DTLA 37

Written by Yennie Cheung and Kathryn E. McGee
Photographs by Tim Ronca and Lev Tsimring

DTLA / 37: Downtown Los Angeles in Thirty-seven Stories

(En Ville Publishing, November, 2017)

DTLA/37 is a one-of-a-kind new coffee table book about the vibrant, ever-changing landscape of Downtown Los Angeles. With special focus on the “human temperature” of the neighborhood, 37 featured stories and many full-color photographs capture the unique people, places, and events that characterize this special area of the city, showcasing how Downtown Los Angeles has evolved over time, becoming the thriving center it is today.

Diverse communities and unexpected establishments convey the colorful nature of this ever-changing place. You’ll get a VIP pass into Dim Mak Records’ dance/pool party, ringside seats to the uproarious Lucha VaVOOM! wrestling and burlesque show, and a plus-one on the guest list to the hippest musical off Broadway. Then meet iconic figures such as famed muralist Kent Twitchell and quirky denizens like the owner of the Velveteria museum in Chinatown. Perhaps you’ll even meet the ghost of Rudolph Valentino wandering the halls of the Hotel Alexandria.

Born in 2010, En Ville Publishing explores cities in a new way, combining poetic prose, encounters with local residents, photography and numbers.

The “37” series hones in on colorful neighborhoods in California and Japan. While 37 may sound like a curious, random number, it is also the temperature – in Celsius – of the human body. What fascinates us most as we explore Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego,
Tijuana and Tokyo is the human element.

Each book in the series features 37 pieces on its neighborhood’s residents, oddities, public places and local artists. Organized in a countdown from 37 to 1, each piece revolves around a single number and is accompanied by stunning photography and meaningful statistics, all presented in a unique design.

Praise for DTLA/37
“The combination of thoughtful prose and dozens of candid photos equips this collection with verisimilitude. DTLA/37does an excellent job spotlighting the energy, streets and spirit of Downtown LA. It goes beyond the hipsters and flashy locations to present the true diversity of the landscape.”
– Entropy Magazine

Listed on Dwarf + Giant‘s “Book-Gifting For Your Wacky Family” 2017
Read the Entropy Magazine review of DTLA/37

Yennie Cheung is co-author of the book DTLA/37: Downtown Los Angeles in Thirty-seven Stories. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from UC Riverside-Palm Desert, and her work has been published in such places as The Los Angeles Times, Word Riot, Angels Flight * Literary West, The Best Small Fictions 2015, and the PEN Center/Rattling Wall anthology Only Light Can Do That. She lives in Los Angeles.

Kathryn E. McGee is co-author of the book DTLA/37: Downtown Los Angeles in Thirty-seven Stories. She has an MFA in creative writing from UC Riverside Palm Desert. Her short fiction has appeared in Gamut Magazine and anthologies including Horror Library Volume 6, Cemetery Riots and Winter Horror Days. She is a member of the Horror Writers Association. In her work as an architectural historian, she writes histories of old buildings in Los Angeles and consults on development projects involving historic properties.

Photographs by Tim Ronca and Lev Tsimring