CultureMap Exclusive

Get read-y: 2011 Texas Book Festival to include east side Lit Crawl

How do you make the Texas Book Festival even cooler?

How about holding lit-themed evening events along a bevy of east side hangouts like Liberty, East Side Drive-In and Gypsy Lounge?

Yeah, that might do it.

Inspired by the awesome success of San Francisco's Litquake Festival, the good folks at the Texas Book Festival revealed to CultureMap Tuesday that they are currently planning the first ever Texas Book Festival Lit Crawl.

CultureMap got the exclusive first look at the special engagement which will include twenty big-name writers...

This event will be presented in partnership with American Short Fiction, the national literary journal that's edited right here in Austin. Together, these literary powerhouses and consummate party planners are putting together a night that you won't want to miss.

(Here's where you 'ooh' and 'ahh' in appreciation.)

This extravagant east side event will burst to life during one of the nights of the Festival (Oct 22 or 23) and span the stretch of 5th and 6th Streets east of I-35.

"The neighborhood feel is very important to us for this event," says TBF Executive Director Heidi Marquez Smith. "We want it to be fun for the authors and attendees, to really reflect Austin's spirit at nighttime."

CultureMap got the exclusive first look at the special engagement which will include twenty big-name writers of all genres (and age groups) that will be reading, signing autographs and enjoying Texas hospitality at many of our favorite east Austin spots.

TBF Literary Director Clay Smith is in charge of programming for this ambitious event. "Some authors will be coming to Austin specifically for the Lit Crawl," he points out. "Twenty authors as compared to the 224 present at the entire festival. This is going to be a big deal."

We can't provide all the names of the authors to y'all quite yet, but we'll be the first ones to let you know when the big (GIANT!) lineup gets finalized.

In the meanwhile, you can help us figure out the best ways to make an east side Lit Crawl the most kick-ass beer n' book event to ever happen in Austin!

What would you like to see included to really give these visiting authors a good dose of our weird little city?

unspecified

Make A Wish

Austin holiday bazaar with toys and home decor returns for 24th season

Photo courtesy of Blue Genie Art Bazaar

This approachable art market has finds fitting many preferences.

When the sometimes dreaded task of holiday shopping rolls around again, Austinites have a huge advantage. This city is full of artisan fairs, and that increases in the late fall with the arrival of markets like Blue Genie Art Bazaar, returning for its 24th year November 15 to December 24.

The local shopping market is virtually split between this and the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, with the latter market focusing more on fine art and live music, while the former takes a wider, more utilitarian approach. This year there are more than 200 regional vendors, many of whose catalogs feature items that nod to their Texas heritage, cute and funny knickknacks, and unique home goods.

A website organizes the vendors into 15 categories for easy browsing, including by material (wood, glass, ceramics), modality (photography, fine art, folk art), use (home decor, body care), and more. A legitimately well-balanced mix of products during past years means this is a good place to stop for multiple receivers on a shopper's list

Another edge this market has over the plethora of others popping up is an online store — which, attention Halloween-lovers, is active year-round. Customers can pick up online orders at the store or get them shipped around the United States.

It's still worth it to go in person; aside from enhanced browsing, there will also be a bar and snacks. And in addition to supporting local artists, a portion of sales each Monday also supports Make-a-Wish of Central & South Texas.

Blue Genie Art Bazaar coasters This mix-and-match coasters depict Austin landmarks that only locals know, including some that have closed.Photo courtesy of Blue Genie Art Bazaar

“We’re excited to welcome even more artists and artisans to this year’s Bazaar, making it a truly one-stop shopping destination for the holidays,” said BGAB co-owner Dana Younger in a press release.

The Blue Genie Art Bazaar is located at 6100 Airport Boulevard, and open daily from 10 am to 10 pm, except Christmas Eve (December 24) when it closes at 6 pm. More information is available at bluegenieartbazaar.shop.

gifts shopping holidays