Texans have two months to get through as much of their to-be-read lists as they can before they’re saddled with a whole new collection. The Texas Book Festival (TBF), which will be held in downtown Austin on November 8 and 9, has just announced its lineup of more than 300 authors, including some notable San Antonio names.
The annual festival gathers together authors and readers in front of the Texas Capitol, 11th Street, Congress Avenue, and other satellite locations for shopping, book talks, and more activities. There is an emphasis on Texans first, of course, but writers visit from across the United States and even the world.
Starting with the headliners first, Texas booklovers can look forward to seeing:
- Mitch Albom: The journalist and author of Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven is releasing a love story, Twice: A Novel, on October 7, 2025.
- Chelsea Handler: The comedian and TV host released a collection of essays, I’ll Have What She’s Having, in February.
- Matthew McConaughey: One of Austin’s top celebrities, the actor debuts the personal and spiritual Poems & Prayers on September 16. He’ll visit Austin on a book tour September 21.
- Viet Thanh Nguyen: Author of The Sympathizer, which became a buzzy HBO series in 2024, published a collection of political essays, To Save and to Destroy: Writing as an Other, in April.
- Ariel Sullivan in conversation with Jenna Bush Hager: Sullivan debuts romance novel Conform on October 14. It’s the first book published by Hager’s media company, Thousand Voices, in partnership with Random House Publishing Group.
The Alamo City contingent includes local professors, a respected nature writer, and one of our most famous former mayors:
- Henry Cisneros, The Austin San Antonio Megaregion
- Adriana Garcia, For a Girl Becoming
- Jonny Garza Villa, Futbolista
- Saúl Hernández, How to Kill a Goat and Other Monsters
- Monika Maeckle, Plants With Purpose
- Andrew Porter, The Imagined Life
- Octavio Quintanilla, Las Horas Imposibles / The Impossible Hours
And since there are so many great authors to see or purchase work from at the festival, TBF provides this list of highlights via press release:
- Peter Brown, The Wild Robot on the Island
- Katherine Center, The Love Haters
- Ali Hazelwood, Mate
- Skip Hollandsworth, She Kills: The Murderous Socialite, the Cross-Dressing Bank Robber, and Other True Crime Tales
- Stephen Graham Jones, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter
- Stephen Harrigan, An Anchor in the Sea of Time: Essays; Sorrowful Mysteries: The Shepherd Children of Fatima and the Fate of the Twentieth Century
- Kiese Laymon, City Summer, Country Summer
- Ada Limón, Startlement: New and Selected Poems
- Rick Martínez, Salsa Daddy: Dip Your Way into Mexican Cooking
- Meg Medina, Graciela in the Abyss
- Nnedi Okorafor, Death of the Author
- Imani Perry, Black in Blues
- Jason Reynolds, Coach
- Maggie Stiefvater, The Listeners; The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel
- R.L. Stine, The Last Sleepover
- Angie Thomas, Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Book of Anansi
- Martha Wells, Queen Demon
“As we mark three decades of the Texas Book Festival, our work remains rooted in the belief that books build stronger communities,” said TBF Literary Director Hannah Gabel in the release. “This year’s lineup showcases writers and stories that reflect the complexity of our world. As an organization that firmly supports the freedom to read without restriction or censorship, we’re proud to present a Festival program that emphasizes the power of literature to inspire, educate, and connect us.”
The Texas Book Festival is free to attend, but tickets may be required for certain events and activities. Tickets to headliner talks will be available for purchase starting September 17. A full schedule will be announced in October.