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Award-winning Bob Gossom film closes National Poetry Month and opens Mental Health Awareness Month
Poet and playwright Bob Gossom brings back his acclaimed film Versified! The Human Equation for a limited encore streaming, blending contemporary poetry, motion, music, and storytelling to close National Poetry Month.
The film streams from 3 p.m. PT April 30 to 9 p.m. PT May 3 at bobgossom.com/film-viewing.
Adapted from Gossom’s acclaimed poetry collection The Human Equation, now in its expanded third edition, the production explores vulnerability, humor, contradiction and the shared experiences that connect people across generations and backgrounds.
First staged in Los Angeles, Versified! The Human Equation evolved from a live ensemble production, praised by reviewer Javier Ronceros for its performers who embody “dozens of characters in a dance of the human condition.”
This encore not only marks the shift from National Poetry Month to Mental Health Awareness Month, but also highlights poetry’s ongoing power for reflection and emotional wellness.
“Poetry has always been a place where people can process what they’re going through, often before they have language for it,” Gossom said. “It creates space to reflect and begin to heal.”
Writer, actor and director Levy Lee Simon praised Gossom’s distinctive voice and range.
“His vision and imagery leap from the page into the mind,” Simon said. “Bob has his own style. Versatility is his secret weapon.”
The production has received multiple honors, including Best Adaptation from the SoCal Film Awards in 2025, Best Original Idea from the Top Indie Film Awards in 2026, and Best Ensemble Cast from the Bare Bones International Film Festival in 2026. It also earned nominations for Best Writing and Best Editing.
Gossom is available for interviews, readings, and commentary on poetry’s cultural role and the connection between creative expression and emotional wellness.&nbsp;
Purchase The Human Equation at Amazon, Apple Books, or Barnes &amp; Noble, or here: https://bobgossom.com/books/
About Bob Gossom
Bob Gossom is a poet, playwright and film-industry professional whose career spans filmmaking, technology and decades of literary work. His collection The Human Equation reached No. 1 on multiple Amazon poetry charts, including Contemporary Poetry and American Poetry. Through page, stage and screen, he continues to champion poetry as a living art form grounded in the shared human experience.To watch the film, learn more, or schedule an interview or reading with Bob Gossom, visit bobgossom.com, where you will find viewing instructions and contact options.
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Local Event: ‘Versified! The Human Equation’ Returns for Encore Streaming

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‘Versified! The Human Equation’ Returns for...

Award-winning Bob Gossom film closes National Poetry Month and opens Mental Health Awareness Month
Poet and playwright Bob...

‘Versified! The Human Equation’ Returns for Encore Streaming

Sierra Madre Playhouse

Ecos de España celebrates the vibrant spirit of Spain with a compelling program of Spanish classical and flamenco music and dance on Saturday, May 2, 2026, 11:00 AM, at the historic Sierra Madre Playhouse. The family-friendly presentation is suitable for children and adults of all ages.
Dancer Susana Elena kicks off the performance with a lighthearted flamenco “Garrotín,” performed with a Spanish Cordobés hat. Incorporating drama, elegance and power, Spanish classical dancer Albertossy Espinoza performs “Paso Doble,” the dance of the bullfight. Classical guitarist Almer Imamovic plays a selection of the timeless compositions created for the Spanish guitar. Additionally, renowned international flamenco guitar and dance duo, Paco and Yolanda Arroyo, celebrate Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca with heartrending original choreography performed to his poem, “Nana del Caballo Grande.”
Ecos de España educates as it entertains. The artists briefly introduce each number as well as invite audience participation in various ways during the performance. Afterwards, audience members are welcomed onstage to meet the artists, take an introductory Spanish castanet class, learn basic flamenco dance steps or better understand classical and flamenco guitar technique.
¡Olé! ¡Viva la fiesta!
For tickets ($25) and information, please call 626.355.4318 or visit <a href="https://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">sierramadreplayhouse.org.</a> Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA 91024.

Local Event: Ecos de España Performs Spanish Classical and Flamenco Music and Dance at Sierra Madre Playhouse

Sierra Madre

Ecos de España Performs Spanish Classical and...

Ecos de España celebrates the vibrant spirit of Spain with a compelling program of Spanish classical and flamenco music and...

Ecos de España Performs Spanish Classical and Flamenco Music and Dance at Sierra Madre Playhouse

Zipper Concert Hall

The esteemed international chamber music collective Camerata Pacifica caps its 36th season with the highly anticipated California premiere of Dimitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15, Op.144, arranged by Viktor Derevyanko for piano trio and percussion, May 14-19, 2026, in Los Angeles, San Marino, Santa Barbara, and Thousand Oaks. This is just the fifth performance in the western hemisphere of the 47-minute arrangement, which Shostakovich himself approved. Premiered in 1972 in Moscow, it is considered an alluring textural and rhythmic alternative to Shostakovich’s original. The Fifteenth Symphony, the composer’s final symphonic work, is regarded as a summation of Shostakovich’s remarkable artistry, blending “a hard-earned gravity with the buoyant spirit of youth” (The Wall Street Journal). Featured artists include Grace Park, violin; Ani Aznavoorian, cello; Gilles Vonsattel, piano; and percussionists Ji Hye Jung, Ayano Kataoka, Svet Stoyanov, and Jason Treuting.
The chamber music program is presented on Thursday, May 14, 8:00 pm, Zipper Hall in Downtown Los Angeles; Friday, May 15, 2026, 7:00 pm, at Santa Barbara’s Music Academy of the West; Sunday, May 17, 3:00 pm, at Thousand Oaks’ Janet and Ray Scherr Forum; and Tuesday, May 19, 7:30 pm, at The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall in San Marino.
Additional highlights include the season’s final “Beethoven 32” offering with Principal Piano Gilles Vonsattel performing the Piano Sonata in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2, a masterpiece that helped cement Beethoven’s reputation as one of the most important composers of his era. Camerata Pacifica’s “Beethoven 32” is a three-year Beethoven cycle that launched last fall featuring Vonsattel on all 32 of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas.
Two contemporary works spotlighting percussion round out the repertoire. The featured percussionists add rhythmic joy to Belgian composer Thierry De Mey's fascinating Musique de Table for which the artists “play” small tables as their only instruments.
The percussionists also join violinist Grace Park for Kenji Bunch’s Transcontinental for Violin and Percussion Quartet. Bunch has earned a reputation as one of America’s most engaging, influential, and prolific composers, with genre-defying music that has been performed on six continents and by more than seventy American orchestras.
For tickets ($35/$75 at The Huntington, Music Academy of the West, and Zipper Hall; $48.25/$94.40, including fees, at Janet and Ray Scherr Forum) and information, visit <a href="https://www.cameratapacifica.org." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">cameratapacifica.org.</a>

Local Event: Camerata Pacifica Gives CA Premiere of Shostakovich’s 15th Symphony

Camerata Pacifica Gives CA Premiere of...

The esteemed international chamber music collective Camerata Pacifica caps its 36th season with the highly anticipated...

Camerata Pacifica Gives CA Premiere of Shostakovich’s 15th Symphony

Sierra Madre Playhouse mounts Will &amp; Company’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Saturday, May 16, 2026, 11:00 AM. Lively and engaging, this 45-minute version, filled with visual flair, takes the audience on a spirited romp through the woods into a world of enchantment filled with fairies, mischief, and magic. The family-friendly show is geared for children and adults of all ages.
In this whimsical tale of entangled worlds, four people get lost in a mystical forest near ancient Athens. The mischievous spirit Puck intervenes, and although chaos and romantic mix ups ensue, the story culminates with a glorious triple wedding. Audience participation is woven throughout the action.
Will &amp; Company is a critically acclaimed multicultural theatre ensemble with a “Professional Designation in Arts Education” award from the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, and recognition for “Excellence in Theatre” award by the State of California. The company performs adaptations of some of the world's greatest classic literature by Shakespeare, Homer, Dickens, and others. Also, critically acclaimed nationally for touring original works highlighting diversity and social justice issues, Will &amp; Company is the recipient of two NAACP Awards, and was nominated for a GLAAD Award.
For tickets ($20) and information, please call 626.355.4318 or visit <a href="https://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">sierramadreplayhouse.org.</a> Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA 91024.

Local Event: Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Adapted for All Ages Comes to Sierra Madre Playhouse

Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Adapted...

Sierra Madre Playhouse mounts Will & Company’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream on...

Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Adapted for All Ages Comes to Sierra Madre Playhouse

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Jodi Seigel, acclaimed for her smokey vocals and masterful slide guitar, presents her gritty groove-forward blend of blues, R&amp;B, soul, and jazz on Saturday, May 16, 2026, 8:00 PM, at the historic Sierra Madre Playhouse.
The Chicago native performs music from her latest album, Wild Hearts. Filled with emotional depth and musical craftsmanship, the album’s songs exude an undeniable down-home elegance. On stage with her band, Siegel commands both the solo spotlight and the collective energy of a tight ensemble with her blistering guitar lines, rich vocals, strong songwriting and seamless transitions across musical styles.
Seigel, now based in LA, has built a career opening for legends like Albert King and Robert Cray, and writing songs that have been recorded by Maria Muldaur, Marcia Ball, and Teresa James.
For tickets ($12-$35) and information, please call 626.355.4318 or visit <a href="https://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">sierramadreplayhouse.org.</a> Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA 91024.

Local Event: Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Jodi Siegel Brings R&B, Soul & Jazz to Sierra Madre Playhouse

Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Jodi Siegel Brings...

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Jodi Seigel, acclaimed for her smokey vocals and masterful slide guitar, presents her gritty...

Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Jodi Siegel Brings R&B, Soul & Jazz to Sierra Madre Playhouse

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

Pacific Jazz Orchestra (PJO) presents “Miles &amp; Trane at 100,” a powerful tribute to two of the most influential figures in jazz – trumpeter Miles Davis and saxophonist John Coltrane – on Thursday, May 28, 2026, 7:30 pm, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. The seminal artists, who were both born in 1926, would have turned 100 this year.
Noted guest artists Sean Jones, trumpet, Emmet Cohen, piano, and PJO’s own Jacob Scesney, saxophone, are featured with the 40-piece LA-based hybrid big band and string orchestra.
Seven-time GRAMMY®-nominated composer/arranger Chris Walden, the founder and artistic director of Pacific Jazz Orchestra, conducts the program, which includes newly arranged versions of some of Miles and Trane’s classic works that helped shape the course of modern jazz.
“Miles Davis and John Coltrane are towering jazz figures whose remarkable musical innovation continues to influence the landscape of modern music,” says Walden. “Pacific Jazz Orchestra is proud to honor their legacy and celebrate their timeless music.” Davis and Coltrane created a seismic shift in jazz during their fertile five-year musical collaboration from 1955 to 1960. They are hailed for producing landmark albums infused with a then-novel style of jazz called modal improvisation, which focuses on color and tonality for the harmonic framework, rather than chord progressions, providing the soloist greater freedom when improvising. Davis and Coltrane’s own individual artistic styles and other artistic endeavors also proved groundbreaking. Davis, known for his iconic smooth, subdued tone, was a cool jazz and jazz fusion pioneer as well as a visionary bandleader who championed rising artists. Coltrane’s instantly recognizable dark, brooding sound and virtuosic control of the saxophone place him among the pantheon of jazz players with many of his recordings reaching classic status, among them Blue Train, Giant Steps, and A Love Supreme.
Sean Jones (trumpet), who has worked with such major figures as Joe Lovano, Chico O’Farrill, Illinois Jacquet, Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, and Dianne Reeves, previously served as lead trumpet for the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (2004-2010) and was a member of the SFJAZZ Collective (2015-2017), which produced eight albums on Mack Avenue Records under his leadership. Jones, who joined Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter for their “Tribute to Miles” tour in 2011, is featured on three Grammy Award–winning albums: Dianne Reeve's Beautiful Life, Nancy Wilson's Turned to Blue, and Gerald Wilson's New York, New Sound.
Emmet Cohen (piano), widely recognized for his virtuosity and deep swing, has released 12 albums as a band leader and is the producer and creative force behind “Live From Emmet’s Place,” a landmark series comprising over 140 two-hour livestream performances featuring hundreds of musicians, which has had more than 100 million views. A Mack Avenue recording artist, Cohen has performed in more than 40 countries and was selected to be the Artistic Partner of the 2027 American Piano Awards. He was named DownBeat Readers Poll Pianist of the Year in 2025. In 2023, he garnered both Pianist of the Year and Livestream Producer of the Year honors from the Jazz Journalists Association.
Jacob Scesney (saxophone) is a rising star of the LA jazz and studio scene. He has performed around the globe with world-renowned acts such as Maroon 5, The Jonas Brothers, Shawn Mendes, and John Legend. He has played at Wembley Stadium, Crypto.com arena, Red Rocks, and Wrigley Field, among other iconic venues. Scesney has also appeared on the soundtracks of epic films such as Babylon and numerous hit TV shows, including Glee, The Voice, American Idol, The Ellen Show, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Pacific Jazz Orchestra has received critical acclaim for thrilling performances that “entertain, inspire, and enrich” (Variety). Thanks to the generosity of The Herb Alpert Foundation (HAF), the Pacific Jazz Orchestra’s inaugural season was fully funded, and HAF continues to support the ensemble in its 2025-26 season. Additional support this season is provided by Grow @ Annenberg.
The Wallis is located at 9390 N Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. For tickets ($53.90-$108.90) and information, visit <a href="https://www.pacificjazz.org" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">pacificjazz.org</a> or call 310-746-4000.

Local Event: Pacific Jazz Orchestra Presents "Miles & Trane at 100" at The Wallis, 5/28

Pacific Jazz Orchestra Presents "Miles & Trane...

Pacific Jazz Orchestra (PJO) presents “Miles & Trane at 100,” a powerful tribute to two of the most influential figures in jazz...

Pacific Jazz Orchestra Presents "Miles & Trane at 100" at The Wallis, 5/28

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Holding Southern California Edison Accountable

LA Fire Justice

LA Fire Justice is a coalition of experienced LA wildfire lawyers, world-class fire origin and causation experts, insurance specialists, and community engagement leaders committed to seeking justice from Southern California Edison for victims of the Eaton Fire. Our LA Fire Justice legal team is led by California lawyer Doug Boxer, and lead litigator Mikal Watts*. Our lawyers are joined by CEO Chris Holden**, and consumer advocate Erin Brockovich***. Together, our team offers unparalleled expertise in wildfire litigation, public policy, and consumer protection. We invest locally by operating out of a 6,000 square foot office space with a long-term lease in Pasadena and by hiring people from Eaton fire-impacted areas for full-time engagement and outreach roles. LA Fire Justice strongly believes that no one is more qualified to support Eaton Fire recovery than those at the heart of the impacted communities. Our hands-on, people-first approach earns our clients’ trust and drives results. * Mikal Watts is licensed to practice law in Texas, Oregon, and Arkansas. ** Chris Holden is not an attorney. *** Erin Brockovich is not an attorney.

LA Fire Justice is a coalition of experienced LA wildfire lawyers, world-class fire origin and causation experts, insurance specialists, and...

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