LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Times today announced the slate of esteemed authors and cultural luminaries participating in the 21st annual Festival of Books, its signature civic event and the largest literary festival in America. The weekend-long celebration of ideas, creativity and the written word will be held Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10 at the University of Southern California. Over 500 authors, celebrities, musicians, artists and chefs will lead conversations, live performances and demonstrations throughout the weekend.
Thought leaders, personalities and experts scheduled to appear include: Buzz Aldrin, Kwame Alexander, Reza Aslan, Lidia Bastianich, Zac Brewer, T.C. Boyle, Alexander Chee, Nate Corddry, Taye Diggs, Duff Goldman, Juan Felipe Herrera, Laila Lalami, Padma Lakshmi, Jonathan Lethem, Diana Nyad, Joyce Carol Oates, Susan Orlean, James Patterson, Anna Quindlen, Holly Robinson Peete, Luis J. Rodriguez, Jonathan & Drew Scott, Tavis Smiley, Somini Sengupta, Shaka Senghor, Sabaa Tahir, David L. Ulin, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Henry Winkler, Rainn Wilson and Nicola Yoon, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.
The Festival will also feature two installments of the Ideas Exchange speaker series, which debuted last year with Malcolm Gladwell. On the morning of April 10, author, actress and musician Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia, Transparent) will discuss her recent memoir Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl; that afternoon, Arianna Huffington (The Sleep Revolution, The Huffington Post) appears in conversation with Times columnist Robin Abcarian. Tickets to each of these events also include a signed copy of the author’s latest book; VIP ticketholders have the opportunity to attend a meet-and-greet.
Additional Festival highlights include:
- Performances, demonstrations and Q&As on 9 outdoor stages including the LA Times Main Stage, Reading by 9 Children’s Stage, Acura Cooking Stage, Hoy Stage, YA Stage, Travel Smart Stage, USC Stage, Poetry Stage and LA Times Central
- Over 100 ticketed Conversations on topics ranging from the presidential election to social justice to the art of the short story
- Live recording sessions of hit podcasts and radio shows, including Jonesy’s Jukebox, presented by KLOS, and Nate Corddry’s Reading Aloud, presented by Wolfpop
- Large-scale street-art-style installations curated by Branded Arts
- Hundreds of exhibitors with books and merchandise for sale, give-aways and activities
On Saturday evening, the Festival will present the LA Times Book Prizes, a ticketed event featuring James Patterson, winner of this year’s Innovator’s Award, and U.S. poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, receiving the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, alongside honorees in 10 literary categories.
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is presented in association with USC and major sponsors Southern California Acura Dealers, McDonald’s and C-SPAN. The Festival is free, open to the public, and centrally located in the Downtown Arts and Education Corridor adjacent to Exposition Park. Beginning at 10 a.m. today Los Angeles Times subscribers will receive early access to purchase Festival Passes (which provide advance reservations for up to eight Conversations) as well as tickets to Ideas Exchange events and the Book Prizes ceremony. Sales will open to the general public on March 11 at 10 a.m. PT. Schedule, location, ticket and transportation information can be found on the Festival website, Facebook page and Twitter feed (#bookfest).
Source: The Los Angeles Times