The Book Pages: LitFest in the Dena book festival is here!
Do you have book plans this weekend? Along with visiting some local shops for Free Comic Book Day, I’m planning to attend one of my favorite Southern California book festivals – one that’s held at a very unlikely locale.
The newly rechristened LitFest in the Dena (formerly known as LitFest Pasadena) is back for a second year at Mountain View Mausoleum in Altadena this Saturday and Sunday, May 6-7, from 12:30 to 6 p.m.
And yes, mausoleum means what you think it does. Is walking its echoey halls to get to a book talk just the tiniest bit strange? Sure, but with its stained glass windows, marble halls and quiet residents, it’s got more character than your typical hotel conference room. (And, speaking only for myself, I think I’d like it if people gathered by my eternal resting place to talk about books.)
Over the course of the free, two-day festival, there’ll be panel discussions, author talks, book signings, food trucks and more. (And full disclosure: The Pasadena Star-News, representing our papers, is an event sponsor for the first time this year, but I’m writing about because – no surprise – I’ve been attending the event for years.)
The panels sound terrific: There’s one on Octavia Butler’s “Kindred,” another called “Reclaiming Witches and Monstrous Women,” as well as “Writing From Our Immigrant Hearts,” “Queer Writers Tracking Literary Ancestries,” “Writing the Killer Crime Novel” and “Comic Disruption.”
“The majority of everything you see on the program is a proposal from someone within the community,” says Kat Ward, event manager for Light Bringer Project, which puts on the festival. “Anyone can see our call for submissions and submit a proposal. I do love that, because I think it is truly a community festival.”
Authors attending include Walter Mosley, Naomi Hirahara, Joe Ide, Jordan Harper, Natashia Deón, Ryka Aoki, Tod Goldberg and more. And the topics include everything from writing, publishing and publicity to book banning, abuse of power and pairing tea and books.
Ward mentioned a new partnership with Children’s Literature Council of Southern California, which is putting on the “Book Banning & Gatekeepers: Curation vs Censorship” panel.
“It’s very obviously very timely,” says Ward of the panel. “It’s a combination of authors, librarians, educators, and people who have been affected by it, too.”
As well as that one, I’m looking forward to the “Bookstores We Love” panel with local booksellers from The Ripped Bodice, Flintridge Bookstore, North Figueroa Bookshop and Octavia’s Bookshelf. (Oh, and my Bookish colleagues, Sandra Tsing Loh and Samantha Dunn, will be talking with Diane Marie Brown.)
“We’d really like people to come out for something that they’re interested in, and then take a break, buy a book, have a cup of tea or a sandwich – and then stay for another one,” says Ward. “We want to make it an experience where they just want to hang out for a while.”
(And if you plan to also look for comics, here’s a Free Comic Book Day locator to find a store near you. Last year, I met some lovely people in line – one of whom made note of an old comic series I’d mentioned, came across copies in the store and brought them over to me. People can be just wonderful, right?)
How was your Independent Bookstore Day, for those of you who celebrated?
Mine was terrific. With a goal to visit five stores, I started off at Octavia’s Bookshelf and visited with owner Nikki High while my wife chatted with “Wolf Hustle” author Cin Fabré, bought a copy and got it inscribed.
After that, I took off on my own to check out the bookstores in Long Beach. I met Antonette Franceschi-Chavez and her husband Alex at Casita Books, which is a lovely store that I’ll have more about in the future.
Then it was over to check out Bel Canto Books at the Hangout on 4th Street in Long Beach. That was a blast as it was a gorgeous afternoon in the lovely Hangout space, and it was full of great books. Plus, I checked out the cookbook store Kitchen Lingo Books and got properly hungry; thankfully, I was mere steps from Lola’s Mexican Cuisine.
Then I was off to Bel Canto’s KUBO space where I got to catchu up with the wonderful Jhoanna Belfer. I picked up a few books – I tried to show restraint – before heading home to read. And though they weren’t technically visits on IBD, I also stopped by Rocket Books, Vroman’s, Book Alley and a library used book sale to make my goal of five stores — and then some. I regret nothing.
I hope you all found some good books, too.
Reader Recommendations: What You’ve Been Reading
“I’m a new subscriber to Book Pages and the books I’ve been reading lately include ‘Lessons in Chemistry,’ ‘Mother, Daughter, Traitor, Spy’ and I’m currently reading ‘Incredibly Bright Creatures.’ I’m looking forward to seeing the newsletter.” – Chris Armstrong
“I highly recommend the YA/Adult series by Brandie June, ‘Gold Spun’ and ‘Curse Undone’; Garth Nix’s ‘The Left-Handed Booksellers of London’; Andrew Sean Greer’s ‘Less is Lost’; Dan Jones’ ‘Essex Dogs.‘ I’m a historian and enjoy mixing good novels in with new history books. I’ll read anything by Christopher Moore, Naomi Novik, or Jasper Fforde, especially the former’s ‘Lamb: the Gospel according to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Friend,’ and the latter’s ‘Shades of Grey.’ I’m also a sucker for mysteries and noir, and only guess where the story is going half of the time.” – Tamara Smith
“Audiobooks are still an option – even the ones on CDs. My library still gets the latest ones. I’m about to start listening to ‘Our Missing Hearts’ by Celeste Ng. You mentioned narrators recently that I also like. One category that you did not mention is the novel read by the author – ‘The Sentence’ read by Louise Erdrich is an excellent example. Thanks for another good issue.” – Eileen Ferris
Thanks, Chris, Tamara and Eileen, and all who write in with recommendations. Please put “ERIK: MY READING SUGGESTIONS” in the subject header so I’m sure not to miss it.
And if you enjoy this free newsletter, please share it with someone you know who likes books or consider a digital subscription to support our local coverage.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Abraham Verghese recalls the first book that made an impact on him
Known for his hugely successful novel “Cutting for Stone,” Dr. Abraham Verghese is an author, doctor and professor of medicine at Stanford University. His latest novel is “The Covenant of Water” from Grove Atlantic, and he spoke with writer Diya Chacko about the book. Here he responds to the Q&A about books and people that have influenced him.
Q. Is there a book you always recommend to other readers?
Yeah, I think my all-time favorite book is “Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I’ve read that many, many times. It’s just a beautiful love story.
Q. Do you remember the first book that made an impact on you?
It would have to be “Of Human Bondage” by W. Somerset Maugham, because that was the book that called me to medicine, even though the medical element is quite minor. There was a line which I took to heart about how not everybody would have the genius or the talent to be an artist or mathematician, but anybody with empathy for the human condition or a curious honesty about their fellow human being, and willingness to work hard, could be a good physician.
Q. Are there scenes or any bits of dialogue that have stayed with you from something you’ve read recently?
I happen to be reading “The Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett. It’s a book that’s been around a long time, but for some reason, I never picked it up. And it’s just fascinating to read about the construction of cathedrals. So the scene that is staying with me is one tremendous moment when people realize that they don’t really need to build massive thick stone walls and perfectly curved arches, that they can get away with ribbed load-bearing structures that allow you to make peaked arches and fill the space between with stained glass windows and light. That’s what I’ve been thinking about this morning.
Q. Is there a person who made an impact on your reading life, like a teacher or a librarian or parent?
I think it would have to be my English teachers in Ethiopia. Their passion for teaching made books seem like a wonderful gateway to a world that was larger than the one I was living in. My parents spent their whole careers as physics teachers.
Teachers are underpaid. I really think that teachers should be paid what physicians are paid, and physicians should be paid what teachers are paid. Then, we’ll find out who really wants to be a physician.
Q. What do you hope to read next?
I tend to be the kind of person who, when I like a writer, I want to read everything that they’ve written. I stumbled somewhat late in life onto “The Brothers Karamazov” by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I was just so blown away by that book, even though I’m sure I read “Crime and Punishment” many, many years ago. So now I’m on this quest to read everything by Dostoyevsky. That’s what I’m reading right now, in addition to “The Pillars of the Earth.”
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What’s next on ‘Bookish’
The next Bookish event will be at LitFest in the Dena on Sunday at 5 p.m. and include author Diane Marie Brown, host Sandra Tsing Loh & Samantha Dunn.