LitFest Pasadena 2.0 presents three stages packed with a day full of PANELS, IN CONVERSATIONS, READINGS, PERFORMANCES, POETRY, TEEN READS, MIDDLE GRADE, & CHILDREN’S programs. Programs start right at 10:00am and run until closing at 5:00pm!

You can also check out our OFF STAGE ACTIVITIES HERE!

Starting: 10:00AM to 11:00AM

PANEL: Crossing Over: Stage, Page & Screen (10:00am-11:00am)

Why limit your muse? Page, stage, screen, and blogosphere are all fair game for the imaginative storyteller. Emmy award-winning fiction-television writer Alan Brennert (L.A. Law, Palisades Park), novelist-memoirist Aimee Liu (Flash House), author-social commentator Jervey Tervalon (Golden: The Education of a Young Pootbutt) and playwright-screenwriter Elizabeth Wong (All-American Girl, China Doll) share their adventures in multi-media. Moderated by Emmy award-winning screenwriter-essayist Georgia Jeffries (Cagney & Lacey, China Beach, The Huffington Post). (Julia Child Stage)
Book signings with Alan Brennert, Aimee Liu, Jervey Tervalon, & Elizabeth Wong after the panel. Signing by Alan Brennert hosted by the Rare Bird Lit booth.

PANEL: Prospect Park Books Presents Literary Pasadena: Featuring Great Pasadena Writers! (10:00am-10:45am)

The historic, handsome city in the shadow of Los Angeles has been a creative hotbed since the Arroyo Arts & Crafts scene of the early twentieth century. Experience Pasadena-area authors who contributed to Literary Pasadena: The Fiction Edition, including Naomi Hirahara (Snakeskin Shamisen), Liza Palmer (Nowhere But Home), Samantha Peale (The American Painter Emma Dial), Wally Rudolph, and Larry Wilson. (Harriet Doerr Stage)
Signing Hosted at the Prospect Park Books booth at 11am–Naomi Hirahara will sign at 11:30am.

READING: Elizabeth the First Wife: Lian Dolan Reads from Her Latest Novel! (10:45am-11:00am)

Lian Dolan is a bestselling writer and award- winning broadcaster, whose voice brings to life the experiences of contemporary women. She’s appeared on numerous shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show, CBS Sunday Morning, and The Today Show. Elizabeth the First Wife is a follow-up to her debut novel Helen of Pasadena, a Los Angeles Times Bestseller.
(Harriet Doerr Stage)
Signing Hosted at the Prospect Park Books Booth at 11:30am.

CHILDREN’S STORY TIME: “Not in a Box” Author Antoinette Portis (10:00am-10:15am)

Inspired by a memory of sitting in a box on her driveway with her sister, Antoinette Portis captures the thrill when pretend feels so real that it actually becomes real—when the imagination takes over and inside a cardboard box, a child is transported to a world where anything is possible.

Antoinette will spend a fun filled story time with children attending LitFest! (Octavia Butler Stage)
Signing hosted afterwards by Once Upon a Time Bookstore Booth

CHILDREN: Marvelous Children’s Books! Readings & Activities with Children’s Book Authors & Illustrators! (10:30am-11:00am)

Authors and illustrators of gorgeous new children’s picture books will share their work with the little ones! Featuring Bethany Barton reading This Monster Cannot Wait!, Eliza Wheeler reading Miss Maple’s Seeds and Paul Rogers, illustrator of Wynton Marsalis’s Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! hosting a children’s art activity! (Octavia Butler Stage)
Signing hosted afterwards at the Once Upon A Time bookstore booth.


Starting: 11:00AM to 12:00PM

WELCOMING CEREMONY: LitFest Pasadena & Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard Welcome the Readers & Writers of Pasadena and Beyond! (11:00am-11:15am)

Native Pasadena poet James McMichael will read from his classic Pasadena poem, “Four Good Things!”
(Harriet Doerr Stage)






PANEL: Are Fiction & History Converging? (11:15am-12:00pm)

Most readers consume history via fiction. Not only is this trend increasing, more novelists are using well known historial characters as jumping off points for fiction, putting words in their mouths, or inventing alternate histories. Join 2009 Pulitzer-prize winning historian Daniel Walker Howe (What Hath God Wrought), who sticks to the facts, 20th Century cultural historian Mary Corey, who assigns fiction to her UCLA students and is working on her novel, and Julius Wachtel, former federal agent and lecturer in criminal justice who just published his novel Stalin’s Witnesses — because no publisher was interested in the nonfiction version — for a lively discussion. Moderated by historian Michele Zack. (Julia Child Stage)
Book signings with Daniel Walker Howe and Julius Wachtel after the panel at the stage.

READING: Shadow Play (11:15am-12:00pm)

This is writing unafraid of underbelly, the wounds, the innermost flaws, vulnerabilities and hidden agendas in the world of character. This panel of writers, comfortable and deft in both fiction and non-fiction, bring to light, truth and empathy that which lurks from the dark side of the moon. Featuring authors Samantha Dunn (Failing Paris), Jillian Lauren (Some Girls: My Life in a Harem), Rachel Resnick (Love Junkie: A Memoir), & Lisa Teasley (DIVE)! (Harriet Doerr Stage)
Book signings after the panel at the Harriet Doerr Stage.

CHILDREN: Bob Baker Marionettes Traveling Jamboree (11:15am-11:45am)

Experience animated and handcrafted marionette magic! Bob Baker Marionette Theater is one of America’s longest running puppet theaters–celebrating 52 years of pulling the strings of family fun!  Puppeteers mentored by Bob Baker himself, Eric De La Cruz and Alex Evans, will lead the show! The theater, located at 1345 W. First St., offers hour long interactive shows, birthday parties and traveling shows. For more info: www.BobBakerMarionettes.com. (Octavia Butler Stage)


Starting: 12:00PM to 1:00PM

PERFORMANCE: History Lit Presents “Two Pictures in One” (12:15PM-12:45PM)

History Lit Presents “Two Pictures in One”: A Play Adapted from the short story “The Two Altars: Or Two Pictures in One” by Harriet Beecher Stowe. “Two Pictures in One” is a simultaneous chronicle of the lives and fates of two early Massachusetts families: the Wards, an 18th Century Anglo family living during the early days of the American Revolution and the Caffeys, a 19th Century African-American family living ten years prior to the Civil War. By juxtaposing these two points in time, “Two Pictures in One” examines ideas of freedom and personal consequences. (Julia Child Stage)

PANEL & SPECIAL PERFORMANCE: New Waves in SoCal Surf Culture: Crowds, Commercialism and the Aloha Vibe (12:15pm-1:15pm)

Opening with classic surf tunes from The Jimbonaires! 12:15pm-12:30pm

Surfing is a sport and an art, a lifestyle and a passion, and a way to make vast sums of money for global clothing manufacturers. Following classic surf tunes from The Jimbonaires, moderator Larry Wilson, LitFest Pasadena’s artistic director, will be joined by Venice surfer and painter Ned Evans, surfer, UC Irvine philosophy professor, and author of Assholes: A Theory, Aaron James, surfer and artist David Lloyd of Culver City and one of the first women professional surfers, Patti Paniccia of La Canada Flintridge, an expert on sex discrimination in the media and on the water, to discuss the current state of the swell. (Harriet Doerr Stage)
Book signing with Aaron James after the panel hosted by the Rare Bird Lit booth.

KIDS: Magic & Mystery for Middle Grade Readers! (11:50am-12:40pm)

Middle grade readers are invited to meet favorite authors who weave magic and mystery into their stories for readings and conversation! Featured guests include James Riley (Twice Upon a Time), John Stephens (The Fire Chronicle: The Books of Beginning 2), Kathleen O’Dell (The Aviary), Lin Oliver (Double Crossed #3, Sound Bender #2: The Shadow Mask), and Theo Baker (Sound Bender #2: The Shadow Mask)! Moderated by Rosalind Helfand. (Octavia Butler Stage)
Signing hosted afterwards at the Once Upon A Time bookstore booth.

TEEN READS: Thrilling Adventures that Capture the Imagination in Teen Lit! (12:45pm-1:45pm)

Featuring amazing authors from the worlds of adventure, fantasy and science fiction including Robin Benway (Also Known As), Jenn Reese (Above World: Mirage), Scott Speer (Immortal City), Shannon Messenger (Let the Sky Fall), and moderator Tim Beedle (Dark Crystal)! The authors will read selections from their work, talk about adventure crafting, and take audience questions! (Octavia Butler Stage)
Signing hosted afterwards at the Once Upon A Time bookstore booth.


Starting: 1:00PM to 2:00PM

IN CONVERSATION: How the San Gabriel Valley Became the Western — And Maybe the Eastern — Capital of Chinese Cuisine (1:00pm-1:45pm)

Jonathan Gold & 626 Foodettes Clarissa Wei & Kristie Hang In Conversation (Julia Child Stage)









POETRY: In the Shadow of the San Gabriels: 5 Local Poets (1:30pm-2:15pm)

Venerated local poets Xochitl-Julisa-Bermejo (Editor, The Splinter Generation), Douglas Kearney (The Black Automaton), Nicky Schildkraut (Magnetic Refrain), Mike Sonksen (I Am Alive in Los Angeles!) & Tim Stiles will each read short sets of their work. The bill blends the best of the academic, avant-garde, perfomance art & spoken word poetry community in order to demonstrate the undeniable vitality of the Arroyo Seco’s literary arts scene. Prepare to be inspired and entertained.
(Harriet Doerr Stage)
Book signings after the panel at the Harriet Doerr Stage.


Starting: 2:00PM to 3:00PM

PANEL: Omnipresent: The Vibrancy of Latino Literature (2:00pm-3:00pm)

Omnipresent: the Vibrancy of Latino Literature offers something for everyone. From memoir to noir mystery, poetry to historical fiction, and magical realism to L.A. fiction. The showcase of literature by Latino authors includes Reyna Grande (The Distance Between Us: A Memoir), Manuel Ramos (Desperado: A Mile High Noir), Alex Espinoza (The Five Acts of Diego León), Melinda Palacio (How Fire Is a Story, Waiting), and moderator Daniel Olivas (The Book of Want). (Julia Child Stage)
Book signings afterwards hosted by the Occidental Bookstore booth.

PANEL: SciFi & Fantasy Bridging Genres: The Novel, Short Story, & Graphic Novel (2:30pm-3:20pm)

Award-winning anthology editor & co-host of Wired.com’s The Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast John Joseph Adams (The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination), fantasy novelist, comic book writer, and actress/filmmaker Amber Benson (The Golden Age of Death), World of Warcraft Lead Story Developer and graphic novel writer, Micky Neilson (World of Warcraft: Pearl of Pandaria), science fiction short story and novel writer Robin Winter (Future Past), and moderator Tim Beedle (editor, Dark Crystal Graphic Novel) talk working across genres in science fiction and fantasy! (Harriet Doerr Stage)
Book signings afterwards hosted by the Once Upon a Time bookstore booth.

TEEN READS: Presenting the Winner of the LitFest Pasadena Prose Prize (2:00pm-2:20pm)
A Pasadena area high school student will be presented an award for her outstanding work in prose and Gary Phillips will read from her winning work. (Octavia Butler Stage)

PERFORMANCE: What Must the Hummingbird See? (2:20pm-2:45pm)
Featuring performers Weba Garretson and Ralph Gorodetsky. (Octavia Butler Stage)

PERFORMANCE: Wives Shows (2:55pm-3:15pm)

Writer, performance artist, and editor Kate Durbin will be casting and directing the LitFest audience in roles from reality TV shows about wives, from “Sister Wives” to “Married to Rock” to “Basketball Wives” to “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” The audience will perform their wives roles for the LitFest audience and the camera. (Octavia Butler Stage)





Starting: 3:00PM to 4:00PM

IN CONVERSATION: Four Strong Women: Award-winning Biographer Megan Marshall & Novelist Marisa Silver In Conversation! (3:10pm-3:50pm)

Biographer Megan Marshall and novelist Marisa Silver discuss writing powerful stories about powerful women: Megan Marshall’s “Margaret Fuller: A New American Life” and Marisa Silver’s “Mary Coin.” (Julia Child Stage)
Book signing hosted at the Flintridge Bookstore Booth after the panel.




POETRY: Hen House Rock! (3:30pm-4:10pm)

Three lively Red Hen Press poets, all teachers in Los Angeles, weave through time and place, worlds near and far with their bold poetry. Come get schooled–three is a magic number, after all. Featuring Laurel Ann Bogen (Washing a Language), Nicelle Davis (Circe) & Bart Edelman (The Geographer’s Wife). (Harriet Doerr Stage)
Signing afterwards at the Red Hen Press booth.

IN CONVERSATION: Severin Browne, Ann Scheid & Robert Winter on The Legacy of the Arroyo Culture (3:30pm-4:10pm)

Robert Winter, the legendary architectural historian who coined the phrase Arroyo Culture in the first place, will be in conversation with the Huntington Library’s Greene & Greene archivist Ann Scheid and folksinger Severin Browne of the very musical Browne family, who grew up in the Arroyo in his grandfather’s famed Abbey El Encino in Highland Park. Scheid, who has written two histories of Pasadena, and Winter, professor emeritus of the history of ideas at Occidental, also live in homes that were part of the peak of the artistic movement along the Arroyo Seco at the turn of the last century: the Ernest Batchelder house worked in by the great artisan tile maker and the Jean Mannheim studio, home to the iconic plein aire painter. They will address not only the Arroyo Culture of the past but its artistic legacy today. (Octavia Butler Stage)


Starting: 4:00PM to 5:00PM

IN CONVERSATION: From Blame to Bad Sex: Mona Simpson/Michelle Huneven & Jerry Stahl/Gary Phillips Back-To-Back! (4:00pm-5:00pm)

In a back-to-back literary power house event, four world class authors talk about writing in LaLa Land! First, the illustrious Mona Simpson (My Hollywood) goes in conversation with New York Times Bestseller Michelle Huneven (Blame: A Novel) followed by gritty novelist and screenwriter Jerry Stahl (Bad Sex On Speed: A Novel) in conversation with noir master Gary Phillips (Warlord of Willow Ridge). (Julia Child Stage)
Book signings with Gary Phillips and Jerry Stahl after the panel hosted by the BOOK’EM Mysteries Bookstore booth.

IN CONVERSATION: WriteGirl & “Cambodian Grrrl”: An Unusual Travel Story! (4:20pm-5:00pm)

Keren Taylor, the esteemed founder of WriteGirl interviews Anne Elizabeth Moore (Cambodian Grrl, New Girl Law), award-winning author, Fullbright Scholar, UN Press Fellow, & Truthout writer. Moore went to Cambodia and worked with young girls, who are second generation Cambodian genocide survivors, to develop their personal narratives. She’ll share her remarkable story at LitFest! (Harriet Doerr Stage)
Book signing with the Distant Lands Travel Bookstore Booth after the panel.

PERFORMANCE: Vox Box Arts Collective Presents–First Draft Stories: The Unintended Consequences of Literature (4:15pm-5:00pm)

Writer/performer Janice Markham and her co-conspirator, writer Angelica Street, have joined forces for another installment of “First Draft Stories” with sound design and occasional appearances by Gideon Markham, and even more characterizations by Monique McIntyre. This “Draft” spans the gamut of literary repercussions from “Romeo and Juliet” to “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

In The Unintended Consequences of Literature, a fanciful nerd-girl reflects on a middle school Romeo and Juliet assignment, a self-help author publicly reveals her true self and an old Jewish woman finds meaning through a surprising literary source!

VOX BOX Arts Collective is a nonprofit multi-cultural interdisciplinary arts group dedicated to presenting live performance, film, and visual arts to children and adults of diverse incomes, cultures, and abilities.We are writers, artists, actors, musicians, harlequins, hooligans, and shleppers. Stay tuned for upcoming collaborations with Eighth Day Arts and Little Bookwormz! www.voxboxarts.org (Octavia Butler Stage)