Now in its third iteration, the De Los Stage in association with L.A. Times en Español is gearing up for an exciting two-day lineup at the L.A. Times Festival of Books, the largest book festival in the United States.
Held on Saturday and Sunday at USC, the De Los Stage will feature a broad range of storytellers fit for different age groups and interests.
Both mornings will begin with two children’s book readings by the Los Angeles Public Library and Lil’ Libros, ideal for families with young ones. For those seeking a stronger morning jolt, Saturday’s Mariachi Corazon Hispano from Legacy Visual and Performing Arts High School is guaranteed to put a pep in your step.
The sprawling festival program can feel overwhelming, but here are five panels from the De Los stage that you do not want to miss.
Julio Vaqueiro en Conversacíon Sobre El Río Bravo, La Migración, Trump & Sheinbaum
Noticias Telemundo anchor Julio Vaqueiro was scheduled to tease his book “Río Bravo: Mexico, Estados Unidos y el Regreso de Trump” at last year’s Festival of Books; but duty called him to the Vatican to cover the sudden death of Pope Francis that week. Needless to say, this intimate conversation with Vaqueiro — whom Times reporter Meg James calls “a fresh face of Spanish-language news” amid a decline of broadcast journalism — is long overdue. Times journalist Soudi Jiménez will chat with Vaqueiro about United States-Mexico relations in the wake of Donald Trump’s return to office and the presidential election of Claudia Sheinbaum. The conversation will take place Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
Portraying Latina Motherhood in Fiction
Gloria Calderón Kellett will be moderating a discussion about the complexities of motherhood as portrayed in fiction. As Emmy-winning co-creator, co-showrunner of “One Day at a Time,” Calderón Kellett created one of the most complex female characters on television, Penelope Alvarez, the no-frills Cuban American Army veteran and nurse practitioner and mother of two played by Justina Machado. This panel will also include the powerhouse voices of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, who published their debut novel “The White Hot” about a mom who leaves her 10-year-old daughter to find herself; Alejandro Heredia, who in his debut novel “Loca” explores the clash between dreams and reality for two lifelong friends; and Alisha Fernandez Miranda, who in her second novel “Someone’s Gotta Give” takes readers inside the world of a high-achieving and posh new mom. Don’t miss the conversation on Saturday, beginning at 2:55 p.m.
Anger, Hope & Love: Dealing with Big Feelings in Young Adult Lit
How are young adults allowed to exist in literature as vastly diverse, passionate and ever-evolving beings when they’re up against societal standards? This panel will be guided by Locatora Radio host Ariana “Diosa Femme” Rodriguez and will include Alex Crespo, writer of the queer supernatural thriller “A Feast for the Eyes,” in which an Oregon coast-based crew must track down a local cryptid; Carolina Ixta, who explores second chances and corporate greed in her sophomore romance novel, “Few Blue Skies;” and René Peña-Govea’s debut, “Estela, Undrowning,” which interweaves prose and poetry as its lead character brushes up against social injustice. Catch the conversation on Saturday at 3:50 p.m.
Poetry, Power & Sovereignty
Immerse yourself in an enriching poetry dialogue about identity and belonging. Moderated by Los Angeles poet Yesika Salgado, this conversation will feature Matthew “Cuban” Hernandez, the author behind 2024’s “All Brown Boys Get Trumpets,” a collection of poems for the grief-stricken, self-doubting individuals seeking peace; Karla Cordero, author of 2018’s “How to Pull Apart the Earth,” which explores the complexities of a borderland existence; and Sonia Guiñansaca, whose 2016 “Nostalgia Y Frontera,” which was translated to Spanish and Kichwa in 2023, touches on language, displacement and gender identity. Tune in Sunday at 12:50 p.m. and stay past 1:30 for a poetry reading.
Bad Bunny: De Puerto Rico Pa’l Mundo
From Puerto Rico and now the De Los Stage, this panel will examine the impact of global superstar Bad Bunny beyond his music. Led in conversation by assistant editor Suzy Exposito — who has profiled the singer for the L.A. Times, Rolling Stone and I-D Magazine — the discussion will feature Vanessa Díaz and Petra Rivera-Rideau, authors of the newly released “P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance,” which delves into how the 32-year-old became a voice for the island and its sociopolitical issues. The talk begins Sunday at 2 p.m.
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