We're thrilled to announce this years BEA's Special Events. The speaker program is a convention highlight and brings attention to new books by accomplished writers from many fields of endeavor.

Purchase tickets now. 

The line up of speakers and events includes:

FRIDAY, May 30, 2008

8:00AM – 9:30AM  CHILDREN'S BOOK & AUTHOR BREAKFAST (Concourse Hall)
Presented in cooperation with the Children's Booksellers and Publishers Committee [A cooperative committee of the American Booksellers Association (ABA), Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC), and the Children's Book Council (CBC)] this opening-day breakfast will feature Sherman Alexie, author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers); Judy Blume, author of Going, Going, Gone! with the Pain and the Great One (Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers);  and Neil Gaiman, author of The Graveyard Book (HarperCollins).  Eoin Colfer, author of Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox (Hyperion Books for Children/Disney Book Group) will be the Master of Ceremonies.  Introductory Remarks by Jon Scieszka, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.

General Admission: $15.
Breakfast Admission: $35.

SATURDAY, May 31, 2008

8:00AM – 9:30AM  SATURDAY BOOK & AUTHOR BREAKFAST (Concourse Hall)
Saturday morning will feature Magic Johnson, author of an untitled book on business(Crown Business), Philippa Gregory, author of The Other Queen (Touchstone/Simon&Schuster), and Andre Dubus III, author of The Garden of Last Days: A Novel (W.W. Norton).  Alec Baldwin, author of A Promise To Ourselves: A Journey Through Divorce and Fatherhood ( St. Martin 's Press) will be the Master of Ceremonies. 

General Admission: $15 
Breakfast Admission: $35

12PM – 2PM  SATURDAY BOOK & AUTHOR LUNCHEON (Concourse Hall)
This year's lunch will, once again, focus on political and social issues and will feature Richard Engel, author of War Journal (Simon&Schuster), Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, author of Taking on the System: Rules for Radical Change in a Digital Era (Celebra), Jon Krakauer, author of The Hero (Doubleday), and Michael Moore, author of an as yet untitled work (Grand Central).  Christopher Buckley, author of Supreme Courtship: A Novel (Twelve) will be the Master of Ceremonies. 

Admission $50 

4PM – 5PM  THE HEARD WORD: BEA'S AUDIOBOOK & AUTHOR TEA (Room 403)
Come hear Robert Crais, author of an Untitled Elvis Cole Novel (Brilliance Audio), T. Jefferson Parker, author of LA Outlaws (Brilliance Audio), and Michael Connelly, author of The Brass Verdict (Hachette Audio) talk about their recent and upcoming audiobooks and the experience of hearing their works translated into audiobook format.  Hosted by the Audio Publishers Association. 

Admission $20

4PM – 5:30PM PEN AMERICAN CENTER RECEPTION (LACC)
Co-sponsored by the Campaign for Reader Privacy and ABFFE
PEN American Center and the ACLU Champagne Benefit Reception for “Something to Hide: Writers and Artists Against the Surveillance State”. Hosted by: Roxana Robinson from the PEN Advisory Council and Jameel Jaffer, Director, National Security Project for the ACLU. Meet and greet Andre Dubus III, Azar Nafisi, plus more in addition to PEN and ACLU staff members.

"Something to Hide: Writers and Artists Against the Surveillance State" is part of PEN's Campaign for Core Freedoms. PEN has been working with the American Civil Liberties Union and other leading human rights organizations to challenge some of the government's most pernicious infringements of basic human rights, working to restore privacy protections for bookstore and library records, fighting to end the FBI's unchecked use of National Security Letters, and challenging warrentless telephone and internet surveillance by the NSA.

Admission A $10 donation

9PM LEWIS BLACK ( Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles )
Lewis Black will appear at BEA's Saturday night benefit on behalf of his new book, Me of Little Faith.  Me of Little Faith is a ferociously funny exploration of religion and faith in which he examines how the rules and constraints of religion have affected his life and the lives of us all. His hilarious experiences with rabbis, Mormons, gurus, psychics, and even the joy of a perfect round of golf give Mr. Black the chance to expound upon what we believe and why — in the language of a shock jock and with the heart of an iconoclast.

Proceeds from Lewis Black's performance at BEA will go to help support the Book Industry Foundation which is comprised of the American Booksellers Foundation For Free Expression (ABFFE) and the Association of American Publishers' Get Caught Reading Campaign.

Admission $35

SUNDAY, June 1, 2008

8:00AM – 9:30AM  SUNDAY BOOK & AUTHOR BREAKFAST (Concourse Hall)
Sunday morning will feature Ted Turner, author (with Bill Burke) of Call Me Ted (Grand Central), Azar Nafisi, author of Things I've Been Silent About: A Memoir of Family (Random House), and Dennis Lehane, author of The Given Day (William Morrow).  John Hodgman, author of More Information Than You Require (Dutton) will be the Master of Ceremonies. 

General Admission: $15
Breakfast Admission: $35

NOTE:  Tickets for all BEA Special Events provide admission to the event but do not necessarily guarantee free promotional considerations and/or book giveaways which may be distributed at these events.