Laura Bush, Jenna Bush Hager open 2016 Texas Book Festival to enthusiastic crowds

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Jenna Hager Bush (above, left) and her mother, former first lady Laura Bush (center), read from their children’s book, Our Great Big Backyard, and answered questions posed by moderator Dorothy Guerrero (right). The coauthors signed books for Friends of the Texas Book Festival afterward. Photos by Bob Daemmrich, courtesy of the Texas Book Festival.

Saturday morning, thousands of bookfans defied the drizzle in downtown Austin to listen to and visit with their favorite authors and snag prized signed copies of books. More than 290 authors are featured at dozens of venues in and around the state capitol the weekend of Nov. 5 and 6, 2016, and events continue through 5 pm Sunday.

There’s lots more to the festival than author readings and signings, however. Among the tents clustered around the capitol from Colorado to Congress, visitors can talk with publishers, enjoy local food and beverage, watch a cooking demonstration, listen to live music, sit in on discussions with C-SPAN, take part in children’s activities, pet literary canines, and explore Austin’s historic streetscapes. Or, inside the capitol building, take a guided tour, dine at the Capitol Grill, and, of course, get a selfie under the dome.

Check out the schedule grid at www.texasbookfestival.org/festival-schedule or pick up a printed copy in last Sunday’s Austin American-Statesman. If you live out of town or miss the Sunday edition, there are also copies available onsite at the Festival in the Info Tent and TBF Store.

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Texas State Library and Archive hosts Author Summit, presents first annual literacy award to Midland Need to Read

Above: Texas State Library and Archive director Mark Smith (center) and Center for the Book coordinator Rebekah Manley (left) present a $1,000 award to the Midland Need to Read adult literacy program. Accepting the award was Jessica Smith (right).

AUSTIN — The Texas Center for the Book moved from its longtime home in Dallas to the Texas State Library and Archives last year, and TSLAC has wasted no time creating new programs highlighting its role in supporting literacy and libraries statewide, and providing a rich resource for working authors in addition to its missions of document and artifact preservation for scholarship and posterity.

As a kickoff event for Texas Book Festival week, TSLAC hosted a Texas Authors Summit on the evening of Nov. 3. Authors and guests from around the state were invited to enjoy a barbecue dinner catered by Cooper’s, tour the archive, and hear thoughtful and entertaining presentations by authors Nikki Loftin (Wish Girl) and Caroline Gnagy (Texas Jailhouse Music: A Prison Band History). Loftin and Gnagy both offered compelling testimony to the ways they had struck “archival gold” while employing TSLAC’s collections.

Below, left: YA author Nikki Loftin was among those to sign the event’s souvenir poster. Below, right: Guests mingled in the elegant foyer of the Lorenzo De Zavala Building, home of the Texas State Library and Archives.

Art House Dallas, Deep Vellum Team Up for Writers’ Workshop Nov. 12

DALLAS — Art House Dallas will host a Writer’s Workshop Sat., Nov. 12 at Deep Vellum Bookstore to provide an encouraging environment in a small group setting to explore strengths and potential areas of growth for writers. Speakers Andi Ashworth and Allison Fallon will be providing guidance, knowledge and encouragement during the workshop.

Andi Ashworth and her husband, Charlie Peacock, are co-founders/directors emeriti of Art House America. She is a writer (author of Real Love for Real Life: The Art and Work of Caring), gardener, cook, and lover of good books, walks, and connecting conversations. After providing hospitality to thousands of people over many years, it is Andi’s joy to be in a more private season of life, able to work on a new book and shift the focus of her Art House calling to the care of this unique space for readers and writers. Many of her essays on food, hospitality, place, vocation, and the artful life can be found on the Art House America Blog. Andi holds an MA in theological studies from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO. She and Charlie have two grown children and four grandchildren.

Allison Fallon is a thought-provoking, honest and engaging speaker who is comfortable speaking to audiences both large and small. Allison has written twelve books, coached hundreds of writers, developed multiple writing curriculums, and has authored her own book called Packing Light: Thoughts on Living Life with Less Baggage.

Art House Dallas is a non-profit organization that focuses on cultivating creativity for the common good. Its goal is to encourage and equip everyone to live imaginative and meaningful lives. They have events every month, each geared either to individualized creative areas or to people as a whole to stimulate inspired imaginations.

The fee for the writers workshop is $25 (includes breakfast), and interested participants can register via Eventbrite at

http://arthousedallas.squarespace.com/events/current-events/writers-workshop

The workshop is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Deep Vellum Bookstore at 3000 Commerce in Dallas. For more information, visit arthousedallas.com

(From organization’s press release)

McAllen Book Festival slated for Sat., Nov. 12

McALLEN — The third annual McAllen Book Festival, a celebration of culture and imagination linking readers of all ages with authors, performers, and publishers, will be held at the main branch of the McAllen Public Library, 4001 N. 23rd Street Sat., Nov. 12, from 10 am to 5 pm.

Twenty-five authors will appear throughout the day. Corn dogs, cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, and fresh squeezed lemonade will all be available for free at the festival while supplies last. The Festival is a free event open to the public.

For more details, visit the McAllen Book Festival’s website at www.mcallenbookfestival.com.

(From organization’s press release)