Books On The Green

Make time for the Books on the Green tent—where great stories take center stage. Discover the history of American literature, enjoy talks from award-winning authors across romance, fantasy, history, and children’s literature, and try reader-favorite activities like book speed dating and blind date with a book. Come listen, learn, and leave with a new favorite read.

2026 Schedule

Friday, April 10

All Day Activities:

Peeps Literary Diorama Voting
250 Years of American Lit Games & Activities
Speed Dating with Books

Saturday, April 11

All Day Activities:

Peeps Literary Diorama Voting
250 Years of American Lit Games & Activities

11 AM - Angela Dominguez

Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and grew up in North Texas. She now resides on the east coast with her fiancé, Kyle, and their petite dog, Petunia.

She is also the author and illustrator of several books for children including the beloved Stella Díaz series. She is a NYT Bestseller, Sid Fleischman winner, and a two-time Pura Belpré Illustration Honoree. Her books have garnered acclaim from the New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Best Picks from Amazon, and Junior Library Guild. Her latest book, Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers, is a Texas Bluebonnet selection for 2026-2027.

Her most recent books include the fourth Lolo & Birdie book, I am Bored! ¡Estoy aburrido! and Gabby Torres is the Best Winner Ever, the second in the series.

1 PM - Bartee Haile

Bartee Haile has written This Week in Texas History for small-town and suburban newspapers throughout the Lone Star State since 1983. Thirty-four years and more than 1,700 columns later, it is the most widely read and longest-running feature of its kind. Unforgettable Texans is Bartee's fourth book for The History Press. His earlier titles include Texas Depression-Era Desperadoes, Murder Most Texan and Texas Boomtowns: A History of Blood and Oil. A fourth- or fifth-generation Texan (his ancestors were lousy record keepers!), Bartee Haile lives in the Houston area with his wife, Gerri, and not far from his son Brett and granddaughter Lila.

2:30 PM - Mitchel P. Roth

Dr. Mitchel P. Roth is Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Sam Houston State University. His areas of interest include global organized crime and prison gangs, history of crime and punishment, mass murder and serial homicide. In 2020 he was awarded the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award for Excellence in Gang Research followed by the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award for Gang Training Excellence in 2024 by the National Gang Crime Research Center in Chicago. He has written dozens of articles and many books on a variety of topics. His most recent books include Murder by Mail: A Global History of the Letter Bomb (with Mahmut Cengiz) (2024), Man With the Killer Smile: The Life and Crimes of a Serial Mass Murderer (2022), Power on the Inside: A Global History of Prison Gangs (2020) Fire in the Big House: The Worst Prison Disaster in American History (2019), The Illicit Economy in Turkey (with Mahmut Cengiz) (2019), A History of Crime and the American Criminal Justice System (2018), An Eye for An Eye: A Global History of Crime and Punishment (2015) and Convict Cowboys: The Untold History of the Texas Prison Rodeo (2016). He is editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Criminology and Sociology. His books have been translated into Chinese, Persian, Croatian and Turkish. He has been an instructor at the Zhejiang Police College from 2009 to 2019 and at the International Law Enforcement Academy (Roswell) from 2001-2009. Roth has appeared on or been featured on the Travel Channel, CNN, FOX, Al Jazeera, the History Channel, PBS and other media programs.

Sunday, April 12

All Day Activities:

Peeps Literary Diorama Voting
250 Years of American Lit Games & Activities

11:30 AM - Jen Cole

Jen Cole grew up in Kingwood, Texas, where she developed an early love for sports and animals. She attended Texas A&M University where she received a degree in Biomedical Science, competed for its Division I tennis team, and continued her education at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. She and her husband, Wil, currently reside in The Woodlands, Texas, have three children, and have practiced small animal medicine for over 25 years in Spring, Texas. After retiring, Jen decided to tap into her creative side and combine her love of writing with her love of caring for animals.

1 PM - J. Elle

J. Elle is a New York Times bestselling author of young adult and middle-grade fantasy fiction and NAACP Image Award nominee for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth and Teens. The former educator and first-generation college student credits her nomadic lifestyle and humble inner-city beginnings as inspiration for her novels. When she’s not writing, Elle can be found mentoring aspiring authors, binging reality TV, loving on her three littles, or cooking up something true to her Southern roots. More at www.authorjelle.com.

2 PM - Melanie Sweeney

Melanie Sweeney is the USA Today bestselling author of Take Me Home. She writes contemporary romance in which ordinary people find extraordinary love, and she lives near Houston, Texas, with her husband, three kids, and too many cats. When she’s not writing, she’s figure skating, embroidering, or playing her ukulele.