Latest news with #AmandaGorman
Los Angeles Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Photos: Speakers and authors at the 2025 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
As the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books kicked off Saturday across the sprawling campus at USC, the event once again became a magnet for a mix of celebrity authors from across the entertainment world and beyond. Special guests like poet Amanda Gorman, actor Wil Wheaton, singer JoJo and comedian Hannah Berner popped by our photo studio to pose for portraits between their busy schedules speaking at panels in front of crowds at the festival. Here are some of our favorite portraits of our special guests from this weekend. Amanda Gorman, author of the 2025 picture book 'Girls on the Rise,' is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. The award-winning writer who graduated cum laude from Harvard University, came to prominence after her recitation of 'The Hill We Climb' at the inauguration of President Biden. Nikki Toscano is a writer, producer and showrunner for television who served as co-showrunner and executive producer of the show 'Hunters' on Amazon Prime and as showrunner and executive producer of Paramount+ miniseries 'The Offer.' Andrew Plotkin is executive vice president of drama development at Sony TV. Author Liz Moore is the author of the 2024 New York Times bestselling novel 'The God of the Woods.' Actor Wil Wheaton is known for his role as Wesley Crusher in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' and other classic roles including Gordie Lachance in the film 'Stand by Me,' Joey Trotta in 'Toy Soldiers' and Bennett Hoenicker in 'Flubber.' Singer JoJo (Joanna Levesque) launched her career in music releasing chart-topping R&B and pop music, including breakout hit 'Leave (Get Out).' She gained prominence as a young artist, and has also made a name for herself in acting and released a book in 2024 titled 'Over the Influence.'
Los Angeles Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times Announces Winners of 45th Annual Book Prizes
The Los Angeles Times tonight announced the winners of the 45th annual Book Prizes in a ceremony at USC's Bovard Auditorium. The Times' Book Prizes recognize outstanding literary achievements and celebrate the highest quality of writing from authors at all stages of their careers. Winners were announced in 13 categories for works published last year. Additionally, award-winning author Pico Iyer was honored with the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, and Amanda Gorman received the Innovator's Award for her work promoting literacy, empowering youth and raising awareness on important issues. A complete list of this year's Book Prizes winners follows. 2024 Book Prizes Winners For more information about the Book Prizes, including the complete list of 2024 finalists and past winners, and eligibility and judging information, go to The Book Prizes ceremony is a prologue to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, the nation's largest literary festival, which will bring together more than 650 writers, experts and storytellers, hundreds of exhibitors and an estimated 155,000 attendees. The 30th annual Festival of Books is presented in association with USC. Festival news and updates are available on the event website and Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok profiles (#bookfest).
Los Angeles Times
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Amanda Gorman
Growing up in Westchester, Amanda Gorman's Sundays were dedicated to one thing: church. 'I went to a historically Black church and I feel like it's always an occasion to go to church as an African American,' says 27-year-old Gorman, who became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history in 2021. 'You're dressing up in your Sunday best and you're going to be there for several hours.' These days, her Sundays are not entirely devoted to church, but the poet, activist and author says that those early years taught her the importance of intentionally carving out time to spend with loved ones and be in community. 'It can be getting together with some gal pals that you haven't convened with in a while,' says Gorman, who became the youth poet laureate of Los Angeles at age 16 in 2014 and the first national youth poet laureate three years later. 'It can be spending time with your pets. It can be going to the book club that you love, but finding something where you can ground yourself in what it is to be a human being. I think I still try to translate that into my Sundays.' Gorman is set to make her second appearance at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival on April 26, where she'll be talking about her third book, 'Girls on the Rise,' released this year. The Harvard graduate began writing the children's book in 2018 after she watched Christine Blasey Ford — who accused Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers — testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee. 'I just remember being so struck by her courage, bravery and truth,' says Gorman. 'It made me think about the next generation of young women, girls and nonbinary children, who also would be speaking their truth in a patriarchal society. So I wanted to write a book that created a safe space for young girls and their allies to feel a sense of kinship.' On her ideal Sunday in L.A., Gorman would hang out with her dog, Kenny (named after Kendrick Lamar), visit her favorite bookstores, enjoy afternoon tea like a 'Bridgerton' character and hit up a rooftop. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity. 10 a.m.: Embrace brunch vibes at home If I can sleep in until 10 a.m., that's like a miracle, magical day for me. I love just taking the extra time on a Sunday. Breakfast is my favorite and maybe my main meal of the day if I'm being honest. So I will carve out Sunday as my day to really splurge on my breakfast. I'll maybe make some french toast. I have been dallying and making a gluten-free french toast with some nice seeds, vanilla, cinnamon and berries. Then I'll make some veggie patties and have some other fruit. I'll also make some hot chocolate and then I'll put on 'The Great British Bake Off' show while I'm cooking, so I can really luxuriate in the Sunday chill vibes. I pretty much start the day with as much brunch energy as I can. 12:30 p.m.: Get some sunshine I'd love to get some sunshine, so I'd go to the beach. I love taking a stroll with my friends along the Santa Monica Pier, kind of on the northern side because it's a bit less crowded. 3 p.m.: Live out my 'Bridgerton' fantasy By this time, I'd be hungry and ready for lunch. If I was down by the beach, there's a restaurant I like called Ivy at the Shore, kind of close to the Third Street Promenade. You can eat and watch the sunset. They have a good salad. I've also gotten really good enchiladas there, and fish and chips. Or I'd go to the Peninsula. For my birthday, I just did an afternoon high tea at the Peninsula. It was so nice and so worth it. I feel like if someone wants to splurge on a Sunday, go. They have a harpist, tea, sandwiches and scones, so I'd probably spend the rest of my afternoon there on my dream, ideal day. You can sit in their parlor lounge, which has these nice, colorful couch sofas or these elegant corner chairs. They have music playing and very snazzily dressed butlers. One of my friends wore a fascinator. I wore lace gloves. I said, 'Come in your 'Bridgerton' aura.' It really feels like 'Bridgerton' because on the show, they have the instrumentalists playing modern songs and they were playing like 'Diamonds' by Rihanna on the harp, so I love that mix of the contemporary with the classic and bougie. 5:30 p.m.: Get lost in a bookstore Next, I'd go to the Last Bookstore in DTLA or Chevalier's Books in Larchmont. The Last Bookstore has an enthralling, picturesque maze of used and new books, and Chevalier's is a cozy, intimate bookshop with stores and cafes nearby. 7 p.m.: Catch a second wind at a rooftop restaurant I'd probably go home, but if I got a second wind of energy, there are some really nice restaurants that I like in West Hollywood. There's Catch L.A. and Perch. Both are really cute, glitzy rooftop places to go after the sun has set. Catch L.A. has a 'Hit Me' chocolate cake, where they pour melted chocolate over it and crack it open in front of you, so that's really nice. Tons of people love to take videos of that and post it because it's a real moment. 10 p.m.: 'Great British Bake Off' and tea I'm probably home, watching some more 'British Bake Off,' 'The Office' or something cozy, making myself some chamomile tea and reading. That's also the thing I love to do on Sundays because I feel like it's so hard to find time nowadays, in the modern age, to step away from the screen and engage stories and text. I was reading this book that's really funny to me called 'How to Kill Your Family.' [Laughs] I was like, I feel like my family is going to see me reading this at like Thanksgiving and think I've gone unhinged, but it's this dark thriller comedy that was published in the U.K. I just finished it and I thought it was hilarious. It's not a step-by-step guide, by the way. It's more a narrative of a character's journey [laughs]. 11 p.m.: Wind down I discourage the elaborate nighttime routines because I think they're hard to maintain and sustain. I try to make it as straightforward as possible, which gives a good routine for me as well as my dog. So my nighttime routine would be giving my dog a walk and making sure he has time to pee and do all the nature stuff. Reading, having chamomile tea and maybe doing some slow restorative yoga for 10 minutes or a meditation. I get the humidifier all set with essential oils, turn the lights down and try to have the last hour with no blue light, sugar, food, and keep it really quiet and soft. I also like to listen to lullaby music, which makes me sound like a fetus, but it helps me get over my insomniac tendencies. I like this artist, Priscilla Ahn, who has really soothing albums that are good for all ages. Then honestly, I'll listen to the Disney princess playlists with songs like 'So This is Love' [by Ilene Woods and Mike Douglas], all that soft, cozy stuff. I try to be in bed by 11:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Times
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times Announces Lineup for the 30th Annual Festival of Books
The Los Angeles Times today revealed the lineup for the 30th annual Festival of Books, taking place April 26-27 at the University of Southern California. The weekend festival will bring together more than 550 writers, experts and storytellers, and hundreds of exhibitors on the university campus. Participants scheduled to appear include Stacey Abrams, Hannah Berner, Big Sean, Blippi, Matt Bomer, Hannah Brown, Roy Choi, Jon M. Chu, Marcia Clark, Tom Colicchio, Robert Crais, Jason De León, Paige DeSorbo, Maureen Dowd, Griffin Dunne, Percival Everett, Josh Gad, Amanda Gorman, Max Greenfield, Jasmine Guillory, Chelsea Handler, E.A. Hanks, Mamrie Hart, Robyn Hitchcock, Mellody Hobson, Ibram X. Kendi, Rachel Khong, Kristen Kish, TJ Klune, Amanda Knox, Rachel Kushner, Jonathan Lethem, Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque, Jon Lovett, Ivan McCombs, Jim O'Heir, Patrick Renna, Raegan Revord, Krysten Ritter, Veronica Roth, Paul Scheer, Amy L. Schneider, V.E. Schwab, Harry Shum Jr., Jenny Slate, Tika Sumpter, Christina Tosi, Amor Towles, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Wilmer Valderrama, Bruce Vilanch, Gretchen Whitmer, Brooke Williamson, Rebecca Yarros and many more. The weekend festival will feature: To kick off the literary weekend, on the evening of Friday, April 25, The Times will host the 45th annual Book Prizes at USC's Bovard Auditorium. The ceremony will honor award-winning author Pico Iyer with the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, Amanda Gorman with the Innovator's Award and Emily Witt with the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose. The Book Prizes recognize 61 exceptional works in 13 categories, including achievement in audiobook production, presented by Audible. The complete list of finalists and further information, including ticket packages, is available at The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is presented in association with USC. General admission to the festival is free. Friend of the Festival packages (advance ticket packages), which include reservations for indoor conversations, weekend parking and festival merchandise, are available for purchase now. Tickets for the Ideas Exchange with Amanda Gorman are on sale now; tickets for the conversation with Rebecca Yarros will go on sale Friday, March 14. Individual conversation tickets will be available April 20. Festival news and updates are available on the event website and Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok profiles (#bookfest).
Los Angeles Times
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times Book Prizes to Honor Pico Iyer and Amanda Gorman
The Los Angeles Times today announced the finalists and honorees for its 45th annual Book Prizes. Pico Iyer will receive the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement and Amanda Gorman will be honored with the Innovator's Award. Additionally, Emily Witt will be presented with the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose. The Book Prizes recognize 61 exceptional works in 13 categories celebrating the highest quality of writing from authors at all stages of their careers. Winners will be announced in a ceremony on Friday, April 25 at USC's Bovard Auditorium, on the eve of the 30th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, which will take place the weekend of April 26-27. Award-winning writer Pico Iyer is this year's honoree for the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, which recognizes a writer with a substantial connection to the American West. Iyer is the author of more than a dozen books on subjects ranging from the Dalai Lama to globalism. His recent memoir, 'Aflame: Learning from Silence,' explores the power of calm as Iyer recalls his retreats at a monastery in Big Sur, Calif., where he sought solace from changes and struggles in life, including when a family home in Santa Barbara burned down. 'Pico Iyer is a treasure,' said Times Associate Director of Events and Book Prizes Administrator Ann Binney. 'While he travels the world, he always finds his way back to California. I have known Pico for many years and it is such an honor to recognize him with the Robert Kirsch award. His beautiful words sharing his own experience of loss and recovery offer us welcome comfort, especially during this time as we recover from our recent devastating wildfires.' Some of Iyer's acclaimed work includes 'The Half Known Life,' 'Video Night in Kathmandu,' 'The Lady and the Monk,' 'The Global Soul,' 'The Open Road' and 'The Art of Stillness.' He contributes regularly to countless publications, has received numerous accolades throughout his career and has given multiple TED talks that have together drawn more than 11 million viewers. The Innovator's Award, which spotlights efforts to bring books, publishing and storytelling into the future, will be presented to Amanda Gorman. An award-winning writer and activist, and the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, Gorman has used her platform to raise awareness on a host of issues from climate change and social justice to literacy. She speaks out against book bans and highlights the importance of representation and education, among other causes. Gorman is the founder and executive director of One Pen One Page, an organization that promotes literacy through free creative writing programs for underserved youth. Her latest title, 'Girls on the Rise,' is a picture book celebrating the power of girls, with illustrations by Loveis Wise. The poem highlights how girls have shaped history and why they should march boldly into the future. 'Amanda Gorman is an eloquent voice for the next generation. Her skillful use of poetry to motivate, inspire and enact social change is incredibly powerful,' said Times Executive Editor Terry Tang. 'We are thrilled to be honoring Gorman with this year's Innovator's Award and to shine a light on the work she has done – and continues to do – in promoting literacy to empower the youth to get involved.' Journalist Emily Witt is the winner of the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose for 'Health and Safety: A Breakdown,' which chronicles her experience with psychedelics and Brooklyn's underground party scene during the first Trump presidency. The memoir offers Witt's life as a lens into America from 2016 to 2020. Sponsored by the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the award honors exceptional work and encompasses fiction, travel writing, memoir and diary. 'Emily Witt exposes a country in the throes of ongoing trauma in a coming-of-age memoir — keenly observed, unapologetically told — that feels scarily emblematic of our life and times,' commented the judges of the Isherwood Prize. The Book Prizes recognize titles in the following categories: audiobooks (presented by Audible), autobiographical prose (the Christopher Isherwood Prize), biography, current interest, fiction, first fiction (the Art Seidenbaum Award), graphic novel/comics, history, mystery/thriller, poetry, science fiction, science and technology, and young adult literature. Judging panels of writers who specialize in each genre select finalists and winners. For more information about the Book Prizes, including the complete list of 2024 finalists and past winners; eligibility and judging information; and how to make a tax-deductible donation in support of the annual literary awards, go to Tickets to attend the Book Prizes ceremony, as well as Festival of Books VIP packages, are on sale now. The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is presented in association with USC. Festival news and updates are available on the event website and Facebook, Twitter and Instagram profiles (#bookfest).
