Schedule posted for Lubbock Book Festival, Oct. 28
S. C. Gwynne to headline with The Perfect Pass; Hank the Cowdog author John R. Erickson keynoter for children
Lubbock enters the book festival arena this fall with the all-day Lubbock Book Festival on Saturday, Oct. 28. More than three dozen best-selling authors and regional favorites have been confirmed to read, sign books, and greet fans at the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, a cornerstone of the Lubbock Cultural District.
Keynoters include S. C. Gwynne, author of the nonfiction bestsellers Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches (2010) and Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson (2015). Most recently, Gwynne explores how throwing passes revolutionized Texas’ most popular sport in The Perfect Pass: American Genius and the Reinvention of Football (2016), including a nod to the innovations of Mike Leach, former Texas Tech University head coach.
More than 20 regional and national bestselling authors are scheduled to attend the Lubbock Book Festival, including Jodi Thomas, a member of the National Romance Writers Hall of Fame, and John R. Erickson, creator of the beloved Hank the Cowdog series for young readers.
Fans can also look forward to appearances by writers Terry Jennings, author of the heartfelt memoir/biography Waylon: Tales of My Outlaw Dad (2016); Adán Medrano, cookbook author of Truly Texas Mexican: A Native Culinary Heritage in Recipes (2014) and Angelina LaRue, author of The Whole Enchilada (2015), with a luncheon cooking demonstration; and Patrick Dearen, Western Writers of America Spur Award winner for The Big Drift (2014), as well as newcomer to the book scene Karin McCay, news co-anchor of Lubbock’s KCBD-TV, with her Magic Mommy series of titles for children.
The Lubbock Book Festival will play a key role in the 20th anniversary of the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, known locally as LHUCA (pronounced Luka). The center’s studios, galleries, and performance spaces host a busy schedule of film screenings, exhibitions, concerts, and dance performances. With the new book fest, the center will strengthen its connection to the literary arts, Executive Director Jean Caslin said.
Moreover, the new festival is in keeping with a quote from George Washington, appropriately lettered above the door of LHUCA’s Firehouse Theatre: “To encourage literature and art is the duty that every good citizen owes to his country.”
Festival admission is free and open to the public; tickets will be required for some free events as well as Saturday's cookbook luncheon. A full schedule and lineup is in progress at www.LubbockBookFestival.org, with further events to be announced as festival time approaches.
(Information from organization's press release)
Author Charlaine Harris to headline Granbury Paranormal Expo, Sept. 30–Oct. 1
GRANBURY — The Sixth Annual Granbury Paranormal Expo will kick off the Halloween season on Sept. 30, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a street festival in the middle of Granbury’s historic downtown square. This festival is free to the public and will feature ghost hunters, psychics, horror, sci-fi, cosplay, fantasy, and much more.
This year’s celebrity guest will be Charlaine Harris (left), author of the novels that inspired HBO’s True Blood and the new hit NBC series, Midnight, Texas. Joining Harris as guest speakers will be renowned cryptozoologist Ken Gerhard, Research and Investigation of the Paranormal founder Greg Stephens, and Boni Furusho, a mentor to those who have experienced paranormal phenomena. Hallie of Hallie’s Heroes will also be a special guest, swabbing visitors and adding them to the National Bone Marrow Registry to help save the lives of those who need bone marrow transplants.
Cosplay, or dressing in costumes, will also be a much bigger feature this year. Visitors will meet many costumed characters and even take pictures with several movie replica vehicles. A children’s cosplay contest for ages infant to 12 will take place on Oct. 1, sponsored by Heroic Inner Kids and hosted by Unwrap the Magic Parties and Events.
For more information, visit www.GranburyParanormalExpo.com Expo organizer Brandy Herr can be reached at GranburyGhosts@gmail.com or (817) 559-0849.
(Information from organization’s press release)
Texas Library Association announces new executive director
AUSTIN — After an extensive national search, the Texas Library Association (TLA) has appointed Dana Braccia (left) as the new Executive Director starting Oct. 1, 2017. Braccia brings a diverse range of experience and expertise in innovative library and operational management as well as member relations and industry partnerships to the association.
Braccia has been an active leader in the library community since becoming a librarian in 2005. She is a past president of the Mountain Plains Library Association and mentor for their Leadership Institute, as well as a former American Library Association councilor. She received her MLS from the University of Arizona and will complete her MBA this fall from the W. P. Carey School of Business / Arizona State University with an emphasis in analytics and public policy.
Most recently, Braccia was vice-president of Library Operations for Library Systems and Services, where she partnered with city and county stakeholders to provide strategic oversight and library services management for over for eighty public libraries throughout the U.S. Braccia also has extensive experience in the private and public sectors having worked in government services, hospitality, major event management, retail, and banking with organizations including City of Scottsdale, Hilton International, San Francisco Giants, Citibank, Carefree Resorts, and Micronesia Mall. She is an eCourse instructor for the American Library Association as well as adjunct instructor in several Masters programs.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve and support the amazing library community in Texas,” says Braccia. “TLA is an outstanding organization that provides exciting professional leadership opportunities, ongoing education, and dynamic resources to members throughout the state. Libraries are vital institutions and TLA has been a pillar for the library community since 1902. It is an honor to follow in the footsteps of outgoing executive director Patricia Smith, and I look forward to continuing to build on the tradition of association excellence.”
“Members of the search committee were impressed with Ms. Braccia’s diverse experiences. She demonstrates her broad vision and understanding of national trends, and her passion for advocacy for libraries and librarians.” said Dr. Ling Hwey Jeng, TLA president and chair of the search committee. “We are excited to welcome her to Texas and look forward to the new beginning.” Braccia plans to attend several TLA district meetings this fall to meet with members.
TLA extends its deepest appreciation to Patricia Smith for her willingness to postpone retirement until September 30 to ensure the smooth transition.
Information and photo from organization's press release
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Writers’ League of Texas’s “Texas Writes” events set for September
Texas Writes is a statewide program of the Writers’ League of Texas that brings accomplished authors to rural libraries for a half day of presentations and panel discussions. Each event is free and open to the public.
WLT has two Texas Writes events slated for September 2017, in locations as geographically diverse as Clifton (near Waco) and Shallowater (near Lubbock).
The first is in Clifton Saturday, Sept. 23 at the Bosque Arts Center. This event will feature TWO presentations — one at 10 a.m., with Greg Garrett and Jennifer duBois, and one at 1 p.m., featuring Meg Gardiner and Jeremy Kraatz.
Garrett will be leading a session on how to write yourself into the story, and DuBois will do a workshop on how to move beyond your own personal narrative. In the afternoon, Gardiner will talk about how to ramp up the suspense in your stories, and Kraatz will discuss how to make dialogue work for you.
To pre-register for this event, contact the Nellie Pederson Library at (254) 675-6495.
The second September event is Texas Writes at the Shallowater School County Library Sat., Sept. 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event will feature presentations from authors Charlotte Gullick and Donna Johnson. Gullick will be conducting a workshop on incorporating the seasons into setting and character, and Johnson will be heading up a presentation on the role of imagination on memoir
To pre-register for this event, contact the library at (806) 832-4951.
Information from organization's website
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Texas Book Festival announces 2017 lineup; more than 275 authors to be featured
Festival to feature Jennifer Egan, Nicole Krauss, Cristina García, Gretchen Carlson, Gene Luen Yang, Kadir Nelson, more
AUSTIN — The Texas Book Festival (TBF) this week announced its full 2017 lineup filled with nationally and regionally renowned authors. The 2017 TBF weekend takes place on Nov. 4 and 5, is spread throughout the grounds of the Texas State Capitol and along Austin’s iconic Congress Avenue.
TBF showcases first-time novelists and established writers, introducing attendees to new literary talents and connecting them with their favorite authors. Award-winning authors are found throughout the TBF lineup, including Jennifer Egan, who will be presenting her new novel, Manhattan Beach. Egan has won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, Granta, McSweeney's, and the New York Times Magazine.
Hailed by the New York Times as “one of America's most important novelists,” Nicole Krauss will present Forest Dark, which will be published this fall. Krauss is the author of the international bestsellers Great House, a finalist for the National Book Award and the Orange Prize, and The History of Love, which won the Saroyan Prize for International Literature, France's Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger, and was short-listed for the Orange, Médicis, and Femina prizes.
Gretchen Carlson, one of the nation’s most successful and recognized news anchors, will present Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back, which will release in October. She has reported and produced a 30-part series on domestic violence that won several national awards. Her first book, Getting Real, was a national best seller.
Graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang will present the newest installment of the highly popular Secret Coders series, Robots & Repeats. As the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and a MacArthur Fellow, Luen Yang will take the stage to talk about his wildly entertaining series that combines logic puzzles and basic programming instruction with a page-turning mystery plot.
Cristina García is the author of seven novels, including Dreaming in Cuban, a finalist for the National Book Award that just celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. Her work has been translated into fourteen languages. Garcia will present her most recent work, Here in Berlin, during the TBF weekend.
Award-winning poet Tyehimba Jess will present Olio, which has won prestigious awards this year, including the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in Poetry, and the Book Award for Poetry from the Society of Midland Authors.
The star-studded 2017 TBF lineup will feature Dan Rather, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush, Mark Bittman, and Gail Simmons. Other renowned writers in the program include Claire Messud, Jeffrey Eugenides, Angie Thomas, Margarita Engle, Lisa Ko, Jami Attenberg, Javaka Steptoe, Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, Matthew Dowd, Roger D. Hodge, and Tomás Q. Morín.
“The opportunity to bring together hundreds of authors and thousands of readers for two days of discussions, book signings, and those special unscripted moments of conversation and connection is a joy,” says Texas Book Festival executive director Lois Kim. “We’re thrilled to present this year’s tremendous line up of talented writers. We can’t wait to see every book-loving Texan in Austin for this big, free, two-day Festival of books, ideas, and literary community!”
More than 275 writers, including chefs, actors, and more, make up the exciting 2017 TBF lineup. One of the nation’s premier literary events and longest-running book festivals, the Festival continues to be free and open to the public thanks to its generous and dedicated sponsors and volunteers. The Festival brings together more than 50,000 attendees, live music, kids’ activities, food trucks, book signings, sales, and 100 exhibitors in and around the State Capitol over two full days.
The weekend kicks off with the First Edition Literary Gala, featuring national bestselling author Min Jin Lee; New York Times bestselling author and current president and CEO of the Aspen Institute Walter Isaacson; Attica Locke, award-winning author, writer, and producer on the Fox drama Empire; and award-winning poet, critic, and as of this November, poetry editor of the New Yorker Kevin Young. Award-winning journalist, screenwriter, and executive editor of Texas Monthly magazine Skip Hollandsworth will emcee this year’s gala, to be held on Friday, Nov. 3, at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin.
The 2017 Texas Book Festival is co-presented by AT&T and H-E-B. Other major sponsors include Kirkus Reviews, Brigid Cockrum and Family, Tocker Foundation, Buena Vista Foundation, C-SPAN 2/Book TV, St. David’s HealthCare, Texas Monthly, the Austin American-Statesman, and Pentagram.
For more information on the Texas Book Festival, visit www.texasbookfestival.org and follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @texasbookfest.
(From organization's press release)
Texas Teen Book Festival announces 2017 schedule
Young Adult Book Festival to feature all-star author sessions, panels, workshops, book signings, interactive space, costume contest, and more
AUSTIN — The Texas Teen Book Festival has announced the full schedule for the 2017 edition, which will take place Sat., Oct. 7 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at St. Edward’s University. This year’s Festival features an exciting program with opening keynote speaker Marie Lu and closing keynote speaker Jason Reynolds; panels and sessions by award-winning authors, including Lizzie Velásquez, Tillie Walden, Jennifer Mathieu, I. W. Gregorio, Mackenzi Lee, and Julie Murphy; plus book signings, educational workshops, a costume contest sponsored by Epic Reads, and the first-ever iTent.
“It is finally time to announce the 2017 Texas Teen Book Festival schedule and we can stop struggling to keep secrets!” says TTBF festival director Shawn Mauser. “We are so excited to announce this program that has been in the works since January. We hope to see everyone out for a celebration of reading, authors, and the teens who love them!”
The jam-packed festival day will begin at 8 a.m. and features panels, keynotes, and events, including:
• 8 a.m. – TTBF Bookstore Opens, Alumni Gym
• 8:30 a.m. – Early Bird Signings
o Featuring: Marie Lu, Jason Reynolds, E. Lockhart, and Stephanie Perkins
• 10 a.m. – Official Welcome and Opening Keynote at RCC Gym
o Featuring: Marie Lu
• 11:15 a.m. – Panel: To Thine Own Self Be True, at RCC Gym
o Featuring Jason Reynolds, Zac Brewer, Tillie Walden, Renée Watson, and Corrie Wang
• 11:15 a.m. – Panel: Me + You = Fate at Mabee Ballroom
o Featuring Kathryn Ormsbee, Mackenzi Lee, Julie Murphy, Adam Silvera, and Jenna Evans Welch
• 11:15 a.m. – Panel: The Ties That Blind at Jones Auditorium
o Featuring Sandhya Menon, Amy Tintera, Jessica Taylor, Peter Bognanni, and Andrew Shvarts
• 11:15 a.m. – Badgerdog Poetry Workshop 1 at Fleck Hall, Room 314
• 11:15 a.m. – Barrio Writers Workshop at the Library, Room 141
• 11:15 a. m. – Book Signings
• 12:30 p.m. – Panel: Where I Belong: Stories of Immigration, Resilience, and Hope at RCC Gym
o Featuring Mitali Perkins, Adi Alsaid, Francisco X. Stork, and Diana J. Noble
• 1:30 p.m. – Special Speaker at RCC Gym
o Featuring Lizzie Velásquez
• 2:30 p.m. – Panel: Smart is the New Black at Mabee
o Featuring Marie Lu, Ashley Poston, Kerri Maniscalco, and Ryan Graudin
• 2:30 p.m. – Panel: Fierce Reads at Jones Auditorium
o Featuring Mitali Perkins, Caleb Roehrig, Anna-Marie McLemore, and Jennifer Mathieu
• 2:30 p.m. – WNDB Educator Workshop at Library, Room 142
• 2:30 p.m. – Book Signings
• 3:15 p.m. – Epic Reads Costume Contest Judging at RCC Gym
• 3:30 p.m. – Panel: Of Myth & Mystery at Mabee Ballroom
o Featuring E. Lockhart, Stephanie Perkins, Julie Buxbaum, David Bowles, and Cory Putman Oakes
• 3:30 p.m. – Panel: It’s Time to Save the World… Again at Jones Auditorium
o Featuring Cindy Pon, Aditi Khorana, Erin Bowman, Lisa Maxwell, and S.J. Kincaid
• 3:30 p.m. – Badgerdog Workshop 2 at Fleck Hall, Room 314
• 3:30 p.m. – Educator Workshop 2: AISD Educator Book Club with Adi Alsaid at the Library, Room 142
• 3:30 p.m. – Book Signings
• 4:15 p.m. – Opening to Closing Note: Essay Presentation at RCC Gym
• 4:30 p.m. – Closing Note Speaker Jason Reynolds at RCC Gym
• 5:30 p. m. – Final Group Signing
In addition to panels and workshops throughout the day, the Festival will feature:
• Writing workshops hosted by Badgerdog and Barrio Writers at 11:15 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Badgerdog is a writing program of the Austin Public Library Foundation for writers of all ages and skill levels, and Barrio Writers is a creative writing program that provides free college level writing workshops to teenagers in underserved communities.
• A We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) workshop led by Dhonielle Clayton, COO of WNDB, to discuss using diverse books in the classroom at 2:30pm. This workshop is specifically programmed for educators, who will also hear about WNDB's new app, "Our Story," a useful book-finding tool for teachers, librarians, and students. “Our Story” offers cool content from authors as well as WNDB-themed curriculum and material perks. This event is for pre-registered attendees only, and reservations are available via the Texas Teen Book Festival website.
• An Austin ISD Adult Book Club and an Educator Book Club Discussion with Adi Alsaid at 3:30pm. This kick-off meeting will give adult readers the opportunity to meet Alsaid and discuss his latest novel, North of Happy.
• Additionally, this will be the first year for the iTent. This interactive space is designed to bring YA fans closer to their favorite authors and will offer opportunities to learn, create, and share. Book Talks, Zine Making, and Ask Me Anything sessions will all take place in the iTent. Full iTent schedule to be announced closer to the Festival.
TTBF is presented in collaboration with the Texas Book Festival, BookPeople, a dedicated team of librarians, and venue sponsor St. Edward’s University. The program is made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
TTBF remains free and open to the public thanks to generous donors, sponsors, and dozens of committed volunteers. For more information, visit www.texasteenbookfestival.org and keep up with announcements at Facebook.com/TexasTeenBookFestival, and on Twitter and Instagram @TXTeenBookFest.
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