The Rotary Club of Alpine will host the WAY OUT WEST TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL to benefit the Alpine Public Library and its Marathon branch.
The multifaceted event is scheduled for August 8-9 at the Sul Ross Espino Conference Center.
Participants will gather at 7 p.m., Friday, August 8, for a Chuckwagon Supper and Songfest on the grounds of Kokernot Lodge, where singer/guitarist/author Mike Blakely will perform, and special invitees will be introduced. This ticketed event will require reservations.
Programs throughout the day Saturday, August 9, will feature authors who have written books on Western Fiction, Texas Rangers in Fact and Legend, Natural History of the Big Bend, and other such topics. These programs are free and open to the public. Some sessions will feature panels of authors hosted by a moderator, while others will highlight one or two authors.
On Saturday, August 9, authors and publishers may rent booth space in the reception area of the conference center to sell their books to the visiting public.
A Grand Silent Auction will take place during the day in a designated area of the Espino center. In order to bid, attendees must have purchased tickets for either the Chuckwagon Supper or the Saturday Night Banquet Finale, a dressy affair with a gourmet menu with the evening entertainment provided by our honorary chairperson Kinky Friedman. The auction will end just as the banquet begins at 7:30 p.m. Auction winners will be announced at 9:30 p.m. Winners must be present to claim their items.
To date, authors Elmer Kelton, Jim Glendinning, Mike Blakely, Sharon Spinks, Joaquin Jackson, Bobby Byrd, Lee Merrill Byrd, Tim McKenzie, Denise Chavez, David Carlton, Joe Nick Patoski, Roy Morey, Benjamin Saenz, Sarah Bird, Larry Thomas, Mike Cox, James H. Evans, Bob Kinford, William MacLeod, The University of Texas Press, Texas Tech University Press, Cinco Puntos Press, Iron Mountain Press, Texas A&M University Press, TCU Press, have made plans to attend.
"We expect a great deal of enthusiasm for this event," said Festival Committee Chair Wanda B. Morgan. "We have just begun to fill in the dots in what we hope will become a premier literary festival for the entire state."
Committee members Jean Hardy and Arlene and Steve Griffis round out the planning group, which is actively seeking volunteers and participants. Authors, publishers, journalists, and other publishing professionals, as well as those individuals with interest in supporting the Alpine Public Library, are encouraged to contact Arlene Griffis at info@wowtxbookfestival.com(or 432-386-4695) or any member of the committee.