LATimes Festival of Books Begins Saturday at USC
The Los Angeles Times' 18th annual Festival of Books will kick off at 10 a.m. Saturday on the USC campus.
The festival includes poetry and book readings, round tables with authors, cooking demonstrations, and live music.
Many famous authors, comedians, and actors are slated to appear.
Comedian and author of "Point Your Face at This," Demetri Martin, will read from his book.
Children's book and young adult fiction authors including Lemony Snicket, Roald Dahl's daughter Lucy Dahl, and Orson Scott Card will also be in attendance. Actresses Molly Ringwald, Carol Burnett and Debbie Reynolds will all read from books they wrote, too.
Some stars will even fire up cooking demos, including Valerie Bertinelli.
If you get tired of reading, there will also be a screening of Tyler Perry's "Peeples" followed by a Q&A with the director and producer.
Author and USC professor Joe Saltzman said he hopes to see plenty of Trojans dropping by his Jester and Pharley booth.
"It's always nice to see a familiar face when you're in a booth for two days," Saltzman said.
USC's Department of Public Safety is expected to tighten security in light of the bombings in Boston. An increased number of LAPD officers will patrol the event with DPS officers during the weekend, according to DPS Capt. David Carlisle.
"We will be working in conjunction with the LAPD who will have a very high profile number of officers, including perhaps a mounted horseback patrol to provide a greater sense of security. And to deter anyone from coming to the festival with the intention of disrupting the two-day even," Carlisle said.
LAPD Commander Andrew Smith said Angelenos need to respond to the Boston Marathon bombing by resuming their public activities such as attending sporting events and book festivals.
"We're not going to let someone who lights a bomb in Boston change the way we live," Smith said.
For a full schedule, visit the Festival of Books website.
