Literary Programs Year-Round / November 16-17 Festival

Author: Susannah Auby

Amplify Austin 2023

By Susannah Auby on

The Texas Book Festival is participating in Amplify Austin (March 1-2) to help fund our year-round literary programs. We strive every day to inspire Texans of all ages to love reading through Real Reads, Reading Rock Stars, and Texas Library Grants. Your support makes it possible to not only bring 300+ authors to downtown Austin each fall but also to connect authors and readers with our School and Community programs.

We can’t wait to bring you another great Festival filled with authors, readers, and great conversations this fall.

Schedule your donation to the Texas Book Festival through Amplify Austin.

Donate $100 or more during Amplify Austin to join TBF and receive a 2023 Festival Friends Pass!

 

Texas Book Festival School and Community Programs

Real Reads

Real Reads brings critically acclaimed and popular YA authors like Celia Perez, Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, and Nic Stone to middle- and high-school students. Not only do the students get their own new, hardcover copies of the books, but they get to meet the authors! These students participate in a book club curriculum leading up to the Festival Weekend, where they get a private session with the author to ask ALL their questions.

 

Reading Rock Stars

Since the program began, the Texas Book Festival has given out more than 151,000 books in Title I public elementary schools.  The Reading Rock Stars program is available to Title I Elementary schools in Austin, the Rio Grande Valley, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. TBF is thrilled to announce that we have two schools in El Paso for March 2023! More than a one-day author visit, we work with schools ahead of time with curriculum guides, follow up to determine impact, and commit to each school for three years.

 

Texas Public Library Grants

Library Grants 2022The Texas Book Festival was founded in part to support Texas libraries as invaluable community resources. With these crucial funds, libraries purchase the books needed by their unique community, whether large-print books, bilingual board books, or just new fiction. Since 1996, the organization has funded 1,305 grants totaling over $3 million to 600+ libraries in every corner of the state.

 

 

Schedule your donation at amplifyatx.ilivehereigivehere.org/texasbookfestival and change lives through literature and literacy. Happy reading!

Follow our progress and all Texas Book Festival news on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. #txbookfest #texasbookfest

2022 Festival Friends Pass Sessions

By Susannah Auby on

We’re excited to announce this year’s Festival Friends Pass session! Friends Pass holders will enjoy priority seating and signing access for these sessions.

The Texas Book Festival brings culture, art, and literature to Texas for free thanks to generous donors. Become a 2022 Festival Friend by donating $100 or more and we’ll say thank you with a Festival Friends Pass. You’ll also know that you made a crucial difference in our communities by helping us keep arts and culture accessible for readers in Austin and across Texas.

Become a Festival Friend Today

The 2022 Festival Friends Pass Sessions are:

Sandra Brown in Conversation about Overkill
with Sandra Brown
Saturday, November 5, 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
House Chamber State Capitol

Art, Memory, and Larger-Than-Life Parents
with Ada Calhoun, Elizabeth McCracken
Saturday, November 5, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
House Chamber State Capitol

The Kennedys: New Biographies of JFK and Ted Kennedy
with John A. Farrell, Mark Updegrove
Saturday, November 5, 2:30 pm – 3:15 pm
House Chamber State Capitol

The Last Campaign: Sherman, Geronimo, and the War for America
with H.W. Brands
Saturday, November 5, 3:45 pm – 4:30 pm
House Chamber State Capitol

Omar Epps in Conversation: Nubia: The Awakening
with Omar Epps
Saturday, November 5, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
First United Methodist Church

The Second Half: New Starts at Middle Age
with Angie Cruz, James Hannaham
Saturday, November 5, 2:30 pm – 3:15 pm
Capital Auditorium E1.004

Matthew Quick in Conversation about We Are the Light
with Matthew Quick
Saturday, November 5, 3:45 pm – 4:30 pm
Capital Auditorium E1.004

Woman Without Shame
with Sandra Cisneros
Sunday, November 6, 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
House Chamber State Capitol

On Family and Food
with Rabia Chaudry, Madhushree Ghosh
Sunday, November 6, 12:15 pm – 1:00 pm
Capital Auditorium

Practicing Joy, Gaining Wisdom
with Ross Gay, Simran Jeet Singh
Sunday, November 6, 1:15 pm – 2:00 pm
Capital Auditorium

 

Fantastic Fall Reads from Our Friends at Random House Children’s Books

By Susannah Auby on

Random House Children’s Books has something for everyone this fall! 4-8 years olds will love the charming All Are Neighbors  by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman and the ridiculous Blue Bison Needs a Haircut. Middle grade readers are bound to enjoy of one these new titles: graphic novel Sweet Valley Twins: Best Friends, adventure story Futureland: Battle for the Park by H.D. Hunter, and The Lion of Mars by Newbery Honor award winner Jennifer L. Holm.

2022 Festival Friends Pass Authors

By Susannah Auby on

We’re excited to announce this year’s Festival Friends Pass authors! Friends Pass holders will enjoy priority seating and access to the signing lines for these sessions. We will announce sessions dates, times, and venues in mid-October.

The Texas Book Festival brings culture, art, and literature to Texas for free thanks to generous donors. Become a 2022 Festival Friend by donating $100 or more and we’ll say thank you with a Festival Friends Pass. You’ll also know that you made a crucial difference in our communities by helping us keep arts and culture accessible for readers in Austin and across Texas.

Want to become a Festival Friend? There’s still time!

 

2022 Festival Friends Pass Sessions 

Omar Epps in Conversation: Nubia: The Awakening

Featured book: Nubia: The Awakening

Sandra Brown in Conversation About Overkill

Featured book: Overkill

Art, Memory, and Larger-Than-Life Parents with Ada Calhoun, Elizabeth McCracken

Featured books: Also a Poet: Frank O’Hara, My Father, and Me, The Hero of this Book 

The Kennedys: New Biographies of JFK and Ted Kennedy with John A. Farrell, Mark Updegrove

Featured books: Ted Kennedy: A Life, Incomparable Grace: JFK in the Presidency

The Last Campaign: Sherman, Geronimo. and the War for America with H. W. Brands

Featured book: The Last Campaign: Sherman, Geronimo and the War for America

The Second Half: New Starts at Middle Ages with Angie Cruz, James Hannaham

Featured books: How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water, Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta

Matthew Quick in Conversation About We Are the Light

Featured book: We Are the Light

Woman Without Shame with Sandra Cisneros

Featured book: Woman Without Shame: Poems

On Family and Food with Rabia Chaudry, Madhushree Ghosh

Featured books: Fatty Fatty Boom Boom, Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory, and Family

Practicing Joy, Gaining Wisdom with Ross Gay, Simran Jeet Singh

Featured books: Inciting Joy: Essays, The Light We Give

 

Olamaie Brunch with Chef and Festival Author, Vishwesh Bhatt

By Susannah Auby on

We are thrilled to present chef and Festival author—and onetime Austinite—Vishwesh Bhatt in collaboration with Olamaie Executive Chef Michael Fojtasek on November 6 at 11:00 a.m. for a special brunch at Olamaie. Tickets include three-courses inspired by both Bhatt’s home country of India, and Oxford, Mississippi, where he has lived for more than 20 years. The event will start with passed appetizers and cocktails from Olamaie while Chef Bhatt mingles with guests. Each ticket is $135 and includes a signed copy of I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes from a Southern Chef.

 Purchase brunch tickets.

Vishwesh Bhatt brings over 20 years of cooking experience to the table, 12 of those as the executive chef of Snackbar in Oxford, Mississippi. Bhatt’s recipes are filled with rich flavors and feel-good spices and teach us how to grill, fry, and stew our way to a more delicious dinner. These comfort recipes range from peanut masala stuffed eggplant to collard-wrapped catfish to custard rice pudding. I Am From Here, which brings to life an evolving Southern cuisine, will change the way we prepare our food.

Bhatt is originally from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, and moved to the United States at age seventeen. He has been nominated for People’s Best New Chef by Food & Wine and won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South in 2019.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Central Market.

Helen Watkins

By Susannah Auby on

Helen began her career as an equity trader in Houston, then Dallas, for two banks and various hedge funds in Texas. After moving to Austin in 1996, she has remained involved in the Junior League and then joined the Helping Hand Home as a volunteer. She served on, and then chaired, the Grant Committee for the Women’s Fund with the Austin Community Foundation for many years. Her children attended St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin where she served as President of the Parents’ Association and then on the Board of Trustees. Helen then went to work, helping to establish I Live Here, I Give Here as the Non-Profit Coordinator. She has recently retired after 10+ years on the Board of Advisors with Literacy First, also serving as the Board Chair. She remains involved with many non-profits in Austin, as well as chairing the Community Outreach board with HSW Investment.

Be a Festival Friend!

By Susannah Auby on

Festival Friend donations help keep the Festival free to thousands each year. We hope you will join this community of donors and support the work we do all year!

The 2022 Texas Book Festival will take place November 5 – 6 in and around the State Capitol in downtown Austin.

As a thank you for your donation of $100 or more, you will receive:

  • Acknowledgment on dedicated Festival Friends donor wall on TBF website
  • Priority line +1 access to Festival Friends Pass sessions
  • Free one-month subscription to Libro.fm audiobook membership service that supports independent bookstores

As a thank you for your donation of $250 or more, you will receive a Texas Monthly one-year subscription.

Make your donation today at texasbookfestival.org/donate

Become a Festival Friend today!

First Edition Literary Gala

By Susannah Auby on

Texas Book Festival’s Annual Fundraiser

The Texas Book Festival is delighted to announce the 27th annual First Edition Literary Gala on Friday, November 4, 2022 at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Austin. Please join us for an evening dedicated to celebrating books, authors, and literacy featuring an unforgettable line-up of literary luminaries from 2022. 

Gala sponsorships fund wide and free access to our Annual Festival in the fall, our year-round Reading Rock Stars and Real Reads programs, which provide author visits and book donations to students in low-income schools, grants to Texas public libraries across the state, and free literary programming throughout the year. 

Stay tuned for the 2022 Gala author announcement this summer! The 2021 Gala featured authors were Noah Hawley, Chang-rae Lee, Elizabeth McCracken, Don Tate, and emcee Carrie Fountain. Check out our 2021 Gala photos here.

Fill out the form below or  payment may be mailed to:

1023 Springdale Rd

Building 14, Suite B

Austin, TX 78721

For more information, please contact susannah@texasbookfestival.org.

Gold Leaf Sponsor $25,000

  • Gala table for 10 or 12 with premier placement
  • All other Authors’ Circle benefits
  • Company/foundation logo on all Festival collateral, print advertisements, Festival signage kiosks and official program, t-shirt, and poster

Authors’ Circle Sponsor $15,000

  • Gala table for 10 or 12 with preferred placement
  • All other Leather Bound benefits
  • Exclusive invitations to VIP TBF-hosted author gatherings throughout the year
  • 2 Festival VIP badges which provide priority seating, and book signing priority during the Festival Weekend
  • Sponsor acknowledgement on Gala program
  • Signed books by the Gala authors

Leather Bound Sponsor $10,000

  • Gala table for 10-12
  • Option to host a Festival author at your table
  • All other Vellum benefits

Vellum Sponsor $7,800

  • Gala table for 12 
  • Sponsor acknowledgement in the official Festival program and on the TBF website
  • Literary party favors

Individual Tickets $650

 

The 2021 Texas Book Festival and First Edition Literary Gala were co-presented by

Help Us Bring Reading Rock Stars to El Paso

By Susannah Auby on

The Texas Book Festival’s Reading Rock Stars program is a hands-on literacy initiative that sends nationally recognized authors into Title I schools in Texas to inspire young readers with dynamic presentations and send them home with the most empowering experience of all – owning their very own book. The Texas Book Festival funds and coordinates the author visits and donates the books to the children as well as a set of books to each school’s library.

We are excited to bring this program to El Paso elementary students!

Please consider making a gift to help us bring Reading Rock Stars to El Paso for the 2022-23 school year.

Mail donations to:

Texas Book Festival
1023 Springdale Road
Building 14, Suite B
Austin, Texas 78721

Contact the Texas Book Festival office with any questions: 512-477-4055, development@texasbookfestival.org.

Great Holiday Reads From Our Friends at Random House Children’s Books

By Susannah Auby on

Snow. Many. Books!

Get the perfect present for kids this holiday season from Random House Children’s Books. In need of adventure? The perfect storytime read? Something to make you laugh out loud? From beloved bestsellers like PONY by R.J. Palacio (author of Wonder) and GRUMPY MONKEY by Suzanne and Max Lang, to brand-new books like THE SWAG IS IN THE SOCKS by Kelly J. Baptist and THE WITCHES OF BROOKLYN by Sophie Escabasse, find the right gift for your kids today!