The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is in its fifteenth year this April 2010. I have been attending this book festival since its eighth year in 2003 when I went to four panels on Saturday 26 April 2003, including “Celebrating the Paris Review and the New York Review of Books”, and one panel – “Women in Hollywood” - on Sunday 27 April 2003 at the University of California at Los Angeles. Since 2004 I have volunteered for one shift during the festival’s annual April weekend and this year I worked the B shift – 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – on Saturday 24 April 2010 at Young 50 and I was in charge of the stand-by line.
For the first two panels – “Biography: 20th Century Lives” and “Fiction: Behind Closed Doors” – there was no problem with getting all the stand-by people into the auditorium. The panel “Carolyn See & Lisa See in Conversation with Barbara Isenberg” was a different story. One man arrived two hours before the scheduled start of the panel to begin the stand-by waiting. An incredible number of people wanted to go to this panel and unfortunately about twenty stand-by people had to be turned away, although the majority of the people in the stand-by line were able to see the Sees.
Usually after my shift I go and check out the exhibitor booths. However, since I did a later shift than normal, I had walked in the exhibitor area prior to choosing my assignment. Picked up a Granta postcard and stayed with my tradition and bought a magnet as a festival souvenir. Last year they didn’t have the acrylic magnet, but they brought it back this year. Hurray! So, as I had already picked up my lunch when I checked in at the volunteer area, I left the campus right after my shift and walked into Westwood to catch a bus home. Despite the mass of humanity at the last panel I worked, it had been another pleasant day at the festival.
Besides author panels and exhibitors, the festival offers book signings, musical entertainment, readings, and children’s activities. The Festival of Books is a wonderful opportunity to meet an author you’ve always admired or to discover some writers previously unknown to you. And best of all, it’s free!
Images:
Left: Festival of Books logo from the website events.latimes.com
Center: Volunteer Map of the Festival of Books
For the first two panels – “Biography: 20th Century Lives” and “Fiction: Behind Closed Doors” – there was no problem with getting all the stand-by people into the auditorium. The panel “Carolyn See & Lisa See in Conversation with Barbara Isenberg” was a different story. One man arrived two hours before the scheduled start of the panel to begin the stand-by waiting. An incredible number of people wanted to go to this panel and unfortunately about twenty stand-by people had to be turned away, although the majority of the people in the stand-by line were able to see the Sees.
Usually after my shift I go and check out the exhibitor booths. However, since I did a later shift than normal, I had walked in the exhibitor area prior to choosing my assignment. Picked up a Granta postcard and stayed with my tradition and bought a magnet as a festival souvenir. Last year they didn’t have the acrylic magnet, but they brought it back this year. Hurray! So, as I had already picked up my lunch when I checked in at the volunteer area, I left the campus right after my shift and walked into Westwood to catch a bus home. Despite the mass of humanity at the last panel I worked, it had been another pleasant day at the festival.
Besides author panels and exhibitors, the festival offers book signings, musical entertainment, readings, and children’s activities. The Festival of Books is a wonderful opportunity to meet an author you’ve always admired or to discover some writers previously unknown to you. And best of all, it’s free!
Images:
Left: Festival of Books logo from the website events.latimes.com
Center: Volunteer Map of the Festival of Books
Right: Acrylic magnet with 2010 Festival of Books illustration
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