Apr 30, 2024 | Local, Los Angeles, Valleys

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books- Celebrating the Written and Spoken Word

The highly anticipated literary event of the year returned to the campus of the University of Southern California (USC). The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books continues to get bigger, better, and more popular each year.

Elle Duncan, (Photo by Ricky Richardson)

By Ricky Richardson | Contributing Writer

(Los Angeles, CA) The highly anticipated literary event of the year returned to the campus of the University of Southern California (USC). The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books continues to get bigger, better, and more popular each year.

A large diverse, multicultural crowd gathered on the beautiful, tree-lined campus of USC to explore indoor and outdoor events including over 200 conversations and performances, book signings, readings, discussions, cooking demos, poetry readings, bilingual programming, and more. The Festival of Books featured engaging, educational, and entertaining activities for the entire family.

The 29th Annual Festival of Books was held on Saturday, April 20, and Sunday, April 21, 2024. The festival convenes more than 550 writers, experts, and storytellers, alongside hundreds of exhibitors, on the sprawling 226-acre campus on a beautiful, sunny weekend in Southern California.

Book lovers and foodies marked their calendars for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. This year featured a who’s who of authors and personalities, from RuPaul to Octavia Spencer, Tamron Hall, Kerry Washington, Tiffany Haddish, Jay Jeezy Jenkins, and Elle Duncan.

Kerry Washington and Ericka D. Smith, (Photo by Ricky Richardson)

The Festival of Books got underway on a rousing note. Trojan Marching Band performed to the delight of all in attendance. Priya Girishankar, Los Angeles Times Executive Vice President, and Samuel Garrison, USC Senior Vice President of University Relations welcomed the large group of attendees to the event. WriteGirl poets Rhiann Sheffie, Katie Chung, and Kai Aldia read one of their poems during the Festival Kickoff Ceremony.

Tiffany Haddish and Angel Jennings, (Photo by Ricky Richardson)

An estimated 150,000+ book lovers and foodies were in for the Los Angeles Times Festival of book, the largest literary festival in the nation. The campus of USC is in the heart of the downtown arts and education corridor.

An event of this magnitude requires careful planning and scheduling for journalists and photographers covering the Festival of Books. One has to be focused, (pun intended) to make the most of the festivities, to name a few.

The highlights on the Main Stage featured conversations with Tamron Hall, Kerry Washington, Tiffany Haddish, and Jay Jeezy Jenkins. Stuart K. Robinson served as emcee on Saturday and Sunday.

The Children’s Stage was engaging and fun with the appearance of Elle Duncan, Read with Rampage, and the L.A. Rams Cheerleaders and Tiffany Haddish.

The Poetry Stage featured Airea D. Matthews, A. Van Jordan, Jacqui Germain, and Jubi Arriorla Headley.

The USC Stage hosted the kickoff ceremony with the Trojan Marching Band, Priya Girishankar and Samuel Garrison, and WriteGirl Poets, as well as a musical performance of jazz, funk and R&B by YAF (Yafeu Tyhimba).

Malik Books held a spectacular lineup of authors for a meet & greet, to autograph attendee’s copies of their books as well as pose for photos. Jessica & Curry Parker, Nick Brooks, Rachel Montez Minor, Kim Johnson, Dr. Mariel BuQue, and Michael Harriot were at one of Malik Books’ booths. CJ Charles and Shannon L. Wynn signed copies of their books at the other booth.

A plethora of authors and small publishers exhibited and sold copies of their books during the 29th Annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

Authors and exhibitors signing copies of their books throughout the weekend consisted of: Black Girl, Brown Girl Books, Black Goddess Oracle, The Chaptr, Creative Mom Boss LLC, Deenie Luckie, Douglas Bell, Eric Aubry, I Am Unique, Mahogany and Friends, Terry Well-Jones, and Vernon Brundage Jr.