Shawn Bose

Shawn Bose is the Head of New Business for the Staffing Solutions of Indeed, the world’s leading job platform, where he leads the identification and development of new business opportunities and products. He began his career as an entrepreneur in 1998 building large web initiatives for clients from Harvard University to Southern New England Telephone. He then moved to Austin and received his MBA at The McCombs School of Business. There, he joined his classmates to develop uShip. While at uShip, Shawn led the Product Team for many years before taking over Global expansion. He established their European headquarters in Amsterdam and extended the platform’s reach to 18 countries across 5 continents. Shawn then founded OnFaith.co, an online community dedicated to empower people and organizations in the faith and spirituality ecosystem through technology. Finally, in addition to having served on the Board of TeXchange, he is one of the founders of The Catalyst Games, an organization inspiring startup communities across the country to focus on company culture and giving back to the community.

My Staple Reads for Black Culture Month

As we celebrate Black history and culture this month, I wanted to recommend some of my staple reads that inspire me to be confident, creative, and courageous all year round! In this list, you will discover stories that continue to transcend time and new stories that will surely be revisited time and again. Help us continue to elevate Black voices beyond the month of February by sharing the stories that have inspired you!

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison


I first read this novel in college and I remember being very angry after closing the book. A few years later, I decided to read the story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove again and something about the timing and place (I finished it in about 3 hours on a rainy day at a coffee shop) of digesting the pages again made me feel a sort of reconciliation with this particular story and with my own struggles with racism and colorism as a child and adult.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

This is a time-travel novel that had me both eager and terrified to turn to the next page. I often re-read this story because it’s a history lesson, love story, and action movie all combined into a roller coaster of emotions. Speaking of an action movie, the novel will be adapted into an upcoming series on FX. I can’t wait to see this story unfold on screen!

Just as I Am: A Memoir by Cicely Tyson

Cicely Tyson is a film and television icon who we sadly lost in 2021. Watching her on-screen always captivated me because she used her roles as teaching moments that went beyond the plot. I like to just pick a moment in time from her memoir and revisit how she navigated the entertainment industry for over seven decades! 

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis

I look up to actress Viola Davis on a daily basis (she’s so fun on Instagram) because she continues to take on roles that reflect the multiple generations of women in my family and myself. She addresses the topics that are sometimes hard to unpackage as a Black woman but it’s somehow comforting to know that she has gone through those trials and come out on TOP! 

The Education of Kevin Powell by Kevin Powell

I recently decided to watch the first season of The Real World where writer and activist Kevin Powell was a cast member. He stood out to me because he addressed his experiences as a Black man struggling and overcoming racism in this country. This was back in the early 90s, so this topic was, for the most part, taboo for a mainstream television audience. It was illuminating to hear him discuss his journey during that time and know that today, many (if not all) of those issues still run rampant. This memoir allowed me to dive deeper and learn more about Powell beyond a reality show.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes


The concept of this novel is one of the most imaginative things that I have come across since reading Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred. I tend to get overwhelmingly sad or angry when I read narratives dealing with African-American slavery, but this was another way to digest those emotions. We’re talking about mermaids! 

She Memes Well: Essays by Quinta Brunson

I’ve been a fan of comedian Quinta Brunson since my college days binging her Buzzfeed skits when I was supposed to be studying. Her essays here are naturally funny but they are also really touching as she reflects on her journey trying to make it big in Hollywood. Check out her new TELEVISION series Abbott Elementary on ABC. What a success story!

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

I actually just received this novel a few days ago and I haven’t been able to put it down! I am adding it to this list because I already know that it is a staple to return to. I have a younger sister and over the years, we have definitely had our differences growing up and trying to come into our own. What I cherish the most about our relationship and bond is that we have dealt with some of the same experiences at the same time. As adults, we can reflect and unpack some of our traumas together, which reminds me of the characters Byron and Benny’s story here.

New Year Check-in with Lit Director

Dear reader,

With the new year having arrived, we at the Texas Book Festival are in a mood both reflective and forward-looking.

I, for instance, am thinking of the waist-high iron fence that hugs the ledge between Waller Creek and downtown Austin’s Symphony Square, where in October we held children’s storytime sessions at our first hybrid Festival. Each time a presenter entered the amphitheater, I would alert them to the ledge, the fence, the watery depths below. Be careful, I’d implore, my mind riddled with premonitions of ugly slips and falls.

I was exercising far too much caution. After all, the well-tread space has existed calamity-free for decades. But afterward two thoughts preoccupied me. The first was some navel-gazing about where this excessive prudence of mine had sprung. Perhaps it was an inheritance from my late grandmother—the mere notion of us driving in the rain filled her with terror.

My second thought was in fact more a feeling, a dormant but familiar one: the thrill of experiencing the details in‑person again. Transporting items from one spot to another, conducting sound checks, ensuring a just-so placement of chairs and tables and signage, escorting authors from here to there, guiding crowds, watching a book browsed and bought and signed, and yes, minding the gap, so to speak—things alien to us since 2019 but retrieved with like-riding-a-bike muscle memory.

Caution and the excitement of experiencing, safely, familiar activities once more: it’s an emotional admixture many of us are feeling. And whereas the precise shape of Fest 2022 this fall will ultimately depend on one new variant or another, we choose, for now, to begin the year with hope and optimism: we’ll be in downtown Austin again, on our traditional footprint, November 5–6. Save the dates. We hope to see you there.

Happy new year,

Matthew Patin

Literary Director

Happy Holidays from Texas Book Festival!

From every one of us at Texas Book Festival, we wish you a happy holiday season and a joyous New Year! Thank you for your support and contribution to the success of our programs and events this year. We look forward to discovering more exciting and engaging stories in 2022. Below are some end-of-the-year thoughts from the entire staff. Cheers!

Seeing the happiness in people’s eyes (since I couldn’t see their smiles behind their masks) and hearing their laughter during Amor Towles’ Festival session. I’ve missed seeing the connection an author makes with a live audience. I also was blown away this year by how teachers and students have made the best of virtual learning. The kids in Breakthrough Central Texas had such great questions for Emmanuel Acho in their own virtual session with him. It’s all about impactful moments. I can’t wait to bring everyone together around more of them in 2022 and hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season until then! – Lois Kim, Executive Director

I loved seeing our Texas Writer Award winner Don Tate create a drawing for an excited young reader in-person, I loved meeting poster artist Clemente Guzman for the first time, I loved seeing the line of people wrap around the Austin Public Library to see authors. Now with an appreciation for reaching out through virtual programming, I got a kick out of Ethan Hawke logging in at 2 am his time from Eastern Europe, eating M&Ms to stay awake for his chat with Greg Ruth and Richard Linklater. Overall, I remain so thankful for all the storytellers, sharing their joy, sadness, activism, anger, and love during this time and always. – Claire Burrows, Deputy Director

In January 2021, on the heels of our first fully virtual Festival, we had little idea what the future held insofar as in-person vs. virtual events. Where we ultimately arrived was our first hybrid Festival, and some of the memories I cherish most were those opportunities to once again see authors, attendees, and volunteers in-person. There will long be a place for virtual, and yet there’s a magic to face-to-face experiences that is very difficult to replicate. – Matthew Patin, Literary Director

As 2021 comes to a close, I reflect on all of the different ways the Texas Book Festival has brought our community together. It has been wonderful to hear from you and see you at our Festival and come together to celebrate our love of books and reading. – Nicole Wielga, Logistics & Volunteer Coordinator

2021 has been a year of uncertainty, but in spite of that, TBF was still able to pull off a hybrid Festival. Working my first in-person Festival cemented the magic of in-person events for me—there’s nothing like watching the light in someone’s eyes as they listen to their favorite author speak. Here’s hoping for more magic in 2022! – Gavin Quinn, Programs & Financial Coordinator 

This year has been a whirlwind, but I am so proud to be a part of the TBF team! From the top of the year to the very end, I’ve witnessed the TBF team (including staff, interns, volunteers, authors, students, teachers, librarians, community partners, and even family members) come together to contribute to a successful Festival and year of programming and events! We can’t wait to see what next year has in store! – Ke’ara Hunt, Communications & Marketing Coordinator

Nothing beat standing at the back of the packed Austin Public Library Special Events Center for our in-person programs. With a year of ups and downs, it was starting to feel impossible but at last authors and readers were back in one place again! – Susannah Auby, Development Associate

As the newest member of the TBF team, I had the awesome opportunity to dive into my new role during the week of the Festival. In the course of a very busy and exciting first few days, one of my favorite experiences was getting to attend Reading Rock Stars author visits at a local elementary school. Seeing students’ joy while engaging with authors and receiving their own copies of their beautiful books is something I won’t soon forget. – Michelle Hernandez, School & Community Programs Coordinator

P.S. If you missed a session from this year’s Fest or want to rewatch some of your favorite author conversations, head over to our website to stream all of the 2021 Virtual Sessions through December 31, 2021

TBF Holiday Gift Guide

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for the readers in your life? Look no further than the 2021 Texas Book Festival Books Page! There is something for everyone, all available at independent bookseller BookPeople.

We at TBF  thought about our friends and family—adults and young readers—and which books would be perfect for them and why. Check out our personalized recommendations below for inspiration!


Gavin – Machete: Poems by Tomás Q. Morin

For the creatives in my life, I’m gifting Machete: Poems. I hope this collection does for them what it did for me: revitalizes their creative energy and inspires them to go create.


Gavin – The Insomniacs by Marit Weisenberg

I’m excited to gift The Insomniacs to my teen sister, who will hopefully (finally) see me as cool after she reads this. But really, I think this is a great gift for any teen (or YA book lover!) in your life who is looking for a compelling slice-of-life story.


Michelle – Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

I’m excited to gift Harlem Shuffle to my best friend in Washington and myself (that’s allowed!). We love jumping on a call and discussing a book we both just read, and I know this will be a fun read that gives us lots to discuss.


Michelle – A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

A Wish in the Dark is a rich, engaging story filled with adventure. Already a beloved book in my home, I plan on gifting a copy to my niece. I think it will be a perfect match!


Claire – Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

This is a devastatingly beautiful book, sweeping across five generations of mothers and daughters. For someone who loves Homegoing, Beloved, or Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriela Garcia’s insight in women’s fight to survive is tremendous.


Claire – Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians But Were Afraid to Ask: Young Readers Edition by Anton Treuer

Kids and teenagers ask questions, sometimes they’re the right questions, and sometimes they’re the questions that make adults cringe. But how will they know if they don’t ask?! Anton Treurer has created a brilliant book that gets straight to the point, and explains Native stereotypes, culture, and harmful cultural practices (Halloween costumes…). While there is an adult edition, this version is great for the entire family.


Susannah – From Pig Skins to Paintbrushes by Don Tate

It turns out that you can be an athlete and an artist! The Ernie Barnes story reminds us that no matter how good you become at something, it’s never too late to be great at something else.


Susannah – Paris Without Her by Greg Curtis

Both a beautiful celebration of an authentic marriage and a travelogue of Paris with all of its possibilities, this is the perfect book for someone who has lost a cherished life partner and is contemplating the next chapter of their life.


Matt – Being Texan: Essays, Recipes, and Advice for the Lone Star Way of Life by the editors of Texas Monthly

The book title almost speaks for itself, and I can’t think of any Texas family members of mine who wouldn’t want a copy this holiday season.


Matt – Indelible Ann: The Larger-Than-Life Story of Governor Ann Richards by Meghan P. Browne

For Texas’s young readers, a perfect picture-book introduction to larger-than-life governor Ann Richards, whose famous quips—I’m delighted to have discovered—have found new, viral longevity on TikTok. I’ll be gifting this to my goddaughter, complete with a personalized handwritten note from author Megan P. Browne: “To Mila—the future governor of Texas.”


Ke’ara  – As the Wicked Watch by Tamron Hall

I’m excited to gift As the Wicked Watch to my sister, a true-crime and thriller connoisseur. She is indeed the Sherlock Holmes in the family, effortlessly able to jump into a new haunting tale and skillfully assemble the pieces within a mystery. This book is also a great conversation starter around the dinner table– if you can stomach the gruesome clues and sometimes unsettling correlations to our own criminal justice system.


Ke’ara – El’s Mirror by Bavu Blakes

I am gifting El’s Mirror to my younger brother this holiday season. He’s currently navigating junior high, a pivotal time in our lives when we begin to define who we are and who we want to be. There are so many labels placed on our young Black boys in this country and I want my brother to always be able to look in the mirror and claim his own identity and narrative. Happy holidays!


Lois – Grains for Every Season by Joshua McFadden

I had the honor of meeting Joshua McFadden at the Festival this year, as he was the chef-author celebrated at our annual Olamaie brunch. Joshua is on a mission to help people incorporate more whole grains into their meals. Do not fear that this means eating healthy but flavorless hippie mush. Joshua wants you to eat whole grains like he does because they are delicious. Grains for Every Season has dozens of modern recipes and easily checks all the boxes of recipes that are going to be in heavy rotation off my cookbook shelf: inspiring, practical (aka not that hard to make), and full of color and flavor. The cookbook itself is gorgeous, with a letterpress cover that makes it a perfect holiday gift for those loved ones you know who always want to start off the new year resolved to eat more mindfully.


Lois – May Your Life Be Deliciosa by Michael Genhart

A beautiful picture book about a family’s tradition of making tamales on Christmas Eve and the love and lessons within food traditions. It has the magic of a book a little one would want to read over and over–during the holidays and throughout the year.

 

A Day in the Life of an Event Production Intern

As an intern for THE Texas Book Festival, there are few things more exciting than Festival weekend. After months of hard work, everything comes together for two glorious days of all things reading and writing, and for interns, it also means two full days of in-person action. I’m here to break down what it looks like.

Saturday, October 30 – Festival Day One

8:00 AM – Arrive at Symphony Square

There’s nothing quite like telling yourself you’ll get up with enough time to eat breakfast and make coffee before you leave the house, and then doing neither. Lucky for me though, the Book Festival bosses were prepared for this type of disaster and had bottomless coffee at the ready for us. We got the lay of the land, chugged our hot bean juice, and started prep for the Festival.

I was on the front line initially, scanning tickets and checking covid vaccination cards for all our fellow book enthusiasts. It was family day at the festival, and kids who are already far more well-read than me lined up with their parents to see their favorite books read and signed by the authors waiting inside. We would make brief chit-chat, scan their tickets and send them in for the show. I bounced between this, and parking lot duty for the first few hours in between other small tasks like tapping up posters or refilling my coffee cup.

12:00 PM – Assistant Producing and Book Presenting

I left my fellow interns to manage the check-in and headed to the author green room to set up for one of the last virtual panels of the Festival. As book festival interns, we all learned how to assistant produce online sessions for the week leading up to the in-person events. It mostly consisted of monitoring the audience chat to make sure nothing inappropriate was said and sending audience questions over to authors and moderators once Q&A was up, but we also just got to listen in on some very interesting discussions with authors all over the country. That Saturday the session was a discussion of the book “Forget the Alamo,” and the audience commentary was expected to be hot, but our attendees impressed us (as they always do) with civil conversation and interesting and relevant questions for the authors. I had to sign off quickly though so I could get to my next station: book presenter.

As authors read their books to the children in the audience, two interns would stand on either side of them with copies of the books open wide for everyone to see the illustrations. We not only got a good story read to us, but we were also able to see the effects the story had on the kids. More than anything though, it made me jealous of the kids growing up in 2021. The books that were read Saturday were not only fun stories with beautiful pages but thought-provoking and informative. I don’t think I ever had a children’s book that tackled race or immigration issues, and it was fantastic to see those stories being told for a young audience in such a tasteful way. But all good things must come to an end, and after a few readings, it was time for the Lit Crawl.

4:00 PM – Cheer Up Charlies

The best part of any day, the bar. While everyone at Symphony Square transitioned the area from kids shows to the cocktail party, I headed down the street to Cheer Up Charlies with a table, a few bags of books, and a hankering for a good time. Another intern and I set up a table inside the bar for a book swap, laying out books from the festival for people in the audience to take and trade out with books of their own. As the bar filled up the Lit Crawl shows started, first with the Writers League of Texas hosting a game of book quotes, and then with an author line up where Texas authors answered audience questions using only words from their books. Honestly, this was the most fun part of the festival for me. I got a chance to talk with people on the crawl as they came up to our table for books and I got to enjoy the programming. Not to mention how cool of a venue Cheer Up Charlies is. After the games had ended, we packed up our table and the few remaining books and took the crawl over to Symphony Square.

And that’s where my day ended! The rest of the interns helped close up the cocktail party a few hours later, but I went home to get to bed early for set up at 6:00 AM for day two of the Festival. I didn’t know what to expect going into Festival weekend, but I couldn’t have asked for a better time. It was great to bond with the other interns and TBF staff, and it was great to participate in what ended up being a really great production. Whether you were part of the Festival or a participant, everyone there made it a great experience and I can’t wait to attend next year!

Michelle Hernandez

Michelle serves as the Director of Youth Programs, responsible for Reading Rock Stars, Real Reads, and Library Grants programs. She received both her master’s degree in education and bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas State University. Prior to joining Texas Book Festival, Michelle worked in various roles in K-12 education, including 11 years as an elementary school teacher. Her love of children’s books, and their authors and illustrators, started in the classroom while engaging with stories and poems with students. Michelle enjoys exploring Austin with her husband and daughter, checking out local restaurants, and reading literary fiction, YA, and memoirs.

Book Picks From TBF Staff

Whether you are looking for a thrilling mystery, inspiring nonfiction, contemporary fiction, or satire, we have all the recommendations. Straight from our staff’s bookshelves, here are some of the books we can’t get enough of. 


Marketing & Communications Coordinator, Ke’ara Hunt, recommends Virtue by Hermione Hoby.

It was the weekend before Thanksgiving, the end of the nothing month of November, and I remember raininess, a vague and unremitting overlay of pathetic fallacy. The sky had a passive‑aggressive quality, bruised clouds withholding their light while telling you they were fine, not to worry about them, they knew you didn’t really care anyway. Ahead lay the grotesquerie of the reality star who’d soon be eating McDonald’s and watching TV in the White House. It was a bad joke in the worst taste. The incoming president was the executive producer of The America Show, barreling faster toward the series finale, and the ratings would be great.”- Hermione Hoby, Virtue.

Ke’ara’s Thoughts: “No spoiler alert here! This excerpt stands out because it builds up to a sense of dread that I actually felt around the same time in 2016. I can’t remember what the weather was like back in Houston during these moments, but I imagine that the clouds darkened and the sky somehow foreshadowed the next 4 years of doom, gloom, and utter terror. If we’re aligning this real life moment in history with a season of television, then this was the season where everyone tuned in but had to watch with their hands cuffed over their mouths. The live-Tweeting was also out of hand.”


Logistics & Volunteer Coordinator,  Nicole Wielga, recommends Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala. 

“Hey isn’t it weird that my ex is dead, your fiancée is in a coma, both of them were possibly involved in the drug trade, and now I’m being accused of murder, assault, and drug trafficking? Wild, right?”- Mia P. Manansala, Arsenic and Adobo.

Nicole’s Thoughts:“Super fun mystery that features Filipino food and culture. Has lots of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat!”


Literary Director, Matt Patin, recommends The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris.

“You cannot run from it,” Ezra said. . . . “It is just how things advance. We age. And we must be honest in the face of this truth.“- Nathan Harris, The Sweetness of Water

Matt’s Thoughts: An incredibly moving, beautifully written debut novel from a graduate of Austin’s own Michener Center for Writers

 


Programs and Financial Coordinator, Gavin Quinn, recommends Real Life by Brandon Taylor

“This could be their life together, each moment, shared, passed back and forth between each other to alleviate the pressure, the awful pressure of having to hold time for oneself. This is perhaps why people get together in the first place. The sharing of time.”- Brandon Taylor, Real Life

Gavin’s Thoughts: “A compelling observation of campus culture and an elegant character study of self-preservation by way of isolation.”

 


School & Community Programs Coordinator, Lucy Vélez, recommends Becoming- Adapted for Young Readers by Michelle Obama.

“There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice. And there’s grace in being willing to know and hear others. This, for me, is how we become.”- Michelle Obama, Becoming- Adapted for Young Readers

Lucy’s Thoughts: “It’s the message of agency and hope that all of our teens need right now.”


Development Associate, Susannah Auby, recommends My Year Abroad, by Chang Rae Lee.

“My best life. I was certain I was already living it, going around with him. And okay, the trouble might not have been mine, but it had risen right up to my eyes. Yet the way he spoke sounded so natural and sure, so tender and brotherly, and even as I figured it was some sort of con, I understood at last that it was a con I needed. Now and from the beginning. For maybe your favorite teacher or coach or best friend conned you too, into believing in a version of yourself you hadn’t yet imagined, a person many factors more capable, a person who might not otherwise have bloomed.”- Chang Rae Lee, My Year Abroad. 

Susannah’s Thoughts: “Like this quirky, shadowy figure Pong who turns the young narrator’s life upside down, Chang Rae Lee takes you to some dark places you never could have imagined. This is definitely not your year abroad, but it’s an unforgettable one all the same.”


Deputy Director, Claire Burrows, recommends Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner.

“The smell of vegetables fermenting in a fragrant bouquet of fish sauce, garlic, ginger, and gochugaru radiated through my small Greenpoint kitchen, and I would think of how my mother always used to tell me never to fall in love with someone who doesn’t like kimchi. They’ll always smell it on you, seeping through your pores. Her very own way of saying, “You are what you eat.” – Michelle Zauner, Crying in H Mart

Claire’s Thoughts: “Michelle Zauner’s book is so visceral, from the smell of garlic, the crack of lobster, and the deep tears of grief. Her honesty and storytelling is enveloping and moving.”


Executive Director, Lois Kim, recommends This is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan.

” . . . I really couldn’t understand the role of caffeine in my life–its invisible yet pervasive power–without getting off it and then, presumably, getting back on . . . The idea here is that you can’t possibly describe the vehicle you’re driving without first stopping, getting out, and taking a good look at the thing from the outside. This is probably the case with all psychoactive drugs but is especially true of caffeine since the particular quality of consciousness it sponsors in the regular user feels not so much altered or distorted as normal and transparent. Indeed, for most of us, to be caffeinated to one degree or another has simply become baseline human consciousness. Something like 90 percent of humans ingest caffeine regularly, making it the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world . . .”
Michael Pollan, This Is Your Mind On Plants.

Lois’ Thoughts: “I wanted to understand my addiction to caffeine better and Pollan provides it. I’m in good company, it turns out, and Pollan’s latest book explores the history, economics, and cultural impact of not only caffeine but also opium and mescaline, cleverly grouping legal and illegal natural substances to unearth the arbitrary and conflicted ways we treat the mind-altering plants that have attracted humans for centuries.”

Meet the Texas Book Festival Staff

We’re just under three months away from the 2021 Texas Book Festival! We are so excited to meet all of you at our hybrid events this October 23- 31. We all know it’s been a while, so let’s get reacquainted with each other. Our team is eagerly counting down the days until Fest, so we’ve been feeling nostalgic lately. Get to know our staff below as we recount our favorite Texas Book Festival memories!


Lois Kim, Executive Director

It was my first year at TBF and we had decided to give a pair of custom cowboy boots to the recipient of the Texas Writer Award. Rocketbuster boots in El Paso shipped them FedEx. They still hadn’t arrived by the end of the week and we were really worried we wouldn’t have “the award” to give Steven Weinberg, our recipient that year. On Saturday while the Festival was already in full gear, I got a text that they had arrived. Interns ran them over from the TBF office and I met them in a golf cart taxi at the south end of the Fest. We hightailed it to the Capitol with the boots still in the FedEx box and got them there in the nick of time for Marc Winkelman, TBF Board Chair at the time to present them to Weinberg ahead of their conversation. The episode was an early indication to me that this job would have many down-to-the-wire moments (something that has borne out to be very true). It is also poignant as we are all saddened by the recent passing of Steven Weinberg, a brilliant physicist and writer who contributed so much to science, the arts, and society.


Susannah Auby, Development Associate

The Texas Book Festival has been the highlight of my fall season since long before I joined the staff.  As soon as the schedule was posted, I would comb through it, “starring” my favorites on the website line-up and trying to figure out how I would see them all.  In 2018, my brood of tweens announced they would be joining me. Seasoned veterans of author visits, they showed up with backpacks filled with books for the TBF authors to sign and took to the streets of downtown Austin. That was their first true taste of freedom.


Claire Burrows, Deputy Director

It’s hard to choose just one memory from my seven Festivals at TBF. Highlights include seeing chef Edward Lee roll up to Olamaie’s on an electric scooter, sending my cousin to every 7-11 in downtown Austin to try and find ice the year-of-no-water, surprising cartoonist Chris Ware with a very awkward hug, getting nervously starstruck every time my path crosses with Colson Whitehead, riding my bike from the Authors’ Cocktail Party to every venue in Lit Crawl on East Cesar Chavez, working the Tom Hanks check-in with my sister, getting black-tie Gala ready with my best friend in a Four Seasons bathroom, basically getting every important person in my life to work the Festival Weekend, and many, many more. Moderating a session with Ethan Hawke wasn’t too shabby. Year after year, one of my favorite moments of the TBF weekend is early on Saturday morning around 7 a.m., walking up Congress as the sun is rising. All the crew and booksellers are finalizing the setup, and there’s an electric anticipation in the air and a relief that the months of preparation have led here.


Ke’ara Hunt, Communications and Marketing Coordinator

A fun TBF memory for me is definitely our first staff lunch earlier this year and the team trying to socialize while distancing in the courtyard. The wind was not kind to our plates and napkins, so we took turns dashing after cutlery mid-sentences. At the time, I was still the newest on staff, so it was a great in-person introduction.

Close-second: Meeting Bob and Janis Daemmrich for the first time for staff photos. Most of my shots are me stifling laughter. I didn’t realize that Bob and Janis were married before the shoot, but I soon caught on. They have such a sweet and humorous dynamic.


Matt Patin, Literary Director

In 2016, I snapped this photo of a double rainbow encircling the Capitol rotunda at the end of Sunday—a wonderful bookend to the Festival.


Gavin Quinn, Literary and Financial Coordinator

My favorite TBF memory comes from 2017, my first year as a Fest attendee, and making a mad dash once the “Why Poetry?” panel ended to “Travel and Flight: Three Poets in Motion” before the Capitol extension room filled to capacity. The rooms weren’t actually too far from each other, but for someone who very quickly gets turned around in the Capitol, the task was a formidable one. Now my Capitol Panel Scramble almost feels like an annual tradition.


Lucy Vélez, School and Community Programs Coordinator

My favorite festival memory comes from my MOM-2019-vault (of things I actually remember). We moved back to Austin in 2017 and quickly returned to our traditional ATX outings but this time with two young boys in tow. Fall events for us always include the Texas Book Festival and the ¡Viva la Vida! Parade, which often coincides on the same weekend. Attending both events with young kids wasn’t an easy trek, but by 2019, my boys had acclimated well to this ritual. Oh, and we had such a blast that year! Nicolás and Edgar experienced the full awesomeness of the festival including a few read-alouds at the Read Me A Story Tent, a Ready-Set-Draw session, enjoyed Amy’s ice cream, plus played hide and seek on the Texas Capitol lawn! We haven’t been able to do this family tradition since then, but every drive by the Capitol sparks a festival memory for them. It’s so fun to hear what they remember and I’ve used these memories to keep fueling their love of reading!


Nicole Wielga, Volunteer and Logistics Coordinator

The staff was looking for a former employee’s computer that was stashed away in one of my drawers. This drawer was my snack stash, and the computer was hidden under the snacks, but the rest of the staff just looked at the snacks and kept searching. When I told them they were under the snacks they first were like you have a really good snack stash and then said it was the perfect place to hide something as everyone overlooked that area because it just looked like a bunch of snacks. That is how the whole staff found out that I have a snack stash, which is both embarrassing and hilarious.

New Releases by AAPI Authors

Every year during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I try to target one AAPI book that I can sit down and read. While I work at the Texas Book Festival, I actually rarely have time to sit down and read and my usual go-to books are cookbooks and graphic novels. So May feels like a special month to me, where I can say I read this book and I feel more connected to my Asian culture. Last year my book of choice was Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Hong Park, which I would highly recommend. It takes quite a bit of research for me to pick a book for May, so I thought I would share my shortlist as well as the book that I eventually chose for this month’s required reading.

Land of Big Numbers: Stories by Te-Ping Chen

Land of Big Numbers: Stories by Te-Ping Chen

This is a collection of short stories about people in China that weave realism and magical realism and explores how people deal with the struggles of making a name for themselves and climbing the social ladder. The subjects of each story are unique and fascinating, from the differences of how twins choose different paths in life to a group of people who are awaiting official permission to leave a subway platform. The latter was the story that drew me in initially, as a big fan of Samuel Beckett, my senior project in college being a theatrical production of Endgame. Buy the book here.

Klara and the Sun


Klara and the Sun
by Kazuo Ishiguro

Written by Nobel Prize in Literature winner Kazuo Ishiguro, this book is a story of Klara, an artificial intelligence friend that is waiting for the day that someone chooses them from the store. Klara observes the world outside from inside the store and tries to explore the meaning of what is love. I was interested in this book because of the similarities to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Buy the book here.

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

Lila has arrived home after a terrible breakup and she is tasked to help her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant. She has to deal with all of her aunties trying to set her up with new beaus and their criticism of her love life. When one particularly harsh restaurant critic, who is also her ex-boyfriend, drops dead after a moment of confrontation, her life turns from a story of romantic comedy tropes to a murder mystery. When the police are suspecting Lila as the murderer, she decides to start searching for answers on her own. I was drawn to this book for the murder mystery elements with some Asian flair, with Lila’s auntie network helping her figure out the case. It has serious Knives Out vibes that I love to see unfold. Buy the book.

Bestiary by K Ming Chang

Bestiary by K Ming Chang

When Mother tells Daughter about a tiger spirit that lives in a woman’s body, she shrugs it off as an old folk tale and goes to bed, only to find that she has grown a tiger tail overnight. This is the start of several events that are unusual and odd, like her aunt arrives with a snake in her belly and a hole in the backyard the spits up old letters from her grandmother. When Daughter meets Ben, a neighborhood girl with her own powers, they start to read the old letters to uncover why things are happening. This was a 2020 fall book that drew my attention because of how much I love Asian folklore and allegories. Buy the book.

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

This book ended up being my pick because it felt like something I could relate to, which is crying in H Mart, a Korean supermarket (which has a store here in Austin). I cry in H Mart for different reasons than this author, but Michelle Zauner’s memoir really hits home with being an outsider in America and in her “mother” country of Korea. This memoir explores grief and coming into her own identity while trying to bridge two cultures, which resonated with me. I’ll be honest that Chapter 4 had me bawling my eyes out as I am still dealing with the grief of my father’s passing, but it is a worthwhile book that deserves its best-seller status. Buy the book.