Past Events
The First BookFest – May 9, 2020
2020 year marked a new beginning of the digital era. As book festivals and conventions canceled because of Covid-19, an online bookish adventure – The BookFest® – was created. The goal was to create a positive and poignant online gathering for people to attend worldwide.
Testimonials
“LA BookFest was stunning, professional, engaging, motivating, ground-breaking, and sensational! It was a privilege to participate. I was particularly impressed by Mitch Albom, Lori H. Schwartz, and Sarah Kendzior. The event really lined up some disruptive voices, and I mean that in the Silicon Valley sense of the word! The production values were stellar, and the whole effort is on the leading edge of what’s going on. My head is still spinning!”
—Gerald Everett Jones, Host, GetPublished! Podcast, author, editor, and BookFest® panel moderator
“Wow, I was impressed with the day you put together for LA BookFest with so many highlights! I’d love to work with you again. Congratulations on such a successful event!”
—Robin Quinn, Award-winning LA Book coach, editor and BookFest® speaker
“A big congratulations on doing an outstanding job of accomplishing this incredible feat of a virtual book festival and pulling it off with professionalism, excitement, and amazing content. I attended most of the sessions, and what you achieved was extraordinary! I loved being part of it; it was a significant highlight of my virtual book tour. What an extraordinary festival held at an unprecedented time in our nation’s history. Because of the social isolation caused by the pandemic, we need books and art now more than ever to help us feel connected to each other. Your festival was, in short, both a cultural celebration and a public service.”
—Sue William Silverman, Award-winning author of seven books of creative nonfiction and poetry
Schedule (Pacific Time)
Saturday
| 10:00am | Welcome — Desiree Duffy |
| 10:10am | Opening Keynote – Sharon Koifman |
| 10:30am | Danny Trejo Reads from Trejo’s Tacos |
| 10:50am | BREAK |
| 11:00am | Panel One – Self-Help Books When We Need Them Most |
| 11:55am | BREAK |
| 12:00pm | Panel Two – Masters of the Macabre |
| 12:45pm | BREAK |
| 1:00pm | Panel Three — Books and Education During Covid |
| 1:55pm | BREAK |
| 2:00pm | Panel Four – Books, Authors and Genres Reemerging |
| 2:55pm | BREAK |
| 3:00pm | Panel Five – Words Matter |
| 3:55pm | BREAK |
| 4:00pm | Panel Six – Why We Love Stories |
| 4:55pm | BREAK |
| 5:00pm | Panel Seven – Young Adult Fiction in a Time of Tumult |
| 5:55pm | BREAK |
| 6:00pm | After Party |
Sunday
| 12:00pm | Welcome — Desiree Duffy |
| 12:15pm | Panel One — Wickedly Creative |
| 1:30pm | Panel Two — My Precious |
| 2:45pm | Panel Three — The World Sucks |
| 4:00pm | Panel Four — Conversation with the Hudsons |
Saturday
| Time | Ask An Author Chat | Ask Me About… |
| 1:00p | Ora Nadrich | Ask me about mindfulness. |
| 1:15p | Kevin Groh | Ask me about gaming. |
| 1:30p | Michelle Silverthorn | Ask me about authenticity in the workplace. |
| 1:45p | Ann O’Brien | Ask me about conscious love and awareness practice. |
| 2:00p | Sara Winokur | Ask me anything about Iceland. |
| 2:15p | Andy Davidson | Ask me about witches. |
| 2:30p | Sean Conley | Ask me about football, yoga, and meditation. |
| 2:45p | Steven Joseph | Ask me about embracing your crankiness. |
| 3:00p | BREAK | |
| 3:15p | Dr. Janet Brill | Ask me anything about intermittent fasting. |
| 3:30p | Adrienne Monson | Ask me about vampires. |
| 3:45p | Edgar Scott | Ask me my thoughts on the economy after the election. |
| 4:00p | Bill McCormick | Ask me about the Multi-verse. |
| 4:15p | Lon Varnadore | Ask me about clones of the future. |
| 4:30p | Sheryl Benko | Ask me about the 1200 human bones they found in Ben Franklin’s old house. |
| 4:45p | AmyLea Murphy | Ask me about the best way to help teens in need. |
| 5:00p | James Rollins | Ask me about weaving science and adventure into storytelling. |
| 5:15p | William Craig Reed | How a Russian submarine propeled Putin to power. |
| 5:30p | Jonathan Maberry | Ask me about surviging a zombie attack. |