2014 LA Times Festival of Books Runs This Weekend at USC

The 19th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will take place today, April 12, and Sunday, April 13, at the University of Southern California's University Park Campus. The Festival is free and open to the public, celebrating ideas, creativity, and the written word with a wide range of programming to entertain, engage, and inspire people of all ages and interests. The complete lineup and schedule are available on the Festival's website at: http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/.

Notable appearances include: Hugh Acheson, Gustavo Arellano, Reza Aslan, Philip Bailey, Mayim Bialik, T.C. Boyle, LeVar Burton, Roy Choi, Sandra Cisneros, Jackie Collins, Giada de Laurentiis, Rob Delaney, Barbara Ehrenreich, John Green, Carla Hall, Daniel Handler, Robert Hilburn, Pico Iyer, Diego Luna, Chris Kluwe, Terry McMillan, B.J. Novak, Veronica Roth, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Katherine Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver, Alicia Silverstone, Susan Straight, Marlo Thomas, Stephen Tobolowsky, Sandra Tsing Loh, Rachel Zoe and Adrian Todd Zuniga.

In addition to its distinguished authors and topical panel discussions, the Festival celebrates the vitality and diversity of Los Angeles' culture by showcasing local talent and creativity. Programming includes cooking demonstrations with local celebrity chefs, film screenings, and a host of musical performances, ranging from the L.A. Opera to the indie sounds of the Pop & Hiss Stage and everything in between.

The Festival has also expanded and refreshed its offerings this year to invite new audiences to experience this beloved Los Angeles tradition.

New and notable elements include:

--> Festival After Dark: The Festival of Books makes its nighttime debut with a live performance of American Public Media's Wits. Special guests Margaret Cho, Paul F. Tompkins, Superchunk and Will Sheff (of Okkervil River) will join host John Moe for an evening of music, comedy, and conversation. Tickets can be purchased at: www.latimes.com/festivalafterdark.

--> Artists' Row: To celebrate creativity of all kinds, the Festival has invited a thoughtfully curated group of Los Angeles artists to give new meaning to the term "site-specific art." Working in a variety of media, the artists will create their works on site as the Festival happens, allowing audience members to see the artistic process as each piece takes shape and evolves. The participating artists are: Lorenzo Hurtado Segovia, Andy Robert, Jena Priebe, Essi Zimm, and DevNGosha: Devin Liston and Gosha Levochkin.

--> LA Times Photo Pop-Up Gallery: Showcasing the exceptional work of the Times' award-winning visual storytelling team, the gallery will provide a unique opportunity to experience newsworthy events through the power of images.

--> Cooking Stage: Featuring chefs of all stripes, the Cooking Stage is a delicious buffet of Los Angeles' vibrant culinary scene.

Cooking demonstrations and interviews include Alan Jackson and JoAnn Cianciulli, authors of "The Lemonade Cookbook"; Roy Choi, author of "L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food,"; Suzanne Goin, author of "The A.O.C. Cookbook"; Hugh Acheson, author of "Pick a Pickle"; Jackie Collins, author of "The Lucky Santangelo Cookbook"; Scott Conant, author of "The Scarpetta Cookbook"; Carla Hall, author of "Carla's Comfort Foods"; and Ben Ford, author of "Taming the Feast: Ben Ford's Field Guide to Adventurous Cooking."

--> Children's Stage: Here young ones can enjoy their favorite stories read by the authors themselves, as well as musical performances and Dinosaur Encounters with the Natural History Museum!

--> Pop & Hiss Stage: In collaboration with Spaceland Presents, this year's music stage will host a variety of emerging bands, including The Blank Tapes, Mexico 68, Adult Books, and Salt Petal.

--> Poetry Stage: One of the Festival's most cherished traditions, the Poetry Stage celebrates this timeless literary form, while also asserting relevance to everyday life, with more than 30 individual poets sharing their unique perspectives and experiences.

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is presented in association with USC and major sponsor Chevrolet. The Festival schedule, location, and transportation information can be found on the Festival website, Facebook page and Twitter feed (#bookfest).

About the Los Angeles Times: The Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of 1.5 million and 2.6 million on Sunday, more than 22 million unique latimes.com visitors monthly and a combined print and online local weekly audience of 4 million. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times has been covering Southern California for more than 132 years.

The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) businesses and affiliates also include The Envelope, Times Community News, and Hoy Los Angeles which, combined with the flagship Los Angeles Times, reach approximately 5.2 million or 38% of all adults in the Southern California marketplace. LATMG also owns California Community News, LLC, operates Tribune Direct LA, and is part of Tribune Company, one of the country's leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting. Additional information is available at http://latimes.com/aboutus.

About the University of Southern California: The University of Southern California is one of the world's leading private research universities. An anchor institution in Los Angeles, a global center for arts, technology and international trade, USC enrolls more international students than any other U.S. university and offers extensive opportunities for internships and study abroad. With a strong tradition of integrating liberal and professional education, USC fosters a vibrant culture of public service and encourages students to cross academic as well as geographic boundaries in their pursuit of knowledge.

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