Many Topics, Speakers in Book Festival Lineup

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will offer such diverse attractions as Charlton Heston reading Hemingway and children’s entertainers Kino and Lucy doing bits from their “Storytime” TV show, along with book signings and, perhaps the most anticipated part of the festival, about 70 author panels.

The event will draw people from San Diego to Santa Barbara and from East L.A. to the Westside. The crowd will consist of those who love books or movies based on books; children who love “Arthur,” “Goosebumps” or anything related to the Titanic; fans of Sidney Sheldon, Terry McMillan, Clive Barker or Isabel Allende; and people who want to write books.

It’s a chance to hear Taylor Branch, Stanley Crouch, Lani Guinier, Tamar Jacoby and Roberto Suro talk about civil rights in America, or Larry Gelbart, Karl Malden, Peter Biskind, Robert McKee and Lynda Obst discuss what goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood. George Plimpton, Barbara Goldsmith, Merlin Holland and A. Scott Berg will offer some insight into biographies; Jules Feiffer, Cathy Guisewite, Lynn Johnston and Stan Lee will share tidbits about newspaper comic strips; and children’s authors Marc Brown, Deborah Nourse Lattimore and Colin Thompson will discuss their work as illustrators and storytellers.

And the event includes plenty of solo appearances, including Sheldon, McMillan, Allende, Barker, Ray Bradbury, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Robin Cook, Laura Schlessinger, Elmore Leonard and Angela Davis. Dom DeLuise will read from his “Hansel & Gretel” book in the children’s area both days, and a Poetry Corner will feature a different poet every half hour, beginning at 10 a.m., including Harryette Mullen, Stephen Yenser and S.X. Rosenstock on Saturday, and Judith Hall, Ron Koertge and Eloise Klein Healy on Sunday.