Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

A lifelong Los Angeles resident, Braxton has written for the Los Angeles Times for more than three decades. He currently is the deputy television editor for the Calendar section, and has also written extensively about trends and cultural issues in the entertainment field.

Anderson is a film reporter with the Los Angeles Times covering the intersections of diversity and Hollywood with a focus on black and queer film. A sociology graduate from the nation’s headquarters for black male excellence, Morehouse College in Atlanta, he also received his master’s... Read More →

Kennedy is a music writer for the Los Angeles Times covering pop, R&B/soul and hip-hop. An Ohio native, he came to The Times as an intern in 2009. On the pop music team, he’s found his favorite stories while smoking cigars with Nas, being trapped on a Kid Rock-themed music cruise... Read More →

Rodman joined the LA Times after 10 years at the Boston Globe, where she has been a TV and pop music critic. A longtime board member of the TV Critics Assn., she is an astute observer of television – and an avid fan. Her tastes are as varied as “Your Show of Shows,” “The Mary... Read More →

Vankin is a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, where she covers art and culture, entertainment and nightlife. Prior to that, she launched and served as editor in chief of Metromix LA and Brand X. She is the author of the graphic novel “Poseurs.”

Villarreal is a Los Angeles Times writer covering the business of entertainment for Company Town. She joined the Los Angeles Times in 2008 as a METPRO Fellow before moving to the Calendar section as an entertainment reporter.