Literary Focus Turns Westward for 11th Annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, April 29-30 at UCLA

LOS ANGELES, April 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The focus of the literary world will once again turn westward as the Los Angeles Times prepares to celebrate its 11th annual Festival of Books on Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on the UCLA campus.

Authors scheduled to appear include Dave Barry, T. C. Boyle, Ray Bradbury, Taylor Branch, Mary Higgins Clark, Robert Crais, Billy Crystal, Joan Didion, Arianna Huffington, Erica Jong, Chip Kidd, John Lithgow, David Maraniss, Frank McCourt, Joyce Carol Oates, Carl Reiner, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, R.L. Stine, Gore Vidal and Sarah Vowell.

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books -- the nation's largest public literary festival -- was created in 1996 by The Times to promote literacy and to unite those who create books with the people who love to read them. It is presented in association with UCLA.

The two-day celebration features a mix of panel discussions, book signings, poetry readings, cooking demonstrations, a movie screening and music -- including a performance by the Rock Bottom Remainders, a band that includes such authors as Mitch Albom, Dave Barry, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Matt Groening, Greg Iles, Ridley Pearson, Amy Tan and Scott Turow. The Festival affords book lovers the chance to meet best-selling authors, publishers and celebrities. The hundreds of exhibitor booths, stage events and popular children's characters ensure that guests of all ages will find engaging activities.

General event information, including a list of authors, is available at http://www.latimes.com/events. Information is also available by calling 1-800-LA TIMES, ext. 7BOOK.

Admission is free, but tickets are required to attend author/panel discussions, lectures and the April 30 screening of "Peaceful Warrior" because of limited seating. Free tickets will be available at all Ticketmaster locations in Southern California starting Sunday, April 23, at noon until Thursday, April 27, at 5 p.m., or until all tickets have been distributed. A limited number of tickets will also be available on-site during the Festival.

As part of the Los Angeles Times' yearlong 125th anniversary celebration, the 2006 Festival of Books will have panels featuring Times editorial staff and a 125th anniversary-themed Times Pavilion.

Other Festival Highlights * About 400 authors participating in 97 panels, readings and book signings * Six outdoor stages showcasing book and poetry readings, cooking demonstrations, storytelling, cartoon characters, music, drama and dance performances * 26th annual Los Angeles Times Book Prize awards ceremony on April 28 * More than 300 exhibitor booths including specialty booksellers and major book publishers * Special screening of the film "Peaceful Warrior" followed by a discussion with "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" author Dan Millman (Sunday, April 30, 5:30 p.m. in Royce Hall) Panel Sessions LOS ANGELES TIMES 125TH ANNIVERSARY The Los Angeles Times 125th Anniversary Presents: Stories That Define the West The Los Angeles Times 125th Anniversary Presents: The Sunday Funnies BIOGRAPHY Against the Grain: Literary Lives Biography: On Their Own Terms Biography: Great American Lives CURRENT EVENTS In War Time: Personal Stories From Iraq Red, White, & Global: Envisioning America's Future No Boundaries: Media and the Freedom of Ideas Current Interest: The Global Becomes Personal Iraq: Where Do We Go From Here? Under Siege: Life in a Culture of Conflict Against All Odds: The Lost Boys of the Sudan Current Interest: The American Identity City Limits: Rethinking Our Sense of Place Defining California; Under a Crescent Moon The Changing Shape of the Middle East Defining Ourselves: Women, Feminism, & Identity FICTION Fiction: The Unknown Territory Fiction: Heroic Storytelling First Fiction: Breaking Out First Fiction: Finding A Voice Fiction: Revisiting History Fiction: She Said, She Said Fiction: Latitudes & Attitudes Fiction: Building A World Faith in Fiction Fiction: Reinventing the Family Fiction: Pushing the Envelope Until It Hurts: Satirical Fiction Fiction: L.A. Lit Testing the Boundaries: Young Adult Fiction Young Adult Fiction: Rites of Initiation HISTORY Out of the Ruins: The History of Disasters History: The Old World in the New World Legacy of Lincoln Unearthing the Roots of Religion Writing Epic History HOLLYWOOD/ENTERTAINMENT Behind the Screen: Hollywood Histories From Page to Screen Finding the Groove: Stories from the Music Biz Animation: New Frontiers in the Art & Medium Hip Hop: Today's Music The Outsiders: Independent Film Today MYSTERY Mystery: Straight Shooters Mystery, Mayhem, & Murder Niche Mysteries Mystery: The Los Angeles Influence Mystery: Hip Chicks Packing Heat Mystery: The Detective Had a Familiar Face Mystery: Page Turners NONFICTION Nonfiction: Unraveling the Story The Devil in the Details: Quirky Nonfiction Creative Nonfiction: Shading the Truth Memoir: They Shaped My Life Memoir: Vietnam Stories OUTDOORS/TRAVEL Nature Writing: Have the Stakes Gotten Higher? Outdoors in LA Around the World in 60 Minutes: Travel Writing POETRY Distilling Reality: The Poet's Craft Poetry: Seasons in Verse PUBLISHING Book Biz: The Insiders Publishing: Finding the Next Big Thing SCIENCE Science: Writing the Big Ideas Science Writing: Metaphysics and Beyond WRITING Editors Who Write Writers: Born or Bred? To the Point: Short Stories Briefly Told: The Art of the Short Story Creating New Worlds: Young Adult Fantasy Writing Famous Last Words: The Art of the Obituary Larger than Life: Writing the Sports Hero Dig In: Food Writing OTHER PANELS Fertile Ground: Building A Creative Community Parallel Worlds: Fantasy & Time Travel Reading: The Pleasures of the Text Step Up to Reading: Children's Picture Books Young Minds, Young Eyes: The Picture Book Film Screening "Peaceful Warrior"

Participants who will be featured in "In Conversation with ... " or in solo sessions are:

* Dean Baquet * Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson * T.C. Boyle * Ray Bradbury * Taylor Branch * Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark * Michael Connelly & Robert Crais * Joan Didion * Anne Taylor Fleming & Karl Fleming * Larry Flynt * Teri Garr * Ray Harryhausen * Chip Kidd * Frank McCourt * Mike Mignola * Joyce Carol Oates * Carl Reiner * Dr. Laura Schlessinger * Gore Vidal * Sarah Vowell & David Rakoff

Six Stages Featuring Celebrities, Discussions, Readings and Family Entertainment

The Target Children's Stage, designed for the entire family, will feature Peter Abrahams; Angelina Ballerina & Katharine Holabird; Barney; Lauren Child; Billy Crystal; Julie Andrews Edwards; Brett Helquist; HI-5; Jolie Jones; the Justin Roberts Band; David Kirk; John Lithgow; Lori, Lori What's the Story?; Megan McDonald; Ridley Pearson; Rhea Perlman; David Shannon; R.L. Stine; Valerie Tripp; Rosemary Wells; and Henry Winkler.

Canada Presents the Culinary Stage will have a menu that includes Karen Adler & Judith Fertig, Giada De Laurentiis, Ann Gentry, Suzanne Goin, Jenny Jones, and Jasmin Kobajica.

The ETC. Stage will feature a variety of speakers and performers including Kishin Daiko, the Melvin Eddy Blues Band, Kitty Felde, the Flying Other Brothers, Murphy's Flaw, One Ring Zero, the Rock Bottom Remainders, Susie Hansen's Latin Band, Marlo Thomas, and WriteGirl.

The Los Angeles Times Stage in Partnership with Barnes & Noble will feature Gloria Allred, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, John Grogan, A.M. Homes, Erica Jong, Sebastian Junger, Frances Mayes, T. Jefferson Parker, Carl Reiner, Gay Talese, Sarah Vowell, and Saul Williams.

Gracing the Poetry Stage will be Chris Abani, Ralph Angel, Sarah Arvio, Victoria Chang, John Fitzgerald, Sesshu Foster, Dana Goodyear, Eloise Klein Healy, Jane Hirshfield, Ilya Kaminsky, Dana Levin, Jeffrey Levine, Sarah Maclay, Glyn Maxwell, Gail Mazur, Christopher Merrill, Gabriel Meyer, Marilyn Nelson, James Ragan, Donald Revell, Martha Ronk, Kay Ryan, David St. John, Maurya Simon, Amy Uyematsu, Charles Harper Webb, Terry Wolverton, and Stephen Yenser.

Appearing on the Reading by 9 Storytelling Stage will be Beethoven's Wig, Gisselle Castellanos, the Children's Museum of Los Angeles, Eric Drachman, Cornelia Funke, Marie-Louise Gay, Pat Harvey, Jay Jay the Jet Plane, Sylvia Lopez, "Manners I. Care," Marlee Matlin & Doug Cooney, the Ohmies, Jose Luis Orozco, Elise Paschen, Rachel Payne, Matthew Reinhart, Sally Ride, Adam Rivera, Robert Sabuda, Glen Walker, and Jim Weiss.

Festival of Books Sponsors

Target is the presenting sponsor of the 2006 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Borders Bookstores and Canada are major sponsors. Ticketmaster is the official ticket provider of the event. The official television sponsor is KCBS-2/KCAL-9. Supporting sponsors are Chronicle Books, C-SPAN, Geffen Playhouse and the L.A. Chamber Orchestra. Media sponsors are Hoy, ESPN Radio 710, KABC Talkradio 790, KCRW 89.9 FM, KFWB News 980, KJAZZ 88.1 FM, KPCC 89.3 FM, KPFK 90.7 FM and Radio Disney (KDIS-1110 AM).

C-SPAN2's Book TV will provide live coverage of non-fiction authors and events from the Festival for their sixth year. C-SPAN's programming will include author panels, open phone lines for viewer calls from around the country, and interviews with authors from the new Book TV Bus.

Los Angeles Times Book Prize Awards Ceremony

The 26th annual presentation of the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes is set for Friday, April 28, at 8 p.m., in UCLA's Royce Hall. The event's emcee will be Dana Gioia, Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as a poet, critic, essayist, translator, radio commentator and editor. The evening will honor books in nine categories, and Joan Didion will receive the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement.

Tickets are required for the Book Prizes ceremony and are on sale at UCLA's Central Ticket Office (310-825-2101) and online at http://www.tickets.ucla.edu/ under "Special Events." (NOTE: Additional $3 service charge for online ticket purchases.) Tickets are $16 for a reserved seat at the awards ceremony and $63 for a package including a buffet dinner (6-7:45 p.m.) with some of the nominated authors at the UCLA Faculty Center, a prime reserved seat at the ceremony and convenient parking at Royce Hall.

The Los Angeles Times Book Prizes, established in 1980, recognize outstanding literary achievement in biography, current interest, history, poetry, science and technology, fiction, first fiction, mystery/thriller, and young adult fiction. More information is available at http://www.latimes.com/events.

About the Los Angeles Times

The Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of nearly 2.4 million and about 3.4 million on Sunday. With its media businesses and affiliates -- including latimes.com, TheEnvelope.com, Times Community Newspapers, Recycler Classifieds, Hoy, and California Community News -- the Los Angeles Times reaches approximately 7.7 million or 59 percent of all adults in the Southern California marketplace every week.

The Los Angeles Times, which this year marks its 125th anniversary covering Southern California, is part of Tribune Company , one of the country's leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting. Additional information about the Los Angeles Times is available at http://www.latimes.com/mediacenter.