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UT Press marks 75th anniversary with free Austin library celebration

UT Press has published more than 4,000 books since its inception in 1950.

Photo by Garrett Smith

Texas' largest publisher, University of Texas Press, is celebrating a milestone 75th anniversary with an all-day literary event featuring several UT Press authors at the Austin Central Library on Sunday, September 21.

The publishing house was founded in 1950 and has since released more than 4,000 books across all genres, not just academic studies. Popular works that have emerged from UT Press include James Beard Award-winning cookbook Yucatán by David Sterling and New York Times' bestseller Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest by Hanif Abdurraqib.

According to a press release, UT Press also fosters connections outside of the university space by partnering with local businesses, restaurants, and organizations throughout Austin to publish books such as The Soul of Fonda San Miguel, Screen to Screen: The Poster Art of Austin City Limits, and more.

"The press’s successful hybrid publishing model, working in both scholarly and trade publishing, includes works that span disciplines including anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art, film, food, music, and history ranging from Texas to Latin America, the Middle East, and beyond," the release says.

Austin mayor Kirk Watson will kick off the festivities at the Austin Central Library at 10 am by officially proclaiming the day as "University of Texas Press Day," and several UT Press author talks will follow until the event wraps up at 8 pm. The event is free and open to the public.

Local bookshop First Light Books will be onsite selling UT Press books during the event.

A full schedule of events is as follows (shortened from the release for readability):

10:30-11:15 am: Sarah Bird
Texas writer Sarah Bird will display photos from Juneteenth Rodeo, a collection of her photographs taken at small-town black rodeos in the late 1970s.

12-12:45 pm: David Hillis in conversation with Asher Elbein
David Hillis (Armadillos to Ziziphus: A Naturalist in the Texas Hill Country) and Asher Elbein (Dinosaurs and Other Ancient Animals of Big Bend) will discuss the natural diversity of Texas, threats to the state's wildlife, and environmental preservation efforts.

1:30-2:15 pm: Michael Hurd in conversation with Leonard Moore
Michael Hurd (Thursday Night Lights: The Story of Black High School Football in Texas) and Leonard Moore (Teaching Black History to White People) will reflect on the intersections of their work and discuss the connection between Black history and Texas football.

3-3:45 pm: Lisa Keefauver in conversation with Art Markman
Lisa Keefauver, author of Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss, and "Two Guys on Your Head" podcast host Art Markman will examine the psychology of grief.

4:15-5 pm: Toni Tipton-Martin in conversation with Adrian Liscombe
Culinary journalist Toni Tipton-Martin and Austin chef Adrian Lipscombe will discuss Tipton-Martin's career and the legacy of her James Beard Award-winning The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks.

5:30-6:15 pm: Stephen Harrigan in conversation with Ross McCammon
Essayist and novelist Stephen Harrigan and Texas Monthly editor in chief Ross McCammon will delve into Harrigan's latest book of essays, An Anchor in the Sea of Time.

7-7:45 pm: Hanif Abdurraqib in conversation with Jessica Hopper
Go Ahead in the Rain author Hanif Abdurraqib and Night Moves author Jessica Hopper will discuss their trailblazing careers and their partnership as series editors on UT Press' American Music Series.

austin public library university of texas at austin university of texas press events

holiday budgeting news

This is how much Austinites are budgeting for holiday gifts in 2025

Holiday gifts 2025, Christmas presents, gift giving

Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash

Austinites are expected to spend nearly $1,800 on their holiday gifts this year, the report found.

Residents living in Austin's well-to-do suburbs Cedar Park and Round Rock aren't stressing about stretching their holiday spending this year, according to a new report from WalletHub.

Cedar Park gift givers are expected to spend a whopping $3,028 on their festive presents, says WalletHub's 2025 "Holiday Budgets by City" report. Cedar Park ranked No. 31 in the report's list of U.S. cities with the largest holiday budgets.

To determine the U.S. cities with the biggest holiday budgets, WalletHub's experts compared 558 cities across five categories: Income, age, a debt-to-income ratio, residents' monthly income-to-monthly expenses ratio, and their savings-to-monthly expenses ratio.

According to the study's methodology, a consumer is considered to be in a "comfortable financial position to engage in holiday spending if they have: 1) enough emergency savings to cover at least six months of expenses and 2) a debt-to-income ratio smaller than 22 percent for a renter or 43 percent for a homeowner."

Cedar Park's current holiday budget is just $98 higher than it was in 2024, and it's also much higher than the $2,354 projected budget from the 2023 report.

Residents living in Cedar Park's festive neighbor Round Rock are expected to spend $2,641 on their holiday gifts this year, or $103 more than last year. According to WalletHub's ranking, this North Austin suburb has the 47th largest holiday budget nationwide in 2025.

Compared to its wealthy neighbors, Austin residents are expected to rein in their spending when compared to last year, the report revealed. Austin proper ranked 130th on the list with a $1,786 projected holiday budget this year, or $119 less than last year's budget.

Regardless of the dollar amount, Austinites should pay attention to their spending and pick a budget that works for their financial situation, experts say. The National Retail Federation expects holiday sales to surpass $1 trillion this year, and the report warns credit card debt is a major challenge faced by many Americans as they plan their holiday shopping sprees.

"The holidays bring plenty of joy, but they can also spark seasonal stress, much of it tied to overspending," the report's author wrote. "In Q3 2025, the average household carried $10,227 in credit card debt, up 2.3 percent from the year before, according to WalletHub data. Adding holiday shopping on top of that can quickly increase the financial strain, especially if balances roll into the new year."

The three U.S. cities that boast the loftiest holiday budgets are Palo Alto, California (No. 1); Mountain View, California (No. 2); and Newton, Massachusetts (No. 3). Palo Alto residents are expected to spend nearly $4,500 on their Christmas gifts this year, with the latter cities budgeting for $4,266 and $4,069, respectively.

Other Texas cities that ranked among the top 100 biggest holiday spenders include:

No. 4 – Flower Mound ($3,941)
No. 12 – Frisco ($3,491)
No. 19 – Pearland ($3,277)
No. 20 – The Woodlands ($3,265)
No. 22 – Sugar Land ($3,191)
No. 28 – Allen ($3,055)
No. 34 – League City ($2,997)
No. 40 – Plano ($2,812)
No. 55 – McKinney ($2,502)
No. 56 – Carrollton ($2,498)
No. 82 – Richardson ($2,146)
No. 96 – North Richland Hills ($1,985)

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