I should have made a post about this earlier, but I’ve been sending emails to local message boards and our mailing lists, and I’m not really sure if there’s anyone left in the area that still hasn’t heard about it.

But this Thursday is Rattle’s 15th anniversary party, a big bash we’re throwing with Red Hen Press, who’s coincidentally also turning 15. Here are the details:

Date: Thursday, May 14th
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $5 suggested donation
Phone: 310-399-5544 (Equator Books)
Location: Equator Books (map)
Address:
1103 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA

I’ve never been to Equator Books myself — Red Hen has pretty much set the party up themselves, and we’re just piggybacking (thanks Steph!) — but I hear it’s a great venue.  Both a bookstore and art gallery, it’s full of funky rare and out-of-print books, which serve as works of art in their own right.  Check out some of their categories you can browse: Surf & Skate, Prostitutes & Call Girls, Circus Freaks & Bullfighting, Drugs & Crime…  Sterile corporate chain it is not.

We’ll have light food, drinks, a DJ, and books books books!  Red Hen’s bringing lots of their titles, and Rattle will have copies of every back issue we’ve got.  I don’t know about Red Hen, but we’re selling our back issues cheap — just 5 bucks.  But it should be fun just to browse the history of Rattle as a journal, from its chapbook-like roots to our gorgeous Summer 2009 issue fresh from the printer.

In addition to the books, of course, this is a chance to meet all the editors of both Rattle and Red Hen — including the elusive Alan Fox — as well as dozens of local poets and writers.  LA’s a tough place to feel a coherent sense of community within, but we’re hoping this is a chance to bring some people together.

So if you’re in the area, and somehow haven’t heard of this party already, stop on by Thursday night!