A student journalist's weekend at the biggest event in books

All Photos by Britney Henderson, Staff Reporter

I have wanted to go to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books since my freshman year of high school. This year, on April 26 and 27, not only did I have the chance to attend the event for the first time, but I also received exclusive media panel access.

Ironically, I had only heard about the festival my freshman year because it had been changed to a virtual event during the pandemic. Since then, though, the festival has resumed its annual residence on the University of Southern California (USC) campus, hosting authors, journalists, screenwriters, local booksellers, publishing companies and around 160,000 patrons. 

At the annual festival, there is something for everyone: kids, artists, cooks, and  of course,  readers. For two days, author conversations, live readings and fan meet and greets are meticulously scheduled with just enough time in between for patrons to get some shopping in.

More than ever, it seems necessary for a space where diverse stories can be showcased rather than silenced and pressing issues can be discussed rather than debated; an environment that the festival delivered.

Saturday, April 26, 9:30 a.m.

The one day it rains in LA. 

Even I, an Oregonian adamantly opposed to umbrellas, put the one my mom insists I carry in my car to good use.  It was to protect the books, okay?

But other than being annoying, the rain would not deter me.

When I first arrived at the USC campus, I picked up my press credentials. I was convinced I would be denied entry to the media room, but of course, that was just an irrational fear; I presented my Panther badge to the LA Times correspondent who had originally emailed me with the exciting opportunity, and received my first-ever press pass!

Outside, I could not believe how much it continued to rain. I attempted to look at vendors while simultaneously feeling extremely bad for them as they tried to keep books and other products safe by masking them in tarps.

After receiving my press pass, I made my way to my first event: a conversation with Liz Moore, the author of “Long Bright River,” and the production crew who recently worked on developing the New York Times best-selling novel into a Peacock original series.

I read the novel when it came out in 2020, and had just finished binge-watching the show the week prior to attending the festival. The discussion with Moore and the production team focused on how the transition from page to screen can be both seamless and challenging.

I had about an hour until the next event on my schedule — and the rain had stopped — so I visited booths, picking up some festival merchandise, a bookmark, magnet and pen, and two books: “I Don't Want to Read This Book Aloud” by Max Greenfield and “Blue Graffiti” by Callahagn Skogman — both of which I eventually got signed by the authors.

Next, I sat in on a discussion about my favorite genre to read: crime fiction. This panel featured Moore, Christopher Bollen and Sara Sligar, who all shared a niche interest in family dysfunction in fiction. Bollen is the author of author of six crime fiction novels, his most recent, “Havoc”, which he talked about. Sligar is an emerging author who has published two novels since 2020, and said she is working on her third.

Bollen described this subgenre as “dysfunctional and decorative.” Moore agreed, saying the key in such stories is crafting morally questionable or wrong characters readers admire for their wit or charisma.

Immediately after this discussion, I sat in on another, which focused on book bans and resistance in the 21st century.

What struck me most about this 200-seat lecture room (which was completely full) was that it was filled with patrons from every generation, from Baby Boomers to Gen Z. 

I feel like older generations often passively resist modern problems (such as book bans), passing the responsibility off to younger generations. This audience, though, proved to me otherwise. Although I will concede that good things arise from respectful debate, it was so nice to be in a room with like-minded individuals and not feel scared or the instinct to get defensive when discussing highly political topics.

For my final exhibit of the day, I shifted to a much lighter tone and headed to the children’s stage, an area devoted to stories for young readers. However, there were only a few children in sight, because the audience was filled with young adults and “New Girl” fans; the next speaker on the stage was Greenfield, the actor who portrayed Schmidt — a comical 30-something-year-old douchebag you find yourself sympathizing for — in the hit sitcom.

I am the proud owner of three of Greenfield’s children's books, two of which he read in the most entertaining way on stage; his reading can only be described as if Schmidt stepped off the screen and into the real world. I then stood in line for 45 minutes to meet Greenfield and get his autograph, passing the time with three nice USC students whom I had met.

With “New Girl” on my mind and being in LA, which I rarely am, the proper way to finish the night seemed like driving to the iconic building that the production used as the exterior for “the loft” in the series.

Still in disbelief about the day’s events, I returned to campus around 8:30 p.m., made a haul video to send to my family and solidified my schedule for day two.

Sunday, April 27, 10:30 a.m.

I got an hour later start to the day because I was far more exhausted than expected — the Festival of Books is not for the weak.

The sun was out, so I took advantage of it and started my day in the areas of the festival I had not seen the day prior.

From a distance, I saw one of my favorite childhood authors, Pam Muñoz Ryan, on the Young Adult stage talking about her not-yet-published novel “El Niño.” I made my first purchase of the day — a sticker of the A Good Used Book store logo — and made my way to my first event.

The first discussion I attended focused on novels about writers; not to be confused with memoirs, these novels center on fictional characters who either are authors or aspire to be. 

This is a tricky subgenre because I have read both well-executed and flawed books from it. As it turns out, novels about writers are not better perceived in the industry, as literary agents sometimes find the concept lazy. But after the panel, I was convinced to purchase Danzey Senna’s “Colored Television,” which I have been contemplating buying for nearly half a year.

For my second panel, I switched from novels to short stories. Although not my favorite format to read, I was intrigued to hear about the topic — suspense, noir, and crime — from authors who have published many short stories of the genre.

Speaking at the panel were Steph Cha, Tod Goldberg, Sara Gran and Ananda Lima, who had the best rapport with one another; it was truly entertaining to be in the room. 

My biggest takeaway came from Goldberg, fiction writer and creative writing professor at the University of California, Riverside, who is convinced that the key to becoming a writer is the Trader Joe's snack aisle.

I had a shorter day scheduled and made my way to the main stage for the final author of the festival: Callahan Skogman.

Skogman gained a large reader audience before his debut novel “Blue Graffiti,” as he starred as Matthias Helvar in Netflix’s “Shadow and Bone.” That series itself was based on the novels by Leigh Bardugo. To close off my weekend, I met more USC students in line waiting to get my copy of  “Blue Graffiti” signed by Skogman.

The LA Times has announced that the festival will be held on April 18 and 19 next year, and I plan to attend again. That being said, here are three things that I wish I had known before my first Festival of Books:

  1. Bring a backpack rather than a tote — your neck will thank you the next day. 

  1. Buy books for autographs in advance to avoid standing in two long lines rather than just one.

  1. As much as I hate to say it, prepare for rain and bring an umbrella.

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