Rows of white tents and thousands of book lovers will pack the University of Arizona campus at the eighth annual Tucson Festival of Books, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 12-13.
We plucked five highlights from among the presentations by about 400 authors and hundreds of literacy-related activities:
Titles Weβre Talking About
Cynthia Bond, author of the critically acclaimed debut novel βRubyββ a pick for Oprahβs Book Club 2.0 β joins Mary Kubica, who wrote βThe Good Girlβ and βPretty Baby,β and B.A. Shapiro, author of βThe Muralist,β for a discussion of their fiction at 10 a.m. in Modern Languages, Room 350.
The Hubbell Trading Post talk
Unravel the artistry of Navajo rug weaving with experts from the oldest continuously operating trading post in the Southwest at 11:30 a.m. in the National Parks Experience.
βStar Wars,β βthe Shannara
Chroniclesβ and βOutlanderβ
From Book to Screen and Back: Diane Gabaldon, author of the βOutlanderβ novels; Terry Brooks, author of the Shannara, Landover and Word & Void series; and Chuck Wendig, author of βStar Wars: Aftermath,β prequel to the latest βStar Warsβ movie, βThe Force Awakens,β discuss their behind-the-scenes experiences as their creative visions were brought into live action at 1 p.m. in the Student Union North Ballroom.
National Parks
Service Centennial Keynote
Douglas Brinkley and Timothy Egan discuss the roles of Teddy Roosevelt and FDR in preserving the American wilderness at 1 p.m. in the Koffler Building, Room 204.
Lindley Lopez Literary Circus
A Mid-Summer Night Circus twists, turns and tumbles at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the circus area east of Science City.
How much
Admission is free.
Advance tickets were available to some venues, including the Student Union North Ballroom and Modern Languages, Room 350.
If you donβt have a ticket, be prepared to wait in line β 25 percent of the venue seats are held for walk-ups.
In case you get hungry
There are more than 25 food vendors serving sandwiches, pizza and snacks. Find their menus and prices at tucsonfestivalofbooks.org
Parking
Free in the Park Avenue and Highland Avenue garages and surface lots. Pay $5 in the Cherry Avenue, Sixth Street, Tyndall Avenue and Main Gate garages.
Get the app
Find a parking map, last-minute schedule changes, author presentation times and locations, exhibitors and their book signings with a click of your iPhone and Android devices.
Tucson Festival of Books mobile apps are a handy guide through the festival. Find the iPhone version in the iTunes Store. Download the Android version from the festival website, tucsonfestivalofbooks.org, or the Google Play store.
