The 17th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will be held on April 21 and April 22nd at USC., the largest and most prestigious public literary event in the country, today announced its 2012 program schedule. Returning to the beautiful University of Southern California campus on April 21-22, the Festival is an L.A. institution known for its celebration of the written word in all its forms and is expected to draw more than 150,000 attendees.
Judy Blume will celebrate the 40th anniversary of her book, “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” by making an appearance at the Festvial. Also appearing will be authors Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julie Andrews, Reza Aslan, Michael Ian Black, T.C. Boyle, John Cusack, Ben Fong-Torres, John Green, Florence Henderson, Ricki Lake, Sugar Ray Leonard, Anne Rice, John Scalzi, Molly Shannon, Wil Wheaton, Betty White and Henry Winkler.
Panel discussions will be held on a variety of topics and will be be moderated by Times writers and editors. The Times’ Hero Complex, will expand to include screenings of genre films at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and Q&As with prominent comic book publishers. Celebrity appearances, live music, cooking demonstrations, book signings and much more will be held on eight outdoor stages surrounded by hundreds of exhibitors and a variety of dining options.
For tickets —
• Festival general admission is free / panel discussions and lectures have limited seating capacity, and therefore require tickets
• Special advance panel pass packages are available before tickets are offered to the general public. These are $30 and include: ◦ Reservations for up to eight panel tickets
◦ Half-price tickets to the 32nd annual Los Angeles Times Book Prizes Friday, April 20 at USC’s Bovard Auditorium
◦ Official 2012 Festival of Books’ poster with artwork designed by prominent illustrator Bob Staake
◦ Option to purchase valet parking passes for an additional $20
• Los Angeles Times members have the opportunity to purchase panel passes and Book Prizes tickets at a 50% discount while supplies last
• Book Prizes tickets are $10
Individual panel tickets available Sunday, April 15
•latimes.com/festivalofbooks, $1 service fee applies
Please check the Festival’s official Facebook pageand @latimesfob Twitter stream for programming updates.
