T. Jefferson Parker, Susan Straight, Juan Felipe Herrera to Headline 10th Annual Duarte Festival of Authors – Oct. 6

Best-selling crime writer, T. Jefferson Parker, award-winning novelist Susan Straight, and celebrated poet, novelist, performer and activist, Juan Felipe Herrera, will headline the 10th annual Duarte Festival of Authors on Saturday, Oct. 6. The festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Westminster Gardens, 1420 Santo Domingo Ave. in Duarte. Admission and parking is free.
The Duarte Festival of Authors presents a unique opportunity in an intimate setting for the public to meet and hear from some of Southern California’s top writers as well as exciting, new talents.
More than 50 authors will participate in the festival presented by the Friends of the Duarte Library. The festival showcases a rich sampling of the diversity of literary talents and books to appeal to a wide variety of tastes: fiction and non-fiction, adventure, suspense, romance, travel, mystery, inspirational, spiritual, poetry, educational, historical, young adult and children’s titles.
In addition to talks, panel discussions and book signings all day long, festival-goers are in for a host of other treats as well with an on-site book store and a choice of food and refreshments served up by the popular Pie and Burger Restaurant truck and Duarte’s Lemonade Brigade.
Juan Felipe Herrera is the award-winning author of 29 books including poetry, novels for young adults and collections for children. He will speak and sign his books at 12 noon, of which “Half the World in Light – New and Selected Poems” is his most recent. For nearly four decades Herrera has documented his experiences as a Chicano in the United States and Latin America through stunning memorable poetry that is both personal and universal in its impact, themes and approach. Earlier this year Herrera was named Poet Laureate for the State of California.
T. Jefferson Parker, who will speak and sign his books at 1:30 p.m., is a three-time recipient of the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award for best novel, and has won numerous other awards for his novels all dealing with crime, life and death in Southern California. His latest bestseller is “The Jaguar” which features protagonist Charlie Hood, a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy on loan to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms task force working the illegal gun trade along the U.S. Mexican border.
Novelist Susan Straight, whose book, “Take One Candle Light a Room” was named one of the best novels of 2010 by the Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and Kirkus, will speak at 3 p.m. Following her talk, she will sign copies of her new book, “Between Heaven and Here,”
Other authors scheduled to appear include: Mystery writers, Teresa Burrell, “The Advocate,” Gayle Carline, “Hit or Missus,” Michael Mayo, “Alex Walker and the Circus of Secrets,” Gayle Bartos-Pool, “The Johnny Casino Casebook,” and Alice Zogg, “Murder at the Cubbyhole”.
There will be lots of good books for children to choose from and special reading and other activities for the young ones. Among the authors participating will be: Alva Sachs, “I’m 5,” Jason Silva, “The Tale of Edgar Trunk” series, Ron Robledo, “How do you Hide a Dinosaur?,” Chani Warnasuriya, “Spooky Tales,” and Evelyn De Wolfe, “Conversations with Madame Zozo”. Author, Chi Hosseinion’s “U Touch, I Tell” helps children learn how to protect themselves from predators.
Fiction writers include: David McCabe “Without Sin,” Rebecca Woods, “Living Through Charlie,” Lola James, “Bound to Remember,” and M. Adams, “For a Taste of Morgan”. Zuhdi Sardar’s “Between Iraq and Hard Places” paints a canvas of words that – in light of the Middle East’s recent “Arab Spring” – is both a metaphor of our times and mirror to us all.
Author/TV-radio personality, Manny Pacheco highlights character actors of Hollywood’s Golden Age and films telling America’s story in “Forgotten Hollywood,” while Hollywood movie historian, Mark Thomas McGee takes readers behind-the-scenes in the making of the classic “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” and Gerald Schiller, details true tales from Tinseltown’s past in “It Happened in Hollywood: Remarkable Events that Shaped History”. Dennis Sanchez offers a humorous Wizard of Oz parody from Toto’s point of view in “Toto’s Adventures with Dorothy”.
Festival goers will find inspirational stories. “Joseph Borda’s “Across the Seas” is his personal immigrant account of serving in three wars and working on ships to earn the American citizenship for which he strived for years. “Living in the Mouth of the Wolf” by Sal DiVita provides authentic accounts of events as experienced by ordinary people in Fascist Italy during the Second World War. Others include: Chuck Robertson, “A Simple Man’s Story of Esther,” Glen Gibson, “Not the Way You Thought it Would Be,” Loa Blasucci, “All Health’s Breaking Loose,” Jesse Cozean, “My Grandfather’s War,” and Brenda Winner, “Ten Perfect Fingers”. Janie Speare offers advice to teens in “Standing Up, Standing Out,” and author/artist/peace ambassador, Petra Eiko brings her traveling Green Heart project to the festival, inviting visitors to inscribe what’s in their hearts.
Claudia and Alan Heller, take readers on a journey through The Mother Road in stories, pictures and reminiscences of “Life on Route 66,” Tim Poyorena-Miguel shares local history in “Return to Simons,” and Richard Santillan writes on the history of “Mexican American Baseball in L.A”. Historian, Elizabeth Pomeroy offers a guide to historic and natural landmarks in Southern California in “Lost and Found,” and James Aguirre offers Native American history and perspective in his book “Through Native Eyes – Talking Leaves.
For the latest information about the Duarte Festival of Authors, participants and activities, visit the Festival website: www.friendsoftheduartelibrary.com, or call (626) 359-6413.

More from Arcadia Weekly