The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books began in 1996 with a simple goal: to bring together the people who create books with the people who love to read them. The festival was an immediate success and has become the largest and most prestigious book festival in the country, attracting more than 130,000 book lovers each year.

Albert Mobilio received a Whiting Writer's Award in 2000. His books include Bendable Siege, The Geographics, and Me with Animal Towering. Portions of The Handbook of Phrenology were published as an artist book with etchings by Hilary Lorenz.

Judith Freeman is the author of four novels and one nonfiction book, The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved, named one of the best books of 2007 by the Los Angeles Times and Newsweek.

Brad Gooch is the author of the acclaimed biography of Frank O'Hara, City Poet, as well as other nonfiction and three novels. He is a recipient of National Endowment for the Humanities and Guggenheim fellowships. Gooch's latest book is Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor.

Barbara Isenberg is the author of Conversations with Frank Gehry, which reflects her interviews with the celebrated architect over the past 20 years. Her earlier books include State of the Arts: California Artists Talk About Their Work.