Word Players
Find more than one good read at this weekend’s Duarte Festival of Authors
By Joe Piasecki 10/02/2008
One of the most prolific authors of our time, Ray Bradbury has earned his status as a living literary icon with books including “Fahrenheit 451,” “The Martian Chronicles” and “The Illustrated Man.”
After 10 years as a reporter for the LA Times’ San Gabriel Valley Bureau, bestselling author and East LA native Denise Hamilton struck gold on the page with her Eve Diamond mystery series.
Hollywood producer, writer and director DJ MacHale — who broke into the business writing ABC “Afterschool Specials” before co-creating the popular Nickelodeon series “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” and the Discovery Kids network’s “Flight 29 Down” — recently took his first turn as a novelist with his young adult Pendragon series.
Creator of successful shows including “The A-Team,” “The Rockford Files,” “Adam-12” and “21 Jump Street,” Pasadena native Stephen J. Cannell needs no introduction in the television world, but he’s also the author of many popular mystery novels.
Meet all four of these creative giants and many, many more from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday during the Duarte Festival of Authors, a free event produced by the Friends of the Duarte Library and featuring art displays and antique appraisals in addition to a plethora of author talks, panels and book signings.
The festival’s lengthy list of participating authors also includes local historian Elizabeth Pomeroy, who will discuss “Lost and Found: Historic and Natural Landmarks of the San Gabriel Valley” and “Pasadena: A Natural History,” and Colleen Dunn Bates, who will talk about “Hometown Pasadena,” an insider’s guide to the Crown City and its environs.
Congresswomen Linda and Loretta Sánchez, the only sisters to serve together in Congress, will speak at 3 p.m. about their new memoir, “Dream in Color: How the Sánchez Sisters Are Making History in Congress,” which is also something of an inspirational guide for young women.
McHale discusses his fiction at 11 a.m., and Hamilton talks about her latest mystery, “The Last Embrace,” at noon. Bradbury speaks at 1 p.m., and Cannell discusses his novel “At First Sight” at 2 p.m.
Other featured writers include Gustavo Arellano, creator of the popular “¡Ask a Mexican!” column and the recently published “Orange County: A Personal History,” “Latino Los Angeles” authors Gilda and Enrique Ochoa, children’s author Barbara Jean Hicks, and novelists Phyllis Gebauer, Naomi Hirahara, C. Leigh Purtill, Rebecca T. Urritia, Liane Bonin and Patricia Kokinos.
Kids are welcome to participate in a free crafts workshop led by Pasadena’s Armory Center for the Arts from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Other event sponsors include Vroman’s Bookstore and Barnes & Noble Booksellers.
The Duarte Festival of Authors takes place at Westminster Gardens, 1420 Santo Domingo Ave., Duarte. Call (626) 357-4151 or visit friendsoftheduartelibrary.com.
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT