Metblogs will be everywhere this weekend… Mark & Steve will be at Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors ^[1], Will Keightley will be at Coachella along with Josh Bis from Seattle, and a bunch of of us will be swarming the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books ^[2] on the UCLA Campus.

On Saturday at 3pm, I’ll be crashing “California: The Great Experiment,” a panel moderated by LA Observed’s Kevin Roderick ^[3]. Here’s what he tells me it’ll be about:

In the best tradition of the book festival, the authors themselves will determine where the conversation goes on “California: The Great Experiment.” Good thing it’s such a top-flight and engaging panel, one where a blogger like me feels enriched just by being included.  D.J. Waldie has been called the laureate of Los Angeles writers, deeply thoughtful about the city and the region. Bill Deverell is the prototype of a California historian, expert in so many aspects of how L.A. became what it is that listening to him talk about anything is seriously engrossing. Matthew Jaffe comes more from the journalistic side, as I do, and can talk about California with the intimacy of someone who has spent many miles on the road exploring out great state. All of which is to say, who really knows? But it will be fun. Come on by.

Free tickets (plus a .75 cent surcharge) are still available. ^[4] If it sells out, send me an email and I’ll try and hook some readers up (unsomnambulist at gmail).

Also, Wil Wheaton will be signing books at the Mysterious Galaxy booth from 3-4pm on Sunday. If you don’t have a book, bring your laptop, fire it up to his Metblogs profile ^[5], and he’ll sign the screen for you.

Eagle eyed readers may also spot LA Times Pressman blogger Ed Padgett ^[6], who’ll be wondering the grounds in a golf cart. If you see someone wearing a Kangol cap doing donuts on the lawn, that’s probably him.

Below is the lineup of panels I plan on attending – if you can find me, say hi and I’ll reward your stalking with some Metblogs stickers.

10am: “From the Streets” (Moore 100) moderated by the Homicide Blog’s Jill Leovy ^[7].
12pm: “Defining the American Character” (Ackerman) with Hugh Hewitt, Tom Hayden, and others. Before or after I’ll also check check out the signings for the new anthology, “Politics Noir” at the Mysterious Bookstore booth.
1pm    Reinventing Hollywood (Moore 100) with Peter Biskin, Kenneth Turan, and Leonard Maltin.
3pm: “California: The Great Experiment” (Fowler) with Kevin Roderick.
4pm: “Immigration” (Moore 100)
5pm: Listen to James Ellroy wax poetic as he signs at the Mysterious Bookstore booth.

SUNDAY
10am: “Future of News” (Moore 100) with Times editor Russ Stanton.
10:30am: “Checks & Balances” (Ackerman) or “Moments That Shaped America” (Royce) – tough call for this nerd.
12pm: “California Power Brokers” (Haines 39) with Bill Boyarsky, Marc Cooper, and others, although I’ll likely ditch out early for:
12:30pm: “Campaign 2008″ (Royce) which includes Hugh Hewitt
3pm: “Biography: Literary California” (Haines 39) – but before or after will drop in to say hi to Wil at the aforemention Mysterious Galaxy booth for his signing between 3pm and 4pm.

Related posts:

1. Festival of Books: The annual scheduling boondoggle ^[8]
2. The Sci Fi Flag Flies High at Skylight Books Tomorrow, Boyeeee! ^[9]
3. WTF?! Festival Week 3 ^[10]
4. Infinite Jesting at Skylight Books September 22 ^[11]
5. A Big Metblogs Welcome To Journalist Marc Haefele ^[12]