Los Angeles Times Announces Lineup for 24th Annual Festival of Books

The festival, taking place April 13-14 at USC, will feature hundreds
of authors, experts and storytellers, including Karamo Brown, Chelsea
Clinton, Valerie Jarrett, Erica Jong, Kiese Laymon and Don Winslow

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/LA?src=hash” target=”_blank”gt;#LAlt;/agt;–The Los
Angeles Times today announced the lineup for the Festival
of Books, the nation’s largest literary festival, held the weekend
of April 13-14 at the University of Southern California. More than
500 writers, musicians, artists and chefs, hundreds of exhibitors and an
expected 150,000 attendees will transform the 226-acre campus into a
vibrant cultural festival in the heart of the Downtown Arts and
Education Corridor.


Hanif Abdurraqib, Elizabeth Acevedo, Laurie Halse
Anderson, Leigh Bardugo, Dave Barry, Justine Bateman,
Father Gregory Boyle, T.C. Boyle, Karamo Brown, John
Carreyrou, Eva Chen, Chelsea Clinton, Sloane Crosley,
Nonny de la Peña, DJ Z-Trip, Bret Easton Ellis, Roxane
Gay, Casey Gerald, Sean Hayes, Terrance Hayes, Scott
Icenogle, Tayari Jones, Erica Jong, Laila Lalami,
Kiese Laymon, Karina Longworth, Rebecca Makkai, Craig
Mazin, Meg Medina, Walter Mosley, Janet Napolitano,
Lawrence O’Donnell, Susan Orlean, Emily X.R. Pan, Ruth
Reichl, David Shannon, Karin Slaughter, Amber
Tamblyn, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Luis Alberto Urrea, Jose
Antonio Vargas and Don Winslow are scheduled to appear, along with
others to be announced in the coming weeks.


The festival will also feature an installment of the Ideas Exchange
speaker series. On Saturday, April 13, author and former senior advisor
to President Obama Valerie Jarrett will appear in conversation
with Times White House editor Jackie Calmes. Tickets to this event start
at $10, with VIP packages available that include a copy of Jarrett’s
recent memoir, “Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the
Path Forward,” and an opportunity for a photo with the author.


Additional festival highlights:


Nine outdoor stages and activity areas: L.A. Times Live Stage, L.A.
Times Main Stage, L.A. Times en Español Stage, Newstory Stage, Cooking
Stage, Poetry Stage, Reading by 9 Children’s Stage, USC Stage and YA
Stage presented by HS Insider


The stages and activity areas will feature celebrity authors,
family-friendly entertainment, cooking demonstrations,
Spanish-language programming, live music and poetry readings


Dozens of expert panels on a variety of subjects, including politics
and pop culture


Newstory: programs highlighting emerging forms of storytelling,
including virtual reality experiences, podcasting, film screenings,
conversations and more


More than 200 exhibitors with books and merchandise for sale,
activities and giveaways, including special themed areas:

Artisanal LA area with local vendors selling sustainable and
homemade goods


Independent author pavilion with a variety of indie writers and
titles


Musical performances, food trucks and more


As a prologue to the festival, on the evening of Friday, April 12, The
Times’ 39th annual Book
Prizes will honor Terry Tempest Williams with the Robert Kirsch
Award for lifetime achievement; Library of America with the Innovator’s
Award; and 11 outstanding literary works published last year. On
Saturday night during the Festival of Books, BASE Hologram and L.A.
Opera will present “Maria Callas in Concert” for a sold-out performance
at Bovard Auditorium. Through cutting-edge holographic digital and laser
technology, the late legendary soprano will take the stage with music
performed live by the LA Opera Orchestra.


The 24th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is
presented in association with USC. The festival’s charity partner is Access
Books. The Times is challenging readers and festivalgoers to help
Access Books raise $100,000 to fund the transformation of at least four
school libraries in underserved communities in Los Angeles. The Times’
Reading by 9 fund will match all donations up to $100,000.


Admission to the festival is free. Friend of the Festival memberships
(advance ticket packages), which include reservations for indoor
conversations, weekend parking and festival merchandise, among other
exclusives, are available for purchase now. Individual conversation
tickets will be available Sunday, April 7. Schedule, location, ticket
and transportation information can be found on the festival website,
Facebook
page, Twitter and
Instagram
feed (#bookfest).


FOR EDITORS:


Visit latimes.com/festivalofbooks and
refer to the contacts section for the media accreditation application.

Contacts

Vanessa Curwen213-237-5024vanessa.curwen@latimes.com