The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

Many stories. One weekend.

Find your spark at the 2024 L.A. Times Festival of Books, April 20-21 on the USC campus.

General admission is free and the festival will also feature ticketed events with authors and celebrities.

Explore this year’s indoor and outdoor events including over 200 conversations and performances, book signings, cooking demos, poetry readings, bilingual programming and more.

Sunday, Apr 21

Sneak Preview Screening of 'Queenie,' followed by a Conversation, Presented by HULU - RSVP Required

10:00 AM

Ray Stark Family Theatre

L.A. Times Main Stage Emcee: Stuart K Robinson (Sunday)

10:00 AM

L.A. Times Main Stage

Stuart K Robinson

Children's Stage Emcee: Andrew & Polly (Sunday)

10:00 AM

Children's Stage

Andrew & Polly

Love Unveiled: Exploring the Depths of Romance Writing - Tickets Required

10:00 AM

Norris Theatre

Kristina Forest, Nikki Payne, Hannah Brown, Taylor Capizola, Julie Soto

Read with Rampage and the Los Angeles Rams!

10:00 AM

Children's Stage

Rampage, L.A. Rams Cheerleaders

Trojan Marching Band

10:00 AM

USC Stage

Trojan Marching Band

Gone Girls: Mystery, Crime, and Suspense in Young Adult Fiction

10:00 AM

YA Stage

Chelsea Ichaso, Stacy Stokes, Stacey Lee, Kayla Cagan, Kristen Kiesling

Ask a Reporter: Cali of the Wild - Tickets Required

10:00 AM

Mudd Hall 203 (Ask a Reporter)

Corinne Purtill, Louis Sahagún, Lila Seidman

Victoria Chang, reading from 'WITH MY BACK TO THE WORLD: Poems'

10:00 AM

Poetry Stage

Victoria Chang

Blippi

10:15 AM

Children's Stage

Blippi

Kazim Ali, reading from 'Sukun: New and Selected Poems'

10:20 AM

Poetry Stage

Kazim Ali

Hora de cuentos con la Biblioteca Pública de Los Ángeles

10:20 AM

Latinidad Stage

Los Angeles Public Library Librarians

Jay Shetty, author of '8 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It, and Let It Go,' in conversation with Amy Kaufman

10:20 AM

L.A. Times Main Stage

Jay Shetty, Amy Kaufman

Arts & Culture: A Conversation on the Immigrant Experience, presented by The Pulitzer Prizes - Tickets Required

10:30 AM

Hancock Foundation, Newman Recital Hall

Marjorie Miller, Sanaz Toossi, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Hector Tobar

The Latino Experience: Layered Stories from the Past & Present - Tickets Required

10:30 AM

Taper Hall 201

Marie Arana, Jason De León, Natalia Molina, Fidel Martinez

Ashley Elston, Octavia Spencer & Krista Vernoff discuss 'First Lie Wins' with Jordan Moblo - Tickets Required

10:30 AM

Town and Gown

Ashley Elston, Octavia Spencer, Krista Vernoff, Jordan Moblo

Living Long & Living Well: Longevity Today - Tickets Required

10:30 AM

Wallis Annenberg Hall Presented by USC

M.T. Connolly, Sean P. Curran, Valter Longo, Paolina Milana, Laura Mosqueda

Brett Gelman, author of "The Terrifying Realm of the Possible: Nearly True Stories," in Conversation with Alex Cohen - Tickets Required

10:30 AM

Ronald Tutor Campus Center

Brett Gelman, Alex Cohen

Writing on Grief: The Price We Pay for Love - Tickets Required

10:30 AM

Seeley G. Mudd 123

Sylvia Brownrigg, Heather McCalden, Luke Russert, Nicole Avant, Emily Rapp Black

Lauren Graham, author of 'Have I Told You This Already?' Featuring Sam Pancake - Tickets Required

10:30 AM

Bovard Auditorium

Lauren Graham, Sam Pancake

Oliver de la Paz, reading from 'THE DIASPORA SONNETS'

10:40 AM

Poetry Stage

Oliver de la Paz

Tiffany Haddish, author of 'Layla, the Last Black Unicorn'

10:50 AM

Children's Stage

Tiffany Haddish, Julia Torres

Lil' Libros

10:55 AM

Latinidad Stage

Mother Nature: Women and Wilderness - Tickets Required

11:00 AM

Albert and Dana Broccoli Theatre

Angie Sijun Lou, Melissa Sevigny, Diane Smith, Karen Tei Yamashita, Denise Hamilton

Jing Gao, 'The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp,' Cooking Demo

11:00 AM

Cooking Stage

Jing Gao

Arts & Culture: Hidden Histories in the City of Angels - Tickets Required

11:00 AM

Taper Hall 101

Stefan Timmermans, Amy Price, Patt Morrison, Pamela Prickett, Naomi Hirahara

Tess Taylor, reading from 'Leaning Toward the Light: Poems for Gardens & the Hands That Tend Them'

11:00 AM

Poetry Stage

Tess Taylor

Liz Becker (musical performance—pop, indie pop)

11:00 AM

USC Stage

Elizabeth Whitney Becker

I'll Be There For You: The Power of Lifelong Friendships in Fiction - Tickets Required

11:00 AM

Hoffman Hall, Edison Auditorium

Corey Roskin, Maria Hummel, Steven Rowley, Sheila Yasmin Marikar

Fiction: Women are the Heart - Tickets Required

11:00 AM

Seeley G. Mudd 124

Etaf Rum, Katya Apekina, Rachel Stark, Megan Labrise

Ask A Reporter: Which Party Will Control Congress? California Could Make the Difference - Tickets Required

11:15 AM

Mudd Hall 203 (Ask a Reporter)

Benjamin Oreskes, Laurel Rosenhall, Seema Mehta

Stranger Things: Thrilling Adventures in Friendship in Young Adult Fiction

11:20 AM

YA Stage

Samuel Miller, Nia Davenport, Melissa Albert, Robert Graves

Todd Parr, author of 'Be Who You Are'

11:20 AM

Children's Stage

Todd Parr

Hala Alyan, reading from 'The Moon That Turns You Back'

11:20 AM

Poetry Stage

Hala Alyan

Black is Beautiful: The Impact of Black Art and Culture - Tickets Required

11:30 AM

Norris Theatre

Hanif Abdurraqib, Sowmya Krishnamurthy, Traci Thomas, Michael R. Jackson, Morgan Parker

'De Aquí y Allá': The First Gen Experience

11:30 AM

Latinidad Stage

Alejandra Campoverdi, Juilssa Natzely Arce Raya, Veronica Benavides, Karen Garcia

Ronda Rousey, author of 'Our Fight,' in conversation with Iliana Limón Romero

11:30 AM

L.A. Times Main Stage

Ronda Rousey, Iliana Limón Romero

Jacqui Germain, reading from 'Bittering the Wound'

11:40 AM

Poetry Stage

Jacqui Germain

Emily Arrow’s Nature Singalong

11:50 AM

Children's Stage

Emily Arrow

Placemaking and the Politics of Land - Tickets Required

12:00 PM

Wallis Annenberg Hall Presented by USC

Joan Flores-Villalobos, William Deverell, Julia Ornelas-Higdon, Alexander Robinson

Megan Fernandes, reading from 'I Do Everything I'm Told'

12:00 PM

Poetry Stage

Megan Fernandes

History: A Wide View on World War II - Tickets Required

12:00 PM

Ray Stark Family Theatre

K.A. Nelson, Leon Carroll, Jr., Susan J. Eischeid, Mark Harmon, Michael Hiltzik

Memoir on Vietnam: Make Art, Not War - Tickets Required

12:00 PM

Town and Gown

Ron Kovic, Ben Caldwell, Robeson Taj Frazier

Operation Barbenheimer: Women on the Nuclear Bomb - Tickets Required

12:00 PM

Hancock Foundation, Newman Recital Hall

Sarah Scoles, Margot Roosevelt, Annie Jacobsen, Shannon Cram

Arts & Culture: Discussing The Gay Agenda - Tickets Required

12:00 PM

Seeley G. Mudd 123

Brontez Purnell, Greg Mania, Danny Pellegrino, Rob Anderson

Arts & Culture: Writing Hollywood - Tickets Required

12:00 PM

Taper Hall 201

Odie Henderson, Margaret Wappler, Stacy Perman, Sam Wasson

In the Age of Book Bans: The Freedom to Write and Read Young Adult Literature - Tickets Required

12:00 PM

Ronald Tutor Campus Center

Lee Wind, George M. Johnson, Jonah Newman, Hayley Kiyoko

Aminta Skye (musical performance—indie pop/rock)

12:10 PM

USC Stage

Aminta Skye

In conversation with Justin Torres: When Writing is Personal

12:25 PM

Latinidad Stage

Justin Torres, Nadxieli Nieto

Radhi Devlukia, 'JoyFull,' Cooking Demo

12:30 PM

Cooking Stage

Radhi Devlukia

Meditations on Finding Inner and Outer Peace - Tickets Required

12:30 PM

Hoffman Hall, Edison Auditorium

Sharon Brous, Aimee Liu, Lydia Millet, Pico Iyer

Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez, Creators of 'Love and Rockets,' in conversation with Jevon Phillips - Tickets Required

12:30 PM

Seeley G. Mudd 124

Jaime Hernandez, Gilbert Hernandez, Jevon Phillips

Ask a Reporter: How to Pick the Best-Smelling Native Plants for Your Yard and Bouquets - Tickets Required

12:30 PM

Mudd Hall 203 (Ask a Reporter)

Jeanette Marantos, Brittany Levine Beckman

Ideas Exchange: José Andrés, Author of 'Zaytinya,' in conversation with Laurie Ochoa - Tickets Required

12:30 PM

Bovard Auditorium

José Andrés, Laurie Ochoa

Kaveh Akbar & Anahid Nersessian in conversation

12:30 PM

Poetry Stage

Anahid Nersessian, Kaveh Akbar

Life Interrupted: Mental Health Memoirs - Tickets Required

12:30 PM

Albert and Dana Broccoli Theatre

Anna Gazmarian, Bethanne Patrick, Elizabeth Taylor, Alice Carrière

Make it Weirder: Body-Swapping, Giant Cacti, and Celebrity Impersonators in Contemporary Fiction - Tickets Required

12:30 PM

Taper Hall 101

Melissa Broder, Henry Hoke, Karah Preiss, Isle McElroy, Jennine Capó Crucet

Family Math Sing-a-Long by PBS SoCal

12:35 PM

Children's Stage

Family Math

Magical Realms and Family Sagas in Young Adult Fiction

12:40 PM

YA Stage

Zan F Romanoff, Emily Barth Isler, Ana Ellickson, Darcie Little Badger

Tiffany Hadish, author of 'I Curse You With Joy,' in conversation with Angel Jennings

12:40 PM

L.A. Times Main Stage

Angel Jennings, Tiffany Haddish

'Dancing on the Edge:' Amber Tamblyn in conversation with Russ Tamblyn & Sarah Tomlinson - Tickets Required

1:00 PM

Norris Theatre

Russ Tamblyn, Amber Tamblyn, Sarah Tomlinson

Elizabeth Metzger, reading from 'Lying In'

1:00 PM

Poetry Stage

Elizabeth Metzger

Allison Holker Boss, author of 'Keep Dancing Through: A Boss Family Groove'

1:05 PM

Children's Stage

Allison Holker Boss

Yesika Salgado, reading from Selected Works

1:05 PM

Latinidad Stage

Yesika Salgado

Alejandro Aramburu (musical performance—rock, pop, Latin)

1:20 PM

USC Stage

Alejandro Aramburu

Jubi Arriola-Headley, reading from 'Bound: poems'

1:20 PM

Poetry Stage

Jubi Arriola-Headley

Oaxacan Influence: How a Community Has Shaped Culture in all Corners of Los Angeles

1:20 PM

Latinidad Stage

Fernando Marcos Lopez, Bricia Lopez, Odilia Romero, Paulina Lopez-Velazquez, Mireya Olivera, and 1 more...

By the People, For the People: Conversations on Safeguarding Democracy - Tickets Required

1:30 PM

Town and Gown

Richard Hasen, Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman, Seema Mehta, Tina Nguyen

Demystifying Book to Screen, presented by Universal Studio Group - RSVP Required

1:30 PM

Taper Hall 201

Rachel Koller Croft, Ryan Faughnder, Attica Locke, Jordan Moblo, Steven Rowley

Arts & Culture: Standup and Listen - Tickets Required

1:30 PM

Ronald Tutor Campus Center

Aida Rodriguez, Michael Arceneaux, Dulce Sloan, Sarah Cooper, Nate Jackson

Arts & Culture: Hector Tobar, author of 'Our Migrant Souls,' in conversation with Gustavo Arellano - Tickets Required

1:30 PM

Seeley G. Mudd 123

Gustavo Arellano, Hector Tobar

Fiction: The Artist Becomes the Subject - Tickets Required

1:30 PM

Ray Stark Family Theatre

Diana Wagman, Zibby Owens, Amy Shearn, Tammy Greenwood

Dis…Miss Gender? Artists and Writers on Gender Today - Tickets Required

1:30 PM

Wallis Annenberg Hall Presented by USC

Holly Willis, Anne Bray, Amelia Jones, Young Joon Kwak, Tiffany Barber

David Mamet, author of 'Everywhere an Oink Oink,' in conversation with Matt Brennan - Tickets Required

1:30 PM

Hancock Foundation, Newman Recital Hall

David Mamet, Matt Brennan

Viet Thanh Nguyen and Minnie Phan, author and illustrator of 'Simone'

1:35 PM

Children's Stage

Minnie Phan, Viet Thanh Nguyen

Tennison Black, reading from 'Survival Strategies'

1:40 PM

Poetry Stage

Tennison S. Black

Ask A Reporter: Under Pressure - Can L.A.'s Biggest Sports Teams Deliver - Tickets Required

1:45 PM

Mudd Hall 203 (Ask a Reporter)

Dylan Hernández, Ryan Kartje, Bill Plaschke, Iliana Limón Romero

Ariana Madix, author of 'Single AF Cocktails,' in conversation with Yvonne Villarreal

1:50 PM

L.A. Times Main Stage

Ariana Madix, Yvonne Villarreal

Arts and Culture: Keep on Truckin': Life in the 1970s - Tickets Required

2:00 PM

Seeley G. Mudd 124

Alan Paul, Alex Pappademas, Vanessa Franko, Eliot Borenstein, Sean Howe

Monster Mash: Humans and the Magic World Collide in Middle Grade Fiction

2:00 PM

YA Stage

Liz Montague, Veronica Park Anderson, Tatiana Hill, Cort Lane, Sarah Enni

Lisa B. (Lisa Bernstein) reading from 'God in Her Ruffled Dress'

2:00 PM

Poetry Stage

Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein)

The Royal "We": Magic Schools and Royal Societies in Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction - Tickets Required

2:00 PM

Taper Hall 101

Cecil Castellucci, Dan Santat, Stuart Gibbs, Melissa de la Cruz, Lisa Yee

Tiffani Thiessen, 'Here We Go Again,' Cooking Demo

2:00 PM

Cooking Stage

Tiffani Thiessen

Humans vs. Nature: Conflict with the Natural World - Tickets Required

2:00 PM

Albert and Dana Broccoli Theatre

Andrea Lankford, Christina Gerhardt, Thomas Curwen, Will Cockrell

Barney Saltzberg, author of 'Arlo Needs Glasses'

2:00 PM

Hoffman Hall, Edison Auditorium

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, Jordan Harper, Rachel Howzell Hall, Ivy Pochoda, David L. Ulin

'Blood In Blood Out': From Buried Project to Latino Cult Classic

2:05 PM

Children's Stage

Barney Saltzberg

Diego Báez, reading from 'Yaguareté White'

2:15 PM

Latinidad Stage

Taylor Hackford, Jimmy Santiago Baca

Diego Báez, reading from 'Yaguareté White'

2:20 PM

Poetry Stage

Diego Báez

Fiction: The Art of Storytelling - Tickets Required

2:30 PM

Norris Theatre

Kaveh Akbar, Greg Sarris, Justin Torres, Boris Kachka

Luna Day (musical performance—pop, indie pop)

2:30 PM

USC Stage

Luna Day

Ann Suk Wang, author of 'The House Before Falling Into The Sea'

2:35 PM

Children's Stage

Ann Suk Wang

Susan Rich, reading from 'Blue Atlas'

2:40 PM

Poetry Stage

Susan Rich

Shining Stars of Romance: Navigating Success in the Genre - Tickets Required

3:00 PM

Town and Gown

Christina Lauren, Xio Axelrod, Tia Williams, Elissa Sussman

Memoir: Foundational Experiences & Finding Your Way - Tickets Required

3:00 PM

Taper Hall 201

Alejandra Campoverdi, Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez, Deborah Jackson Taffa, Annabelle Tometich, Jade Chang

Turf War: When Wildlife and Cities Collide - Tickets Required

3:00 PM

Seeley G. Mudd 123

Peter S. Alagona, Ben Goldfarb, Beth Pratt, Rae Wynn-Grant, Louis Sahagún

Creating New Futures through the Arts - Tickets Required

3:00 PM

Wallis Annenberg Hall Presented by USC

Jonathan Leal, Annette Miae Kim, Brettany Shannon, Ben Caldwell, Robeson Taj Frazier

Fiction: Who Runs the World? Girls - Tickets Required

3:00 PM

Ronald Tutor Campus Center

Donna Wares, Lisa See, Cristina Henríquez, Melissa Pritchard

Saretta Morgan, reading from 'Alt-Nature'

3:00 PM

Poetry Stage

Saretta Morgan

Ask A Reporter: The First Five Years - Tickets Required

3:00 PM

Mudd Hall 203 (Ask a Reporter)

Kate Sequeira, Jenny Gold

Love is Love: Coming of Age and Falling in Love in Young Adult Fiction - Tickets Required

3:00 PM

Ray Stark Family Theatre

Abigail Hing Wen, Parisa Akhbari, Marisa Kanter, Amy Spalding, Julie Abe

John Densmore, author of 'The Doors Unhinged: Jim Morrison’s Legacy Goes on Trial,' in conversation with Chad Smith

3:00 PM

L.A. Times Main Stage

John Densmore, Stephen Perkins

Festival of Books Presents "Democracy or Else" with Pod Save America’s Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor and Dan Pfeiffer. - Tickets Required

3:00 PM

Bovard Auditorium

Jon Favreau, Dan Pfeiffer, Tommy Vietor

Seema Yasmin, author of 'The ABCs of Queer History'

3:05 PM

Children's Stage

Seema Yasmin

Voto Latino (Spanish)

3:15 PM

Latinidad Stage

Gustavo Arellano, Sonja Francine Diaz, Mike Madrid, Angelica Salas, Pilar Marrero

Hélène Cardona, reading from 'The Abduction'

3:20 PM

Poetry Stage

Hélène Cardona

Middle Grade Fiction: Legends and Fairy Tales Retold

3:20 PM

YA Stage

Dawn Burkes, Callie C. Miller, Sarah Mlynowski, Nedda Lewers

Crime Fiction: Series Sleuths - Tickets Required

3:30 PM

Seeley G. Mudd 124

Gregg Hurwitz, Eriq La Salle, Daniel Weizmann, Tracy Clark, Lee Goldberg

Women and Bodies: Science Meets Sociology - Tickets Required

3:30 PM

Hoffman Hall, Edison Auditorium

Cat Bohannon, Susannah Breslin, Jen Gunter, Dr., M.G. Lord, Amy Alkon

Nancy Silverton, 'The Cookie That Changed My Life,' Cooking Demo

3:30 PM

Cooking Stage

Nancy Silverton

Pure Imagination: How Art and Activism Spark Change, presented by Getty PST Art - Tickets Required

3:30 PM

Taper Hall 101

Bianca Bosker, Ruha Benjamin, Rosa Lowinger, Courtney Thorsson, Josh Kun

Looking Back to See Forward: Contemporary Historical Fiction - Tickets Required

3:30 PM

Albert and Dana Broccoli Theatre

Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, Melissa Ann Chadburn, Crystal Hana Kim, Sasha Vasilyuk, Myriam J. A. Chancy

Storytime with the Los Angeles Public Library

3:35 PM

Children's Stage

Los Angeles Public Library Librarians

Mandy Kahn, reading from 'Holy Doors'

3:40 PM

Poetry Stage

Mandy Kahn

Desk Lamp (musical performance—rock)

3:40 PM

USC Stage

Desk Lamp Band

Jeremy Ra, reading from 'Another Way of Loving Death'

4:00 PM

Poetry Stage

Jeremy Y Ra

Everything Latinidad: Challenging the Myth of the Monolith

4:00 PM

Latinidad Stage

Alan Pelaez Lopez, Valentina, Fidel Martinez

Brady Smith, author of 'Bug Sandwich'

4:05 PM

Children's Stage

Brady Smith

Ask A Reporter: Meet the Fast Break Desk - Tickets Required

4:15 PM

Mudd Hall 203 (Ask a Reporter)

Karen Garcia, Grace Toohey, Noah Goldberg, B.J. Terhune, Nathan Solis

Derrick Brown, reading from 'Love Ends in a Tandem Kayak'

4:20 PM

Poetry Stage

Derrick Brown

Roda Ahmed, author of 'Etta Extraordinaire'

4:35 PM

Children's Stage

Roda Ahmed

Sofía Aguilar of WriteGirl, Poetry Performance

4:40 PM

Poetry Stage

Sofía Aguilar

Poetry Reading

4:45 PM

Latinidad Stage 

Date: April 20-21, 2024 

Click here to buy tickets