Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Highlights


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The Whole Spectrum

Queer L.A.: Culture, Art and Activism (Panel 1142)

Saturday, 12 p.m., Hoffman Hall

Panelists largely drawn from USC’s faculty will consider the role of queer culture, art and activism in the City of Angels. Moderated by English and gender studies professor Chris Freeman, the panelists plan to cover the years from 1950 to the present, a groundbreaking period for the LGBTQ community, by any measure.

Nighty-night 

Go the F**k to Sleep (Panel 1112)

Saturday, 12 p.m., Taper Hall 101

Ever dealt with a child who remained wide-awake even after being read his or her favorite bedtime story or sung an allegedly sleep-inducing lullaby? Ricardo Cortes and Adam Mansbach can relate. The pair will discuss the sometimes painful nighttime ritual as described in their book, Go The F**k To Sleep. The New York Times hailed the best-seller “a new bible for weary parents,” but beware: This lighthearted take on parenting might not be suitable for young children.

“Top Chef” Invades Cooking Stage

Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Cooking Stage

Hungry to learn more about Gail Simmons, one of the most recognizable faces of Bravo’s Top Chef franchise? The judge of the Emmy Award-winning cooking competition will whip up a delicious dish and share details about her childhood from her memoir Talking with My Mouth Full. Featuring the best and worst dishes she’s ever tasted and old photos of a young Simmons’ early days in the kitchen, the culinarian’s memoir should be a treat for any cooking fan.

Are You There ’SC? It’s Me, Judy

Judy Blume in Conversation with Mary McNamara (Panel 1093)

Saturday, 2:30 p.m., Bovard Auditorium

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of her beloved children’s novel Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing, Judy Blume will discuss her career, which has yielded numerous titles with cumulative sales totaling more than 80 million. Perfect for both elementary school students as well as adults reminiscing over their childhoods, Blume’s sit-down with Los Angeles Times television columnist Mary McNamara will involve discussion of Blume’s best-known and best-loved works, including Double Fudge and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Higher Thought

E Cannabis Unum (Panel 1115)

Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Taper Hall 101

The Los Angeles Times’ own Dean Kuipers moderates a discussion of the shifting narrative that has shaped the representations of and discourses about marijuana in America. Considering its history of criminalization, it’s no great surprise that much of the writing emerging about pot frames its use as an outlaw act, but that flat representation is complicated by its medicinal applications, its Hollywood heyday (Pineapple Express, Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle) and the fresh wave of activist support that it seems to receive from every generation.

America’s Granny

Betty White Interviewed by Karen Grigsby Bates

Sunday, 1:20 p.m., Los Angeles Times Stage

Besides her love for acting and television, Betty White’s other passion is animals. The Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland actress will speak Sunday about her love for all kinds of animals including her Golden Retriever, Pontiac. White’s greatest devotion just might be the creatures at the Los Angeles Zoo since, after advocating for many of the zoo’s exhibits, Los Angeles has named White “Ambassador to the Animals.” Her appearance is a must-see for pet lovers.

Michael Ian Black

Sunday, 2:30 p.m., Los Angeles Times Stage

Comedian, actor, husband and father Michael Ian Black has had quite the career and family life. In his debut memoir You’re Not Doing it Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death, and Other Humiliations, Black shares life stories, including his childhood with a lesbian feminist mother and how he eventually married his wife despite breaking up with her first. The Ed actor and I Love The… series contributor is likely to say things on Sunday that you are too afraid to admit — sounds like he’s doing something right.

From Laker Nation to Children’s Author 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld, What Color is My World?

Sunday, 4:15 p.m., Target Children’s Stage

Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers know Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Soon, parents will know the basketball great as a children’s author. Sharing his first kid’s book What Color Is My World? with Festival of Books visitors Sunday at the Target Children’s Stage, the NBA all-star hopes to educate children about black inventors’ greatest contributions to science.