On the road

I'll be travelling to the Texas Book Festival in Austin and hope to post from there this weekend. But that means my entries will probably be thin today or tomorrow. Here's John Freeman on how this year's festival is more than usually political. Because it's in Austin, because it was created by the Bushes when they were in power and Laura Bush remains an influence, the festival has always had political overtones -- and not just in who the speakers are but the very reasons for the festival itself (more on this later). This year's schedule, however, reflects a divisive election year as well as the kind of political heat that has typified publishing and bestsellers the past several years.