For the Bookworms

Insider's Guide to Texas Book Festival: Top picks for the write stuff from famous and up-and-coming authors

CultureMap’s got the inside scoop on the picks for the best sessions and events at this year’s festival.

Photo courtesy of Texas Book Festival

This weekend, don’t be shocked if you spot Don DeLillo paddling across Lady Bird Lake, Nick Offerman downing whiskey at the White Horse, or Eileen Myles sampling tacos at Torchy’s. That’s right — it’s Texas Book Festival time in Austin.

Founded in 1995 by former first lady Laura Bush, the festival is the literary antidote to Austin’s hipster-studded music festivals. Every year, hundreds of authors of virtually every genre descend on the State Capitol lawn for informative and inspiring panels, book signings, Q&As, demonstrations, and more.

This year, the festival is chock-full of lauded fiction authors, celebrated journalists, award-winning chefs, and even a Hollywood celeb or two. So, how do you begin to decide which events you’ll attend? Don’t worry your little bookworm head — CultureMap’s got the inside scoop.

Here are our picks for the best sessions and events at this year’s festival:

Friday, November 4
Get the weekend started at the 2016 TBF kickoff party. Festivities take place at Antone’s, where for a mere $45 you can party in book-friendly style with your fave authors and fellow fans. Ticket price includes food from El Alma, specialty Tito’s cocktails, and entrance into the Book Bash Raffle.

Saturday, November 5

8 am: Rise and shine for some literary-fueled exercise. Join TBF authors and friends for yoga, kayaking, biking, or running. Stretch out on your yoga mat on the Capitol lawn, bike through downtown, or get in some early morning kayak time on Lady Bird Lake. Events are free, but space is limited. Check out the full schedule here.

10 am: Join Laura Bush and Jenna Bush Hager as they share their National Parks Service-inspired children’s book, Our Great Big Backyard, at First United Methodist Church. Then get ready to start planning your next trip to Big Bend.
Our Great Big Backyard, 10-10:45 am, First United Methodist Church

10:30 am: Mosey on over to the Capitol to hear famed Lonesome Dove screenwriter and Texas national treasure Bill Wittliff as he discusses The Devil’s Sinkhole, the captivating sequel to 2014’s The Devil’s Backbone.
The Devil’s Sinkhole, 10:30-11:15 am, Capitol Extension Room E2.014

11 am: We’re excited for what’s sure to be a fascinating conversation between National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and equally acclaimed novelist Kaitlyn Greenidge. Woodson’s Another Brooklyn and Greenidge’s We Love You, Charlie Freeman were two of the most talked about novels of 2016; both were poetic, powerful explorations of the intricacies of female friendship, racial identity, and the families we create.
Signs & Wonders, 11-11:45 am, Central Presbyterian Church

Noon: You know her from Orange Is the New Black, but actress Diane Guerrero has also written a harrowing account of her personal experience with the plight of undocumented workers in this country. In her book, In the Country We Love: My Family Divided, she delves into the story of her parents’ and brother’s quest for citizenship, and their eventual deportation back to Colombia.
In the Country We Love, 12-12:45 pm, C-SPAN2/Book TV Tent

12:30 pm: In the mood for some lighthearted woodworking humor? Parks and Recreation star (and woodworking aficionado) Nick Offerman is in town, and he’s ready to share his experience of working at the Offerman Woodshop.
Woodworking with Nick Offerman, 12:30-1:15 pm, First Baptist Church

Though this event will undoubtedly be hilarious, it’ll also likely be packed — you could always meander back over to the Capitol to see Jennifer Close (The Hopefuls) and Teddy Wayne (Loner) speak. Both works deal heavily in lonesomeness (Close’s book is based on her experience as an outsider during the Obama campaign in D.C.; Wayne’s protagonist is a, well, loner at Harvard), and both have been on the receiving end of some serious buzz.
Outside Looking In, 12:30-1:15 pm, Capitol Extension Room E2.030

1 pm: A Top Chef host (Padma Lakshmi) and a world-renowned novelist (T.C. Boyle) have been scheduled for the same time slot; what’s a festivalgoer to do? Why, skip both and head over to see Belle Boggs (The Art of Waiting), Sady Doyle (Trainwreck), and Phoebe Robinson (You Can’t Touch My Hair) speak, of course. These three acclaimed authors are set to have a rather timely conversation about our expectations for women in the public sphere, and it’s gonna be good.
Great Expectations, 1-2 pm, Capitol Extension Room E2.014

2 pm: The legendary poet, writer, and anti-patriarchy activist Eileen Myles is speaking. That is all.
The Second Life of Eileen Myles, 2-2:45 pm, Central Presbyterian Church

3 pm: This year, a little book by the name of The Girls came out — perhaps you’ve heard of it? Join Emma Cline (The Girls) and Robin Wasserman (Girls on Fire) for a discussion on what it means to move through the world as a teenage girl and come of age amid a backdrop of violence and alienation.
Girls on Fire, 3-3:45 pm, Central Presbyterian Church

4 pm: The prolific Pulitzer Prize-winning author Don DeLillo (of White Noise fame) will be in conversation with screenwriter Noah Hawley (Before the Fall). DeLillo’s latest novel, Zero K, has been widely critically acclaimed, as has Hawley’s latest work. This will likely be your only chance to see the notoriously reclusive DeLillo speak; don’t miss it.
Don DeLillo in Conversation with Noah Hawley, 4-5 pm, First Baptist Church

7 pm: It’s Lit Crawl time. Join your fellow festival attendees for a books- and booze-soaked night out on the town, and watch this year’s TBF authors compete in events like the “Lit Crawl Against Humanity” and the “Literary Death Match.” We’re particularly excited for the Pun-Off World Championships. A full schedule of Lit Crawl events can be found here.

Sunday, November 5

11 am: With your breakfast taco in hand, head on over to the Paramount Theatre for your first event of the day: a conversation between famed author and Newberry Medal winner Lois Lowry (whose most notable works include The Giver and Number the Stars) and Texas Teen Book Festival co-director Shawn Mauser. Lowry’s most recent work is an updated version of her well-received memoir (first published in 1998) entitled Looking Back: A Book of Memories — it’s a poignant look at her life, and the moments that have deeply inspired her and her writing.
Looking Back with Lois Lowry, 11-11:45 am, Paramount Theatre

12:30 pm: Twin Peaks fans, rejoice! Mark Frost, co-creator of the cult classic TV series is in town and ready to discuss the show, along with his new book, The Secret History of Twin Peaks. If you get the chance, make sure to let him know where he can get a damn fine cup of coffee in Austin.
The Secret History of Twin Peaks, 12:30-1:15 pm, Omni Ballroom

2 pm: After your lunch break, go straight back to the Omni Ballroom to hear Natashia Deon (Grace) and Yaa Gyasi (Homegoing) discuss their debut novels, both of which examine the long-term effects of America’s history of slavery, albeit in vastly different settings. This is sure to be an interesting and vital conversation.
Freedom, Where Are You? 2-2:45 pm, Omni Ballroom

2:30 pm: Decisions, decisions. You can go hear Chloe Caldwell (I’ll Tell You in Person) talk about her failed sleepover with Lena Dunham.
Life on the Page, 2:30-3:30 pm, Capitol Extension Room E2.014

Or listen in as Stephanie Danler (Sweetbitter) describes how she went from being a long-time waitress in NYC to having one of the hottest debut novels of 2016.
We’re Gonna Make It After All, 2:30-3:15 pm, Capitol Extension Room E2.010

3:30 pm: Critics' darlings Angela Flournoy (The Turner House), Derek Palacio (The Mortifications), and Chigozie Obioma (The Fishermen) will be at the Capitol discussing the meaning of home, as defined in each of their latest works.
Homecoming, 3:30-4:15 pm, Capitol Extension Room E2.030

Meanwhile, at the Omni Ballroom, Maria Semple (Today Will Be Different) and Amor Towles (A Gentleman in Moscow) will be chatting about confinement as a literary device — Semple’s novel takes place over the course of a single day, while Towles’ is set entirely in a luxurious Moscow hotel.
The Tight Quarters of Time and Space, 3:30-4:30 pm, Omni Ballroom

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The 2016 Texas Book Festival is November 5-6. All events are free and take place in and around the Texas State Capitol. For more info and a full schedule of events, check out the Texas Book Festival website.

books festivals

Now hear this

New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

san antonio tejano music museums hall of fame music openings