Composer Ellen Reid and writer Sarah LaBrie are sitting down for coffee at Cafe Tropical in Silver Lake. The topic of discussion: hope.

It’s all about balance, the two say. Hope for the future is a necessary and essential ingredient of American life, but too much pie-in-the-sky optimism can lead to blind spots, to ignoring the challenges and realities of the past and present.

For the last two years, Reid, LaBrie and sociocultural anthropologist Sayd Randle have embarked on a sustained conversation about hope and the history and future of the American dream. That exploration was integral to “dreams of the new world,” a 40-minute choral work that will receive its world premiere Sunday at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Read more at The L.A. Times.

Sarah LaBrie is one of Literary Affairs’ L.A.-based book club facilitators.