Virtual Texas Book Festival announces programming schedule

The 25th annual Texas Book Festival will be a virtual event. Photo: Texas Book Festival, used with permission.

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 25th 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

Texas Book Festival announces two ticketed events

‘A Conversation with Matthew McConaughey’ is one of the ticketed events and will feature the actor talking abut his new memoir ‘Greenlights.’ Photo: Texas Book Festival, used with permission.

As part of the 2020 Virtual Texas Book Festival, the festival is announcing events with Matthew McConaughey and Jodi Picoult as they present their most recent books. McConaughey will discuss his memoir “Greenlights” with actor Ethan Hawke on Saturday, November 7 at 4p.m. and Jodi Picoult will discuss her new novel “A Book of Two Ways” with author Amanda Eyre Ward on Wednesday, November 11 at 6p.m.  Tickets for both events are required to attend both events and are now available via the Texas Book Festival website. (Texas Book Festival, 2020)

In ‘A Conversation with Matthew McConaughey,’ the Academy Award-winning actor and beloved Texas native will present his new memoir that is filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction. McConaughey will be in conversation with Ethan Hawke. The first 350 ticket buyers for this event will receive a copy of “Greenlights” with a signed bookplate.

In ‘A Conversation with Jodi Picoult,’ the bestselling author will discuss her new novel “A Book of Two Ways” with bestselling author Amanda Eyre Ward. Picoult is the author of twenty-six novels, including #1 bestsellers “Small Great Things” and “A Spark of Light” and several short stories and novellas. Picoult’s new fiction delivers a riveting story about the choices that change the course of our lives. The first 100 ticket buyers for this event will receive a signed copy of “The Book of Two Ways.”

Tickets are $41 for each event and include the cost of the book, processing fees and shipping. Tickets for the event featuring McConaughey are available via the Crowdcast page and tickets for the event featuring Picoult are available via the Crowdcast page. All proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Texas Book Festival’s literacy and outreach programs across the state and help keep the Festival free and open to the public every year. 

For book lovers who want access to all ticketed sessions, Texas Book Festival is offering Festival Friends Passes for a $100 minimum donation. The passes provide access to all Virtual Festival headlining author ticketed sessions (books not included), acknowledgment on the TBF website and one year of Texas Monthly home delivery and subscriber-only digital access. Donors of $150 or more will receive a commemorative 25th Anniversary enamel pin and donors of $200 or more will receive the enamel pin and a special edition TBF tote bag.

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. The 2020 Virtual Texas Book Festival will take place from October 31 through November 15. Thanks to generous donors, sponsors, and volunteers, the Festival remains free and open to the public.

Culinaria hosts Hospitality Tour Music Festival

William Clark Green will headline the Hospitality Tour Music Festival which will benefit the Culinaria Hospitality Fund. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

On Saturday September 12, Culinaria will host an outdoor music festival at the Historic Freiheit Country Store to benefit the Culinaria Hospitality Fund in support of the New Braunfels community. The Culinaria Hospitality Fund provides aid to restaurateurs and furloughed workers. (Culinaria, 2020)

William Clark Green and Statesboro Revue, known for music that redefines rock and roll, headlines the Festival with a performance at 7p.m. Tony Taylor with his country, folk and Americana tunes, opens the day of music with Blue Water Highway, known for Americana roots-rock, at 11a.m., followed by a rock performance at 3p.m. with Austin Gilliam and Mario Flores, Latin Jazz.  Tickets are $10 for the 11a.m. and 3p.m. performances and $25 for the finale.  A small number of VIP tables are available for the entire day, $300 for a party of four, and $450 for a group of six. Tickets are available online.

Freiheit Country Store is in New Braunfels at 2157 FM 1101. The venue is limiting access to less than half of its capacity and social distancing is required as well as masks when inside or purchasing beverages outside. Between each show, staff will disinfect and sanitize the venue for the next audience.

Cash donations to the Culinaria Hospitality Fund are welcome and can be made through PayPal, Venmo, or by check payable to Culinaria, 999 East Basse Road, Suite 180-448, San Antonio, TX 78209.  Donations are tax-exempt through Culinaria. 

Culinaria is an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to promoting San Antonio as a premier wine and food destination while fostering community growth and enrichment. Culinaria is a registered 501 c (3) tax-exempt organization. A volunteer board of directors who represent the community and guide the organization in its mission to champion the wine and food industries governs Culinaria.

Hola Mexico Film Festival features first film in the Teenek language

This year’s Hola Mexico Film Festival will be a virtual event and will feature “At’ Anii,” the first film in the Teenek language. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

The 12th annual Mexican film festival, Hola México Film Festival, will make its virtual debut September 11 – 20 exclusively through the spanish premium broadcast service PANTAYA, a partnership between  Lionsgate  and  Hemisphere Media Group, Inc. The festival is offering the public the opportunity to enjoy the best of Mexican cinema and serves as a reminder of how much Mexican cinema has evolved over the past two decades. As usual, the festival will feature 20 films, starting with “Chicuarotes” from renowned Mexican actor, director and producer Gael García Bernal. (Hola México Film Festival, 2020)

Due to the COVID-19 situation, organizers of Hola México Film Festival, have decided to practice social distancing by offering the festival, for the first time, in virtual format. The festival will also include Q&A sessions with filmmakers and virtual red carpets.

The opening film “Chicuarotes” focuses on the story of “the cagalera” and “the Molotheque,” two youngsters struggling to get out of poverty that plagues their community. To achieve that, they start working as public transport clowns but soon realize that they do not earn enough even for their basic needs. The story takes a radical turn when they decide to assault the passengers. The  2019 Mexican drama film was screened in the “Contemporary  World Cinema” section in “Toronto International Film  Fesitval,” “Cannes Film Festival” in 2019 and was selected to compete in “Shanghai International Film Festival.” The festival will feature an awards ceremony. The awards will include best director, best short film and best film selected by the audience.

To enjoy the festival using PANTAYA for only $1.00, use code HMFF2020. With this economic incentive, festival organizers hope to create more access to the films this year while hoping to inspire new generations of filmmakers.

Hello Mexico Film Festival consists of the following categories: México Ahora, Documental, Hola Niños, El Otro México  and  Nocturno. México Ahora presents the best of Mexican cinema released in recent years, covering all genres. Documental includes the best documentary films made by Mexican filmmakers. Hola Niños  presents Mexican animated films  for children. Otro México highlights the experiences of Mexicans who are almost never portrayed on screen, presenting perceptual narratives that challenge the status  quo. The Nocturno category features Mexican films that are purely horror or strange.

México Ahora: “Asfixia,” “Amores Modernos,” “Classes De Historia,” “Chicuarotes,” “Los Paisajes,” “Blanco De Verano” and “El Deseo De Ana.”

Documental: “Retiro,” “Disparo,” “El Guardián De La Memoria,” “Radio Silencio,” “Erase Una Vez,” “Yermo,” “Vaquero De Mediodía” and “Obblatos, El Vuelo Que Curco La Noche.”   

Nocturno: “Club Internacional  Aguerridos” and “Desde Tu Infierno.”  

El Otro México: “At’ Anii” and Tio Yim.” 

Hola Niños: “Un Disfraz Para Nicolás”

“At’ Anii” is the first film in the Teenek language. Lucio and Enedina are a happily married, young Teenek couple that lives in the Huasteca Potosina’s jungle with their three children. They love each other and share everything; nevertheless, everything crumbles when the construction of a highway, that their community has been requesting for so long, finally arrives. As part of this development, workers from other towns also arrive, among them there’s Juancho, a machinist that accidentally comes across beautiful Erendida and begins seducing her. Soon, rumors spread in their community until they reached Lucio’s ears, unleashing consequences they wouldn’t be able to survive.

Founded in 2008, Hola México Film Festival, the largest Mexican film festival, attempts to highlight the best of Mexican cinema and film talent. Covering comedies, dramas, horror and documentaries, the festival features high-quality cinema in a festive atmosphere in conjunction with exclusive celebrations and outdoor concerts. Celebrating its 12th edition, Hola México Film Festival will be presented virtually in September 2020, offering film enthusiasts the opportunity to see a variety of Mexican films.

Robert Downey Jr. to virtually join final Summer Drive-In film this Saturday

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The EVO Drive-In experience. Photo: EVO Entertainment Group, used with permission. 

After four sold-out weekends, Anthony Michael Hall’s Summer Drive-In Film Festival concludes this weekend courtesy of EVO Entertainment Group at the Schertz and Kyle locations. Anthony Michael Hall, known for films like The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, 16 Candles and more has been hosting the film festival. Each evening consists of a double-feature presentation shown outdoors at the EVO® Drive-In experience. On Saturday’s event in Schertz, there will be a virtual appearance by Robert Downey, Jr. who will live stream into the drive-in, as part of that evening’s “Iconic Duo” double feature, to participate in the festival’s Q&A. (EVO Entertainment Group, 2020)

Before he became known as Iron Man, he starred alongside Hall. From performing on the set of Saturday Night Live to co-starring in a number of films, Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey Jr. were known as one the iconic duos of the ’80s and ’90s and remain close friends to this day.

Weekend 5 – August 14 & August 15
Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey Jr.: The Iconic Duo – Hail Caesar / Johnny Be Good

Location:
Friday, August 14 at EVO Kyle
Saturday, August 15 at EVO Schertz

Throughout the screenings, guests will have the ability to purchase food and beverage, merchandise, autographs and more via EVO’s mobile app. During the intermission between the two films, guests will also enjoy a 45-minute interactive Q&A with Anthony Michael Hall and guests plus the opportunity to have a professional photo taken with the celebrities. In order to promote a safe environment, questions for the Q&A will be submitted via EVO’s mobile app or in writing. Guests who partake in the photo opportunity will be asked to wear a mask up until the photo is taken and photos will be available for download through EVO’s website. The use of personal phones for photos will not be permitted in an effort to limit the number of surfaces being touched during the photo opportunity.

All tickets are priced at $25.00 per vehicle and can be purchased online. Tickets are valid only for the weekend and location chosen and shown on the tickets. Guests must purchase a separate ticket for each event they wish to attend, there are no all-inclusive ticket options. Tickets are non-refundable.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic EVO Entertainment has taken extra precautions to better ensure the safety of its staff and guests. To learn more about EVO’s safety procedures visit EVO Cinemas online.

Drive-In Film Festival hosted by Anthony Michael Hall

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Anthony Michael Hall’s Summer Drive-In Film Festival continues this weekend. Photo: EVO Entertainment Group, used with permission.

EVO Entertainment Group® is excited to announce Anthony Michael Hall’s Summer Drive-In Film Festival taking place over four weekends in July and August. Anthony Michael Hall, known for films like The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, 16 Candles and more will be hosting the film festival. Each evening will offer a double-feature presentation of two films shown outdoors at the EVO® Drive-In experience. The festival will take place at EVO Entertainment’s Schertz, Texas and Kyle, Texas locations. (EVO Entertainment Group, 2020)

The Summer Drive-In Film Festival schedule:
Weekend 2 – July 24 & July 25 (sold out)
John Hughes Comedy Classics #2 – The Breakfast Club / National Lampoons Vacation

Location:
Friday, July 24 at EVO Schertz
Saturday, July 25 at EVO Kyle

Weekend 3 – July 31 & August 1
Rudy / The Goonies

Location:
Friday, July 31 at EVO Schertz
Saturday, August 1 at EVO Kyle
Special Guest: Sean Astin

Weekend 4 – August 7 & August 8
The Iconic Duo – Terminator 2 Judgement Day / War Machine

Location:
Friday, August 7 at EVO Kyle
Saturday, August 8 at EVO Schertz
Special Guest: Robert Patrick

Weekend 5 – August 14 & August 15
AMH & RDJ: The Iconic Duo – Hail Caesar / Johnny Be Good

Location:
Friday, August 14 at EVO Kyle
Saturday, August 15 at EVO Schertz

Throughout the screenings, guests will have the ability to purchase food and beverage, merchandise, autographs and more via EVO’s mobile app. During the intermission between the two films, guests will also enjoy a 45-minute interactive Q&A with Anthony Michael Hall and guests plus the opportunity to have a professional photo taken with the celebrities. In order to promote a safe environment, questions for the Q&A will be submitted via EVO’s mobile app or in writing. Guests that partake in the photo opportunity will be asked to wear a mask up until the photo is taken and photos will be available for download through EVO’s website. The use of personal phones for photos will not be permitted in an effort to limit the number of surfaces being touched during the photo opportunity.

All tickets are priced at $25.00 per vehicle and can be purchased online. Tickets are valid only for the weekend and location chosen and shown on the tickets. Guests must purchase a separate ticket for each event they wish to attend, there are no all-inclusive ticket options. Tickets are non-refundable.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic EVO Entertainment has taken extra precautions to better ensure the safety of its staff and guests. To learn more about EVO’s safety procedures visit EVO Cinemas online.

Texas Book Festival announces virtual festival

2019 Texas Book Festival
The Texas Book Festival will take place entirely online from October 31 through November 15.  Photo: Texas Book Festival, used with permission. 

For the first time ever, the Texas Book Festival will take place entirely online. Featuring two full weeks of free virtual programming, the 2020 Festival will run October 31 through November 15 and will bring together thousands of readers and authors across Texas and beyond for sixteen straight days of engaging, enlightening and educational programming. TBF’s vision is to inspire all Texans to love reading and this year’s virtual Festival will expand that vision beyond Texas to ensure book lovers across the country and the world can join in celebrating literacy, ideas and imagination. (Texas Book Festival, 2020)

The 2020 Texas Book Festival will feature more than 125 authors participating in virtual sessions, including programming for adults, young adults, middle-grade readers and children. The 2020 Texas Teen Book Festival will also take place during the two-week virtual festival, featuring conversations with acclaimed Young Adult authors aimed at teenage readers.

The TBF’s annual First Edition Literary Gala, which raises significant funds for TBF’s programs and is traditionally held on the Friday evening before the Festival Weekend, will also take place virtually on November 6, 2020. The first of its kind, this year’s Gala will bring together supporters of the arts, members of the TBF community and some of the world’s leading literary minds for an evening filled with good books and wonderful conversation.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak and stay-at-home measures in the U.S., the Texas Book Festival has produced dozens of online programs with Texas readers and book-lovers. These include Instagram Live author interviews, children and middle-grade story times on Instagram Live, conversations and lessons from acclaimed children’s book illustrators, educational resources for students and parents and children’s story times from beloved authors and Texans as part of the Festival’s Read Together Texas series. TBF is excited to continue providing additional online programming in the months leading up to and through the two-week virtual Festival, offering even more book discussions, author panels and interviews and bringing exciting conversations from celebrated and emerging writers, journalists, artists, scientists, chefs and more into the homes of readers across Texas and the country.

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 Weekend, 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. The 2020 virtual Texas Book Festival Weekend will take place from October 31 through November 15. Thanks to generous donors, sponsors, and volunteers, the Festival remains free and open to the public.

“Nothing will stop us from bringing people together around books, including a global pandemic. We are committed more than ever to serving our community and excited that people from all over Texas, the country, and the world can participate in this year’s Festival.” – Texas Book Festival Director Lois Kim

Novel Ideas Art Book Fair at SAYSi

bluestarcontemporary
Blue Star Contemporary. Photo: Google

San Antonio’s first and longest running contemporary art non-profit, Blue Star Contemporary, located in the heart of the Blue Star Arts Complex, is pleased to present the Novel Ideas Art Book Fair which will take place on Friday March 6 from 5p.m. to 9p.m. and Saturday March 7 from 10a.m. to 6p.m. at SAYSi. The first and only art book fair in the region coincides with Blue Star Contemporary’s spring exhibitions featuring the work of Emilia Azcárate, Ann Clarke, Arturo Herrera, Candace Hicks, Rand Renfrow, Benedikt Terwiel, Hye-Ryoung Min and Sarah Welch. Also complementing the fair are Contemporary Art Month San Antonio and the Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference taking place in San Antonio, March 4 to 7, 2020. (Blue Star Contemporary, 2020)

Novel Ideas Art Book Fair is a two-day art book fair organized by Blue Star Contemporary. It will feature artists’ books, monographs, zines, printed ephemera and more. Conceived as a platform and community-building event for artists and producers operating primarily in the Southwestern US region and Mexico who are dedicated to books as medium and material, the Novel Ideas Art Book Fair includes a range of exhibitors, both publishers and artists. Novel Ideas includes programming such as talks, pop-up workshops, signings, an after party hosted by Paper Tiger and four complementary onsite exhibitions.

The fair presents noted artist and curator Julie Ault as the keynote speaker for the event on Saturday March 7 at 3p.m. Julie Ault is a curator, writer, editor, artist and designer who began her career establishing the temporary exhibition as art form.

Admission
$15 – Friday, March 6, 2020 opening night (CAM supporters receive $5 discount at the door with CAM sticker)
$20 – Saturday, March 7, 2020 all day
Door cover charge – closing concert at Paper Tiger on Saturday, March 7, 2020 7p.m. to 11p.m.
$40 – All access pass to all the above, advance purchase only, limited edition artist print by Rand Renfrow for the first 40 purchasers.
BSC members, TPR members and members of any of our museum month partner organizations receive a $5 discount on the all access pass.

Participating 2020 exhibitors include

  • Animal Facts Club (Wimberley)
  • Annie May Johnston (Austin)
  • Artpace (SA)
  • Bill’s Junk (Houston)
  • Cattywampus Press (SA)
  • Cortney Cassidy (Oakland)
  • Coyote Bones Press (San Antonio)
  • Feral Editions (SA)
  • Flowerpot Books (SA)
  • French & Michigan (SA)
  • Glasstire (TX)
  • Hare and Hound Press (SA)
  • Hellen Jo (LA)
  • M12 (Colorado)
  • Lawrence Markey (San Antonio)
  • Lorenzo Gomez (San Antonio)
  • Pey-Jing Li Mehrinfar (San Marcos)
  • Mixed Media Press (Mexico City)
  • Modernizm Zine (Houston)
  • MOSAIC Student Artist Program (San Antonio)
  • Mystic Multiples (Houston)
  • Rand Renfrow (Austin)
  • San Anto Zine Fest (SA)
  • Southwest School of Art (SA)
  • Spend Time Zine Mart (Austin)
  • Sybil Press (SA/Baltimore)
  • Texas State University Photography Program (San Marcos)
  • TPR/David Martin Davies (TX)
  • Trilce Ediciones (Mexico City)
  • UT Riso Room (Austin)
  • Yes, Ma’am Press & Xicana Vegan(SA)

Blue Star Contemporary (BSC) is the first and longest-running nonprofit venue for contemporary art in San Antonio. Its start 32 years ago created a pathway leading to city bond funding that supported the revamp of an old warehouse complex into an artist-centric, mixed-use development, sparking the total revitalization of Southtown as it is today. Their mission to inspire, nurture, innovate and support artists and nurturing the community’s relationships with them are the very fibers of Blue Star Contemporary’s rich cultural tapestry.

SAYSí
1518 S Alamo St.
San Antonio, TX 78204
(210) 212-8666

San Antonio Book Festival 2020 announces line up

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This year’s San Antonio Book Festival will be held on Saturday April 4. Photo: San Antonio Book Festival, used with permission.

The San Antonio Book Festival (SABF) is excited to announce its 2020 author lineup, which includes more than 120 local, regional and national authors who will appear at the 8th annual festival as well as a new event – Lit Crawl. This year’s lineup includes nationally renowned authors such as Saeed Jones, Attica Locke, Marie Arana, César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández and more. The amazing weekend of festivities will take place on Saturday, April 4, from 9a.m. to 5p.m. at the Central Library and Southwest School of Art. (The San Antonio Book Festival, 2020)

The book festival is a free, family-friendly event that draws more than 20,000 festival goers to downtown San Antonio for a full day of author presentations, panel discussions, book sales, signings, children and teen activities and food trucks. It showcases first-time novelists and established writers, and introduces attendees to new literary talents and connects them with their favorite authors. A listing of all festival writers as well as a detailed festival schedule will be available online in March.

This year, there will be an additional free event, Lit Crawl, a big block party for books and everyone who loves to read them. This is the first time Lit Crawl is held in San Antonio and the city is just the 15th one globally to produce Lit Crawl. The event will take place the evening of Friday, April 3, as part of First Friday in Southtown in the Blue Star Arts complex. Lit Crawl brings literature to the streets, offering a mini-festival within the larger Book Festival that features writers, poets and storytellers performing their work and inviting audience participation. Lit Crawl will feature several events, including Literary Death Match, where four writers will compete for “bookish” glory; at another event, writers will speak about writerly topics but will be unaware that the audience has been instructed to take a shot every time one of the writers utters specific words. Lit Crawl involves the local literary scene and captures San Antonio’s unique flavor—all while getting book lovers and revelers alike drunk on words. The inaugural Lit Crawl is produced with the help of Ricos Products and the Blue Star Arts Complex.

Internationally acclaimed writer Sandra Cisneros will debut a new festival event, Sandra Cisneros Presents, where she introduces four of her favorite writers to festival audiences. Cisneros’ long list of accolades includes NEA fellowships in both poetry and fiction, the Texas Medal of the Arts, a MacArthur Fellowship, several honorary doctorates and national and international book awards, including the National Medal of the Arts awarded to her by President Obama in 2016.

The San Antonio Book Festival is also excited to bring back the 4th Annual Book Appétit Literary Feast at the Witte Museum’s Mays Family Center on April 2 featuring novelist Amor Towles. SABF will also be hosting Book It! luncheons, three opportunities to have an intimate lunch with a festival author at Club Giraud on April 4.

The mission of the San Antonio Book Festival (SABF) is to unite readers and writers in a celebration of ideas, books, libraries, and literary culture. SABF was first presented in April 2013. Founding partners include the San Antonio Public Library, the Southwest School of Art, the San Antonio Public Library Foundation, and Texas Book Festival. This “Fiesta for the mind” is a gift to visitors and the citizens of San Antonio, free and open to all.

 

Texas Book Festival announces dates for this year’s festival

2019 Texas Book Festival
This year’s Texas Book Festival is set for November 7 and 8. Photo: Texas Book Festival, used with permission.

After a successful 2019 connecting authors, readers and book lovers, the Texas Book Festival is excited to announce that this year’s festival will be held on Saturday November 7 and Sunday November 8, 2020. The 25​th​ year of the Texas Book Festival, one of the largest and most prestigious book festivals in the country, will once again be held throughout the grounds of the Texas State Capitol and along Congress Avenue in downtown Austin. (Texas Book Festival, 2019)

This year, everything fans know and love about the Festival will return. There will be acclaimed and emerging authors, book signings, cooking demonstrations, author panels, live music, a Saturday night Lit Crawl and more yet-to-be announced events and programming for the Festival’s 25​th anniversary. Submissions to participate in the 2020 festival will be opening soon.

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 Weekend, 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. The Festival is held on the grounds of the Texas Capitol each fall and features more than 300 renowned authors, panels, book signings, cooking demonstrations and children’s activities.