The Texas Book Festival's Read Warriors

Photo by John Anderson

Lovers of the literary are legion, even in the days of Netflix/Spotify/Fortnite, and all you need for proof is a visit to the Texas Book Festival, where thousands of readers descend on the Texas State Capitol for two days to listen to, meet with, and buy books from hundreds of authors. On Saturday, Oct. 26 and Sunday, Oct. 27, this annual celebration of the written word will mark its 24th year with more than 300 authors of all types of books – literary fiction, history, biography, cooking, mystery, true crime, YA, poetry, history, politics, science fiction & fantasy, Western, Texana, and more – speaking about writing and autographing copies of their published works. The Chronicle Arts & Culture team has reviewed some of the literary riches in store here and interviewed a few authors. You can whet your appetite here, but online at austinchronicle.com/texas-book-festival you can also find:

• Attica Locke talking about Texas, history, and Heaven, My Home, the new installment in her Highway 59 series of mystery novels;

• Austin sci-fi/fantasy authors Chris Brown (Rule of Capture) and Nicky Drayden (Escaping Exodus) on their literary ties;

• Michener Center of Writing alum Sarah Elaine Smith on her debut novel Marilou Is Everywhere and how she tricked herself into writing a first draft;

• More reviews, including Shaun Hamill's A Cosmology of Monsters, Saeed Jones' How We Fight for Our Lives; Eleanor Davis' The Hard Tomorrow, Kevin Huizenga's The River at Night, and more; and

• Coverage of festival panels and talks.

For the full schedule of talks, panel discussions, readings, interviews, and booksignings, visit www.texasbookfestival.org.