The second annual San Antonio Book Festival takes place on Saturday, April 5, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is a free, daylong family-friendly event downtown at the San Antonio Central Library and the Southwest School of Art. The big draw to the Book Festival is the many author presentations. There will also be book sales and signings, a literary marketplace, recipe demonstrations from cookbook authors, food truck fare, a Technology area and musical entertainment – un poquito de todo.
"San Antonio is a perfect place and this is a perfect time for a celebration of all the literay activity that goes on in town and it attracts a lot of attendees from out of town who want to listen," San Antonio's Poet Laureate Dr. Carmen Tafolla.
SESSIONS I'LL BE ATTENDING
… at least I'll be wishing I were attending. (Madres, you know how it goes when los niños are in tow. They can create the schedule by attention and demand. Hashtag Motherhood.)
These sessions feature some San Antonio Book Festival Latino authors and/or stories about Tejano and Mexican-American experiences. THIS is one reason I'm attending the festival.
The Son with Philipp Meyer** at 11:00am – 11:45am (Co-headlining SA Book Festival)
De Dónde Eres: Wrestling with Ethnicity with Michael Soto featuring writers Tim Z. Hernandez, Ito Romo and Mario Alberto Zambrano** at 1:00pm – 2:00pm. << Um, hello?! This is kinda my story!
Sandra Cisneros Performs from her New and Old Works at 1:00pm – 1:45pm (I know, it's the same time as the session above pero I haven't made up my mind on which session I'll attend. I want to be in two places at once.)
Sagrado: A Photopoetics Across the Chicano Homeland with Arturo Madrid, featuring writers Levi Romero and Spencer R. Herrera at 3:30pm – 4:30pm.
A Celebration of Emerging Voices with Carmen Tafolla, featuring writers Natalia O. Treviño, Fernando A. Flores and Roberto Montes at at 4:15pm – 5:15pm.
I had the absolute pleasure and honor of interviewing Dr. Carmen Tafolla and even she admitted there's so much to do on this ONE day. "It will be like last year when we will be grateful for what we catch. It's impossible to catch everyone but it gives it a fun dynamic. Come and be ready for the best of the best. The writers are going to select very carefully what they share," Dr, Tafolla said in regards to this year's book festival.
Visit http://www.saplf.org/festival/ for a full schedule and list of authors.
PARA LOS NIÑOS
As parents, we could use all the help we can get when it comes to getting our kids excited about reading. My first grader is at the point where he wants to read and pick out his own books. The Children's Reading Tent will feature author's reading from their own children's books. We brought home one of Xavier Garza's** Maximiliam books last year and he is a featured author this year. My son should be excited to get to hear a reading from the lucha libre author himself!
See the list of other featured children's books authors here.
Kids and families will also find fun interactive educational/art activities by My Story, the San Antonio Children’s Museum, Say Sí and Spare Parts; and exciting performances from the Magik Theatre. The Literacy Caravan will offer free books and the VIA Classroom On Wheels Bus—a specially designed ‘green’ hybrid bus—will highlight the benefits of public transportation.
Check out Family Love in My City's post on this year's bilingual and cultural featured books.
Literary Death Match
New this year to the festival is the addition of the Literary Death Match — a hilarious mix of “Def Jam Poetry” and “American Idol.” Held at The Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, the program is from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., with a cocktail reception and live music by “Cryin’ D.T. Buffkin & the Bad Breath” beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Literary Death Match is focused on the written word with four high profile authors performing their most electric works in seven minutes or less before a lively audience and a panel of all-star judges. As with pop culture programming “American Idol”, a panel of three high profile judges, take turns providing pointed, poignant and oftentimes hysterical commentary, as each match progresses to a positively absurd and comical climax to determine who takes home the Literary Death Match crown. The Death Match takes no prisoners in the authors’ quests to take home the top prize.
Individual tickets for 2nd floor mezzanine seating are $10 and include a cash bar while the $50 “Festival Reception Tickets” include table seating, a cocktail reception on the orchestra level with appetizers. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: http://www.saplf.org/events/literary-death-match.
**NOTE: Xavier Garza along with Philip Meyer and Mario Alberto Zambrano were recently named as finalists for the Texas Institute of Letters Awards for works published in 2013. Congratulations, writers!
