WRITING THE GOLDEN STATE

Presents

WRITNG THE GOLDEN STATE

Join Romeo Guzmán for a discussion of , which explores California through unique essays that look beyond the clichés of the “California Dream” to the realities of a complex and ever-changing state, delving into the themes of familial genealogy, migration, land and housing, national belonging, and identity. The essays published by the come from a range of emerging writers and established voices.

Tickets to this talk are offered FREE with admission to .

Writing the Golden State portrays a California that, as the editors note, can be “deviant and recalcitrant, proud and humble, joyful and communal. It is a California that reclaims the beauty of the unwanted, the quotidian, and the out-of-place.” A California for us all.

Romeo Guzmán is an assistant professor in US history at Claremont Graduate University. His research and writing focus on Chicano/a/x history, Mexican migration, and California. Before arriving at CGU, Guzmán was an assistant professor at California State University, Fresno (2016 to 2020), where he founded and directed The Valley Public History Initiative: Preserving our Stories. Since 2012 he has co-directed, with Carribean Fragoza, the South El Monte Arts Posse’s public history project “East of East: Mapping Community Narratives in El Monte and South El Monte,” which has resulted in the publication of East of East: The Making of Greater El Monte (Rutgers 2020), bike rides, Ethnic Studies curriculum, and a new mural. His public history projects have received funding from California Humanities, Los Angeles City Department of Cultural Affairs, National Performance Network, National Endowment for the Humanities, Whiting Foundation, and have been reviewed or featured on NPR, KCRW, The California Report, The Metropole, KCET, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Fresno Bee, and others. Guzmán co-edits Boom California, an open-access and public facing online journal of UC Press.

RARE BOOKS LA UNION STATION CELEBRATES FRANKENSTEIN

"It’s alive, IT’S ALIVE…!” Rare Books LA returns to Los Angeles Union Station on October 4-5, 2025 with a monstrous selection of antiquarian books, maps, fine prints, book arts, and more. This year’s fair is celebrating the release of Rare Books LA friend and patron Guillermo Del Toro’s new film Frankenstein on Netflix this November.

With support from AbeBooks, more than 50 exhibitors from London, New York, and everywhere in between will fill the Ticket Concourse at LA Union Station with an electrifying array of first editions and other historical material. Attendees are encouraged to join our partner Metro and hop onboard Metrolink, Metro Rail, or Amtrak for this transit-friendly book fair.

Rare Books LA Union Station will also feature a series of free talks on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and other bookish subjects. Plans are also in the works for a special fundraising event with Guillermo Del Toro set for Friday, October 3, in partnership with Netflix. This event will benefit the long-term recovery and rebuilding of the LA Public Library’s Palisades Branch, which was destroyed in the January fires. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro adapts Mary Shelley’s classic tale of Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.

“We are thrilled to bring the rare book community together to celebrate the legacy of Mary Shelley and the artistry of Guillermo Del Toro for such a worthy cause,” said Rare Books LA Director of Operations Jodi Tolan.

Rare Books LA Union Station takes place at 800 N. Alameda Street and is open to the public from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday, October 4, and from 11 am to 4 pm on Sunday, October 5.

Please visit our website for a list of exhibitors.

For tickets and more information about the book fair, please click here.

Host or Publisher Rare Books LA