Visitors fill the USC University Park Campus on opening day of the festival. The event has grown into the largest literary and cultural event in the nation. (USC Photo/Gus Ruelas)
What you’ll want to look for during this weekend’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC
The two-day festival on the University Park Campus will feature several USC faculty members and students.
USC President Beong-Soo Kim and the USC Trojan Marching Band will help kick off festivities on the USC Stage for the 31st annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books this weekend.
About 150,000 people are expected to flock to USC’s University Park Campus on Saturday and Sunday for the two-day event that has become the largest literary and cultural festival in the nation.
The festival features panels, on-stage conversations and signings involving an array of literary stars, USC academics and authors, and a plethora of celebrities with newly released books.
Among the most famous faces appearing during the weekend will be Sarah Jessica Parker, Lionel Richie, Larry David, Susan Lucci, Tom Selleck, David Duchovny, Jennie Garth, Blair Underwood and Valerie Bertinelli.
But the festival weekend also provides host USC with an opportunity to showcase its own star power through a series of USC festival panels inside Wallis Annenberg Hall.
“I think it’s just a really incredible lineup this year,” said USC Visions and Voices Executive Director Daria Yudacufski, who organizes USC’s programming at the festival. “They are exploring such a wide range of issues including health care, climate change, sports, food, AI and even Shakespeare.”
Saturday at the Festival of Books: Shakespeare, immigration, fame and more
On Saturday, the session “Fame, Gender and the Scrutiny of Cultural Icons” will feature a conversation that includes Distinguished Professor of English Maggie Nelson of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, whose new book, The Slicks: On Sylvia Plath and Taylor Swift, traces the parallels between the 20th-century American poet and the pop superstar as targets of patriarchal efforts to disparage creative work by women.
Nelson will be joined by USC Dornsife Professor Karen Tongson, the Barbra Streisand Professor of Contemporary Gender Studies, who is the award-winning author of Normporn: Queer Viewers and the TV that Soothes Us and Why Karen Carpenter Matters, among other titles.
Moderating the discussion will be Assistant Professor Nate Sloan of the USC Thornton School of Music, a musicologist and performer who is co-host of the podcast Switched on Pop and co-author of Switched on Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why it Matters.
During the Saturday session “Shakespeare in the 21st Century,” four USC Dornsife professors — two of whom are past presidents of the Shakespeare Association of America — will explore why the Bard’s work remains a vital cultural and political touchstone.
Other USC panels taking place on Saturday include “Health, Stigma and Identity: Confronting Barriers and Creating Equity”; “Food and Immigration in L.A. and Beyond” and “Life on Earth: From Climate Change to New Discoveries.”
Sunday at the Festival of Books: Identity, artificial intelligence, parenting and more
Dean Pedro Noguera of the USC Rossier School of Education will moderate the Sunday afternoon session “Creativity and Curiosity in the Age of AI: From the Arts to Education.”
USC professors from education, writing and cinematic arts will explore what it means to remain curious, original and human as generative artificial intelligence reshapes how we create, teach and learn.
Noguera will be joined in discussion by USC Rossier Associate Professor Stephen J. Aguilar, who leads the USC Center for Generative AI and Society; USC Dornsife’s Jen Sopchockchai Bankard, a professor of writing and a member of the university’s AI Strategy Committee; and Professor Pablo Frasconi of the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Also on Sunday is the session “Gender, Media and Identity in Sport,” featuring USC alumna Courtney M. Cox, author of the book Double Crossover: Gender, Media, and Politics in Global Basketball. Cox and fellow panelists will offer insights on the connections between sports, media and identity, including how Black women and nonbinary athletes navigate the global sports-media complex.
Other USC panels taking place on Sunday are “Raising Gen Alpha: Parenting Today” and “Historical Connections and Contemporary Perspectives on Race and Identity.”
Trojan musical talent to enjoy on the USC Stage
Trojans will provide live musical entertainment outdoors at the USC Stage, located in Hahn Central Plaza. Musical performers include current and former USC students.
On Saturday, attendees can take a break between sessions and shopping at vendor booths to catch performances by trumpet player and bandleader Dylan Quint, the indie rock band Ponytrick, singer-songwriter Sawyer Rabin, singer Derrick Unlimited, the singer known as WALLIS and Mariachi Los Troyanos de USC.
Sunday’s musical lineup features a morning performance by the USC Trojan Marching Band followed by sets from singer-songwriter Sofia Silvestri, the genre-fluid musical duo EASTWEST, folk musician Nolan Jack, the teen alternative rock band Late Night Brunch and indie rock artist Skusic.
How to plan your day
There are hundreds of conversations, performances, book signings, cooking demos and poetry readings — with many events happening at the same time.
Whether you are attending the Festival of Books for the first time or are a seasoned veteran of the event, Yudacufski recommends advanced planning and creating a schedule.
“But don’t be too strict about it because you never know what else you might be able to see,” Yudacufski said. “I really like walking around the festival and seeing what pops up. Between panels, check out all the booths, the outdoor stages. That’s how you get the best experience.”
Admission to the festival is free, though some conversations require tickets. Learn more.
