The 2023 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will be held at University of Southern California on Saturday and Sunday, April 22-23, bringing hundreds of authors, poets, artists, celebrities, musicians, partners like Apple TV, volunteers and exhibitors to the cultural event of the year.
Featured authors include the following:
Erika Sachiko Hayasaki is a writer based in Southern California. Her recent feature stories appear in The New York Times Magazine, Wired, The Atlantic and others. A former national correspondent for The Los Angeles Times, she teaches nonfiction storytelling at UC Irvine, where she is an associate professor in the Literary Journalism Program. In 2014, she published “The Death Class: A True Story About Life” (Simon & Schuster). Her second nonfiction book, “Somewhere Sisters: A Story of Adoption, Identity and the Meaning of Family,” was released in October 2022 by Algonquin Books, and was named an NPR “Best Book of the Year.”
Sunday, April 23, 10:30-11:30 a.m., “Narrative Journalism: Injustice and the People It Hurts,” Panel 2001 (tickets required). Hancock Foundation, Newman Recital Hall
Garrett Hongo was born in Volcano, Hawaiʻi, and grew up on the North Shore of Oʻahu and in Los Angeles. His most recent books include “The Mirror Diary: Selected Essays” and “Coral Road: Poems.” He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for “The Rivre of Heaven.” A regular contributor to SoundStage! Ultra, he lives in Eugene, Ore. and is distinguished professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oregon.
Sunday, April 23, 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m., “Memoir: The Intersection of Life and Art,” Panel 2141 (tickets required). Albert and Dana Broccoli Theatre
Iris Yamashita was nominated for an Academy Award and a Chicago Film Critics Association Award for writing the screenplay for Clint Eastwood’s World War II epic “Letters from Iwo Jima.” She has made her mark as an author with her first novel, “City Under One Roof,” a murder mystery set in a remote Alaska town, and is working on a sequel.
Sunday, April 23, book-signings at 11 a.m. at Mystery Writers of America (Booth 363); 2 to 4 p.m. at Sisters in Crime, Booth 360
Joe Ide grew up in South Central Los Angeles and currently lives in Santa Monica. His IQ (Isaiah Quintabe) mystery series — including “Righteous,” “Wrecked,” “Hi Five,” “Smoke,” and the latest, “Fixit” — has won the Anthony, Shamus and Macavity awards, and has been nominated for the Edgar, Barry, CWA New Blood Dagger and Strand Book Critics awards. The IQ books are currently in development as an original TV series.
Sunday, April 23, 2-3 p.m., “Mystery/Thriller: L.A.’s Mean Streets,” Panel 2133 (tickets required). Ray Stark Family Theatre
Mas Masumoto is an organic peach, nectarine, apricot, and grape farmer and the author of 13 books, including “Epitaph for a Peach,” “Changing Season,” “Wisdom of the Last Farmer,” “Four Seasons in Five Senses,” and a cookbook, “The Perfect Peach.” A documentary, “Changing Season on the Masumoto Family Farm,” was nationally broadcast by PBS in 2016. His newest book, “Secret Harvests,” is about family secrets. Masumoto is a third-generation farmer south of Fresno. His writing awards include the Commonwealth Club Medal, Julia Child Cookbook Award and Independent Publisher Book Award. He currently serves on the boards of the Public Policy Institute of California and CalMatters.
Sunday, April 23, 1:30-2:30 p.m., “Memoir: The Roots of Resilience,” Panel 2143 (tickets required). Albert and Dana Broccoli Theatre
Miwa Messer is the creator, producer and host of “Poured Over: The Barnes & Noble Podcast,” a show for readers who pore over details, obsess over sentences and ideas and stories and characters; readers who ask a lot of questions, just like her, a career bookseller who’s always reading. It recently celebrated its 100th episode.
Sunday, April 23, 3-4 p.m., “Fiction: The Mother-Daughter Dance,” Panel 2114 (tickets required). Taper Hall 201
Naomi Hirahara is the Edgar Award-winning author of the Mas Arai, Ellie Rush and Leilani Santiago mysteries — including, respectively, “Summer of the Big Bachi,” “Murder on Bamboo Lane” and “Iced in Paradise” — and historical novels, including “Clark and Division,” set in Chicago, and its follow-up, “Evergreen,” due out in August. In the latter book, a Japanese American nurse’s aide navigates the dangers of post-World War II and post-Manzanar life as she attempts to find justice for a broken family.
Sunday, April 23, book signings at 10:30 a.m. at Alta Booth, 12 p.m. at Mystery Writers of America, Booth 363.
Shiho Pate was born in Hokkaido and raised in Aichi. She received her degree in illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design and worked for indie gaming studios before she started making children’s books. Her credits as an illustrator include “Ramen for Everyone,” “Cupcake Catastrophe,” “2 Pirates + 1 Robot,” and “The Animated Periodic Table.” She lives in Southern California, where she loves hunting with her daughter and husband for new ramen restaurants. Visit her at ShihoPate.com or @ShihoPate on Instagram.
Sunday, April 23, 1:30-1:55 p.m., “Shiho Pate, Illustrator of ‘Ramen for Everyone.’” Children’s Stage
In addition to the weekend events, the 43rd annual Los Angeles Times Book Prize Ceremony will take place on Friday, April 21, at 7 p.m.
Check out the full schedule and grab a Friend of the Festival package here: https://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/
LATE BULLETIN: Garrett Hongo announced on Thursday that he had to cancel his appearance at this event.