Free Commuter Pass from CapMetro

Want to get downtown for the Texas Book Festival, without worrying about parking and traffic? CapMetro is offering free commuter passes for attendees. Simply fill out the form below by 3pm on Thursday, November 3. You will need the CapMetro app to redeem, and the email you register with must match the email in your app.

Commuter passes will be good for bus travel and the MetroRail, and can be used during the Festival Weekend, November 5-6.

Please note, your pass will not show up in the app until processed by CapMetro on Friday. The email you registered with will have to match the email used for the CapMetro app. The app should be downloaded before 3pm on Thursday, November 3 so CapMetro can share the free pass. Please contact claire@texasbookfestival.org with any questions.

The deadline has passed to request a free commuter pass. However, you can still take a Cap Metro bus or the MetroRail to downtown Austin.

YA at the 2022 Texas Book Festival!

In 2022, all of the YA and teen programming that you loved at the Texas Teen Book Festival will be featured at the Texas Book Festival Weekend on November 5-6 in downtown Austin, in and around the State Capitol. Check out two full days of programming at the YA HQ, as well as cool authors and programming throughout the Festival! 

Featured YA authors include Omar Epps, Maggie Stiefvater, Marit Weisenberg, Natalia Sylvester, Lyla Lee, Varian Johnson, Aiden Thomas…AND MANY MORE! Check out the full 2022 Author Lineup. All YA programming is free and open to the public.

Festival books will be for sale from local indie bookstore BookPeople, and author signings will be happening all weekend.

The YA HQ Tent will be on 11th Street in front of the Capitol from 10 am – 5 pm on Saturday and from 11 am – 5 pm on Sunday. Check the entire schedule for exciting authors, illustrators, chefs, poets, and storytellers.

Grab the October 27 issue of The Austin Chronicle…it’s the Halloween Mask issue!…for the full schedule and maps. Follow TBF on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @texasbookfest #texasbookfest.

The Atlantic Festival Virtual Pass

The Texas Book Festival is thrilled to partner with The Atlantic this year, and share the important conversations happening at both of our Festivals. If you can’t make it to Washington D.C. for the Atlantic Festival, join the virtual Festival for free! Check out The Atlantic Festival for more information.

From 9/21–23 you can be a part of @TheAtlantic’s journalism and at the center of urgent conversations on business, culture, race and identity, politics, progress, tech, and health. Get your Atlantic Festival pass to attend virtually from anywhere. #TAF22

Atlantic Festival Virtual Pass

 

BookPeople Day of Sales: September 8!

Mark your calendars for September 8 at BookPeople, and shop to stuff your bookshelves in support of the Texas Book Festival! You can shop in the store or online!

Buy 2022 Festival books, classics, kids books, Harry Potter…whatever you want in your TBR stack!

Your support keeps the annual Festival accessible, as well as making statewide literacy outreach possible through Reading Rock Stars, Real Reads, and Library Grants. Your love of books can help others find their love of books!

On Thursday, September 8 from 9am – 9pm, BookPeople will donate a portion of all book sales to the Texas Book Festival. So stop by (or log in), grab that new book (or five) you’ve been itching to read, and help us keep our annual Festival Weekend free and open to the public! Join us at the Festival November 5-6, and say hi to our official Festival bookseller and friends, BookPeople in the Book Sales Tents.

Mark your calendars for September 8, 2022 at BookPeople!

 

 

Get to know our 2022 Festival Poster Artist: Minta Maria

Portrait by Claire Schaper (originally featured in Tribeza).

TBF Deputy Director Claire Burrows sat down with the 2022 Texas Book Festival Poster Artist Minta Maria in her West Austin studio to talk about her career and this year’s poster image, Adrift No. 3. Read more about the 2022 Festival poster.

Minta Maria is an artist and freelance photographer. She was born in Madrid and raised in San Antonio. She received her BA in Journalism from the University of Texas and MFA in Photography & Related Media from the School of Visual Arts. Over the past ten years of developing her art, Minta has had a variety of exhibitions and worked to build upon the themes of memory, tradition, and the fragility of information.

Lifetime of photography

I started taking photographs in high school and fell in love with photography at the age of 14. I wanted to be a photojournalist and looked up to photojournalists like Susan Meiselas. I moved to New York and got a job at Glamour Magazine, which was the opposite of what I was pursuing, but I learned so much, and quickly after that moved to Latin America and was an intern for UNICEF in Panama. The Director of the regional office there let me pursue a photojournalism project for UNICEF.

When my internship ended, I decided to pursue an MFA in photography. I was curious how an intensive 2-year study could deepen my understanding of photography and how it might unfold into other areas of the medium. I felt like a fish out of water, but it was such a great experience and time to experiment. Post graduation, I took every photography job under the sun while I pursued my art. Once I had my second child, I decided to be a full-time artist.

Roots and Wings

There is a joy and wonder about Texas. In Austin, there is a sense of familiarity. It’s a knowing, the sound of the birds, the warm summer nights, things that I really cherish about the atmosphere having grown up here. And I also love that Austin has a spirit of curiosity and creativity, and meeting and welcoming people from everywhere. For me, this is the roots and wings of Austin and Texas.

I love what perspective brings, and having been away from Texas and returning it was really clear to me what I loved, especially through photography. I really was drawn as a photographer to the Spanish influence in Texas / the Charreada, the West Texas landscape, to all the natural spring-fed swimming holes, the limestone, the great oaks…all these elements that I missed.

Poetry

The way I make pictures, I feel and prescribe it more towards poetry. As if I’m writing a poem because I feel like there’s a poetic interest in taking pictures. Like this project, Adrift, each form has a story it’s telling, a nonlinear story it’s telling. It leans more into poetry as it expresses many different things at once. Something adrift that’s suspended in the air, perhaps fleeting. There are lots of different elements there that one could read into with the images.

Balmorhea is my favorite picture I’ve taken. There’s something deeper to the image – light and heavy, familiar and mysterious – and space for the viewer to see it however they wish.

Adrift series 

 

The process is that I typically spread out all the papers on this big table, and select what is compelling, then with clear tape, needle and thread, and fishing wire, sew them together. What is so fun and sometimes infuriating is knowing that what I want to see might not reveal itself once it’s up in the air. I use two light stands with a big piece of bamboo taped to the top for height and put the newspaper form right in the middle. I’m lying on the ground, photographing it. I wait for the wind to make the form that I like. Sometimes there’s no wind, sometimes there’s heavy wind…I’m just waiting for the wind. I shot them all on film, there are about 10 pictures per roll of film, which is really lovely for a project like this because I can’t just rapid-shoot pictures. It’s just very different than if I was using a digital camera.

At the beginning of 2020, I started saving newspapers and experimenting, and at some point around the onset of Covid, I started photographing them in this form. We moved to New Zealand, but when I created the images I realized that they were so different than those shot in Texas. The light is different in New Zealand because it is so much closer to the equator, which I didn’t really anticipate, so I had to put the project on pause until we returned to Texas.

Texas artists

A few artists with Texas roots I follow are Christopher Anderson (particularly his family work), and Cruz Ortiz. I also love the work of the 20th-century Texan painter Clara McDonald Williamson. Graciela Iturbide is one of my all-time favorite photographers (since high school!!). She is from Mexico but has had a great presence in Texas, particularly in San Antonio.

Books

Books I’ve loved lately ~

The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante
Department of Speculation and Weather by Jenny Offill

Texas Sky

Especially in the summer, there’s a warmth to the sun. It’s dusty where I shoot these images. It’s so unique.


Read the poster announcement for more information. Posters and T-shirts featuring the Adrift No. 3 art will be available for purchase at the Texas Book Festival on November 5-6, 2022 in Downtown Austin.

Revealing the 2022 Festival Poster!

The Texas Book Festival is thrilled to reveal the 2022 Festival poster, Adrift No. 3. The artwork for the poster is by photographer Minta Maria, who was raised in San Antonio and now lives and works in Austin.

The art for this year’s poster, titled Adrift No. 3, is part of the Adrift photographic series by Minta Maria that captures compelling headlines, images, and journalistic storytelling, focusing on one day at a time. Minta Maria’s artist statement for the selected piece: “March 19, 2020: The African American Art Shaping the 21st Century,” notes the date of the featured newspaper in the photograph and the title of a selection of articles and photographs that featured important African American artists, writers, and poets.

See the full poster image.

Minta Maria is an artist and freelance photographer. She received her BA in Journalism from the University of Texas and MFA in Photography & Related Media from the School of Visual Arts. Over the past ten years of developing her art, Minta has had a variety of exhibitions and worked to build upon the themes of memory, tradition, and the fragility of information.

“I love this image for this year’s poster because of two reasons. It’s an image created from text and writing–and it’s graphic as all get out,” said DJ Stout, of design firm Pentagram. “This may be the first time we’ve designed the festival poster around a dynamic image featuring journalism.”

Every year, the Texas Book Festival chooses an artist and work that reflects the spirit of the Texas Book Festival, including imagination, creativity, and community. The artist should have a strong Texas affiliation, and the work should capture the diversity of Texas culture. The incredibly talented team at Pentagram once again designed the Festival poster.

“Selecting a Texas artist to celebrate in our Festival materials is one of my favorite traditions,” says Executive Director Lois Kim. “Visual arts and literary arts go hand in hand in making our lives richer as we get to enjoy the originality and ingenuity of artists making sense of the world through their crafts.

Read the full press release.

Posters and T-shirts featuring the Adrift No. 3 art will be available for purchase at the Texas Book Festival on November 5-6, 2022 in Downtown Austin.

Now Hiring! Operations Coordinator

If you love being part of a team, and really love community building, books, authors, and events, then you’re in the right place! The Texas Book Festival is hiring an Operations Coordinator to join the team. Details below, and applications will close on July 15, 2022.

OPERATIONS COORDINATOR POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Operations Coordinator position with the Texas Book Festival is responsible for providing support to staff overseeing programs, development, finances, communications, and events. The Operations Coordinator also supports the daily operations of the office and serves as the first contact on phone and email correspondence.

All TBF staff members help with planning work, event support, and communication strategies for the annual Texas Book Festival, Reading Rock Stars, Real Reads and other literary events in Austin and around Texas throughout the year.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Literary Programming 

  • Schedule meetings for TBF staff with NYC-based publishers for annual TBF spring trip and serve as point of contact during week of visits.
  • Help Literary Director with literary programming coordination including:
    • tracking book submissions
    • communicating with authors and publicists about book submission status
    • assisting with tracking literary programming budget, including author travel stipends and coordination
    • assisting with communication around Festival author A/V presentation collection
    • assisting with year-round events
    • working with literary interns

Office Administration

  • Provide administrative support, including scheduling meetings, correspondence, meeting preparation and communication, and projects as requested.
  • Manage organization communication, including mail, email, and phone.
  • Serve as primary contact with all office vendors including building management, IT services, and insurance companies.
  • Manage office equipment and supplies.
  • Oversee retention and organization of paper and electronic files.
  • Run office errands as requested

Financial Administration

  • Collect receipts from staff and help reconcile statements.
  • Track in-kind donations.
  • Finanical support such as cutting checks, running Quickbooks reports, and other tasks as needed.

Development

  • Assist with development projects, including maintaining accurate records in donor databases, assisting with correspondence and direct mail, and other projects as assigned.
  • Assist with annual fundraising gala, including processing table/ticket sales and reconciling payments.
  • Attend and assist with Cultivation and Community Engagement events.

Event Support and Logistics

  • Assist with literary, development, school and community program events throughout the year: catering, invitations, check-in, etc.
  • Assist with sales at events where we have point of sale transactions.
  • Assist with logistics and communications with vendors, and volunteers as needed.
  • Assist with overseeing intern scheduling and tasks.

EXPECTATIONS

  • Actively participate in and contribute to organization’s long-term strategic goals and success.
  • Actively contribute to a positive, professional, and respectful work environment. Support TBF team members when they need help.
  • Embrace the all-in commitment required to make the annual Festival a success and understand that evening and weekend work will be expected in the weeks leading up to the Festival and for some outreach and special events. Flexible hours and generous time off in the off-season are provided in recognition of extra work time needed for the Festival.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor’s degree
  • One year of relevant work experience (equivalent volunteer and/or school experience qualifies)
  • Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills. Attention to detail is critical for this position.
  • Strong technological aptitude. Familiarity with and flexibility across platforms and operating systems expected.
  • Ability to think creatively to problem solve and promote the Texas Book Festival
  • Dedication and enthusiasm for fulfilling the Texas Book Festival mission
  • Flexibility to work evenings and weekends when needed
  • Some travel required

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

  • Health, dental, vision and basic life insurance
  • Simple IRA match
  • PTO, which increases with tenure, as well as generous holiday time off
  • HRA
  • Monthly phone stipend
  • Access to many, many books

TO APPLY

Please send a cover letter and resume to bookfest@texasbookfestival.org. Application deadline is July 15, 2022.

2022 Festival Weekend

We’re back for the 27th Texas Book Festival Weekend! The 2022 Festival Weekend will take place on November 5–6, in downtown Austin at the State Capitol and surrounding streets.

The Festival Weekend is free and open to the public, with 250+ authors of the year’s best books. The full author lineup will be announced in September, and the schedule will be released in October.

When

Saturday, November 5, 10 am – 5 pm

Sunday, November 6, 11 am – 5 pm

Where

Downtown Austin in and around the State Capitol

  • Texas State Capitol (1100 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701)
  • Congress Avenue (between 7th and 11th Streets)
  • First Baptist Church (901 Trinity Street)
  • First United Methodist Church (1201 Lavaca Street)
  • Central Presbyterian Church (200 East 8th Street)

How to attend

No registration is required for the Festival! Just show up. Free parking is available in the State parking garages northeast of the Capitol. Author sessions that require advanced registration will be announced prior to the Festival Weekend.

Parking

Free parking is available in State Lot parking garages on San Jacinto and 15th Streets (’22 TBF PUBLIC, BUS & BIKE PARKING MAP). Accessible parking is available at the Capitol Visitors Parking Garage at 1201 San Jacinto Blvd. If you require special accommodations, please contact the Texas Book Festival prior to your visit at 512-477-4055 or bookfest@texasbookfestival.org.

Books

BookPeople is the official Texas Book Festival bookseller. They will be on-site selling books for all the featured authors, and you can find Festival books year-round at the BookPeople TBF online store.

Volunteers

The Festival Weekend depends on Volunteer Committee Chairs and hundreds of volunteers. Fill out the Volunteer Sign-up Form if you would like to volunteer for the 2022 Festival Weekend.

Exhibitor Marketplace

The 2022 exhibitor marketplace is now full. Applications are still being accepted for our waitlist as well as the virtual exhibitor marketplace, but no further booths can be guaranteed at this time. Please email oliviahesse@texasbookfestival.org with any questions.

Lit Crawl Austin

Lit Crawl will take place on Saturday, November 5 in East Austin. Stay tuned for more details!

2022 Poster

The official 2022 Texas Book Festival Poster includes featured artwork by Austin-based photographer Minta Maria. Learn more. We will have posters and poster shirts for sale at the Festival.

Check back here for more parking, transportation, and event details. Email bookfest@texasbookfestival.org with questions. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, or join our email newsletter for updates.

Want to support the Texas Book Festival and help keep programming free and open to the public? Donate today!

See you at the Festival!

Capitol
Texas Book Festival

 

SPECIAL EVENT NOTIFICATION
What: 2022 Texas Book Festival
When:  Sat., Nov. 5, & Sun., Nov. 6, 2022
Event Time:  10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The 2022 Texas Book Festival will take place November 5-6, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Congress Ave. and Eleventh St. near the State Capitol building.  An estimated 40,000 visitors will attend the free Festival over the two days.  The Festival will temporarily close city streets near your business, residence, religious center, or neighborhood.

Festival street closures begin at 5:00 a.m. on 11/4 for Congress Ave. between 7th & 11th Streets. Numbers streets from 7th to 11th crossing Congress Ave. to remain open until 6:00 p.m. on 11/4. All streets reopen by 3:00 a.m. 11/7. Please plan alternate routes around road closures in your area prior to festival weekend.

If you have any comments, questions or concerns regarding road closures, alternate access
points or festival maps, e-mail bookfest@texasbookfestival.org or call TBF (512) 477-4055. To contact the City of Austin visit www.austintexas.gov/citystage or call (512) 974-1000.

PN_Festival_Road_Closures_22

TxBookFestival_Street_Closure_Location_Map_22

2022 Exhibitor Applications Open!

Join the Texas Book Festival as we celebrate our 27th annual Festival held in and around the Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas on November 5 and 6, 2022. The Texas Book Festival connects authors and readers through experiences that celebrate the culture of literacy, ideas, and imagination. The two-day Festival is a gift to the state of Texas, free and open to the public, bringing books to life through author readings, innovative panel discussions, and book signings. Advertised and promoted nationally, the Texas Book Festival attracts approximately 50,000 attendees. The Festival offers exhibitors a great opportunity to showcase their products and/or services to this large audience of book lovers.

Application Instructions

Due to increased interest in our exhibitor space over the past few years, we require all exhibitors to first send in an application to be reviewed by a selection committee. The committee will accept applicants on a rolling basis, and upon acceptance, applicants will be provided with the payment link or instructions to send a check. We do not accept cash as form of payment.

First, submit the application with the form below or download the PDF here.

Exhibitor Pricing

Standard Exhibitor Booth

$825.00 Early Registration Discounted Fee, Apply before August 5, 2022

$725.00 Additional Early Registration Discounted Fee, Apply before August 5, 2022

$925.00 Standard Registration Fee, Apply before September 16, 2022

$825.00 Additional Standard Pricing, Apply before September 16, 2022

$1,025.00 Late Registration Fee, Apply between September 16, 2022 – October 7, 2022

$925.00 Additional Late Registration Fee, Apply between September 16, 2022 – October 7, 2022

Standard Booth Fee includes:
  • 10′ x 10′ booth space within a large tent
  • One 8′ covered/skirted table with two chairs
  • One identification sign within booth
  • One parking pass
  • One exhibitor listing in Festival publication
  • One exhibitor listing on Festival website, including link to your website
  • Access to electricity

Non-profit Booth

$525.00 Non-profit Registration Fee

There is no early registration for non-profit booths. If you are a non-profit, you must submit a copy of your 501(c)3 status certification with your application and payment. Limited availability. 

Booth fee includes:
  • 10′ x 10′ booth space within a large tent
  • One 8′ covered/skirted table with two chairs
  • One identification sign within booth
  • One parking pass
  • One exhibitor listing in Festival publication
  • One exhibitor listing on Festival website, including link to your website
  • Access to electricity

Open Pavilion Exhibitor Table

We will not have Pavilion Exhibitor Tables in 2022.

Cancellation Policy

If you must cancel your reservation, a letter or email requesting a refund must be sent to the Texas Book Festival and Debra Saleny. Refund terms: 50% through September 2, 2022. 25% between September 3 and September 16, 2022. No refunds after September 16, 2022. The Texas Book Festival will take place rain or shine. Refunds will not be issued due to inclement weather. If the Texas Book Festival is cancelled, all exhibitor fees will be refunded. The Texas Book Festival will follow all public health advice and mandates from Austin Public Health, and will use those guidelines to make event changes and cancellations. If the Festival changes to virtual, exhibitors will be offered a virtual listing for $100, and refunded the remainder. Exhibitors may choose a full refund if they do not want a virtual listing.

 

Now Hiring a Event Production and Logistics Coordinator

The Texas Book Festival is looking for an Event Production and Logistics Coordinator. Please send a resume and cover letter to bookfest@texasbookfestival.org. Application deadline is Monday March 28, 2022. Email bookfest@texasbookfestival.org if you have any questions.

POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Event Production and Logistics Coordinator position with the Texas Book Festival is responsible for supporting the event production, logistical, and volunteer needs in the planning and execution of the Festival’s year-round literary, development, and outreach programming, including the annual Texas Book Festival. 

The Event Production and Logistics Coordinate must be able to organize a high volume of details in a fast-paced environment and be able to execute on the many physical components of onsite event management. On-the-spot problem solving and prioritization are key, as are strong communication and people skills.

All TBF staff members contribute to strategic planning, event support, and communication strategies for the annual Texas Book Festival, Reading Rock Stars, Real Reads, and other literary events in Austin and around Texas throughout the year.

RESPONSIBILITIES

General Volunteer and Logistics Coordination

  • Serve as volunteer coordinator for any office or event volunteer needs
  • Provide logistics coordination and support for TBF literary, development, and outreach events
  • Run logistics-related errands for office and event needs

Annual Festival Coordination and Logistics

  • Serve as primary liaison with Texas Book Festival Volunteer Committee Chairs (VCCs) 
  • Recruit volunteers
  • Work with Deputy Director, Literary Director, and contract Festival logistics team to help manage Festival venues, tents, maps, banners, signage, exhibitors, and food vendors and to help produce Festival-related materials 
  • During Festival Weekend, manage VCC communication and assist with Festival set-up and break down
  • Run logistics-related errands leading up to and during the Festival Weekend
  • Coordinate TBF merchandise orders

Virtual Event Coordination

  • Research virtual event platforms and evaluate best platform for the event
  • Able to learn new software and create how to use guides for training purposes
  • Train technical support staff, including refresher sessions 
  • Run session analytics

EXPECTATIONS

  • Actively participate in and contribute to organization’s long-term strategic goals and success
  • Actively contribute to a positive, professional, and respectful work environment. Support TBF team members when they need help
  • Embrace the all-in commitment required to make the annual Festival a success and understand that evening and weekend work will be expected in the weeks leading up to the Festival. Flexible hours and generous time off in the off-season are provided in recognition of extra work time needed for the Festival.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor’s degree
  • At least two years of relevant work experience in event planning and execution (volunteer, intern, or extracurricular experience may fill this expectation)
  • Experience in recruiting, motivating, and managing volunteers 
  • Excellent communications skills (oral, written, and presentation) 
  • Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills. Attention to detail is critical for this position.
  • Strong technological aptitude. Familiarity with and flexibility across platforms and operating systems expected.  
  • Ability to think creatively to problem solve and promote the Texas Book Festival
  • Dedication and enthusiasm for fulfilling the Texas Book Festival mission
  • Flexibility to work evenings and weekends when needed
  • Frequent travel required

Please send a resume and cover letter to bookfest@texasbookfestival.org. Application deadline is Monday March 28, 2022. Please email bookfest@texasbookfestival.org if you have any questions!