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Photos: Book lovers celebrate all things literary at Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

Actors Diane Ladd, left, and her daughter Laura Dern onstage during the Festival of Books.
Actors Diane Ladd, left, and her daughter Laura Dern speak about their book during the 43rd Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC on Saturday.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Dania Maxwell.
EL SEGUNDO, CA -- OCTOBER 08, 2019: Metpro 2019. Jason Armond. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
By Dania Maxwell and Jason Armond

Billing itself as the biggest literary event in the country, the 43rd Los Angeles Times Festival of Books took over the USC campus this weekend, featuring more than 500 writers, experts and storytellers.

Throngs of book-loving fans attended the Los Angeles event, which last year drew more than 155,000 people over two days after a two-year pandemic hiatus.

The event features one-on-one conversations, panels, author readings, musical performances, a poetry stage, food court and more than 250 vendors and exhibitors.

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The Festival of Books closes Sunday.

Richard Stokes talks to his son Karter, 8, who thumbs through a book, at a festival booth.
Richard Stokes, left, and his son Karter, 8, at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC on Saturday.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Crowds of people mull around tents at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC.
Crowds descend on the USC campus Saturday for the festival.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
People cheer for author Gabrielle Zevin, not shown, during the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.
Attendees cheer for “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” author Gabrielle Zevin.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
"Friends" star Matthew Perry enters the stage for a conversation with The Times' Matt Brennan.
Actor Matthew Perry enters the stage for a conversation with The Times’ Matt Brennan about his memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.”
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Juliette Cervantes, 5, plays with bubbles during the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.
Juliette Cervantes, 5, plays with bubbles during the festival, which drew more than 500 writers, experts and storytellers.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
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Faith Burkett reads while Asher Stratton rests on the grass.
Faith Burkett reads while Asher Stratton reclines on the grass.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
People fill a board with titles of book they love or are currently reading.
Attendees fill a board with titles of a book they love or are reading.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Book lovers shop at the 43rd annual LA Times Festival of Books
Book lovers shop at the festival Sunday.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
An attendee gestures while the USC Marching Band performs.
The USC marching band performs Sunday at the festival.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

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Dania Maxwell

Dania Maxwell is a former Los Angeles Times staff photographer. Before joining the newsroom in 2018, she worked in Colombia, South America and at the Naples Daily News in Florida. Her work has been awarded an Emmy, POYi, Sigma Delta Chi and Edward R. Murrow. Maxwell received a master’s degree in visual communication from Ohio University and a bachelor of arts from Sarah Lawrence College.

Jason Armond

Jason Armond is a staff photographer at the Los Angeles Times. A native of North Carolina, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received a bachelor’s in media and journalism. He was part of the team that was a finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photography, and his work as a photographer and videographer has also been recognized by the Hearst Journalism Awards, the White House News Photographers Assn. and the North Carolina College Media Assn.

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