FESTIVAL OF BOOKS SUPPLEMENT
Who to watch for at the 2026 Festival of Books
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will host a wide array of actors, authors, advocates and more! Read about some of the big names coming to campus this weekend.
Roxane Gay
(Los Angeles Times Festival of Books)
Roxane Gay is a New York Times bestselling author of “Bad Feminist” and the memoir “Hunger,” which won the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction, as well as the first Black woman to lead the writing of a novel for Marvel on its acclaimed series “World of Wakanda.” She’s considered “one of the most incisive cultural critics writing today,” according to The Nation.
Gay currently serves as a board member for We Need Diverse Books, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit organization that strives to diversify the publishing industry, make bookshelves more equitable and to promote literacy, build empathy and reduce bias.
At the festival, she will join fellow WNDB board member LeUyen Pham and Executive Director Caroline Richmond for a conversation moderated by Glory Edim, author of “Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves.” The panel will explore the ongoing work of creating spaces for marginalized voices and fostering more inclusive literary communities. Join them Saturday from 3 to 4 p.m. at Town and Gown. Tickets are required.
— Mia Arevalo
Lionel Richie
(Los Angeles Times Festival of Books)
Lionel Richie is an award-winning musician who rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and singer. He began his career as co-lead singer of the funk band the Commodores, before launching his solo career with the No. 1 single “Truly.”
Richie has sold more than 125 million albums globally and has received an Oscar, a Golden Globe and four Grammys.
In 2022, Richie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a performer. In addition, he was awarded the 2022 American Music Awards Icon Award — his 18th AMA award — and the 2022 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from the Library of Congress.
Richie has been a judge on ABC’s “American Idol” for the past eight seasons and is returning for a ninth. He has also reflected on his journey through music, fame and personal transformation in his memoir “Truly,” a New York Times bestseller released in September 2025.
At the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Richie will be participating in the “Ideas Exchange” speaker series with Times pop music critic Mikael Wood to discuss “Truly” on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in Bovard Auditorium.
— Kishneet Kaur
Marissa Meyer
(Los Angeles Times Festival of Books)
Marissa Meyer is an American novelist best known for her young adult science fiction and fantasy. She is the author of several New York Times bestselling book series, including “The Lunar Chronicles” and “Renegades.”
Best known for “The Lunar Chronicles,” a science fiction retelling of classic fairy tales including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White, Meyer brought a similar approach to her stand-alone novel “Heartless,” a reimagination of the Queen of Hearts’ origin story.
Meyer’s latest novel, “The Escape Game,” co-written with author Tamara Moss, was released April 2. She also used to host “The Happy Writer” podcast, where she would interview authors about their writing process. Prior guests included Paul Coccia and Joanne Levy.
On Sunday, Meyer will be featured in a panel called “Thrillers with Speculative Elements in YA Fiction,” from 3 to 4 p.m. at Taper Hall, room 201.
— Sairaksha Thirunavukkarasu
Yvette Nicole Brown
(Los Angeles Times Festival of Books)
Yvette Nicole Brown is an Emmy-nominated American actress, producer and writer. She is best known for playing Shirley Bennett on the American sitcom “Community,” a show that received critical acclaim for its meta humor and creative storytelling.
Brown’s versatile career is indicative through her many ventures in the media industry. She is a podcast host for “Squeezed with Yvette Nicole Brown,” a series about navigating life as a caregiver. She is also a voice actor and has starred in movies and television series, including “DC Super Hero Girls: Super Hero High” (2016) and “Elena of Avalor.”
Beyond acting, Brown advocates for Alzheimer’s awareness and currently serves as the vice chair of the board of directors for Donors Choose. She uses her leadership platforms to bring awareness to important topics, including caregiving roles and inclusion in Hollywood.
At the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Brown will be part of a panel called “Consider the Picture Book,” to discuss children’s literature with author Mac Barnett and 2024 MacArthur Fellow Jason Reynolds. The panel will be on Saturday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in Newman Recital Hall.
— Nidhi Bhogi
Sarah Jessica Parker
(Los Angeles Times Festival of Books)
Sarah Jessica Parker is an actress best known for her portrayal of Carrie Bradshaw in the HBO series “Sex and the City.” She also starred in “Hocus Pocus” (1993), “Footloose” (1984) and “Square Pegs.” Her work as an actress began in the ’80s, landing roles while she was still in school.
On Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in Bovard Auditorium, Parker will appear in a discussion with Alexandra Oliva and Miwa Messer, the creator, executive producer and host of the Barnes & Noble podcast, “Pour Over,” to discuss Oliva’s new novel, “The Radiant Dark.”
“The Radiant Dark” will be released in April by SJP Lit, Parker’s literary imprint that launched in 2022. Parker described the book as “a captivating family saga with a delicately speculative edge … a masterpiece.”
— Daniela Mattson
Larry David
(Los Angeles Times Festival of Books)
Larry David does it all as a producer, comedian, actor, writer and director. He is best known for his cringe comedy and ability to turn everyday social annoyances into on-screen humor.
David started out as a stand-up comedian with stints on ABC shows “Fridays” and “Saturday Night Live.” His big break came when he and Jerry Seinfeld created “Seinfeld,” where David served as head writer and executive producer for the first seven seasons and won two Primetime Emmy Awards in 1993. In 2000, he created and produced “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” an HBO series following a fictionalized version of himself living in Los Angeles.
David will join Los Angeles Times news and culture critic Lorraine Ali to discuss Ali’s new book “No Lessons Learned” and the making of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at Bovard Auditorium.
— Aanya Bansal
Blair Underwood
(Los Angeles Times Festival of Books)
A Tony and two-time Golden Globe nominee, Blair Underwood is a decorated actor, director and producer known for roles in “Sex and the City,” “Set it Off” (1996) and “Madea’s Family Reunion” (2006).
The multi-hyphenate began his writing career in 2005 with his anthology “Before I Got Here: The Wondrous Things We Hear When We Listen to the Souls of Our Children,” later followed by the “Tennyson Hardwick” series, a mystery series following a private detective in Hollywood.
With his most recent book, “A Soldier’s Wife,” Underwood offers a new meaning to the theatrical production “A Soldier’s Play” to pay tribute to his mother, who gave him his love of the arts and acted in a production of the play. The novel shares her life story and the lessons she learned along the way.
In conversation with Greg Braxton, Underwood will speak about “A Soldier’s Wife” on Sunday from 10:20 to 11 a.m. at the Los Angeles Times Main Stage.
— Sara Mccarthy
Margaret Atwood
(Los Angeles Times Festival of Books)
Margaret Atwood is an internationally acclaimed novelist, essayist and poet who is most noted for her novel “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Over the course of her career, she has received several awards, including two Booker Prizes: one in 2000 for her novel “The Blind Assassin” and another in 2019 for “The Testaments.”
Atwood, a recurring guest at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, will appear virtually this year for a preview of Hulu’s new television series, “The Testaments,” adapted from her bestselling novel. Set 15 years after the events of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the dystopian sequel explores the inner workings of the oppressive Gilead regime.
At the L.A. Times Festival of Books, Atwood will be joined in conversation with Bruce Miller, the showrunner and executive producer of both shows, on Sunday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in Norris Theater.
— Sairaksha Thirunavukkarasu
