The Texas Book Festival recently unveiled its full 2020 schedule, detailing author panels, cooking demonstrations, solo author sessions, kids’ activities and more during the two-week virtual event. The Festival begins on October 31 with young adult and Texas Teen Book Festival programming, followed by kids’ programming from November 2 to 6, and adult programming from November 6 to 15, including Lit Crawl Austin and the annual First Edition Literary Gala. This year marks the festival’s 25^th anniversary. The full schedule is available online.  (Texas Book Festival, 2020)

Teen & Young Adult Programming – Saturday, October 31- Keynote: Elizabeth Acevedo in Conversation at 10a.m. When a plane crashes with their father on board, two sisters who have never met discover all the secrets that connect their lives, their grief and their future paths as they figure out where to go from here. Taking readers deep into a tangled knot of sorrow, jealousy and love, National Book Award winner Elizabeth Acevedo’s newest novel in verse offers a moving testament to the power of sisterhood.

Children’s Programming – Monday, November 2. Raúl the Third: “¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat.” Jon Scieszka and Steven Weinberg: “AstroNuts Mission Two: The Water Planet.”

Adult Programming – Saturday, November 7 at 4p.m. Matthew McConaughey in Conversation with Ethan Hawke. Austin icon and Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey shares wisdom and inspiration in his new book “Greenlights,” based on thirty-five years’ worth of journal entries and observations.

7p.m. Literary Death Match. Four authors. Three judges. Two finalists. One really epic finale. Part literary event, part comedy show, part game show, Literary Death Match brings together today’s finest writers to compete in an edge-of-your-seat read-off critiqued by three judges and concluded by a slapstick showdown to decide the ultimate champion.

Friday, November 13 at 4p.m. “Elsewhere:” Dean Koontz in Conversation with Jeffery Deaver. Dean Koontz, the author of many number-one The New York Times best-sellers, presents his new novel, “Elsewhere,” a technothriller about a father and daughter who discover a strange and highly coveted device that could reunite them with dearly departed Mom. Fellow best-selling author Jeffery Deaver leads the discussion.

The 2020 Virtual Book Festival will take place from October 31 through November 15 and continues to be free and open to the public thanks to generous sponsors and dedicated volunteers. The 2020 Virtual Texas Book Festival is co-presented by H-E-B and AT&T. Other major sponsors include Brigid Cockrum and Family, Kirkus Reviews, Tocker Foundation, Tapestry Foundation, Texas Monthly, Buena Vista Foundation, Still Water Foundation, C-SPAN 2/Book TV, Central Market, Austin American-Statesman, Pentagram, Jordan Foster Construction, and Loewy Law Firm.

With a vision to inspire Texans of all ages to love reading, the Texas Book Festival connects authors and readers through experiences that celebrate the culture of literacy, ideas, and imagination. Founded in 1995 by former First Lady Laura Bush, Mary Margaret Farabee, and a group of volunteers, the nonprofit Texas Book Festival promotes the joys of reading and writing through its annual Festival, the Texas Teen Book Festival, the Reading Rock Stars Title I elementary school program, the Real Reads Title I middle and high school program, grants to Texas libraries, and year-round literary programming.

“We’re excited to bring the Texas Book Festival into the homes of readers across Texas and beyond. Because of our virtual format, it’s never been easier to attend. I encourage everyone  to visit our website and the Texas Book Festival Crowdcast page to register for sessions to make sure you don’t miss a single minute of this huge free event.” – Lois Kim, Texas Book Festival Executive Director