Mike Sonksen

In response to L.A.'s transitory poetry scene, Hiram Sims has founded Southern California's only library of poetry, located in South Central Los Angeles.

Meet the core artists who were the vanguards of the West Coast edition of the Black Arts Movement: Betye Saar, Noah Purifoy, John Outterbridge and Jayne Cortez.

Today, a cadre of local activists and artists in Watts are using storytelling and human relationships to promote change, justice, equality and communal values.

Judith Baca’s mural work asks tough questions about public art and what role it plays in a multicultural society. These seven books illuminate the intersection between Baca’s work, public histories and art practice.

Kobe Bryant will forever be remembered as one of the brightest lights to ever shine in the City of Angels. His life ripples through L.A.'s collective cultural consciousness.

In late November, a massive mural, "Rushing Waters," debuted in Pacoima. Coming in at over 10,000 square feet, it's one of the largest in the city. 

"Taking Back the Boulevard,” a new book by Jan Lin, not only documents the current situation in Eagle Rock and Highland Park but it tells a bigger story of the artists and activists that have called Eagle Rock and Highland Park home for over a century.

Though Horace Tapscott died in 1999, his legacy of music and focus on community burn brighter than ever because of the rising popularity of contemporary jazz artists like Kamasi Washington.

During the 1950s, a site in Downey was home to where much of the United States space technology was developed from then until the early 1990s.

Here are 23 recommendations for book lovers that embrace the arts and culture of Southern California.