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By Maddy Keavy
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is nothing without authors and their work. With more than 400 authors taking part in readings and panel discussions there are opportunities for attendees to immerse themselves in all things literature. To get you started, we’ve compiled a list of author events worth checking out Saturday and Sunday.
SATURDAY
11AM L.A. Times Stage: Join Dan Bucatinsky, author of Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight?: Confessions of a Gay Dad for a discussion and reading from his book.
11AM Bovard Auditorium: Margaret Atwood takes part in a discussion with interviewer Michael Silverblatt. Author of books like The Handmaid's Tale and The Blind Assassin, Atwood is considered one of the most influential authors in recent fiction history.
12:30 PM Poetry Stage: L.A.-based New Yorker writer Dana Goodyear will share a reading from, "The Oracle of Hollywood Boulevard" USC Master of Professional Writing program the reading will come from her new volume of poetry.
1:20 PM L.A. Times Stage: Join Julia Sweeney, author of If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Your Mother which deals with life’s challenges using humor and perspective. Known for her role on Saturday Night Live, this discussion will address her book as well as other topics with the comedic flare she’s known for.
3 PM Davidson Continuing Education Center: Four powerhouse comedians and authors Ophira Eisenberg, host of the weekly NPR and WNYC trivia, puzzle, and game show "Ask Me Another"; Heather McDonald author of My Inappropriate Life; Kelly Oxford, author of Everything is Perfect When You’re a Liar; and Lizz Winstead, Co-Creator of The Daily Show gather for "Humor: Vastly Inappropriate." This discussion will be one of the funniest of the festival—not to be missed.
3:40 PM L.A. Times Stage: Danica McKellar author of Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape will be reading and discussing this new work straight from the L.A. Times Stage.
5 PM Target Children’s Stage: Best-selling author of A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket will be promoting a new book titled The Dark. For families and fans of the series, the story focuses on Laszlo, his fear of the dark, and his journey to overcome.
SUNDAY
11 AM Bovard Auditorium: Joyce Carol Oates will be discussing her most recent novel, The Accursed with moderator Patt Morisson, along with other subjects in an insightful and candid conversation.
12 PM Seeley G. Mudd-SGM 123: The panel "Young Adult Fiction: Call Me Maybe?" features top authors like Robin Benway, Sarah Dessen (known for books like Someone Like You), Gayle Forman, and Morgan Matson. Not limited to the young adult audience, the conversation will feature what is popular for young adults, but the masses.
12:10 PM L.A. Times Stage: Authors of A Story of God and All of Us: A Novel Based on the Epic TV Miniseries "The Bible”; Mark Burnett and Roma Downey will be sharing insights of their book.
3 PM Ronald Tutor Campus Center: John Scalzi, science fiction author and President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, will take part in a candid discussion with moderator Richard Kadrey.
3:30 PM L.A. Times Booth: Other forms of writing are available for attendees at the festival. Henry Fuhrmann, Christie D’Zurilla, Rene Lynch, and Matt Ballinger will discuss the topics of headlines, tweets, and haikus. Get up-close and personal with editors and writers of the L.A. Times who understand the changing forms of social media and how to be direct, a lesson for journalists and Twitter users alike.
Related: Celeb Chefs Coming to Culinary Stage at the LA Times Festival of Books
