Football legends, punk rock royalty, Fat Joe: Don’t miss these Miami Book Fair events

Trying to narrow down a list of must-see events at Miami Book Fair is not a task for the faint of heart. A wide variety of authors — around 400 — are participating at this year’s fair, held at Miami Dade College’s downtown Wolfson Campus.

If you are a fiction reader, you could easily get overwhelmed by the lineup, which includes but is not limited to Scott Turow (“Suspect”), Xochitl Gonzalez (“Olga Dies Dreaming”), Steven Rowley (“The Guncle”), Jess Walter (“Angel of Rome”), Jean Hanff Korelitz (“The Latecomer”), Sloane Crosley (“Cult Classic) and Oscar Hokeah (“Calling for a Blanket Dance”).

There are buzzed-about memoirists, such as Javier Zamora, whose “Solito” has been widely praised (it’s about his migration from El Salvador to the U.S. at age 9). On a more famous note, former model Paulina Porizkova will weigh in with an entirely different sort of life story with her memoir “No Filter,” which she’ll discuss with Dani Shapiro.

There are political writers and poets, Caribbean panels, discussions of music, art, life and more. The familiar colorful tents will line the streets around the college, selling books, food and more, and Children’s Alley will feature activities and storytelling for kids.

Most author events are free with street fair admission, though you will need to download free tickets for events in the Chapman Conference Center. If you don’t get one, though, don’t worry. There’s a standby line, and everybody in it usually gets in. And there’s an entire lineup of virtual events, too.

Here are just a few suggestions that you might not want to miss. Just remember, there are many more, so check out the full online schedule.

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Week nights

Jimmy Johnson: There hasn’t been much to swagger about for University of Miami football fans this season, but here’s something: Former head coach Jimmy Johnson will be in town to talk about his new memoir (it’s called “Swagger: Super Bowls, Brass Balls, and Footballs”). You can relive the glory days when the Canes were contenders and hear Johnson talk about his life on and off the field with journalist Dave Hyde. 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, Auditorium; $35; includes book and pass to weekend street fair; $15 companion pass without book.

Patti Smith: With book fair favorite Patti Smith you don’t just get stories — you get songs, too. Smith, who won a National Book Award for her memoir “Just Kids,” will talk about her latest work “A Book of Days” and perform with musician Lenny Kaye. 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, Chapman Conference Center; $35, includes book and pass to weekend street fair; $15 companion pass without book.

Saturday

Larry Csonka with Dave Barry: It’s a good fair for football fans. Saturday kicks off with the former Miami Dolphins great talking about his memoir “Head On” with Miami’s signature humorist. Feel free to wear your Fins jerseys, but know Csonka won’t be signing memorabilia. He’s only signing his books. 11. a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, Chapman; free with admission to the street fair but free ticket required.

Katy Tur: The NBC broadcast journalist, an anchor for MSNBC Reports, will talk about her memoir “Rough Draft” with news anchor Tony Dokoupil (who also happens to be her husband). 1 p.m. Saturday Nov. 19, Chapman; free with admission to street fair but free ticket required.

The Everglades and Florida: Hear tales of triumph and tales of woe in this environmentally-forward panel in conversation with an Everglades National Park ranger. The panelists are Craig Pittman (“Manatee Insanity: Inside the War over Florida’s Most Famous Endangered Species”); Clay Henderson on “Forces of Nature: A History of Florida Land Conservation” and Anne McCrary Sullivan on “The Everglades: Stories of Grit and Spirit from the Mangrove Wilderness.” 2 p.m. Saturday Nov. 19, Building 8; free with admission to street fair.

Sandra Cisneros: The author of the beloved novel “The House on Mango Street” will read from her latest book of poems, “Woman Without Shame,” with Manuel Muñoz (“The Consequences: Stories”). 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, Chapman; free with admission to street fair, but free ticket required.

Fat Joe: Jose Cartagena, known to hip hop lovers as Fat Joe, will talk about life, music and his memoir “The Book of Jose.” Miami’s own DJ Khaled will be there, too. 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, Chapman; $31 ticket includes book and admission to street fair.

Sunday

A horrifying panel: Horror doesn’t always have a big presence at the fair, so the lovers of all things creepy should take advantage of this panel with horror novelists Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due (“The Keeper”); Alma Katsu (“The Fervor”) and Silvia Moreno-Garcia (“The Daughter of Doctor Moreau”). 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, room 3209; free with street fair admission.

Billy Porter: The Emmy, Grammy and Tony-winning superstar and star of the TV series “Pose,” Porter will talk about his memoir “Unprotected” with Ana Navarro of “The View.” 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, Auditorium; free with street fair admission.

Tajja Isen and Phoebe Robinson: Isen, a writer, editor and voice actor joins the hilarious stand-up comedian Robinson at this panel. They’ll talk about their essay collections, “Some of My Best Friends” and “Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes.” 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, Building 8; free with street fair admission.

Hernan Diaz: The author’s novel “Trust,” about wealth, power and the deceptiveness of storytelling, was recently awarded the Kirkus Prize and is considered one of the best novels of the year. Diaz will appear with novelists Karen Joy Fowler (“Booth”) and Jamie Ford (“The Many Daughters of Afong Moy”). 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, Auditorium; free with street fair admission.

Siddhartha Mukherjee: The physician, biologist, and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction book “The Emperor of All Maladies,” will talk about his new book “The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human.” 6:30 p.m. Sunday Nov. 20; free with street fair admission but free ticket required.

Miami Book Fair street fair

Where: Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, 300 NE Second Ave.

When: Nov. 18-20

Tickets: Free Nov. 18; $10 adults, $5 13-18 and over 62; 12 and under free Nov. 19-20; weekend events in the Chapman Conference Center require free tickets you can download online (or you can wait in a standby line).

Parking: Lot in Building 7 at Northeast Second Avenue and Northeast Fifth Street is free to fair goers; otherwise use downtown lots or ridesharing

Full weekend schedule and tickets: www.miamibookfair.com