductive screen presence appeals to both audiences and celebrities across generations.
But years later, after Xavier dies at the height of his fame, Aaron Touissant—Skyline’s designated backlot fixer who helps the studio’s stars stay as deep in the closet as humanly possible—is finally ready to expose the powerful culprits responsible for his untimely death.
Written as part-confessional, part-cris de coeur from Aaron's panoramic lens, There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood is a searing portrait of the movie industry as a manicured minefield and a compelling journey into the queer history of Los Angeles.
RASHEED NEWSON is the author of the national bestseller My Government Means to K*ll Me, which was selected as a Lambda Literary finalist for Gay Fiction and was named one of the “100 Notable Books of 2022” by The New York Times. He is also a television drama writer, producer, and showrunner. He codeveloped Bel-Air and worked on The Chi, Animal Kingdom, and Narcos, among other drama series. Newson is a 2025–26 American Library in Paris Visiting Fellow. He currently lives with his husband and their two children in Pasadena.
ABOUT PERMISSION TO WRITE
ASHLEY M. COLEMAN is the author of GOOD MORNING, LOVE (Simon & Schuster, 2022) and a music industry executive with over a decade of experience. Her work has appeared in Essence, The Cut, Apartment Therapy, and GRAMMY.com. A Torch Literary Arts and Kimbilio fellow, she founded Permission to Write, a community for Black writers.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00 to USD 12.51
