Stacey Abrams is The New York Times bestselling author of “Stacey’s Extraordinary Words,” “Rogue Justice,” “While Justice Sleeps,” “Our Time is Now” and “Lead from the Outside.” She has written eight romantic suspense novels, and her latest book, in the “Stacey’s Stories” picture book series, “Stacey Speaks Up,” tells the story of what Stacey should do when her friends cannot afford the school lunch.
Abrams is also known for serving eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives and for being the first Black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee of a major party in the United States. Abrams has also founded multiple nonprofits, and launched organizations focused on voting rights and advocacy for social and economic justice.
She will be discussing her book “Stacey Speaks Up” with Angel Jennings on Saturday from 11:20 to 11:45 a.m. at the Children’s Stage.
— Daniela Mattson
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen brings a humanistic lens to scholarship about the Vietnam War and its fallout. Through the fictitious double agent in his novel “The Sympathizer” and in his personal life as a refugee to the United States, described in his memoir “A Man of Two Faces,” Nguyen highlights the importance of nuance in literary narratives about war and global conflict.
Nguyen is an acclaimed author who is no stranger to USC’s campus. He serves as the Aerol Arnold Chair of English and is a professor of English, American studies and ethnicity, as well as comparative literature.
On Sunday, Nguyen will be featured in a panel of writers to discuss the role of literature in shaping individual experiences, communities and everyday lives. Join Steve Wasserman, Benjamin Dreyer and Nguyen from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Mudd Building.
— Anya Motwani
As a professor of history at Boston University and renowned antiracist scholar, Ibram X. Kendi has earned honors ranging from receiving a MacArthur “genius grant” to being named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the world in 2020. His current catalog of 16 books, which includes five #1 The New York Times bestsellers and a National Book Award winner, dives deep into the history of racism and how it can be combated in the modern age.
Kendi’s 2019 memoir “How to Be an Antiracist” propelled him to national prominence and led him to found Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research, where he was awarded an endowed professorship.
Apart from authoring books, Kendi contributes to The Atlantic and will become the director of the Institute for Advanced Study at Howard University this summer. He will participate in the “Speak Out: The Evolution of Activism” panel at Town & Gown on Saturday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tickets are required.
— Alex Gross
Actress, comedian and author Jenny Slate will appear at this year’s L.A. Times Festival of Books. Slate is known for her numerous roles in television, appearing in shows such as “Parks and Recreation,” “Girls” and most recently in “Dying for Sex.”
She is also known as the co-creator, co-writer and voice of Marcel in the 2021 film “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” which was nominated for a Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice Award and an Academy Award. In 2019, she published her first essay collection, “Little Weirds,” which became a The New York Times bestseller.
In her second novel, “Lifeform,” which she released last fall, she covers the journey of motherhood, love and everything in between. Slate will participate in a panel in conversation with Traci Thomas on Sunday from 10:20 to 11:00 a.m. at the L.A. Times Main Stage.
— Beatrice Calalang
Jon M. Chu is a renowned director, producer and screenwriter who has been the guiding hand in groundbreaking films such as “Wicked” (2024), “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018) and “Now You See Me 2” (2016). Chu is a USC alum and will be addressing the Class of 2025 at this year’s commencement ceremony.
According to a press release announcing Chu as the speaker, his love for film making began at a very young age, stemming from scripting and producing amateur films with a video camera, his imagination and the help of his siblings. He has worked hard to improve Asian Pacific diversity within the film industry through his casting choices in blockbuster films and by establishing scholarships to promote racial representation.
In conversation with Ashley Lee, Jon M. Chu will speak on his book “Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen” on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at Town & Gown.
— Chelsea Latta
Chelsea Handler is an American comedian and television personality. Known for her bawdy and effervescent style, Handler made a name for herself through her talk show, “Chelsea Lately,” where she discussed celebrity gossip and popular culture. While continuing her work in TV, Handler became a six-time The New York Times bestselling author.
In her first two books, “My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands” and “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea,” Handler chronicled her sexual and dating experiences, as well as her relationships with her family with humor and wit. Her collections of essays in “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang” and “Uganda Be Kidding Me” exposed more of her absurd stories, while also offering further insight on her childhood upbringing and travels. It wasn’t until her 2019 memoir, “Life Will Be the Death of Me: … and you too!” that she became politically active. Talking about the grief of losing her brother and her political opinions regarding the 2016 Trump administration, Handler details her year of self-discovery and the desire to be a more active person.
Her newest autobiographical memoir, “I’ll Have What She’s Having,” continues the evolution of her personal growth that began with her 2019 memoir. Handler will be talking about her memoir with Yvonne Villarreal on Sunday from 1:50 to 2:30 p.m. at the L.A. Times Main Stage.
— Katherine Meloch-Perez
Despite being widely recognized for his performances, Josh Gad will attend the 2025 L.A. Times Festival of Books as a writer. Known for his roles in Disney’s “Frozen” (2013) and the Broadway musical “The Book of Mormon,” Gad is now sitting down to speak about his new memoir “In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some.”
Gad graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and has gone on to build a diverse professional portfolio, now adding author to his motley of titles. His memoir reflects his life, in which he doesn’t tell all, but rather gathers instances from his childhood, struggles, acting career, family building and his Jewish heritage. The essays are punctuated with “Gadisms” or Josh Gad-style proverbs.
So, if hearing a conversation with Gad — or imagining Olaf talking about Gad’s novel, for that matter — sounds enticing, he will be on the Main Stage on Sunday from 12:40 to 1:20 p.m. Who knows, he might even bestow some Gadisms on those in attendance.
— Ava O’Connor
Alongside instructing undergraduate students in English and researching American studies as well as critical theory, Percival Everett writes about themes related to race and identity. With over 30 books under his belt, Everett has become a prolific author with an impressive log of accolades; he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and PEN/Faulkner Award, and his novel “Erasure” was adapted into the major motion picture film, “American Fiction” (2023).
Everett’s most recent publication, “James,” reimagines the classic tale of Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” A Booker Prize shortlist and National Book Award winner, “James” centralizes the commonly told narrative through a marginalized voice, restructuring the tale from the lens of an enslaved Black person, Jim. Its gripping plot and dark humor enlighten audiences with the voice of Jim, who switches between “languages” to address different people.
In conversation with Héctor Tobar, Everett will detail the workings of this novel at Bovard Auditorium on Sunday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
— Miranda Huang
This year, novelist Rachel Kushner is bringing back her vibrant prose and layered characters to the L.A. Times Festival of Books. Largely known for “The Flamethrowers” and “The Mars Room,” Kushner earned her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Columbia University in 2000 and her writing has featured in The New York Times, The Paris Review and Harper’s Magazine. She was also awarded the 2016 American Academy of Arts and Letters Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award, and her books have been translated into 27 languages worldwide.
The two-time National Book Award finalist returns to the festival with her novel “Creation Lake,” a thriller following a secret agent sent to rural France that blends high comedy with intellectual intrigue. The novel, praised for its depth and authenticity, earned a spot on the 2024 Booker Prize shortlist and the 2024 National Book Award longlist. Kushner will speak Saturday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Norris Cinema Theatre.
— Isabel Ramos-Assam
Amanda Gorman will take to the stage at USC following the release of her new children’s book, “Girls on the Rise.” Through her picture books, Gorman hopes to instill the importance of community and allyship in the next generations.
Gorman’s own writing journey began at just a few years old, and she has gone on to be the youngest inaugural poet, reciting her poem “The Hill We Climb” for former President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, which also became a New York Times bestseller upon publication. Recipient of the first National Youth Poet Laureate title in 2017, Gorman has upheld the program’s mission to inspire change through artistic expression and civic engagement.
As part of an Ideas Exchange event, Gorman will appear in conversation with Jenny Gold, a staff writer covering education for the L.A. Times, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday at Bovard Auditorium.
— Anya Motwani
