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Thoughts on books, publicity, and the media from our Cave Henricks staff.

Preview: Texas Book Festival 2011

Fall is in full swing here in Austin – temps have plunged to a breezy 90 degrees, the Longhorns are headed to the Red River Rivalry this weekend, and it’s festival time.  And as much as I love the Austin Film Festival and food trailer madness, when the weekend of October 22 rolls around, you’ll find me at the Texas Book Festival.

Along with our beloved Harry Ransom Center (which Kim visited last week), the festival is the crowning jewel in the literary community of Austin – and, I’d argue, in Texas at large.  Thanks to the masterful efforts of Literary Director Clay Smith (who talked to us on Monday), we have the opportunity not only to mingle with some of the greatest writers of our time, but to discover new voices, engage in discussions about pressing issues, and, find inspiration. In my case last year, the festival reminded me why I love what I do.

Taking place October 22 and 23 on the Capitol grounds in downtown Austin, the festival has over 250 authors on their roster, and the line-up of blockbuster names is killer.  We’ve got people like Susan Orlean, Alton Brown, Steve Inskeep, Chuck Klosterman, Jim Lehrer, Chuck Palahniuk, and Molly Shannon on deck—names that “put butts in seats,” as they say, my own included.

But for me, the real interest lies in how the weekend is curated – the panel events, recurring themes, and special events.  Here’s a preview of what I’m looking forward to:

India, Pakistan, and an Uncertain Future (Saturday, 1:30pm, C-SPAN tent) – The C-SPAN tent is a guaranteed hit all weekend long.  On Saturday afternoon, it hosts a panel with Siddhartha Deb (The Beautiful and the Damned: A Portrait of the New India), Steve Inskeep (Instant City: Life and Death in Karachi), and John R. Schmidt (The Unraveling: Pakistan in the Age of Jihad) on the state of American ties with India and Pakistan and their thoughts on foreign relations in the region. Moderated by Austin’s own Lawrence Wright – New Yorker staff writer and Pultizer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower – this is a don’t-miss event.

Memoir: When to Tell the Story (Saturday, 2pm, Lone Star Tent) –Deb Olin Unferth, Donna Johnson, and Meghan O’Rourke discuss the relationship between narrative distance and the art of memoir writing.  This is a topic I’ve been thinking about lately, as we go to work on two memoirs this fall, from clients Randy Fertel and Susan Morse.

Border Lines: The Art of Personal Reflection (Sunday, 3pm, Capitol Extension Room E2.016) – A conversation with two writers who reflect on lives spent straddling Mexico and Texas.  Sergio Troncoso (Crossing Borders: Personal Essays) grew up in El Paso where the Mexican and United States cultures fuse into a third, unique lifestyle.  Acclaimed author Rolando Hinojosa-Smith (A Voice of My Own: Essays and Stories) was raised on the South Texas border, attended Mexican and American schools as a child and has lived in both cultures throughout his life. An incredibly timely topic, this has the potential to be one of the dark horses of the weekend.

Literary sessions (various) – It’s a banner year for literary novelists.  From Tom Perrotta and Colson Whitehead to Alan Hollinghurst and Lev Grossman, it’s exciting to see so much fiction on the schedule. And be sure to check out Welcome to the Big Leagues with writers behind three of this year’s most buzzed-about novels (Chad Harbach, Justin Torres, and Amy Waldman – Saturday, 4pm, Lone Star Tent).

Lit Crawl (Saturday, 8:00 to 10:00pm, East Austin) – Inspired by San Francisco’s long-running Lit Crawl (and produced with their participation, along with American Short Fiction), Austin’s first-ever Lit Crawl will feature some of the most beloved writers from the festival onstage at six venues on Austin’s East Side.  From an “interactive” event with Chuck Palahniuk to “Stump the Critic” and “The Encyclopedia Show,” this will be one of the most-buzzed about events of the weekend.

Head over to the festival calendar to customize your own schedule for the weekend. See you there!