Los Angeles Times Festival of Books announces lineup featuring Chelsea Clinton, Roxane Gay and Dave Barry

Chelsea Clinton, Dave Barry, Roxane Gay, Erica Jong and Susan Orlean are among the writers set to appear at the Los Angeles Times’ 24th annual Festival of Books, it was announced Thursday.

The two-day event, the country’s largest literary festival, will be held April 13 and 14 at USC. Organizers expect 150,000 visitors to attend the festival.

More than 500 authors, chefs, musicians and artists will participate in the festival, The Times announced. The lineup features several writers who’ve made their names in television and film, including Justine Bateman (“Fame: The Hijacking of Reality”), Sean Hayes (“Plum”) and Amber Tamblyn (“Era of Ignition: Coming of Age in a Time of Rage and Revolution”).

Valerie Jarrett, a former senior advisor to President Obama, is scheduled to discuss her new memoir, “Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward.” Other authors of memoirs appearing at the festival include Kiese Laymon (“Heavy”) and “Queer Eye” star Karamo Brown (“Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing, and Hope”).

Local writers scheduled to read at the festival include Pulitzer Prize finalist Laila Lalami (“The Other Americans”), Orlean (“The Library Book”), Don Winslow (“The Border”) and biographer Miriam Pawel (“The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty That Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation”).

Other notable authors scheduled to appear include novelists Rebecca Makkai (“The Great Believers”), Bret Easton Ellis (“Imperial Bedrooms”) and Tayari Jones (“An American Marriage”). Chef and author Ruth Reichl is also slated to participate, as is poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib.

The festival also features programming for children and teenage readers, including appearances by young adult authors Leigh Bardugo (“Six of Crows”), Meg Medina (“Merci Suárez Changes Gears”) and Elizabeth Acevedo (“The Poet X”). Story time will feature children’s authors David Shannon (“No, David!”) and Danica McKellar (“Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape”). Clinton will also appear at the festival in support of her new children’s book, “Don’t Let Them Disappear,” illustrated by Gianna Marino.

Festival-goers will be able to buy books and merchandise from more than 200 exhibitors, and can eat at a variety of food trucks stationed at the USC campus.

The festival will be preceded by the 39th annual Los Angeles Times Book Prizes ceremony, which takes place April 12 at USC’s Bovard Auditorium.

Admission to the festival is free. The lineup, schedule and transportation information can be found at the Festival of Books website.