With 100 guest writers and 66 author sessions, the San Antonio Book Festival offers a veritable plethora of choices.
Book lovers looking to keep things local Saturday can navigate the downtown festival footprint, at the Central Library and the UTSA Southwest Campus, by focusing on sessions with San Antonio and Texas authors from novelist Isa Arsén to children’s book creator Xavier Garza.
The San Antonio Report has mapped out a daylong festival adventure to catch as many local author presentations as possible.
Morning sessions
Former Geekdom CEO and Chairman-turned-author Lorenzo Gomez III will talk at 10 a.m. in the Latino Collection Resource Center about his book The Bully in Your Pocket, a playbook for defeating online trolls.
If you haven’t yet had a chance to see the 50-year retrospective of San Antonio photographer Al Rendón at the Witte Museum, he’ll be on hand to sign copies of the Mi Cultura catalogue published to accompany the exhibition after his 11 a.m. talk in the Central Library’s Festival Room.
Local author Isa Arsén will present on her debut novel, Shoot the Moon, at 11:30 a.m. in the Central Library’s Swartz Room. Arsén will be joined by author Elba Iris Pérez to talk about writing historical fiction.
Early afternoon sessions
Poet C.L. “Rooster” Martinez will speak on his poetry collection Mexican Dinosaur, about the changing demographics of his San Antonio barrio, at noon on the East Terrace of the Central Library.
Also at noon, children’s book creator Xavier Garza will talk with illustrator Gabriela Epstein about middle grade adventure books in the UTSA Southwest Copper Kitchen. Garza and Epstein will also join other illustrators in the Ready, Set…draw! Ultimate Illustrator Sketch-Off at 2:45 p.m. in the H-E-B Childrens Gazebo.
Author and journalist Peter L. Scamardo II will talk about his dark thriller The Flyers alongside fellow author Celso Hurtado, whose latest young-adult paranormal novel is The Devil’s Promise, at 12:30 p.m. in the Central Library’s Swartz Room.
Children’s book author and educator Stephen Briseño will talk at 12:40 p.m. in the H-E-B Childrens Gazebo about his new book, Queen of Leaves, the true story of pioneering Mexican American adventurer-botanist Ynes Mexia.
Children’s book creators Xelena Gonzalez and Adriana M. Garcia will present on their new Día de Muertos for beloved pets-themed book, Remembering, at 1:10 p.m. in the H-E-B Childrens Gazebo.
Musician and scholar Juan Tejeda will present Mi Carnal Frank, his recently published memoir of his influential politico brother Frank Tejeda Jr., at 1:30 p.m. in the Central Library’s Swartz Room.
Authors Ursula Villarreal-Moura and Jennifer duBois will talk about their novels May December and The Last Language at 2 p.m. in the Central Library’s Festival Room, moderated by Trinity University professor Kelly Grey Carlisle.
Alternately at 2 p.m., fans of Archer City author Larry McMurtry can catch San Antonio writer Sherry Kafka Wagner on a panel discussing Pastures of the Empty Page: Fellow Writers on the Life and Legacy of Larry McMurtry. The discussion takes place in the Texas Monthly Tent on Giraud Street.
Writer and comedian Tori Pool will present on Worth Repeating, the volume of collected Texas Public Radio stories by San Antonio personalities, at 2:30 p.m. in the Central Library’s Swartz Room along with Worth Repeating founder Paul Flahive and co-editor Burgin Streetman.
Late afternoon sessions
Much-honored poet Carmen Tafolla will be on hand at 3 p.m. in the UTSA Southwest Copper Kitchen to talk about her new young adult book, Warrior Girl, with author Kevin Carey and moderator Jennifer Ziegler, with a signing to follow.
San Antonio poet laureate emerita Jenny Browne will lead a panel discussion on Texas, Being: A State of Poems, a new poetry collection featuring 44 authors published by Trinity University Press, at 4 p.m. in the Texas Monthly Tent on Giraud Street. Browne will be joined by contributoring poets Jan Beatty, Octavio Quintanilla and 2023 Texas State Poet Laureate ire’ne lara silva.
Young Adult queer romance authors Jonny Garza Villa and Joe Jiménez will talk at 4 p.m. in the UTSA Southwest Copper Kitchen about their recent books Canto Contigo and Hot Boy Summer.
Journalist Cary Clack will read selections from his new collection of newspaper columns, More Finish Lines to Cross, at 4:30 p.m. in the Central Library’s Hawn Holt Family Auditorium.
A downloadable map of all festival locations is available here.
