Literary Celebrities

Shannon, Orlean and Lehrer slated for Texas Book Festival Gala

Molly Shannon
Jim Lehrer
Susan Orlean
Jon Scieszka

The literary stars are coming out big and bright for this year's Texas Book Festival First Edition Literary Gala.

Jim Lehrer, Molly Shannon and Susan Orlean are among the night's honored guests. Children's author Jon Scieszka will join them as the night's emcee for this year's Gala, scheduled for Oct 21 at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Lehrer is the former host of PBS's NewsHour and recently released Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain. Shannon is a former Saturday Night Live cast member and the author of children's book Tilly the Trickster. And novelist Orlean (famously portrayed by Meryl Streep in the movie Adaptation) has a new historical book called Rin Tin Tin: The Life and Legend.

Scieszka is the author of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Fairy Tales and his soon to be released book SPACEHEADZ: SPHDZ Book #3!. As the inaugural National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, he's regarded as one of the best advocates for children's literacy in America. TBF organizers are thrilled to have Scieszka back as host after he delighted the audience at the Gala two years ago with his mix of sincerity and hilarity.

"The Book Festival relishes this fantastic celebration of a variety of authors who are at the heart of all the rich creative content we offer during the Festival weekend," said TBF Executive Director Heidi Marquez Smith. "It's invaluable to get a chance to hear their personal thoughts and observations."

To reserve a table at the Gala that kicks it all off, visit the TBF website. The funds raised make it possible for TBF to keep the Book Festival free to all atendees as well as provide grants to Texas libraries and literacy outreach programs in economically disadvantaged schools.

After the Gala, the Book Festival will feature two days of panels, performances and book sales and signings throughout downtown Austin. This year will also include an inaugural nighttime Lit Crawl through the bars, venues and meeting spaces of East Sixth Street.

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Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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