updated 12.5.2018

Use this calendar of recurring events and cultural emphases in Texas and those other states to plan ahead in your bookish life. We’ll add dates for each year as we learn of them.

January

• Book Publishers Day (Jan. 16 annually)
• Pulpwood Queen’s Girlfriend Weekend (since 2000; Nacogdoches, Jan. 11–14, 2018)
• Austin Book, Paper, & Photo Show (Jan. 20–21, 2018)

February

• Black History Month
• Lone Star Literary Life Birthday (Feb. 2 annually)
• Bookworm Festival (Houston, Sat., Feb. 3, 2018)
• Teen Bookfest by the Bay (Corpus Christi, Feb. 17, 2018)
• Angelo State University Writers’ Conference, San Angelo (22nd annual; Feb. 22–23, 2018)
• ConDFW (since 2001; Fort Worth, Feb. 18–19, 2018)
• People’s Poetry Fest (3rd annual, Corpus Christi, Feb. 22–24, 2018)

March

• Women’s History Month
• Freedom of Information Day (March 16 annually)
• Children’s Picture Book Day (March 28 annually)
• Lone Star Literary Life’s Top Ten Texas Bookish Destinations
• Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering (Alpine, 32nd annual, March 2–3, 2018)
• Sin Fronteras International Book Festival (2nd annual, McAllen, March 3, 2018)

April

• National Poetry Month
• D.E.A.R., “Drop Everything and Read” Month
• National Library Week (April 8–14, 2018)
• National Friends of Libraries Week
• International Children’s Book Day (April 2 annually)
• Children’s Book Day, El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Día) (April 30 annually)
• World Book Day (Shakespeare’s birthday, April 23 annually)
• Bayou City Book Festival (Friendwood, April 3-8, 2017)
• Austin International Poetry Festival (April 6-9, 2017)
• Books in the Basin (Odessa, April)
• Poetry at Round Top (17th annual, April 20–22, 2018)
• NETWO Spring Conference
• Houston Writers’ Guild Conference
• Mansfield Reads! (Mansfield)
• San Antonio Book Festival (Sat, April 7, 2018)
• Texas Institute of Letters Annual Meeting (April 6–7, 2018, San Antonio)
• North Texas Teen Book Festival (Irving, April 20–21, 2018)
• West Texas Trail Writers (April 29, 2017)

• Children’s Book Week (Apr. 30–May 6, 2018)
• National Independent Bookstore Day (last Saturday in April annually)
• BookExpo America (New York, May 30–June 1, 2018)
• O. Henry Pun-off (since 1978; Austin, annually in May)

• GLBT Books Month
• Bloomsday (James Joyce’s Ulysses, June 16 annually)
• CALF (Children’s Art & Literacy Festival), Abilene (June 7-9, 2018)
• Dallas-Fort Worth Writers Conference (Dallas, June 9–10, 2018)
• Western Writers of America Convention (Billings, MO, June 20-23, 2018)
• Writers’ League of Texas Agents & Editors Conference (Austin, June 29-July 1, 2018)
• Annual Austin African-American Book Festival (June 23, 2018)
• International Christian Retail Show (June)

• Texas Shakespeare Festival, Kilgore (33rd season, 2018)
• Poetry Society of Texas Annual Conference (49th annual conference, The Woodway, Austin, July 12–14, 2018)
• WLT Summer Writing Workshop, Austin (July)
• Romance Writers of America conference (Denver, July 18–21, 2018)
• Macondo Writers’ Workshop (since 1995; San Antonio, July 24–29, 2018)

August

• East Texas Book Bash (Tyler, August 4, 2018)
• Armadillo Con, Austin (40th annual, August 3-5, 2018)
• Texas Christian Writers’ Conference (26th annual, Houston, August 4, 2018)
• Texas Christian Writers’ Conference (Houston, August 4, 2018)
• Lone Star Literary Life’s Annual Readers’ Choice Top Ten Texas Bookstores

September

• Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15–Oct. 15 annually)
• Banned Books Week (last week of September annually)
• National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration, Lubbock (second weekend in September annually; 30th annual, Sept. 7–9, 2018)
• Indiepalooza, Houston (September 14–16, 2018)
• West Texas Book Festival,  Abilene (third week of September; not held in 2018)

• National Book Month
• LGBT History Month
• National Friends of Libraries Week (late October annually)
• Teen Read Week (third week of October annually)
• Texas Teen Book Festival, St. Edward’s University, Austin (Sat., Oct. 8, 2018
• Houston LibroFEST, October
• Permian Basin Writers’ Workshop (Midland, Oct. 13–14, 2018)
• North Texas Book & Paper Show (24th annual, Fort Worth, Oct. 13–14, 2018)
• Lubbock Book Festival (not held in 2018; will return in 2019)
• Texas Book Festival (since 1995; Austin, Oct. 27–28, 2018)

November

• Native American Heritage Month
• National Novel Writing Month
• University Press Week (November 12–17, 2018)
• Shop Small: Small Business Saturday (November)
• South Texas Book Festival (formerly McAllen Book Festival, Nov. 10, 2018)

December

• World AIDS Day (Dec. 1 annually)
• Humanities Texas Holiday Book Fair (Austin, early December, yearly)
• Laredo Book Festival (Dec. 8, 2018)