Literary Focus Turns Westward for 11th Annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, April 29-30 at UCLA

April 19, 2006 12 AM PT

NOTE TO EDITORS: Advance registration is required for working media planning to cover the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Registration deadline is April 20. The registration form and directions are posted online at https://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/mediacenter.html. Note that the Festival of Books Media Room is in a new location this year in the Faculty Center on campus near the corner of Hilgard and Westholme avenues.

LOS ANGELES, April 19, 2006 -- The focus of the literary world will once again turn westward as the Los Angeles Times prepares to celebrate its 11th annual Festival of Books on Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on the UCLA campus.

Authors scheduled to appear include Dave Barry, T. C. Boyle, Ray Bradbury, Taylor Branch, Mary Higgins Clark, Robert Crais, Billy Crystal, Joan Didion, Arianna Huffington, Erica Jong, Chip Kidd, John Lithgow, David Maraniss, Frank McCourt, Joyce Carol Oates, Carl Reiner, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, R.L. Stine, Gore Vidal and Sarah Vowell.

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books--the nation’s largest public literary festival--was created in 1996 by The Times to promote literacy and to unite those who create books with the people who love to read them. It is presented in association with UCLA.

The two-day celebration features a mix of panel discussions, book signings, poetry readings, cooking demonstrations, a movie screening and music including a performance by the Rock Bottom Remainders, a band that includes such authors as Mitch Albom, Dave Barry, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Matt Groening, Greg Iles, Ridley Pearson, Amy Tan and Scott Turow. The Festival affords book lovers the chance to meet best-selling authors, publishers and celebrities. The hundreds of exhibitor booths, stage events and popular children’s characters ensure that guests of all ages will find engaging activities.

General event information, including a list of authors, is available at https://www.latimes.com/events. Information is also available by calling 1-800-LA TIMES, ext. 7BOOK.

Admission is free, but tickets are required to attend author/panel discussions, lectures and the April 30 screening of “Peaceful Warrior” because of limited seating. Free tickets will be available at all Ticketmaster locations in Southern California starting Sunday, April 23, at noon until Thursday, April 27, at 5 p.m., or until all tickets have been distributed. A limited number of tickets will also be available on-site during the Festival.

As part of the Los Angeles Times’ yearlong 125th anniversary celebration, the 2006 Festival of Books will have panels featuring Times editorial staff and a 125th anniversary-themed Times Pavilion.

Other Festival Highlights

About 400 authors participating in 97 panels, readings and book signings
Six outdoor stages showcasing book and poetry readings, cooking demonstrations, storytelling, cartoon characters, music, drama and dance performances
26th annual Los Angeles Times Book Prize awards ceremony on April 28
More than 300 exhibitor booths including specialty booksellers and major book publishers
Special screening of the film “Peaceful Warrior” followed by a discussion with “Way of the Peaceful Warrior” author Dan Millman (Sunday, April 30, 5:30 p.m. in Royce Hall)

Panel Sessions

LOS ANGELES TIMES 125TH ANNIVERSARY
The Los Angeles Times 125th Anniversary Presents: Stories That Define the West
The Los Angeles Times 125th Anniversary Presents: The Sunday Funnies

BIOGRAPHY
Against the Grain: Literary Lives
Biography: On Their Own Terms
Biography: Great American Lives

CURRENT EVENTS
In War Time: Personal Stories From Iraq
Red, White, & Global: Envisioning America’s Future
No Boundaries: Media and the Freedom of Ideas
Current Interest: The Global Becomes Personal
Iraq: Where Do We Go From Here?
Under Siege: Life in a Culture of Conflict
Against All Odds: The Lost Boys of the Sudan
Current Interest: The American Identity
City Limits: Rethinking Our Sense of Place
Defining California; Under a Crescent Moon
The Changing Shape of the Middle East
Defining Ourselves: Women, Feminism, & Identity

FICTION
Fiction: The Unknown Territory
Fiction: Heroic Storytelling
First Fiction: Breaking Out
First Fiction: Finding A Voice
Fiction: Revisiting History
Fiction: She Said, She Said
Fiction: Latitudes & Attitudes
Fiction: Building A World
Faith in Fiction
Fiction: Reinventing the Family
Fiction: Pushing the Envelope
Until It Hurts: Satirical Fiction
Fiction: L.A. Lit
Testing the Boundaries: Young Adult Fiction
Young Adult Fiction: Rites of Initiation

HISTORY
Out of the Ruins: The History of Disasters
History: The Old World in the New World
Legacy of Lincoln
Unearthing the Roots of Religion
Writing Epic History

HOLLYWOOD/ENTERTAINMENT
Behind the Screen: Hollywood Histories
From Page to Screen
Finding the Groove: Stories from the Music Biz
Animation: New Frontiers in the Art & Medium
Hip Hop: Today’s Music
The Outsiders: Independent Film Today

MYSTERY
Mystery: Straight Shooters
Mystery, Mayhem, & Murder
Niche Mysteries
Mystery: The Los Angeles Influence
Mystery: Hip Chicks Packing Heat
Mystery: The Detective Had a Familiar Face
Mystery: Page Turners

NONFICTION
Nonfiction: Unraveling the Story
The Devil in the Details: Quirky Nonfiction
Creative Nonfiction: Shading the Truth
Memoir: They Shaped My Life
Memoir: Vietnam Stories

OUTDOORS/TRAVEL
Nature Writing: Have the Stakes Gotten Higher?
Outdoors in LA
Around the World in 60 Minutes: Travel Writing

POETRY
Distilling Reality: The Poet’s Craft
Poetry: Seasons in Verse

PUBLISHING
Book Biz: The Insiders
Publishing: Finding the Next Big Thing

SCIENCE
Science: Writing the Big Ideas
Science Writing: Metaphysics and Beyond

WRITING
Editors Who Write
Writers: Born or Bred?
To the Point: Short Stories
Briefly Told: The Art of the Short Story
Creating New Worlds: Young Adult Fantasy Writing
Famous Last Words: The Art of the Obituary
Larger than Life: Writing the Sports Hero
Dig In: Food Writing

OTHER PANELS
Fertile Ground: Building A Creative Community
Parallel Worlds: Fantasy & Time Travel
Reading: The Pleasures of the Text
Step Up to Reading: Children’s Picture Books
Young Minds, Young Eyes: The Picture Book
Film Screening “Peaceful Warrior”

Participants who will be featured in “In Conversation with ” or in solo sessions are:

Dean Baquet
Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
T.C. Boyle
Ray Bradbury
Taylor Branch
Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark
Michael Connelly & Robert Crais
Joan Didion
Anne Taylor Fleming & Karl Fleming
Larry Flynt
Teri Garr
Ray Harryhausen
Chip Kidd
Frank McCourt
Mike Mignola
Joyce Carol Oates
Carl Reiner
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Gore Vidal
Sarah Vowell & David Rakoff

Six Stages Featuring Celebrities, Discussions, Readings and Family Entertainment

The Target Children’s Stage, designed for the entire family, will feature Peter Abrahams; Angelina Ballerina & Katharine Holabird; Barney; Lauren Child; Billy Crystal; Julie Andrews; Brett Helquist; HI-5; Jolie Jones; the Justin Roberts Band; David Kirk; John Lithgow; Lori, Lori What’s the Story?; Megan McDonald; Ridley Pearson; Rhea Perlman; David Shannon; R.L. Stine; Valerie Tripp; Rosemary Wells; and Henry Winkler.

Canada Presents the Culinary Stage will have a menu that includes Karen Adler & Judith Fertig, Giada De Laurentiis, Ann Gentry, Suzanne Goin, Jenny Jones, and Jasmin Kobajica.

The ETC. Stage will feature a variety of speakers and performers including Kishin Daiko, the Melvin Eddy Blues Band, Kitty Felde, the Flying Other Brothers, Murphy’s Flaw, One Ring Zero, the Rock Bottom Remainders, Susie Hansen’s Latin Band, Marlo Thomas, and WriteGirl.

The Los Angeles Times Stage in Partnership with Barnes & Noble will feature Gloria Allred, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, John Grogan, A.M. Homes, Erica Jong, Sebastian Junger, Frances Mayes, T. Jefferson Parker, Carl Reiner, Gay Talese, Sarah Vowell, and Saul Williams.

Gracing the Poetry Stage will be Chris Abani, Ralph Angel, Sarah Arvio, Victoria Chang, John Fitzgerald, Sesshu Foster, Dana Goodyear, Eloise Klein Healy, Jane Hirshfield, Ilya Kaminsky, Dana Levin, Jeffrey Levine, Sarah Maclay, Glyn Maxwell, Gail Mazur, Christopher Merrill, Gabriel Meyer, Marilyn Nelson, James Ragan, Donald Revell, Martha Ronk, Kay Ryan, David St. John, Maurya Simon, Amy Uyematsu, Charles Harper Webb, Terry Wolverton, and Stephen Yenser.

Appearing on the Reading by 9 Storytelling Stage will be Beethoven’s Wig, Gisselle Castellanos, the Children’s Museum of Los Angeles, Eric Drachman, Cornelia Funke, Marie-Louise Gay, Pat Harvey, Jay Jay the Jet Plane, Sylvia Lopez, “Manners I. Care,” Marlee Matlin & Doug Cooney, the Ohmies, Jose Luis Orozco, Elise Paschen, Rachel Payne, Matthew Reinhart, Sally Ride, Adam Rivera, Robert Sabuda, Glen Walker, and Jim Weiss.

Festival of Books Sponsors

Target is the presenting sponsor of the 2006 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Borders Bookstores and Canada are major sponsors. Ticketmaster is the official ticket provider of the event. The official television sponsor is KCBS-2/KCAL-9. Supporting sponsors are Chronicle Books, C-SPAN, Geffen Playhouse and the L.A. Chamber Orchestra. Media sponsors are Hoy, ESPN Radio 710, KABC Talkradio 790, KCRW 89.9 FM, KFWB News 980, KJAZZ 88.1 FM, KPCC 89.3 FM, KPFK 90.7 FM and Radio Disney (KDIS- 1110 AM).

C-SPAN2’s Book TV will provide live coverage of non-fiction authors and events from the Festival for their sixth year. C-SPAN’s programming will include author panels, open phone lines for viewer calls from around the country, and interviews with authors from the new Book TV Bus.

Los Angeles Times Book Prize Awards Ceremony

The 26th annual presentation of the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes is set for Friday, April 28, at 8 p.m., in UCLA’s Royce Hall. The event’s emcee will be Dana Gioia, Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as a poet, critic, essayist, translator, radio commentator and editor. The evening will honor books in nine categories, and Joan Didion will receive the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement.

Tickets are required for the Book Prizes ceremony and are on sale at UCLA’s Central Ticket Office (310-825-2101) and online at www.tickets.ucla.edu under “Special Events.” (NOTE: Additional $3 service charge for online ticket purchases.) Tickets are $16 for a reserved seat at the awards ceremony and $63 for a package including a buffet dinner (6-7:45 p.m.) with some of the nominated authors at the UCLA Faculty Center, a prime reserved seat at the ceremony and convenient parking at Royce Hall.

The Los Angeles Times Book Prizes, established in 1980, recognize outstanding literary achievement in biography, current interest, history, poetry, science and technology, fiction, first fiction, mystery/thriller, and young adult fiction. More information is available at https://www.latimes.com/events.

About the Los Angeles Times

The Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of nearly 2.4 million and about 3.4 million on Sunday. With its media businesses and affiliates - including latimes.com, TheEnvelope.com, Times Community Newspapers, Recycler Classifieds, Hoy, and California Community News - the Los Angeles Times reaches approximately 7.7 million or 59 percent of all adults in the Southern California marketplace every week.

The Los Angeles Times, which this year marks its 125th anniversary covering Southern California, is part of Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB), one of the country’s leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting. Additional information about the Los Angeles Times is available at www.latimes.com/mediacenter.

Contact:
Mike Lange
213-237-3848
mike.lange@latimes.com