10:00am PDT
Luis J. Rodriguez, Reading from 'Borrowed Bones'
Speakers 
Rodriguez served as Los Angeles Poet Laureate from 2014-2016. He's also founding editor of Tia Chucha Press and co-founder of Tia Chucha's Cultural Center & Bookstore in the San Fernando Valley. He's best known for the bestselling memoir "Always Running, La Vida Loca, Gang Days in...
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10:00am PDT
The Nick & Jen Show
Speakers 
Nick the Music Man & Jen the Fairy Dancer are a husband and wife duo dedicated to sharing the joy of music and movement with children everywhere. With over 20 years of work in the classroom and on the stage their interactive kids music is enriching, imaginative and irresistible!
10:00am PDT
Festival Kickoff with the Trojan Marching Band
Artists 
One of the most innovative collegiate marching bands in the country, the USC Trojan Marching Band features more than 300 students from nearly every major at USC. In addition to rousing team spirit on campus, the Trojan Marching Band has entertained audiences with jubilant music, precision...
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Saturday April 22, 2017 10:00am - 10:30pm PDT
USC Stage
10:20am PDT
Rigoberto Gonzalez, Reading from "Unpeopled Eden"
Speakers 
González is the author of 18 books, most recently "Unpeopled Eden", which won the Lambda Literary Award and the Lenore Marshall Prize from the Academy of American Poets. The recipient of Guggenheim, NEA and USA Rolón fellowships, the Shelley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society...
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10:30am PDT
Karen Lechelt, Author of "What Do You Love About You?"
Speakers 
Lechelt was born in Seoul, raised in New Jersey, and now lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and Mr. Jones (a French bulldog everyone loves). For over a decade she was a graphic designer, a web builder, and a T-shirt illustrator. She believes in the power of words...
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10:30am PDT
Sherry Lansing and Stephen Galloway in Conversation with Mary McNamara, Conversation 1131
Moderators 
McNamara was named assistant managing editor for arts and entertainment in 2016. She was previously the television critic and senior culture editor. A Pulitzer Prize winner in 2015 and finalist for criticism in 2013 and 2014, she has won various awards for criticism and feature writing...
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Galloway is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who serves as the executive features editor for The Hollywood Reporter. Among his honors, he was named 2013 journalist of the year at the National Entertainment Journalism Awards. In 2014, he was named the Cosgrove Visiting Artist at Loyola...
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Lansing, as the head of 20th Century Fox during the 1980s, was the first woman to reach the top of Hollywood's corporate ladder. She grew up in Chicago and studied math, English and theater at Northwestern University. After her graduation in 1966, she moved to Los Angeles to start...
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10:30am PDT
Biography: The Artist As Muse, Conversation 1081
Moderators 
Kirsch, longtime book reviewer and author of 13 books, is the book editor of the Jewish Journal. He is also an attorney specializing in publishing and a member of the faculty for NYU's Summer Publishing Institute.
King is the bestselling author of several works and winner of the Canada's Governor General's Award. His works were nominated for the NBCCA, the Charles Taylor Prize, and the National Award for Arts Writing. He has lectured at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Smithsonian, the Aspen...
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Seaman is Editor, Adult Books, Booklist, member of the advisory council for the American Writers Museum, and recipient of the James Friend Memorial Award for Literary Criticism and the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award. She has reviewed for the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles...
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Weschler, a creative nonfiction writer, was a staff writer at The New Yorker for over twenty years. He has written several books including, "Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder," a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Weschler is the director of the New York Institute for Humanities at NYU. His...
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10:30am PDT
Biography: The Women Behind the Power, Conversation 1011
Moderators 
Boyarsky, author of “Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and Their Times,” is a political correspondent for Truthdig, blogs for LA Observed and is a columnist for the Jewish Journal. His other books include “Los Angeles: City of Dreams” and “Big Daddy: Jesse Unruh and the Art...
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Cook is a distinguished professor of history at John Jay College and Graduate Center, City University of New York. In addition to her biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, her other books include "The Declassified Eisenhower" and "Crystal Eastman on Women and Revolution.” She was featured...
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Fought is the author of "Women in the World of Frederick Douglass" and a professor history at Le Moyne College, Syracuse, New York. She was formerly an editor of the first volume of Frederick Douglass's correspondence, and her previous works include "Southern Womanhood and Slavery...
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Napoli, a veteran journalist (NY Times, MSNBC, public radio's Marketplace), has lived in Los Angeles for over a dozen years. Her first book, "Radio Shangri-La,” is about media influence and disenchantment in and around the Kingdom of Bhutan. She leads an award-winning volunteer...
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Quinn is the author of "Furious Improvisation: How the WPA and a Cast of Thousands Made High Art Out of Desperate Times,” "Marie Curie: A Life” and her latest, “Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair That Shaped a First Lady,” among other books. Her work has appeared in The New...
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10:30am PDT
Fiction: Stories of Outsiders, Conversation 1051
Moderators 
Dutton owned and operated the iconic Dutton’s Brentwood Bookstore for more than two decades before it closed in 2008. Thousands of authors celebrated their works in Duttons’ central courtyard from Jane Smiley, Robert Stone and T.C. Boyle to Junot Diaz, Chang Rae Lee and Lisa See...
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Baume won the Davy Byrne's Short Story Award in 2014, the Rooney Prize in 2015, and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize in 2016. She is author of two novels, "Spill Simmer Falter Wither" and "A Line Made by Walking.” She lives on the south west coast of Ireland. Baume's book “Spill...
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Greenwell is the author of "What Belongs to You,” which was longlisted for the National Book Award, shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and named a Best Book of 2016 by The New York Times, The New Yorker, and over 50 other publications. His work has appeared...
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Hoffman is the author of the critically acclaimed novels "Running,” "So Much Pretty" and "Be Safe I Love You.” She has written for the New York Times, Marie Claire, Salon, and National Public Radio, and is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including a Folio Prize...
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Novey is the author of "Ways to Disappear,” a finalist for the 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize for First Fiction and an NPR Best Book of 2016. Her fiction and poetry have been translated into ten languages and she's written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and New York...
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10:30am PDT
Fiction: You Can't Go Home Again, Conversation 1091
Moderators 
Wallen, a novelist and memoirist, is Associate Director of the New York State Summer Writers' Institute. In addition, she teaches private workshops and edits manuscripts. Her essays have been published in The Gettysburg Review, The Normal School, Country Living, The Writers' Chronicle...
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Francis' first novel "The Great Inland Sea" was published in seven languages. His second, "Stray Dog Winter,” named Novel of the Year in the Australian Literature Review, won the American Library Association Stonewall Prize for Literature. His short fiction has appeared in Best...
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Haslett is the author of the novel “Union Atlantic” and the New York Times best-selling short story collection “You Are Not a Stranger Here,” which was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award. His current book, “Imagine Me Gone,” was on the 2016 National...
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Hill's short fiction has appeared in many literary journals, including The Iowa Review, AGNI, The Gettysburg Review, and Fiction, where he was awarded the annual Fiction Prize. A native Iowan, he lives with his wife in Naples, Florida. His acclaimed first novel “The Nix” is a...
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Woodson is the bestselling author of "Another Brooklyn" which was a 2016 finalist for the National Book Award, NAACP Image Award, a 2016 Los Angeles Times’ Christopher Isherwood Prize finalist for Autobiographical Prose, and a #1 Indie Pick. Her 2014 New York Times bestseller "Brown...
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10:30am PDT
Young Adult & Middle Grade Fiction:Through a Different Lens
Moderators 
Hartzler has written books, screenplays, and a great number of tweets. His first book, "Rapture Practice" (2013) is a true story about his own life, a memoir about getting kicked out of his Christian high school in Kansas City two weeks before graduation. His novel "What We Saw" (2015...
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Higgins is a librarian at an independent school in Los Angeles. She is the author of “A Rambler Steals Home” (HMH, February 2017) and two forthcoming picture books from Chronicle Books, “This is Not a Valentine” (Fall 2017 with Lucy Ruth Cummins) and “Everything You Need...
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Hopkins is the bestselling author of eleven young adult novels, as well as the adult novels "Triangles,” "Collateral” and "Love Lies Beneath.” She lives with her family in Carson City, Nevada, where she has founded Ventana Sierra, a nonprofit youth housing and resource initiative...
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Marquardt is the author of two YA novels: "The Radius of Us" and "Dream Things True.” A Scholar-in-Residence at Emory University's Candler School of Theology, Marie also has published articles and co-authored two non-fiction books about Latin American immigration to the U.S. South...
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Thrash is a staff writer for Rookie, a popular online magazine for teenage girls. “Honor Girl,” her first book, was a 2015 finalist for the LA Times Book Prize in Graphic Novel/Comics. Her most recent book is “We Know It Was You.” She lives in Delaware.
10:30am PDT
Russia Past & Present: Masha Gessen in Conversation with Kim Murphy, Conversation 1031
Moderators KM
Murphy is a longtime foreign and national correspondent who became LA Times national editor in June 2013. As assistant managing editor for foreign and national news, she oversees a large network of Times bureaus across the U.S. and around the world.
Gessen is a writer in residence at Oberlin College and the author of several books on Russia, including “The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin” and “The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia,” forthcoming from Riverhead in October 2017...
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10:30am PDT
What’s in a Brand? Building Business in the Digital Age, Conversation 1141
Moderators 
Kozinets is a brand innovation expert who has applied his methods and theories at such organizations as American Express, L'Oréal, Merck, TD Bank, Campbell Soup, Zurich Insurance, Orchard Supply Hardware, and many others. His work includes over 150 publications, including top-tier...
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MacInnis is a professor of business administration and marketing at the USC Marshall School of Business, president of the American Marketing Association’s Consumer Behavior Special Interest Group, and a co-author of “Brand Admiration: Building a Business People Love.” Her...
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Mohasseb, former CEO of Wise Window, Inc., is an entrepreneur, venture investor, and business thought leader who has founded and led several early-stage and hyper-growth companies from inception to acquisition. His book The Caterpillar’s Edge: Evolve, Evolve Again, and Thrive in...
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Park is a co-author of Brand Admiration: Building a Business People Love and a professor of marketing at the USC Marshall School of Business, where he directs the Global Branding Center. A former editor of the Journal of Consumer Psychology, he has published articles in publications...
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10:30am PDT
Michael Connelly in Conversation with Dan Pyne, Conversation 1061
Moderators 
Pyne went from executive producer/writer to showrunner on the Amazon TV show "Bosch," based on Michael Connelly's novels. His screenwriting credits include the remake of ”The Manchurian Candidate,” “Pacific Heights,” and “Fracture.” He made his directorial debut with the...
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Connelly is the award-winning and bestselling author of numerous novels, most notably his enduring "Harry Bosch" mystery series, which has been adapted for the Amazon show “Bosch.” His most recent novel, "The Crossing," features both Harry Bosch and his character Mickey Haller...
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10:40am PDT
11:00am PDT
Terese Svoboda, Reading from 'Professor Harriman's Steam Air-Ship'
Speakers 
Svoboda has published 17 books of poetry, fiction, memoir, biography, and translation. She's won a Guggenheim, Bobst Prize in fiction, Iowa Prize for poetry, NEH for translation, O. Henry Award, Graywolf Nonfiction Prize, Pushcart Prize, Bellagio fellow, and three NYFAs. Her opera...
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11:00am PDT
John Rocco, illustrator of 'How to Track a Truck'
Speakers 
Rocco is the illustrator of "How to Train a Train" by Jason Carter Eaton and "The Flint Heart" by Katherine and John Paterson. John Rocco's picture book "Blackout" received a Caldecott Honor. He is the jacket artist for Rick Riordan's best-selling "Percy Jackson and the Olympians...
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11:00am PDT
Tippi Hedren, Author of 'Tippi: A Memoir,' in Conversation with Mark Olsen
Moderators 
Olsen writes the Indie Focus feature and more for the Los Angeles Times and hosts the companion Indie Focus screening series. Having grown up in Kansas, he is a graduate of the University of Kansas and New York University. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, LA Weekly...
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Hedren is an actress and activist for animal rights, as well as a recognized humanitarian for her efforts and dedication to the women of Vietnam, helping create a multi-billion dollar manicuring industry. She has appeared in over 35 TV projects and more than 45 films, including the...
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11:00am PDT
Patt Morrison and Larry Ingrassia in Conversation
Speakers 
Ingrassia joined the Los Angeles Times in January 2015 as managing editor focusing on new ventures. Previously, he worked at the New York Times as business editor from 2004 to 2012 and later as deputy managing editor for new initiatives. Coverage he directed at the New York Times...
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Morrison is a writer and columnist for the Los Angeles Times, a public radio contributor and author of the best-selling “Rio L.A.: Tales from the Los Angeles River.” Her numerous awards include two shared Pulitzer Prizes and six Emmys.
11:00am PDT
Wargirl (music performance)
Artists 
WARGIRL draws influence from The Upsetters, War, Iggy Pop, The Clash and early Fela to make their version of Southern California garage rock. Sometimes subversive lyrics are counterpointed against groovy, danceable rhythms and jammy afro-beat and Latin America inspired grooves.Musically...
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11:00am PDT
Helene & Jacqueline An, Authors of 'An: To Eat', Cooking Demonstration
Speakers 
An is one of the most celebrated chefs in America, regularly chosen by the James Beard Foundation to host events and by Hollywood elite to cater Oscar parties. She was inducted into the Smithsonian Institute in 2007 for her contribution to introducing Vietnamese cuisine to mainstream...
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An is a Wharton School of Business graduate and one of Helene's five daughters behind the House of An. Jacqueline grew up listening to stories of her mother's childhood in Vietnam, the adventures, the dangers, and the elegance of the Indochine era. Jacqueline seeks to share Helene's...
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11:00am PDT
Everybody's Got One: Fiction & Families, Conversation 1121
Moderators 
Wilson is the author of the novels "Panorama City" and "The Interloper." His work has appeared in The Paris Review, StoryQuarterly, and Best New American Voices, among other publications, and he is a contributing editor of the literary magazine A Public Space.
Dermansky is the author of the novels "The Red Car," "Bad Marie," and "Twins.” Her short stories have been widely published and anthologized. She lives in Montclair, NJ with her daughter.
Frangello is the author of four books of fiction, including "Every Kind of Wanting" (Counterpoint) and "A Life in Men" (Algonquin). She was the longtime editor of Other Voices Books, and has been fiction editor at The Nervous Breakdown and Sunday editor at The Rumpus. She is now the...
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Raymond is the author of the novels "Rain Dragon" and "The Half-Life,” a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2004, and the short-story collection "Livability,” a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and winner of the Oregon Book Award. He is also the screenwriter of...
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See's most recent novel, "The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane,” was released by Scribner in March. Booklist said of the new novel, "See's focus on the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters, by birth and by circumstance, becomes an extraordinary homage to unconditional love...
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11:00am PDT
Fiction: Classics 2.0, Conversation 1041
Moderators 
Specktor is the author of the novels "American Dream Machine" and "That Summertime Sound,” as well as a nonfiction book of film criticism. He is a founding editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books.
Beauregard has been a university professor, motorcycle journalist, gourmet ice cream manufacturer, film archivist, and funeral home attendant. As a fundraiser, he has helped raise millions of dollars to support nonprofit arts and community service organizations in Tucson, Arizona...
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Chee is the author of the novels "Edinburgh" and "The Queen of the Night.” He has received numerous awards including the Whiting Award and a NEA in Fiction. He is a contributing editor at The New Republic and VQR, a critic-at-large for the Los Angeles Times, and an associate professor...
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Himes' short fiction has been published in Shenandoah, The Florida Review (Editor's Choice Award 2008), Mid-American Review, Fourteen Hills (nominated for Best American Mysteries 2011), and elsewhere. "Mikhail and Margarita" is her debut novel. She lives with her family in Marblehead...
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11:00am PDT
Fiction: The Storytellers, Conversation 1111
Moderators 
Ulin is the author, most recently, of "Sidewalking: Coming to Terms with Los Angeles," a finalist for the PEN/Diamonstein- Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay, and the novel "Ear to the Ground," co-written with Paul Kolsby. A 2015 Guggenheim Fellow, he is the former book editor...
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Kushner is the author of two novels, "The Flamethrowers" and "Telex from Cuba,” both finalists for the National Book Award, as well as a collection of short prose, "The Strange Case of Rachel K." She is a Guggenheim fellow and winner of the Howard D Vursell Award from the American...
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Simpson was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin to a Syrian immigrant father and the daughter of a mink farmer, who was the first person in her family to attend college. Simpson is the author of six novels (so far), most recently, “Casebook: A novel.” She's received some prizes and two...
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Spiotta’s second novel, "Eat the Document," was a National Book Award finalist, and her book "Stone Arabia" was a 2011 finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her most recent book is “Innocents and Others,” a finalist for the 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize in Ficti...
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11:00am PDT
Nonfiction: Activists on the Front Lines, Conversation 1071
Moderators 
Pearce is a national reporter for the Los Angeles Times and frequently writes about violence, disasters, social movements and civil liberties. A University of Missouri graduate, he has covered news in the Midwest for a number of publications and previously wrote about technology...
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Jones' career as an activist began in San Francisco in 1970s where he befriended pioneer gay rights leader Harvey Milk. After Milk's death, Jones co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and conceived the idea of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which memorializes over 85,000 Americans...
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Kauffman is the author of "Direct Action: Protest and the Reinvention of American Radicalism.” She has spent more than thirty years immersed in grassroots movements as a participant, strategist, journalist, and observer. Kauffman was the mobilizing coordinator for the huge protests...
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Kovic served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War. He was paralyzed from his chest down in combat in 1968 and has been in a wheelchair ever since. Along with Oliver Stone, Kovic was the co-screenwriter of the 1989 Academy Award-winning film based on Kovic's best-selling memoir...
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Lowery is a reporter for the Washington Post, where he covers race, justice, law enforcement and politics. He is the paper's lead reporter on the Black Lives Matter protest movement and a member of the team awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of fatal police shootings. He...
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11:00am PDT
Crime Fiction: A Question of Character, Conversation 1021
Moderators 
Schwartz, a Los Angeles Times bestselling author, cut his teeth as the Director of Development for filmmaker Wolfgang Petersen before writing his novels "Boulevard" and "Beat." He continues to work as a screenwriter, and his short stories and essays are available in various anthologies...
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Beverly's debut novel "Dodgers" is the only novel ever to win both the Gold Dagger and the John Creasey First Blood Dagger from the Crime Writers' Association. "Dodgers" follows his doctoral research on criminal fugitives, which became the 2003 book "On the Lam.” He teaches at Trinity...
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Burnet is the Scottish author of "The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau,” a psychological thriller set in France, and "His Bloody Project,” which tells the story of a brutal triple murder in the Scottish Highlands in 1869. "His Bloody Project" is a finalist for the 2016 L.A. Times...
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McGuire grew up near Hull, England, and studied at the University of Manchester and the University of Virginia in the United States. He is the co-founder and co-director of the University of Manchester's Centre for New Writing. He writes criticism and fiction, and his stories have...
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Mullen is the author of "The Last Town on Earth," winner of the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for excellence in historical fiction and USA TODAY'S Best Debut of 2006; "The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers;" "The Revisionists;" and his latest, "Darktown," an NPR Best Book of the Year...
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11:15am PDT
11:20am PDT
11:30am PDT
David Shannon, author of 'Duck on a Tractor'
Speakers 
Shannon is the internationally acclaimed creator of more than thirty picture books, including "No, David!,” a Caldecott Honor Book and his second New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year, and three more David picture books. Shannon's bestsellers include "A Bad Case of...
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11:30am PDT
11:40am PDT
Stephen Yenser, Reading from 'Stone Fruit'
Speakers 
Yenser's previous books of poems include "Blue Guide" (Chicago) and "The Fire in All Things" (LSU). He is also the author of three critical studies and, as James Merrill's co-literary executor, is the co-editor of five volumes by Merrill. Yenser is Distinguished Professor Emeritus...
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11:40am PDT
Definiens: Chamber Music Performance
Artists 
Definiens aspires to make classical music fun for all with engaging programs featuring works by local and living composers. They have recently performed at the Idyllwild Arts Academy and Highways Performance Space.
Saturday April 22, 2017 11:40am - 12:10pm PDT
USC Stage
12:00pm PDT
Phillis Levin, Reading from 'Mr. Memory & Other Poems'
Speakers 
Levin is the author of five poetry collections, most recently "Mr. Memory & Other Poems," which is a finalist for the 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize in Poetry. Her honors include the Poetry Society of America's Norma Farber First Book Award, a Fulbright Scholar Award to Slovenia, the...
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12:00pm PDT
12:00pm PDT
And the Beat Goes On: Music & Musicians Through the Years, Conversation 1052
Moderators JG
Since joining the LA Times in 2003, Gelt has written about television, music, movies, books, art, fashion, food, cocktails and more. She once played bass in a band with an inexplicably large following in Spain, and still gets stopped by fans (OK, maybe a fan) on the streets of Barcelona...
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Fletcher is the bestselling author of biographies on Keith Moon, the Smiths, and R.E.M. among others, plus a memoir, novel, and history of the New York City music scene. Born in northern England, and raised in South London, where he started a music magazine at age thirteen, he immigrated...
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Greenman is a New York Times bestselling author and New Yorker contributor who has written both fiction and nonfiction. His novels and short-story collections include “The Slippage” and “Superbad,” he was Questlove's collaborator on “Mo’ Meta Blues” and “Something...
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Reynolds is an English music critic who is well-known for his writings on electronic dance music and for coining the term "post-rock." He is the author of "Bring the Noise: 20 Years of Writing About Hip Rock and Hip Hop," “Retromania: Pop Cultures Addiction to its Own Past” and...
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12:00pm PDT
12:00pm PDT
Chuck Palahniuk in Conversation with Isaac Fitzgerald, Conversation 1032
Moderators 
Fitzgerald has been a firefighter, worked on a boat, and been given a sword by a king, thereby accomplishing three out of five of his childhood goals. He is the editor of BuzzFeed Books and co-author of "Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them" and "Knives & Ink: Chefs and...
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Palahniuk is the New York Times bestselling author of "Fight Club" and "Choke,” which have been made into remarkable films. His other books, all national bestsellers, include "Survivor,” "Invisible Monsters,” "Lullaby,” "Haunted,”"Diary,” "Rant,” "Pygmy,” "Tell-All...
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12:00pm PDT
George Saunders in Conversation with Carolyn Kellogg, Conversation 1132
Moderators 
Kellogg is book editor of the Los Angeles Times. She is a recipient of the paper’s editorial award and a vice president of the board of the National Book Critics Circle. Kellogg has served as editor of LAist.com, web editor of Marketplace and has been widely published. She has an...
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Saunders is the author of nine books, including the New York Times bestsellers "Congratulations, by the way" and "Tenth of December,” an essay collection, "The Braindead Megaphone,” and the critically acclaimed collections "CivilWarLand in Bad Decline,” "Pastoralia,” and "In...
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12:00pm PDT
Young Adult Graphic Novels: Drawing You In
Moderators 
Wind is the founding blogger of “I’m Here. I’m Queer. What The Hell Do I Read?” He is also The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators' Official Blogger, Podcast Producer/Editor, and 2015 Member of the Year. A writer of PB, MG, and YA, he is represented by Danielle...
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Castellucci is the author of books and comics. Her comics include “Shade,” “The Changing Girl,”” Soupy Leaves Home,” “The Plain Janes,” “The Year of the Beasts,” and the Eisner nominated “Odd Duck.” Her novels include "Boy Proof," "Beige,” "Tin Star," and...
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Hicks is a writer and artist in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her graphic novels include “Zombies Calling,” “The War at Ellsmere,” “Brain Camp” (with Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan), “Friends with Boys,” “Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong” (with Prudence Shen), the Bigfoot...
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Phelan is the author-illustrator of three previous graphic novels: the Scott O'Dell Award-winning "The Storm in the Barn,” "Around the World,” and "Bluffton,” which was nominated for three Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, including Best Graphic Album. He is the author-illustrator...
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12:00pm PDT
A Thousand Faces: Poetry's Public and Private Languages, Conversation 1082
Moderators 
Biespiel is a poet, literary critic, and contributing writer at The Rumpus, American Poetry Review, Politico, New Republic, Slate, Poetry, and The New York Times. He is the author of numerous books, most recently "Charming Gardeners" and "The Book of Men and Women,”chosen for Best...
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Baker is author of sixteen books, including "Scavenger Loop" (poems, Norton, 2015), "Show Me Your Environment" (essays, Michigan, 2014), and "Never-Ending Birds" (poems, Norton) which won the Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Prize in 2011. He holds the Fordham Chair of Poetry at Denison...
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Galvin was born in Chicago and earned a BA from Antioch College and an MFA from the University of Iowa. He is the author of several collections of poetry, including “Resurrection Update: Collected Poems” (1998), “X” (2003), “As Is” (2009), and “Everything We Always Knew...
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Hutchinson was born in Port Antonio, Jamaica. He is the author of the poetry collections, "Far District" and "House of Lords and Commons,” which recently won the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry and is a finalist for the 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize in Poetry. He teaches...
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12:00pm PDT
Nonfiction: The Grand Old Party, Conversation 1012
Moderators 
Thomas is the founder and President of Thomas Partners Strategies, a full service media, strategy and crisis communications firm. He is actively involved in shaping the political landscape across the nation and specializes in strategy consulting and television creation for political...
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Fields is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Stanford University. He is also a faculty affiliate at the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. His book, "Black Elephants in the Room: The Unexpected Politics of African American Republicans,” uses...
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Grande worked in the Office of Ronald Reagan in Los Angeles, CA, from 1989-1999. As a keynote speaker to corporate executives, political organizations, executive assistants, and student groups, Grande inspires audiences with timeless Reagan lessons and principles. A graduate of Pepperdine...
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Hewitt spent six years working in the Reagan Administration, before beginning a career in radio broadcasting. Currently he hosts a nationally syndicated radio show. Hewitt is the author of eight previous books, including "GOP 5.0: Republican Renewal Under President Obama."
12:00pm PDT
Walls and Lines in the Sand: The Shifting Landscape of Immigration, Conversation 1142
Moderators 
Soni is the dean of Religious Life at USC, a University Fellow at the USC Annenberg Center on Public Diplomacy, and a member of the State Bar of California and the American Academy of Religion. He serves on the advisory board for the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement and is the...
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Frenzen is the director of the Immigration Clinic at the USC Gould School of Law, where law students work on projects including the LGBT Asylum Project and the Immigrant Detention Rights Project. Frenzen specializes in immigration and refugee law, and blogs about migration from Africa...
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Pastor is a professor of sociology and American studies and ethnicity, and director of the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, at USC. The author of Equity, Growth, and Community: What the Nation Can Learn from America’s Metro Areas, Pastor researches the economic, environmental...
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Ryo is an associate professor of law and sociology at the USC Gould School of Law. Prior to joining USC, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable M. Margaret McKeown of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and practiced law at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen, and Hamilton. Her research focuses...
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12:10pm PDT
Meet the Critics
Moderators 
McNamara was named assistant managing editor for arts and entertainment in 2016. She was previously the television critic and senior culture editor. A Pulitzer Prize winner in 2015 and finalist for criticism in 2013 and 2014, she has won various awards for criticism and feature writing...
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Ali is television critic of the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she was a senior writer for the Calendar section where she covered culture at large, entertainment and American Muslim issues. Ali is an award-winning journalist and Los Angeles native who has written in publications ranging...
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Chang is a film critic for the Los Angeles Times and a regular contributor to NPR's "Fresh Air Weekend" and "FilmWeek." Before joining The Times, he was chief film critic at Variety. He is the author of the book "FilmCraft: Editing" and serves as chair of the National Society of Film...
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Hawthorne has been the architecture critic for the Los Angeles Times since 2004. Before coming to The Times, he was architecture critic for Slate and a frequent contributor to the New York Times. He is the author, with Alanna Stang, of “The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable...
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Knight is art critic for the Los Angeles Times. He is a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism (1991, 2001 and 2007). Knight received the 1997 Frank Jewett Mather Award for distinction in art criticism from the College Art Assn., becoming the first journalist to win...
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Wood writes about pop music in all its ever-quickening splendor. Prior to joining the Los Angeles Times in 2012, he was a freelance contributor to Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Spin and the Village Voice. He grew up in Little Rock, Ark., graduated from Northwestern University...
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12:10pm PDT
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Author of 'Writings on the Wall,' in Conversation with Davan Maharaj
Moderators 
Maharaj, a 27-year veteran of The Times, added publisher to his title in March 2016. He had been named editor and executive vice president in 2011. Prior to that role, he served as managing editor, assistant foreign editor and deputy business editor. A native of Trinidad, he holds...
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Abdul-Jabbar is recognized by Sports Illustrated and Time magazine as history’s greatest basketball player. He is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. His previous books include "Giant Steps," "Kareem," "Black Profiles in Courage," "A Season on the Reservation," and " What Color...
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12:30pm PDT
Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen, Author & Illustrator of 'Triangle'
Speakers 
Barnett is the author of several books for children, including "Extra Yarn,” illustrated by Jon Klassen, a Caldecott Honor Book and winner of a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and "Sam and Dave Dig a Hole,” a Caldecott Honor Book and winner of the E. B. White Read Aloud Award. He...
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Klassen is the author-illustrator of "I Want My Hat Back,” a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book; "This Is Not My Hat,” winner of the Caldecott Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal; and "We Found a Hat.” He is also the illustrator of two Caldecott Honor Books, "Sam and Dave Dig a...
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12:30pm PDT
Lessons from the Pack: A Conversation with Cesar Millan and Marcela Luevanos
Moderators 
With over 17 years of experience in radio broadcasting, Marcela Luevanos has held important positions in the Los Angeles Spanish Radio and on a national level while working with some of the most prominent morning radio personalities. Recently she was the host and reporter for Tuyo...
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Cesar Millan is a public speaker and acclaimed star of Cesar Millan's Dog Nation, Cesar 911, as well as the original, Emmy-nominated host of the Dog Whisperer program. Through his international television shows, he brings more than 25 years of dog experience and his status as the...
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12:30pm PDT
12:30pm PDT
Dawn McGuire, Reading from "American Dream with Exit Wound"
Speakers DM
McGuire is a neurologist and award-winning author of three poetry collections, including “Hands On” and “The Aphasia Café”. She grew up in Eastern Kentucky and was educated at Princeton University, Union Theological Seminary, and the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons...
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12:30pm PDT
March: Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell, in Conversation, Conversation 1062
Speakers 
Aydin, an Atlanta native, grew up reading and collecting comic books. After college, upon taking a job with Congressman John Lewis, Andrew learned that the civil rights legend had been inspired as a young man by a classic 1950s comic book, “Martin Luther King & The Montgomery Story...
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Lewis is the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 5th district and an American icon known for his role in the civil rights movement. He first joined the movement as a seminary student in Nashville, organizing sit-ins and participating in the first Freedom Rides. He soon became the...
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Powell, called by Booklist magazine “the most prodigiously talented graphic novelist of his generation,” was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. In addition to the March series, co-written with Andrew Aydin and Congressman John Lewis, his work includes Rick Riordan’s “The Lost...
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12:30pm PDT
Memoir: Immigrant Stories, Conversation 1122
Moderators 
Taylor, literary editor at large of the Chicago Tribune, is the author (with Adam Cohen) of “American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley and his Battle for Chicago and the Nation.” Past president of the National Book Critics Circle, she has also taught at Mount Holyoke College, was...
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Bui was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States as a child. She studied art and legal studies and at one point wanted to be a civil rights lawyer, but became a public school teacher instead. She lives in Berkeley with her son, her husband, and her mother. “The Best We...
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Ramírez is a Mexican-Colombian writer, critic, and performance poet based in Pittsburgh. She won the inaugural PEN/Fusion Emerging Writers Prize in 2015 for her novella-length work of nonfiction, "Dead Boys" (Little A, 2016), and in 2016 she was named Critic at Large for the Los...
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Zhang, author of “Accomplice to Memory,” grew up in upstate New York, lived in China and Hong Kong, and now makes her home in Western Massachusetts. She is a writer of hybrid non/fiction stories and forms, with a focus on Chinese and American identities and communities across...
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12:30pm PDT
12:30pm PDT
Fiction: Girls With Dangerous Friends, Conversation 1112
Moderators AF
Fletcher, a 2012 PEN Center USA Emerging Voices Fellow, was a flash fiction finalist for the Orlando Prize. Her work has appeared in Hippocampus Magazine, the Orange County Register, and Coast Magazine. She is currently working on her memoir, tentatively titled, "Halo.”.
Assadi received her MFA in fiction from the Columbia University School of the Arts. She was raised in Arizona by her Jewish mother and Palestinian father. She lives in Brooklyn. "Sonora" is her first novel.
Carter's work has appeared in the Colorado Review, Meridian, CutBank, and the South Carolina Review, among other literary journals and magazines. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband, the artist Rob Carter. “Lucky You” is her new book.
Johnson holds a master of professional writing degree from the University of Southern California and a BA in English from the University of California at Davis. She has served as a tutor at a private learning center, where her focus has been teaching writing to teenagers. Born and...
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Wasserman is the author of the novel "Girls on Fire.” Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in The New York Times, Tin House, The VQR, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and several short story anthologies. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of more than ten novels...
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12:30pm PDT
Graphic Novels from All Sides, Conversation 1042
Moderators 
Schwartz has written for "The New Yorker," "Vanity Fair," the 84th Academy Awards, "The Late Show" with David Letterman, and is currently working on a history of American humor set between the world wars.
Chaffee is a professional tattooist and comics artist. His previous books are "The Big Wheels" (1993), "The Most Important Thing & Other Stories" (1995), and "Good Dog" (2013). He lives and works in Los Angeles.
Haifisch was born in 1986 in Leipzig, Germany. She studied at the Academy of Visual Arts, Leipzig, and worked as a screen printer in New York. Since 2015, she has been drawing the series “The Artist” for VICE. The Artist collected stories are published by Breakdown Press. “The...
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Kyle lives and works in Toronto, Ontario. He is the author of the graphic novels "Black Mass" (2012), "Distance Mover" (2014), and "Don't Come In Here" (2016). At the 2016 Doug Wright Awards, he won the Pigskin Peters Award for New Comics #6 and #7. “Don't Come In Here” is a finalist...
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12:30pm PDT
Nonfiction: The Science of Humans, Conversation 1022
Moderators 
Friedmann is an award-winning science writer who has written on topics ranging from astrophysics to zoology. She is editor of ScienceWriters magazine, published by the National Assn. of Science Writers. Friedmann has been designated a fellow by three professional societies for her...
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Dittrich is a National Magazine Award-winning journalist and contributing editor at Esquire. In his first book, “Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets,” he explores the scientific, ethical and human dimensions of one of the most important stories in the...
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Piore is an award-winning journalist. A former editor and correspondent for Newsweek Magazine, his narrative features have appeared in Conde Nast Traveler, GQ, Nautilus, Discover Magazine, Mother Jones, Playboy, Scientific American, the Atavist, BusinessWeek, and many others. His...
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Roach is the author of six New York Times bestsellers, including "Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War,” “Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers” and "Packing For Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void.” Mary has written for National Geographic, Wired, Discover...
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Valcourt is pursuing a Ph.D. in systems biology at Harvard University, where he is a recipient of a Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship. He was formerly a researcher at D. E. Shaw Research in New York City, where he used supercomputer simulations to study pharmaceutical drugs. He...
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12:30pm PDT
Nonfiction: The Future is Female, Conversation 1072
Moderators 
Press is a writer and editor who served as the books and culture editor of the L.A. Times, deputy TV editor at the L.A. Times, culture editor at Salon and literary editor and book and TV critic at the Village Voice. She is currently writing a book about women in television.
Fussell taught English at Connecticut College, Douglass College, and finished her Ph.D. at Rutgers University before moving to New York City. In the 1980s she left teaching to write full time. She is the author of twelve books, and her essays on food, travel and the arts have appeared...
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Solnit is the best-selling author of many books and articles for which she has received numerous awards. In 2003, she won the National Book Critics Circle Award for “River of Shadows.” Her newest book is “The Mother of All Questions: Further Reports from the Feminist Revolu...
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West, author of “Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman” is a Seattle-based writer, editor, and performer whose work focuses on pop culture, social justice, humor, and body image. She's currently a culture writer for GQ magazine and GQ.com and a weekly columnist at The Guardian, as well...
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12:50pm PDT
Bellorage: Alternative Pop Musical Performance
Artists 
Independent alternative-pop artist Bellorage is a dynamic singer, songwriter, and pianist. Her self-produced debut EP, “Into the Next Motion,” is available on iTunes, Spotify, and Bandcamp.
Saturday April 22, 2017 12:50pm - 1:20pm PDT
USC Stage
1:00pm PDT
1:00pm PDT
Benson Shum, Author of "Holly's Day at the Pool"
Speakers 
Shum is an animator at the Walt Disney Animation Studios and has worked on films such as Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, and Moana. He was born and raised in Vancouver, BC, where he studied the art of animation at Capilano University and Sheridan Collage. He now lives in Burbank, CA...
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1:00pm PDT
Nectarines (music performance)
Artists 
Hailing from Long Beach, Nectarines make music that is slightly Goth, with a vibe that feels a bit like The Pixies on codeine. Glorious, honeyed, heavy, and rhythmic, Nectarines recall a simpler time, a time when clove cigarettes, asymmetrical haircuts, and dark fashion told you were...
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1:20pm PDT
Mark Irwin, Reading from 'A Passion According to Green'
Speakers 
Irwin is the author of nine collections of poetry, including "A Passion According to Green" (2017), "American Urn: Selected Poems" (1987-2014), and "Bright Hunger" (2004). Recognition for his work includes The Nation / Discovery Award, two Colorado Book Awards, four Pushcart Prizes...
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1:20pm PDT
Bryan Cranston, Author of 'A Life in Parts,' in Conversation with Lorraine Ali
Moderators 
Ali is television critic of the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she was a senior writer for the Calendar section where she covered culture at large, entertainment and American Muslim issues. Ali is an award-winning journalist and Los Angeles native who has written in publications ranging...
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Cranston won four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Walter White in AMC’s “Breaking Bad.” He holds the honor of being the first actor in a cable series, and the second lead actor in the history of the Emmy Awards, to receive three...
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1:20pm PDT
L.A.: Sports Capital of the World
Moderators 
Cherwa is deputy Sports editor of the Los Angeles Times. He started at The Times in 1980 and left in 1995 to be sports editor of the Chicago Tribune and Tribune Company Sports Coordinator in 2002. He rejoined The Times in 2009. He specializes in Olympic sports and has been bureau...
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Elliott joined the Los Angeles Times’ Sports department in 1989. She became the first female journalist to be honored with a plaque in the Hall of Fame of a major professional sport as the 2005 winner of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Elmer Ferguson Award, awarded to writers “who...
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Farmer, a three-time finalist for California Sportswriter of the Year, is in his 20th season covering the NFL. Because he works for the Los Angeles Times in a city that only recently got an NFL team, he's had unique assignments such as traveling with an officiating crew, spending...
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Moura is the Angels beat writer for The Times. Previously, he covered the Angels and Dodgers for the Orange County Register, where he won Best Reporter honors from the OC Weekly for his work in 2015. Before joining the Register, Moura spent three years at ESPN.com, where he covered...
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Plaschke has been an L.A. Times columnist since 1996. He has been named national sports columnist of the year six times by the Associated Press, and twice by the Society of Professional Journalists and National Headliner Awards. He is the author of five books, including a collection...
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1:30pm PDT
Megan McDonald, author of 'Judy Moody and the Bucket List'
Speakers 
McDonald is the creator of the popular and award-winning "Judy Moody" and "Stink" series. She is also the author of three Sisters Club stories, two books about Ant and Honey Bee, and many other books for children. She lives in Sebastopol, California.
1:30pm PDT
1:30pm PDT
Biography: The Lives of the Writers, Conversation 1093
Moderators 
Nolan is co-editor of "Meanwhile There Are Letters: The Correspondence of Eudora Welty and Ross Macdonald" and the author of "Ross Macdonald: A Biography.” He is crime-fiction columnist for the Wall Street Journal.
Bagge is the 2014 USA Rockefeller Fellow in Literature, Harvey Award-winning author of the comic series “Hate,” and contributing editor to Reason magazine. Bagge got his start in comics in the R. Crumb-edited magazine “Weirdo.” Drawn & Quarterly has published two biographies...
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Gooch is the author of "Smash Cut" and "Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor,” which was a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist, NYT bestseller and Notable Book of the Year. A Guggenheim Biography fellow, he received a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship, and...
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Morris is an author of biographies and narrative nonfiction. Aside from his new work on Ernest Hemingway and John Dos Passos, his books include the New York Times Bestselling "Eye on the Struggle: Ethel Payne, The First Lady of the Black Press," which was awarded the Benjamin Hooks...
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1:30pm PDT
Self-Discovery: The First Frontier, Conversation 1083
Moderators 
Hernandez is a journalist, editor, correspondent, long-time blogger, and the author of "Down & Delirious in Mexico City," a beloved exploration of youth subcultures in contemporary Mexico. He is a former staff reporter at the Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly. While living in Mexico...
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Aw is the prize-winning author of three novels, including, most recently, "Five Star Billionaire", as well as a memoir, "The Face: Strangers on a Pier.” His fiction has been translated into more than twenty languages, while his non-fiction appears in The New York Times, The London...
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Jagger splits her time between Southern California and British Columbia where she dreams big dreams, writes her heart out, and runs an executive & life coaching practice. She holds a CEC (certified Executive Coach) degree from Royal Roads University and she believes courageous living...
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Viloria is a writer and intersex activist, chairperson of the Organization Intersex International (OII), and founding director of its American affiliate the Intersex Campaign for Equality, also known as OII-USA. Hida's mission is to obtain equality for intersex and nonbinary people...
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1:30pm PDT
Nonfiction: Writing California and Beyond, Conversation 1133
Moderators 
Zoellner is an associate professor of English at Chapman University, the politics editor of The Los Angeles Review of Books, and the author of four nonfiction books, most recently “Orange County: A Literary Field Guide.” His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Harper's, Foreign...
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Dyer's books include "But Beautiful (winner of the Somerset Maugham Prize)," "The Missing of the Somme," "The Ongoing Moment" and "Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi." He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His latest book is “White Sands: Experiences from the Outside...
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Kipen is a critic-at-large for the Los Angeles Times, a Lecturer on the writing faculty at UCLA, and the founder of the Libros Schmibros Lending Library in Boyle Heights.
Miller, the W.M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis at Pomona College, is an award-winning historian, teacher, and critic. His most recent books include "Not So Golden State: Sustainability vs. the California Dream,” "America's Great National Forests,” and "On the Edge...
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Zacchino is an author and award-winning journalist who served as a top editor at the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle. During her 31 years at the Los Angeles Times, she was a reporter, government and politics editor, Sacramento bureau chief, Editor of the Orange County...
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1:30pm PDT
Young Adult Fiction: Who Do You Think You Are?
Moderators 
Kottaras is at her happiest when she is either 1) at the playground with her husband and daughter and their wonderful community of friends, 2) breathing deeply in a full handstand, or 3) writing. Her latest book is “The Best Possible Answer.” She lives in Los Angeles where she's...
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Benway is the acclaimed author of “Going Rogue,” “Also Known As;” “Audrey, Wait!,” “The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June,” and “Emmy and Oliver.” Benway’s books have been published in 16 languages, received numerous honors and been bestsellers in...
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Cohn is the bestselling author of numerous books for young adults, including the Gingerbread series, the Beta series, and, with David Levithan, "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" (made into a movie starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings) and "Dash & Lily's Book of Dares.” Her books...
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Rivera is the author of the young adult novel "The Education of Margot Sanchez" (Simon & Schuster, February 2017). She is a 2016 Pushcart Prize winner and a 2015 Clarion alumni. Her work has appeared in Fantasy & Science Fiction, Tin House, Los Angeles Times, and Latina, among others...
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1:30pm PDT
Nonfiction: Obama's Presidency & Its Aftermath, Conversation 1033
Moderators 
Martelle, a member of the Times' editorial board, is the author of five works of nonfiction, most recently "The Madman and the Assassin: The Strange Life of Boston Corbett, the Man who Killed John Wilkes Booth." He is at work on a biography of William Walker, the 1850s filibuster...
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Dyson is one of America's premier public intellectuals. He occupies the distinguished position of University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University, has been an ordained minister for 35 years, is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, and is a contributing...
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Kaplan is a journalist, columnist and essayist who has written about black matters since 1992. She has been a staff writer for the LA Weekly and from 2005 to 2007 was a weekly opinion columnist for the Los Angeles Times, the first weekly black opinion columnist in its history. She...
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Reid, author of “Fracture: Barack Obama, the Clintons, and the Racial Divide,” is the host of “AM Joy” on MSNBC and also appears regularly on “Hardball with Chris Matthews” and “The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell.” She is the former managing editor of TheGrio.com...
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1:30pm PDT
Nonfiction: Writing Epic History, Conversation, Conversation 1013
Moderators 
Morrison is a writer and columnist for the Los Angeles Times, a public radio contributor and author of the best-selling “Rio L.A.: Tales from the Los Angeles River.” Her numerous awards include two shared Pulitzer Prizes and six Emmys.
Hiltzik is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has written for the Los Angeles Times for over 20 years. He is the author of "Colossus: The Turbulent, Thrilling Saga of the Building of the Hoover Dam," "The New Deal: A Modern History," and most recently, "Big Science: Ernest Lawrence...
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Hochschild's books include "Half the Way Home" and "To End All Wars." He has been a finalist for the National Book Award and (twice) for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He has published in the New Yorker, Harper's, and other magazines and teaches at the Graduate School of...
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Jackson is the author of one novel and six works of nonfiction, including "The Thief at the End of the World,” named one of Time magazine's Top Ten Books for 2008 and his latest, “Black Elk: The Life of an American Visionary.” He has an MFA from the University of Arkansas and...
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1:30pm PDT
What Are We So Afraid Of? The Role of Fear in Our Lives, Conversation 1143
Moderators 
Soni is the dean of Religious Life at USC, a University Fellow at the USC Annenberg Center on Public Diplomacy, and a member of the State Bar of California and the American Academy of Religion. He serves on the advisory board for the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement and is the...
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Braudy is an acclaimed film critic and the author of "Haunted: On Ghosts, Witches, Vampires, Zombies, and Other Monsters of the Natural and Supernatural Worlds"; "The Frenzy of Renown: Fame and Its History"; and "Jean Renoir: The World of His Films", among many other titles. He is...
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Glassner is the author of the best-selling book "The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things" and "The Gospel of Food: Why We Should Stop Worrying and Enjoy What We Eat.” A sociology professor, Glassner has served as president of Lewis & Clark College and executive...
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1:30pm PDT
Crime Fiction: Hidden Truths, Conversation 1053
Moderators 
Haywood is the Shamus and Anthony award-winning author of twelve crime novels. His short fiction has been included in the Best American Mystery Stories anthologies and Booklist has called him "a writer who has always belonged in the upper echelon of American crime fiction." Haywood...
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Abbott is the award-winning author of nine novels, including her most recent "You Will Know Me.” She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Salon, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Wall Street...
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Lippman is a New York Times bestselling novelist who has won more than 20 awards for her fiction. Since her debut in 1997, she has published 20 novels, a novella and a collection of short stories. She also has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and...
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Parker was born in Los Angeles and has lived in Southern California ever since. His crime novels "Silent Joe" and "California Girl" have won Edgar Awards for best mystery, and "Silent Joe" won the Los Angeles Times Book prize in 2001. His latest book is “Crazy Blood.” He lives...
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Woods is the author of more than sixty novels, most recently “Fast and Loose." He is a native of Georgia and began his writing career in the advertising industry. Chiefs, his debut in 1981, won the Edgar Award. An avid sailor and pilot, Woods lives in Florida, Maine, and New Me...
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1:40pm PDT
2:00pm PDT
Ishion Hutchinson, Reading from "House of Lords and Commons"
Speakers 
Hutchinson was born in Port Antonio, Jamaica. He is the author of the poetry collections, "Far District" and "House of Lords and Commons,” which recently won the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry and is a finalist for the 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize in Poetry. He teaches...
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2:00pm PDT
Adam Rubin, author of 'Dragons Love Tacos 2'
Speakers 
Rubin is the New York Times bestselling author of a half dozen critically acclaimed picture books including "Secret Pizza Party" and "Robo-Sauce.” He spent ten years working as a creative director in the advertising industry before leaving his day job to write full-time. Adam has...
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2:00pm PDT
Korduroy: Groove Musical Performance
Artists 
Korduroy is a progressive-soul act but refuses to fit into that simply titled box, producing their own "groove music." Each member of Korduroy shares a love of music from Latin to Jazz, from Pop to Funk, and from Rock to Hip-Hop. With so many chefs in the kitchen it would be impossible...
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Saturday April 22, 2017 2:00pm - 2:30pm PDT
USC Stage
2:00pm PDT
2:00pm PDT
Emerging from the Underground: Surviving Punk Rock, Conversation 1123
Moderators 
Ruland is the author of the award-winning novel "Forest of Fortune" and the short story collection "Big Lonesome.” He is the co-author of "My Damage" with Keith Morris, founding member of Black Flag, Circle Jerks and OFF!, and "Giving the Finger" with Scott Campbell, Jr. of Discovery...
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Crawford has spent much of his life devoted to documenting independent culture. He launched Harp Magazine in 2001 and served as its Editor-in-Chief for over 7 years. His 2015 debut feature-length documentary, “Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC” was critically-acclaimed...
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Gonzales writes memoir and fiction and is the author of "The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band.” In the 1990s, Gonzales played drums in and wrote lyrics for the groundbreaking all female punk band, Spitboy, that toured the US and overseas. Gonzales has contributed...
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Joseph is a punk rock singer from New York City, most famous for his work with the Cro-Mags in the 1980s. Joseph was raised in foster care and grew up on the streets of New York. He was lead singer for the Cro-Mags from 1984 until 1987, though he departed and rejoined the band sporadically...
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Morris is a cofounding member of Black Flag, the most recognizable name in West Coast punk, and the Circle Jerks, which cemented his reputation at the forefront of hardcore vocalists. The intensity of the music produced by his latest bands OFF! and FLAG are equal to his best work...
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2:00pm PDT
2:00pm PDT
Nonfiction: Among the Believers, Conversation 1113
Moderators 
DuShane grew up under the departure flight path of San Francisco Airport. He currently splits his time between San Francisco and Los Angeles. After he read “Hunger” by Knut Hamsun, he knew his calling as a writer. His obsession for music and DJing began by making mix tapes for...
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Dickey is the author of "Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places" (Viking), along with two other books of nonfiction. He is also the editor, with Joanna Ebenstein, of "The Morbid Anatomy Anthology," and he teaches at National University.
Pittman is an award-winning newspaper reporter and columnist for the Tampa Bay Times and the author of four books. The New York Times said his most recent book, "Oh, Florida! How America's Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country" is "compulsively readable."
Smith is the author of five novels, "Moist,” “Delicious,” “Salty,” “Baked," and "Raw: A Love Story." He has also written the non-fiction books "Heart of Dankness: Underground Botanists, Outlaw Farmers, and the Race for the Cannabis Cup" and his most recent, "Naked At Lunch...
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Womack is the author of seven novels and one non-fiction title, the most noted of which are "Random Acts of Senseless Violence" (fiction) and "The Flying Saucers Are Real!" (non-fiction). He lives in New York City.
2:00pm PDT
The Edge of Identity: Race and Gender in Contemporary Poetry, Conversation 1043
Moderators 
Muske-Dukes is a former Poet Laureate of California, USC Professor and founder of USC's Creative Writing Literary Ph.D. program. Her ninth book of poems, "Blue Rose,” is forthcoming from Penguin in 2018. She has also published four novels, two essay collections, and has edited anthologies...
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González is the author of 18 books, most recently "Unpeopled Eden", which won the Lambda Literary Award and the Lenore Marshall Prize from the Academy of American Poets. The recipient of Guggenheim, NEA and USA Rolón fellowships, the Shelley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society...
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Levin is the author of five poetry collections, most recently "Mr. Memory & Other Poems," which is a finalist for the 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize in Poetry. Her honors include the Poetry Society of America's Norma Farber First Book Award, a Fulbright Scholar Award to Slovenia, the...
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Santiago is the author of "Tula,” winner of the 2016 Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry, selected by A. Van Jordan. His writing has appeared in FIELD, Copper Nickel, Pleiades, and the Asian American Literary Review. The recipient of fellowships from Kundiman and the Mellon Foundation/American...
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Sinclair is the author of "Cannibal,” one of the American Library Association's Notable Books of the Year. She is the recipient of a Whiting Writers' Award, fellowships from the Poetry Foundation, Yaddo, the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown...
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2:00pm PDT
Nonfiction: President Trump, Conversation 1073
Moderators 
Lauter is the Los Angeles Times’ Washington bureau chief. He began writing news in Washington in 1981 and since then has covered Congress, the Supreme Court, the White House under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and four U.S. presidential campaigns. He lived in L.A...
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Goldberg is the editorial page editor of the Los Angeles Times. He is a former editor of the Op-Ed page and the Sunday Opinion section and, at New York Newsday in the 1980s and 1990s, a former Middle East correspondent and political reporter. His writing has been published in the...
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Hochschild is an American sociologist and academic. She is professor emerita of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. Hochschild has long focused on the human emotions which underlie moral beliefs, practices, and social life generally. She is the author of nine books...
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Horowitz is founder of the David Horowitz Freedom Center and has written numerous NYT bestsellers including his latest book "Big Agenda.” Camille Paglia, an independent leftist, calls Horowitz "one of America's most original and courageous political analysts," reflecting that "as...
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2:00pm PDT
Science Fiction & Fantasy from All Angles, Conversation 1023
Moderators 
Yturralde first attended the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in 1997, and has attended every one since. She co-founded independent genre bookstore Mysterious Galaxy in Southern California in 1993; she is a regular contributor to programming at literary conventions all over the...
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Chambers is the author of the critically acclaimed science fiction novel "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" and its stand-alone sequel, "A Closed & Common Orbit.”Originally self-published after a successful Kickstarter campaign, “The Long Way” received multiple award nominations...
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Klages has written two award-winning historical novels: "The Green Glass Sea" and "White Sands, Red Menace.” Her short fiction has won the Nebula and World Fantasy awards, and been a finalist for the Hugo, Spectrum, and Locus awards. A collection of her short fiction, "Wicked Wonders...
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Kuhn is the author of "Heroine Complex"--the first in a series of novels starring Asian American superheroines--for DAW Books. She also wrote "The Ruby Equation" for the Eisner-nominated comics anthology Fresh Romance, the novella "One Con Glory,” and a series of Barbie comics...
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McGuire lives and works in the Pacific Northwest, writing books both under her own name and the name Mira Grant. A recipient of the 2017 Alex Award, she has been described as "incredibly prolific" and "most likely to write a trilogy by mistake." She enjoys horror movies and corn fields...
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2:15pm PDT
California Bucket List, presented by LA Times Travel
Moderators 
Reynolds, born and raised in California, has written about travel, the outdoors, arts and culture for the Los Angeles Times since 1990. Since 2009, he has climbed Mayan pyramids, roamed Red Square in a snowstorm, been shushed at the New York Public Library and jumped from the tallest...
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Bender writes the Seat 1A business travel blog for Forbes magazine, as well as articles and guide books for dozens of other publications from the Los Angeles Times to Lonely Planet. He’s been writing about travel, food, and culture since selling his first, teeny tiny travel article...
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Bigley is an award-winning travel writer and author of over forty guidebooks, including "Backroads and Byways of Northern California" and "Fodor's Hawaii.” She regularly contributes to Los Angeles Times, Via, CNN, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Brides, and Kia Ora.
Fleming writes about cars, motorcycles and urban hiking for the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of the Los Angeles walking books "Secret Stairs" and "Secret Walks," as well as the best-selling "High Concept" and the noir novels "The Ivory Coast,” "After Havana" and "The Studio...
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2:20pm PDT
William Wenthe, Reading from 'God's Foolishness: Poems'
Speakers 
Wenthe's fourth book of poems is "God's Foolishness,” published by LSU Press in 2016. He has received poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Texas Commission on the Arts, and two Pushcart Prizes. His poems and essays on poetry have appeared in many journals...
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2:30pm PDT
StorySmash featuring Tara Sands and Jesse Bernstein
Speakers 
Bernstein has appeared in several television shows including Dawson’s Creek. His film credits include such independents as Dog Lover’s Symphony, Cedrick, and Anna and Detention. In addition, Jesse has worked extensively in both on-camera and voice-over commercials and narrated...
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Sands is a voice actress and a former co-host of the Cartoon Network's weekly block, “Fridays.” She has voiced in a number of anime dubs and cartoons, including Bulbasaur in “Pokemon,” Anna Kyoyama in “Shaman King,” Mokuba Kaiba in “Yu-Gi-Oh!” Duel Monsters, as well...
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2:30pm PDT
Middle School and Young Adult Panel: Culture In Writings
Moderators 
Bellas, is a bilingual and bicultural, author, freelance writer, and blogger with a degree in communications from Pepperdine University in California. Realizing she could combine her two life passions, writing and motherhood,she became a voice for Latino parents long before the...
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López is one of today's influential Latina authors in young adult literature. Her first novel, "Esperanza,” was published while she was still in college. Since then, she has published several other books, including the Single Chicas series. She was named as one of "Top Ten New...
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McLemore was born in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and taught by her family to hear la llorona in the Santa Ana winds. She is the author of William C. Morris Award Finalist "The Weight of Feathers" and Stonewall Honor Book "When the Moon Was Ours,” which was longlisted...
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Del Rio is a professional comic book writer and artist who has spent the past ten years writing and illustrating, primarily for a young audience. Her clients include Archie Comics, Dark Horse, and Marvel; she is best known for her work writing and drawing the 42-issue run of “Sabrina...
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2:30pm PDT
Hannah Hart, Author of 'Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded,' in Conversation with Sarah Rodman
Moderators 
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...
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Hart is an entertainer and best-selling author. She created the award-winning web series "My Drunk Kitchen,” which has amassed millions of views since its first episode premiered in 2011. Her books "My Drunk Kitchen: A Guide to Eating, Drinking, and Going with Your Gut" and "Buffering...
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2:30pm PDT
Trumponomics: California business under the new political order
Moderators 
Yoshino is the L.A. Times’ Business Editor. She was a key editor in The Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of corruption in Bell. A former metro and business reporter, she also served a couple stints in Iraq, where she met her husband, a former employee of The Times’ Baghdad...
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Dave has been a Los Angeles-based tech reporter for the Los Angeles Times since May 2013. He focuses on business issues surrounding local tech companies, the digital media industry, e-sports and video games and occasionally cybersecurity. He has previously covered the criminal courts...
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Kitroeff covers the California economy for the Los Angeles Times. She previously reported on higher education and student debt at Bloomberg. Born outside of Philadelphia, she graduated from Princeton University and spent five years in New York City before deciding that it might be...
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Lazarus is an award-winning business columnist for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on consumer affairs. He also appears daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and is a part-time radio host. His work appears in newspapers across the country and has resulted in a variety of laws protecting con...
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Penn joined the Los Angeles Times in July 2015 from the other Sunshine State, Florida, after 23 years reporting on the East Coast. Penn covers all things energy on The Times’ Business staff – when not on trumpet behind his singer-songwriter wife. He's a father of three (four if...
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2:30pm PDT
Joyce Carol Oates in Conversation with Steph Cha, Conversation 1063
Moderators 
Cha is the author of "Follow Her Home,” "Beware Beware," and "Dead Soon Enough,” all published by St. Martin's Minotaur. She's the noir editor for the Los Angeles Review of Books and a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times. She lives in her native city of Los Angeles with...
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Oates is a recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction. She has written some of the most enduring fiction of our time, including "We Were the Mulvaneys,” "Blonde" (a finalist for the National Book...
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2:40pm PDT
David Baker, Reading from 'Scavenger Loop'
Speakers 
Baker is author of sixteen books, including "Scavenger Loop" (poems, Norton, 2015), "Show Me Your Environment" (essays, Michigan, 2014), and "Never-Ending Birds" (poems, Norton) which won the Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Prize in 2011. He holds the Fordham Chair of Poetry at Denison...
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2:50pm PDT
3:00pm PDT
Patrick Rosal, Reading from 'Brooklyn Antediluvian'
Speakers 
Rosal is the author of four full-length collections of poetry, including his latest, "Brooklyn Antediluvian,” a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. A former Senior Fulbright Research Fellow, his work has appeared in The New York Times, Grantland, Harvard Review, Tin House...
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3:00pm PDT
Jacky Davis & David Soman, Author & Illustrator of 'Ladybug Girl's Day Out with Grandpa'
Speakers 
Davis and David Soman are a husband-and-wife creative team. They write the Ladybug Girl books together and Soman illustrates. The books are inspired by their own children and family experiences. Davis's first non-Ladybug Girl picture book, "Black Belt Bunny,” illustrated by Jay...
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Soman and Jacky Davis are a husband-and-wife creative team. They write the Ladybug Girl books together and Soman illustrates. The books are inspired by their own children and family experiences. Soman's first solo picture book, "Three Bears in a Boat,” is a New York Times Bestseller...
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3:00pm PDT
3:00pm PDT
Spelles (music performance)
Artists 
SPELLES, the moniker of Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Kathryn Baar, is currently preparing to release her second EP titled “Skeleton Coast I.” Working with producer Sonny DiPerri (Animal Collective, Emma Ruth Rundle), as well as collaborator and multi-instrumentalist Luc...
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3:00pm PDT
Fiction: On the Edge, Conversation 1054
Moderators 
Smith is the editor in chief of Kirkus Reviews, the nation's leading prepublication journal of book reviews. A member of the board of directors of the National Book Critics Circle, he is also the literary director of the San Antonio Book Festival.
Drager is the author of "The Sorrow Proper" (Dzanc, 2015), winner of the 2016 Binghamton University / John Gardner Fiction Award. Originally from Michigan, she is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the College of Charleston, where she teaches in the MFA program in fict...
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Maazel is the author of “Woke Up Lonely” and “Last Last Chance.” She is winner of the Bard Fiction Prize and a National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” honoree. Her work has appeared in the Mississippi Review, the New York Times Book Review, Tin House, Salon and the Yale...
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Oloixarac is a fiction writer and essayist. Her novels, "Savage Theories" and "Dark Constellations,” have been translated into seven languages. Her writing has appeared in n+1, The New York Times, and Granta, which named her to its list of Best Young Spanish Novelists. She wrote...
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Wappler has written for Elle, New York Times, Rolling Stone and several other publications. Her debut novel, "Neon Green" (Unnamed Press) has been praised as "witty and entertaining" by the Los Angeles Times and a depiction of "life in the nineties as it was actually lived?" by Electric...
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3:00pm PDT
Fiction: Writing Gay Literature in Los Angeles, Conversation 1151
Moderators 
Alumit was born in Baguio City, The Philippines, grew up in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles, and is the author of several award-winning books and plays, including “Letters to Montgomery Clift,” “Talking to the Moon” and “Mr. and Mrs. La Questa Go Dancing.” His work...
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Espinoza was raised in Los Angeles. His books include "Still Water Saints" and "The Five Acts of Diego León" (both from Random House). He's written for the NY Times Sunday Magazine, the LA Times, NPR, and the Virginia Quarterly Review. An NEA fellow and winner of an American Book...
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Francis' first novel "The Great Inland Sea" was published in seven languages. His second, "Stray Dog Winter,” named Novel of the Year in the Australian Literature Review, won the American Library Association Stonewall Prize for Literature. His short fiction has appeared in Best...
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Pousson was born and raised in Acadiana, the Cajun French bayou of Louisiana. His novel, "Black Sheep Boy", includes stories that won a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Two stories were finalists for the Glimmer Train Fiction Awards. His collection of poetry, "Sugar", was...
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3:00pm PDT
Not Quite Overnight: The Real Story of Bestselling Debuts, Conversation 1094
Moderators 
French is a staff writer in books at the Los Angeles Times. She has worked as an editor for a number of literary journals and magazines, including the Los Angeles Review of Books. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Bennington College. Born and raised in California, she has...
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Chang's debut novel, "The Wangs vs. the World,” was published in October 2016. It has been named a New York Times Editors' Choice and is one of Buzzfeed's 24 Best Books of 2016. The Wangs will be published in 11 countries and NPR said this: "Her book is unrelentingly fun, but it...
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Stradal is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel "Kitchens of the Great Midwest,” recipient of the ABA Indie's Choice Award for Best Adult Debut, the SCIBA Award for Fiction, and the Midwest Independent Booksellers Choice Award. He lives in Los Angeles, where he's Editor-at-Large...
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Sweeney is the New York Times bestselling author of "The Nest,” fiction finalist for the 2016 Goodreads Choice Award and one of the best books of 2016 according to Amazon, The Washington Post and others. "The Nest" has been translated into 26 languages and optioned for film by Amazon...
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3:00pm PDT
T.C. Boyle with an Introduction from Alexander Nazaryan, Conversation 1034
Moderators 
Nazaryan is a senior writer at Newsweek. He was previously on the editorial board of the New York Daily News, where he also founded and edited the Page Views book and culture blog. He has a B.A. in English Literature from Dartmouth.
Boyle has published 15 novels and 10 story collections. He won the 1988 PEN/Faulkner award for "World's End," the 1995 Prix Médicis étranger for "The Tortilla Curtain," the 2014 Henry David Thoreau Award for excellence in nature writing and the 2014 Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime...
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3:00pm PDT
Tell Me a Story: The Art of Children's Books, Conversation 1084
Moderators DD
Doyen studied creative writing and art design at Stanford University (BA) and directing at the American Film Institute (Masters). Previously working in the world of children’s television, when her oldest son set off for college, Denise set off on a new career and studied writing...
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Bottner has published over 40 books for children, some of which she illustrated. Many have been animated, translated, and won numerous awards, appeared on many 'best of' lists, and one's New York Times Bestseller. She's been a screenwriter, TV writer and her short stories have appeared...
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Winnick is a children's author and artist, animal enthusiast, and president of the Los Angeles Zoo Commission. Her previous books include "Gemina, the Crooked-Neck Giraffe" and "Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers.” She lives in Los Angeles, California.
Won is an illustrator and art director. His awards include the Silver Medal by the Society of Illustrators and the Crystal Kite from the SCBWI. His debut children's book, "Hooray for Hat!” was named the Best Read Aloud Book (2014) by the Huffington Post and nominated for Children's...
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3:00pm PDT
Teens Go Rogue: A Star Wars Panel
Moderators 
Castellucci is the author of books and comics. Her comics include “Shade,” “The Changing Girl,”” Soupy Leaves Home,” “The Plain Janes,” “The Year of the Beasts,” and the Eisner nominated “Odd Duck.” Her novels include "Boy Proof," "Beige,” "Tin Star," and...
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Acker & Ben Blacker are the creators of the Thrilling Adventure Hour, a staged show and podcast in the style of old time radio. They've also written for television, comics, public radio and now books! Books! The best medium! They couldn't be more pleased to make their prose debut...
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Blacker, with his writing partner Ben Acker, is the co-creator of "The Thrilling Adventure Hour," the lauded stage show and podcast. They've written for "Supernatural," "Puss in Boots," and more television. In comics, they've written for Marvel, Boom!, and others. "Star Wars: Join...
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Krosoczka is the author and illustrator of the Lunch Lady graphic novels, as well as many picture books, including “Punk Farm” and “Punk Farm on Tour.” He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, daughter and pug named Ralph Macchio. His latest book is “Platypus Police Squ...
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3:00pm PDT
Young Adult Fiction: Faith, Hope, and Charity: Strong Girls in Crisis, Conversation 1134
Moderators 
Hunt, Coordinator of Library Media Services at the San Diego County Office of Education, critiques and judges children's and young adult literature in a variety of venues, including the Horn Book Magazine, School Library Journal, and the American Library Association.
Berry is the author of the 2017 Printz Honor novel "The Passion of Dolssa,” the Carnegie and Edgar shortlisted "All the Truth That's in Me" (2013, Viking), the Odyssey Honor title “The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place" (2014, Roaring Brook), and six others. She holds...
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Hardinge is the author of seven acclaimed novels for young adults. Her most recent book, “The Lie Tree,” was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, received the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Fiction, and was named the Costa Book of the Year. She was brought up in a sequence of...
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Sones has written six award winning verse novels for teens, and one bestselling novel for grownups. Her books have received many honors, including a Christopher Award and a Los Angeles Times Book Prize nomination. Her novel, "What My Mother Doesn't Know,” landed Sonya a spot on...
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3:00pm PDT
Telling Syria's Stories, Conversation 1014
Moderators 
Fleishman is a senior writer on film, art and culture for the LA Times. A 2002 Nieman fellow at Harvard University, he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature writing. A longtime foreign correspondent, he served as bureau chief for The Times in Cairo and Berlin, and was previously...
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Ackerman, author of the critically acclaimed novel "Green on Blue", is based out of Istanbul, where he has covered the Syrian Civil War since 2013. His writings have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New Republic, and The New York Times Magazine, among other publications...
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Malek is a journalist and civil rights lawyer. She is the author of "The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria" and "A Country Called Amreeka: US History Re-Told Through Arab American Lives,” among others. Her reportage has appeared in the New York Times, Foreign Policy...
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Phillips is Senior Lecturer in the International Relations of the Middle East at Queen Mary, University of London and an Associate Fellow at Chatham House. He has a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and previously worked for the Economist Intelligence Unit. He lived for several...
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3:00pm PDT
Truth Matters: Media in the Age of Fake News and Alternative Facts, Conversation 1144
Moderators 
Kaplan holds the Norman Lear Chair in Entertainment, Media, and Society at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and is an award-winning columnist for the Jewish Journal. In the Jimmy Carter administration, he was chief speechwriter to Vice President Walter F...
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Muller, an award-winning correspondent and commentator, covered the Rodney King and O.J. Simpson trials for ABC and is a regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition. A professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, she wrote about her experiences as a journalist...
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Ross is a professor of history at USC and director of the USC Casden Institute for the Study of the Jewish Role in American Life. He is the author of "Working-Class Hollywood: Silent Film and the Shaping of Class in America" and "Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped...
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Winston holds the Knight Chair in Media and Religion at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and is the publisher of Religion Dispatches, an award-winning online magazine of religion, politics, and culture. She edited "The Oxford Handbook on Religion and the American...
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3:10pm PDT
Thumpasaurus: Dance Musical Performance
Artists 
Since they came together at the USC Thornton School of Music, Thumpasaurus has kept fans dancing with an eclectic, original take on funk. They call it thump.
Saturday April 22, 2017 3:10pm - 3:40pm PDT
USC Stage
3:20pm PDT
Molly Bendall, Reading from 'Watchful'
Speakers 
Bendall is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently "Watchful" from Omnidawn. She has received the Eunice Tietjens prize from Poetry magazine, the Lynda Hull award from Denver Quarterly and two Pushcart Prizes. Her poems have appeared in many anthologies including...
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3:30pm PDT
Ruth Spiro, author of 'Baby Loves Quarks'
Speakers 
Spiro is the author of "Baby Loves Quarks!" and "Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering!,” published by Charlesbridge. Two additional titles will join the Baby Loves Science series this fall. Also forthcoming from Dial is "Made by Maxine," a new picture book series about an intrepid young...
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3:30pm PDT
Letters to Women Like Me: Reading by Mirtha Michelle
Speakers 
Mirtha Michelle Castro Mármol is the author of the hugely popular, and best-selling poetry books "Letters, To The Men I Have Loved", "Elusive Loves; Amores Esquivos" and "Letters, To Women Like Me". With her books she has been able to capture the first feelings of love and loss in...
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3:30pm PDT
3:30pm PDT
James Andrew Miller in Conversation with Michael Ovitz, Conversation 1074
Speakers 
Miller is an award-winning journalist and co-author of the New York Times bestseller "Those Guys Have All the Fun" and "Live From New York," which spent four months on the New York Times bestseller list. He has written for The Washington Post, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and...
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Ovitz co-founded Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1975 and served as its chairman until 1995. He later served as President of the Walt Disney Company from 1995 to 1997. Ovitz served as talent agent to Hollywood actors Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Costner, John Belushi, Michael...
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3:30pm PDT
Memoir: Troubled Times, Conversation 1044
Moderators 
Dunn is a journalist and the author of the critically acclaimed novel “Failing Paris” and the bestselling memoirs, “Not By Accident; Reconstructing a Careless Life” and “Faith in Carlos Gomez.” Dunn teaches at both the UCLA Writers Program and Idyllwild Arts Academy...
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Negrete's memoir "Smile Now, Cry Later" is a riveting narrative that takes the reader from Freddy's days as a cholo gang member to pioneering black-and-gray tattoo artist to evangelical preacher to Hollywood body-art consultant to addiction counselor. His story is a testament to the...
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Roberge is the author of four books of fiction and most recently the memoir, "Liar" (Crown, 2016), which was a Barnes and Noble Discover New Writers selection, chosen for several best of 2016 lists, with the New Yorker saying "…both the smallest and biggest pieces of this memoir...
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For the last fifteen years, Rowe has performed in and produced the Comedy Central stage show “sit ‘n’ spin,” Los Angeles' longest running spoken word show, having taken over the reins from creator, Jill Soloway. She has written for “Arrested Development” and “Flaked...
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3:30pm PDT
Bill Esparza, Author of "L.A. Mexicano," Cooking Demonstration with Wes Avila of Guerilla Tacos
Speakers 
Avila is the executive chef and owner of Guerilla Tacos. A 2005 graduate of Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Pasadena, he has cooked alongside some of the most recognized chefs in the world—Walter Manske at L’Auberge, Gary Menes at Le Comptoir, Alain Ducasse at Le Centre de Le...
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Esparza is a James Beard award winner for his coverage of the L.A. taco scene in Los Angeles Magazine. He curates the annual Tacolandia festival; writes about Mexican food for his blog StreetGourmetLA and Los Angeles Magazine, appears regularly on CNN, KCRW's Good Food, and on TV...
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3:30pm PDT
Fiction: Writing from History, Conversation 1114
Moderators 
Steinman is curator of the award-winning ALOUD series and co-director of the Los Angeles Institute for Humanities/USC. She is the author of three books: "The Souvenir: A Daughter Discovers Her Father's War," "The Knowing Body: The Artist as Storyteller in Contemporary Performance...
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Hunt is the author of several books including "Neverhome,” a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice selection, IndieNext selection, winner of The Bridge Prize and finalist for the Grand Prix de Litterature Americaine, as well as the Prix Femina. A resident of Boulder, he is...
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Affinity Konar received her MFA from Columbia University and lives in Los Angeles. Her latest book is “Mischling.”
Lopez lives in Santa Monica. His debut novel "The Show House" was a Chicago Review of Books selection for Best Fiction Books of 2016. His work has appeared in The Millions, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Collagist, Storychord, Time Out New York and Lambda Literary, among others...
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3:30pm PDT
Nonfiction: Science and Our World
Moderators 
Alan Zarembo is an assistant foreign editor. He has also been a projects and investigative reporter with a focus on medicine, science and the military. Prior to joining the Los Angeles Times in 2003, he was the Mexico City bureau chief for Newsweek magazine and a freelance journalist...
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Carroll is a theoretical physicist at Caltech, specializing in quantum mechanics, gravitation, and cosmology. He is the author of several books, including "The Big Picture,” "The Particle at the End of the Universe," and "From Eternity to Here.” He frequently consults for film...
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Along with being a 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize finalist in Science & Technology for his "biography" of light, “Light: A Radiant History from Creation to the Quantum Age,” Watson is the author of four acclaimed books on American history, including "Freedom Summer," "Sacco and Vanzetti...
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Weschler, a creative nonfiction writer, was a staff writer at The New Yorker for over twenty years. He has written several books including, "Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder," a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Weschler is the director of the New York Institute for Humanities at NYU. His...
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3:30pm PDT
Audiobooks: Hey, What's That Sound?, Conversation 1124
Moderators 
DeMarco-Barrett is host of Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM 88.9, which broadcasts from UC-Irvine. She's the author of "Pen on Fire" (Harcourt), a Los Angeles Times Bestseller, and contributed stories to USA Noir: Best of the Akashic Noir Series and Orange County Noir. She teaches privately...
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Dyson is one of America's premier public intellectuals. He occupies the distinguished position of University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University, has been an ordained minister for 35 years, is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, and is a contributing...
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Gildea has been working in audiobook production since 2000. She has produced and directed many hundreds of titles, working with authors as varied as John Updike, Elie Wiesel, Bill Clinton, Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Jennifer Lopez. She was the recipient of two Odyssey Awards, for...
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Saunders is the author of nine books, including the New York Times bestsellers "Congratulations, by the way" and "Tenth of December,” an essay collection, "The Braindead Megaphone,” and the critically acclaimed collections "CivilWarLand in Bad Decline,” "Pastoralia,” and "In...
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3:40pm PDT
Alex Dimitrov, Reading from 'Together and by Ourselves'
Speakers 
Dimitrov is the author of two books of poetry, "Together and by Ourselves" (Copper Canyon Press, 2017), "Begging for It" (Four Way Books, 2013) and the online chapbook "American Boys" (2012). He is the Senior Content Editor at the Academy of American Poets, teaches creative writing...
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3:40pm PDT
Virginia Grohl, Author of 'From Cradle to Stage,' in Conversation with Dave Grohl
Moderators 
Grohl is frontman for the Foo Fighters and former drummer for Nirvana.
Grohl is a longtime educator and writer, and the mother of Dave Grohl, frontman for the Foo Fighters and former drummer for Nirvana. Her book is “From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars.” She lives in Northern California.
3:40pm PDT
Politics: The View from Washington
Moderators 
Bellantoni has been assistant managing editor, politics since August 2015. She came to the Los Angeles Times after 12 years covering politics in Washington, most recently as editor-in-chief at Roll Call. Before that, she served as political editor at “PBS NewsHour” for two years...
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Decker analyzes politics for the Los Angeles Times, writing about the Trump administration and the themes, demographics and personalities central to national and state contests. In 2016 she covered her 10th presidential campaign; she has also covered seven races for governor and a...
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Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist Horsey is a political commentator for the Los Angeles Times. Syndicated by Tribune Media Services, Horsey’s work has appeared in hundreds of media outlets. After graduating from the University of Washington, Horsey...
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Lauter is the Los Angeles Times’ Washington bureau chief. He began writing news in Washington in 1981 and since then has covered Congress, the Supreme Court, the White House under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and four U.S. presidential campaigns. He lived in L.A...
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Pearce is a national reporter for the Los Angeles Times and frequently writes about violence, disasters, social movements and civil liberties. A University of Missouri graduate, he has covered news in the Midwest for a number of publications and previously wrote about technology...
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Wire came to the Los Angeles Times in 2015 to write about California’s 55-member congressional delegation after covering politics in Washington for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. She has been a statehouse reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Associated Press bureaus in...
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4:00pm PDT
Vievee Francis, Reading from 'Forest Primeval'
Speakers 
Francis is the author of “Blue-Tail Fly (Wayne State University Press),” “Horse in the Dark (Northwestern University Press),” and “Forest Primeval (Northwestern University Press),” winner of the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Poetry...
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4:00pm PDT
4:15pm PDT
4:20pm PDT
Tyehimba Jess, Reading from "Olio"
Speakers 
Tyehimba Jess is the author of "Olio" the 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner in Poetry. He is the author, previously, of “Leadbelly” which received numerous accolades. A Cave Canem Fellow and NYU Alumni, Jess won the 2016 Lannan Literary Award and is a 2017 finalist for the Kingsley-Tufts...
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4:20pm PDT
The Nova Darlings: Alternative Musical Performance
Artists 
Local indie rockers The Nova Darlings will give you all the feels with their high-energy, heart-on-their-sleeves music inspired equally by ’90s alternative music and contemporary left-of-center rock/pop.
Saturday April 22, 2017 4:20pm - 4:50pm PDT
USC Stage
4:30pm PDT
Hapa: Mixed-Race Identity and Representation, Conversation 1145
Moderators 
Houston is the associate dean of Faculty Development and Recognition, director of the MFA program in dramatic writing, resident playwright, and a professor at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. A mixed-race Japanese American, she is the only American playwright to amass a body of work...
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Fulbeck is the author of "Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids;" "Part Asian;" “100% Hapa;” and "Permanence: Tattoo Portraits,” as well as the director of a dozen short films and creator of the multimedia Hapa Project. Fulbeck is a professor of art at UC Santa Barbara and has...
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Williams is Associate Professor of Religion and Director of the Ito Center at USC. He is the author of "The Other Side of Zen, Camp Dharma: Buddhism and the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II,” and editor ofseven books including “Hapa Japan” (Kaya Press), “Issei...
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4:30pm PDT
Fiction: The Surreal World, Conversation 1055
Moderators 
Bradfield, born in San Francisco in 1955, has written several novels - including "The History of Luminous Motion" (1989), "Animal Planet" (1994), and the recent "Dazzle Resplendent: Adventures of a Misanthropic Dog" - as well as several collections of short stories, and a collection...
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Erickson is the author of nine novels including, most recently, “These Dreams of You.” He is also the film critic for Los Angeles magazine and editor of Black Clock, published by CalArts, where he teaches writing. In 2010 he was the recipient of the American Academy of Arts and...
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La Farge is the author of "The Night Ocean" and four other books of fiction. His short stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's,The Paris Review, The New Republic, McSweeney's, Nautilus, Conjunctions, BOMB, The Believer, The Village Voice, and elsewhere. He lives...
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Gray is the author of four books, including "Gutshot" (FSG). Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Tin House, and VICE. Her forthcoming novel, “Isadora,” will be published in May.
Silver is the author, most recently, of the novel "Little Nothing.” Her other novels include "Mary Coin,” a New York Times Bestseller and winner of the Southern California Independent Bookseller's Award, and an NPR and BBC Best Book of the Year, "The God of War,” which was...
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4:30pm PDT
Roxane Gay in Conversation with Alexander Chee, Conversation 1064
Moderators 
Chee is the author of the novels "Edinburgh" and "The Queen of the Night.” He has received numerous awards including the Whiting Award and a NEA in Fiction. He is a contributing editor at The New Republic and VQR, a critic-at-large for the Los Angeles Times, and an associate professor...
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Gay is the author of the novel "An Untamed State," a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize; the essay collection "Bad Feminist;" and "Ayiti," a multi-genre collection. She is at work on a memoir, "Hunger," and a comic book in Marvel's Black Panther series. She has received...
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4:30pm PDT
Thomas McGuane in Conversation with Michael Silverblatt, Conversation 1135
Moderators 
Silverblatt is the person authors go to when they want a serious literary conversation about their writing, because he reads everything they’ve ever written, often surprising authors with insights about their work. As host of KCRW’s “Bookworm” since 1989, Silverblatt has introduced...
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McGuane lives in McLeod, Montana. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the author of ten novels, three works of nonfiction, and three collections of stories. “Crow Fair” is his most recent book. McGuane is the winner of the L.A. Times Book Prizes' 2016...
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4:30pm PDT
Nonfiction: Raining Cats & Dogs, Conversation 1085
Moderators RL
Lynch is a writer and editor at the LA Times who works across a variety of sections, including news, Food, Health and TV. She is also the CEO – Chief Encouragement Officer – for #LATFit, an online campaign to help people achieve their health and fitness goals by making small...
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Casteel is an award-winning photographer and the author of the national bestsellers "Underwater Dogs" and "Underwater Puppies,” as well as "Underwater Babies.” His photographs have been featured in many publications including the New York Times, National Geographic, Morning Edition...
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Best-selling author/editor Cohen has created books that have sold 6,000,000 copies worldwide. Most were in the popular "Day in the Life" and "America 24/7" photography book series. He has four New York Times bestsellers and two other international bestsellers to his credit. Cohen...
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McNamee is the recipient of a 2016 John Simon Guggenheim Foundation fellowship. He is the author of "The Inner Life of Cats," "The Grizzly Bear," "Nature First; A Story of Deep Delight," "The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone," "Alice Waters and Chez Panisse,” “The Man Who Changed...
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Watt grew up in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee. After college, she moved to a tiny New York apartment with her 160-pound English Mastiff, Gizelle. The rights to her first book, "Gizelle's Bucket List,” have been sold to fifteen territories and optioned for film. She lives in...
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4:30pm PDT
Young Adult Fantasy: With Great Power…
Moderators 
McMahon is deputy editor, books, at Common Sense Media, a nonprofit website that helps parents, kids, and educators navigate the landscape of media and technology. She is also copy editor of the literary journal Zyzzyva, author of "Revolution in the Bleachers," former deputy editor...
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Barnhill lives in Minnesota with her husband and three children. She is the author of four novels, most recently "The Girl Who Drank the Moon,” winner of the Newbery Medal. "The Witch's Boy" received four starred reviews and was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Awards. Barnhill...
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Cast is a best-selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. With more than 20 million copies in print in over 40 countries, her novels have received many prestigious awards. Cast lives in Oregon surrounded by beloved cats, dogs, horses, and family. "Moon Chosen...
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Soria graduated from Samford University with a BA in English. For seven months, she backpacked across New Zealand, supporting herself as a travel writer and tour guide in a haunted prison. She now lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama. "Iron Cast" is her debut novel.
Wagman is the author of six novels, most recently "Extraordinary October", her first for young adults. She is the recipient of the PEN West Award for Fiction. Her short stories and essays have appeared in many places including The Los Angeles Times, Conjunctions, and The Colorado...
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4:30pm PDT
Nonfiction: Conflicts & Crisis at Home & Abroad, Conversation 1035
Moderators 
Kraft is deputy managing editor of the L.A. Times, is responsible for the front page, the Column One feature and major investigative, explanatory and narrative reporting projects. During more than two decades at The Times, Kraft has been a national and foreign correspondent as well...
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Scheer is a veteran political journalist. He conducted the famous Playboy interview with Jimmy Carter and went on to interview Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and other prominent political figures. In the late 1960s, he was Vietnam correspondent and editor of Ramparts...
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Southers is a former FBI Special Agent, Professor of the Practice of Governance and Director of Homegrown Violent Extremism Studies in the Safe Communities Institute at the Sol Price School of Public Policy at USC. A counterterrorism expert and security analyst, he is a former presidential...
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Wilentz is an award-winning journalist and author. Former New Yorker Jerusalem correspondent and long-time contributing editor to The Nation, she won the National Book Critics Circle 2013 Award for her memoir “Farewell, Fred Voodoo: A Letter from Haiti.” Her work has appeared...
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4:30pm PDT
Nonfiction: Nature & Politics, Conversation 1095
Moderators 
Curwen is a staff writer for the Times, where he has worked as editor of the Outdoors section, deputy editor of the Book Review and a features editor. He and a team of Times reporters won a Pulitzer for their work covering the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino. In 2008 he was...
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Pratt-Bergstrom, a lifelong advocate for wildlife, has worked in two of the largest national parks, Yosemite and Yellowstone, and as the California Director for The National Wildlife Federation, she leads the #SaveLACougars campaign. Pratt-Bergstrom's conservation efforts have been...
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Speece is Assistant Dean of Students and History Teacher at Sidwell Friends School. His writing has appeared in Environmental History, Salon.com, The Chicago Tribune, The Salt Lake Tribune, and California History is publishing an article about the Redwood Wars later this spring. "Defending...
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Watts, author of “Tree,” has written for Sierra Magazine, New York Times motherlode blog, Earth Island Journal, Sunset, Urban Coast: Journal of the Center for the Study of the Santa Monica Bay, Heal the Bay blog, Malibu Times, Malibu Surfside News, VC Reporter, Topanga Messenger...
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4:30pm PDT
Listen up, New York: Latino Readers & Writers Have Something to Say, Conversation 1152
Moderators 
Kellogg is book editor of the Los Angeles Times. She is a recipient of the paper’s editorial award and a vice president of the board of the National Book Critics Circle. Kellogg has served as editor of LAist.com, web editor of Marketplace and has been widely published. She has an...
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González is the author of 18 books, most recently "Unpeopled Eden", which won the Lambda Literary Award and the Lenore Marshall Prize from the Academy of American Poets. The recipient of Guggenheim, NEA and USA Rolón fellowships, the Shelley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society...
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Ramírez is a Mexican-Colombian writer, critic, and performance poet based in Pittsburgh. She won the inaugural PEN/Fusion Emerging Writers Prize in 2015 for her novella-length work of nonfiction, "Dead Boys" (Little A, 2016), and in 2016 she was named Critic at Large for the Los...
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4:30pm PDT
Writing & Publishing: Breaking in & Then Some, Conversation 1015
Moderators 
Amster is president of Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises. A former editor at Pantheon and Vintage, she has been described in the L.A. Times as "a dogged prospector of the city's literary talent." Her clients include novelists Christopher Noxon, María Amparo Escandón, and Joy Nicholson...
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Lucas is the Executive Director of the National Book Foundation, which is best-known as the presenter of the National Book Awards. Before joining the Foundation, she served as the Publisher of Guernica Magazine, Tribeca Film Institute's Director of Education, and has consulted for...
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McDonald is VP, Executive Editor, and Publisher of MCD/FSG and FSG Originals, as well as Director of Digital and Paperback of Publishing at Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Nadell is President of the Hill Nadell Literary Agency based in LA. She represents fiction such as debut novelist Kayla Rae Whitaker's "The Animators,” Kate Racculia's novel "Bellweather Weather" and all the work of the late David Foster Wallace. In nonfiction, her writers include...
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Villalon is the managing editor of ZYZZYVA. The former San Francisco Chronicle book editor, and a former National Book Critics Circle board member, his work has appeared in VQR, Zocalo, NPR.org, The Daily Beast, Los Angeles Times, and other places. He lives in San Francisco with...
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4:40pm PDT
Chris Santiago, Reading from 'Tula'
Speakers 
Santiago is the author of "Tula,” winner of the 2016 Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry, selected by A. Van Jordan. His writing has appeared in FIELD, Copper Nickel, Pleiades, and the Asian American Literary Review. The recipient of fellowships from Kundiman and the Mellon Foundation/American...
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4:50pm PDT
Kelly Oxford, Author of 'When You Find Out the World Is Against You,' in Conversation with Amy Kaufman
Moderators 
Kaufman is a film writer at the Los Angeles Times. A Boston native, she moved to Los Angeles at age 18 to pursue an acting career. At USC, however, she quickly discovered she’d rather interview celebrities than become one herself. While covering Young Hollywood, she has gotten 'tude...
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Oxford, born in Edmonton, Alberta, currently lives in Los Angeles with her three children. She likes poodles and PBS and her latest book is “When You Find Out the World Is Against You: And Other Funny Memories About Awful Moments.”
5:00pm PDT
Safiya Sinclair, Reading from 'Cannibal'
Speakers 
Sinclair is the author of "Cannibal,” one of the American Library Association's Notable Books of the Year. She is the recipient of a Whiting Writers' Award, fellowships from the Poetry Foundation, Yaddo, the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown...
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5:00pm PDT
5:00pm PDT
The Nick & Jen Show
Speakers 
Nick the Music Man & Jen the Fairy Dancer are a husband and wife duo dedicated to sharing the joy of music and movement with children everywhere. With over 20 years of work in the classroom and on the stage their interactive kids music is enriching, imaginative and irresistible!
5:20pm PDT
Marjorie Becker, Jeanette Marie Clough and Mariano Zaro read from “Angle of Reflection”
Speakers 
Becker holds a Yale doctorate, is associate professor of Latin American History and English at USC, and is the author of the poetry collections "Body Bach" and "Piano Glass/Glass Piano" (both from Tebot Bach). She has received many awards including a USC Mellon Mentoring Award for...
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Clough's most recent poetry collection, "Flourish," was a finalist in the Otis College of Art and Design and Eastern Washington University book competitions. She is among ten Los Angeles poets featured in the 2017 anthology, "Angle of Reflection.” Clough has edited for “Solo...
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Zaro is the author of 4 bilingual books of poetry, most recently "Tres letras/Three Letters.” His poems are included in "Monster Verse" (Random House)," Wide Awake" (Beyond Baroque Books), "The Coiled Serpent" (Tía Chucha), "Angle of Reflection" (Arctos Press) and in several magazines...
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5:30pm PDT
Cutty Flam: Musical Performance
Artists 
Cutty Flam is a soulful three-piece rock n' roll band from the suburbs of the San Fernando Valley. Their sound is both retro and modern. With a tinge of Spanish-language vocals, they mix genres to produce their very own sonic signature— accurately reflecting their Angeleno upbr...
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5:30pm PDT
SoCal VoCals: A Cappella Performance
Artists 
The SoCal VoCals are four-time winners of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. Last year, the VoCals sang for the president and first lady, toured Hong Kong, and released their newest album, “VoCabulary.”
Saturday April 22, 2017 5:30pm - 6:00pm PDT
USC Stage
5:40pm PDT
Get Lit Players
Speakers GL
The Get Lit Players are an award-winning teen performance troupe from L.A. In the past year, they have performed at the Hollywood Bowl alongside John Legend; on “The Queen Latifah Show;” at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; and at Lincoln Center in New York. They also ranked...
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10:00am PDT
10:00am PDT
The Nick & Jen Show
Speakers 
Nick the Music Man & Jen the Fairy Dancer are a husband and wife duo dedicated to sharing the joy of music and movement with children everywhere. With over 20 years of work in the classroom and on the stage their interactive kids music is enriching, imaginative and irresistible!
10:15am PDT
The Trojan Marching Band
Artists 
One of the most innovative collegiate marching bands in the country, the USC Trojan Marching Band features more than 300 students from nearly every major at USC. In addition to rousing team spirit on campus, the Trojan Marching Band has entertained audiences with jubilant music, precision...
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Sunday April 23, 2017 10:15am - 10:30am PDT
USC Stage
10:20am PDT
10:30am PDT
Claire Keane, Illustrator of "Love Is"
Speakers 
Keane is the author and illustrator of "Once Upon A Cloud" and is also known for her development art for the movies Tangled and Frozen. She lives in Venice Beach, California, with her husband and kids. She recently illustrated the book "Love Is."
10:30am PDT
Nonfiction: Hooray for Classic Hollywood, Conversation 2051
Moderators ML
Lord is an author, critic and cartoonist. Her most recent book is “The Accidental Feminist: How Elizabeth Taylor Raised Our Consciousness and We Were Too Distracted by Her Beauty to Notice.” She also wrote “Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll” as well...
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Frankel worked 27 years for the Washington Post, winning a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting. He taught journalism at Stanford and the University of Texas. He wrote critically acclaimed books about Israel and South Africa and was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist for...
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Lewis is the Distinguished Professor of Film Studies at Oregon State University and the former editor of Cinema Journal. His books include: "The Road to Romance and Ruin: Teen Films and Youth Culture,” "Whom God Wishes to Destroy... Francis Coppola and the New Hollywood,” "Hollywood...
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Maness is the principle painting instructor for the University of Texas Department of Theatre and Dance and Scenic Art Supervisor at Texas Performing Arts. Her research is held in the Art Directors Guild core collection at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Maness' career...
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Turan is film critic for the Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio's Morning Edition as well as the director of the L.A. Times Book Prizes. He has been a staff writer for the Washington Post and the Times' book review editor. A graduate of Swarthmore College and Columbia University's...
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10:30am PDT
Nonfiction: Pop Goes the World, Conversation 2091
Moderators 
Goldberg is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books, including “The "House of Secrets,” co-authored with Brad Meltzer, "Gangsterland,” a finalist for the Hammett Prize, and "Living Dead Girl,” which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He...
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Roy, in 2014, published in French "Ma vie rouge Kubrick", which won the Prix des Libraires du Québec for best novel of the year. In May 2016, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation included "Kubrick Red" in its select list of 100 essential Canadian books that must be read. It has...
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Smokler is the author of "Practical Classics: 50 Reasons to Reread 50 Books You Haven't Touched Since High School" (2013), and the editor of “Bookmark Now,” a San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book of 2005. His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Salon, BuzzFeed, Vulture...
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10:30am PDT
California Dreams: A Tribute to Kevin Starr, Conversation 2141
Moderators 
Deverell is a historian focusing on the American West. A co-editor of the Blackwell Companion to California History, he is a professor of history at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
Kun is a professor in the USC Annenberg School for Communication and the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity. He is an author and editor of several books, including "Songs in the Key of Los Angeles,” "To Live and Dine in L.A.,” and the forthcoming "The Tide Was Always...
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McPherson is Professor in USC's School of Cinematic Arts and Director of the Harman Academy for Polymathic Studies. She is author of "Reconstructing Dixie" (Duke, 2003), co-editor of "Hop on Pop: The Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture" (Duke, 2003) and "Transmedia Frictions...
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Shah is a professor of history and chair of the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity at USC. His research examines historical struggles over bodies, space, and the exercise of state power from the mid-nineteenth to the twenty-first century. Shah is the author of the award-winning...
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10:30am PDT
More Than Strip Malls: The Artchitecture of Iconic Los Angeles, Conversation 2081
Moderators 
Morrison is a writer and columnist for the Los Angeles Times, a public radio contributor and author of the best-selling “Rio L.A.: Tales from the Los Angeles River.” Her numerous awards include two shared Pulitzer Prizes and six Emmys.
Gee is a writer and television producer based in Los Angeles. He is also the author of "Iconic Vision: John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles.” Gee has worked on numerous award-winning television productions and has directed and produced live coverage of high-profile news stories...
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Podair is professor of history and Robert S. French Professor of American Studies at Lawrence University. He is the author of "The Strike That Changed New York" and "Bayard Rustin: American Dreamer," and co-edits "The Routledge History of the 20th Century United States." He received...
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Schwartzman is a renowned graphic designer and Academy Award® -winning documentary film director of “Genocide.” His latest book is “Los Angeles Central Library: A History of Its Art and Architecture.”Other books include "DECO Landmarks,” "Art Deco Gems of Los Angeles...
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10:30am PDT
Drawing the Lines: Political Cartoons, Conversation 2131
Moderators LM
McGarry is an illustrator, cartoonist, animator and designer from Manchester, UK, now based in Los Angeles. His clients include Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Observer, Goldenvoice, FYF Fest, Festival Supreme, Myspace, Vans Shoes, Chilli Beans Sunglasses and Universal Music...
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Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist Horsey is a political commentator for the Los Angeles Times. Syndicated by Tribune Media Services, Horsey’s work has appeared in hundreds of media outlets. After graduating from the University of Washington, Horsey...
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Tomorrow (Dan Perkins) is the creator of “This Modern World,” a weekly cartoon of political and social satire which has been a mainstay of the alternative press for more than two and a half decades. His work has also appeared in publications including The New York Times, the New...
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10:30am PDT
Environment: Surviving the Future?, Conversation 2011
Moderators 
Cohen is host of KPCC’s “Morning Edition.” Prior to that she was co-host of KPCC’s “Take Two.” A native Angeleno, she first joined the station as host of "All Things Considered" after working as a host and reporter for NPR and the former national program "Day to Day...
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Early is a Richmond, California-based author, journalist, and community activist. He is the author of three previous books and a past contributor to the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, USA Today, The Nation, The Progressive, in These Times, Monthly Review, Washington Monthly, and...
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Horn is the author of several books, including the New York Times best-selling “Earth: The Sequel.” She works at Environmental Defense Fund and lives in New York City. Her newest book is “Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman: Conservation Heroes of the American Heartland.”
Van der Voo is an independent journalist based in Portland, Oregon, and the author of “The Fish Market - Inside the Big-Money Battle for the Ocean and Your Dinner Plate.”
10:30am PDT
Nonfiction: Police, Prisons & Justice, Conversation 2031
Moderators 
Roosevelt covers the economy for the Orange County Register. Before that, she covered environment and energy news for the Los Angeles Times, and was TIME Magazine's National Correspondent. She was also a foreign correspondent for TIME, based in Paris. She covered Congress for the...
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Klinger is the New York Times-best-selling editor of the Edgar®-winning "New Annotated Sherlock Holmes" as well as numerous other anthologies, books, and articles on Holmes, Dracula, H. P. Lovecraft, and classic mysteries and horror. His latest book is "Anatomy of Innocence: Testimonies...
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Rios is professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of “Human Targets: Schools, Police, and the Criminalization of Latino Youth.”
Thompson is an historian at the University of Michigan. Her book, "Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy,” is a finalist for the 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize in History, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and has been named on more than a dozen...
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Younge, an Alfred Knobler Fellow at the Nation Institute, is an award-winning columnist for the Guardian and Nation. In 2015, he was awarded Foreign Commentator of the Year Award in Britain and the David Nyhan Prize for political journalism by Harvard's Shorenstein's Center. He is...
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10:40am PDT
10:45am PDT
Street Smart Tips Every Traveler Should Know
Speakers 
Travel Risk and Awareness Trainer, KevinCoffey.com
Coffey, recently retired after more than three decades with the LAPD, is also a world traveler who will share his unique insights and proven tips to help travelers stop trouble in its tracks. Coffey has been featured on “Oprah,” ABC's “20/20,” the Travel Channel's series "Travel...
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11:00am PDT
Robyn Schiff, Reading from 'A Woman of Property'
Speakers 
Schiff is the author of three poetry collections, the most recent of which, "A Woman of Property" (Penguin, 2016), was named a best poetry book of the year by The New Yorker and the Chicago Tribune. Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, New Republic, A Public Space, Poetry, and...
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11:00am PDT
Salina Yoon, Author of 'My Kite is Stuck! and Other Stories'
Speakers 
Yoon is an award-winning author-illustrator of nearly two hundred books for children, including "Duck, Duck, Porcupine!,” the Penguin series, the Bear and Floppy series, "Be a Friend” and most recently, “My Kite is Stuck! and Other Stories.” She studied art and design at the...
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11:00am PDT
11:00am PDT
Storytelling in the Age of Trump
Moderators 
Westfall is the deputy politics editor at the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she led real-time news at The Times. She has also worked in breaking-news editing roles at Digital First Media in New York City, NPR-affiliate KPCC in Los Angeles, and the regional news startup TBD.com in...
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Bellantoni has been assistant managing editor, politics since August 2015. She came to the Los Angeles Times after 12 years covering politics in Washington, most recently as editor-in-chief at Roll Call. Before that, she served as political editor at “PBS NewsHour” for two years...
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De Groot is the director of data visualization for the Los Angeles Times, overseeing the development of graphics and data presentations for digital platforms and in print. A California native, he joined The Times after teaching at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and...
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Manzano is the Los Angeles Times’ director of audience engagement. She previously worked for the Oregonian, where she was that newsroom’s first social media editor and engagement strategist. Manzano has lectured on social media and journalism for the American Press Institute...
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Ochoa is the arts and entertainment editor of the L.A. Times and co-founder of the literary journal Slake, which features narrative reporting, fiction, memoir, poetry, art and photography. Prior to her role at the L.A. Times, Ochoa was editor of the LA Weekly and Gourmet magazine...
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11:00am PDT
Maria Del Pilar (music performance)
Speakers 
Maria del Pilar joined the vanguard of the US Latin Alternative music movement and continues to carry the torch with her groundbreaking Spanish/English lyric writing style and genre-bending music. She was just awarded a grant from her native country’s National Council of Culture...
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11:00am PDT
11:00am PDT
Fiction: Rebel Rousers, Conversation 2021
Moderators 
Sarvas is the author of the forthcoming novel “Memento Park” (Farrar, Straus,Giroux). His debut novel, “Harry, Revised” (Bloomsbury), was published in a dozen languages. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and teaches novel writing at the UCLA Extension Writers...
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Tolkin is an award-winning writer, director, and producer. His novels include "The Player,” "The Return of the Player,” "Among the Dead,” and "Under Radar.” For the film adaptation of "The Player,” Tolkin won the Writers Guild Award, the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay...
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Winters is the author of the New York Times bestseller "Underground Airlines,” as well as the Edgar Award winning, Philip K. Dick award winning Last Policeman trilogy. He lives in Los Angeles.
Yuknavitch is the author of “The Chronology of Water: A Memoir,” the novel “Dora: A Headcase,”a book of literary criticism, “Allegories of Violence,” and three works of short fiction: “Her Other Mouths,” “Liberty’s Excess,” and “Real to Reel.” Her book “Real...
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11:00am PDT
Viet Thanh Nguyen and Laila Lalami in Conversation, Conversation 2111
Speakers 
Lalami is the author of the novels "Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits,” which was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award; "Secret Son,” which was on the Orange Prize longlist; and "The Moor's Account,” which won the American Book Award, the Arab American Book Award, and the...
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Nguyen’s 2015 debut novel, "The Sympathizer,” won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was a finalist for the 2015 L.A. Times Book Prize in Mystery/Thriller. “Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War,” was a finalist for the National Book Award. His newest novel is “The...
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11:00am PDT
Middle Grade Fiction: Growing Up the Hard Way, Conversation 2121
Moderators 
Bosch is the infamously anonymous author of the New York Times bestselling Secret Series. Despite rumors to the contrary, his books are not actually written by his pet rabbit, Quiche; the rabbit is merely his typist. His latest book is "Bad Luck."
Davis grew up in Singapore and Hong Kong and currently lives in Los Angeles. She has an M.A. in literature and creative writing and has had the privilege of teaching English to middle school and community college students. Now, she reads and writes and enjoys volunteering with literacy...
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Frank is the author of the middle grade novels "Armstrong & Charlie" (2017) and "Class Action" (coming in 2018). His previous book, "The Pen Commandments,” won the N.Y. Public Library Books for the Teen Age award. Frank also teaches 6th grade English and likes to punish rambunctious...
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Kelly grew up in Louisiana and now lives in Philadelphia, where she earned an MFA from Rosemont College. Her mother was the first in her family to immigrate to the United States from the Philippines. Erin’s debut novel, "Blackbird Fly," was a Kirkus Best Book, an SLJ Best Book...
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King has published many critically acclaimed young adult novels under the name A.S. King, including "Please Ignore Vera Dietz,” which won a Michael L. Printz Honor, and "Ask the Passengers,” which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Young Adult Literature. "Me and Marvin Gardens...
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11:00am PDT
Young Adult Fiction: There is No Emoji For This
Moderators 
Goo grew up in a Los Angeles suburb surrounded by floral wallpaper and piles of books. She is the author of "Since You Asked…”and has very strong feelings about tacos and houseplants. You can find her in Los Angeles with her husband and two cats--one weird, one even more weird...
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Cagan used to manage the social media for @latimesfob, and is overjoyed to be involved as an author this year. She lives with her husband and dog in Los Angeles. Her debut novel is "Piper Perish.”
Matson is a New York Times bestselling author. She received her MFA in writing for children from the New School and was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start author for her first book, "Amy & Roger's Epic Detour,” which was also recognized as an ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young...
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McNeil is the author of several young adult horror novels including "Possess,” "Get Even,” and the award-winning "Ten.” In 2016, Gretchen published her first YA comedy "I'm Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl,” and her next novel will be the dark comedy "#Murdertrending" for...
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Spalding received a B.A. in Advertising and Marketing Communications from Webster University and currently works as the Digital Media Planner for an independent film advertising agency. She's a lover of all things YA and an active member of the community. She's the author of “Kissing...
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11:00am PDT
Nonfiction: Silicon Valley's Disrupters, Conversation 2071
Moderators 
Lazarus is an award-winning business columnist for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on consumer affairs. He also appears daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and is a part-time radio host. His work appears in newspapers across the country and has resulted in a variety of laws protecting con...
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Lyons is a novelist, journalist, screenwriter, and public speaker. He was a staff writer on the first two seasons of the Emmy-winning HBO series Silicon Valley. Previously, Lyons was technology editor at Newsweek and the creator of the groundbreaking viral blog "The Secret Diary of...
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Stone is the author of "The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley are Changing the World.” In 2013, he published "The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon.” The book, a New York Times bestseller, won the 2013 Financial Times...
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Wolfe is a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal and writes the weekly column Weekend Confidential. After graduating from Duke University, she worked as a staff reporter for the New York Observer, The Wall Street Journal, and then Conde Nast Portfolio. As a freelancer, she wrote...
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Wu, author of “The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads,” is a policy advocate and professor at Columbia University, best known for coining the term "net neutrality." Scientific American named him one of 50 leaders in science and technology, 01238 magazine...
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11:00am PDT
Fiction: Disappearing Acts, Conversation 2041
Moderators 
Otis is the author of "Yes, Yes, Cherries" (Tin House). She has been published in Best New American Voices, Electric Literature, The Believer, Zyzzva, and many other publications. Her stories have received an honorable mention for the Pushcart Prize and been named a Distinguished...
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Chee is the author of the novels "Edinburgh" and "The Queen of the Night.” He has received numerous awards including the Whiting Award and a NEA in Fiction. He is a contributing editor at The New Republic and VQR, a critic-at-large for the Los Angeles Times, and an associate professor...
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Gentry is a book reviewer for the Chicago Tribune whose work has also appeared in Salon, Los Angeles Review of Books, and the Best Food Writing of 2014. She lives in Austin, where she volunteered for several years with victims of sexual and domestic violence. "Good As Gone" is her...
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Lepucki is the bestselling author of the novel "California" as well as the novella "If You're Not Yet Like Me.” Her second novel, "Woman No. 17,” will be published this May. She is a contributing editor and staff writer at the Millions and the founder of Writing Workshops Los...
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Millet is the author of 11 books of literary fiction, most recently the novel "Sweet Lamb of Heaven" (2016), a finalist for the National Book Award and 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize in Fiction. Earlier titles include "Mermaids in Paradise" (2014); "Magnificence" (2012), a finalist for...
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11:20am PDT
11:30am PDT
Jon Agee, author of 'Life on Mars'
Speakers 
Agee is the beloved author and illustrator of many acclaimed picture books, including "Terrific" (a New York Times Best Illustrated Book), "Milo's Hat Trick" (an ALA Notable Book), "Little Santa" (an ALA Notable Book and recipient of five starred reviews), and "It's Only Stanley...
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11:30am PDT
Fact or Fiction: Activism for Kids in a New Political Era
Moderators 
Yogi is co-author with Laura Atkins of the new children's book "Fred Korematsu Speaks Up." He is co-author with Elaine Elinson of "Wherever There's a Fight: How Runaway Slaves, Suffragists, Immigrants, Strikers, and Poets Shaped Civil Liberties in California." He co-edited "Highway...
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Atkins is an author, teacher and children's book editor who worked at Children's Book Press, Orchard Books, and Lee & Low Books. With an MA in Children's Literature and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, she co-wrote "Fred Korematsu Speaks Up", and is the author of the...
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Born in Canada, Zetta Elliott moved to the US in 1994. Her poetry has been published in several anthologies, and her plays have been staged in New York, Chicago, and Cleveland. Her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. She is the...
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Gonzalez is an artist, author and progressive educator whose work focuses on the use of art and story as powerful tools of reclamation and transformation. She has illustrated over 20 award-winning children's books, several of which she also wrote and is the recipient of the Pura Belpr...
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11:40am PDT
Monica Youn, Reading From "Blackacre: Poems"
Speakers 
Youn is the author of "Blackacre,” which was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award and longlisted for the National Book Award, and named one of 2016's best poetry books by the New York Times, the Washington Post and BuzzFeed. Her previous book "Ignatz" (2010...
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11:40am PDT
J. VEN: R&B/Pop Musical Performance
Artists 
J.VEN has been making music since he was eight, when one of his foster mothers had him join the church choir. He funded his first recording through his work as a server and is now a student in the USC Thornton School of Music. “I hope that my music inspires people to embody their...
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Sunday April 23, 2017 11:40am - 12:10pm PDT
USC Stage
12:00pm PDT
12:00pm PDT
Javaka Steptoe, Author of "Radiant Child"
Speakers 
Steptoe is an award-winning artist, author and illustrator. In 2017, he won the Caldecott Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award for his latest picture book "Radiant Child: The Story of Young Jean-Michel Basquiat,” which is also a New York Times bestseller.
12:00pm PDT
Strange Travels
Moderators 
Hamm is the Travel editor for the Los Angeles Times. She was born in Syracuse, N.Y., to a peripatetic family whose stops included Washington, D.C.; Honolulu; and Manila. Her varied media career has taken her from McPherson, Kan., to Kansas City, Mo., San Bernardino, Salinas and L.A...
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Foer is the cofounder, chairman, and editor at large of AtlasObscura.com. He is the author of "Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide To The World's Hidden Wonders,” "Moonwalking with Einstein,” and a forthcoming book about the world's last hunter-gatherers. His writing has appeared...
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Moglen has produced news for NPR-affiliate stations KPCC and KCRW on "AirTalk," and "Which Way, LA?" She's made many podcasts for organizations and businesses including Bon Appètit Magazine, Travelocity, the California State Parks Foundation and currently Forbes Magazine for PodcastOne...
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Posey is a writer, artist, and clothing designer. She is a native Angeleno and has worked for NPR affiliate KPCC. She has held many jobs, and in her inauspicious youth - she even worked in a recycling truck. She lives in Highland Park with her husband, sons, and sweet dog. She is...
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Reynolds, born and raised in California, has written about travel, the outdoors, arts and culture for the Los Angeles Times since 1990. Since 2009, he has climbed Mayan pyramids, roamed Red Square in a snowstorm, been shushed at the New York Public Library and jumped from the tallest...
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12:00pm PDT
Scott Simon in Conversation with Todd Martens, Conversation 2132
Moderators 
Martens joined the Los Angeles Times in 2007 and covers a mix of interactive entertainment (video games) and pop music. Previously, Martens reported on the music business for Billboard Magazine. He has contributed to numerous books, including "The Big Lebowski: An Illustrated, Annotated...
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Simon, author of “My Cubs: A Love Story,” is the award-winning host of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, its most popular news program. A contributor to NPR for over thirty years, Simon has won every major award in broadcasting, including the Peabody and the Emmy. He lives in Washington...
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12:00pm PDT
Nonfiction: Lost Stories of the West, Conversation 2012
Moderators 
Pawel is a journalist and independent scholar and the author of two books about Cesar Chavez and the farmworker movement. Her most recent book, "The Crusades of Cesar Chavez: A Biography," won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Prize, the California Book Award Gold Medal, and was a finalist...
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Hernandez, an award-winning poet, novelist, and performer, was born and raised in California's San Joaquin Valley. His books and research have been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, CNN, Public Radio International, and National Public Radio. He divides his time...
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Pelisek is an award winning crime reporter who's been covering the scene, most recently for PEOPLE Magazine, for over 17 years. "The Grim Sleeper" is her first book.
Taylor is the author of three books, the most recent of which is "The Coyote's Bicycle: The Untold Story of 7000 Bicycles and the Rise of a Borderland Empire.” He is a long-time contributor to Surfer magazine. His work has also appeared in Vice media, ESPN the magazine, and the...
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Thompson, author of “Chasing the Harvest,” is an independent journalist who has written for the New York Times, Harper's, New York, Slate, Mother Jones, Virginia Quarterly Review, and the Nation. His articles about labor and immigration have won a number of prizes, including the...
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12:00pm PDT
Fiction: Slightly Surreal, Conversation 2092
Moderators KM
Maruyama's novel “Harrowgate” was published by 47North. Her short work has appeared in numerous online and print journals as well as in anthologies. She is faculty in the BA and MFA programs at Antioch University Los Angeles and teaches with Writing Workshops LA and inspiration2publication.com...
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Evenson is the author of a dozen books of fiction, most recently "A Collapse of Horses" and "The Warren." His novel "Last Days" won the ALA-RUSA award for Best Horror Novel of 2009 and his novel The Open Curtain was a finalist for an Edgar Award. He is the recipient of three O. Henry...
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Tremblay is the author of six novels including the award-winning "A Head Full of Ghosts,”"Disappearance at Devil's Rock,” and "The Little Sleep.” His essays and short fiction have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and numerous "year’s best" anthologies. He has a master's degree...
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Wallace is the author of "The Failed Cities" and the novella series "Sin du Jour" and "Rencor.” He's penned over one hundred short stories, some of which have won awards and been nominated for others, in addition to writing for film and television. In his youth he traveled the world...
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Wendig, author of “Thunderbird,” is a novelist, screenwriter, and game designer. He's the author of many published novels, including but not limited to: "Blackbirds,” the YA Heartland series, and the NYT bestselling series "Star Wars: Aftermath.” He is co-writer of the short...
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12:00pm PDT
Fiction: The New New Narrative, Conversation 2052
Moderators 
French is a staff writer in books at the Los Angeles Times. She has worked as an editor for a number of literary journals and magazines, including the Los Angeles Review of Books. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Bennington College. Born and raised in California, she has...
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Nao is the author of novel, "Fish in Exile" (Coffee House Press), and poetry collection, "The Old Philosopher" (Nightboat Books). Vi's work includes poetry, fiction, film and cross-genre collaboration. She was the winner of 2014 Nightboat Poetry Prize and the 2016 Ronald Sukenick...
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Ortiz is the author of "Excavation: A Memoir,” "Hollywood Notebook,” and the dreamoir "Bruja.” Her work has been profiled or featured in the National Book Critics Circle Small Press Spotlight blog, the Los Angeles Times, The Rumpus, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Her writing...
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Viegener is a writer, artist and critic who lives in LA and teaches at CalArts. He’s the author of 2500 Random Things About Me Too, and editor of I'm Very Into You, the correspondence of Kathy Acker and McKenzie Wark, and co-editor of Séance in Experimental Writing and The...
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12:00pm PDT
Nonfiction: The Home DIY Revolution, Conversation 2082
Moderators 
Boone is a design writer for the Los Angeles Times. Since 2003, she has covered home design, gardening, parenting, even youth sports, for the Home section and L.A. at Home. She is a native of Los Angeles.
Atkinson is a photographer and stylist for magazines, books and such retailers as Flora Grubb Gardens. Her work has appeared in Elle Décor, Dwell, Martha Stewart Living, Garden Design and Sunset Magazine. The first book she authored, photographed, and styled, "Plant Craft: 30 Projects...
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Hoffman is a blogger and app developer who launched Unf*ck Your Habitat in 2011 to motivate the lazy to get up and start cleaning. Her columns have appeared in Persephone magazine, xoJane, and Glamour. Rachel lives in New England with her husband and three Chihuahuas.
Sakugawa is an Ignatz Awards nominated comic book artist and author of "I Think I Am In Friend-Love With You,” "Your Illustrated Guide To Becoming One With The Universe” and "There Is No Right Way to Meditate.” Her comics have appeared in BuzzFeed, The Believer, Bitch, The Rumpus...
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Wolf, since 2006, has guided folks toward less clutter, more creativity, and happier adulthoods. She's the author of "New Order: A Decluttering Handbook For Creative Folks (And Everyone Else)" (Ballantine/Random House), praised in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Apartment Therapy...
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12:00pm PDT
Writing Across Genres: Humanizing Conflict, Conversation 2032
Moderators 
Franke is the Executive Director of PEN Center USA and founding editor of The Rattling Wall. Michelle has produced over 200 literary events across Southern California and was named a 2013 "Face To Watch" by the Los Angeles Times. She currently teaches in the UCLA Extension Writers...
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Ehrenreich is the author of "The Way to the Spring,” based on his reporting from the West Bank, as well as the novels "Ether" and "The Suitors.” His work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, the New York Times Magazine, Harper's, and the London Review...
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Uriarte enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2006 at the age of nineteen and served for four years. During his first deployment to Iraq in 2007 he served as an MRAP turret gunner. He deployed to Iraq again in 2009 as a billeted Combat Photographer and Combat Artist. In 2010...
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Wilentz is an award-winning journalist and author. Former New Yorker Jerusalem correspondent and long-time contributing editor to The Nation, she won the National Book Critics Circle 2013 Award for her memoir “Farewell, Fred Voodoo: A Letter from Haiti.” Her work has appeared...
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12:00pm PDT
Living Long or Living Well: Can We Do Both?, Conversation 2142
Moderators 
Cohen is dean of the USC Davis School of Gerontology and executive director of the Andrus Gerontology Center. He has received numerous awards for his research, and serves on the boards of the American Society of Aging and the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging, and is...
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Comai is a professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the USC Keck School of Medicine, with secondary appointments in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and at the USC Davis School of Gerontology. His laboratory is housed within the...
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Mosqueda, MD, is a professor of family medicine and geriatrics at the USC Keck School of Medicine and professor of gerontology at the USC Davis School of Gerontology. She also serves as the associate dean of Primary Care, chair of the Department of Family Medicine, and director of...
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Nair is a clinical professor at the USC School of Social Work and an affiliate of the USC Roybal Institute on Aging. His interdisciplinary research interests include alternative health systems and gerontology, and he has written, edited, or co-authored thirteen books, including "Healing...
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12:10pm PDT
Matthew Espinosa, Author of "More Than Me," in Conversation with Jessica Roy
Speakers 
Espinosa, ever since he was a kid, was looking for a spotlight where he could perform and show everyone who he was. He cultivated a deep love for acting, creating, and humor and finally discovered Vine as a way to share himself with the world. More than one billion loops and more...
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Jessica Roy works on the audience engagement team at the Los Angeles Times. She covers pop culture, politics and technology.
12:10pm PDT
Steve Lopez and Michael Hiltzik in Conversation
Speakers 
Hiltzik is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has written for the Los Angeles Times for over 20 years. He is the author of "Colossus: The Turbulent, Thrilling Saga of the Building of the Hoover Dam," "The New Deal: A Modern History," and most recently, "Big Science: Ernest Lawrence...
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Lopez is a California native who has been an L.A. Times columnist since 2001. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards for his reporting and column writing at seven newspapers and four news magazines, and was a 2011 Pulitzer finalist for his columns on elder care. He...
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12:30pm PDT
Amor Al Aire: Conversation with Omar, Argelia and Tommy Calle
Moderators 
Calle was born in Lima, Peru, and raised in Venezuela. He studied social communication at Central University of Venezuela. He is currently deputy editor of Hoy and Fin de Semana publications, in addition to being entertainment editor.
Velasco y Atilano, con talento incomparable y personalidad contagiosa son los anfitriones del programa matutino K-LOVE 107.5 de Univision Radio donde mantienen entretenidos a sus oyentes con temas candentes y éxitos musicales. Juntos desempeñan el mayor de todos sus papales hasta...
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Velasco y Atilano, con talento incomparable y personalidad contagiosa son los anfitriones del programa matutino K- LOVE 107.5 de Univision Radio donde mantienen entretenidos a sus oyentes con temas candentes y éxitos musicales. Juntos desempeñan el mayor de todos sus papales hasta...
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12:30pm PDT
Andrew Wessels, Reading from "A Turkish Directory"
Speakers 
Wessels currently splits his time between Los Angeles and Istanbul. He has held fellowships from Poets & Writers and the Black Mountain Institute. "Semi Circle,” a chapbook of his translations of the Turkish poet Nurduran Duman, was published by Goodmorning Menagerie in 2016. He...
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12:30pm PDT
Elena Karina Byrne, Reading from "Squander"
Speakers 
Byrne, a Pushcart Prize Winner is author of "Squander" (Omnidawn, 2016), "Masque" (Tupelo Press), and "The Flammable Bird" (Zoo Press). Her work has appeared in Best American Poetry, the Kenyon Review, APR, The Paris Review, Yale Review, Poetry, Verse, Denver Quarterly, Slate, Colorado...
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12:30pm PDT
Memoir: Live Through This, Conversation 2042
Moderators 
Lauren is the New York Times bestselling author of the memoirs "Everything You Ever Wanted" and "Some Girls: My Life in a Harem," and the novel "Pretty.” Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, and Elle, among others...
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Gurwitch is an actress and author of the New York Times Bestseller, "I See You Made an Effort,” Thurber Prize finalist 2015, co-author of "You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up,”and "Fired!" Her writing has appeared in the New Yorker, New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times, and she's...
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Mohr is the author of five novels, including "Damascus," which The New York Times called "Beat-poet cool." He's also written "Some Things that Meant the World to Me," one of O Magazine's Top 10 reads of 2009, as well as "Termite Parade," an Editors' Choice in The New York Times. His...
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Shapiro is the best-selling author of the memoirs "Still Writing,” "Devotion,” and "Slow Motion,” and five novels including "Black & White" and "Family History.” Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Tin House, Elle, Vogue, The New York Times Book Review, the op-ed pages...
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12:30pm PDT
Shalane Flanagan & Elyse Kopecky, authors of 'Run Fast. Eat Slow', Cooking Demonstration
Speakers 
Flanagan is an Olympic medalist, four-time Olympian, American record holder and world-class marathoner. She finished second at the 2010 NYC Marathon and ran the fastest time ever by an American woman at the 2014 Boston Marathon. She lives and trains in Portland, OR. She is the co-author...
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Kopecky is a chef, nutrition coach and ran cross-country and track alongside Shalane Flanagan at UNC Chapel Hill. She studied culinary arts at the Natural Gourmet Institute following a 10-year marketing career at Nike. She is the co-author of "Run Fast Eat Slow.”
12:30pm PDT
Fiction with a Funny Side, Conversation 2122
Moderators 
21st Century Award. Her work has been featured on NPR's Selected Shorts and adapted for the stage by Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater. Her debut novel, "We Only Know So Much,” has been adapted for film, and her second novel, "The History of Great Things,” was released in 2016. Her...
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Prose is the author of twenty-one works of fiction, including NYT bestselling novel, "Lovers At The Chameleon Club: Paris, 1932.” Prose is a former president of PEN American Center, National Book Award Finalist and is the recipient of numerous grants and honors, including a Guggenheim...
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Schine is the author of "The Three Weissmanns of Westport,” "The Love Letter,” "The New Yorkers,” and her most recent, “They May Not Mean To, but They Do,” among other novels. She has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Magazine...
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Shepard is the author of seven novels and four previous story collections, including his latest, “The World to Come: Stories.” He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with his wife, three children, and three beagles. He teaches at Williams College.
12:30pm PDT
Fiction: Roads Less Traveled, Conversation 2022
Moderators 
Espinoza was raised in Los Angeles. His books include "Still Water Saints" and "The Five Acts of Diego León" (both from Random House). He's written for the NY Times Sunday Magazine, the LA Times, NPR, and the Virginia Quarterly Review. An NEA fellow and winner of an American Book...
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Chang draws upon family legends for historical novels set in China. Janie has lived in the Philippines, Iran, Thailand, New Zealand, and now lives in Vancouver, Canada. Her first novel, "Three Souls,” was a finalist for the 2014 BC Book Prizes Fiction Prize and one of 9 Canadian...
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Deón is a 2017 NAACP Image Award Nominee and author of the critically-acclaimed novel, Grace (Counterpoint Press), which was awarded the 2017 First Novel Prize by the American Library Association's Black Caucus (BCALA), was named Kirkus Review Best Book of 2016, a New York Times...
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Sekaran lives in Berkeley and teaches writing and literature. Her latest novel, "Lucky Boy,” was an Amazon Editor's Pick and an IndieNext Great Read. Her essays and short fiction have appeared in The New York Times, Canteen Magazine, Huffington Post and Best New American Voices...
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12:30pm PDT
Fiction: Writing Short Stories, Conversation 2112
Moderators 
Flores is a 2008 PEN Center USA Emerging Voices Fellow. Her short fiction has appeared in Post Road Magazine, The Open Bar at Tin House, The Rattling Wall, Paper Darts, Bridge Eight, FLASH: The International Short-Short Story Magazine, The Los Angeles Review of Books and American...
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Benz has published short stories in The American Reader, Fence, and The Cupboard, and on Granta.com, and is the recipient of an O. Henry Prize. She received her MFA at Syracuse University as well as a BFA in acting from Boston University. She is of British-Antiguan descent and currently...
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Johnson is the author of “Break Any Woman Down,” for which she received the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction and the novel “Elsewhere, California.” Born and raised in and around Los Angeles, she is an associate professor of English at USC where she teaches literature...
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Schiff graduated from Columbia University's MFA program, where she received a Henfield Prize. Her stories have appeared in n+1, Electric Literature, The American Reader, Guernica, The Guardian, and Lenny Letter. Her latest book is “The Bed Moved,” is a finalist for the 2016 L.A...
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Unferth is the author of the collection of stories "Minor Robberies,” the novel "Vacation,” and the memoir, "Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War,” which was a finalist for a 2012 National Book Critics Circle Award. Her work has appeared in Harper's...
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12:30pm PDT
Marlon James in Conversation with Davan Maharaj, Conversation 2072
Moderators 
Maharaj, a 27-year veteran of The Times, added publisher to his title in March 2016. He had been named editor and executive vice president in 2011. Prior to that role, he served as managing editor, assistant foreign editor and deputy business editor. A native of Trinidad, he holds...
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James was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1970. His first novel, "John Crow's Devil" was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Commonwealth Writers Prize, as well as a New York Times Editor's Choice. His second novel, "The Book of Night" won the 2010 Dayton Literary...
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12:30pm PDT
Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction: Reaching Readers
Moderators 
Arquillos is Executive Director at 826LA, a non-profit writing and tutoring organization that serves youth ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and supports teachers by helping them get their students excited about writing. 826LA is also the home of the Time...
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De la Cruz is the internationally bestselling author of many critically acclaimed novels, including "The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel" and the Summer on East End series. Her Blue Bloods series has sold over three million copies, and the Witches of East End series became a...
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Sáenz is an acclaimed writer for adults and teens. His novel "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" won a Printz Honor Award, the Pura Belpre, Lambda, and Stonewall Book Awards. His latest book is “The Inexplicable Logic of My Life.” He lives in El Paso...
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Tashjian is the author of the popular My Life series including “My Life as a Ninja,” “My Life as a Book,” “My Life as a Stuntboy,” “My Life as a Cartoonist,” “My Life as a Joke,” and “My Life as a Gamer,” as well as the Einstein the Class Hamster series, both...
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Watson is the acclaimed author of the teen novel, "This Side of Home,” and two picture books: "Harlem's Little Blackbird" and "A Place Where Hurricanes Happen,” which was featured on NBC Nightly News. Her middle grade novel, "What Momma Left Me" debuted as an ABA New Voices...
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12:30pm PDT
Chris Hayes in Conversation with Christina Bellantoni, Conversation 2062
Moderators 
Bellantoni has been assistant managing editor, politics since August 2015. She came to the Los Angeles Times after 12 years covering politics in Washington, most recently as editor-in-chief at Roll Call. Before that, she served as political editor at “PBS NewsHour” for two years...
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Hayes hosts "All In with Chris Hayes" at 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday on MSNBC. Hayes is also Editor-at-Large of "The Nation." Hayes' first book, "Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy," which is about the crisis of authority in American life, was published in June...
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12:50pm PDT
Trio Ellas : Latin Musical Performance
Artists 
Trio Ellas, Latin Grammy®–nominated sweethearts of Los Angeles, have been making waves with their fresh take on traditional mariachi blended with jazz, pop, and country. They have recorded for Benjamin Gibbard and Lady Gaga, and performed with top artists including Sheila E. and...
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Sunday April 23, 2017 12:50pm - 1:20pm PDT
USC Stage
1:00pm PDT
Anna Journey, Reading from 'The Atheist Wore Goat Silk'
Speakers 
Journey is the author of the essay collection "An Arrangement of Skin" (Counterpoint, 2017) and the poetry collections "The Atheist Wore Goat Silk" (LSU Press, 2017), "Vulgar Remedies" (LSU Press, 2013), and "If Birds Gather Your Hair for Nesting" (University of Georgia Press, 2009...
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1:00pm PDT
Gennifer Choldenko & Dan Santat, Author & Illustrator of 'Dad and the Dinosaur'
Speakers 
Choldenko is the New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor Award-winning author of ten children's books, including "A Giant Crush,” illustrated by Melissa Sweet, and "Al Capone Does My Shirts,” "Al Capone Shines My Shoes,"and "Al Capone Does My Homework.” She lives in the...
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Santat won the Caldecott Medal for “The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend” and is the illustrator of "The Three Ninja Pigs,” "Ninja Red Riding Hood,” and "Hensel and Gretel, Ninja Chicks.” He is also the creator of the Disney Channel's animated hit “The Replacements...
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1:00pm PDT
Pair of Arrows (music performance)
Artists 
Pair of Arrows is Swan Palermo (The Glitch Mob, Gold Country, Birdseye), R.D. White (R/D), and Brandon Burkart (The Saint James Society, Cathedral Club, Dead Dawn).
http://soundcloud.com/pairofarrows
1:15pm PDT
The Educational Travel Boom
Speakers 
Hamm is the Travel editor for the Los Angeles Times. She was born in Syracuse, N.Y., to a peripatetic family whose stops included Washington, D.C.; Honolulu; and Manila. Her varied media career has taken her from McPherson, Kan., to Kansas City, Mo., San Bernardino, Salinas and L.A...
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Ingrassia joined the Los Angeles Times in January 2015 as managing editor focusing on new ventures. Previously, he worked at the New York Times as business editor from 2004 to 2012 and later as deputy managing editor for new initiatives. Coverage he directed at the New York Times...
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Poffenberger is a veteran of Academic Travel, having begun her career as a China Program Designer just three short months before the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing that redirected her job, and her life! She has since worn many hats during her tenure, including France Program...
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Steinberg, prior to becoming a full-time traveler, worked as a ballpark vendor, a parking attendant at a Chicago racetrack, a television news producer, a law firm partner, Counselor to the Legal Adviser of the State Department, Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Clinton Justice...
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1:20pm PDT
Jane Mead, Reading from 'World of Made and Unmade'
Speakers 
Mead is the author of five collections of poetry and the recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, a Whiting Writers Award, and a Lannan Foundation Completion Grant. For many years Poet-in-Residence at Wake Forest University, she has taught as a visiting writer at Colby College...
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1:20pm PDT
Stephen Tobolowsky, Author of 'My Adventures with God,' in Conversation with Sarah Rodman
Moderators 
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...
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Tobolowsky has appeared in over 200 movies and television shows including "Groundhog Day," "Silicon Valley," and Netflix’s "One Day at a Time." He has performed his stories all over the world. They can be heard on "The Tobolowsky Files" and his storytelling films: "Stephen Tobolowsky’s...
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1:20pm PDT
Politics: The View from California
Moderators 
Myers joined the Los Angeles Times as Sacramento bureau chief in 2015 after more than two decades in radio and television news, much of that as an award-winning reporter covering statehouse policy and politics. During a decade of work for San Francisco's NPR affiliate, his unique...
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Barabak covers state and national politics for the Los Angeles Times, based in San Francisco. A reporter for nearly 40 years, Barabak has covered campaigns and elections in 49 of the 50 states, including all or part of the last 10 presidential campaigns and dozens of mayoral, gubernatorial...
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Dillon covers California state politics and policy for the Los Angeles Times and is based in Sacramento. Prior to joining The Times in 2016, Dillon covered local politics in San Diego and Southwest Florida.
Mason covers state government and politics in Sacramento. She first began working for the Los Angeles Times in 2011 in Washington, D.C., where she covered money and politics during the 2012 presidential campaign. She is originally from Los Angeles and is a graduate of Georgetown University...
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Mehta is a political writer for the Los Angeles Times. She covered the 2016, 2012 and 2008 presidential campaigns, as well as gubernatorial, Senate and mayoral races. A graduate of Syracuse University, the East Coast native swore when she joined The Times in 1998 that she would only...
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1:30pm PDT
Danica McKellar, author of 'Goodnight, Numbers'
Speakers 
McKellar is a New York Times bestselling author of groundbreaking math books for young readers including "Kiss My Math" and the new "Goodnight Numbers,” and a summa cum laude graduate of UCLA with a degree in mathematics. She is well known for her acting roles in The Wonder Years...
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1:30pm PDT
Sin Color Musical Performance
Artists 
Sin Color is Crisia and David, a young duo from South LA whose music embodies traditional styles passed on from older Latinx generations, transforming disco, mariachi, and cumbia into bilingual indie dance pop with catchy melodies and introspective lyrics. Sin Color have built a solid...
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1:30pm PDT
Memoir: Exploring the World, Conversation 2093
Moderators 
Daley is the Director of Writing Workshops Los Angeles and she teaches academic writing at the California Institute of Technology. Her creative work and criticism have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The Collagist, Crony, DUM DUM Zine, FORTH Magazine, Los Angeles Review of Books...
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Kurlansky is the New York Times bestselling author of "Cod, Salt, Paper,” "The Basque History of the World,” "1968,” "The Big Oyster,” "International Night,” and others. He received the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Nonviolence, Bon Appetit's Food Writer of the Year Award...
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Lutz is the author of "And the Monkey Learned Nothing: Dispatches from a Life in Transit" and "Drinking Mare's Milk on the Roof of the World: Wandering the Globe from Azerbaijan to Zanzibar," both published in 2016. His other books include "Crying," “Doing Nothing," "American Nervousness...
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White has written for the Christian Science Monitor, Sierra, The Sun, Surfer's Journal, Orion, and other publications. His first book, "Talking on the Water" (Sierra Club Books), is a collection of interviews exploring our relationship with nature. His newest book is "Tides." White...
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1:30pm PDT
Jonathan Lethem in Conversation with Charles Yu, Conversation 2133
Moderators 
Yu is the author of "How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe" and received the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 award for his story collection "Third Class Superhero." His work has been published in the Harvard Review and the Gettysburg Review, among other journ...
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Lethem is the author of "The Fortress of Solitude" and numerous other books. His writing has been translated into over 30 languages. He lives in Los Angeles and Maine and his latest book is “A Gambler's Anatomy: A Novel.”
1:30pm PDT
Romance: I'm Too Sexy for this Book, Conversation 2083
Moderators 
Kassia Krozser is a lifelong romance reader, and the former publisher of Booksquare, a website devoted to exploring the intersection of technology and publishing. She's appeared at South by Southwest, on NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and at countless publishing industry events. Her many...
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Antoniette is the feminine half of the popular married duo, Ashley and JaQuavis. She has co-written over 40 novels. Several of her titles have hit The New York Times bestsellers list, but she is most widely regarded for her racy four-book saga, “The Prada Plan.” Born in Flint...
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Quinn started writing her first book one month after finishing college and has been tapping away at her keyboard ever since. The New York Times bestselling author of more than two dozen novels for Avon Books, she is a graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges and is one of only sixteen...
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Ryan writes sexy, contemporary romance featuring a multicultural cast of flawed, but lovable characters. She secretly enjoys torturing her heroines with family and career drama, reformed bad boys, revealed secrets, and the occasional identity crisis, but always rewards them with supportive...
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1:30pm PDT
Is This Goodbye, NEA? Addressing Our Fears - and Hopes -for the Arts and Humanities, Conversation 2143
Moderators 
Anawalt is an acclaimed critic, writer, and media entrepreneur. She co-founded the USC Annenberg master’s program in arts journalism; was chief dance critic for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, LA Weekly, and KCRW; and is the author of "The Joffrey Ballet: Robert Joffrey and the...
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Dashiell-Sparks is an actor, director, and associate professor of theatre practice in the USC School of Dramatic Arts. She has performed on Broadway in “Night Must Fall” and guest-starred in television shows including “West Wing” and “Lincoln Heights.” Dashiell-Sparks...
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Moore is president and CEO of The Music Center. She was previously CEO of American Ballet Theatre; director of Boston Ballet’s Center for Dance Education; executive director of Project STEP, a classical-music school for students of color in Boston; and managing director of Ballet...
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Nguyen’s 2015 debut novel, "The Sympathizer,” won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was a finalist for the 2015 L.A. Times Book Prize in Mystery/Thriller. “Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War,” was a finalist for the National Book Award. His newest novel is “The...
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1:30pm PDT
Nonfiction: Cults & Cultures, Conversation 2013
Moderators 
Glassner is the author of the best-selling book "The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things" and "The Gospel of Food: Why We Should Stop Worrying and Enjoy What We Eat.” A sociology professor, Glassner has served as president of Lewis & Clark College and executive...
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Guinn is a former award-winning investigative journalist and the bestselling author of numerous books, including "Go Down Together: The True Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde,” "The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral and How It Changed the West...
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Jacobsen is a journalist and the author of the New York Times bestseller “Area 51” and “Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America.” Jacobsen graduated from Princeton University and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and...
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Preston worked as a writer and editor for the American Museum of Natural History and taught writing at Princeton University. He has written for The New Yorker, Natural History, National Geographic, Harper's, Smithsonian, and The Atlantic. The author of several acclaimed nonfiction...
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1:30pm PDT
John Scalzi & Cory Doctorow in Conversation, Conversation 2033
Speakers 
Doctorow is an author, activist and journalist; co-editor of Boing Boing; author of many books, including the novel "Walkaway,”; "In Real Life,” a graphic novel; "Iinformation Doesn't Want To Be Free,” nonfiction about earning in the internet age; and "Homeland,” a YA novel...
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Scalzi writes science fiction, has a couple of Hugos, and is totally NOT actually a lizard person from Antares here to learn your strange and incomprehensible human ways. Really, he's not. What would make you think he is? (Blinks his third and fourth eyes in a VERY HUMAN FASHION...
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1:30pm PDT
Crime Fiction: Trust No One, Conversation 2053
Moderators 
Fremon is the creator and editor of the nonprofit online news site WitnessLA, and an award-winning freelance journalist specializing in gangs, law enforcement, juvenile justice, and criminal justice systems. She is the author of "G-Dog and the Homeboys" (Hyperion 1995, University...
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Atkins is the New York Times-bestselling author of twenty-one novels, including "The Fallen" and "Robert B. Parker's Little White Lies,” both out in 2017. A former newspaper reporter, Atkins also writes essays and investigative pieces for several national publications including...
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Harrison is the author of the Linda Wallheim mystery series, including "The Bishop's Wife,” "His Right Hand" and her latest, “For Time and All Eternities,” as well as numerous books for young adults. She holds a Ph.D. in German literature from Princeton University and is a nationally...
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Love was born to a police officer father and a court stenographer mother. After earning a master’s degree in English Literature from New York University, Melissa moved to Los Angeles, where she has lived for over a decade. During that time, she has written for several television...
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Wohlsdorf was born in Bismarck, North Dakota, and graduated from Tulane University. In 2013 she earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Virginia. She lives in Denver, Colorado. "Security" is her first novel.
1:40pm PDT
Bruce Willard, Reading from "Violent Blues"
Speakers 
Willard's poems have appeared in African american Review, Agni Online, NPR's Writers Almanac, Harvard Review, Cortland Review, Ploughshares, Salamander, 5 A.M. and numerous other publications. His first collection of poems, "Holding Ground,” was published by Four Way Books (NYC...
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2:00pm PDT
2:00pm PDT
2:00pm PDT
Anna Dellaria: R&B/Pop Musical Performance
Artists 
Singer-songwriter Anna Dellaria has performed with Chaka Khan, John Fogerty, Lamont Dozier, and others. A student in USC’s Popular Music program, she is already gaining attention for her awesome talent and natural soul.
Sunday April 23, 2017 2:00pm - 2:30pm PDT
USC Stage
2:00pm PDT
2:00pm PDT
Fiction: Culture & Identity, Conversation 2023
Moderators OT
Smith is Executive Editor of the Unnamed Press. She is also a certified silver pin sommelier with the North American Sommelier Association and translator of the graphic novel “Panthers in the Hole,” about the Angola 3.
Craig studied literature at Harvard College, received her MFA from the University of California at Irvine, and serves as a faculty member in the Department of Creative Writing at UC Riverside, where she particularly enjoys teaching literature, the art of the paragraph, and forms of...
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Kimani was born in 1971 in Kenya, and is a leading African writer of his generation. He was one of only three international poets commissioned by NPR to compose and present a poem to mark Barack Obama's inauguration in January 2009. Kimani earned his doctorate in creative writing...
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Lee is the author of the short story collection "Drifting House" and the recent debut novel "How I Became a North Korean,” both published by Viking. She is a recipient of the Rome Prize and the Story Prize Spotlight Award, the Honor Title in Adult Fiction Literature from the Asian/Pacific...
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2:00pm PDT
Fiction: Exceptions and Expectations, Conversation 2043
Moderators 
Fierro is the author of the novels The Gypsy Moth Summer and Cutting Teeth. Her work has been published in Buzzfeed, Glamour, The Millions, Poets & Writers, Time Out New York, and other publications. A graduate of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Julia founded The Sackett Street Writers...
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Frankel is the author of three novels, "The Atlas of Love,” "Goodbye for Now,” and, most recently, "This Is How It Always Is.” She lives in Seattle with her daughter and husband.
Gowda was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. In college, she spent a summer as a volunteer in an Indian orphanage, which seeded the idea for her first novel, "Secret Daughter,” published in 2010. It became an international bestseller, selling well over a million copies worldwide...
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Palmer is the internationally bestselling author of "Conversations with the Fat Girl" and several other novels. An Emmy-nominated writer, she lives in Los Angeles and works for BuzzFeed. “The F Word” is her latest book.
2:00pm PDT
Middle Grade Fiction: Storytelling in Series
Moderators 
Spalding received a B.A. in Advertising and Marketing Communications from Webster University and currently works as the Digital Media Planner for an independent film advertising agency. She's a lover of all things YA and an active member of the community. She's the author of “Kissing...
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Bosch is the infamously anonymous author of the New York Times bestselling Secret Series. Despite rumors to the contrary, his books are not actually written by his pet rabbit, Quiche; the rabbit is merely his typist. His latest book is "Bad Luck."
Hale and his wife, Shannon Hale, are the award-winning team behind the "Princess in Black" series, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Shannon Hale is also the author of the Newbery Honor novel "Princess Academy" as well as the New York Times best-selling series "Ever After High.” They...
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Hale and Dean Hale are the award-winning team behind the "Princess in Black" series, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Shannon Hale is also the author of the Newbery Honor novel "Princess Academy" as well as the New York Times best-selling series "Ever After High.” They live in Salt Lake...
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Hannibal is the award-winning of author of adult military thrillers and no stranger to deep dark secrets or hunting bad guys, having served in the US Air Force as a stealth bomber pilot and a Predator mission commander. Like his protagonist Jack Buckles, Hannibal "suffers" from synesthesia...
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2:00pm PDT
Young Adult Fantasy: Wars in New Worlds, Conversation 2123
Moderators 
Enni is a journalist and YA author living in Los Angeles. She is creator and host of the First Draft podcast, where she talks shop with other KidLit authors. In her non-laptop life she likes enchiladas, flea market shopping, and her cat, Hammer. She is featured in the forthcoming...
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Aveyard is the New York Times bestselling author of “Red Queen” series whose newest entry is “Glass Sword.” A Massachusetts native, Aveyard moved to Los Angeles to earn a BFA in screenwriting at USC. As an author/screenwriter, she uses her career as an excuse to read too many...
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Lu is the author of the New York Times bestselling series "The Young Elites,” as well as the bestselling "Legend" series. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry as an artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare...
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Taylor is the New York Times bestselling author of the global sensation the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy ("Daughter of Smoke & Bone,” "Days of Blood & Starlight,” "Dreams of Gods & Monsters,” and the companion novella, "Night of Cake & Puppets") and "Strange the Dreamer...
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White is the New York Times bestselling author of "And I Darken" as well as the Paranormalcy trilogy, the dark thrillers "Mind Games and Perfect Lies,” "The Chaos of Stars,” "Illusions of Fate,” and "In the Shadows" with Jim Di Bartolo. She lives in San Diego, which, in spite...
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2:00pm PDT
Nonfiction: The Courts & the Constitution, Conversation 2073
Moderators 
Lauter is the Los Angeles Times’ Washington bureau chief. He began writing news in Washington in 1981 and since then has covered Congress, the Supreme Court, the White House under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and four U.S. presidential campaigns. He lived in L.A...
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Chemerinsky is the founding Dean and Distinguished Professor of Law, Raymond Pryke Professor of First Amendment Law, at University of California, Irvine School of Law. He is the author of ten books, including "Closing the Courthouse Door: How Your Constitutional Rights Became Unenforceable...
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Gottlieb, educated at Princeton and Yale Law School, is the author of six books including “Unfit For Democracy: The Roberts Court and the Breakdown of American Politics” (NYU 2016). He is a Distinguished Professor at Albany Law School, a regular commentator for radio, television...
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Stone is the Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago. He served as dean of the University of Chicago Law School and as Provost of the University of Chicago, and is one of the nation's leading constitutional scholars. His most recent book, "Sex and...
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Zirin is the author of two books, “Supremely Partisan,” published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2016, and “The Mother Court,” published by ABA Books in 2014. He is host of the critically acclaimed television talk show, “Conversations in the Digital Age,” which airs weekly...
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2:00pm PDT
Crime Fiction: The Hunters & the Hunted, Conversation 2113
Moderators 
Goldberg is a two-time Edgar & two-time Shamus Award nominee and the bestselling author of over thirty novels, including the Fox & O'Hare series co-written with Janet Evanovich. He's also written and produced scores of network TV shows and co-owns the publishing company Brash Boo...
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Dickey is the New York Times best-selling author of 21 previous novels, as well as a six-issue miniseries of graphic novels featuring Storm (from the X-Men) and the Black Panther. Originally from Memphis, Tenn., Dickey now lives on the road and rests in whatever hotel will have him...
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Farnsworth is the author of "Flashmob," "Kiillfile," "The Eternal World," and the President's Vampire series. He lives in Los Angeles with his family.
Hurwitz is the critically acclaimed, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of 16 novels, including "The Nowhere Man.” His books have been nominated for numerous awards, shortlisted twice for best novel of the year by International Thriller Writers, nominated for...
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Suarez is a New York Times bestselling author whose books include "Daemon,” "Freedom TM,” "Kill Decision,” "Influx,” and "Change Agent.” A former systems consultant to Fortune 1000 companies, his high-tech and sci-fi thrillers focus on technology-driven change. He is a graduate...
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2:20pm PDT
2:30pm PDT
Laurie Berkner, Author of 'We Are the Dinosaurs'
Speakers 
Berkner is a singer, songwriter, lyricist, author, and founder of Two Tomatoes Records. She has released eleven bestselling, award-winning albums, was the first recording artist ever to perform in music videos on Nick Jr., and appeared regularly on Jack's Big Music Show. Laurie helped...
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2:30pm PDT
The Most Beautiful: A Conversation with Mayte Garcia
Moderators 
Aguilar is co-host of the morning show Mañanas Sabrosas with Marcela Luevanos at TUYO Radio on the Dash Radio network. A working mother who started her career in the healthcare industry, she found her way to music marketing through a friend who started their own radio station. She...
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Garcia is an internationally acclaimed dancer, actress, singer, choreographer, and the author of "The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince." She has appeared in numerous films and starred in the VH1 reality series "Hollywood Exes," as well as "Army Wives," "Psych," "The Closer," and...
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2:30pm PDT
Cheech Marin, Author of 'Cheech is Not My Real Name'
Speakers 
Marin is a comedian and actor and art collector who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech and Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's quick-and-scheme partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez, on Nash Bridges. His book is “Cheech Is Not My Real Name: ...But...
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2:30pm PDT
How to Navigate Education in California
Moderators 
Lelyveld writes City Beat stories for the Los Angeles Times about moments in the life of Los Angeles. She was born in New York and grew up around the world, but has now lived in Los Angeles longer than she’s lived anywhere else. Before joining The Times in 2001, she wrote for the...
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Blume covers education for the Los Angeles Times. He’s won the top investigative reporting prize from the L.A. Press Club and print Journalist of the Year from the L.A. Society of Professional Journalists chapter. He co-hosts “Deadline L.A.” on KPFK, which the press club named...
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Kohli is a reporter covering education for the Los Angeles Times. A product of Southern California, she grew up in Diamond Bar and graduated from UCLA. She worked as a metro reporter for the Orange County Register and as a reporter covering education and diversity for Quartz before...
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Phillips covers K-12 education in Los Angeles. Before joining the Los Angeles Times, she wrote about crime and courts for the Tampa Bay Times. She previously covered the New York City public school system for the New York Times and Chalkbeat New York. She grew up in a suburb of...
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Resmovits is an editor and reporter who covers education for the Los Angeles Times. Before that, she spent four years as the Huffington Post’s education reporter. In 2014-15, she was a Columbia University Spencer Fellow. Her writing previously appeared in the Wall Street Journal...
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Watanabe covers education for the Los Angeles Times. Since joining the Times in 1989, she has covered immigration, ethnic communities, religion, Pacific Rim business and served as Tokyo correspondent and bureau chief. She also covered Asia, national affairs and state government for...
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Xia covers higher education for the Los Angeles Times. She previously reported on disaster preparedness and wrote stories that connected science, infrastructure and policy. Topics included the drought, wildfires, vaccinations and earthquake safety, with an emphasis on buildings at...
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2:30pm PDT
2:30pm PDT
The Handmaid's Tale from Page to Screen: Margaret Atwood & Bruce Miller in Conversation with Mary McNamara, Conversation 2063
Moderators 
McNamara was named assistant managing editor for arts and entertainment in 2016. She was previously the television critic and senior culture editor. A Pulitzer Prize winner in 2015 and finalist for criticism in 2013 and 2014, she has won various awards for criticism and feature writing...
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Atwood is the author of more than 40 books of fiction, poetry and critical essays. Her novels include “Cat’s Eye,” shortlisted for the Booker Prize; “Alias Grace,” which won the Giller Prize in Canada; “The Blind Assassin,” winner of the 2000 Booker Prize; “Oryx and...
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Miller is a producer and writer, known for “Eureka” (2006), “The 100” (2014) and “ER” (1994). His current project is the Hulu adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
2:40pm PDT
Kim Dower, Reading from "Last Train to the Missing Planet"
Speakers 
Dower is the City Poet Laureate of West Hollywood. She has published three collections of poetry with Red Hen Press, and her poems appear in several anthologies including "Wide Awake: Poets of Los Angeles and Beyond,” Beyond Baroque Books, as well as journals including Rattle, Barrow...
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3:00pm PDT
3:00pm PDT
James Meetze, Reading from 'Phantom Hour'
Speakers 
Meetze is the author of three books of poetry, including "Phantom Hour" and "Dayglo,” which was selected by Terrance Hayes as winner of the 2010 Sawtooth Poetry Prize, both published by Ahsahta Press. He is editor, with Simon Pettet, of “Other Flowers: Uncollected Poems by James...
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3:00pm PDT
James Burks, Author of "Pigs and a Blanket"
Speakers 
Burks has written and illustrated a number of children's books, including the Bird and Squirrel graphic novel series and "Gabby and Gator," which was selected as a Read Across America title in 2012. Before beginning his career in books, he worked in the world of animationon films...
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3:00pm PDT
3:00pm PDT
From Page to Screen to Page: Writing in Hollywood, Conversation 2054
Moderators 
Rayner’s books include “Murder Book” and “The Devil’s Wind.” Rayner writes for the New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Review of Books. His most recent book is “A Bright and Guilty Place.”
Goldberg is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books, including “The "House of Secrets,” co-authored with Brad Meltzer, "Gangsterland,” a finalist for the Hammett Prize, and "Living Dead Girl,” which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He...
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McGreevy is an author and screenwriter whose debut novel, “Hemlock Grove,” was adapted into the Netflix series of the same name. He is co-creator of the AMC series, “The Son,” based on Phillip Meyer’s bestselling book. He holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Texas...
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Parker is the author of three novels all based on the cult TV soap opera “Dark Shadows.” Before she became an author, she was an actress, and she appeared on “Dark Shadows” for five years playing the part of the witch, Angelique. Lara was born in Knoxville and grew up in Memphis...
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Ribon is a bestselling author, TV writer, comic book writer, screenwriter, roller derby girl, and Wonder Killer. In addition to her novels, Ribon continues to work in film and television, most recently on Disney’s Moana. She is the author of the roller derby comic book “Slam...
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3:00pm PDT
Nonfiction: California's Hidden Poor, Conversation 2034
Moderators 
Lopez is a California native who has been an L.A. Times columnist since 2001. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards for his reporting and column writing at seven newspapers and four news magazines, and was a 2011 Pulitzer finalist for his columns on elder care. He...
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Geffen has been a civil rights attorney for most of her career advocating for elderly and disabled clients. After teaching as an Elder Law Professor at Loyola Law School and serving as in- house counsel for a major nursing home corporation based in Southern California, Susan received...
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Straight, a recipient of the L.A. Times 2013 Robert Kirsch Award, has published eight novels, including "Between Heaven and Here" and "Highwire Moon.” Her new novel, "The Shipwreck Bed,” will be published in 2017, and a memoir, A "Sunday Kind of Love,” will be published in 2018...
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Wallace, Ph.D. is professor and chairperson of the Department of Community Health Sciences, and Associate Director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. He is a leading scholar nationally on aging in communities of color and has...
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3:00pm PDT
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o in Conversation with Rebecca Carroll, Conversation 2134
Moderators 
Carroll is Editor of Special Projects at WNYC. She is a Critic-at-Large for the Los Angeles Times, and a former Opinion writer for The Guardian. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, New York magazine, Harper's Bazaar and Esquire, among others. She is the author of five narrative...
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Wa Thiong'o, currently a Professor of Literature at UC Irvine, was born in Kenya. He is a novelist, playwright, journalist, academic and social activist, as well as the recipient of many honors including the 2001 Nonino International Prize for Literature. Wa Thiong'o most recently...
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3:00pm PDT
I Ain't Got No Home In This World Anymore: Poetry and the Present Moment, Conversation 2084
Moderators 
St. John's most recent collection of poetry is "The Last Troubadour" (Ecco). He is a Chancellor of The Academy of American Poets.
Mead is the author of five collections of poetry and the recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, a Whiting Writers Award, and a Lannan Foundation Completion Grant. For many years Poet-in-Residence at Wake Forest University, she has taught as a visiting writer at Colby College...
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Parker is the author of "Other People's Comfort Keeps Me Up At Night" and "There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé.” Her work has been published in the The Paris Review, The New York Times, The Nation, and elsewhere. Parker is the recipient of a 2017 National Endowment of...
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Schiff is the author of three poetry collections, the most recent of which, "A Woman of Property" (Penguin, 2016), was named a best poetry book of the year by The New Yorker and the Chicago Tribune. Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, New Republic, A Public Space, Poetry, and...
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Youn is the author of "Blackacre,” which was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award and longlisted for the National Book Award, and named one of 2016's best poetry books by the New York Times, the Washington Post and BuzzFeed. Her previous book "Ignatz" (2010...
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3:00pm PDT
From Protest to Action to Justice: Politics, Media and the Law, Conversation 2144
Moderators 
Cole is a professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the author of eight nonfiction books, including the best-selling "The Universe and the Teacup: The Mathematics of Truth and Beauty" and "Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens: Frank Oppenheimer...
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Armour is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at USC. His book "Negrophobia and Reasonable Racism: The Hidden Costs of Being Black in America" addresses three core concerns of the Black Lives Matter movement: racial profiling, police brutality, and mass incarceration.
Hadfield is the author of "Rules for a Flat World: Why Humans Invented Law and How to Reinvent It for a Complex Global Economy.” She is a professor of law and economics, and the director of the Center for Law and Social Science, at USC.
Scheer is a veteran political journalist. He conducted the famous Playboy interview with Jimmy Carter and went on to interview Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and other prominent political figures. In the late 1960s, he was Vietnam correspondent and editor of Ramparts...
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3:00pm PDT
Nonfiction: Tragedies of Our Past, Conversation 2014
Moderators 
Deverell is a historian focusing on the American West. A co-editor of the Blackwell Companion to California History, he is a professor of history at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
Fett is an Associate Professor of History at Occidental College. She is the author of "Recaptured Africans,” and her previous book, "Working Cures,” won the Southern Historical Association's Frank L. and Harriet Owsley Prize and the Organization of American Historian's James A...
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Madley is an historian of Native America, the United States, and colonialism in world history. Born in Redding, California, Ben spent much of his childhood in Karuk Country near the Oregon border where he became interested in the relationship between colonizers and indigenous peoples...
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Snyder is an award-winning historian who teaches at Indiana University. Her first book, "Slavery in Indian Country," earned a wide range of accolades, including the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians Book Prize, the James H. Broussard Prize, and the John C. Ewers Prize. Snyder's...
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3:00pm PDT
Crime Fiction: Walking the Line, Conversation 2094
Moderators 
Woods is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the editor or author or eight books, including four Charlotte Justice mystery novels. Her reviews appear regularly in The Los Angeles Times.
Hallinan is the Edgar- and Macavity-nominated author of the Poke Rafferty thriller series and the Junior Bender mystery series. After years of working in Hollywood, television, and the music industry, he now writes full time. He divides his time between California and Thailand. His...
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Ide is of Japanese American descent. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, Joe's favorite books were the Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories. The idea that a person could face the world and vanquish his enemies with just his intelligence fascinated him. Joe went on to earn a graduate...
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Swinson is the author of “A Detailed Man” and “Second Girl.” He is a retired D.C. police detective and a former alternative and punk rock promoter in Long Beach, CA in the eighties.
3:10pm PDT
Third Bird: Jazz Musical Performance
Artists 
Third Bird is Zev Shearn-Nance, Kyle Scherrer, Paul Cornish, Logan Kane, and Michael Blasky, who started playing together as students of jazz at the USC Thornton School of Music.
Sunday April 23, 2017 3:10pm - 3:40pm PDT
USC Stage
3:20pm PDT
Sarah Vap, Reading from 'Viability'
Speakers 
Vap is the author of six books of poetry and poetics. She is the recipient of a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship, and her most recent collection, "Viability" (Penguin 2016), was selected for the National Poetry Series. She lives in Venice, California.
3:30pm PDT
LeUyen Pham, Author of 'The Bear Who Wasn't There'
Speakers 
Pham worked in animation before turning to children’s books. She wrote and illustrated “Big Sister, Little Sister” and “The Bear Who Wasn't There,” and is the illustrator of numerous other picture books. Pham lives in Los Angeles with her husband. Her latest book is “The...
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3:30pm PDT
Wandering Song: Central American Writing in the United States
Speakers 
Escamilla is a writer and documentarian. Born in El Salvador, she went into exile in the 1980's and joined the PEN Center USA Emerging Voice Fellowship.
Gonzalez is the author of two books: Black Bubblegum and Blue Bubblegum. He was born in Los Angeles and is from Salvadorian descent.
Hernandez is a poet and comedian of Guatemalan descent. He maintains the Los Brainiacs Poetry website and was previously published in The Coiled Serpent anthology.
Rodriguez served as Los Angeles Poet Laureate from 2014-2016. He's also founding editor of Tia Chucha Press and co-founder of Tia Chucha's Cultural Center & Bookstore in the San Fernando Valley. He's best known for the bestselling memoir "Always Running, La Vida Loca, Gang Days in...
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Terezon is a Bay area poet and educator. His award winning poetry collection "Hunting for Izotes" explores his family's immigrant experiences living in Pacoima, California.
3:30pm PDT
More Than Words: The New Coffee Table Book, Conversation 2114
Moderators 
Rothbart is the creator of Found Magazine, a frequent contributor to public radio's This American Life, and the author of a book of personal essays, “My Heart Is An Idiot,” and a collection of stories, “The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas.” He writes regularly for...
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Foer is the cofounder, chairman, and editor at large of AtlasObscura.com. He is the author of "Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide To The World's Hidden Wonders,” "Moonwalking with Einstein,” and a forthcoming book about the world's last hunter-gatherers. His writing has appeared...
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For his book "Overview,” Grant created more than 220 stunning images by stitching together numerous high-resolution satellite photographs. The book takes its inspiration from Daily Overview — his Instagram account with more than half a million followers. With each image, he aims...
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White is the author, with Barney Ales, of “Motown: The Sound of Young America,” a visual history of the Detroit music factory which inspired the world. With 1,000-plus photos in color and black & white, the book showcases Motown’s style, soul and magnetism, while the narrative...
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3:30pm PDT
Nonfiction: The Culture of Southern California, Conversation 2124
Moderators 
Miranda is a Los Angeles Times staff writer covering culture from high to low: museums to murals, art books to comics, documentaries to reaction GIFs. A longtime independent journalist, she has reported on the architecture of skate parks and the intersection of fine art and video...
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Arellano is editor of OC Weekly, author of the syndicated column ¡Ask a Mexican! And wrote "Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America."
Kun is a professor in the USC Annenberg School for Communication and the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity. He is an author and editor of several books, including "Songs in the Key of Los Angeles,” "To Live and Dine in L.A.,” and the forthcoming "The Tide Was Always...
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Ulin is the author, most recently, of "Sidewalking: Coming to Terms with Los Angeles," a finalist for the PEN/Diamonstein- Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay, and the novel "Ear to the Ground," co-written with Paul Kolsby. A 2015 Guggenheim Fellow, he is the former book editor...
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3:30pm PDT
Advice Experts: Go Ahead - Ask Me Anything, Conversation 2044
Moderators 
Alkon writes applied behavioral science. Her award-winning science-based advice column is distributed by Creators Syndicate to newspapers across North America. Alkon's most recent book is the science-based and bitingly funny "Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck" (St...
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Des Barres is a rock journalist, and New York Times best-selling author of five books, including the international classic, "I'm With the Band." She teaches women's writing workshops around the globe, hosts rock and roll tours of Hollywood, and has her own clothing line, Groupie...
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Dickinson writes the syndicated "Ask Amy" advice column, which replaced the Ann Landers column in 2003. "Ask Amy" appears in more than 150 newspapers in North America, including the Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Newsday, The Boston Globe, the Denver Post, the St. Louis Post...
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Havrilesky writes New York's Ask Polly advice column and Bookforum's Best Seller List column. She is the author of “How to Be a Person in the World” and “Disaster Preparedness,” and her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times...
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3:30pm PDT
3:30pm PDT
Young Adult Fiction: L.A. Stories
Moderators 
Hartzler has written books, screenplays, and a great number of tweets. His first book, "Rapture Practice" (2013) is a true story about his own life, a memoir about getting kicked out of his Christian high school in Kansas City two weeks before graduation. His novel "What We Saw" (2015...
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Goo grew up in a Los Angeles suburb surrounded by floral wallpaper and piles of books. She is the author of "Since You Asked…”and has very strong feelings about tacos and houseplants. You can find her in Los Angeles with her husband and two cats--one weird, one even more weird...
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Smith is the award-winning author of six Young Adult novels including the 2009 California Book Awards Gold Medalist, "Flygirl,” "Orleans,” and her latest, "Pasadena.” Her books have been listed as Amelia Bloomer, ALA Best Books for Young People, and Junior Library Guild Selections...
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Stohl is the author of Marvel's "Black Widow: Red Vengeance" and "Black Widow: Forever Red,” Icons series and the best-selling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures novels. Her most recent book is “Royce Rolls.” She is a veteran of the videogame industry, co-founder of YALLFest...
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3:30pm PDT
Young Adult Fiction: Pieces of Me, Conversation 2024
Moderators 
Colbert is author of the young adult novel "Pointe,” which was named a best book of 2014 by Publishers Weekly, BuzzFeed, Book Riot, and the Chicago and Los Angeles public libraries. Her short fiction and nonfiction has been featured in critically acclaimed anthologies, and her next...
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LaCour is the author of the award-winning "Hold Still" and widely acclaimed "The Disenchantments.” Formerly a bookseller and high school English teacher, she now writes and parents full time. A San Francisco Bay Area native, Nina lives with her family in Richmond, California. Her...
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Niven is the author of the New York Times bestsellers "All the Bright Places" and "Holding Up the Universe.” She has also written four novels for adults--"American Blonde,” "Becoming Clementine,” "Velva Jean Learns to Fly,” and "Velva Jean Learns to Drive"—as well as three...
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Thomas was born, raised, and still resides in Jackson, Mississippi. She is a former teen rapper whose greatest accomplishment was an article about her in Right-On Magazine. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University. Her debut YA novel, “The Hate U Give,” was...
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Yoon is the author of the New York Times bestsellers "The Sun Is Also a Star," a National Book Award finalist and "Everything, Everything,” her debut novel, which is soon to be a major motion picture. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter, both of whom she loves...
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3:30pm PDT
Nonfiction: What's Up with America?, Conversation 2074
Moderators 
Lenney wrote "The Object Parade" and "Bigger Than Life: A Murder, a Memoir," and, with Judith Kitchen, co-edited "Brief Encounters: A Collection of Contemporary Nonfiction." She serves as core faculty for the Bennington Writing Seminars, and as a senior editor for the Los Angeles...
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Chang has been a hip-hop journalist for more than a decade and has written for The San Francisco Chronicle, The Village Voice, Vibe, The Nation, URB, Rap Pages, Spin, and Mother Jones. He was a founding editor of Colorlines Magazine, senior editor at Russell Simmons's 360hiphop.com...
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Jouet teaches at Stanford Law School. His writing on the intriguing evolution of American politics, government, and culture has been featured in numerous publications, including Mother Jones, Slate, The New Republic, and San Francisco Chronicle. Raised in Paris by a French mother...
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Mayer is a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of three bestselling and critically acclaimed narrative nonfiction books, most recently “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right.” For her reporting at The New Yorker, Mayer...
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Poulos is one of America's most original social theorists. A contributing editor at National Affairs and American Affairs, he has mapped the future of freedom for Foreign Policy, The Federalist, and Vice, among many other publications. Holding degrees from Duke and USC, he was a doctoral...
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3:40pm PDT
Michelle Bitting, Reading from 'The Couple Who Fell To Earth'
Speakers 
Bitting's third collection is "The Couple Who Fell to Earth" (C & R Press, 2016), named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2016. Poems appear in The American Poetry Review, Narrative, The New York Times, Vinyl, Plume, Diode, the Paris-American, Fjords, and others. Poems have been nominated...
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3:40pm PDT
Diversity in Hollywood
Moderators 
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...
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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...
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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...
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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.
3:40pm PDT
Steve Jones, Author of 'Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol,' in Conversation with Mikael Wood, presented by KLOS
Moderators MW
Wood writes about pop music in all its ever-quickening splendor. Prior to joining the Los Angeles Times in 2012, he was a freelance contributor to Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Spin and the Village Voice. He grew up in Little Rock, Ark., graduated from Northwestern University...
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Jones, of The Sex Pistols and author of “Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol,” is the host of Jonesy’s Jukebox. The show encompasses everything from groundbreaking new music of his own personal collection to current topic discussions and guest interviews of all varieties with...
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4:00pm PDT
Rickey Laurentiis, Reading from 'Boy with Thorn'
Speakers 
Laurentiis was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. His poetry has been supported by the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Italy, the NEA and the Poetry Foundation. In 2016, he traveled to Palestine as a part of the Palestine Festival of Literature. His first book, "Boy with Thorn...
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4:15pm PDT
La Chamba Cumbia Chicha: Musical Performance
Artists 
La Chamba is driven by Electric Guitar, that fuses 60's psychedelic inspired surf-pop from Peru, with Afro-Latin rhythms. With roots in East and South Central Los Angeles, "Chamba" literally means "work," and is a word used throughout the barrios of Latin America to describe your...
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4:20pm PDT
Carol V. Davis, Reading from "Because I Cannot Leave This Body"
Speakers 
Davis is the author of "Because I Cannot Leave This Body" (Truman State Univ. Press, 2017), "Between Storms" (TSUP, 2012) and won the 2007 T.S. Eliot Prize for "Into the Arms of Pushkin: Poems of St. Petersburg.” Twice a Fulbright scholar in Russia, she teaches at Santa Monica College...
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4:30pm PDT
Exploding Flowers: Psychedelic/Guitar Pop Musical Performance
Artists 
Exploding Flowers are an LA-based guitar-pop band influenced by the Paisley Underground, psych pop, power pop, and all things “jangle.” Members include singer/songwriter Sharif Dumani, drummer Josh Mancell, guitarist/bassist Mark Sogomian, and organist/vibraphonist Happy Tsug...
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Sunday April 23, 2017 4:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
USC Stage
4:30pm PDT
The Nick & Jen Show
Speakers 
Nick the Music Man & Jen the Fairy Dancer are a husband and wife duo dedicated to sharing the joy of music and movement with children everywhere. With over 20 years of work in the classroom and on the stage their interactive kids music is enriching, imaginative and irresistible!
4:40pm PDT
