Fall in Texas, y'all -- football, fairs & writing

 I feel like Rip Van Winkle -- as if I've slept since last posting here in January. All I can say is, it's been a year: multiple international trips (not necessarily for fun stuff), as well as typical Texas weather -- monsoon rains followed by months of hellish heat, both with power outages.

But TGIF -- which in Texas means, thank God it's fall, with its abundance of literary events. Most of these listings are in the state, particularly in my corner of North Texas. But if there's something particularly juicy in another region, I'll dish it up too, starting this weekend.

September 21: The Writer's League of Texas presents Texas Writes with free workshops by authors Alex Temblador ("Prep Your Book: Going from Idea to Opening Pages") and Diana Spechler ("Writing Our Lives: The Art of the Personal Essay"). At Chico Public Library (that's north of Fort Worth), 106 W. Jacksboro St., Chico, TX. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Refreshments provided. Free. Pre-register by calling the library at (940) 644-2330.

Now-December 1: The Historical Novel Society North America presents its first short story contest. In honor of the society's 205 conference setting in Las Vegas, entries must be set in or around Vegas at any time up to 1975. Stories must be historical, but any subgenre is acceptable. Unpublished stories only, with a 4,000-word limit. Entry fee $25. Cash prizes and anthology publication for finalists and grand prize winner, chosen by a panel of best-selling historical fiction writers. See the site for details.

September 24: Richardson Reads One Book presents author Brendan Slocumb ("Symphony of Secrets") at 7:30 p.m. in First United Methodist Church Richardson, 503 N. Central Expressway, Richardson. Free, but tickets are only available online, on a first-come, first-served basis at bit.ly/RROBLecture24.

September 25: Dallas indie bookstore The Wild Detectives, 314 W. Eighth St., hosts "Banned Book Trivia," 7-9 p.m. Assemble a team and grab a beverage from the bookstore's bar as you test your knowledge of banned books. There's a general discussion of book bans, including Dallas' favorites, to bring you up to date! Free, except for food and drink selections.

October 4-6: Houston Writers Guild hosts the AuthorPalooza conference with craft workshops, industry panels, and literary fun! A few acquisition editors will also be available October 5 (Saturday) to take pitch sessions. Events at Rick University, 6100 Main St., Ley Student Conference Center. See the site for schedule and tickets.

October 5-6: The DFW Writers Conference at the Hurst Convention Center, Hurst, TX, offers craft and business workshops and panels, keynote speakers Steve Berry and A.S. King, and literary agents from around the country. Registration includes one free pitch selling, with additional sessions offered for sale.

This year's agenda also includes a Romance Forum, with a panel of New York Times best-selling authors. See the site for schedules. Regular registration (ends September 22!) is $449 for both days or $250 for one day. Late registration through October 4 is $99 (two day) or $299 (one day).

The adjacent Hilton Garden Inn is sold out, but other nearby hotels include Hampton Inn Suites Dallas, Holiday Inn Express & Suites DFW, and Hyatt Place Fort Worth/Hurst. Or drive in. Traffic should be less than fiendishly awful on a weekend.

October 11-13: HAY Festival Forum Dallas 2024 returns to the city's Bishop Arts District with 25 artists across 21 events over four venues! The festival includes both free and ticketed options. Opening night at the Wild Detectives bookstore, 314 E. Eighth St., opens with a free session by Pulitzer Prize winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen. See the site for a complete list of events. Day passes which ensure admission to all ticketed and free events are $85 for October 12 (Saturday), $65 for October 13 (Sunday, or $100 for an all-weekend pass.

November 13: Dallas indie bookstore Interabang Books presents best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell in conversation with Krys Boyd of KERA's Think. At Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 East Mockingbird, Dallas, 7 p.m. Tickets are free, although seating is limited, or $32 for exclusive "meet and greet" with the author. Gladwell will share his new book, Revenge of the Tipping Point. Books for sale which supplies last. See the site for ticket purchases/reservations.

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Want more? Of course you do! Stay tuned for these and other Texas literary events!

Beyond the dog days – fall lit events coming to North Texas!

Is it too early to talk about autumn? With temperatures here in Dallas still flirting with the 100-degree mark, the realization that fall’s abundance of literary events is around the corner, gives me an incentive to crawl out of my air-conditioned hibernation, beginning this weekend with:

August 24: The African American Museum at Fair Park, Dallas, hosts the Tulisoma Book Fair,10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – but stay for a Hip Hop Gospel Extravaganza on the museum lawn from 4-6 p.m.! The literary festival includes panels, author talks, book signings and more. This year’s guest authors include Caldecott Honor-winning Carole Boston Weatherford and author/journalist ReShonda Tate Billingsley. Free. See the site for details. 

September 5: Dallas Museum of Art taps author Salman Rushdie to open its Arts & Letters Live 2019-2020 season. Booker Prize-winner Rushdie’s most recent book is Quichotte, a Don Quixote for the modern age. Tickets (including book copy) start at $60 for the public, $50 for students. This opener will be held in the Moody Performance Hall, 2520 Flora Street, Dallas. 

Wondering how the rest of the Arts & Letters season can compete with Rushdie’s opening? How about appearances by Tracy Chevalier, former U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Margaret Atwood, Ann Patchett, John Grisham, Tim O’Brien, and more!

image: Pixabay

Unless otherwise indicated, events will be in Horchow Hall of the DMA, 1717 N. Harwood, Dallas. Ticket prices vary for events. See the site for complete schedule.

September 20-22: FenCon, the science fiction/fantasy convention showcases a plethora of area and regional authors, at the Sheraton DFW Airport, 44440 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Irving. Programming includes gaming, panels, author talks and signings, costumery, and more. Weekend tickets online and by mail: $45 by September 1, $50 at the door. Discounted tickets available for children (ages 6-12) and young adults (ages 13-21). See the site for details.

September 24: Richardson Reads One Book features Texas author Attica Locke’s Edgar-winning mystery novel Bluebird, Bluebird, 7:30 p.m., in the auditorium of Richardson High School, 1250 West Beltline Road, in Richardson, Texas. Free tickets available at the Richardson Library, 900 Civic Center Drive, in Richardson, starting at 9 a.m. September 3. See the site for details.

October 4-5: Roanoke Writers’ Conference, Roanoke Public Library, 308 South Walnut Street, Roanoke, Texas. Keynote speaker is award-winning author Sanderia Faye. Keep your eye on the site for details and registration opening September 2.

October 8-November 7: Authors LIVE! opens its fall season at 7 p.m. with Stephen Harrigan’s presentation of his latest book, Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas, in Wesley Hall of Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 East Mockingbird Lane, Dallas. See the site for calendar and details. All programs are free or make reservations for an author’s reception at 6 p.m. for $30 (includes meal and signed copy of book). Register for the reception at stanfordr@hpumc.org.  

October 12-13: If you’re a writer (or wonder what they do when not pecking on a keyboard), hie thee to Writers in the Field for expert advice, demonstrations and activities in weapons, period clothing, military life, medicine, horse handling, crime scene investigation and more. Weekend passes $65, primitive campground available on site for $25 (payable at registration), or check into local hostelries for 21^st century comfort! See the site for details and tickets. 

October 26-27: The statewide bookapalooza, Texas Book Festival, features hundreds of nationally and critically recognized authors for adults and children, exhibitors, food trucks, family activities, and more. Most events are on the grounds of the State Capitol Building in Austin. The south entrance facing 11^th Street is the busiest, so consider trying the north, east or west entrances if lines on 11^th Street get lengthy -- they probably will!

Entrance to the capitol grounds is free, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. October 26; 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. October 27. Additional festival venues include The Contemporary Austin, 700 Congress Avenue, and First United Methodist Church Sanctuary at 1201 Lavaca Street. A Saturday evening Lit Crawl takes place in venues in and around East Cesar Chavez. See the site for details.

October 31-November 3: Bouchercon 2019 welcomes local and international authors of mystery, thriller, and crime writing to Dallas for its “Denim, Diamonds, and Death” presentation. At the Hyatt Regency in downtown Dallas. Registration is $175, with special hotel room rates available to attendees. Guest authors include James Patterson, North Texas writer Deborah Crombie, Sandra Brown, Charlaine Harris, and more! Check out the site for registration and details.

November 1-30: NaNoWriMo all month long! Write from your home or with friends. See the site for details in your area. 

November 11-12: It’s not often that a theological conference makes my list of literary events, but the annual convocation of the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University is known to add literary figures to its list of keynote speakers. This year’s speakers include best-selling travel author Rick Steves, November 11, 7:30 - 9 p.m. in McFarlin Auditorium on the SMU campus, 6405 Boaz Lane, followed by a book signing. Tickets for Steves’ lecture only are $15. A printed receipt is required for entry, and no payments can be accepted at the door. 

See the site for details, including other keynote speakers and complete schedule. 

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But, you ask, where are the writing contests? I’ll give them a post of their own – as well as tidbits from the recent ArmadilloCon and online Mystery and Thriller Summit.

Wordcraft – Fall into autumn with Texas literary events

This week’s cooler temperatures make it easier to remember that fall is coming, and with it a new season of literary events, most but not all in North Texas. I’m posting about these a little earlier than usual, to give myself a head start on autumn’s plenty.

August 20: Grand re-opening of the Dallas Library’s 7^th floor History and Archives Division, 10:30 a.m. If you’ve never (or not recently) visited this collection, prepare to be amazed. Besides a Shakespeare first folio and a first printing of the Declaration of Independence, the revamped 7th floor houses over 1,800 historic images by pioneering black Dallas photographer Marion Butts, coverage of President Kennedy’s assassination (and related items, including Lee Harvey Oswald’s library card, documenting his overdue books) and more. These unique and fragile items do not circulate outside the library – see them on the 7^th floor only.

August 22-26: For this 10^th anniversary of its Points Summer Book Club, the Dallas Morning News selection is 2016 Pulitzer finalist If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran, by Carla Power. The online discussion runs next Monday through Friday. RSVP  now for for a free forum and book signing with the author August 24, 7-9 p.m., at the University of Texas at Dallas. And see the September 14 World Affairs Council’s event (below) to continue the conversation.

September 6: Tickets will be available at the Richardson, Texas, public library, 900 Civic Center Drive, for the Richardson Reads One Book forum with Joshua Davis, author of Spare Parts, the story of four undocumented kids, one ugly robot and a dream come true. Books are available at Half Price Books Richardson. The author discussion and book signing is September 20 at the auditorium of Richardson High School, 1250 West Beltline Road. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Free, but tickets required due to limited space.

September 11 – November 17: Dallas Museum of Art’s Arts & Letters Live opens its fall season with author Robert Hoge, author of the memoir Ugly. See the site for a complete list of events and ticket prices. Most authors will appear at the DMA, 1717 North Harwood, Dallas.

September 14: World Affairs Council features Joby Warrick, author of Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS. $40. See the site for details.

September 19 – October 23: The Authors LIVE! series opens with a wow – an appearance by Colson Whitehead, author of The Underground Railroad, “the most anticipated literary novel of the year” and, no surprise, a pick of Oprah Winfrey’s book club. The series is held at 7 p.m. in Wesley Hall of Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane. Free, no reservations required, but readers may attend a reception with the author and receive a copy of the book for $30. See site for details.

September 23-25: FenCon, the literary science fiction and fantasy convention at the Westin DFW in Irving (State Highway 114 and Esters Road). This year’s con incorporates a 1632 minicon, for fans of the series. $40 online registration through September 1, $45 at the door. Dozens of author panels and signings.

October 1: Texas Teen Book Festival, St. Edward’s University, 3001 Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas. Free, with loads of authors. It’s an offshoot of the big mama, the Texas Book Festival (see below). Need we say more? See site for details.

October 13: SMUReads hosts attorney Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy, 4:30 p.m. at McFarlin Auditorium, 6405 Boaz Lane, Dallas. Stevenson founded the Equal Justice Initiative, dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need. Stevenson’s lecture is free, but the university requests preregistration at www.smu.edu/smureads.

November 5-6: Texas Book Festival, with hundreds of adult and teen authors and dozens of venues in and around the State Capitol building, this is huge! Free, see the site for complete author list, schedule, and details about where best to enter the massive event.

Wordcraft – Reading ‘n’ writing ‘n’ fall literary events

School has started in North Texas, and autumn’s literary events are coming as fast as the falling leaves already littering my lawn. The literary leaves are heaped so high, I’ll take two posts to blog about them, starting with today’s events:

August 25: (Yes, that’s today!) This year’s SMU Reads book is Emily St. John Mandel’s bestseller, Station Eleven, dealing with the aftermath of fictional pandemic. Don’t let the subject scare you away from today’s panel discussion about emergency preparedness, followed by book discussions, a pop-up performance of King Lear (yes, there’s a connection), and culminating in the September 9 visit by Mandel at Southern Methodist University. See the Dallas Public Library for events, and be sure to reserve a free seat for Mandel's appearance September 9.

August 25: Monthly script reading by Dallas Screenwriters Association. Only members may have their scripts read by local actors, but anyone’s welcome to drop in for a free listen, at 7 p.m., in the community room of Half Price Books, 5803 East Northwest Highway, Dallas. Event repeats the last Tuesday (usually) of each month.

August 28 - 29: The Tulisoma South Dallas Book Fair and Arts Festival, with most events at the African American Museum at Fair Park, 3536 Grand Avenue, Dallas. Events Friday (August 28), including the Tulisoma Heart and Soul tour, are free but require reservations. Events Saturday (August 29) are free, with no reservation required, beginning with the 10 a.m. Art Smart workshop on preparing children to learn. Author readings, entertainment, and discussions, continue through 4:20 p.m. Saturday. While you’re there, take advantage of the museum’s free admission to check out the galleries on black arts and culture in Dallas.

August 30: Don’t forget to contact points@dallasnews.com to reserve a seat for a free forum 2-4 p.m. at University of Texas at Dallas to discuss the Dallas Morning News Points Summer Book Club. This year's book is Being Mortal: Medicine and what Matters in the End, by Atul Gawande. A blog discussion is currently in progress.

August 31: Tickets for Richardson Reads One Book available at the first floor information desk of the Richardson Public Library, 900 Civic Center Drive, Richardson, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Free tickets are available for Richardson residents, but maybe a friend who lives there can snag you a ticket to hear author Laura McBride discuss this year’s book, We Are Called To Rise. McBride will appear September 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Richardson High School, 1250 Beltline Road.

September 9: For SMU Reads, Emily St. John Mandel discusses her bestseller, Station Eleven, at McFarlin Auditorium, 6405 Boaz Lane, in Dallas. Free, but be sure you’ve RSVP’d for a reservation.

September 10: Deadline for the Young Author’s short story contest of fantasy/science fiction convention FenCon. No fee to enter, for authors in grades 3-12.

September 13: Dallas Arts & Letters Live continues its 2015 season with R.L.Stine and Marc Brown, author/illustrators of The Little Shop of Monsters, September 13 at 4 p.m. Horchow Auditorium, Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 North Harwood, Dallas. Tickets for the presentation are $20 for the public, $15 for DMA members, $10 for students and children (under age 5).

September 15: Richardson Reads One Book: We Are Called to Rise, by Laura McBride. Author reading 7:30 p.m. at Richardson High School, 1250 Belt Line Road in Richardson. Did you remember to get your free tickets?

(Next Tuesday: Wordcraft continues its preview of autumn 2015’s literary events in North Texas)

Wordcraft -- Fall into autumn with literary events

School’s started¾ can fall be far behind? Not when the annual Tulisoma South Dallas Book Fair and Arts Festival kicks off a new season of reading and writing events this weekend. Here’s a preview of what’s coming up on the literary horizon in North Texas over the next few months.

August 29-30: Tulisoma opens with a tour of historic African-American sites in Dallas, departing Friday, August 29, from the African-American Museum at Dallas Fair Park, 3536 Grand Avenue 10 a.m. The festival continues 3 p.m. August 30, with readings, panels, movies and music. See http://tulisoma.com for a complete schedule. And check out the museum’s exhibits on art and the historic Freedman’s Cemetery while you’re there.

September 4-November 13: Authors LIVE! Series continues through the fall. The series features, among others, authors Jan Karon, Jodi Picoult, Kathy Reichs and S. C Gwynne. At Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane, Dallas. Free. See www.hpumc.org/authorslive for details

September 23: The 2014 Richardson Reads One Book is Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, who will speak at Richardson High School, 1250 West Beltline Road, at 7:30 p.m. Complimentary lecture tickets will be available at the Richardson Library, 900 Civic Center Dr., beginning September 2. See www.onebook.cor.net for more information.

September 26-28: FenCon science fiction and fantasy convention; at Crowne Plaza Dallas, 14315 Midway Road, Addison, Texas. Writing workshop (now filled), panels and author appearances. The con also includes a young authors’ short story contest, open to students in grades 3-12 as of the 2013-2014 school year. The contest is free but the entry deadline is September 10, so start writing now! See www.fencon.org/youngauthor.html for details. For general information, see www.fencon.org/.

October 10-11: North Texas Book & Paper Show, Grapevine Convention Center, 1209 South Main Street, Grapevine. Admission $5 for adults, free for ages 12 and under. Rare and collectible books, autographs, maps, ephemera. See
www.texasbooksellers.org/north-texas-book-paper-show for details.

October 21: Dallas Heritage Village partners with the Dallas Historical Society to present the Farina Lecture Series at the Village, 1515 S. Harwood, Dallas. Doors open at 6 p.m., followed by speaker Victoria Wilcox, author of Southern Son: The Saga of Doc Holliday (Book Two). Free. Register through events calendar at www.dallasheritagevillage.org/.

October 25-26: Texas Book Festival, Austin. All right, it’s not in North Texas, but it’s the big one! Events at the Texas State Capitol, Congress and 11^th Streets. Author lineup available the evening of September 10 at www.texasbookfestival.org/.

October 30: Literature + Medicine Conference, Fogelson Forum at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, 8300Walnut Lane, Dallas, 6-8 p.m. Free conference includes speaker Michael A. LaCombe, reception, and writing contest. Contest deadline is October 1, for essays, poems or short stories about healthcare experiences, including experiences as a patient. See www.texashealthcareconnect.us/LitMed for information and contest details.

November 7-9: Readers & Ritas conference, Hilton Garden Inn Allen, 705 Central Expressway. Dozens of romance authors, discussions, books for sale and trade. Registration at
www.eventbrite.com/2014-readers-ritas-registration-9231211803/.

(Next Monday, better dialogue in our fiction)

Wordcraft -- Fall literary events in (mostly) North Texas

It’s still the dog days in Texas, so why am I posting about literary events of the fall? Because they start this weekend! Chances to meet and listen to your favorite authors in person, attend discussions with other crazed reading and writing fans, check out a new writing contest -- for students only at this point. Sometimes there’s even great food.

August 29-September 2 -- WorldCon, Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center, 200 E. Market Street, San Antonio. This is the big one -- the 71^st Annual World Science Fiction Convention. It’s the one where they hand out the Hugo Awards (which will be broadcast live September 1). Miss it, and you’ll have to fly to London to catch the 2014 convention. Walkup tickets still available, although online registration has closed.  For more information, directions, and program schedule, see  www.lonestarcon3.org/.

August 30-31 -- In Dallas, check out the 10^th annual Tulisoma South Dallas Book Fair, with activities at the African-American Museum in Fair Park, 3536 Grand Avenue, among other venues. The Heart and Soul cultural tour of South Dallas historical sites is currently filled, but check out the museum’s exhibits, lots of authors, and entertainment. Many activities free or moderately priced. See http://tulisoma.org/.

September 10 -- Richardson Reads One Book features The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. The Richardson Reads program was designed to bring residents of this Dallas suburb together. Previously, tickets were free but limited to Richardson residents. I’m hoping the program’s new venue at First United Methodist Church of Richardson, 503 North Central Expressway, with seating beginning at 6:45 p.m., will be roomy enough to seat nonresidents as well, but I’ll have not yet confirmed that with the Richardson Library. The Book Thief has been very popular with young adult readers locally, with Zusak making an appearance earlier this year at the Highland Park literary festival. And there’s a movie, scheduled for release in December. See http://onebook.cor.net/.

September 10 -- Also this date, public events from the Friends of SMU Libraries, beginning with lecture and book signing by historian James Reston, Jr., whose new book, The Accidental Victim, proposes a new theory about the assassination of President Kennedy. Reception at 6 p.m. in the Hughes-Trigg Ballroom on the SMU campus, followed by lecture and book signing. Free. For additional Friends events, see
http://smu.edu/libraries/friends/events/.

October 4-6 -- FenCon, the annual science fiction/fantasy convention at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 14315 Midway Road, in the Dallas suburb of Addison. Family-friendly events, including those especially for kids; panels by many local authors. New this year, a young authors’ short story contest, with deadline extended to September 20. For information, see www.fencon.org/.

October 15 -- Dallas Authors Live fall series begins at Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park, 1515 Harwood, at 7 p.m. with Dallas author Kathleen Kent. Kent hit the best seller lists with historical fiction about the Salem witch trials. Her latest book is The Outcasts, set in nineteenth century Texas. Admission to her discussion is free through October 10, $10 at the door. For more information, see www.dallasheritagevillage.org/.

October 19 -- The fourth annual Literature + Medicine conference adds a poetry lecture, 5-7:30 p.m., in the Fogelson Forum at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, 8200 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas. Keynote speaker is National Poetry Series award winner Dr. Rafael Campo. See also --

October 24 -- Literature + Medicine Conference, 5-7:30 p.m. in the same location, with keynote speaker John M. Barry, author of books on the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and the 1918 influenza epidemic. Cost is $15 for the poetry lecture, $25 for the Barry conference, with special rates for health care professionals. I attended last year and thoroughly enjoyed the format. Plus, the pre-lecture buffet is great! See
www.texashealth.org/.

October 26-27 -- Texas Book Festival, various venues around the State Capitol in Austin. Preliminary schedule and list of authors should start coming online in September. See www.texasbookfestival.org/.

November 8-10 -- Readers & ’ritas conference, Hilton Garden Inn -- Allen, 705 Central Expressway. Meet dozens of romance authors, including some locals, hear their discussions on your favorite topics, bring books to trade and donate (proceeds benefit Plano Family Literacy). Good food and bags of swag! See https://2013readers.eventbrite.com/.

And by the way, today, August 26, is the third anniversary of this blog. Ten friends read my first post -- how they found it I’ll never know, since even Google couldn’t locate the URL. Hundreds of posts and nearly twenty thousand views since, more than a thousand of you drop by each month. Hope you’re having as good a time as I am.