Just returned from the LA Times Festival of Books, where I got a very odd-looking sunburn and also managed to:
–hear some wonderful poetry readings by Mark Irwin, Brendan Constantine, and others.
–eat a hot dog and a brownie. What’s a festival without the food?
–get away without spending more than $17 (parking + food)
–get volunteer info about great organizations like WriteGirl and Reading to Kids
–pick up a free English copy of the Qur’an, provided by some very nice and informative folks who are trying to combat the negative stereotypes associated with Islam. Doubt I’ll convert, but feel like it’s fair to learn at least as much about Islam as I know about Christianity.
–hear some teenagers doing freestyle rapping with a political edge. They were actually really good.
–see Giada de Laurentiis in person. She was charming as ever and wasn’t wearing one of her low-cut tops (which may have been a disappointment to some in the very large crowd). Really wanted to buy one of her cookbooks, but they were pricey, so for now I’ll stick to downloading the recipes. If anyone needs an idea for a Christmas present, though…
