It's a spelling bee, but it's also a fundraiser: In the next five weeks, teams are lining up and preparing for 826LA's Spelling Bee for Cheaters, to be held on Aug. 14.

The rules are somewhat byzantine, but they boil down to one thing: The more money your team has raised, the more ways to buy yourself out of defeat -- and stay in the bee.

Say you're not sure about "recieve" versus "receive" -- for $100, your team can purchase a "one-letter hint." $500 buys you a pass on a word you'd rather not spell and gives you an alternate. For a large fee -- $1,500 -- you can invent a word, spell it, and move on to the next round. All funds spent go to 826LA, a literacy nonprofit with centers in Venice and Echo Park.

There is an entry price -- $50 per team member -- but after that, your team could compete on skills alone. The idea, of course, is that you'd be going up against cheaters, all of whom are already raising funds and building their cheating chest. The organization hopes that you'd like to gird your team against the cheaters' assault -- or to raise enough funds to cheat your way to an advantage over your competitors.

Several teams have signed up on the website, where anyone can track their fundraising progress (and also donate to their coffers). Among the competitors: "Marmoset There'd Be Days Like This," "Ivan and the Bee Sharps," "The Tori Spellings" (no relation) and "The Best-Spelers" (sic).

-- Carolyn Kellogg
twitter.com/paperhaus

Image: 826LA

The foundation Liberty Hill will present its Upton Sinclair Award to author Walter Mosley at its annual gala dinner on May 20. His novels have "powerfully tackled such monumental events in Los Angeles like the Watts riots," says Liberty Hill Chief Executive and President Kafi Blumenfield, "and eloquently created an authentic picture of the social injustice being faced by African Americans in our complicated city." 

Dedicated to supporting those who work for social justice, Liberty Hill has been active in Los Angeles for more than 30 years. Its annual gala dinner is a fundraiser and will include a silent auction.

The Upton Sinclair Award was named for the activist and prolific writer. Sinclair published more than 90 books, including 1906's "The Jungle," which exposed the meatpacking industry, and his novel "Dragon's Teeth," which won the 1943 Pulitzer Prize. On May 15, 1923, Sinclair was arrested for trying to read a speech at Liberty Hill in San Pedro on the Los Angeles Harbor, and spent five days in jail. That incident was both the impetus for the founding of the ACLU of Southern California and, years later, Liberty Hill Foundation.

Previous recipients of the Upton Sinclair Award include producer Robert Greenwald of Brave New Films, cinematographer Howard Wexler and author Howard Zinn.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Walter Mosley in 2007. Credit: Robert Caplin / For The Times

When Stephenie Meyer published "Breaking Dawn," it brought to an end her wildly popular "Twilight" vampire saga. So any new book in the pantheon is both unexpected and welcome. On Tuesday, fans were thrilled to learn that "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner," a new novella, will be available in June.

"Her story is a nice complement to 'Eclipse'," the third book in the "Twilight" saga, Meyer writes on her website. "It explains a lot of the things that Bella never knew."

The movie "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" is scheduled to hit screens at the end of June. And in the weeks prior, readers can get their hands on the new book.

The existence of "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" was so closely guarded that actress Jodelle Ferland, who read it as help for playing Bree in the "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," burned the manuscript once she was finished (Meyer has a photo of her with the soggy ashes).

Now that it's out there, Meyer is making two charitable moves with the novella. From June 7 to July 5 it will be available for free download at breetanner.com. Secondly, for each actual sale of the book -- which costs around $10 online -- $1 will be donated to the American Red Cross. On her website, Meyer specifies that the donation will be designated to provide relief to victims of the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, and others in need.

In addition to supplying emergency relief, one of the primary missions of the American Red Cross is "the collection, processing and distribution of lifesaving blood and blood products." Now doesn't that sound exactly like something a troupe of vampires would approve of?

-- Carolyn Kellogg

This week, the Paris Review announced that it will hold its annual spring gala, the Revel, on April 13. Philip Roth -- whose first story was published in the magazine in 1958 -- will be presented with its Hadada Award. The host committee is a stellar literary lineup, including Salman Rushdie, David Remnick, George Packer, Gary Shteyngart, Paul Auster and Peter Carey; proceedings will kick off in style:

Benefit chairs Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg will welcome guests to Cipriani 42nd Street. The evening’s celebration kicks off with rousing music, followed by an elegant dinner and a memorable program featuring luminaries from New York’s literary community.

That's pretty glamorous and, as it's a fundraiser for the magazine, the evening carries a glamorous price tag: individual tickets start at $500. There are higher levels of support, but you know what they say -- if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Those packing thinner wallets have an alternative: One Story Magazine's first-ever Literary Debutante ball. One Story, which publishes many first-time authors, is riffing on the idea of "debut," smashing up the stiff tradition of being presented into society with writers who are just starting out. In a ceremony hosted by John ("I'm a PC") Hodgman -- who wrote One Story issue No. 1 -- award-winning authors will present new writers. Expect hilarity to ensue.

One Story's Literary Debutante Ball, whose committee includes Michael Cunningham, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ben Greenman and Colson Whitehead, will be May 21 at the Old American Can Factory in Brooklyn. Tickets are $50 and, for the big literary spenders, sponsorships are available for $500 and up.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Dancers at the Viennese Opera Ball in February. Credit: Justin Lane/ EPA

Patti Stanger, TV's Millionaire Matchmaker, went two seasons dispensing raw dating advice to wealthy mate-seeking men and the women who hope to love them while single. That has changed, though: Stanger, as her third season began on Bravo, announced her engagement.

Does it make sense to give relationship advice while not in a relationship? Apparently so. Take Lori Gottlieb's buzz-generating book, "Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough." In it, she urges women to stop waiting for Mr. Right and instead grab tight hold of Mr. All Right. Gottlieb talked to scientists and psychologists in putting the book together, she told Salon.com:

I'm the messenger. I'm the one who says, look: It seems to me, based on my observations, that women are looking for the wrong things, because the women I know who are super-happy in their marriages put a different emphasis on things than I did and that some of my friends who are still single did. So I went to the experts to find out what is important in long-term love, and are we looking for those things when we're dating? Are we giving those things enough emphasis?

In an interview with KPCC's Larry Mantle on Wednesday, Gottlieb mentioned that her book has elicited offers of dates from men all over. Which seems kind of logical -- write about dating, and then get dates.

Angelenos can ask Gottlieb for her advice in person on Monday. She's appearing at a benefit event for 826LA, moderated by (married) Joel Stein, with Sascha Rothchild, author of "How To Get Divorced By 30," and Greg Behrendt, who wrote "He's Just Not That Into You."

After the panel, there will be an hour of cocktails and a singles mixer. Is there any chance of fireworks when women inspired by Gottlieb's settling bump up against the men who fall into Behrendt's not-that-into-you camp?

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo by iluvrhinestones via Flickr

I remember when Giant Robot magazine was born in 1994, a scrappy little black and white 'zine. The early- to mid- 90s were a great time for magazines, but almost all of them -- including the one I worked on -- folded long ago.

Not Giant Robot. Its focus on Asian American and Asian crossover culture, both pop and underground, made it increasingly popular. It quickly went glossy, becoming a fantastic showcase for new artists working in a variety of media. Its celebration of toys, T-shirts, books and art compelled it to go retail, opening brick and mortar shops in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. Next to one store, on Sawtelle Boulevard in West L.A., they even opened a diner, GR/eats.

But the magazine, which is the lifeblood of Giant Robot, is in trouble. Our economic slump has hit it from all sides:

In addition to several distributors cutting out small press or folding altogether, paper has become more expensive and postage has skyrocketed exponentially. And while there has also been the support of loyal advertisers, the middle class of supporters has dropped, creating peaks and valleys in income that force us to live issue to issue. Complicating matters, store revenues and art show sales have suffered along with the economy, depriving the magazine of resources that allowed it to operate freely and thrive without the benefit or constraints of being part of a large publishing house....

We have done the math, and an infusion of $60,000 (hopefully more) will ensure another year of full, unfettered operation with no strings attached to a shifting media paradigm, advertising climate, sketchy distributors, and the economy -- each of which we are not ignoring but addressing straight-on. In concert with the other measures (not to mention the realignment and recovery of our shops), we feel that Giant Robot’s future and its continuing impact of society will be secure.

Longtime editors Erik Nakamura and Martin Wong ask for help in the video above. Many donor levels come with prints, books or original art -- and one comes with a GR/eats free lunch.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

This Saturday at 8 p.m. in Echo Park, writers and musicians will perform at Trópico de Nopal Gallery in a fundraiser for Haiti. For $10 (or more if you can afford it), guests will hear words from novelist Percival Everett, poet Doug Kearney and others; there will be live music by Ceci Bastida (formerly with Tijuana No!), Domingo Siete and DJ sets. Be warned: This is one reading that will require dancing shoes.

The event was organized by writer Ben Ehrenreich, an occasional Los Angeles Times books contributor. He traveled to Haiti in 2006, reporting on its political and economic future for LA Weekly. All proceeds from the benefit will go to Partners in Health, the nonprofit founded by Dr. Paul Farmer that has been working in Haiti for more than 20 years.

While there was a big, fancy TV benefit last weekend, this is one of few artist-driven live events happening in Los Angeles. The complete reading roster is Will Alexander, Gloria Alvarez, Tisa Bryant, Ben Ehrenreich, Percival Everett, Sesshu Foster, Veronica Gonzales, Jen Hofer, Doug Kearney, Chris Kraus, Maggie Nelson and Abel Salas. DJs on tap are Glenn Red, Concise, and Gomez Comes Alive.

Trópico de Nopal Gallery is located east of Alvarado Street at 1665 Beverly Blvd., just about a half-mile from Haitian restaurant Tigeorges Chicken at 309. N. Glendale Blvd., the perfect place to fuel up before a reading/dancing Haiti benefit.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Image credit: Detail of Haiti benefit flier by Arturo Romo-Santillano

[Updated at 3:20 p.m. on Jan. 30: An earlier version of this post said that tonight's benefit would start at 7 p.m. The start time is 8 p.m.]

Miep Gies, who was among the group who brought food to Anne Frank and her family while they were in hiding, has died. She was 100.

Without Gies, the world would never have known the writing of Anne Frank. Gies gathered up papers left behind when the Franks were taken away, hoping to return them to the girl one day. Instead, she gave them to her father, Otto Frank, who published them as his daughter's diary.

Last fall, Francine Prose looked at Anne Frank's literary legacy in "Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife." David L. Ulin reviewed the book for the L.A. Times:

What makes Frank so essential, Prose argues, is ... her "sensibly and understandably mixed view of human nature." Her diary is not, as we have come to think of it, a universal story, but first and foremost a particular one. "I had become increasingly impatient with the notion of Anne Frank as the perky teenage messenger of peace and love . . . ," Prose writes. "Such a misreading of Anne's book and her 'message,' I'd thought, constituted a denial of what happened to her after the diary ended, and of the cruel fates that befell millions of equally innocent men and women and children."

The tension between the perky messenger and her mixed view is clear in this passage from Frank's diary:

It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions, and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquillity will return again.

Anne Frank died in 1945 in Bergen-Belsen; she was 15. Thanks to Miep Gies, her words have outlived both of them.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Miep Gies. Credit: Anne Frank House / AFP

Ruth Lilly, the last surviving great-grandchild of pharmaceutical magnate Eli Lilly, died Wednesday night at her home in Indianapolis. She was 94.

During her lifetime, Lilly gave away the bulk of her fortune, around $800 million. In 2002, the heiress donated $175 million to Poetry Magazine, even though she'd submitted poems there that had been rejected.

Her gift, which had come as a surprise, has enabled the small literary journal to become a foundation that supports and promotes poetry on a larger scale. (Its website, particularly the poetry database, is a wonderful result of Lilly's gift.)

Lilly suffered from depression, spending much of her 40-year marriage in an Indianapolis hospital, and was divorced in 1981. It was only after her great-grandfather's company brought its groundbreaking anti-depressant Prozac to market that Lilly rebounded from her mental illness, the Indianapolis Star reported.

While much of her philanthropy benefited Indiana-based institutions, Ruth Lilly's literary support has national reach. Her donations support the poetry heard on Garrison Keillor's The Writers Almanac, which is heard on public radio stations around the country. 

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: An undated photograph of Ruth Lilly. Credit: Handout / Associated Press

Small Beer Press, founded by author Kelly Link ("Magic for Beginners") and husband Gavin Grant, is having a holiday sale of all titles and donating $1 from each discounted book to the Franciscan Hospital for Children. This morning, Kelly was on the radio in Boston to help with an on-air fundraiser.

On their website, Grant explains why they're making the effort for hospital: It's because of their daughter, Ursula, who was born nearly four months early in February. After the ICU, surgeries and a couple of other hospitals, Ursula landed at Franciscan this summer, and is expected to check out in the spring.

Life has been hectic, and at times quite difficult, but everyone says being a parent is like that. Ursula is an absolute joy & a delight -- and also the reason that we won’t be traveling for a while! Her lung condition, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, means that for the next few years we’ll need to keep her away from people during the flu season, and we’re investing big in Purell. The trach means she can’t speak, but she is fluent in kicking and smiling. She’s nine months old now, but only about five months old “corrected,” referring to her original due date, which is how you are supposed to think of a premature baby, in terms of weight, development, etc. She’s 13 and a half pounds, and by the time she is two or three years old, the damaged areas of her lungs will be small enough in proportion to the areas of healthy lung tissue that she shouldn’t need either supplementary oxygen or her trach. We’re learning a lot about babies, respiratory care, and how awesome nurses, doctors, and respiratory therapists are. At every hospital we’ve been to, we meet cool people because of Ursula.

Other independent presses are also having sales: McSweeney's has bundled books for discount, and Dzanc Books is offering some titles for 50% off. But neither of those sales includes cute baby photos.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Kelly Link and daughter Ursula. Credit: Small Beer Press