bookish for barbara

Star sisters Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush headline Barbara Bush's bookish affair

Sisters Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush will co-headline the event.

Photo courtesy of Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation

Be it a weekly wine-fueled club, celebrated author visit, or just curling up to a nice tome, Houstonians are positively bookish these days. Now, arguably the city’s most prominent family is hosting a celebration for avid readers.

The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation has announced the return of its annual event, A Celebration of Reading. Now in its 28th year, the showcase will take place Thursday, April 21 at The Post Oak Hotel and will be hosted by Neil and Maria Bush, who co-founded the organization.

This year’s event features some literary A-listers and familiar faces. The star-studded lineup, per the foundation, includes:

Brad Meltzer is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Escape Artist, The Inner Circle, plus 11 other thrillers that have topped the charts. Meltzer will speak about his newest thriller, The Lightning Rod (a Zig and Nola novel) set to release on March 8.

Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush, the granddaughters of Barbara Bush and twin daughters of President George W. Bush, will share some fun family stories and insight on their new book, The Superpower Sisterhood. Their new book is set to release just two days prior to A Celebration of Reading. (Jenna can be seen weekday mornings on The Today show. Barbara Pierce Bush is the board chair and cofounder of Global Health Corps.)

The Bush sisters also penned the No. 1 New York Times bestsellers Sisters First and Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life.

Alafair Burke, a former prosecutor and also a New York Times bestselling author, just released her latest standalone novel, Find Me, in January.

Dr. Rick Rigsby, an acclaimed speaker and author of Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout and Afraid to Hope, as well as a USA Today, Amazon, and Wall Street Journal best-selling author will also be on hand. His speech on hope has been viewed by over 300 million people worldwide.

Proceeds from A Celebration of Reading advance the mission of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, made famous by the beloved former first lady, who made reading and access to books the forefront of her philanthropic and social efforts.

“My wife, Maria, and I are delighted to present another outstanding A Celebration of Reading featuring some of our nation’s bestselling authors,” said Neil Bush in a statement. “We are grateful to the authors and the many sponsors who give so generously to support Mom’s namesake foundations who work tirelessly to help more children and adults have brighter futures and better lives through the transformative power of learning how to read.”

For more information on A Celebration of Reading, including schedule and sponsorship opportunities, call 346-212-2310 or visit bushhoustonliteracy.org/celebration.

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Get inspired

Noted Houston street artist paints vibrant new mural at downtown venue

Photo courtesy of Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

GONZO247 poses in front of his new mural, "Houston is Inspired" inside Hobby Center

Visitors to the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts can now see an incredible new mural by one of Houston's most iconic street artists.Mario Enrique Figueroa, Jr., known as Gonzo247, debuted his piece, "Houston is Inspired" on Friday, December 12.

“This piece is all about capturing the energy that makes Houston, Houston," said the artist in a statement. "It’s that raw, vibrant hustle — the music, the culture, the stories we’ve been telling for generations. I wanted to create something that pulls people in, gets them hyped for what they’re about to experience. Every color, every shape, every detail is telling a story, a vibe. This ain’t just a mural or a piece of art — it’s a journey. It's about the grind, the growth, and the inspiration we pass on to each other, on and off the stage.”

The piece is called "Houston is Inspired," after the program at Hobby meant to showcase local performers by offering them week-long residencies on a prestigious stage. This season includes CJ Emmons's one-man comedy musical show I'm Freaking Talented; a rhythmic interactive storytelling experience called Our Road Home by Jakari Sherman; and Lavanya Rajagopalan's combination of music, dance and verse, Kāvya: Poetry in Motion. Information about all three shows, including ticket prices and availability, can be found at TheHobbyCenter.org.

The last show (debuting May 1) was a particular inspiration to Gonzo247. Viewers may notice a pair of hands in a traditional Indian dance pose, a direct reference to Rajagopalan's show.

The Houston is Inspired program was launched launched in the 2023-2024 season. In addition to the residency in Zilkha Hall, artists are given a $20,000 stipend for production and marketing costs. It is now a permanent fixture of the Hobby season. Applicants for future seasons can submit here.

Known for his original "Houston is Inspired" mural in downtown's Market Square, Gonzo247 has been an active force in Houston art for 30 years, including producing the video series Aerosol Warfare about the street art scene in the 1990s and 2000s as well as founding the Graffiti and Street Art Museum. He also served as the artist liaison for Meow Wolf's Houston installation. If anyone's visual vision is perfect to welcome audience members to shows highlighting homegrown talent, it's him.

“Art’s all about telling stories, but it ain’t just what you see — it’s what you feel," he said. "This piece speaks to the heart of everything we’re about: culture, rhythm, struggle, and triumph. When you walk into the space, you gotta feel the anticipation, the energy building up. That’s what I wanted to capture — the vibe of the whole city, the passion in the work, and that next-level hunger to rise up and create something fresh. It’s like the beat drops, and everything just connects.”

visual-art downtown mural gonzo247