First up, please read Austinite Michelle Mirsky's second installment of her column "No Fear of Flying: Kamikaze Missions in Death, Sex, and Comedy" on McSweeneys, entitled "My Real Passion Is Improv Comedy." It's heavy, though, so be prepared for that. more ›

The City of Austin says that "a record for the most simultaneous events on the same day" will be set on Saturday, given that eight different events are taking place in the downtown area that day. Prepare accordingly if you head downtown on Saturday! A map of road closures/roads affected by the Texas Book Festival, Gypsy Picnic, etc. can be viewed here (.pdf). more ›

Yes indeed, you may start planning your weekend of the 22nd accordingly with the Texas Book Fest's fully realized schedule, found here. Featuring: a literary death match, and events with writers from Tom Perrotta to Don Graham to Mary Johnson! And something called "Pitchapalooza" where you "pitch your book idea to established agents and writers." Your zombie romance western novel has gone unheralded for too long! more ›

This year's Texas Book Festival, which takes place October 22 and 23 at the State Capitol and is free to the public, is shaping up to be tastier than ever - with a plethora of great cookbooks to purchase and many celebrity authors slated to appear. more ›

Back for its sixteenth year, the Texas Book Festival's lineup this year is packed with celebrities, award winners, and your new favorite writer(s). Announced this year is a Texas Book Festival "fast-pass" that you can purchase to bypass the long lines for, say, Alton Brown talking about broccoli. Can't remember if the "money = cutting in line" thing was worth it for people who really wanted to ride Splash Mountain - we'll see how it works at a book festival. more ›

Although this year's Texas Book Festival doesn't commence until October, organizers have hardly been resting on their laurels. Instead, they've been busy joining forces with Texas Monthly to launch a new author series which promises to help keep Austin literate this spring and summer. more ›

OK. How could you possibly make literature better? Well, for starters, you take out the wimpy friendliness of it all. Next, you get really real and unleash some bloodthirsty writers’ words upon each other. Then some less bloodthirsty but perhaps more famous writers adjudicate on things unrelated to the aforementioned bloodthirsty writers’ words. Then, as one might expect, you make the writers compete in a final round of no literary merit. Which is to say, it is unliterary. There - you made literature better! more ›

Julie Klausner's first book, I Don't Care About Your Band (What I Learned From Indie Rockers, Trust Funders, Pornographers, Felons, Faux-Sensitive Hipsters, And Other Guys I've Dated), is a fearless, hilariously truthful memoir that chronicles her regrettable romantic encounters and the lessons she learned from bad boyfriends, emotionally unavailable artistes and the pursuit of the seemingly perfect man. While she's a pro at crafting stories that are both relatable and laugh-out-loud funny, writing isn't her only passion. You may have seen one of her appearances on shows like Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, Strangers With Candy, Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins and Delocated. Or maybe you're a comedy connoisseur who can't get enough of Julie's viral videos, like The Cat Whisperer. Perhaps you've seen her illustrations in McSweeney's Future Dictionary of America or The Stranger. Oh, and she's also a performer and former teacher at New York's landmark Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater. Talk about a Jackie-of-all-trades. more ›

Born and raised in Mesilla, New Mexico, Carrie Fountain knows a little (read: a lot) about the idiosyncrasies of life in the American Southwest. With the region's cultural, historical, and environmental hues forming the backdrop of her first book, Burn Lake (which was a winner of the prestigious National Poetry Series in 2009, mind you), she’s certainly a strong advocate for the relevance of place and narrative in contemporary poetry. While a visceral sense of location is ultimately central to Burn Lake, the poems within are never merely local: notions of adolescence, history’s configuration within the present, and the nature of experience at-large are all explored with equal dexterity. more ›

Chances are you may have come across writer Joseph O'Neill from a couple of directions. Fiction buffs may remember him winning 2009’s The PEN/Faulkner Award for his book Netherland, which intertwines 9/11, cricket and friendships. Those readers who prefer the historical may know him from the non-fiction Blood-Dark Track: A Family History, which details the Irish and Turkish sides of his family, and uncovers some surprising similarities therein. You’re also allowed to be interested in both, and the two crossover inasmuch as they describe what it’s like to be a citizen of the world and the intricacies of cultural pollination. O’Neill was on his way to a subway when we spoke to him via phone, but we did our best to capture the heart of our talk with this interview - in which we discuss family histories, politics, and freely associate Austin with beer. more ›

Considering the disdain that humorist, journalist, and Republican Party Reptile P.J. O'Rourke has for the Internet and computers in general ("The last thing the world needed was television that talks back," he says on his website, which one imagines was forced upon him with no small amount of pleading), maybe it should come as some surprise that O'Rourke was such an accommodating and engaging interviewee for our lil' website. However, if you've read any of O'Rourke's books, from the classic Parliament of Whores to his most recent Don't Vote: It Just Encourages the Bastards, you already know that the man is intelligent, articulate, and very funny - traits that you don't necessarily associate with the often-dour "conservative" movement. But O'Rourke, who has spent time crisscrossing the world as a correspondent for Rolling Stone, written books about everything from fast cars to manners, and can be seen often on the television (the not talking-back kind) discussing whatever, is not your average anything. Prior to his appearance at the Texas Book Festival, O'Rourke talked with us about his new book, civics, and what he misses about America's once-burning love affair with the automobile. more ›

True story - last school year a senior boy was seen walking into a high school English classroom clutching a copy of local author April Lurie's Brothers, Boyfriends and Other Criminal Minds. Sources say this student was overheard proclaiming that Lurie had written "the funniest book ever," certainly high praise coming from an 18-year-old boy. Sources also say that the teacher fell over from the shock of hearing unsolicited praise for literature within her earshot. Lurie's most recent book, The Less-Dead, is both a well-paced murder mystery and a compassionate look into the often conflicting worlds of religion and homosexuality. The deftness with which Lurie handles such delicate situations as a gay teenager with a crush on his straight friend is evidence of her status as an author of great skill and humanity. We had the opportunity to talk with Lurie last month and can say that she was just as warm and funny as any of her characters, and that it was clear she takes a real joy in writing for and about teenagers. We chatted about everything from censorship, to growing up in an evangelical household, to how to get stubborn kids to read. more ›

The earliest point in the creative process is full of loud noises, hazy images and many winding narrative pathways. The confident artist in us might move through this confusion quickly, believing we have a clear idea of what the project is all about, but then we arrive at the end only to find out what we thought were distractions are now leading the way - like Jiminy Cricket, who was simply a talking bug before Disney listened closer and decided he’d do well as Pinocchio’s guide. Letting characters evolve into who they are is every writer's challenge, perhaps solely because we have to allow them the time to do it - a reserve of which we never seem to have. In her most recent novel, A Visit From the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan layers the evolution of music industry atop that of her (mostly) Gen-X characters to engage with the passing of time in a way that is at once completely unique and fully relatable. That’s why she’s a pro. more ›

After easily deflecting a question as to whether he was the “Next Great American Novelist” at a recent signing and reading at BookPeople, and having discussed the Oprah Problem previously, Jonathan Franzen seemed out of the woods. The controlled chaos of a question and answer period is meant to result in some interesting, off-the-cuff interaction with the audience, but more often than not it feels more like a way for certain loudmouthed audience members inflict a little bit of themselves on everyone else (“Yes - I have a two-part question. I’m a firm believer in sustainable development, and my wife and I raise donkeys…etc.). Still, things were going swimmingly during this particular gab session, but one question did seem to rankle Franzen a bit. A man in the audience wanted to address what he called “the elephant in the room” - he was the second person to use that phrase during the Q&A, which means our room is rather filled with elephants, but anyway - regarding the recent controversy of The Media Vs. Women Writers. more ›

2010 is turning out to be a busy year for Joyce Maynard. Only a few weeks ago, she released her new novel, The Good Daughters. Previous to that, she was teaching Jason Reitman how to make the pie from her last novel, Labor Day, which Reitman has been working on adapting for the screen. Her bestselling memoir, At Home in the World, got a re-release following the death of famous recluse J.D. Salinger, with whom Maynard lived for about nine months. And on Saturday, October 16th, we will all be able to catch her reading from her newest novel at the Texas Book Festival. We asked her questions about her work, but she was just waiting to tell us how much she loved Austin, our boots, and our hospitals. more ›

If you're like us, your panties are all a'twist at every mention of the Texas Book Festival, taking place October 16 and 17th at the State Capitol. And now, the people at the festival have (finally) announced the schedule for the darn thing. Take a look! more ›

If you’re like many aspiring writers, the will to sit down and string words together after a long day of doing whatever it is you do is sometimes hard to come by. Often, the best way to kick-start the creative process is by imposing some sort of external force upon yourself, a force that will compel you to actually put your ass in a chair and write. (This works especially well if you pay for said external force.) All this to say, if you have an idea for a short story—and who doesn’t?—consider the excellent opportunity afforded by the upcoming O. Henry Short Story Master Class. It’s a chance to write in the former home of short story master O. Henry, he of “Gift of the Magi” and surprise ending fame. more ›

With each new “abbriev” and addition to the lexicon of lolspeak, the collective literacy of the country plummets ever so slightly. Children in the year 2025 won’t know who Shakespeare is, but they’ll livetweet their toilet training. Right, everybody? Or maybe reading isn’t dying, and the problem lies with certain folks crying wolf - the same talking heads, by the by, who tried to worry us into water barrel investment prior to Y2K. Either way, those alarm bells are sounding, and Time magazine’s cover story on Jonathan Franzen called “the American literary novelist” a “perennially threatened species.” Uh oh. more ›

Last Sunday during the Texas Book Festival, I sat down for lunch with Jonathan Foer, author of Eating Animals. I wanted to talk about his new book and at the same time introduce him to one of Austin’s treasures: the vegetarian food at Casa de Luz. As we walked into the less-than-full restaurant, he said, "Nice. Wow, if this were Brooklyn, the place would be packed. What's going on?" "New York City prices," I replied. Your book will be released next week. Have you had any reaction so far? more ›

OH SNAP! So, Austin is considered the Live Music Capital of the world? Well that’s not all that’s crackin’ up and spacklin' in and amongst our cultured ranks. Some of us can read, and certainly do. Which is why Austin is blessed to host the Texas Book Festival again for 2009. Music’s nice and all for listenin’ and whatnot, but BOOKS and WRITERS will be on the main stage this weekend at the Texas Book Festival! more ›

exas is playing on the road, the weather should be great, so your excuses are scant. Two hundred and twenty authors and box loads of new books will be arriving. And, according to Clay Smith, this is an excellent year to be a reader. Be sure and check the Texas Book Festival schedule for any last minutes changes. Author Terry Tempest Williams, unfortunately, could not attend. An earlier interview with Clay Smith, the literary director, can be found here. more ›

In Cheever, A Life, Blake Bailey combines a biography with some literary criticism. Weighing in at 679 pages, it is an even-handed and meticulously researched picture of this fiction writer best known for short stories. Bailey’s authority comes from his knowledge of John Cheever’s writing and access to his unpublished journals. Although it pains me to say this, in general writers make boring nonfiction characters.They are of deep interest only to biographers and close family. In this case, however, the troubled man-boy who never finished high school made both a mess and magic out of his personal life, creating enough controversy to carry a story. more ›

The Texas Book Festival released this year's author list at a Dallas reception held in Laura Bush's home last night. Some of the authors include: Buzz Aldrin, Luis Urrea (an entertainment machine), Terry Tempest Williams (Finding Beauty in a Broken World; you can find an earlier Austinist review here), Kinky Friedman, Blake Bailey (Cheever, A Life), Margaret Atwood, Jonathan Lethem (a must see), Willard Spiegelman, Jeanette Walls and many Austin authors including Laurence Parent, Belinda Acosta, and Lance Letscher. They are all good. If we overlooked your favorite author, the complete list, and eventually the schedule, can be found here (click on the author's name to reveal the book). more ›

To echo Anita Bryant (wow, never thought I'd say that), these books aren't just for young people anymore! These are excellent stories. Period. You don't need to be of a certain age to appreciate them. Right now there is a sort of Renaissance of teen and children's literature going on, and it's so exciting to be a part of that. I hope many others come and experience it this weekend. more ›

Sarah Bird: Like all sad little people who are compelled to amuse, to “be funny,” Phil was a hollow shell wrapped around a thin layer of repressed aggression, shot through with insecurity and competitiveness, all covered in a candy coating laced with strychnine. So, essentially, for me, this would be an autobiography. more ›

Duran: It's important to remember that the Television is part of the American culture. Therefore it's only natural that food has become a theme to be covered through this medium. As long as these chefs are inspiring viewers to start cooking in their own kitchens, I see no issues with what they are doing. more ›

A look at the music and musicians that make up an important part of the Texas Book Festival. Photos by Steve Hopson. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.... more ›

Image from SpyYard Texas Book FestivalSaturday November 3 - Sunday, November 4Downtown Austin [map]Free[info]We didn't think ten tips for the Texas Book Festival were enough, so here are ten more to help complicate things and confuse you you navigate the throngs of bibliophiles stalking the Austin streets this weekend. Keep in mind that seating and space is limited at most of these events. Arrive early and often! Saturday 10:00 - 10:45 Kristin Gore (Senate Chamber)... more ›

This weekend, while many of our friends are shaking their fists across town at the Fun Fun Fun Fest, the bookworms among us will climb the Capitol steps to get our “shhh!” on at the Texas Book Festival. We’ve waited all year for this, the biggest literary event in Austin. All the great local writers will be on hand, along with a smattering of nationally recognized authors. For anyone looking for a thorough introduction to... more ›