Okay, presumably Molly Shannon will not be coming in character, but once a superstar, always a superstar.

The Texas Book Festival‘s First Edition Literary Gala is its traditional Friday night of glitz to kickstart the annual two-day fest. (Its fundraising efforts also support the free festival.) This year, TBF has lined up bold-faced names like Molly Shannon, Susan Orlean, Jim Lehrer, and Jon Scieszka to get the party started.

Jon Scieszka, author of the popular children’s Time Warp Trio series, will emcee the evening. Speakers include Saturday Night Live alum Molly Shannon, who has a new children’s book coming out in September; Susan Orlean, the award-winning nonfiction writer who sowed the seed of Adaptation with The Orchid Thief; and Jim Lehrer, a giant in broadcast journalism (and Texas native, no less).

The event takes place Friday, Oct. 21, at the Four Seasons Hotel. Gala tables can be purchased at texasbookfestival.org or by calling 512/477-4055. The Texas Book Festival runs Oct. 22-23 in the State Capitol and surrounding venues.

This article appears in July 29 • 2011.

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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...