The Woodlands arts festival adds new medium: the word
The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival will welcome a festival-within-a-festival with new literary event in April.
The literary festival set for April 14-16 will “celebrate the art of words,” incorporating readings and signings of local and national authors. Books on the Green will be part of the broader Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival, which welcomed 23,000 visitors to Town Center’s Tom Green Park in 2022. The arts and literary events will take place at the same place and time, and tickets will apply to both festivals.
The idea was pitched by Teresa Kenney, who opened local independent bookstore Village Books in 2021. Kenney said the Woodlands Waterway Arts Council was immediately supportive of the event, which Village Books will host.
“This is a festival that I’ve loved going to since I moved here 10 years ago, and to be a part of it is a little overwhelming,” Kenney said. “Having events like this and authors that come up into this area can open that up that world to people who wouldn’t normally take the time to drive into Houston for something like this.”
Featured local authors include Michael Hurd, whose book “Thursday Night Lights” chronicles Black high school football in Houston and was named one of the Chronicle’s “30 Most Essential Books about Texas”; Montgomery County Poet Laureate Dede Fox; feel-good romance author and The Woodlands native Rachel Magee; and Texas Bluebonnet Master List member Alda P. Dobbs.
Other nationally-acclaimed authors include Kimberly Garza, who wrote the novel “The Last Karankawas” set in Galveston, North Carolinabased Meagan Church, whose latest book has been compared to “Where the Crawdads Sing;" and “reigning queen of comfort reads” Katherine Center. American Royals author Katharine McGee, screenwriter and author Susan McCauley and thriller and romance author Ashley Winstead also will attend the event.
Three children’s authors, NASA trailblazer Sharon McDougle and chemical engineer Tracy Borgmeyer, will be featured at the Childrens’ Museum’s Artopoly stage during the fest.
“They’ve written really, really wonderful books that range over a number of genres including mystery and history and romance and, contemporary literature,” Kenney said. “It’s just a really broad range, and I think it will appeal to a lot of people.”
The event will begin with an authors’ panel for aspiring writers Friday. Authors will then present their book onstage and conduct readings and signings after their presentation. Librarians with the Montgomery County Memorial Library system will also sign attendees up for free library cards and conduct art-themed games and activities. Attendees can also sign their name as part of a written word artwork pieced together by local artist Marlo Saucedo, with proceeds from the artwork going to scholarships for young writers in Montgomery County.
The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival is the No. 1 arts festival in Texas and the No. 6 in the country based on artists’ sales ranked by Art Fair Sourcebook, The Woodlands Waterway Arts Council marketing and programs manager Claire Karl said.
For the first time, the former two-day festival will stretch to three days this year. Sponsored by Fidelity Investments, the 2023 festival’s featured artist is 82-year-old Santa Fe ceramicist Cathra-Ann Barker.
“It is a truly one of a kind experience to be able to be looking at and experiencing so much fine art in one place from all over the world while going along the waterway and sipping a glass of wine,” Karl said. “It’s also incredible, if you have young kids, to expose them to a lot of different kinds of art at one time.”
The festival will run from 1-5 p.m. April 14, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. April 15 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 16 at Tom Green Park. Tickets start at $16 and are $28 for the entire weekend. Children younger than 12 are admitted for free. Buy tickets at thewoodlandsartscouncil.org.