Each year, Texas Book Festival presents the Texas Writer Award — formerly known as the Bookend Award — to an esteemed writer in recognition of outstanding contributions to Texas literature. TBF’s Author Selection Committees consider adult fiction and nonfiction writers, children’s book authors, journalists, and screenwriters when nominating candidates for the award. Nominees are evaluated on originality, literary achievement, and the impact of their body of work. The award recipient is honored during a public session at the Texas Book Festival.

2024 Recipient

Nye NaomiShihab Headshot

Palestinian-American writer, editor, and educator Naomi Shihab Nye grew up in St. Louis, Jerusalem, and San Antonio, Texas. A Graduate of Trinity University, she has been the Young People’s Poet Laureate for the U.S. (Poetry Foundation), poetry editor for the New York Times magazine, and The Texas Observer, and a visiting writer in hundreds of schools and communities all over the world, currently at Texas State University. Her books include Grace Notes, Everything Comes Next, The Tiny Journalist, Voices in the Air, Sitti’s Secrets, Habibi, This Same Sky, and The Tree is Older than You Are: Poems & Paintings from Mexico. Her volume 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East, was a finalist for the National Book Award. The Turtle of Oman and The Turtle of Michigan have both been part of the Little Read program, North Carolina. She received Lifetime Achievement Awards from The Texas Institute of Letters, The National Book Critics Circle (Ivan Sandrof Award), and the Arab American Museum.

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Previous Recipients

Elizabeth Crook (2023)
2022 McCracken Elizabeth
Elizabeth McCracken (2022)
2021 Tate Don
Don Tate (2021)
2020 Jones Stephen Graham
Stephen Graham Jones (2020)
2019 Locke Attica
Attica Locke (2019)
2018 Magnuson James
James Magnuson (2018)
2017 Rather Dan
Dan Rather (2017)
2016 Sáenz Benjamin Alire
Benjamin Alire Sáenz (2016)
2015 Mora Pat
Pat Mora (2015)
2014 Bird Sarah
Sarah Bird (2014)
2013 Weinberg Steven
Steven Weinberg (2013)
2012 O Brien Tim
Tim O’Brien (2012)
2011 Harrigan Stephen
Stephen Harrigan (2011)
Wright Lawrence headshot e1694483995876
Larry Wright (2011)
Brands, Bill 2009
H.W. Brands (2010)
2009 Riordan Rick
Rick Riordan (2009)
2008 Caro Robert
Robert Caro (2008)
2007 Gilb Dagoberto
Dagoberto Gilb (2007)
2007 Hinojosa Smith Rolando
Rolando Hinojosa-Smith (2007)
2006 Curtis Greg
Greg Curtis (2006)
2006 Smith Evan
Evan Smith (2006)
2005 Cisneros Sandra
Sandra Cisneros (2005)
2005 Fehrenbach T.R.
T.R. Fehrenbach (2005)
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Mary Margaret Farabee (2004)
2004 King Larry L.
Larry L. King (2004)
2004 McDonald Walt
Walt McDonald (2004)
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Shelby Hearon (2003)
2003 Kelton Elmer
Elmer Kelton (2003
2002 Shrake Bud
Bud Shrake (2002)
2002 Wittliff Bill
Bill Wittliff (2002)
2001 Goetzmann Dr.William
Dr. William Goetzmann (2001)
2001 Marcus Stanley
Stanley Marcus (2001)
2000 Graves John
John Graves (2000)
1999 Foote Horton
Horton Foote (1999)