Ticketed Events

Limited quantities of books will be available by publishers. Full sets of the TBA books will not be provided.

Ticket Price: $79 members/ $89 non-members.

2026 Authors:

Sarah Beth Durst is the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty-five books for adults, teens, and kids, including cozy fantasy, The Spellshop. She’s been awarded an American Library Association Alex Award, as well as a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Several of her books have been optioned for film/television, including Drink Slay Love, which was made into a TV movie and was a question on Jeopardy! She lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband, her children, and her ill-mannered cat.

May Cobb is the bestselling author of five previous novels, including The Hunting Wives, now a Netflix series. Her essays have appeared in the Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, and Texas Highways. She lives in Austin with her family where she has a love-hate relationship with the summer heat.

Jean Kwok is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Leftover Woman, Searching for Sylvie Lee, Girl in Translation, and Mambo in Chinatown. Her books have been chosen by Read with Jenna, a Good Morning America Buzz pick, CBS New York, Book of the Month, LibraryReads, Indie Next, Goodreads Choice Awards, Belletrist, and Discover Great New Writers, and most of her work is in development for film and television. She has been selected for numerous honors, including the American Library Services Association Alex Award, the Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award, and the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award international shortlist. She received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and earned an MFA from Columbia University. She reviews for The New York Times Book Review and has served as judge for International Thriller Writers, Tucson Festival of Books, Ragdale, and San Miguel Writers Conference, and her work has been published in twenty countries and is taught in schools across the world. She lives in the New York area.

Lindsay Linton Buk is an artist, photographer, and fifth-generation Wyoming native – originally from the small farm town of Powell. Lindsay worked as a commercial photographer in New York City and taught photography workshops for Canon before returning to Wyoming to found her photography studio. Her portrait work has appeared in Outside and Southwest magazines. Her Women in Wyoming project has generated national acclaim, with features on Forbes.com and the Travel Channel, among others. In addition to her creative work, Lindsay serves on the board for the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, which works towards economic self-sufficiency and opportunities for girls in Wyoming.

 Patrick Ness is the author of the critically acclaimed and best-selling Chaos Walking trilogy, as well as Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody and it sequel, Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody: The Hat of Great Importance. He wrote the #1 New York Times bestseller A Monster Calls (inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd), which won both the Carnegie Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal, was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist, and was made into a major motion picture for which he wrote the screenplay. He is also the author of More Than This, Release, Different for Boys, The Rest of Us Just Live Here, and Burn. His many accolades include two Carnegie Medals, an Olivier Award, the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the BookTrust Teenage Prize, and the Costa Children’s Book Award. Patrick Ness lives in Los Angeles and London.

A special event that has spanned almost two decades, this session features a popular author sharing insights into their process and latest work. The Ashley Bryan Award, honoring a Black author for their body of work, will be presented. 

Ticket Price: $60 members/ $70 non-members

2026 Speaker:

Karyn Parsons is best known for her role as Will Smith’s cousin Hilary Banks on NBC’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After leaving acting behind, Karyn has gone on to found and produce Sweet Blackberry, an award-winning series of children’s animated films, to share stories about unsung Black heroes in history, featuring narration from stars such as Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah, and Chris Rock. The videos have been screened on HBO and Netflix, and enjoyed by schools and libraries across the country. She is the author of Clouds over California and How High the Moon. Karyn lives with her family in Providence, Rhode Island.

2026 Ashley Bryan Award Winner:

Keenan Jones is an author and educator based in Plymouth, Minnesota. Keenan worked as an elementary school teacher and is the founder of the educational nonprofit Literacy for Freedom. Saturday Morning at the ’Shop is his debut picture book. Learn more at KeenanJWrites.com.

The Texas Tea is a wonderful time to gather together to meet an impressive array of YA authors, hear all about their latest releases, and connect with other YA librarians. Similar to a speed-dating event, authors move between tables to book talk and chat about their book(s). 

Ticket Price: $43 members/ $53 non-members.

Featuring a panel of popular bestselling authors who will share their insights, stores and experiences, this is a must-attend event for literature enthusiasts. In addition to celebrating literary success, the event honors library supporters with the presentation of the TLA Benefactor Award. Presented by the TLA Library Friends Advocates Trustees Round Table (LiFTA). 

Ticket Price: $65 members/ $75 non-members.

Christian Robinson is an illustrator, author, animator, and designer. He is a Caldecott Honoree and illustrator of #1 New York Times bestsellers Last Stop on Market Street (by Matt de la Peña), The Bench (by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex), and Something, Someday (by Amanda Gorman). His solo projects include Dad; Another, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book; and the New York Times bestseller You Matter. He has won three Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honors, including one for Nina: A Story of Nina Simone (by Traci Todd).

Maria Semple is the bestselling author of Today Will Be Different, Where’d You Go, Bernadette, and This One Is Mine. Her novels have been translated into forty languages. Before writing fiction, Maria wrote for TV. She lives in New York.

The Toast to Library Pioneer Joe Dahlstrom honors Dr. Joe F. Dahlstrom for his distinguished leadership in Texas librarianship and service to communities. A past TLA President, Interim Executive Director, and Texas Library Journal contributor, he also held leadership roles in ALA and TCAL.

Beyond libraries, Joe contributed to Rotary, historical preservation, and the arts. This program celebrates his lasting impact on libraries, higher education, and cultural life across Texas. 

Ticket Price: $40 member/$50 non-member.

Join TASL for an event celebrating collaboration between teachers and librarians! This ticketed event consists of breakfast, activities, a keynote speaker exclusive to our attendees, and registration to the Texas Library Association’s Annual Conference for Tuesday.

The goal of Teacher Day@TLA is for classroom teachers, who experience this event and a TLA conference, to return to their districts as library advocates and collaborators – and perhaps become librarians themselves. 

Ticket Price: $35 for librarians registered for conference; $155 for teachers (includes access to exhibit hall and conference sessions that day)

2026 Speaker:

Gordon Korman is the beloved author of over one hundred novels for young readers, including hilarious middle-grade classics such as the Macdonald Hall series, I Want to Go Home, and Slacker. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Gordon grew up in Thornhill, Ontario, and now lives in New York with his family. Visit him online at link opens in a new windowgordonkorman.com. Photo by Sonya Sones.

Join us for this exciting event to meet authors and illustrators whose works are included on the 2026-2027 Texas Bluebonnet Award List. Authors and illustrators will share their experiences and inspirations, while committee members present best practices and book-specific resources to promote a lifelong love of reading. Limited quantities of some of the books will be made available by publishers to attendees on a first-come, first served basis. Full sets of the TBA books will not be provided.

Ticket Price: $65 members/ $75 non-members.