On November 16 and 17, the Texas Book Festival will once again take over much of downtown near the Capitol Building; and on September 19, the full lineup of authors and speakers was announced.

This year is going to be a good one.

For book-lovers, the Texas Book Festival is bigger than ACL, and these are the literary rockstars. Among the nearly 300 esteemed writers are two "headliners" (so to speak): Canadian journalist and author Malcom Gladwell, Austin's number one mascot, actor Matthew McConaughey. They'll be joined by Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley, poet and NPR-deemed "genius" Hanif Abdurraqib, bestselling author Claire Messud, and many others.

Note: although most of the events at the Book Festival are free, attendees will have to get tickets to see Gladwell and McConaughey. Gladwell’s session will include a Q&A highlighting his latest book, Revenge of the Tipping Point, and McConaughey will sit down with director Richard Linklater to celebrate the paperback release of his book, Greenlights. These two ticketed events will take place Saturday and Sunday, respectively, both at the First Baptist Church.

Here's a preview of the full list, as excerpted in the announcement:

• Matthew McConaughey
• Malcolm Gladwell
• Rumaan Alam
• Jay Ellis
• Ernest Cline
• Jane Smiley
• Attica Locke
• Rachel Khong
• Hanif Abdurraqib
• Cristina Rivera Garza
• Michele Norris
• Stephen Graham Jones
• Paola Ramos
• Kazu Kibuishi
• Jean Hanff Korelitz
• Claire Messud
• Bret Anthony Johnston

In addition to releasing this stacked list of authors, today the Texas Book Festival unveiled its brand new website, noting it's "stepping into a new digital era." The new website looks cleaner and bolder, and it feels a bit like stepping into a well-lit children's library. (In a good way.)

It makes sense that the Texas Book Festival would need to undergo a little digital makeover every few years; after all, this festival is nearly 30 years old. It was originally founded in 1995 by former librarian-turned First Lady of Texas Laura Bush, as well as philanthropist Mary Margaret Farabee. Its purpose was simple: to honor Texas authors, promote the joys of reading, and benefit the state's public libraries. The first festival took place in November the following year, and ever since, it has been a fall tradition.

What started mostly as a showcase for Texas authors has now expanded to included authors from all over the world. Additionally, the Texas Book Festival now runs literary programs throughout the year including the Real Reads and Reading Rock Stars programs, which donate funds to public libraries and books to Title I schools.

Like years before, events will be held at the capitol in surrounding tents, nearby churches, and other venues.Photo courtesy of Becky Gomez via texasbookfestival.org

Though this year's more detailed schedule won't be published until October, the format will be the same as usual, with author presentations and panels, book signings, cooking demonstrations, food trucks, programs and activities for kids of all ages, and vendors from across the country.

“This year’s Festival Weekend will feature a diverse ensemble of literary voices to engage readers of all ages,” said Book Festival director Hannah Gabel in a press release. “Attendees can expect lively conversations with high-profile creators, author signings, storytimes and interactive family-friendly activities, teen-focused programming, cooking demonstrations, poetry readings, [and] discussions about timely issues, as well as bilingual sessions in English and Spanish. We believe that reading and access to literature is essential, so we’re proud to present a Festival that includes something for everyone.”

These events will take place within the Capitol itself, as well as in giant, circus-sized popup tents all along Congress Avenue, 11th Street, and the surrounding streets. As the festival now draws in about 50,000 visitors, nearby buildings are also commonly used for event space, like First United Methodist Church, the Paramount Theatre, Central Presbyterian Church, First Baptist Church, and the Contemporary Art Museum.

There will be plenty of books looking for new homes.Photo by Jose Rodriguez via Texas Book Festival

Saturday night will see the fan-favorite Lit Crawl in East Austin. In the past, this Lit Crawl has included things like a live episode of the Literary Death Match podcast, a large-scale version of a common writing exercise, and a storytelling event inspired by The Moth. Plus drinks!

Of course all of this means, if you're not a book fan, you may want to steer clear of the Capitol area in mid-November. The rest of us will be counting down the days until this Lalapalooza of Literature.

For more information on the Texas Book Festival visit texasbookfestival.org.