Festival of Books to host evening programs for book enthusiasts


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At the L.A. Times Festival of Books, the fun and inspiration does not end after sunset. This year, the Festival will be sponsoring six evening events for music, film and literary enthusiasts from April 8 to April 16. With double the events from last year, the Festival After Dark promises to not disappoint those who wish to make the most of their experience at the world’s largest book festival.
On Friday, the famous Literary Death Match will be celebrating its 10th anniversary by continuing its partnership with the Festival of Books. This popular event will be held at Largo at the Coronet on La Cienega Blvd. At the Death Match, four writers will have seven minutes or less to read their own work and will be judged by a panel of celebrity judges. After deliberation, the top two finalists will compete in the epic Literary Death Match finale, a game competition that will ultimately decide the victor. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley and HBO Silicon Valley actor Thomas Middleditch will join the panel of judges, while Girls executive producer Bruce Eric Kaplan will be one of the four readers competing in the event.

Saturday boasts of three exciting events across Los Angeles. The first is The Objectively Hottest Authors on Earth LIVE!, an interview talk show hosted by comedian Sara Benincasa. At the NerdMelt Showroom, Benincasa will be speaking with multiple authors and comedians throughout the night. It is guaranteed to be a hilarious and entertaining experience for all who attend. The next is the USC School of Dramatic Arts’ very own spring musical “A Little Night Music.” Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase two tickets at the price of one through a special discount code presented at the box office window.

Finally, the Library Foundation of Los Angeles will be returning to the Festival of Dark with its 5th Annual Book Drop Bash at the L.A. Central Library. Along with music, the party will have complimentary food and drink. For admission, each attendee is recommended to bring at least one book for the big Book Swap!
The Festival After Dark continues after the conclusion of the main festival with two final events hosted at USC. On April 14, USC’s Visions and Voices will have the honor of hosting the world premiere of Edgar Arceneaux’s film Until, Until, Until…, which will be held at the Ray Stark Family Theatre. The film explores Ben Vereen’s controversially censored performance at President Ronald Reagan’s inauguration ceremony in 1981. Actor and musician Ben Vereen provides personal commentary about the event in the film and discusses the implications of racism, segregation and censorship in the media during the late twentieth century. The film will allow its audiences to think more deeply about their knowledge of historic events and reconsider what they know to be truth. The event will be free to USC students and all members of the general public.

Finally, the Festival After Dark will conclude on April 16 with a stimulating performance from opera and performance artist M. Lamar. M. Lamar’s Funeral Doom Spiritual: For Male Soprano, Piano, and Electronics is inspired by themes of apocalypse, white supremacy and black resentment and is bound to spark conversation.
Some Festival After Dark events will require advance ticket purchases. More information can be found online.