Janet Evanovich, Omar Epps, Margo Price coming to Texas Book Festival

The books will be back in your hands, and the authors will be back in the room with you. Texas Book Festival returns in person on Nov. 5 and 6, and on Wednesday, the quintessential Austin event released its author lineup for 2022.

Texas Book Festival was co-founded in 1995 by Laura Bush, then first lady of Texas, along with Mary Margaret Farabee and volunteers. It draws major literary talent and celebrities to Austin each year. Past guests include Tom Hanks, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, John Grisham, Sandra Cisneros, Lauren Groff and Malcolm Gladwell.

Here's what you need to know about the big book names coming to Austin this fall.

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There are some stars from outside the bookstore on the Texas Book Festival lineup.

Omar Epps, the award-winning actor whom you might know from "House," will come to present his new Y.A. Afrofuturist novel, "Nubia: The Awakening." Country singer Margo Price, a frequent visitor to town (and frequent guest of Willie Nelson), will debut her memoir, "Maybe We'll Make It." Celebrity chef and 16-time James Beard Award winner Jacque Pépin is bringing "Jacques Pépin Art of the Chicken," a new book of recipes, stories and the chef's paintings.

A paperback mystery queen will be in Austin, as will more literary stars.

Mystery author Janet Evanovich, who's penned 42 New York Times bestsellers, has a new Stephanie Plum series novel called "Going Rogue" to share with Texas Book Festival attendees. She'll be joined on the lineup of almost 300 authors by Angie Cruz with "How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water," Anand Giridharadas with "The Persuaders," Gabino Iglesias with "The Devil Takes You Home" and Rebecca Roanhorse with "Tread of Angels."

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As always, expect local luminaries, like Tiff's Treats founders Leon and Tiffany Chen, Amanda Eyre Ward (also a Statesman contributor), May Cobb, Alex Keister and Evan Griffith, plus plenty of other Texas writers, like Robert Draper, Simran Jeet Singh, LaToya Watkins, Will Hurd, Katherine McGee, Amy Kim Kibuishi, Lise Olsen and Natalia Sylvester.

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How can I go to Texas Book Festival 2022?

The fest, which is free to attend, traditionally takes place in and around the Capitol. For more information and to see the full lineup, go to texasbookfestival.org.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Janet Evanovich, Margo Price on Texas Book Festival 2022 lineup