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

Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep gets PG-spooky in new movie for the Halloween season

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

movies film