LA Times Festival of Books @ USC
By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20
Are you a lover of books (and free stuff)? Then head over to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books this April!
About The Festival
The Los Angeles Festival of Books started in 1996. The idea of this event is to bring together the people who create books with the people who love to read them. It has been held at USC every year with over 150,000 people coming each year! The dates for it this year will be:
Saturday, April 22, 2017 | 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday, April 23, 2017 | 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Volunteering
Their requirements are:
18 years of age or older.
Being on your feet for quite some time (wear comfortable shoes).
3 - 4 hours of volunteering.
you can sign up for as many shifts (on one or both days).
Wearing khaki/beige pants or shorts.
You also get a shirt (for free!) that you get to keep as a cool souvenir!
Festival Schedule
What is so great about this event is that there are conversations between speakers on several topics and books! All of these conversations are free, but you have to get a ticket before going. There will be Advance Conversation tickets ($1 service fee) available on April 16th.
People to Definitely Check Out:
Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Sympathizer and a part of the USC faculty will be speaking with Sasha Anawalt, Anita Dashiell-Sparks
Rachel Moore.
Sunday, April 23 • 1:30pm - 2:30pm
Is This Goodbye, NEA? Addressing Our Fears - and Hopes -for the Arts and Humanities.
Bryan Cranston, or how many Breaking Bad fans know him as: Walter White/Heisenberg, will be a welcomed guest on our campus as well!
Saturday, April 22 • 1:20pm - 2:00pm
Bryan Cranston, Author of ‘A Life in Parts,’ in Conversation with Lorraine Ali
Professor William Deverell and Professor Nayan Shah, members of the USC faculty (who are also my current professors) will be holding a conversation in respect to Kevin Starr, a former professor at USC and the former California state librarian.
Sunday, April 23 • 10:30am - 11:30am
California Dreams: A Tribute to Kevin Starr
If you’re into Hannah Hart and YouTube, guess what? The Festival of Books is waiting for you!
Saturday, April 22 • 2:30pm - 3:10pm
Hannah Hart, Author of 'Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded,’ in Conversation with Sarah Rodman
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Author of 'Writings on the Wall,’ will be having a conversation with Davan Maharaj.
Saturday, April 22 • 12:10pm - 12:50pm
Roxane Gay, a feminist writer, professor, editor will be on USC’s campus spreading her great knowledge!
Saturday, April 22 • 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Conversation with Alexander Chee
Along with speakers and conversations, the Festival of Books will also be the host for many artists!
The Trojan Marching Band will the festival’s kick off! So if you love cool jams and the TMB, check them out!
Saturday, April 22 • 10:00am - 10:30pm
Sin Color, a South Los Angeles-based band has a unique sound with different combinations of bossa nova, cumbia, and disco through indie pop.
Sunday, April 23 • 1:30pm - 2:00pm
Check out who else is coming to the Festival of Books on their website! You will find a schedule of who’s speaking, when, and where!
There are so many cool artists and speakers that are coming into town so come on out and support them!
Food At The Festival
If you’re on campus that day, you should also check out the cool food trucks that will be there! There’s also bound to be free samples, in case you’re trying to save a couple of bucks!
Festival of Books Food Truck Garden (Near USC Lot 2):
Belly Bombz
Boba Truck
Cousins Maine Lobster
Gourmet Genie
Green Truck, Inc.
HoLee Chow
India Jones ChowTruck
Jogasaki Burrito
Palazzolo Truck
White Rabbit
Harold & Belle’s
Children’s Area (McCarthy Quad)
Oaxaca On Wheels
Recess Inc
The Greasy Weiner
Exhibitions
And of course, the books you’ll be dying to buy will be in great supply! There will be a huge range from children’s books to the greatest literature created. My personal favorites are: $5.00 or Less Books (they sell all genres!), Anomaly Productions (for those that like comics!), and California LGBTQ Authors (for my fellow queers and allies!).
Some of these exhibitions have free stuff to give away – who doesn’t like free stuff?
Last Thoughts
So, if you’re just hanging around USC and are a lover of books, or possibly bored out of your mind, come on down and check out what the Festival of Books has in store! There’s bound to be cool music to vibe to, cool books to buy, and awesome speakers to hear wise words from!
And remember, as Dr. Seuss said once: The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
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