FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LEIMERT PARK VILLAGE BOOK FESTIVAL
“CELEBRATING OUR LITERARY LEGACY: OUR HERITAGE, OUR WORDS, OUR STORIES”
PROMISES EXCITING TIME FOR LITERATURE READERS AND AUTHORS

LOS ANGELES, CA(May 11, 2007) – The Leimert Park Village Book Festival, one of the City’s most culturally engaging and expansive events of the year, will be held on Saturday, June 30, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Leimert Park Village Theatre Parking Lot (between Degnan Boulevard and 43rd Street).

The Inaugural 2007 festival will include writers, storytellers, spoken word artists, poets, musicians, publishers, booksellers and literary vendors. In addition to including many of the special venues and environments in Leimert Park such as the World Stage, Regency West, Lucy Florence Coffee House, NAMI Los Angeles, Sunny’s Spot, M & M’s Restaurant, KAOS Network, and 5th Street Dicks, the event will highlight four literary stages including an authors’ meet and greet expo, a children’s reading corner, a poet’s corner and a culinary demonstration pavilion.

Festival attendees will have opportunities to have some of the best literary works in the nation signed by their authors and to learn more about how these brilliant literary products were developed.

“The goal of the Leimert Park Book Festival is to create a festive and fun program aimed at inspiring and promoting interest in and support of the literary arts,” said Festival Producer Ethusian Exum. “The Leimert Park Literary Festival will cater to lifelong readers and literary novices alike. Ultimately our goal is to share the joy of reading with the entire community.”

The artist for this year’s festival is international award-winning illustrator and designer Synthia Saint James. James has painted illustrative covers for more than 60 books and designed the first United States Postal Stamp for the Kwanzaa holiday. Posters featuring James’ commissioned painting will be available during the festival.

A special opening reception hosted by Councilmember Bernard C. Parks, Eso Won Books, Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Leimert Park Merchant's Association will take place at the Vision Theatre Lobby Foyer on Thursday, June 28, 2007, 7pm. Special recognition honors will be given to Mrs. Libby Clark, Mr. Isaac Hayes, Dr. Rosie Milligan, Our Author's Study Club, Dr. Maxine Thompson, Watts Prophets and Mr. John SIngleton to name a few.

The Leimert Park Village Book Festival is free and open to the public.

For more information on involvement opportunities and author/vendor registration
please contact: Cynthia Exum - 323.828.7997.