About ///
Beyond Baroque is a space and a community of poets, artists, and writers dedicated to expanding the artistic possibilities of language. We organize writing workshops, literary events, performances, exhibitions, and multidisciplinary art programs.
A Landmark Venice Cultural Space
Located in the old Venice City Hall in the heart of Venice, Beyond Baroque is a nonprofit literary space, bookstore, theater, public garden, and art gallery. Since 1968, our programs have shaped the literary and artistic legacies of Venice and Los Angeles by nurturing generations of poets, writers, and artists.
Supporting Writers and Cultivating New Writing
Beyond Baroque’s intensive writing seminars, multi-week classes, and free weekly workshops provide space for writers of all levels to develop their art. Open to everyone, these workshops have been a cornerstone of the Center for decades, and provide a vital resource for anyone building a literary practice.
Bringing Poetry, Literature, and the Arts to the Public
Each year, Beyond Baroque presents over 100 literary and artistic events in our Wanda Coleman Theater. Our reading and performance series hosts literary greats, emerging writers, and a range of innovative musicians, artists, performers, and filmmakers. Over the years, it has exposed LA audiences to some of the world’s most notable writers and performers, often at early stages in their careers.
A Bookstore Showcasing Small Press Publishers
Named after a beloved Los Angeles bookseller and poet, the Scott Wannberg Bookstore at Beyond Baroque houses the largest selection of poetry on the westside of Los Angeles, as well as an extensive collection of fiction, non-fiction, and art books.
Showcasing Contemporary Visual Artists
Established in honor of the groundbreaking artist and Beyond Baroque alumni Mike Kelley, the Mike Kelley Gallery at Beyond Baroque showcases emerging and world-renowned artists, with a special emphasis on text-based and literary-themed visual art.
Nurturing Literary Practice
Beyond Baroque offers fellowships, scholarships, and prizes that support poets in the sustained development of new work. Offerings include include the Linda J. Albertano Poetry Fellowship and the Amanda Gorman Future Voices Poetry Prize, both of which honor prominent alumni of Beyond Baroque’s programs.
Publishing Innovative Literature
Beyond Baroque Books publishes new and innovative work, anthologies rooted in Los Angeles’ literary communities and beyond, cult rarities, and collections by noted poets, performers, and cultural leaders.
Archiving Los Angeles’ Literary History
Beyond Baroque has preserved one of the West Coast’s most comprehensive independent collections of small press and limited-edition publications, literary ephemera, correspondence, and photographs. Now housed at the Gerth Archives at California State University, Dominguez Hills, this 50,000-item collection chronicles poetry movements in Los Angeles and beyond, and Beyond Baroque continues to add new materials.
