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David Sedaris (top) and Sarah Vowell will join up to speak at Royce Hall on April 26 as part of U

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Just after the white tents are taken down and vendors and artists pack up from this weekend’s annual L.A. Times Festival of Books, another unofficially annual literary event is scheduled on campus – an appearance by author and humorist David Sedaris.

Author of best-selling compilations of non-fictional essays such as “Naked,” “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim,” Sedaris has been a staple of UCLA Live’s spoken word series, filling Royce Hall with both people and laughter for a number of years.

In fact, Sedaris has a longer history with UCLA Live than David Sefton, the program’s director, as the writer has made appearances on campus for six of the past seven years.

“There is a history of David here. He’s been coming long before he was a household name,” Sefton said. “He’s become the fast-selling event on UCLA Live’s season.”

This year, Sedaris isn’t the only draw to the event, as author Sarah Vowell will be sharing the podium. Both writers are contributors to the National Public Radio-syndicated show, “This American Life,” and they often meet up on book tours for double bills.

In what will be their second time together at Royce, Vowell will read from her newly published book, “Assassination Vacation,” and Sedaris will share new and unpublished work.

In “Assassination Vacation,” Vowell examines landmarks relating to the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, McKinley and Garfield, and comments on how American political violence has become a strong fabric of popular culture, creating an entire industry that weaves death into the diversion of vacationers’ itineraries. She considers the work a continuation of stories she’s done on historical tourism for “This American Life.”

As Vowell’s work uses history as its backdrop and Sedaris’ is intensely personal, Vowell attributes their ease in working together to this contrast, and regards Sedaris as an inspirational presence.

“Offstage, we are incredibly congenial and almost familial. Onstage, he just loves the podium, he loves it. I like it, but I’m just as happy to sit by myself in a room,” Vowell said. “When we do these (speaking engagements) together, we take turns. His love for the podium is a physical force. ... Physicists could measure it. (When I’m speaking) I can feel him wanting to be back up there.”

The stage certainly isn’t the only place where Sedaris’ energy can be felt. Fans flock to his readings, even if they’ve seen him previously, and many devote intense attention to securing a ticket.

“What makes his show so funny is that hearing Sedaris read his work is a different perspective than what you get from reading it yourself – you hear what he was thinking when he wrote it,” said Will Osburn, a fourth-year political science student.

Osburn has read all of Sedaris’ books, saw him at UCLA last June and said this year he made sure to buy tickets online at 9 a.m. the day they went on sale to ensure he wouldn’t miss the event.

“I can’t think of any band that I want to see as much as I want to see David Sedaris. I’m sure the majority of students would like to see Franz Ferdinand, but for me, I’d rather go see Sedaris,” Osburn said.