Come for the country music and readings, and stay for the open bar, delicious food, silent auction, and the historic charms of Mercury Hall, complete with tea-lit gardens and rambling live oaks on a bright starry lawn. The evening will kick off at 7:00 p.m. with a VIP party. General admission begins at 8:00 p.m.

American Short Fiction is thrilled to honor three stars at this year’s event. Amy Hempel, the award-winning author of five masterful story collections, including 2019’s Sing to It, will be honored for literary excellence. Lois Kim, the executive director of the Texas Book Festival, will be honored for her generous service to Texas’s literary legions. And Austinite Lara Prescott, whose highly anticipated novel, The Secrets We Kept, is forthcoming in September, will be honored for her debut work of fiction. You can learn more about our honorees below.

The Stars at Night is our favorite event of the year—it’s intimate, celebratory, community-fueled, and inspiring. It’s the most down-home, sophisticated literary spectacular on the map!

Tickets are limited, so get yours now. It’s time to party with your boots on.