Luminary Dinner with Richard Powers

Join Los Angeles Review of Books for an evening with acclaimed author Richard Powers on October 22. LARB Luminary Dinners are a celebration of visionary voices from the creative world; the event will feature drinks and dinner, followed by a conversation between Richard Powers and environment writer Rosanna Xia.

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Richard Powers is the author of 14 novels, including The Overstory (2018), Bewilderment (2021), and Orfeo (2014).  He is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Award. His latest novel, Playground (2024), was longlisted for The Booker Prize. In a review from LARB, M. Keith Booker says that it is “an important and innovative addition to the burgeoning genre of climate fiction, but it also parallels the earlier novel in suggesting that one reason human rule on earth might be coming to a close is that we could potentially be supplanted by artificial intelligences.” With this new novel, Richard Powers continues to do what he does best: threading the needle between the frontiers of human experience and science.

Powers will be hosted in conversation with Rosanna Xia. Rosanna Xia is an environment reporter for the Los Angeles Times, where she specializes in stories about the coast and ocean. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020 for explanatory reporting, and her coverage of a toxic dumpsite in the deep ocean has been anthologized in the “Best American Science and Nature Writing” series. Her award-winning book, California Against the Sea, has been praised as a poetic and mind-expanding exploration of what we stand to lose in the face of rising water.

LARB is honored to host such a prolific and celebrated writer committed to crafting stories full of heart and innovation. The Luminary Dinner will be held at a private home in Silver Lake. Cocktail reception for VIP guests begins at 6 p.m. Dinner begins at 7 p.m.

Books will be available from Chevalier's. Book plates will be provided instead of author signing.

This event is made possible through the generous support of John Friedman and Alice Kimm.

Questions? Please email Emily VanKoughnett at emily@lareviewofbooks.org.

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TICKET LEVELS

All tickets include dinner, presentation, and book signing, and proceeds directly support the Los Angeles Review of Books, a 501(c)(3) literary and cultural arts nonprofit publication.

Dinner Ticket ($250+): General admission for 1 to LARB Luminary Dinner featuring Richard Powers

VIP Cocktail Hour Package ($1,500+): Tickets for 2 to VIP cocktail reception with Richard Powers, plus dinner & conversation

Event Sponsor ($5,000+): Tickets for 4 to VIP cocktail reception, dinner & conversation, as well as named recognition during the evening’s program

If you are interested in purchasing a higher level ticket, donations will also be accepted via check or wire transfer. Please contact Emily with any inquiries.