The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, presents the Big Read, an initiative designed to restore reading to the center of American Culture. Through a month-long series of activities throughout November, we celebrate Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, and his influence on a generation of writers who have helped to define the image of Los Angeles in literature, television, and film. Please join us on Saturday, November 22, for our two culminating events: A free panel discussion and brunch on the Noir genre at the Barnsdall Gallery Theater in Hollywood, and a film screening of the 1941 Warner Brothers film The Maltese Falcon with special guests and members of Dashiell Hammett's family participating. Noir Brunch and Panel Discussion The Maltese Falcon on the Big Screen Starring Humphrey Bogart Zócalo Noir Brunch and Panel Discussion In coordination with the Zócalo Public Square Lecture Series, join us for a free brunch and panel discussion.  Topic:  Dashiell Hammett...in L.A.? We can be forgiven for thinking of Dashiell Hammett as a San Francisco writer.  The Maltese Falcon takes place in Northern California, where Hammett somehow transformed himself from a tubercular detective for the Pinkerton Agency into a novelist for the ages.  But Hammett’s roots in Los Angeles run deep.  Here, in the 30s, he worked on several pictures while under contract to the studios.  Here he began his lifelong affair with Lillian Hellman.  And here he returned frequently over the years to visit his beloved daughters. Zócalo and DCA bring together a panel of writers, family members, and scholars to culminate L.A.’s month-long celebration of this great California novelist.  Among the mysteries and questions sure to crop up are:  Why did Hammett fall creatively silent for the last three decades of his life?  How did he influence the LA Noir scene?  And the ultimate, unanswerable question: Hammett or Chandler? Panel wil be moderated by David Kipen, Director of Literature, National Endowment for the Arts, and include authors, scholars, and the Hammett Family. Date:  Saturday, November 22, 11:00 a.m. Location:  Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, 4800 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90027 Ages:  All Information:  For more information, please visit www.zocaloLA.org or call 213.403.0416 The Maltese Falcon on the Big Screen Starring Humphrey Bogart Rarely displayed in a theatrical setting, a 35mm print of the 1941 Warner Bros. film, The Maltese Falcon starring Humphrey Bogart, will be shown on the historic Warner Grand Theatre’s 30 by 50 foot screen courtesy of Warner Bros. Classics.  Preceding the film will be a presentation by family members and Richard Layman, a noted Hammett scholar, who will provide a behind-the-scenes introduction of the film, and discuss relationships between Dashiell Hammett, John Huston, and Humphrey Bogart.  Date:  Saturday, November 22, at 7:30 p.m. Location:  Warner Grand Theatre, 478 West 6th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731 Ages:  All Information:  Please visit the theater website at www.warnergrand.org, or call the Box Office at 310.548.7672. Cost:  Tickets are $10 for general admission, and $5 for seniors over 60 and for students with valid identification.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.warnergrand.org, or in person at the theater Box Office.