KUT and Texas Standard Staffers to Moderate 2026 Texas Book Festival Panels

Visitors to the 2026 Texas Book Festival in downtown Austin will hear from familiar local media figures this weekend. KUT News and Texas Standard staff members are scheduled to moderate eight separate sessions on November 14 and 15. These events cover topics ranging from contemporary romance to global conflicts and Texas storytelling.

The festival schedule lists specific times and locations for each appearance. On Saturday, November 14, Sarah Asch of Texas Standard will moderate a 10 a.m. session in the YA HQ Tent. This panel features authors J. Elle, Sandra Proudman, and Qurratulayn discussing dystopian romance and dark fantasy. At noon, Greta Díaz González Vázquez from KUT News will lead a Spanish-language discussion in the Leamos Tent. Authors Daisy Hernández and Adriana Ramírez will explore global conflicts through memoir.

Further Saturday sessions include a 12:15 p.m. panel moderated by Kailey Hunt of KUT News. She will speak with Naina Kumar, Mayra Cuevas, and Marie Marquardt about romance and humor. At 1:15 p.m., Jennifer Stayton from KUT News will moderate a conversation with Laura Mauldin and Lucy Schiller about caregiving and aging. Shelley Brisbin of Texas Standard will moderate a 2:45 p.m. conversation with Jim Windolf at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Windolf will discuss the cultural influence of Bob Dylan and the Beatles.

Sunday, November 15, features two additional appearances. Corrie MacLaggan, executive editor at KUT News, will moderate a 11:45 a.m. discussion in Room E2.026 of the Capitol Extension. Authors Daniela Gerson and Adriana E. Ramírez will share personal experiences and historical perspectives. The final listed event occurs at 3 p.m. in the Texas Tent presented by Texas Monthly. W.F. Strong, a commentator for Texas Standard, will share tales and cultural insights from his book, Stories from Texas: Some of Them Are True.