How I spent my Saturday: The LA Times Book Festival!! (pics)

[Shakespeare]

Any of you LA-area DUers who haven't attended this event yet, GO!! Today is the final day (if you're looking for something to do), but it's always the last weekend of April (if you like to plan ahead). Around a quarter million people turn out for this event (take note, LA-haters who like to slam LA as shallow and anti-intellectual), and it's all about the books. The weather is always glorious, there are a brazillion interesting speakers and panels, book signings, and over 1000 booths to visit. Food, music and great kids' activities, too.

Anyway, here's a look at yesterday.

The festival is so huge that it now takes up almost the entire UCLA campus, from the eastern end of campus:



To the western edge of campus:



Royce hall is the center of all the activities:



CSPAN was there all day, taping panels and speakers for rebroadcast over the next few weekends (and handing out free book bags advertising BookTV):



Peter Griffin was there:



You've heard of tinpan alley; I give you....tinfoil alley!!



Tommy LaSorda spoke, and had great baseball stories to tell (the gentleman next to him is the Dodgers' official historian):



One of the panels I attended included Amy Goodman and Howard Fineman, talking about the American Character (it really became a discussion about the role of the media--great panel):



And the highlight of the festival is always Ray Bradbury (packs Royce hall to the gills). He's 87 now, and confined to a wheelchair after a severe stroke about 8 years ago, but the man is unstoppable. They mentioned yesterday that he'd joined the WGA picket lines in his wheelchair during the strike a few months ago--amazing. He's a treasure; here he is, telling us all to live forever:

[RetroLounge]

1. Oh, so Jealous!!!

:hi:

RL

[Shakespeare]

2. Oh, you can't BEGIN to imagine how great it is.

You should seriously consider coming out for it some year. You'll think you've died and gone to heaven. :hi:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

3. I lived in L.A. for four years.

Yet I never managed to go to the festival. x(

[Shakespeare]

4. The book festival is my absolute favorite thing about Los Angeles.

I think it's the best thing LA does all year. :hi:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

5. My favorite L.A. place was Amoeba Music.

Followed by FatBurger. :D

[Shakespeare]

6. Rolling Stone just named Amoeba/Hollywood the best record store in the country.

So that's cool. :7

And Fatburger makes the best onion rings in the universe.

[Shakespeare]

7. shameless kick n/t

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. My dear Shakespeare...

I've always thought about going, but...

Crowds and traffic have stopped me so far...

Looks like you had a ball, nonetheless!

Maybe one day I'll get down there...

Thanks for the great pics!

:hi: