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The San Antonio Book Festival returns Saturday, April 11, turning downtown into a daylong celebration of books, ideas, and storytelling.
Organizers say the event will bring more than 100 authors to the Central Library and UTSA’s downtown campus, along with panels, performances, food trucks and activities for readers of all ages.
“The Book Festival is a completely free literary extravaganza,” said Literary Director Anna Dobben. “There are over 110 authors joining us, and readers can ask questions of the authors. There’s also going to be a theater performance, food trucks, activities and more.”
The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering visitors a chance to hear directly from writers and ask about their work and process.
This year, Texas Public Radio will be front and center in several of those conversations.
TPR’s Managing Editor Yvette Benavides will kick off festival programming Thursday evening with a pre-festival event. Benavides will be in conversation with Jenna Bush Hager and Julet Faithfull. Hager, TODAY show host and founder of the wildly popular Read with Jenna Book Club, will provide an inside look at her Thousand Voices publishing imprint and share her love of books—including Juliet Faithfull’s “Liar’s Dice.” This is a ticketed event. Find more information here.
At the festival on Saturday, Benavides will interview novelist Megha Majumdar about her award-winning novel “A Guardian and a Thief.”
TPR President and CEO Ashley Alvarado will lead a conversation with journalist and author Daniela Gerson about her new book “The Wanderers: A Story of Exile, Survival, and Unexpected Love in the Shadow of World War II.”
Senior reporter and host of “The Source” and “Texas Matters” David Martin Davies will moderate a conversation on immigrant stories, featuring Antero Garcia, who co-wrote “The Cost of Being Undocumented: One Woman’s Reckoning with America’s Inhumane Math,” and Gerardo Ivan Morales, co-author of “Detained: A Boy’s Journal of Survival and Resilience.”
TPR’s director of events and local comedian Tori Pool will moderate “Humor & Heart in Texas,” featuring San Antonio writer Lucie Frost, author of “How the Hell Did I Not Know That?: My Midlife Year from Couch to Curiosity,” and bestselling author Jenny Lawson, whose latest book is “How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay.”
TPR Morning Edition and “Fronteras” producer Marian Navarro will interview authors Julian Winters and Gabriella Gamez in a session on inclusive romance, featuring their novels “Last First Kiss” and “Kiss Me, Maybe.” The conversation will explore how the writers build tension, love and heartbreak into their stories.
Dobben said the goal of the festival is to connect readers across San Antonio with stories that spark curiosity and build a lasting love of books.
The festival also expands its offerings for younger audiences this year, including, for the first time, appearances by children’s book characters, along with interactive activities, family-friendly programming and a performance by the Magik Theatre.
Organizers say the lineup is designed to give young readers a chance to discover new books, meet authors and experience stories beyond the page.
