Meet the Authors

This weekend, I had a chance to go to the Texas Book Festival in Austin. It's a free annual event held at the capitol. The festival is a combination of events ripe for writers, readers and listeners. Within the capitol, there are many sessions to choose from and there is such a variety that it is sometimes difficult to decide what you're willing to miss.

I attended both days, about 6 hours each day. On Saturday, I listened to Kristen Gore, Lynne Cheney, Jenna Bush, Josh Piven and Mark Penn. On Sunday, I listened to Michael Lindsay, Carl Bernstein, Todd Gitlin, Roy Blount Jr., and Douglas Brinkley.

At the end of each session, the speaker/author went to the "signing" tent where you could have them autograph their book (that you bought at the adjacent Barnes & Noble bookstore tent or brought from home).

In most cases, I hadn't planned on buying their book but after listening to them speak and feeling a connection with them, all I could think of was getting their book - and their signature. I did that with Jenna Bush, Mark Penn, Carl Bernstein and Douglas Brinkley. At the bookstore, in the collection of new books, there were already-autographed copies, presumably from a surplus of ones that the author had signed within the last few hours. At any rate, I bought "autographed copies" of books by Lynne Cheney, Josh Piven, and Kay Bailey Hutchison. Kay's speaking session conflicted with another one I went to but I was still very interested in her book (and her autograph).

So, after purchasing all those books, this "free" event cost me over $200. The up side is that I saw and heard the author in person, was greeted by Jenna's Secret Service Agents, told Carl Bernstein that he uses the word "obfuscate" alot, wandered the halls of the capitol, and sat at the desks of two Texas Senators.

Truly, it was two wonderful days in which to experience freedom of speech - in the capital city of the Great State of Texas.


My Saturday Sessions:
Kristen Gore, "Sammy's House"
Lynne Cheney, "Blue Skies, No Fences: A Memoir of Childhood and Family"
Jenna Bush, "Ana's Story"
Josh Piven, "Bad vs. Worse: The Ultimate Guide to Making Lose-Lose Decisions"
Mark Penn, "Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes"

My Sunday Sessions:
Michael Lindsay, "Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite"
Carl Bernstein, "A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton"
Todd Gitlin, "The Bulldozer and the Big Tent: Blind Republicans, Lame Democrats, and the Recovery of American Ideals"
Roy Blount, Jr., "Long Time Leaving: Dispatches from Up South"
Douglas Brinkley, "The Reagan Diaries"