Since 1968, Beyond Baroque has been the key institution in the development of LA’s grassroots literary culture. Featuring a theater, bookstore, workshop space, and an art gallery, it is the central forum for literary exchange in a region whose 18.7 million residents have few other dedicated literary spaces. Committed to supporting writers and artists otherwise marginalized by traditional literary institutions, Beyond Baroque’s legendary free workshops have nurtured some of the country’s most notable writers, while its reading and performance series has hosted many of the world’s greatest writers, artists, and performers. Today it combines a rigorous commitment to artistic excellence with an equal commitment to ensuring that the literary arts remain accessible to all at little or no cost. It does so by offering an extensive array of free and low-cost workshops for writers of all levels in multiple genres, by programming over 100 yearly literary events, and by hosting eight contemporary arts shows per year in its gallery space.