The nation’s largest literary event, The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, is upon us this weekend and USC students are stoked.
“In uncertain and stressful times, books can feed our souls, transcend boundaries and allow us to explore diverse perspectives,” said Terry Tang, Executive Editor of the Los Angeles Times. “What would our world be without the constant infusion of beauty, wisdom, pleasure and love that comes from books? The works showcased in the Festival of Books offer us these invaluable gifts. I’m profoundly grateful to writers who show us a full picture of humanity in works of fiction, poetry and nonfiction,”
The festival attracts approximately 155,000 people each year from Southern California and other parts of the country. The annual festival dates back to 1996 and was originally held at UCLA, but made the switch to USC in 2010.
General admission to the festival grounds and indoor panel tickets are free, but a reservation is needed for specific events and certain additional events during the festival weekend may require a paid ticket.
There are nine different festival areas and highlights within the USC Campus that incorporate the different booths. https://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/files/2024/03/FOB-MAP.pdf
“As a non-book reader, I am excited to see a bunch of culture,” said Alexander Jung, a junior studying accounting. “It’s really cool how they do all this stuff and I wish I could come out more. I think it’s cool how they have all the vendors and give out free swag.”
The festival was created to bring together authors and their audiences in a collaborative space, though it’s not limited to just books. There will also be live bands, poetry readings, film screenings and artists performing live acts.
“It’s important because it brings together a large community of people from the outside areas, not just for students at USC but for families who are in the surrounding area in South Central,” said Genevieve Nguyen, a sophomore studying business administration.
This event is also focused on enhancing education by giving out free books and other supplies.
Maya Gardner, a senior studying theater, is looking forward to meeting some of her favorite authors and perusing through the used books.
“What’s nice is that the festival presents authors in many different ways that are accessible for people who don’t read as much or have trouble with reading, as well as people who read every day,” Gardner said. “It’s a good way to get people exposed to more books.”
Gardner was inspired to volunteer because one of her friends had the opportunity to work with her favorite author as well as other prestigious authors.
“It’s also in a community that has a lower socioeconomic status so having easier access to books is more important because they might not have that and we also don’t have a lot of libraries nearby,” Gardner said.
At this L.A. Festival, they will also have movies, graphic novel stores and merchandise for different shows or posters.
Nguyen said she was excited to see the diverse spread of book vendors like the Ripped Bodice and Vromans Bookstore.
“They’ll set up and bring their whole book stand and bring out some authors to sign and the speaker events are also pretty cool,” she said.
Public parking will be available for $20 in the following USC Parking Structures: Jefferson Blvd, Downey Way, USC Shrine, Figueroa St and Grand Ave.
The most convenient driving directions to USC’s campus would be by taking the freeway exit from I-110 onto Exposition Boulevard. At the end of the exit you will see the campus on the right-hand side one block down the street. Another convenient access is to exit from Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) on Vermont south to Jefferson Boulevard.
The Metro is another form of public transportation to get to USC’s campus. Take the E Line (Gold) to Expo Park/USC Station or take the J Line (Silver) to 37th St/USC.
For those who are considering making a purchase on the panel tickets you can find the festival’s tickets here. For people interested in attending the weekend event, you can look at the festival’s schedule Here are the schedule of the panels taking place on Thursday.
The festival is kicking off on Saturday, April 20th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:40 p.m.. The festival’s last day is on Sunday, April 21st, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:40 p.m..