San Francisco’s Litquake announces 2012 lineup

San Francisco’s Litquake announced the schedule for its eight-day literary festival, which takes place in several venues during October, on Tuesday.

Eight-hundred and forty local and international authors will be reading and talking about books. Some of the notable authors scheduled to appear are former U.S. poet laureate Robert Hass, humorist Merrill Markoe, Kenyan exile Ngugi wa Thiong’o, mystery writer Zoe Ferraris, satirist Will Self, California poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, writer Michelle Tea, Zyzzyva editor Oscar Villalon, poet Matthew Zapruder, fantasist Karen Joy Fowler, comedian Michael Ian Black, essayist Rebecca Solnit, underground publisher Adam Parfrey, novelist Andrew Sean Greer, poet D.A. Powell, thriller writer David Corbett, actor Chris Elliott, novelist Joshua Mohr and Salon.com founder David Talbot.

And then there’s this: Graphic novelist Daniel Clowes will talk one-on-one with novelist, publisher and literacy proponent Dave Eggers. Although Eggers and his publishing house, McSweeney’s, are based in San Francisco, the two promise to spend the evening discussing Chicago, as well as books and art and stuff. Tickets for that event are $15.

Tickets average about $10, and discount bulk tickets are available. Many events are free, including some for children.

Among the authors scheduled to appear and talk to school groups is Daniel Handler, better known to grade-school students as Lemony Snicket.

There are events focused on food and wine, poetry, sex and satire, the Black Panthers, the 50th anniversary of Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time” and more.

Several events go beyond readings and discussions to performance. There is Daniel Alarcón’s English-Spanish storytelling series Radio Ambulante; the friendly competitive Literary Death Match, and a number of rambles designed to get readers engaged with the museums and galleries of the Yerba Buena neighborhood. There will also be a multimedia Woody Guthrie tribute with biographer Ed Cray, musician Country Joe McDonald and some unannounced musical guests.

It’s a vast lineup with something, it seems, for every kind of reader. Except for those who tire easily — there are hundreds of authors, dozens of venues and eight solid days of literature.

[Updated Aug. 22 at 10:35 a.m.: An earlier version of this post said author Peter Carey would be at Litquake. His work will be read, but Carey is not scheduled to attend.]