If you’re in Austin this weekend for the Texas Book Festival, please join me Saturday night at the Texas State Cemetery and Sunday afternoon at the Capitol. (Customize your own festival calendar here.)

If you’re in the Dallas area on Tuesday, please join me at 7 p.m. at a Real Bookstore in Fairview as I read from, discuss, and sign Can I See Your I.D.? You can even ask if you can see my I.D. I promise you nobody else has ever done that.

And if you’re in Austin this weekend and in the Dallas area on Tuesday, please know that you’ve got an excellent chance to make me your best friend for life.

Here are the details on the Texas Book Festival events I’ll be participating in:

A Convergence of Souls
a collaboration with Austin Bat Cave featuring the Festival’s young adult writers
Date: Saturday, October 22, 2011
Time: 9:00 – 9:45
Location: Lit Crawl: Texas State Cemetery

What’s spookier than a slew of the nation’s finest young adult authors all gathered together in one place? Well, a lot actually – that sounds downright pleasant. But did we mention they’re gathering in the Texas State Cemetery, where the hallowed graves of countless former statesmen (and sometime ghosts) pass their grim vigil? OK, so it might be more than a little spooky, but terror aside, this collection of sheer talent should make for a rather fun evening. You’ll get to meet the writers (listed below), hear them talk about their newest books, and maybe even watch them compete for literary glory. And don’t worry, we promise to keep the prospect of your looming mortality to, you know, a minimum. Bring a blanket and flashlight!

Authors:
Jennifer Ziegler
Margaret Stohl
Cynthia Leitich Smith
Joe Schreiber
Alex Sanchez
Louis Sachar
David Rice
Kathy Reichs
Shelia P. Moses
Barry Lyga
David Levithan
Joe R. Lansdale
Ellen Hopkins
Kami Garcia
Sarah Dessen
James Dashner
Rosemary Clement-Moore
Libba Bray
Chris Barton
Jay Asher
Jessica Lee Anderson
Jill S. Alexander
Emceed By: Kathleen Houlihan

Kids Read Nonfiction, Too!
Date: Sunday, October 23, 2011
Time: 2:00 – 3:00
Location: Capitol Extension Room E2.012

We often recall childhood reading as the time when books we love took us to other worlds, times, and people. But those books aren’t always fiction – well-crafted nonfiction for kids and adolescents engage us in the actual world, without feeling like homework. Come listen to Chris Barton, Jeanette Larson, and Elaine Scott in conversation about how they connect with readers.

Moderator and children’s author Anne Bustard is a former children’s bookseller and teacher, avid listmaker, and fan of Kailua Beach.