It’s that time of year again: Hordes of writers and the literary-inclined will soon descend upon the Texas Capitol to attend author talks and book signings, mingle with fellow readers, and stock up on new releases.
The Texas Book Festival, which takes place in Austin on Saturday and Sunday, hosts free events with authors from all over—but a good percentage have a local tie. Here are a few Texas authors you won’t want to miss.
Naomi Shihab Nye
Nye is the 2024 recipient of the festival’s Texas Writer Award, which recognizes writers who’ve made significant contributions to Texas literature. The San Antonio-based poet and author was named the Young People’s Poet Laureate for the U.S. by the Poetry Foundation in 2019 and has been a National Book Award finalist. In her latest collection, Grace Notes: Poems about Families, Nye, who was born to a Palestinian refugee father and American mother, explores her childhood and family. Her poetry reading and discussion is Saturday at 3:15 p.m.
Sarah Wilson
Wilson is an Austin-based photographer and co-founder of the local production company Go-Valley. Her first book DIG: Notes on Field and Family examines her late grandfather’s life as a paleontologist and her own experience exploring the West Texas desert. For the book, Wilson joined paleontologists on digs in Big Bend, photographing the same desert landscapes her grandfather captured 50 years prior. Wilson joins Austin writer Christopher Brown, author of A Natural History of Empty Lots, for a discussion on the connection between people, places, and nature Sunday at 1:3o p.m.
Steve McHugh
McHugh is the chef and owner of Cured in San Antonio. He’s been a finalist for numerous James Beard Foundation awards, and Cured was listed as one of Eater National’s “38 Essential Texas Restaurants.” The restaurant’s name has a dual meaning: It’s a nod to McHugh’s history as a survivor of lymphoma and the artisanal cured meats the restaurant is known for. His first cookbook, Cured: Cooking with Ferments, Pickles, Preserves, & More, features more than 150 recipes. He’s hosting a cooking demo Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and a discussion with Austin chef Jesse Griffith, author of The Turkey Book: A Chef’s Journal of Hunting and Cooking America’s Bird, on Sunday at 12:45 p.m.
Attica Locke
Locke is a New York Times best-selling author from Houston. A screenwriter and TV producer as well, Locke has worked on shows such as Empire, When They See Us, and Little Fires Everywhere. She also co-created and executive produced Netflix’s From Scratch, which is based on a memoir by her sister, Tembi. Locke’s latest book, Guide Me Home, is the culmination of her Highway 59 trilogy. It follows Detective Darren Mathews as he investigates the case of a Black college student who goes missing from an all-white sorority. Locke will discuss the book with author Elizabeth Crook on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Anamely Salgado Reyes
A resident of the Rio Grande Valley, Reyes grew up on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border. Her debut novel, My Mother Cursed My Name, is a work of magical realism about a Mexican American girl who tries to help her dead grandmother’s spirit cross over. Reyes will discuss the book’s themes—generational trauma and the powerful bonds between mothers and daughters—alongside Fort Worth-based writer Marcela Fuentes, author of Malas, Saturday at 11 a.m.
Michael Sierra-Arévalo
Sierra-Arévalo is an assistant professor in UT Austin’s sociology department and associate director of UT’s Liberal Arts Honors Program. He also serves on the City of Austin’s Public Safety Commission. His new book, The Danger Imperative: Violence, Death, and the Soul of Policing, explores systemic inequalities and how police culture impacts officers’ perception and use of violence. He’ll discuss guns and policing alongside Ieva Jusionyte, author of Exit Wounds: How America’s Guns Fuel Violence Across the Border, on Sunday at 1:15 p.m.
To see the full 2024 Texas Book Festival schedule, go here.
