Join First Light and Texas Book Festival for an exclusive, intimate event with author Julie Gilbert—then catch us downtown at the Paramount Theatre the next day for a screening of Giant and a conversation with Texas Monthly writer-at-large Sean O'Neal.

The event will begin with an author reception from 6–6:30 p.m., followed by a conversation with Julie about her book GIANT LOVE and time with her to get your book signed.

Tickets include a copy of the book and a reserved seat. Unreserved seats are available on a first come, first served basis. Free RSVPs are also encouraged.

About the book

GIANT LOVE explores the great American novelist and playwright Edna Ferber, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, whose work was made into many Academy Award–winning movies; the writing of her controversial, international best-selling novel about Texas, and the making of George Stevens’ Academy Award–winning epic film of the same name, Giant.

About the author

Julie Gilbert is a published novelist and biographer, a produced playwright, and a teacher of creative writing. She attended The Dalton School and Boston University’s School of Fine Arts and studied acting with Uta Hagen. Her great aunt was Edna Ferber, about whom Julie wrote the biography Edna Ferber and Her Circle, published by Doubleday in 1978 and nominated for a Book Critics Circle Award. Her second biography, Opposite Attraction: The Lives of Erich Maria Remarque and Paulette Goddard, was published by Pantheon in 1995 and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in biography. Her first book, Umbrella Steps, a novel, was published by Random House when she was twenty-five.

She will be joined in conversation by Susannah Auby of Texas Book Festival. As the chief impact officer, Susannah develops and cultivates relationships that drive TBF's program impact through sponsorships, grants, and partnerships. As a lifelong lover of literary fiction, the daughter of a film classic aficionado, and one who has road tripped through all 50 states, Susannah is a tremendous fan of both mid-century cinema and Edna Ferber's deep dives into the nooks and crannies of American culture and 20th century history.