AUSTIN – The Texas Center for the Book continues its #TXBookChat series with a sixth season of the popular virtual literary video series.

#TXBookChat offers brief discussions with authors, librarians and literary professionals. These informal “coffee chats” last about 30 minutes and offer a quick look into different aspects of the state’s literary world. The #TXBookChat series seeks to bring together a variety of voices and perspectives. This online program from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission launched in 2020.

Season six of #TXBookChat will present four new pre-recorded conversations, available now at www.tsl.texas.gov/txbookchat and on the TSLAC YouTube channel.

Texas Talking Book Program: An Inside Look, with TBP Public Awareness Coordinator Jaclyn Owusu and Readers' Advisory and Youth Librarian Kayleigh Matheson. Learn all about the program, including who is eligible to receive free audio, braille, and large print books; what types of materials are in the collections; how it works; and how to apply.

Setting the Scene: A Discussion on the Life and Literary Legacy of Larry McMurtry, with authors Beverly Lowry and Stephen Harrigan and Archer Public Library Director Gretchen Abernathy-Kuck. We’re zooming into focus   on Archer City’s brand new National Literary Landmark honoring prolific Texas writer Larry McMurtry, author of Lonesome Dove, The Last Picture Show and more than 50 other novels, essays and screenplays.

Out of the Stacks! Impeached: The Removal of James E. Ferguson, with the book’s author, historian Dr. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky and TSLAC Education Outreach Coordinator Peggy Price. Together they will take a deeper dive into the fascinating research and history behind Dr. Brannon-Wranosky’s biography of the (in)famous former governor.

2022 Texas Great Read: Indelible Ann, with author Meghan P. Browne and illustrator Carlynn Whitt. Join us for a discussion of their award-winning book, Indelible Ann: The Larger-Than-Life Story of Governor Ann Richards. Chosen as the Texas Center for the Book’s 2022 Texas Great Read and for the 2023-2024 Texas Library Association’s Bluebonnet Master List, this gorgeous picture book inspires readers of all ages through the life and legacy of the second woman elected Governor of Texas.

“We are excited to be sharing another great season of #TXBookChat,” said Texas Center for the Book Coordinator Rebekah Manley. “This virtual series has been a great platform for Texas book lovers to connect with writers, librarians, literacy advocates, historians and each other. And because the program is online, #TXBookChat is not only statewide—it’s worldwide.”

For more information on the series, contact Manley at tcfb@tsl.texas.gov or 512-936-2505. For more information on other Texas Center for the Book initiatives visit www.tsl.texas.gov/centerforthebook.

Established in 1987, the Texas Center for the Book seeks to stimulate public interest in books, reading, literacy and libraries. The Center builds partnerships with library professionals, educators, authors, publishers and booksellers who provide support to our shared mission of promoting a love of literature throughout the Lone Star State. The Texas Center for the Book is under the direction of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission at the Lorenzo De Zavala State Archives and Library Building in Austin, Texas.

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The Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides Texans access to the information they need to be informed, productive citizens by preserving the archival record of Texas; enhancing the service capacity of public, academic and school libraries; assisting public agencies in the maintenance of their records; and meeting the reading needs of Texans with disabilities. For more information, visit tsl.texas.gov.