Photos: Speakers and authors at the 2025 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

As the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books kicked off Saturday across the sprawling campus at USC, the event once again became a magnet for a mix of celebrity authors from across the entertainment world and beyond.

Guests such as poet Amanda Gorman, actors Jenny Slate, Krysten Ritter and Wil Wheaton, singer JoJo and comedian Hannah Berner popped by our photo studio to pose for portraits between their busy schedules speaking at panels in front of crowds at the festival.

Here are some of our favorite portraits of our special guests from this weekend:

Big Sean

Rapper Big Sean, who recently authored “Go Higher: Five Practices for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peace,” spoke Sunday at the festival.

Amanda Gorman

Amanda Gorman, author of the 2025 picture book “Girls on the Rise,” is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. The award-winning writer, who graduated cum laude from Harvard University, came to prominence after her recitation of “The Hill We Climb” at the inauguration of President Biden.

Jenny Slate

Jenny Slate co-wrote “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” Oscar nominated in the animated feature category in 2023, and recently wrote the book “Lifeform.” The multi-talent is co-starring in FX’s “Dying for Sex.”

Shelby Rabara and Harry Shum Jr.

Harry Shum Jr. and his wife Shelby Rabara recently wrote their debut children’s book, “Martee Dares to Dance,” about a boy who loves dancing but faces a moment of self-doubt after an embarrassing experience.

Melissa Ann Chadburn

Melissa Ann Chadburn, author of “A Tiny Upward Shove,” gave good lip at the festival.

Lucky Diaz

Musician and children’s book author Lucky Diaz gets airborne at the Festival of Books photo studio on Sunday. His forthcoming book, “Fix-It Familia,” arrives on shelves Tuesday.

Chelsea Handler

Comedian Chelsea Handler, who recently authored “I’ll Have What She’s Having,” spoke Sunday at the festival.

Wilmer Valderrama

Wilmer Valderrama, star of “That ‘70s Show” and author of “An American Story: Everyone’s Invited,” appeared at the festival on Sunday.

R. O. Kwon

R. O. Kwon, author of “The Incendiaries” and “Exhibit,” spoke at the session titled “Defining Moments: Novels About Identity, Desire, and the Turning Points in Our Lives.”

Veronica Roth

Veronica Roth, author of the Divergent series adapted into films, most recently penned “When Among Crows.” She appeared at the panel titled “When the Familiar Turns Fantastical: Masters of the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Genres.”

Blippi

Children’s entertainer and author Blippi struck a playful pose at the festival.

E.A. Hanks

E.A. Hanks, who recently wrote a memoir about growing up with her mother and famous actor dad titled “The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road,” spoke Saturday at the festival.

Jasmine Guillory

Jasmine Guillory, whose most recent novel is “Flirting Lessons,” stopped by the photo studio before her Sunday panel, “Romance and the Subgenres.”

Stuart K Robinson

Main stage host Stuart K Robinson makes a dramatic point.

Michael Alfaro

Michael Alfaro, a bilingual children’s book author and the mastermind behind the hit game Millennial Lotería, recently wrote “Los Street Vendors,” designed for babies and toddlers.

TJ Klune

TJ Klune is the author of “The Bones Beneath My Skin,” recently republished by Tor Books in a new edition, and “The House on the Cerulean Sea.”

Krysten Ritter

Actor Krysten Ritter is known for her leading role in the Emmy-winning Netflix series “Jessica Jones” the cult favorite, “Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23,” and AMC’s “Breaking Bad.” In 2025 she published the novel “Retreat” on Harper Books.

Liz Moore

Author Liz Moore is the author of the 2024 New York Times bestselling novel “The God of the Woods.”

Wil Wheaton

Actor Wil Wheaton is known for his role as Wesley Crusher in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and other classic roles including Gordie Lachance in the film “Stand by Me,” Joey Trotta in “Toy Soldiers” and Bennett Hoenicker in “Flubber.”

JoJo

Singer JoJo (Joanna Levesque) launched her career in music releasing chart-topping R&B and pop music, including breakout hit “Leave (Get Out).” She gained prominence as a young artist, made a name for herself in acting and released a book in 2024 titled “Over the Influence.”

Rebecca Yarros

Rebecca Yarros, author of the 2025 novel “Onyx Storm.” She is best known for the Empyrean fantasy book series, which will be adapted into a television series with Amazon.

Nikki Toscano

Nikki Toscano is a writer, producer and showrunner for television who served as co-showrunner and executive producer of the show “Hunters” on Amazon Prime and as showrunner and executive producer of Paramount+ miniseries “The Offer.”

Andrew Plotkin

Andrew Plotkin is executive vice president of drama development at Sony TV.

Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner

Actor Paige DeSorbo and comedian Hannah Berner are the co-authors of the 2025 book “How to Giggle: A Guide to Taking Life Less Seriously.”

Jason De León

Anthropologist Jason De León is the author of 2024’s “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling.” León is a professor of anthropology and Chicana/o studies and director of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA.