 "Photo: Curt Youngblood/The Daily Texan")
This weekend, authors and book lovers came together at the 14th Texas Book Festival, an event held annually on the grounds of the Texas Capitol.
The festival drew readers of all ages from across the state to celebrate a shared love of literature. The Texas Book Festival promotes literature and literacy, celebrates local authors and financially benefits state public libraries through a grant program.
Each year, the festival includes live music performances, author discussion panels and presentations, local food and an endless supply of books to browse.
The area surrounding the Capitol building was transformed into a literary carnival complete with tents, balloons and, of course, funnel cake. In place of crafts and livestock, most vendors sold books, the most impressive display belonging to Penguin Group.
“It’s like an orphanage. You want each book to go to the right family,” said Howard Wall, the director of national field marketing for Penguin Group, about the company’s collection of merchandise.
The Texas Book Festival also gave readers the opportunity to learn about and purchase from smaller local publishing houses they may have never been exposed to, such as Shearer Publishing and Maverick Publishing Company.
In the display tents, nonprofits involved with issues of literacy or writing promoted and raised awareness about their organizations.
The Cooking Tent, sponsored by Central Market, presented culinary masters such as chef Rebecca Rather, author of “Pastry Queen Parties: Entertaining Friends and Family, Texas Style,” and Ellie Krieger, star of Food Network’s “Healthy Appetite.” The chefs talked about their books and demonstrated their cooking techniques in a portable kitchen underneath the tent.
Italian chef Lidia Matticchio Bastianich entertained her packed crowd with stories about cooking for the Pope.
“I just took the Pope’s hand and cut the cake,” said the chef to the delight of her audience.
In the Music Tent, the eccentric Kinky Friedman drew a large crowd, while other musical guests included La Guerrilla and Patricia Vonne.
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