Past
Compost after Writing
Active Cultures and KCRW present Compost After Writing, a reflective writing program conceived by compost artist and writer Cass Marketos. This program will be presented as part of the LA Times Festival of Books at the University of Southern California across April 18–19, 2026.
Cass Marketos writes about compost as something radical and soul-opening, a practice that connects ecology, philosophy, and everyday life. Her new book, Compost After Reading, is a practical manifesto for purposeful decomposition, and is compostable itself.
At our shared booth, festival visitors are invited to pause, sit, and respond to a set of reflective writing prompts Cass has created, exploring ideas of transformation, memory, and what we leave behind. You’ll write on seed paper that you can take home to plant or compost. Your words, returned to the earth.
On Sunday, April 19 at 2 PM, Cass will join us in-person to run the activity and give a short reading from the book. Copies will be available for purchase at the booth.
Find at us at the KCRW tent (#031 in the Cardinal Zone).
About the Artist
Cassandra Marketos
Event Details
DATE: April 18 – 19, 2026 TIME: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
LOCATION: University of Southern California