BOOKSTORE & ARCHIVE

THE SCOTT WANNBERG BOOKSTORE & POETRY LOUNGE

Scott Wannberg, a giant presence on Los Angeles poetry scene for decades and a mainstay of the old Dutton’s Bookstore in Brentwood, where for nearly 25 years he molded the reading habits of a wide assortment of customers and petted every dog that crossed the threshold, had the distinction of having read at all three of Beyond Baroque’s venues.

At Dutton's, Scott was a clerk and buyer — one whom most customers could never forget. Scott’s book recommendations were sought by an eclectic range of readers, from elderly Westside matrons to celebrities. T.C. Boyle writes, "Scott was piling my arms high with books I absolutely just had to read. He had a sixth sense, knowing exactly what I wanted and needed."

But Scott was more than a bookseller. He was a poet, one of the best. His influence as a poet reached well beyond his hometown of Los Angeles. With half a dozen books to his credit and more to come, Scott was one of a kind, a larger than life American original; the stuff of myth and legend. The Scott Wannberg Bookstore and Poetry Lounge is named in his honor, his memory and with gratitude.

The Scott Wannberg Bookstore and Poetry Lounge at Beyond Baroque holds the largest collection of new and used poetry in the city, with an unparalleled selection of books by local writers and small press publications. Our art section houses a robust and diverse array of titles—many of them quite rare--on every subject from avant-garde architecture to celebrity photography. If your interests stray from art and poetry, our collection of fiction and non-fiction contains a broad range of titles at remarkably low prices. As a literary bookstore, we are dedicated to carrying titles that demonstrate the best of what art and literature have to offer. Come visit us soon!

Bookstore & Gallery Hours:

Tuesday - Thursday 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM, by appointment
Friday - Saturday 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM, open to the public

Closed on all major holidays. 

THE BEYOND BAROQUE ARCHIVE

Beyond Baroque's archive houses the West Coast's most comprehensive, independent collection of small press chapbook and magazine publications as well as an extensive collection of literary ephemera. The archive collects and preserves works and is non-lending. It is open to members, researchers, and workshop participants. It contains over 40,000 volumes of rare small and independent presses, self-published writers' chapbooks, rare avant-garde and hand-printed literary periodicals, broadsides, and anthologies, with a specialization in post-‘68 work. The chapbook collection, one of the few dedicated to the form, features self-published and limited-run, handcrafted Xeroxed, mimeographed, offset and hand-printed one-of-a-kind works.