LA Times Festival of Books 2018

AKoldPiece is a father, educator, writer, poet, spoken-word artist, host, author of “The Weather Report,” and a graduate of UCLA with a B.A. in History. As a poet, he has been featured at Black Broncos Rock for Cal Poly Pomona, The Black History Celebration at L.A. Southwest College... Read More →

Award-winning author and educator Buchanan is the former Interim Chair/Assistant Professor of the Department of English & Foreign Languages at Hampton University. The fall 2017 Writer-in-Residence at William & Mary College, Shonda’s family memoir, "Black Indian," will be released... Read More →

Dobreer is the 2017 winner of the Downey Symphony Orchestra, Poetry Matters Prize. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals with one Pushcart nomination, and she is author of "In the Lake of Your Bones," and "Drop and Dazzle," both on Moon Tide Press, 2012 and 2018. A former dancer... Read More →

Kali is a Coordinator and Host of the World Stage Anansi Writers Workshop she's attended since 1992, was featured in the Center Theater Group [2015-16] production, Through The Looking Glass at the Kirk Douglas Theater; released her poetry volume, "Hymn" [2016], and created and produced... Read More →

Marañón shares ancestry from the Quechua people of Bolivia and the early pilgrims of New England. She has worked in public education using her passion for language, culture and learning both as a teacher and an administrator at the county office of education coordinating the innovative... Read More →

Maruyama obtained his MFA in Creative Writing from Long Beach State. He edited an Asian Pacific American Arts journal called dIS*orient Journalzine during the 1990s to early 2000s. He is a member of The Company of Angels Theater's playwriting group. He has most recently been asked... Read More →

Romus Simpson is a wonderful poet, cultural critic, and folklorist whose poems, articles and performances lend brave ballast to LA's cultural conversation. Those who have been fortunate enough to attend Romus Simpson’s poetry readings over the years have come to understand why many... Read More →

Sims is a poet, and a Professor of Creative Writing, teaching at the Los Angeles Film School. He is also the founder of the Community Literature Initiative, a publishing program for Los Angeles writers who want to publish books here at USC. He has published three collections of poetry... Read More →