Wordsmiths offer tips, insights

“I cannot live without books,” Thomas Jefferson famously wrote.

Luckily for area bibliophiles, April 9 could supply them with several years’ worth — autographed, as well.

The fifth annual Literary Orange festival at the UC Irvine Student Center will give up to 500 well-read participants a glimpse into the lives of some of their favorite local and famous authors.

“We are thrilled with the caliber and depth of this year’s lineup of authors, starting with our fabulous keynote speakers,” Assistant County Librarian Paula Bruce said.

This year’s keynote speakers will be author and professor Ron Hansen, whose “Atticus” was a finalist for the National Book Award, and T. Jefferson Parker, who launched a successful career as a fiction author while working as a reporter at the Daily Pilot.

Hansen’s “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and was made into a film starring Brad Pitt.

Parker, a UCI alumnus, won the Edgar Award twice for “Silent Joe” and “California Girl.” His latest bestseller, “Iron River,” has been nominated for the Hammett Prize. In his latest book, “The Border Lords,” he takes on the war on drugs from the perspective of an undercover agent who goes rogue.

Literary Orange is open to the public, although many UCI students are expected to attend.

“This is a fantastic event for the campus and community to come together and enjoy,” UCI Libraries Interim Director of Development Julie Sully said.

Founded as a joint venture in 2007 between the county’s public libraries and UCI’s libraries, the event is intended to enhance an appreciation of reading, literature and libraries, organizers said, through first-person experiences like discussions, book signings and keynote addresses.

Attendees also will be given the opportunity to ask questions and learn about the writing process in a far-reaching set of panel discussions that include genres like journalism, science fiction and children’s books. New panels this year include fantasy, war literature, travel, Latino fiction and the world of the literary agent.

UC Riverside writing professor Andrew Winer will speak in a panel on novel writing at the event; the UCI master’s of fine arts alumnus is the best-selling author of books like “The Color Midnight Made” and “The Marriage Artist.”

Young adult author Jessica Brody’s “The Karma Club” tells the story of three high school seniors who use karma to get revenge on the boys who broke their hearts; the upcoming “My Life Undecided” is about a 15-year-old who asks the online world to vote on her life decisions, both big and small.

The day begins with a breakfast and welcoming statements, followed by Hansen in the day’s first keynote speech and book signing. A set of panel discussions for different literary genres follows, with themes like “Mystery Suspense: Adrenaline Rush” and “Poetry: A Visual Language,” before lunch and the second and third sets of breakout panel discussions, like “Young Adult: Teen Beat” and “War: Remembrance and Loss.” Parker will give second and final keynote speech before the day’s last book signing.

The 2010 Literary Orange event is dedicated to the memory of Stephen J. Cannell, a tireless library advocate and author who spoke at the event in 2008 and 2009.

If You Go

What: Literary Orange

When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 9

Where: UC Irvine Student Center, A311 Student Center, Irvine, CA 92697-2050

Cost: $60 general admission or $25 for students and active duty military personnel with valid ID when bought online before April 5; onsite registration $70 or $35 depending on availability

Information: (949) 824-4658 or literaryorange.org

2011 Literary Orange Authors:

Amy Alkon

Lisa Alvarez

Robert Anasi

Betty Birney

Michael Bricker

Jessica Brody

Maria Hall-Brown

Bo Caldwell

Gail Carriger

Miles Corwin

Gitty Daneshvari

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

Buzz Dixon

Kim Dower

Judy Duarte

Dianne Emley

Karen Essex

David Francis

Kate Gale

Nadia Gordon

Darell Griffin

Barbara Hambly

Ron Hansen

Cathy Irwin

Lauren Kate

Kay Kenyon

Kazu Kibuishi

Kollin, Dani and Eytan

R. L. LaFevers

Richard Lange

Mari L’Esperance

Paul Levine

Jill Marr

Scott Martelle

Taylor Martindale

Marisa Matarazzo

Terry McDermott

John McKinney

Ashley Merryman

David Morris

Debra Mullins

Daniel Olivas

T. Jefferson Parker

Ann Whitford Paul

Marlene Perez

Laurie Perry

Antoinette Portis

Tim Pratt

Christopher Reich

David Rensin

John Shannon

Jim Sheeler

Tatjana Soli

Marrie Stone

Katerina Stoykova Klemer

Andrew Tonkovich

Kim Vandervort

Esther Pearl Watson

Jeri Westerson

Allison Benis White

Daniel White

Andrew Winer

Laura Wright

David Zimmerman