Usually, street closures around the Capitol hail the arrival of one of Austin's many street festivals, where you can listen to a wishy-washy blues-rocker do his best to channel Stevie Ray Vaughn while you eat a turkey leg amongst a sea of fanny-packed families and homemade jewelry vendors. But once a year it means it's Texas Book Festival time.

As literary events go in this town, it is the big one. For two days every year, 200 amazing authors converge on downtown Austin to read, speak, sign, wine and dine—all within walking distance of each other. In years past, highlights have included Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. While heavyweight household names of the political variety are in short supply this year, their wives and daughters are not.

Lynne Cheney, Jenna Bush and Kristin Gore top the headliners list this year. Of the three, only one actually makes her living as a writer. Kristin Gore has written for Futurama, Saturday Night Live, a short-lived TV series starring Nathan Lane called Charlie Lawrence, and penned two novels. Rounding out the big names are New Jersey native Tom Perrotta, famed Nixon-toppling journalist Carl Bernstein, and satirist George Saunders.

The festival officially runs Saturday and Sunday but the action starts way ahead of that. On Thursday night the Harry Ransom Center will host some of the heavy hitters in the Texas literary scene. Robert Draper, Don Graham, Bill Minutaglio, Karen Olsson, John Spong, and Marion Winik will talk about their contributions to the anthology, Literary Austin. Things get swinging around 7pm.

Friday is a full day as well, though not open to the general public. During the morning many of the children's authors at Texas Book Festival will head out to underprivileged schools as part of the Reading Rock Stars program. They will do presentations and give out shiny new copies of their books to over three thousand students. If that doesn't put a smile on your face, you might just be dead on the inside.

That evening is all about class of a different sort. The Four Seasons will play host to the sold-out Gala, a black tie, finger-foods and champagne event that includes the silent auction of a Mercedes-Benz, among other fine things. Bling! The event isn't all hush-hush and numbers on little sticks, though. Oscar Award-winning deaf actress Marlee Matlin and humorist Roy Blount, Jr. will be joined by Douglas Brinkley—literary executor to Hunter S. Thompson, authorized biographer of Jack Kerouac, and only Austinite on the bill. Brinkley's new book, The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award earlier this year.

Finally, the weekend arrives and Texas Book Fest officially swings into action. Saturday and Sunday are the main event. Everything is free and open to the public. With roughly 200 events, panels, readings and signings in multiple locations around downtown, there is no way to see it all. The crack staff here at the Austinist will soon post our picks for what not to miss. For the full schedule, check here.

Texas Book Festival
Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 3rd & 4th
multiple locations around downtown
Free
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Photo by Kenn Kiser on MorgueFile

Image from Texas Book Festival