ISM: In Long Beach, they're totally an IN-ism

Juicy bits of those ISM magazines do a good job of catching my eye whenever I shop at my favorite local bookstores. How I wish every bookstore anywhere carried these 8-by-6-inch, colorful things. The magazine stands for something interesting, coming from an official non-profit organization and all, and it’s got even more interesting content, always pushing forward local artistes (writers, photographers, painters and the like) into the limelight with interviews and full-colored spreads.

But looking beyond the soft matte finish of the magazine, and looking beyond the simple ISM logo stamped across every one of their covers, I found an even greater community that simply calls itself ISM. Altogether they are, in fact, “ISM: A Community Project.”

What do they do as a community? Party and celebrate their fabulous existence, for one. To embellish the atmosphere, they do a good deed of hanging their even more fabulous collectibles—photography art and such. Everybody who contributes to the magazine, and those people whose names we see on the masthead, gather their things and shower them into various local art galleries, leaving their mark as ISM: Gallery.

And the parade doesn’t stop there, they have their own place online, too—ISM: Online, a place outside the random, every-now-and-then ISM: Gallery gatherings or the even rarer two-times-a-year business of the ISM: Magazine.

During spring break, I had the happy chance of joining the fun at the ISM: Gallery, taking residence inside Long Beach’s Koo’s Art Center on Broadway. Apparently, the two—Koo’s and ISM—have been sharing space for the last two exhibits heard of out of this place (“Hello, My Name Is” and “Shudder,” the one that kicked off my weekend of spring break), so it’d be healthy speculation if eventually Koo’s turned into ISM’s.

ISM’s relentless affection of breaking into Long Beach art scene seems to be working for them, especially with their latest exhibit, the fashionable-looking “Prelude,” which will open on Sunday at Koo’s Art Center, or the ISM: Gallery. So, if you’re into fashion, and the fashion shows of late on campus aren’t cutting it for you, then perhaps this will satisfy your fashionista appetite and should also quench your curiosity of who or what exactly ISM is all about.

Kevin Staniec, founder and executive creative director of ISM, will be in full swing on the 11th, catering to all Long Beach art darlings. He’ll be presenting new artists to the ISM: Wall (something described as an ISM ritual), and the night will be lit up by the fashions created by UCLA students for their fashion show FAST.

ISM says they’re promising that everybody will be sharing oohs and ahhs over the original sketches on display, the runway shows, over-the-top accessories, the one of a kind wearable masterpieces... All of which will be lovingly showcased. But if this event will turn out to be as fun as “Shudder’s” opening, I’ll come prepared with my best face for all the fun photo booth action and my dancing shoes for the hot DJ music.

RSVP for Sunday night's opening of "Prelude" like a VIP at ISM: Online. (www.ISMcommunity.org/)

All photos were taken by Barbara Navarro at the opening of "Shudder" on Saturday, March 29.

Out with the old, in with the new?

I discovered Acres of Books for the first time in mid-January, and I truly fell into a narrative wonderland, an escape within a giant maze of towering reads. …Ooooh. But after a few weeks (er, days… I work for a daily, remember?) of research and hanging around the place, I learned of the store’s dimming truth: it could be knocked down. The stinky trend was finally catching up to Acres at their lot on Fourth Street and Long Beach Boulevard—a trend involving beautification of the immediate and surrounding blemished street blocks by Acres, which included a possible buyout from the city.

At Friday's weekly poetry night (or how the owner Jackie Smith calls it, “a psychobabble fest”) the store finally made the announcement: the city would be moving them out, that they had "negotiated the sale of our property... to the Redevelopment Agency," meaning Acres of Books would be knocked down.

Sad, stinky news. And, I don't get the city's fixation with demolishing history for lofts that nobody's buying. What will be left for Long Beach's future bibliophilic communities? This dusty downtown dinosaur is the place.

The truth is, there is another bookstore in town that I've also developed a crush on—{Open}, an independent store on Fourth Street (in the "Retro Row" neighborhood). It's a special little place that thoroughly stocks books by local literary stars, or simply draws large crowds when they invite them in for readings. Their art shows make a good draw, too. (Art di Matt Maust, anyone?)

So much to choose from... The wonderfully old, and charming new!



See these places for yourself...
Acres of Books, 240 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach. (562) 437-6980
{Open} Bookstore, 2226 East Fourth Street, Long Beach. (562) 499-OPEN

Pictured above: (Left) Acres of Books' towering shelves; (right) Echo Park photographer Marleah Tobin at the current art show happening at {open}, taken on opening night (3-29-08).

Pictured below: Snapshots of the shelves at {open}. Photos by Barbara Navarro.

Ode to the District Weekly

I thank them for not having porno ads dominating the back section of their issues, ever, which I know is the standard for most alternative publications. I admire them for being so animated in their storytelling and so committed to giving this city (and often times, the surrounding cities) some color. Like Technicolor color. And, after one full year in business now, it’s safe to say, also, that they’re not some elitist group in town who just write to show off. They have something real to say and they do it so exquisitely with so little—they’re out once a week and, on average, probably have 15 full pages of stories and reports. I like them for many reasons. Congratulations, District Weekly! You’re one year old, and yeah, you’re growing up quite fast. But that’s OK. It’s as if you were born with a hundred brains at a hundred years old. That’s what’s so sexy about you!

Images courtesty of Kristina Coffeen at the District.

I Am What I Read

Whenever I return to Book Soup on Sunset, the rejuvenation process for me pushes fast forward. I love this place, inside and out (literally!). There's an outside area that houses a wealth of magazines that I constantly return to. They're stocked with anything from local tastemakers to rare international rags. Inside is just as pleasing, with tall, black bookshelves filled with all the newest, glossiest books. And, as funny as this may sound, I really dig their bathroom. The floor squeaks in there and it sounds just right; the lighting, bright and perfect; and the walls are decorated with blue, bubbly graffiti. I love the filth. Just love it.

To further celebrate my admiration of those ubiquitous magazine stands I love so much, I've chronicled a picture collection of all of my favorite magazines (and other reads). These are the publications that I love, and I strongly recommend you pick them up and read them, too!

1 - Anthem Magazine

I've been obsessed with Anthem Magazine for about a year or two (their aesthetic is so clean and modern), and more recently I've been even more obsessed with their editor-in-chief, Dustin Beatty (who is so cute and actually a CSULB grad). I definitely recommend checking out their newly re-launched website, where the mag's featuring Comme des Garçons and the Liars as an online exclusive. (Dustin blogs quite frequently on there, too!)

2 - My high-fashion amassment of girly mags.

Hot to hottest: Michelle Williams on the cover of Interview; Mandy "Candy" Moore on TeenVogue; Natalie Portman, Allure; La Lohan on Elle; and some fabulous Katie Holmes-looking supermodel on Harper's Bazaar.

3 - The everyday stuff.
a. b. c.

a. Oooh... I only buy the LA Times when I know an Image section is included. I'm into their Calendar, Arts & Music and Travel sections, too. But something about Image clicks with me on an entirely different level. b. Metromix is a new raggy weekly that I found in LA just yesterday. I was very pleased with the abbreviated bits of articles in there, mostly because they were short enough for me to read while in traffic. c. Celine, Kerouac and Plath. Currently, bedside. There's always a space for Bukowski and Fante, Levertov, Neruda and Octavio Paz, too.

My infatuation with book stores and books themselves is true. Click here to visit my story on Long Beach's Acres of Books, which appeared in the Daily Forty-Niner on Monday, Jan. 28, 2008.

All photos and video by Barbara Navarro.

So, what do you read?