Latest news with #RobertKirschAward
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tens of thousands of people expected to attend first day of annual book festival
Tens of thousands of people gathered at the 30th Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on the University of Southern California campus Saturday, packing sold-out panels and waiting in huge lines to get the signatures of their favorite authors. The annual festival features readings, screenings and panels with authors and other speakers. This weekend, it is expected to bring together more than 550 storytellers across seven outdoor stages and 15 indoor venues. It was too soon to know how many people attended the event as of midday Saturday. But the sun was shining following a rainy morning, and an organizer said the fest looked "super crowded," estimating upwards of 85,000 people would attend by the end of the day. More than 100 people gathered inside the Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre at noon Saturday to hear authors E.A. Hanks, Laurie Woolever, Sloane Crosley and Kareem Rosser discuss writing and processing grief with moderator Elizabeth Crane. The authors reflected on the nature and stages of grief during the hour-long panel. Many experienced dual losses — entering their writing process thinking they would be reflecting on one loss, only for another to occur. 'Even if those five stages do exist, it's so non-linear,' said Crane, who has written numerous works of fiction as well as a debut memoir. There were humorous moments amid the writers' accounts of tragedy. The crowd laughed as Crosley and Hanks bantered about good Spotify playlists to listen to when writing about suicide. In 'Grief is for People,' Crosley grieves the jewelry she loses in a burglary, until she is forced to also reckon with the loss of her best friend and mentor to suicide. Hanks is the author of 'The 10,' a memoir that follows her journey traveling alone on Interstate 10 as she tries to process the life and death of her mother, as well as the death of a close friend. She is the daughter of Tom Hanks and his first wife, Susan Dillingham, who used the stage name Samantha Lewes. Hanks also shared some insight into her process writing about grief. 'If anyone is out there and is trying to write, know that it gets better,' Hanks said of 'choking' after receiving her first book deal. 'This book took a decade, so the catharsis of publishing… was about my creative recovery.' The festival kicked off Friday evening with the 45th Los Angeles Times Book Prizes ceremony at USC's Bovard Auditorium. The 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. Find a full list of winners here. Additionally, award-winning author Pico Iyer received the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, and celebrated poet Amanda Gorman received the Innovator's Award for her work promoting literacy, empowering youth and raising awareness on important issues. The ceremony opened with remarks by Times Executive Editor Terry Tang and was emceed by Times columnist LZ Granderson. 'In a world that is now feeling so confusing and distressing, this weekend gives all of us a chance to find a sense of unity, purpose and support,' Tang said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Tens of thousands of people expected to attend first day of annual book festival
Tens of thousands of people gathered at the 30th Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on the University of Southern California campus Saturday, packing sold-out panels and waiting in huge lines to get the signatures of their favorite authors. The annual festival features readings, screenings and panels with authors and other speakers. This weekend, it is expected to bring together more than 550 storytellers across seven outdoor stages and 15 indoor venues. It was too soon to know how many people attended the event as of midday Saturday. But the sun was shining following a rainy morning, and an organizer said the fest looked 'super crowded,' estimating upwards of 85,000 people would attend by the end of the day. More than 100 people gathered inside the Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre at noon Saturday to hear authors E.A. Hanks, Laurie Woolever, Sloane Crosley and Kareem Rosser discuss writing and processing grief with moderator Elizabeth Crane. The authors reflected on the nature and stages of grief during the hour-long panel. Many experienced dual losses — entering their writing process thinking they would be reflecting on one loss, only for another to occur. 'Even if those five stages do exist, it's so non-linear,' said Crane, who has written numerous works of fiction as well as a debut memoir. There were humorous moments amid the writers' accounts of tragedy. The crowd laughed as Crosley and Hanks bantered about good Spotify playlists to listen to when writing about suicide. In 'Grief is for People,' Crosley grieves the jewelry she loses in a burglary, until she is forced to also reckon with the loss of her best friend and mentor to suicide. Hanks is the author of 'The 10,' a memoir that follows her journey traveling alone on Interstate 10 as she tries to process the life and death of her mother, as well as the death of a close friend. She is the daughter of Tom Hanks and his first wife, Susan Dillingham, who used the stage name Samantha Lewes. Hanks also shared some insight into her process writing about grief. 'If anyone is out there and is trying to write, know that it gets better,' Hanks said of 'choking' after receiving her first book deal. 'This book took a decade, so the catharsis of publishing… was about my creative recovery.' The festival kicked off Friday evening with the 45th Los Angeles Times Book Prizes ceremony at USC's Bovard Auditorium. The 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. Find a full list of winners here. Additionally, award-winning author Pico Iyer received the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, and celebrated poet Amanda Gorman received the Innovator's Award for her work promoting literacy, empowering youth and raising awareness on important issues. The ceremony opened with remarks by Times Executive Editor Terry Tang and was emceed by Times columnist LZ Granderson. 'In a world that is now feeling so confusing and distressing, this weekend gives all of us a chance to find a sense of unity, purpose and support,' Tang said.
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
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
At L.A. Times Book Prizes ceremony, winners advocate for hope in the face of uncertainty
It was a night of literary excellence at the 45th Los Angeles Times Book Prizes ceremony Friday night at USC's Bovard Auditorium. As winners in 12 competitive categories and three special prizes took the stage, many addressed the fraught political climate in the U.S. as well as L.A. rebuilding after January's devastating firestorms. Writers also addressed the dire need to use their voice to reflect the present moment — from poetry winner Remica Bingham-Risher reflecting on the abuse her grandmothers endured (in another time and place, their narrative would have been hers, she said), to current interest winner Jesse Katz urging the audience to recognize the individuality of often-stigmatized MacArthur Park residents. Pico Iyer — whose written 15 books translated into 23 languages — accepted the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, which honors a writer with a substantial connection to the American West. The author's latest novel, 'Aflame: Learning From Silence,' recounts his mother's home in Santa Monica burning during a wildfire in 1990. The book was published on Jan. 14, in the immediate aftermath of the Palisades and Eaton fires. 'I know that many people in this room have been through tremendous losses in the last few months,' he said, sharing that he lost handwritten notes for three books in progress in the 1990 fire. 'What initially presented itself mostly as loss began to open doors … and make possible many things that might have never happened otherwise. I really hope that might be the case for some of you.' 'Writing still seems the deepest way of inhabiting another soul and the very best way, therefore, of rescuing us from black and white,' he added. Investigative journalist Emily Witt accepted the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose for her memoir 'Health and Safety: A Breakdown,' about her exploration of New York's nightlife scene. In her acceptance speech, Witt cited Isherwood's writing about pre-WWII Berlin as a major influence. Like his milieu, she said the characters of her memoir, which takes place in Brooklyn in the years 2016-2020, lived in acute awareness of the 'ideological bankruptcy' of their time. Celebrated L.A.-born poet Amanda Gorman accepted the Innovator's Award for bringing 'books, publishing and storytelling into the future.' 'Love is no silent harbor, no haven,' Gorman recited. 'Still, it is the roaring thing that tugs away from the very shores we clutch. There is no better compass than this compassion.' Iyer and Gorman will speak Saturday at the Festival of Books about their respective books. The biography prize went to Laura Beers for 'Orwell's Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century.' The book, written upon the 75th anniversary of '1984,' explores George Orwell's prescient and radical teachings. Beers, who was surprised by the win, said the world 'seems to become slightly more Orwellian with each passing day.' Journalist Rebecca Boyle won the science and technology award for 'Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are,' which traces the moon's role in our biological and cultural evolution. 'The moon, my subject, does remind us that there are cycles,' she said while accepting the prize. 'Inherent in the meaning of a cycle or a phase is a return. Things go away and they come back. Fascism went away, and now is back. Authoritarianism went away, we thought, and now it is back. But there's a flip side to that. Every phase that leaves brings something new. There's also hope and renewal. And I think part of our job, the most important job we have as writers, is to remind us of the positive phases, the return of good, the return of new cycles and hope.' In her closing remarks, she quoted Pope Francis, whose funeral is tomorrow: 'Hope is a gift and a task.' Kim Johnson, whose 'The Color of a Lie' won the award for young-adult literature, said she set her book, about a white-passing Black teen, in 1955 Levittown, Penn., after her first novel was banned in Bucks County, where Levittown is located. 'Writers write in a lot of spaces where we're doing resistance,' she said. 'I'm thinking about reckoning, trying to untangle the roots of racism and systemic factors in this country that are so embedded and baked in our society.' Achievement in audiobook production went to Dominic Hoffman (narrator) and Linda Korn (producer) for 'James: A Novel.' Presented in collaboration with Audible, the award — the ceremony's newest — honors performance, production and innovation in storytelling. Jiaming Tang took home the Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction for 'Cinema Love.' The decades-spanning epic follows gay Chinese immigrants. The novel also has won the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction and the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ+ Fiction. Jesse Katz's 'The Rent Collectors: Exploitation, Murder, and Redemption in Immigrant L.A.' won the award for current interest. The book explores the exploitation of undocumented Angelenos by both gang overlords and local law enforcement. The fiction award went to Jennine Capó Crucet for 'Say Hello to My Little Friend.' Brimming with dark humor, the novel follows a failed Pitbull impersonator's encounter with a captive orca at the Miami Seaquarium. Danielle Trussoni's 'The Puzzle Box' received the award for mystery/thriller. The second of Trussoni's Puzzle Mike Brink series, the book follows a puzzle master invited to Tokyo to try his hand opening the legendary Dragon Box, which contains a priceless Imperial secret. The ceremony, which opened with remarks by Times Executive Editor Terry Tang and was emceed by Times columnist LZ Granderson (who also provided updates from the Lakers playoff game), serves as a kickoff to this weekend's Festival of Books. 'In a world that is now feeling so confusing and distressed, this weekend gives all of us a chance to find a sense of unity, purpose and support,' she said. The 30th annual celebration brings more than 550 storytellers to the USC campus across seven outdoor stages and 15 indoor venues. While some panels are ticketed, general admission to the festival is free. Saturday's events include conversations and panels with Amor Towles, Jay Ellis, Claire Hoffman, Stacey Abrams, Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque, Griffin Dunne, E.A. Hanks, Rebecca Yarros, Amanda Knox, Rachel Kushner, Krysten Ritter, Max Greenfield and 'Giggly Squad' podcast hosts Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo, as well as a cooking demo from Roy Choi, reading by Alison C. Rollins and a performance by singer Aspen Jacobsen. Sunday's authors and entertainers include Percival Everett, Jenny Slate, Steve Wasserman, Maureen Dowd, Wilmer Valderrama, Jon M. Chu, Rachel Lindsay, Chelsea Handler, Jennifer Haigh, Gretchen Whitmer, Attica Locke, Janelle Brown, Kristen Ciccarelli and Mike Campbell. A special screening of PBS series 'Miss Austen' and an appearance by children's entertainer Blippi are also among the highlights. Here's the full list of finalists and winners for the Book Prizes. Pico Iyer, 'Aflame: Learning From Silence' Emily Witt, 'Health and Safety: A Breakdown' Amanda Gorman Jiaming Tang, 'Cinema Love: A Novel' Pemi Aguda, 'Ghostroots: Stories' Joseph Earl Thomas, 'God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer: A Novel' Jessica Elisheva Emerson, 'Olive Days: A Novel' Julian Zabalbeascoa, 'What We Tried to Bury Grows Here' Matt Bomer (narrator), Kelly Gildea (director, co-producer), Lauren Klein (producer); 'Giovanni's Room: A Novel' Narrators: Clare Brown, Ayanna Dookie, Korey Jackson, Andrea Jones-Sojola, Brittany Pressley, Emana Rachelle, Malika Samuel, Heather Alicia Simms, Diana Bustelo, Tyla Collier, Alejandra Reynoso, David Sadzin, André Santana, Shaun Taylor-Corbett; Producer: Allison Light; 'New Nigeria County' Narrators: Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, Tom Hardy, Chukwudi Iwuji, Romesh Ranganathan, Natasia Demetriou, Francesca Mills, Alex Lawther, Katie Leung; Producers: Chris Jones, Mariele Runacre-Temple, Robin Morgan-Bentley, Nathan Freeman; 'George Orwell's 1984: An Audible Original adaptation' Dominic Hoffman (narrator), Linda Korn (producer); 'James: A Novel' Michele Norris With a Full Cast (narrator), Mike Noble (producer); 'Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity' Laura Beers, 'Orwell's Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century' Cynthia Carr, 'Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar' Alexis Pauline Gumbs, 'Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde' Pamela D. Toler, 'The Dragon From Chicago: The Untold Story of an American Reporter in Nazi Germany' Jessica Goudeau, 'We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration' Jonathan Blitzer, 'Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis' Ta-Nehisi Coates, 'The Message' Jesse Katz, 'The Rent Collectors: Exploitation, Murder, and Redemption in Immigrant L.A.' Robin Wall Kimmerer, 'The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World' Wright Thompson, 'The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi' Rita Bullwinkel, 'Headshot: A Novel' Jennine Capó Crucet, 'Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Novel' Percival Everett, 'James: A Novel' Yuri Herrera translated by Lisa Dillman, 'Season of the Swamp: A Novel' Miranda July, 'All Fours: A Novel' Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes, 'Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 2: The Cursed Hermit' Taiyo Matsumoto, 'Tokyo These Days, Vol. 1' Bhanu Pratap, 'Cutting Season' Miroslav Sekulic-Struja, translated by Jenna Allen, 'Petar & Liza' Ram V and Filipe Andrade, 'Rare Flavours' Andrea Freeman, 'Ruin Their Crops on the Ground: The Politics of Food in the United States, From the Trail of Tears to School Lunch' Andrew W. Kahrl, 'The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America' Aaron Robertson, 'The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America' Joseph M. Thompson, 'Cold War Country: How Nashville's Music Row and the Pentagon Created the Sound of American Patriotism' Michael Waters, 'The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports' Christopher Bollen, 'Havoc: A Novel' Michael Connelly, 'The Waiting: A Ballard and Bosch Novel' Attica Locke, 'Guide Me Home: A Highway 59 Novel' Liz Moore, 'The God of the Woods: A Novel' Danielle Trussoni, 'The Puzzle Box: A Novel' Remica Bingham-Risher, 'Room Swept Home' Andrea Cohen, 'The Sorrow Apartments' Cindy Juyoung Ok, 'Ward Toward' Pam Rehm, 'Inner Verses' Alison C. Rollins, 'Black Bell' Jedediah Berry, 'The Naming Song' Lev Grossman, 'The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur' Kelly Link, 'The Book of Love' Jeff VanderMeer, 'Absolution: A Southern Reach Novel' Nghi Vo, 'The City in Glass' Rebecca Boyle, 'Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are' Ferris Jabr, 'Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life' Daniel Lewis, 'Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future' Kyne Santos, 'Math in Drag' Zoë Schlanger, 'The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth' Traci Chee, 'Kindling' K.A. Cobell, 'Looking for Smoke' Safia Elhillo, 'Bright Red Fruit' Carolina Ixta, 'Shut Up, This Is Serious' Kim Johnson, 'The Color of a Lie'
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).
