AUSTIN, Texas — This weekend, a good chunk of Congress Avenue in Downtown Austin will be scattered with tents filled with books.
The 29th annual Texas Book Festival will be held on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17. Aside from tents, several locations – such as the State Theatre, First Baptist Church and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission – will serve as venues.
Marianne DeLeon, who is the chief executive officer of the festival, said there will be about 300 authors on hand partaking in discussions and celebrating their work.
"It will be a super enriching and uplifting, and sort of a delightful and inspiring weekend," DeLeon said. "There's so much to do, so much to eat, so many books to buy."
The event comes as Texas has been dealing with a string of book bans. Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law that bans or restricts materials in public school libraries and classrooms in Texas public schools.
There's also been a lengthy legal battle in Llano County over restricting books that are in the few public libraries.
Shirley Robinson, the executive director for the Texas Library Association, said Texas was at the top across the county when it came to the number of books banned in 2023. Robinson also mentioned that so far in 2024, there have already been thousands of titles either censored or restricted at Texas libraries.
"It's important to stay curious and make sure that you're open to ideas, even if they don't necessarily align with, you know, your particular ideas. Because somebody in a community may need access to that information," Robinson said.
Robinson acknowledged the range of free literary expression that comes with the Texas Book Festival.
"The festival really helps to highlight the importance of just sharing all of the ideas and perspectives that are brought by those authors," Robinson said.
During the event, DeLeon said there will be sessions with selected authors who have had their work censored. The sessions will allow the authors to make their case on their work.
"We believe in unfettered access to books without censorship, and I think it's a really great question to be able to ask the authors, authors who have been censored in the past," DeLeon said.
She added, "I know that there are some controversial books out there, but there are so many more that are not."
The Texas Book Festival endorsed the Freedom to Read Statement, which supports reading without restriction or censorship.
DeLeon pointed out that despite the ban, the purpose of the festival is for people to explore thousands of stories, of their liking, and find a little inspiration along the way.
"There is literally something for everyone," DeLeon said.