The Garcia Middle School in Houston welcomed more than 700 guests for the 12th annual Bookworm Festival, which took place on February 1. This year’s festival, first founded in 2014 and hosted by local bookstore Blue Willow Bookshop, included author panels, activities, and a mass author signing to close. Author attendee and Books Are Magic bookstore owner Emma Straub said of the event, “The whole program was totally bilingual, and the students were as diverse as Texas, which is to say, very. They were charming and smart and sweet, as were their parents. If the future of Texas looks like that, we are going to be all right.” We’ve gathered highlights from the festivities. All photos by Noah Nofz and Mary Cate Stevenson.
(From l.): Bookworm Festival featured authors Linda Liu, Beth Ferry, Emma Straub, Anna Menon, Keri Vasek, Juana Martinez-Neal, Liz Garton Scanlon celebrate together.
Liz Garton Scanlon meets readers during a book signing.
Anna Menon (l.) and Keri Vasek (r.) take a photo with a reader.
Linda Liu (l.) and a Bookworm volunteer translator during a drawing demonstration.
Carmen Agra Deedy speaks to guests.
Tom Lichtenheld (l.) and Beth Ferry with attendees.
Juana Martinez-Neal chats with fans.
Kirk Reedstrom presents his book.
Emma Straub greets young readers.
Linda Liu (r.) with a guest during a book signing.
