Open a Door, See the Horizon

“Reading is the best thing you can do for yourself . . . and this is the best thing I could do for my culture,” said Edward James Olmos, surprisingly sedate following six hours of meetings in preparation for the third annual Latino Book and Family Festival.

The festival takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It’s a huge bazaar--part book fair, part information mart, part entertainment event. And, despite the name, Olmos insists the festival is not restricted to Latinos. There’s a sampling of African, Asian and Caucasian cultures too.

The festival is spread out over 250,000 square feet--up from 96,000 at the first gathering--and is divided into six theme “villages”: books; health; recreation and travel; careers and education; home; and culture, providing information on everything from employment opportunities to colleges to how to buy a home without a down payment. There also are three stages that will play host to seminars, author readings and entertainment.

There are diversions for kids too, from storytelling to play areas and a stage geared to young audiences. Olmos is especially proud of Shakespeare for Kids, which offers a clever take on a classic called “Much to Do About Something.”

Because Latino titles are so scarce in mainstream bookstores--Olmos said he had trouble getting his own book published--he and Kirk Whisler came up with the idea for the festival.

Whisler recalled that when they began, “We heard, ‘Why are you doing this event?’ maybe 10 times. But for every 10 times, we heard 100 times: ‘Why wasn’t this done before?’ ”

In just three years, he said, he’s seen the interest in the Latino market grow among publishers--in part, he believes, because they’ve seen festival-goers leave with arms full of books they cannot find elsewhere.

Exhibitors at the book village stock English- and Spanish-language books for adults and children. More than two dozen authors will do readings, and a Youth & Adult Writing Exhibition will be displayed.

For students, recruiters from colleges and universities around the country will be on hand in the careers and education village, along with corporate recruiters and government agencies. In the culture village, look for artists, entertainment companies and arts and crafts.

In Los Angeles, Olmos’ reputation as an activist almost precedes his fame as a film and Emmy-winning television actor. He was among the first civilians to hit the streets following the L.A. riots, sweeping up debris in a symbolic call for residents to reclaim the city. He is again leading by example. Besides establishing the festival with Whisler, he will be a prominent participant. On Saturday, look for him on the panels about Latino politics and “Americanos,” or conversing with individual festival-goers on either day.

“A lot of celebrities will lend their names, but with Eddie, he works 200%-300%--and he expects everyone else to also,” Whisler said. “He never uses his power, and that makes for a good team setting. He’s as likely as anyone to make a phone call.”

The actor-activist proudly noted that event admission and convention center parking are free, thanks to sponsors Target and Ralphs (whom he personally called). He believes that is crucial for the event to make an impact.

“He’s challenging them and at the same time offering advice,” said Whisler, the festival manager. “We want to empower kids whose parents never went to high school or college.”

Whisler noted that last year, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore was among the colleges to actively recruit at the festival, and was happy with the results.

“Most of the kids never even heard of the college,” he said. “It’s those kinds of things we want to do, match the right entities together.”

The event has proven such a success in Los Angeles that another festival is planned for Chicago in November, and others are set for San Diego and San Bernardino in 2000.

“It feels good to see crowds envision things they previously weren’t even dreaming about doing,” Whisler said, “whether it’s buying a house, writing a book or going to college.”

BE THERE

Latino Book and Family Festival, L.A. Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St. Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Free. (323) 255-9206.