Upcoming Events
Beyond Baroque, Writer’s Round Talk Show
May 18, 5 p.m. Reading with 3 other L.A. writers, cool format with unscripted amusing Q and A, should be a very fun time. Specifics to come!
Panels: Los Angeles Times Festival of Books 2014
Saturday, April 12, 12 p.m.—Panel: “Degrees of Fictionality: Representing Truth Across Genres”. Moderator, Janet Fitch. I’ll be talking with Dana Johnson, Mark Jonathan Harris and Leo Braudy about the ‘truthiness’ issue in memoir, history, autobiography and biography, the so-called ‘non-fiction novel’ and historical fiction.
Saturday, 3 pm.–Panel: “Fiction, L.A. Stories”. I’ll be sharing stories about my own books, my favorite L.A. books, who gets it right, who gets it wrong, with fabulous fellow authors Alex Espinoza, Matthew Specktor and Antoine Wilson. Moderated by the amazing David Francis.
Panel tickets are free! Contact LA Times Festival of Books to snag ’em!
“A Shrine For Unbelievers” in Black Clock 18, Reading in Los Angeles
SUNDAY, APRIL 6. Black Clock 18, out of Cal Arts, asked for “alternate versions, deleted passages and excised chapters—the resurrection of cherished artistic detours abandoned for the sake of the whole.” So I sent a chapter of the early version of Paint It Black, when it was still called A Shrine for Unbelievers, and was told in all three voices–Michael, (then called ‘Mitch’) Meredith and Josie. What appears in Black Clock is Mitch’s own voice.
Artist’s Talk–Russia Photography Exhibit
AN ENDURING GRACE FRIDAY, MAY 27, 6:30-10 P.M. Wildfire Gallery, 602 San Vicente Blvd., Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles. Janet will be talking to Michael Kirschoff about his large format fine-art photographs, taken in Russia using low-tech, high-aesthetic techniques such as Polaroid and plastic lens cameras. It’s the Russia channel, 24/7!
Reading in Idyllwild
SUNDAY, June 5, 2 p.m. Reading as part of the IDYLLWILD AUTHORS SERIES, sponsored by PEN USA, in the lovely San Bernardino mountain town of Idyllwild. A terrific little out of town breather, great way to kick off the summer. B’s Mountain of Books, 34385 N. Circle Drive, Idyllwild, CA 92549. 951-659-5018.
SQUAW VALLEY COMMUNITY OF WRITERS
SUMMER WRITING CONFERENCE, AUGUST 6 TO AUGUST 13.
The best of the West and my home away from home, the Squaw Valley writers conference, August 6 to August 13. Summer camp for writers–in the Sierra. Amazing teachers, amazing participants. Writers, editors, agents… at 8,000 feet. Met my editor there. I suggest you start planning your excuses now, rounding up Grandma for the kids. www.squawvalleywriters.org.
Janet Fitch's Blog 
03/24/2010 at 11:53 am
Hi Janet,
Can you recommend someone who writes with your wonderful richness. I will pay them well and it is a great story that editors are waiting for. (I was a fugitive for many years after being framed as a teenager on a small drug charge.)
I would like to pay an experienced writer to help me polish and shape up my proposal. I am looking for someone who could help add richness, more ‘showing’, and more atmosphere as well as fine tuning or editing some of my opinions (think; left wing Ayn Rand). I would like this person to also work on the book with me. I will be able to pay them well- according to their qualifications.
I do not want a celebrity ghost writer. I need someone immediately to help edit the 200 page proposal that I have written and then someone who has a clear calendar to work with me for the next few months on the book. I have a lot of pressure to get this finished (I am fortunate enough to have an agent from Oprah call weekly and the show is only on for another year. Sixty Minutes and others are aslo interested and willing to wait, but for how long?) I want to move forward but I want it to be more than a thin manuscript capitalizing on a news story. If you have a writer who would be interested I would like to talk to them. Where they live is not an issue. (I live in San Diego.)
I would prefer someone who is not squimish about racism, (white against black and black against white) government corruption, or questioning of organized religion.
I would appreciate any assistance you can offer.
Thank you,
Marie Walsh
(aka Susan LeFevre)
03/24/2010 at 1:14 pm
I have someone in mind who would be perfect. I’ve sent them a note.
04/02/2010 at 10:20 am
[…] author Janet Fitch (White Oleander, Paint It Black) is doing some local readings this month: Thurs 4/8 noon, […]
04/22/2010 at 5:05 pm
Dear Janet
I just came across your site. I am typically not a fan of fiction but your writing makes me swallow my words. I live the life of Astrid from 1961 to 1978 I was raised in foster homes in LA and had the same contentious relationship with my mother. In part your gift of the novel helped me open up and talk about my life and not be ashamed. Paint it Black could of been anyone, it could of been my daughters another truly wonderful read. I wrote a proposal for a non-fiction book similar to White Oleander before your book came out but never had the guts to do anything with it.
I look forward to adding whatever your future provides to my library
Kate
05/04/2010 at 8:13 pm
Hello Janet,
Your writing is filled with wonderful plot and sensual experiences. I devoured White Oleander and Paint it Black. I look forward to reading your next book.
Can you recommend any writing classes in San Diego?
Thank you,
Melissa
05/05/2010 at 8:05 am
Hi Melissa–
Thanks for the kind comment. In San Diego, Writer’s Ink has great classes! Check it out. The first class I ever taught was for them, in different guise, ten or twelve years ago.
Janet
06/09/2010 at 10:13 pm
Hi Janet,
I’m a fan of your writing and live in Los Angeles. Your books have inspired me greatly because of their characters and subject matter.
I have been keeping journals of my life since I left home at 16. I am now in my thirties and I am getting more into revisiting some things I wrote over the years and would like to try to piece some of it together into something more than handwritten notebooks nobody sees.
I was just wondering if you are planning on teaching any classes or workshops in the LA area this year that are not college courses? I’m a musician and my schedule is sometimes erratic with touring. If you ever offer a shorter term class I’d love to sign up.
Thank you,
Meredith M.
06/19/2010 at 9:55 am
Is the literary pub crawl still happening tonight in LA? I want to attend, and can’t seem to find any information online.
11/28/2010 at 3:12 am
I wrote a paper on this in College, had i had your capability to articulate my thoughts and research, I might have received a better grade. Good Job!
07/17/2012 at 10:37 am
Hey Janet, what would it cost for you to come to Memphis, TN? My fiancé is a huge fan and I want to do something special for her. She is an aspiring poet, and my greatest inspiration. I know you are probably a very busy woman, but I hope you can find some time in the future to make it down to Memphis. If you prefer (or require) that a larger venue be set up, such as a book signing or writing class be arranged, I will try to arrange something. Please let me know what you would take for you to come to Memphis, and I will do everything I can to organize it. Thank you for everything you’ve written and given us through your own writing.
07/19/2012 at 12:07 pm
Hi James–
What a kind offer! When my next book comes out, it would be great to come to Memphis for a booksigning. It won’t be for a couple of years (probably Aprilish 2014) but thank you and thanks for the kind thoughts. I’m sure you’ll be old married people by then!
all my best,
Janet Fitch
09/18/2014 at 5:02 am
Hi Janet,
The school I teach for allowed us to choose a novel we love as our own summer reading selection and I chose White Oleander. Students were allowed to sign up for a book they’d enjoy from the list of almost 100 novels. I’ve had students coming up to me in these first few weeks of school excitedly telling me about how much they loved the novel and you have inspired several of these reluctant readers to pick up other books to read because of it. Many of these students have never really read a book for pleasure and this really opened up a lot of minds. On the 26th we have our official book club meeting where we get to discuss the novel at length with the students and I’m very excited for it. This is truly a great book and you have impacted a lot of people because of it. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Ed Duffy
09/18/2014 at 7:25 pm
Thank you, Ed!
10/07/2014 at 4:32 pm
Hey Janet,
My girlfriend is a huge fan of yours and I know that you are a busy woman, but would it be possible from me to get you to sign a copy of Paint It Black for her? I know that she has read that book over 30 times cover to cover, and sometimes picks it up and read chapters here and there. She is currently getting her masters in Narrative Medicine at Columbia, hoping to combine the two things she loves, and is having a little difficulty adjusting to the New York lifestyle. Paint It Black is her go to source of comfort as she finds some of the experiences contained in that book incredibly relatable and enlightening. I am visiting her late November and I know it would mean the world to her if I could bring along her favorite book signed by her favorite author. Of course I know that it is a lot to ask, so feel free to say it isn’t possible; worst case scenario I’ll find you at your next event :). In any event, I hope you continue to write and inspire people such as my girlfriend and I wish you all the best!
Sincerely,
Vikram
10/08/2014 at 9:47 pm
Hi Vikram–
email me at oleander@pacbell.net, we’ll talk. There are a couple of ways to go on this. What a lovely compliment!
all my best,
Janet
04/16/2016 at 1:29 pm
Hi Janet,
Do you have any upcoming classes or workshops that you’ll be teaching?
Thank you,
Zoe
04/17/2016 at 7:29 pm
Hi Zoe, no I don’t–not teaching at all this year… but if you look at my goodreads page, https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1421407, you’ll see that I have a whole section of “Best Books about Writing” you might like to take a look at. And thank you for asking! my best wishes with your work.
07/03/2016 at 1:00 am
Hi Janet, I have emailed you a while ago while you were still teaching at USC. You probably don’t remember me but I was the one who said that I would love to translate your books into Korean because I have read them cover to cover at least 50 times. Your books are my bible and I would love to translate them if you have any plans to publish it in Korea as well. I contacted Little Brown, too, regarding this but I haven’t heard back yet. Please let me know if this is something that is a possibility. I appreciate your help in advance.
02/01/2017 at 4:24 pm
Don’t know, this is something that’s entirely up to then. But if you didn’t hear back, try again. They should at least respond. Best, Janet