Texas Book Festival (TBF) is excited to announce the full lineup for its annual festival featuring nationally and critically recognized authors, including Stacey Abrams, Michael Cunningham, Roxane Gay, Ali Hazelwood, Angie Kim, Rachel Renée Russell, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Steven Rowley, Tim O’Brien, Héctor Tobar and more. The 28th annual Texas Book Festival will take place on Nov. 11 and 12, 2023, in downtown Austin on the grounds of the state Capitol and along the iconic Congress Avenue.
Roxane Gay, a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and the author of bestselling books such as Bad Feminist, Difficult Women, Hunger: A Memoir of My Body, and Marvel’s World of Wakanda will be presenting her latest book, Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business. Opinions features Roxane Gay’s top nonfiction pieces from the last decade, covering diverse topics like politics, feminism, culture wars, civil rights, and more.
Neuroscientist and No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis, Ali Hazelwood, will present her young-adult romance novel Check & Mate – a story about life’s moving pieces and bringing rival chess players together in a match for the heart.
Angie Kim, author of the critically acclaimed novel Miracle Creek, which was named “best book of the year” by Time, The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews and the TODAY show, will present her second novel, Happiness Falls, at this year’s festival.
New York Times No. 1 best selling author Rachel Renée Russell, will showcase the 15th volume of the Dork Diaries series, titled Tales from a Not-So-Posh Paris Adventure. Dork Diaries is an international blockbuster series chronicling the life and misadventures of middle school students.
Additionally, Bogotá, Colombia, native Ingrid Rojas Contreras, whose The Man Who Could Move Clouds was named a best book of the year by TIME, People, NPR, Vanity Fair and the Boston Globe, will present her award-winning memoir.
Steven Rowley, New York Times bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus, will present his latest release, The Celebrants, a TODAY Show Read With Jenna Book Club pick. Rowley is also known for his book The Editor, named by NPR as one of the best books of 2019, and The Guncle, a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for 2021 novel of the year and winner of the 22nd Thurber Prize for American Humor.
Tim O’Brien, recipient of the 2013 Pritzker Literature Award for lifetime achievement in military writing and author of modern classic The Things They Carried, will debut his first book in almost two decades, America Fantastica. The novel is a satirical work of fiction in which a bank robbery by a disgraced journalist sparks a cross-country chase through a nation corroded by shameless delusion and deceit.
Héctor Tobar, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of bestsellers Deep Down Dark and The Barbarian Nurseries, will promote his new book, Our Migrant Souls, about the twenty-first-century Latino experience and identity.
“We’re honored to feature 300 incredible authors in Austin at the Texas Book Festival this fall,” says TBF Literary Director Hannah Gabel. “Our full lineup includes a diverse array of writers from across the globe, as well as a wide range of voices and talents from across Texas, which comprises about a third of our full program. As an organization that supports the freedom to read without restriction or censorship, we’re proud to present a festival program that includes something for everyone.”
Among the variety of authors, illustrators, poets, journalists, artists, chefs and thought-leaders, the 2023 festival lineup will also showcase previously announced, highly distinguished authors: Stacey Abrams, Ann Patchett, Abraham Verghese, Walter Isaacson, S.A. Cosby, Curtis Sittenfeld, Jacqueline Woodson, Andrew Sean Greer, Angie Thomas, Lawrence Wright, Luis Alberto Urrea, Roger Reeves, Elizabeth Crook, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Rachel Louise Snyder and Vashti Harrison.
On Thursday, November 9, TBF will be delighted to host the 28th annual First Edition Literary Gala at the Fairmont Austin Hotel. The event is dedicated to celebrating books, authors and literacy luminaries. Steve Inskeep, co-host of NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “Up First” podcast, will emcee this year’s gala. Gala proceeds make it possible for TBF to bring books and authors to 14,000 students in Title I schools every year, award grants to Texas public libraries, and keep the annual festival free and open to the public in addition to a few ticketed events.
The festival weekend includes acclaimed authors at readings, panel discussions and signings; exhibitor booths and food vendors; and family activities. TBF continues to host this public, large-scale event thanks to its generous and dedicated sponsors and volunteers.
The 2023 Texas Book Festival is presented by H-E-B. Other major sponsors include Brigid Cockrum and family, Tocker Foundation, Kirkus Reviews, Still Water Foundation, The Rea Charitable Trust, Amplify Credit Union, Buena Vista Foundation, Tapestry Foundation, Pentagram, Central Market, Texas Monthly, Jordan Foster Construction and Austin Chronicle. BookPeople is the official festival bookseller.
For more information on the Texas Book Festival, please visit texasbookfestival.org and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @texasbookfest.
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ABOUT TEXAS BOOK FESTIVALWith a vision to inspire Texans of all ages to love reading, Texas Book Festival connects authors and readers through experiences that celebrate the culture of literacy, ideas and imagination. Founded in 1995 by former first lady Laura Bush, Mary Margaret Farabee and a group of volunteers, the nonprofit Texas Book Festival promotes the joys of reading and writing through its annual festival weekend, the Reading Rock Stars Title I elementary school program, the Real Reads Title I middle and high school program, grants to Texas libraries and year-round literary programming. This year’s Texas Book Festival will take place from Nov. 11–12, with events taking place in downtown Austin and at the Texas Capitol, featuring renowned authors, panels, book signings and activities. Thanks to generous donors, sponsors and volunteers, the festival remains free and open to the public. Learn more at texasbookfestival.org.
