The Los Angeles' Times annual Festival of Books is coming to U.C.L.A. next weekend. Though not a genre-specific event, there will be panels on the subjects of comics, graphic novels, manga, and science-fction, including guests such as Mike Mignola (creator of Hellboy) and Ray Bradbury (author of Farenheit 451).

Highlights include:

• Comics Superheroes of the Page & Screen - Saturday 10am in Ackerman Grand Ballroom
• Women of Slipstream - Saturday 2:30pm in Dodd 147
• Reading Manga: A Japanese Phenomenoon Comes to America - Saturday 3pm in Humanities A51
• Ray Bradbury with an Introduction from Si Stebel - Saturday 4:30pm in Royce Hall
• The Outer Limits: Horror & Science Fiction - Sunday 10am in Dodd 147
• Graphic Novels: Every Picture Tells a Story - Sunday 3pm in Humanities A51

Besides the panels, the Festival is loaded with booths and stages operated by publishers and book stores hawking their wares, often by presenting authors for personal appearances, including book signings. This is your opportunity - in a single day, mind you - to get to all those great little independent book stores you've always wanted to visit: Dark Delicacies, Small World, Kinokuniya, etc.

Festival hours are 10am to 6pm on Saturday, 10am to 5pm on Sunday.

Admission is free, although you will have to pay to park (and parking is a bitch, so arrive early or take the bus).

Outdoor stage events and autograph signings at booths are first-come-first served. Most panels require a ticket to guarantee your seat; popular events fill up fast, so it's best to get your tickets in advance if possible. Tickets are available at select Ticketmaster, Ritmo Lation, and Macy's stores. 15% of tickets are held for distribution at the festival ticket location near the Poetry stage.

Get more information at the offical website.