RIP Scott Wannberg--poet and friend to other poets.

Just opened an e-mail and received the sad news that Scott Wannberg--a fine poet and representative of the best aspects of Los Angeles poetry--has passed away.

Immediate memories of Scott are these: his long tenure at the Duttons Brentwood store, where he curated the chapbook section (poets were assured of being paid for their work); also, there were his live readings which often began with a cappella covers of songs by John Prine.
Rip Rense's 1994 article about Scott and his poetry:
http://www.riprense.com/Wannberg.htm
Kevin Roderick's article in L.A. OBSERVED:
http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2011/08/scott_wannberg_poet_of_du.php
Carolyn Kellogg's eulogy in the LOS ANGELES TIMES:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/08/poet-scott-wannberg-has-died.html

For now, I'll recommend that you visit http://www.lummoxpress.com/ for Scott's poetry published by RD Raindog Armstrong and go onto your favorite online booksite to buy a copy of STRANGE MOVIE FULL OF DEATH--a book published by Viggo Mortensen's Perceval Press.

More independent bookstores in L.A. than you'd know from reading the LA TIMES.

Longtime mainstay of the LOS ANGELES TIMES' book review section Susan Salter Reynolds wrote an article about the up-in-the-air status of West Hollywood independent bookstore Book Soup following the passing of owner Glenn Goldman: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-book-soup27-2009jan27,0,4988908.story

And, true to longtime form, the TIMES seems to maintain a steadfast belief that the only independent bookstores in the city of Los Angeles are Book Soup and Los Feliz' Skylight Books (with some understandable mourning of the demise of Doug Dutton's Duttons Bookstores chain--particularly last year's closing of the flagship Duttons in Brentwood). Of course, some of that may be due to tireless self-promotion by Goldman and Skylight owner Kerry Slattery.

Here's a link to information about the independent store Chevalier's Books in Larchmont Village:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chevaliers-books-los-angeles

And here's a link to the site of Studio City's Portrait of a Bookstore (also housing the coffeeshop Aroma Cafe): http://www.portraitofabookstore.com/

One thing that Ms. Reynolds and I can agree on: Customers are more likely to receive personalized service at independent stores than at the faltering corporate competition.