Los Angeles Times welcomes back Festival of Books, the nation’s largest literary festival, the weekend of April 23-24 at the University of Southern California. More than 500 writers, musicians, artists and chefs, hundreds of exhibitors and an expected 150,000 attendees will transform the 226-acre campus into a vibrant cultural festival in the heart of the Downtown Arts and Education Corridor.

Amanda Gorman, Valerie Bertinelli, Meena Harris, Ziggy Marley, Terry Crews, David Duchovny, Justine Bateman, Megan Abbott, Kelly Rowland, Adam Schiff, Rachel Lindsay, T.C. Boyle, Billy Porter, Michael Connelly, Veronica Roth, Attica Locke, Josh Peck, Chrishell Stause, Father Greg Boyle, Rumaan Alam, Tony Alva, Amelia Brodka, Alton Brown, Janelle Brown, Mark Harris, DJ Envy, Jean Chen Ho, S.A. Cosby, Eric Dickerson, Akwaeke Emezi, Jonathan Franzen, Roxane Gay, Sharon Gless, Max Greenfield, Jasmine Guillory, Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, Ali Hazelwood, Craig Johnson, Laila Lalami, Jonathan Lethem, Casey McQuiston, Nnedi Okorafor, Imani Perry, John Scalzi, Gina Schock, Michael Schur, Lisa See, Clint Smith, Hector Tobar, Amor Towles, Kenneth Turan, Marcela Valladolid, Claire Vaye Watkins, Joy Williams, Ibi Zoboi and Don Winslow are scheduled to appear, along with others to be announced in the coming weeks.

“In its 27th year, the Festival of Books continues to celebrate the diversity of voices and forms of storytelling that enrich all of our lives,” said Anna Magzanyan, Los Angeles Times head of strategy and revenue and chief of staff to the executive chairman. “We’re thrilled to welcome everyone to one of L.A.’s most beloved community events.”

The festival will also feature an installment of the Ideas Exchange speaker series. On Saturday, April 23, singer-songwriter and actress Janelle Monáe will appear in conversation with The Times to discuss her upcoming short fiction collection, “The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer.” This event will be ticketed with VIP packages available.

Additional festival highlights:

• 8 outdoor stages and activity areas: L.A. Times Main Stage, L.A. Times en Español Stage, Cooking Stage, Poetry Stage, Children’s Stage, USC Stage, USC Friends and Neighbors Stage and YA Stage
• Celebrity authors, family-friendly entertainment, cooking demonstrations, Spanish-language programming, live music and poetry readings
• Dozens of expert panels on a variety of subjects ranging from politics to pop culture
• More than 250 exhibitors with books and merchandise for sale, activities and giveaways
• Musical performances, food trucks and more

As a prologue to the festival, on the evening of Friday, April 22, The Times’ 42^nd annual Book Prizes will honor Luis J. Rodriguez with the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, Reginald Dwayne Betts with the Innovator’s Award and 12 outstanding literary works published last year.