(Courtesy photo/Albert Villegas)
By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
More than 1,500 people from across the Rio Grande Valley converged on San Benito to be part of the second South Texas AuthorCon at San Benito Plaza last weekend.
The City co-hosted the Author Con at the San Benito Cultural Arts Center and the adjacent Community Center after the inaugural event was held in McAllen last year. Organizers, however, wanted to expand and “make it bigger.”
“We were so blessed to have San Benito (leaders) open their arms and welcome us, and once there were plans to have a second AuthorCon, we wanted to see how we could make it bigger, and were looking for venues in Hidalgo County,” event organizer David Norec, of McAllen, said. “But, San Benito stepped up and offered us more, and this weekend’s events are the result of that.”
Like many of those in attendance who are creators, Norec, too, is the author of a children’s book entitled, “The Adventures of Exo and Cy.”
The co-founder of South Texas AuthorCon, David Leija of San Benito, said they had a vision when the idea to produce an event was formed.
“The concept was to build a platform to highlight the talent in the Valley, and there’s an abundance of it,” Leija said.
He often compares SpaceX and the vision they have with the vision he and Norec share.
“Not too far from here we have a launching pad to put rocket into the sky, and what we have done here is build a launching pad so we can find literary and artistic stars in the Rio Grande Valley,” Leija said.
Leija, author and founder of TKO Movement, is also the author of “TK’s First Lesson.”
The first day of the event was catered toward only students, attracting more than 500 not just from San Benito CISD schools, but throughout the Valley.
The second day of AuthorCon was open to the public. The event attracted 45 authors and artists and even more guests from various age groups to meet and speak, and in some cases, purchase and autograph content.
Thomas Douglas, 6, was excited to receive an autograph from Maddi Gonzalez, one of the original illustrators of the R.L. Stine Goosebumps graphic novels. Doval Douglas, Sr. enjoyed watching his son react as the McAllen illustrator thanked him.
Gonzalez was taken back by being the namesake of the inaugural award.
“I was an artist when I was a little kid and always liked comics and cartoons, and I’m not only honored and grateful to have that as my career, but also contribute to this growing community of authors, illustrators and artists,” Gonzalez said.
Thomas Ray Garcia, who is a writer and author of “The River Runs,” also has a website called BeyondBorderBooks.com.
Garcia spoke about the importance of having a young voice near the Mexico/U.S. border.
When the entity had a contest to judge talent, Mariano Moreno, of Valley View High School, was the recipient of the 2024 Creative Writing Contest for his poem entitled, “¿Dónde están mis hijos?”
Moreno was also the recipient of South Texas Author Con’s inaugural Literary Star of Tomorrow Award.
Moreno recited his eight-minute poem to guest in both Plaza buildings.
Part of the beginning is as follows: “A mother’s life priority is her children. They may look up to us, but we look up to them and explode with pride over their accomplishment and who they are changing into. They may be massive failures, but we’ll never see that. They may be the biggest letdowns but we’ll never feel that. They may be the world’s biggest disappointment, but in our eyes, they are our superheroes with capes longer than what we ever wore.”
Another recipient of the Literary Star of Tomorrow Award was Kendra Valero, 9, of Harlingen. She is the author of “Little Tiger Lost Her Mama.”
Carolina and Ray Portales were also in attendance to showcase their book about “Lita Pin̈atita” and her surprise adventures.
Mr. Portales was decked in an inflatable costume that children adored while Mrs. Portales explained what the character was about.
This was commonplace for dozens of authors who were willing and able to answer questions after fielding questions about their life experiences.
Documenting the event also served as a lesson.
High schools from Hidalgo County (Donna and Sharyland), as well as Cameron County (Harlingen and La Feria) had students participate in a Skills USA competition in the news and promo categories. Students were grouped together and in possession of audio and video equipment to document the event and interview authors and guests.
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