Beloved San Antonio Book Festival Reveals Stars List for 2022 Event

After being canceled in 2020 and going virtual in 2021 due to the pandemic, the San Antonio Book Festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary with in-person programming on Saturday, May 21. The annual free festival brings together a wide variety of authors from across Texas. and the nation, and this year’s lineup includes acclaimed authors like Jericho Brown, Julia Glass, Margo Jefferson, Natalie Diaz, Emma Straub, and more.

Held at the Central Library and the Southwest School of Art, the day-long event begins at 9:30 a.m. with an opening ceremony featuring remarks by Mayor Ron Nirenberg and special performances by poets Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson and Naomi Shihab. Nye.

“For our 10th anniversary, we couldn’t be more thrilled to return to the library in person, which was recently restored to its glorious ‘enchilada red’ hue,” festival executive director Lilly Gonzalez said in a statement. “Book festivals foster a sense of community and inspire people to think beyond their individual experiences. Reading is a solitary act, and over the past two years, Texas readers have been pushed deeper into isolation, with books serving as a vital gateway to connecting with the world. It is very special to be able to come together for this milestone year.

In addition to in-person events, the festival will also include an all-virtual tent with pre-recorded sessions from authors like Pulitzer Prize winner Margo Jefferson, poets David Hassler and Tyler Meier, and journalist Joshua Prager.

Texan authors abound in this year’s lineup, including Fernando A. Flores, whose book Valleyesque captures the spirit of the Texas-Mexico border. Austin novelists Sarah Bird and Stephen Harrigan will both be in attendance: Bird’s new novel, Last Dance on Starlight Pierbrings 1930s Galveston to life while Harrigan’s latest, The leopard is cowardlycaptures a young boy’s struggle to find his place in his family and country while growing up in 1950s America. Closer to home, the 2022 lineup features several familiar faces from San Antonio, such as the former San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger, new thriller Katie Gutierrez and Judge Nelson Wolff.

The family event will also feature children’s book authors, including local writers such as Cariño Cortez, chef at La Familia Cortez restaurants, whose book, Camila La Magica makes tamales, tells the story behind her family’s tamale-making tradition. Fellow San Antonian Stephen Briseño will promote his book, The Notebook Keeper: A story of kindness from the frontieran inspiring story about a mother and her daughter waiting to cross the border into the United States.

For more information on the San Antonio Book Festival and a full list of authors, visit sabookfestival.org. A detailed festival program will be available in April.