Texas Book Festival '09

This weekend (Saturday and Sunday) is the Texas Book Festival. As always, the event is free and will be held on and inside the Capitol and around the Capitol grounds. Check here for the complete schedule.

Some panels of note to the youth literature community:

SATURDAY:

2- 3 PM, Saturday, October 31, Capitol Extension Room E2.2012: Deals with the Devil: Writing about Faustian Bargains, featuring Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of Tantalize and Eternal; and Daniel and Dina Nayeri, authors of Another Faust. Moderated by April Lurie.

10:30 - 11:45 AM, Saturday, October 31, Capitol Extension, Room E1.012, Badgerdog: Youth Voices in Ink, featuring Rene Saldana Jr. Moderated by Melanie Moore.

12:00 - 1:00 PM, Saturday, October 31, Capitol Extension, Room E1.012, Small Town Girls with Jill S. Alexander, author of The Sweetheart of Prosper County; Heather Hepler, author of The Cupcake Queen; Jacqueline Kelly, author of The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate; and Diana Lopez, author of Confetti Girl. Moderated by Sarah Bird.

1:30-2:30 PM, Saturday, October 31, Capitol Extension, Room E1.012, Everybody Needs a Hero, with K.A. Holt, author of Mike Stellar: Nerves of Steel; Aaron Starmer, author of Dweeb; and Rene Saldana Jr., author of The Case of the Pen Gone Missing. Moderated by Joanna Nigrelli.

3:00 - 4:00 PM, Saturday, October 31, Capitol Extension, Room E1.012, The Texas Book Festival UIL Fiction Writing Contest. First Place winners will receive their awards and read their compositions. Moderated by Lila Guzman.

Picture book readings will be in the Read Me a Story tent on 11th Street all day. Additional panels of youth literature note will be all day in the Family Life Center at 1300 Lavaca.

SUNDAY:

3:30 - 4:15, Sunday, November 1, Capitol Extension, E2.102, Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book, with Anita Silvey. Introduction by Gillian Redfearn.

1:00 - 1:45, Sunday, November 1, Capitol Extension, E1.004, The House of Night Series,
with authors Kristin and PC Cast. Moderated by Nettie Hartsock.

2:00 - 2:45, Sunday, November 1, Capitol Extension, E1.004, Michael Scott, with Michael Scott, author of the Nicholas Flamel series. Introduced by Topher Bradfield.

3:30 - 4:30, Sunday, November 1, Capitol Extension, E1.004, Ouch! That Hurts featuring Libba Bray, author of Going Bovine; Jessica Lee Anderson, author of Border Crossing; and Sara Zarr, author of Once was Lost. Moderated by Varian Johnson.

In addition, picture book readings will be in the Read Me a Story tent on 11th Street all day.