Midcult: A Literary Evening with Steve Erickson in K-Town

Me and Steve Erickson at his reading at the Earl in K-Town on Weds, May 14, 2026.

This week, I went to a Midcult event at The Earl in Koreatown. Midcult, named after critic Dwight MacDonald’s jab at middlebrow culture, now celebrates smart, challenging writing that’s fun to read. Check out their publications The Dispatch and Loosies.

The Earl, a culture space in wild and wonderful Koreatown, is industrial-cozy with multiple halls. One had jazz, which we could hear faintly through the walls in the reading room. The outdoor courtyard was LA magic: long sunlight, palm trees, festival lights crisscrossing overhead. The vibe felt like a speakeasy crossed with a book festival, at a suggested donation of $5! 

The crowd was a mix of writers, academics, and literary types. Chatting in the courtyard I realized to my chagrin that my reading list needs broadening from some stale historical fiction and mysteries into contemporary fiction or at least sci-fi—to hold up my end of any conversation here.

The lineup was Johanna Stone, Emily Doyle, and Grace Krilanovich, with Steve Erickson closing the night. 

These writers were new to me, except for Steve, whom I know from his years living in Topanga Canyon. I also got to say hello to Miles Erickson, Steve’s son, a webcomic with his own dry and sardonic humor, and a book coming out May 19! (MyGumsAreBleeding.com). Miles was in kindergarten with our Georgia, and I still remember his six-year-old birthday party, a Miles for President political campaign with a jumpy house, among other "ordinary" days-in-the-life with the Precious-Erickson family.

Johanna Stone kicked things off, reading something off sheets of white paper –I didn’t catch the title—hooking us with her sly humor. She’s a writer, performer and director known for her scripts.

Emily Doyle

Emily Doyle read from Please Don’t Touch the Body. (Bloomsbury), a collection of "genre-bending stories... thrillingly concerned with the devastation and power of being alive today." Saucy and inventive. Loved her.

Grace Krilanovich

Grace Krilanovich, known for her cult classic The Orange Eats Creeps (Two Dollar Radio), read from Acid Green Velvet (Penguin Random House). Set on California’s central coast, it follows two young hoboes plotting revenge, then fast-forwards to a town filled with cults, eccentrics, and communal living.  

All three writers are now at the top of my to-read list.

Then Steve Erickson got up and people leaned forward. His fans are longstanding, rar-reaching, and intergenerational. Known for blending surrealism, dark humor, and a little existential dread, Steve is the founding editor of Cal Art’s Black Clock and the author of Days Between Stations, Our Ecstatic Days, Zeroville, many others, Guggenheim award, much more …

I’ve always known him to be a humble and solidly decent person, with a quiet and encyclopedic knowledge of rock and roll.

He read from a “work in slow progress,” a story about a tour bus driver/English department chair showing tourists (who were apathetically watching democracy unravel—making plenty of us squirm) the LA burn scar.  It was hilarious, unsettling, and sharply observed.

Walking out, I felt juiced up. As a writer, I can only hope that some of that brilliance rubs off on me.  

#Midcult #SteveErickson #LiteraryLA #KoreatownLA #LALitScene #ContemporaryFiction #LiveLiterature