Friday, April 24, 1998
Weekend festival celebrates power of written word
BOOK FAIR: Campus offers ideal
place to bring readers together
By Emi Kojima
Daily Bruin Contributor
The comfortable familiarity of UCLA’s Dickson plaza, nestled
between Royce Hall to the north and Powell Library to the south,
has been replaced with an excitement and anticipation that visits
this campus every year at this time. By Saturday, it will be almost
unrecognizable.
Newly erected white, blue and yellow tents cover the lawn in
preparation for the third annual Los Angeles Times Festival of
Books, held in cooperation with UCLA Saturday and Sunday.
Last year, the festival attracted 100,000 visitors.
The Festival of Books sponsors lectures, book readings,
seminars, booths for exhibitors and activities for children, among
others.
Even though UCLA "certainly (receives) no monetary benefit" from
the event, the university gains exposure to its programs and
organization, according to Winnie Glas, UCLA director of event
management.
"It’s an opportunity to show the reading public what UCLA is all
about," she said.
UCLA affiliated organizations will participate in the Festival
of Books, including the Friends of English and the UCLA Alumni
Association.
The UCLA Ocean Discovery Center touch tank also will be
displayed, showing some of the resources available at the
university.
Additionally, "UCLA has a reputation for managing major events
very well," she said.
Laura Morgan, a Festival of Books staff member, agreed that UCLA
was a good site choice because of practical reasons.
"(UCLA) is a wonderful venue for us," said. "It’s pretty and has
space that we need."
Morgan said that working with a university also made sense in
light of the event’s goal to promote literacy and to bring book
lovers and book authors together to celebrate the written word.
Although the Los Angeles Times will take subscriptions during
the event, Morgan said that the primary focus is activism in the
literacy field.
Kathryn Long, a fourth-year world literature student, decided to
volunteer because of the event’s lofty goals.
"I’m interested in promoting literature and the motto of
‘celebrating the written word’ just makes a great deal of sense to
me," she said.
The book fair, though costly for the Times, will be free to the
public. Tickets allowing participants access to most author events
are available for free.
Authors at the event hail from all fields, from popular writers
to critically acclaimed to poets. R.L. Stine of the popular
adolescent series "Goosebumps" and "Fear Street" will attend as
well as authors Isabel Allende, Ray Bradbury and Terri
McMillan.
Despite the week’s temperamental weather and looming clouds,
workers continue to erect tents for the Festival of Books.
"This event will go on, rain or shine," Glas said.
"L.A. is the biggest book market in the country and people are
very dedicated. I suspect people will be here, rain or shine," she
said.