Lois Kim, Texas Book Festival

Overview of the Texas Book Festival

Did you know Austin is home to one of the largest and most prestigious literary festivals in the world? Founded in 1995 by First Lady Laura Bush, the Texas Book Festival brings over 250 critically acclaimed authors to Austin each year and has raised nearly $3 million to support libraries around the country. Find out how it all got started and what to expect at this year's festival - coming up in October!

About Our Speaker:

Lois serves as Texas Book Festival’s chief executive, responsible for managing staff, programs, operations, external relations, and resource development. An immigrant from Seoul, Korea, Lois grew up in Williamsville, New York. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in English from the University of Texas at Austin, where her research focused on Shakespeare and early modern culture. In her early career, she taught high school English and pursued graduate coursework from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. Prior to joining the Texas Book Festival, Lois served as the associate director of University Extension at UT Austin, where she managed student and academic affairs for college credit students. She also served on the board of the Austin Public Library Friends Foundation for six years, four of those as Vice President. Her husband, Phillip Reed, is a principal of Cotera + Reed Architects and they have two children: Sylvia (18) and Nate (15). Lois loves to cook, hike, and is a member of two bookclubs. Her favorite book genres are literary fiction across all centuries and memoir.

Agenda:

6:50am - Coffee & Networking 

7:10am - Breakfast Buffet

7:25am - Introductions & Announcements

7:50am - Speaker Introduction

8:20am - Q&A

8:30am - Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Directions and Parking to UT Club

Breakfast Fees & Policy