Festival of Lines
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 28, 2002 9:00 p.m.
Photos by MICHAEL MANTEL
By Ken Ruda
Daily Bruin Contributor
As many may have noticed, UCLA was invaded over the weekend.
Thousands of people squeezed themselves onto campus Saturday and
Sunday for the annual reading extravaganza called the L.A. Times
Festival of Books.
These bookworms came to the event in search of special book
deals, author readings, and most noticeably, author signings. Lines
extended across the lawns of the campus as fans sought the thrill
of something longer than an amusement park ride: the joy of meeting
their favorite authors.
From Ackerman Union to North Campus, people waited in lines for
all sorts of book-related delights. On Saturday, one long line
wrapped around Powell full of eager fans holding their ragged,
treasured books to be signed by Ray Bradbury, author of
“Farenheit 451.” A school teacher from Jefferson High
School, Laurie Fiddler, stood in line for Bradbury behind 50 others
to meet the author.
“I think (the line is) ridiculous,” Fiddler
said.
Jeyling Chou, a first-year English student, waited two hours to
see Phil Ortiz, illustrator for The Simpsons comic book. But the
wait was worth it, as she left with a sketch drawn especially for
her with Ortiz’s signature.
Denis Hagen-Smith, a UCLA alum and a fifth-grade teacher with
LAUSD, came with his wife to see writer Ishmael Reed and attend a
panel discussion titled “˜Teaching to Change L.A.”
“I used to read (Reed) in college. He’s a
provocative and interesting writer,” Hagen-Smith said as he
stood in line.
Photos by MICHAEL MANTEL
Although the long waits didn’t bother everyone, Susan
Broidui, a volunteer at the festival, tried to get into Paul
Conrad’s Saturday panel discussion but left unsuccessful.
“I don’t think it’s too crowded for a
festival, but it’s too crowded for me,” Broidui
said.
Another featured guest who scored a hit with festival-goers was
Maya Angelou, who spoke on Saturday and signed books afterward.
There were so many people who came out to see her, however, that
she couldn’t sign for all the people waiting in line. Those
who missed the brief encounter with Angelou were told to send their
books to Angelou’s publisher with a self-addressed envelope
to get the poet’s signature.
With the variety of activities aside from author signings, there
was much to see and many people to see it. The space between Powell
and Royce was crammed and hectic as opposed to the summertime
country feel of the Children’s Books section in front of
Schoenberg Hall.
In this area, there was face painting, sweaty grown-ups in
colorful costumes and a wooden stage where children’s book
authors read stories and sang songs with the kids.
Author Robert Munch, with hands raised high on the
children’s stage, called out, “Hey! Anybody here like
to play with Playdough?” This excited the crowd of
youngsters.
The Rambo family brought their children, Donnie, 9, Kevin, 5,
and Tyler, 3, for more than the festivities: they were brought for
a lesson.
“It’s a field trip for educating our children and an
event for the whole family,” said Johnny Rambo, the
children’s father.
Edwina Rambo, their mother, added that she brought her children
to show them the importance of reading.
In addition to the educational aspect, the festival also served
as a social event and reunion for many UCLA alums, such as
roommates Susan Wake and Beth Shoesmith, who graduated in
’73. They haven’t seen each other in years and decided
to meet for a day on campus and attend the fair. They said they
were at the festival just to browse.
“We’re pretty amazed. We haven’t seen so many
people on campus since the Kent State riots in 1970,” Wake
said.
Everywhere, there were people eating, children running and
families sitting in the shade of trees listening to speakers read
from their newest books.
The crowds were huge and diverse. Those who weren’t
standing in line to meet the featured authors were wandering from
booth to booth, watching the activity on the stages and attending
panel discussions.
The most popular writers attracted hordes of readers, but many
skipped the lines to experience the atmosphere of the festival.
