If there’s one factor that may actually put a cherry on high of this finally-fall climate in Houston, it is bringing tons of books out to expertise it, too. The annual Texas E-book Competition will happen outdoors the Texas Capitol in Austin on November 8 and 9 — and it is price taking a highway journey to deliver dwelling a tote stuffed with fall reads.
Now in its thirtieth yr, this beloved occurring brings collectively tons of of authors, cooks, poets, and curious readers for 2 energetic days of panels, cooking demos, guide signings, and spontaneous Capitol-lawn conversations that in some way really feel each literary and laid-back. Most of them are free to attend.
From star-studded, ticketed talks with names like Chelsea Handler and Matthew McConaughey to hidden-gem bilingual periods and the ever-raucous Lit Crawl, right here’s your information to the can’t-miss moments at this yr’s competition.
Texas Bluebonnet Award Announcement
November 8, 10 am
Kicking off the competition are some essential bulletins. These aren’t your boring center faculty intercom kind of bulletins; these are in regards to the 2026-2027 Texas Bluebonnet Award recipients. The Texas Bluebonnet winners are an enormous deal as a result of they’re chosen by greater than 75,000 third by means of sixth graders throughout the state annually. This would be the first large official announcement this yr, happening on the Subsequent Chapter Tent.
R.L. Stine in Dialog about The Final Sleepover
November 8, 10:45-11:30 am
In a departure from his regular spooky nighttime setting, legendary YA horror author R.L. Stine shall be beginning issues out vibrant and early Saturday morning at First Baptist Church. For millennials who grew up with Goosebumps and youngsters who love his newer work, this can be a cannot miss second. Stine shall be discussing the most recent guide in his Home of Shivers sequence, The Final Sleepover, and can converse extra usually about telling scary tales, crafting suspense, and all issues scary in writing.
Make It Plant-Primarily based!: Cooking Demo with Mehreen Karim
November 8, 3:30-4:15pm
Cooking demos have develop into virtually as a lot of part of the Texas E-book Competition as they’re part of the Austin Meals and Wine Competition, occurring the identical weekend down the highway at Auditorium Shores. This explicit cooking demo, on the Central Market Cooking Tent, appears to be like enjoyable as a result of chef and writer Mehreen Karim affords a plant-based method to Southern favorites like biscuits, casseroles, soups, stews, and different hearty fall meals. A guide signing will comply with on the Major E-book Signing Tent at 4:30 pm.
Chelsea Handler, I’ll Have What She’s Having (Ticketed Session)
November 8, 1pm
Almost all the things on the Texas E-book Competition is free, however previously few years the competition has added “ticketed periods,” which grant people entry to extra well-known authors’ periods, plus a signed copy of their newest guide. One of many many periods this yr is with none apart from comic Chelsea Handler, who’s selling her new guide, I am going to Have What She’s Having. All the ticketed periods ought to provide one thing fascinating, however Handler is an entertainer by means of and thru. This session at First Baptist Church is sure to be hilarious and trustworthy, and it’ll in all probability promote out. Attendees hoping to buy tickets ought to achieve this quickly. ($44)
2025 Lit Crawl Austin
November 8, 7-10:30 pm
The Lit Crawl is an annual custom on the E-book Competition the place the guide nerds take over downtown at evening. It is a enjoyable option to expertise the fest after hours at bars like Speakeasy and Cheer up Charlies. There shall be dwell readings, video games, trivia, storytelling, and extra occasions embracing the literary-meets-nightlife vitality. The Lit Crawl schedule might be discovered right here.
Spanish and Bilingual Occasions
All through the weekend
On the Leamos Tent, competition goers can expertise all kinds of Spanish and bilingual occasions, from kids’s guide story instances to discussions about Chicana id and tradition in Texas. These occasions are scattered all through the weekend, so verify the 2025 Spanish and Bilingual Program for a full schedule, or simply swing by the Leamos Tent anytime in the course of the competition.
Salsa Daddy: Cooking Demo with Rick Martínez
November 9, 11:30 am to12:15 pm
Competition-goers are invited to affix James Beard Award winner and New York Instances bestselling writer Rick Martínez for a cooking demo and dialogue within the Central Market Cooking Tent. The dialogue will give attention to his new guide, Salsa Daddy: Dip Your Means into Mexican Cooking, that includes greater than 70 distinctive salsa recipes. It is going to in all probability shortly veer into silliness and tales, as this native Austinite has an enormous character.
Revenue vs. Planet: Billionaires, Business, and the Future We Inherit
November 9, 1:15-2 pm
Attendees can swing by the CSPAN-2 Tent for an enchanting dialogue on how company energy is reshaping our world — together with issues like contaminating ingesting water and claiming land on the moon — that includes veteran journalists Christian Davenport and Mariah Blake. An occasion description from the competition web site says, “With professional reporting and vivid storytelling, Davenport and Blake look at the excessive stakes of unchecked business and problem us to ask who advantages and who pays. Can we reclaim the longer term earlier than it is too late?”
Ibram X. Kendi, Malcom Lives (Free with RSVP)
November 9, 2 pm
Individuals can be a part of writer, educator, and winner of the Nationwide E-book Award, Ibram X. Kendi, for a dialogue on his new guide, Malcom Lives! This distinctive guide is an official biography of Malcom X for younger readers. This occasion on the Paramount’s State Theater is free with RSVP, and spots are restricted.
Matthew McConaughey, Poems and Prayers (Ticketed Session)
November 9, 4:15 pm
It would not actually be an Texas occasion with out the Minister of Tradition making an look, wouldn’t it? McConaughey was final on the guide competition in 2022, selling his guide Inexperienced Lights. Now this apparently prolific author shall be discussing his newest guide, Poems and Prayers, on Sunday at First Baptist Church. This occasion was marked “bought out,” however new tickets seem like obtainable on Eventbrite. If these run out, there’s nonetheless hope to see McConaughey talk about the brand new guide: he is additionally set to look on the College of Texas’ Bass Live performance Corridor in September.
Since there are tons of of issues to select from at this competition, and we will not even start to record out all of our favorites intimately (ahem, YA Royalty: A Celebration of Beloved Younger Grownup Fantasy Novels), listed below are a number of extra highlights that Texas E-book Competition organizers put collectively in an earlier press launch:
- Peter Brown, The Wild Robotic on the Island
- Katherine Middle, The Love Haters
- Ali Hazelwood, Mate
- Skip Hollandsworth, She Kills: The Murderous Socialite, the Cross-Dressing Financial institution Robber, and Different True Crime Tales
- Stephen Graham Jones, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter
- Stephen Harrigan, An Anchor within the Sea of Time: Essays; Sorrowful Mysteries: The Shepherd Kids of Fatima and the Destiny of the Twentieth Century
- Kiese Laymon, Metropolis Summer time, Nation Summer time
- Ada Limón, Startlement: New and Chosen Poems
- Rick Martínez, Salsa Daddy: Dip Your Means into Mexican Cooking
- Meg Medina, Graciela within the Abyss
- Nnedi Okorafor, Loss of life of the Writer
- Imani Perry, Black in Blues
- Jason Reynolds, Coach
- Maggie Stiefvater, The Listeners; The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel
- R.L. Stine, The Final Sleepover
- Angie Thomas, Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The E-book of Anansi
- Martha Wells, Queen Demon
