It’s only two more weeks until The Festival of Books, the largest literary event in the country, will be taking over the USC campus Saturday, April 9th and Sunday, April 10th. Some free events require advance ticketing. Get them on the website. Here are a few of our recommendations for Sunday:
10:00 a.m. Reading by 9 Children’s Stage Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, authors of “Here’s Hank #7: You Can’t Drink A Meatball Through A Straw”
10:00 a.m. Andrus Gerontology Center Narrative Journalism: Bringing a Story to Life (Conversation 2041) Moderator: Tom Zoellner Sarah Bakewell, Andrea Mays, Nathalia Holt, Leslie Zemeckis
10:30 a.m. Town & Gown Susan Orlean in conversation with Carolyn Kellogg
(Conversation 2031)
10:30 Norris Theatre Jonesy’s Jukebox – LIVE! With special guests Jeff Ho and the Ruen Brothers, presented by KLOS (Conversation 2131)
11:00 a.m. LA Times Main Stage Holly Robinson Peete, author of “Same But Different” with special guests Ryan and R.J. Peete, interviewed by Patt Morrison
11:00 a.m. ACURA COOKING STAGE Christine Moore & Cecilia Leung, Authors of “Little Flower Baking” Cooking Demonstration
11:00 a.m. Bovard Auditorium Ideas Exchange: Carrie Brownstein, author of “Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl,” in conversation with Lorraine Ali
11:30 a.m. Salvatori Computer Science Center (SAL 101) Rise Up: Power to the People (Conversation 2052) Moderator: Thomas Curwen, William Deverell, Tom Hayden, Miriam Pawel, Gabriel Thompson
11:40 a.m. USC Stage SAKURA Cello Quintet Classical
11:45 Travel Smart Stage TSA Dogs: Sniffing Out the Threat: A demonstration from Transportation Security Administration LAX Canine Handlers
12:00 Noon Hancock Foundation Biography: The Famous & the Infamous
(Conversation 2012) Moderator: James Atlas Terry Alford, Kirstin Downey, Charlotte Decroes Jacobs
12:00 Noon Town & Gown Anna Quindlen in conversation with Sara Nelson
(Conversation 2032)
12:30 p.m. ACURA COOKING STAGE Matt Rodbard, author of “Koreatown: A Cookbook,” Cooking Demonstration with special guest Chris Oh
1:00 p.m. LA Times Central Covering Diversity in Hollywood: Roundtable with LA Times Film & TV Reporters. A conversation with Yvonne Villarreal, Rebecca Keegan, Greg Braxton and Tre’vell Anderson, moderated by John Corrigan.
1:00 p.m. Bovard Auditorium Michael Connelly in conversation with Titus Welliver
(Conversation 2062)
1:30 p.m. Town & Gown Food Futures, presented by California Humanities. (Conversation 2033) Moderator: David Mas Masumoto, Jonathan Gold, Sarah Smith, Alice Waters
1:30 p.m. Seeley G. Mudd Fiction: A Touch of Modern Horror (Conversation 2113) Moderator: Leslie S. Klinger, Carlos Allende, Brian Evenson, Lisa Morton , Paul Tremblay
12:50 p.m. USC Stage Trousdale Pop Music Performance [pretty, pretty harmonies]
1:20 p.m. Los Angeles Times Main Stage Charlotte Rae and Larry Strauss, authors of “The Facts of My Life”
1:30 p.m. Ronald Tutor Campus Center The Evolution of Gay Rights: Lillian Faderman & Torie Osborn in conversation with Patt Morrison (Conversation 2073)
2:00 p.m. USC Stage Deville R & B/Soul Music Performance [It’s way more St. Vitus or Goatsnake metal if you ask me – Ed]
2:00 p.m. ACURA COOKING STAGE Brendan Collins, author of “Cooking, Blokes & Artichokes,” Cooking Demonstration
2:00 p.m. Reading by 9 Children’s Stage Jose-Luis Orozco, “Caramba Kids!” Music Performance
2:00 p.m. Taper Hall Memoir: Struggle & Strength (Conversation 2123). Moderator: Joy Press Emily Rapp Black, Paul Lisicky, Mary Elizabeth Williams
2:15 Travel Smart Stage The Art of Travel Writing: Pico Iyer in conversation with Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times staff writer
2:30 p.m. Los Angeles Times Main Stage Tavis Smiley, author of “50 for Your Future: Lessons from Down the Road” 3 p.m. Hoffman Hall Memoir: At Loose Ends
(Conversation 1024) Moderator: Clay Smith. Bruce Eric Kaplan, Brett Fletcher Lauer, Rob Spillman, Barbara Williams
3:00 p.m. Poetry Stage Amy Gerstler author of “Scattered at Sea”
3:00 p.m LA Sound Stage John Doe Music Performance
3:00 p.m. Wallis Annenberg Hall Woody, Wilshire, and South L.A.: Selected Histories (Conversation 2144) Moderator: Josh Kun William Deverell, Nathan Masters, Yusef Omowale
3:30 p.m. Travel Smart Stage More For Your Money: Finding Travel Bargains Featuring Jen Leo in conversation with Jon Eichelberger, trivago and Warren Chang, Fly.com and Travelzoo
4:00 p.m. Salvatori Computer Science Center Scott McCloud in conversation with Ben Blacker (Conversation 2055)
4:20 USC Stage USC Kazan Taiko Japanese Drum Performance
Free Conversation Tickets
Indoor Conversations require free tickets.* The Conversations schedule will be posted in March 8.
Advance Conversation tickets
Available starting April 3, 9 a.m.
A $1 service fee applies to each ticket.
On-site Conversation tickets
Available the day of the Conversation
A limited amount of tickets for each Conversation, while supplies last, are also distributed at the festival ticketing booth — free of service charges. The booth will open at 9 a.m. on each day of the festival.
*Guests with Conversation tickets must arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled Conversation start time to ensure seating.
Festival Pass $35
Reserve up to eight Conversation tickets before they become available to the general public, receive two Book Prizes tickets, a festival poster and the opportunity to purchase valet parking before the general public.
