Booking It

Texas city's storied book festival returns virtually with all-star author lineup

Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black, will make an appearance at this year's fest.

Photo by Sam Zalutsky Spiegel and Grau

More than 200 authors, including a couple from Dallas-Fort Worth, are taking part in the 2021 virtual San Antonio Book Festival. On March 9, organizers revealed the full details behind this year's celebration, which includes more than 100 sessions and special lit-themed events.

The weekend festivities take place April 9-11, and will allow attendees a chance to engage with celebrated authors from across the city, state, and nation. Registration is free and can be done here.

North Texas authors joining this year's virtual San Antonio Book Fest are Dallas' Aaron E. Sánchez (Homeland: Ethnic Mexican Belonging Since 1900, Volume 2) and Fort Worth's Gregg Cantrell (The People’s Revolt: Texas Populists and the Roots of American Liberalism).

Among the literary stars participating are Walter Isaacson (The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, the Future of the Human Race); Kristin Hannah (The Four Winds); Jeff VanderMeer (Hummingbird Salamander); Gary Paulsen (Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood); Annette Gordon-Reed (On Juneteenth); Adam Silvera (Infinity Reaper: Infinity Cycle, 2); Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas, hosts of the NPR's "Wow in the World" and co-authors of Wow in the World: The How and Wow of the Human Body: From Your Tongue to Your Toes and All the Guts in Between;Nic Stone (Dear Justyce); and poet Martín Espada (Floaters: Poems), who will be in conversation with Luis Alberto Urrea, a member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame and best-selling author.

Other notables making an appearance: Emily V. Gordon, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Samantha Irby, Piper Kerman, Ted Flato, Roy Benson, Elizabeth McKracken, and Meg Wolitzer.

The weekend-long celebration will also feature a series of special events, including Lit Crawl, "a virtual block party for books and everyone who loves to read them."

Another highlight is the debut of Sandra Cisneros Presents, a new program where the acclaimed writer introduces four of her favorite writers to festival audiences. Among Cisneros’ accolades are the Texas Medal of the Arts, a MacArthur Fellowship, and the National Medal of the Arts, which was awarded to her by President Obama in 2016. This year, the author will feature Diana Marie Delgado, John Olivares Espinoza, Joe Jiménez, and Christine Granados as part of the inaugural Sandra Cisneros Presents.

Additional sessions are available for teens, adults, and children, and a full list can be found here. Spotlighted events include:

Revolutionary Women of Texas and Mexico examining the role of women in the Mexican Revolution with co-editor Kathy Sosa, contributors Ellen Riojas Clark and Cynthia E. Orozco, and moderator Norma E. Cantú.
Let the Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty, an in-depth look at Maurice Chammah’s debut book.
Nic Stone in Conversation with J. Elle, a discussion with two of the most successful young adult authors working today.

“When I look at this year’s book festival lineup and programming, the word that comes to mind is ‘abundance,’” said Lilly Gonzalez, SABF’s executive director. “Longtime fans will find comfort in the wealth of options that our online edition offers. Plus it’s reassuring to know that amid everything that’s happened, art is still thriving. It’s reason enough for us to come together, even if that’s via our computer screens this year.”

This year's festival does come with one big change: its official bookseller. Locally owned Nowhere Bookshop has taken over as the festival's book purveyor.

For more information and a full schedule of events, head to the SABF's official website.

books festivals

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Michelin Guide awards shine in 5 most-read Dallas stories of the week

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Editor's note: Restaurants that received Michelin Guide honors were the hottest topic of the week in Dallas and all across Texas. Also of note: The death of a beloved Dallas restaurateur, a new wing joint, and more. Here are the most-read stories of the week. Looking for things to do this weekend? That list is here.

1. More than a dozen Dallas restaurants earn Michelin Guide awards. The winners of the first Michelin Guide awards in Texas have been revealed, with 117 restaurants earning some kind of nod, including 15 one-star establishments. More than two dozen restaurants across Dallas-Fort Worth earned some kind of nod or another, but only one won a star. Then, oops, there was a goof on Michelin's list.

2. Reducetarian Summit had to be unlikeliest convention in Dallas ever. Dallas likes to promote itself as a great place to host conventions, but one of the most unpredictable would have to be the Reducetarian Summit, which took place at the end of October at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Dallas, where 500 people from around the world met to brainstorm on ways to reduce consumption of animal products.

3. Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 hot new restaurants for November. This month's installment of Where to Eat is bursting at the seams with newcomers and spinoffs. For November, we've got a vast range of cuisines, from Asian to seafood to the beloved Dallas staple, the Irish pub. To find many cuisines in one spot, there's also a new food-hall near downtown Dallas.

Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, RIP. Facebook

4. Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat dies at 69 after ALS battle. Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, founder of the acclaimed local steakhouse Al Biernat's, passed away on November 13, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; he was 69.

5. Pluckers Wing Bar opens first Dallas location in a decade in Mesquite. A Texas wing staple is bringing the wings to Mesquite: Pluckers, famous for its wings in many flavors, is opening at 1340 N. Peachtree Rd., in the old Joe’s Crab Shack space. According a marketing spokesperson, it's opening in mid-December.