Of all the good that comes from the Texas Book Festival (since 1996, the first year of the festival, proceeds have netted $587,410 for Texas libraries), its location makes the most salient and serendipitous statement of all: For one weekend, the Texas Capitol is overrun by authors, booksellers, editors, publishers, and readers — book lovers. Committee meetings and hearings are banished, and authors ushered in.

All Texas Book Festival events are free and open to the public and take place at the Capitol, excepting several evening events (the Authors Party on Saturday, November 6 from 7-10pm at the Austin Music Hall with Hot Club of Cowtown performing, and the Bon Appetit, Ya’ll tasting event also on November 6 from 6-8pm at Shoreline Grill with eight well-known cookbook authors; tickets to both events can be ordered by calling 320-5451).

We chose to feature seven authors attending this year’s Book Festival. Some of them live in Texas and write about Texas; others live in Texas but do not employ a Texas accent in their writing; still others don’t live in Texas at all. You can take from the Texas Book Festival what it’s meant to provide: the world within Texas borders and without.

This article appears in November 5 • 1999.

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