“What do we want America to be?” This is the question asked of first- and second-generation immigrant storytellers in the new anthology The Good Immigrant: 26 Writers Reflect on America. Join contributors Jade Chang (The Wangs vs. The World), Nicole Dennis-Benn (whose sophomore novel, Patsy, debuts this June), and Dani Fernandez (Ralph Breaks the Internet, “Nerdificent”) for readings and conversation in honor of Immigrant Heritage Month and to consider how Angelenos fit into the national conversation on American identity.

Pack a blanket and picnic on the lawn (no alcohol permitted), or for purchase from local food trucks. Book sales courtesy of Vroman’s Bookstore.

This program is presented in partnership with The Music Center, PEN America, and Scripps Presents.

Jade Chang is the author of The Wangs vs. the World, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The Wangs has been named a New York Times Editors’ Choice as well as a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, Buzzfeed, Elle, and NPR, and was awarded the VCU/Cabell First Novelist prize. The novel will be published in 12 countries. “Her book is unrelentingly fun, but it is also raw and profane—a story of fierce pride, fierce anger, and even fiercer love.” (NPR)

Nicole Dennis-Benn is the author of the novels Patsy(Liveright, 2019) and Here Comes the Sun(Liveright, 2016), which won the Lambda Literary Award, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Award, the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award, and the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize, and was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award.

Dani Fernandez is an LA based writer, comedian, and actress. She is a host at Nerdist, has a wizarding comedy show “Live from WZRD” on VRV, and hosts a popular podcast on iHeartMedia called “Nerdificent.” She can also be seen in animated form, playing herself, in Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Elaine Welteroth has climbed the ranks of media, fashion, and storytelling. She was the youngest person ever appointed editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, and in 2012 had been the first African American ever to hold the post of beauty and health director at a Condé Nast publication. To celebrate the release of her timely memoir, More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say), Welteroth discusses her personal experiences as a barrier breaker and advocates for next-gen trailblazers to know they are #morethanenough. Books will be available for purchase courtesy of Eso Won Books.

Presented in partnership with the California African American Museum.

Elaine Welteroth is an award-winning journalist and judge on the new Project Runway, and was most recently editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue. She was the youngest person ever appointed editor-in-chief in 2017 and the first African American to ever hold the post of beauty and health director at a Condé Nast publication in 2012. Prior to Teen Vogue, she was the senior beauty editor at Glamour and the beauty and style editor at Ebony.

You are invited to mix, mingle, and celebrate the summer at an exclusive entertainment industry professional power networking mixer. Expand your network by mixing with entertainment industry professionals from Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, U. Penn, and Dartmouth. From award winning Chef David Lespron and Umbrella Hospitality Group comes a menu inspired by the glitz and glamour of Old Hollywood. Tiki-inspired cocktails pair perfectly with dishes packed with Far East flavors so intense, you'll feel like you just stepped into the Ring of Fire.... LONO Hollywood invites you to join us in our urban oasis, away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood Boulevard. A curated adventure awaits the intrepid explorer in all of us in this classy homage to the escapist drinking palaces of yesteryear.

You are invited to the IVY Entertainment Summit and Awards, an exclusive experience at AFI. The event will feature insider tools and strategies to stay viable in a changing industry, how to leverage diversity and inclusion in ways that are good for your pocketbook, and mentoring roundtables. This once-a-year one-of-its-kind exclusive and elite event is quickly becoming the pre-emmys and pre-oscars taste-making industry event of the year. The full day event will culminate with an exclusive power networking reception FREE for All Access Pass Holders.

It has been an epic year in television. Where will you be for the Emmy's? Join your friends and colleagues at IVY Entertainment for power networking at an exclusive viewing party. Play our winner prediction game for your chance to win free prizes. Our winner from this year's Oscars Viewing Party took home FREE prizes worth over $500.

Dress up (optional): black tie for guys, cocktail dress for ladies. Drink specials. Network like crazy during the commercial breaks!

Welcome to Jalapeño Pete's—a one-of a kind spot in Studio City. With plenty of your favorite tequilas and spirits, along with refreshing specialty cocktails and beer, there is everything you need behind the bar for an unforgettable night out. And while the food menu may be small, it packs a flavorful punch, with tacos and other homemade taqueria staples to snack on. Good drinks, good food, and good times.

On June 23, there will be a screening of the award winning film, "Isaac Pope: The Spirit of an American Century" in Philadelphia as part of New Freedom Theatre's first Juneteenth celebration. For the post-screening discussion there will be people with ties to Heritage House, which in the 1960s was the Black cultural center founded by Eugene Wayman Jones, the remarkable activist and composer who is prominently featured in the film. Heritage House was located where New Freedom Theatre is now. Pope and Jones served together in WWII at the Battle of the Bulge in the 969th Field Artillery Battalion, becoming close friends despite their very different backgrounds. The 969th was the first Black unit the Army "allowed" to go into battle in WWII and was the first to win a Presidential Citation for Meritorious Service at the Bulge.

The film has been rated an average of 5 out of 5 by a wide range of audiences.

Come explore a Summer networking experience at the Marina del Rey Marriott in the heart of one of the most desirable coastal communities in Southern California. We’re mixing and mingling at their spacious Sinder Lounge with only the finest and brightest LA has to offer. Sinder is a refreshing indoor and outdoor venue surrounded by a special blend of water and fire elements. An exclusive $8 Barcardi Punch drink special for our group will be available during the duration of the event.

• Attire: Summer Casual
• Must be 21+ with valid I.D.
• 20% Off Promo Code: 2019ALUMNI

This calendar features all member-submitted events!

You can invite the Harvardwood community to your upcoming stand-up show, concert, screening, art gallery launch, and more. Events can only be submitted by dues-current members.