OpThis weekend is one of the biggest and most anticipated book events in the United States — the LA Times Festival of Books at USC. Each April, an estimated 150,000 book-lovers gather for readings, live music, food, and headline-topping conversations with the best of publishing in the year. Here are some highlights we're looking forward to:
Saturday, April 21
KRS-One: A conversation on Hip-Hop, Philosophy, and Storytelling. 10:30 am
Joyce Carol Oates in Conversation with Michael Silverblatt. 10:30 am
Juan Felipe Herrera, reading: The most recent former U.S. Poet Laureate and native Californian Juan Felipe Herrera reads from his new children's title "Jabberwalking." 11:55 am
The Bob Lefsetz Podcast with Special Guest Moby. 12:00 pm
Vivica A. Fox, Author of "Every Day I'm Hustling": In Conversation with Laurie Ochoa. 12:10 pm
Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein, Authors of "Selena": See related L.A. Taco story here. 1:30 pm
Food: The New Culture: With L.A. Taco contributor Gustavo Arellano, Andrew Friedman, Edward Lee, Dan Stone. 2:00 pm
Memoir: The Past is Never Past: Moderated by yours truly, L.A. Taco editor. With Alexandra Marzano-Lesnevich, Paisley Rekdal, Rob Roberge, and Benjamin Taylor, winner of the 2018 Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose. 2:00 pm
A Street-Level View of the Homelessness Crisis: The No. 1 topic in Los Angeles today is homelessness. This panel features LA Times columnist Steve Lopez, LA Times photographer Francine Orr, and homelessness advocate Anthony Ruffin. 2:30 pm
Sunday, April 22
Junot Diaz in Conversation with Carolina Miranda: Diaz's appearance with LA Times arts and culture reporter/columnist Carolina Miranda is sure to be an amazing event. 10:30 am
The Evolution of Mexican Food in Los Angeles: With Wes Avila, Sarah Portnoy, and Bill Esparza. 12:00 pm
Activism Now! Moderated by Celeste Fremon, founder of Witness LA, with Patrisse Khan-Cullors, co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter, Paola Mendoza, artistic director of the Women's March on Washington, Yascha Mounk, and Manuel Pastor. 2:00 pm
The Politics of L.A. Spaces: From Architectural Icons to Homelessness and Gentrification: With David L. Ulin, Ken Breisch, Sesshu Foster, and R. Scott Mitchell. 3:00 pm
Urbanism: How We Make Cities: With Christopher Hawthorne. 3:00 pm
Wes Avila, Author of "Guerrilla Tacos: Recipes from the Streets of L.A. 3:30 pm
Arts+Culture: Past, Present, Future, Curated by Marty Preciado: Nylon en Español editor Marty Preciado in conversation with Samanta Helou Hernandez, Jorge N. Leal, Alejandra Olmedo, and Guadalupe Rosales. 3:30 pm
