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Book Festival Kicks Off In October

By Terri Rimmer

The Writers’ League of Texas will participate in the Tenth Annual Texas Book Festival Oct. 28-30 in Austin at the state capitol.

The organization supports the professional endeavors of writers by providing online support, workshops, classes, retreats, monthly meetings, conferences, contests, scholarships, free electronic newsletter, discounts, lending library privileges, and seminars. You can join the league’s free online message board if you are a member by going to writersleague.org and signing up. They also have a Writers Helping Writers program, a critique service, awards, and a membership directory.

You can also volunteer with the league which is a non-profit organization. The league has over 1,500 members nationwide who are published and non-published writers as well as book lovers. Fifty percent of members live outside the Central Texas area.

The league is partially funded by the City of Austin and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Due to cuts at the state and national level the Writers’ League is no longer able to offer the Texas Literary Initiative which promoted Texas writers and literature. The program provided a venue for writers to take their art on the road.

A recent book pitching workshop at the 12th Annual Agents and Authors Conference presented by the League was sold out due to high demand.

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