Picture this: you’re ten-years-old, tomorrow the book fair is coming, you’re begging for twenty bucks to buy something you’d shove in your backpack and forget about in two days, grabbing free bookmarks and pencils even though you already had ten unused ones in your locker, passing around your new books with your friends and promising to let them read it after you finish, and signing your names on the inside of the front covers. Now, fast-forward to adulthood and imagine all of that again, but at your favorite hangout spot with food trucks and good drinks.
Growing up means giving up a lot of things (I say clinging to my Pokémon cards and stuffed animals). Growing up also means doing a lot of things you couldn’t as a kid, including getting lit at wineries and breweries. For those of us book nerds who never stopped reading as we got older, Rachel Lewis created what might be the best combination since Bridgerton and red wine with the Get Lit: Grown-up Book Fair.
So, what is the Get Lit: Grown-up Book Fair?
Get Lit is a pop-up book fair that supports indie authors, art vendors, and local wineries and breweries in the DFW area. Or, to put it simply, pure fun.
An educator-turned-author, Rachel, noticed something was missing in the Dallas/Fort Worth book scene, especially as more and more adults are reading again. She decided that the magic of bookfairs isn’t something we should have to leave behind in elementary school.
Get Lit stopped by Martin House Brewing Company (check out StayRooted’s article about Star Wars Day at Martin House if you’re interested in learning about their other events). We got to spend the day with the book community at its best.
Meet the Get Lit Attending Authors & Vendors
Whimsy is only one way to describe the aura emanating from everyone at the event as we went from booth to booth. From nonfiction books about reclaiming your space, sweetier than cherry pie romance, and southern slasher horror, there was something for everyone, no matter what you like to read. Click their photos to find your new favorite today!
Alongside the authors, several vendors sold crafts, art, and other book-related products. We had the opportunity to speak with Benita Botello, the founder of Book Beau, a company that designs unique book sleeves. Book Beau started in 2016 as a one-person show on Etsy, where Benita began selling her book sleeves.
She has since expanded to include several local sewers, artists, and other local businesses, and now sells to readers all over the world. Book Beau is just one example of the rich community of book lovers and bookish people in DFW. Here’s a full list of the vendors to suit all your book and artist needs:
- A Court of Needles and Thread
- Allie Biddle
- APIECE
- Auntie's Book Bank
- Book Beau
- Brown Sugar & Sass
- Combses Corner Bakery
- Cookies by Chrysta
- Dicey Mango
- Hairebrained Design
- Hearts and Sharts
- Lua Clay & Co
- Mama Dalia’s Makings
- mimi's things
- Mudhexe Ceramics
- Noted Scents Co.
- Raicodoll
- Saved By Grace Designs
- Scout Bookshop
- Stardust Charms Co.
- Sunday Book Club
- The Archer's Thread
- The Keeping Jar
- The Reading Rabbit Bookshop
- To Be Threaded
- Whisked Away Tales
Many of them are regulars at Get Lit so catch them at the next one!
StayRooted also interviewed the founder, Rachel Lewis, and discussed how Get Lit came to be. Read below for the full interview:
[SRE] What inspired you to start the Get Lit Book Fair, and how did the first idea come about?
[RL] I come from the world of public education and spent several years as an elementary school librarian, so books and the book fair have always been something I’ve loved! After publishing my debut novel, I left my job in public education only to realize that writing is a very solitary activity and I needed more human interaction! I think I’m one of the few extroverted authors out there.
[RL] While visiting a friend last summer, we were a part of an author fair, and I kept going back to how I wish we had something similar here! I emailed a local distillery, and they were immediately in love with the idea, and Get Lit: Grown-Up Book Fair was born.
[SRE] How do you hope Get Lit impacts the DFW literary scene — for readers, writers, and small presses?
[RL] Recent years have brought about a sort of literary renaissance, in my opinion. My hope is that Get Lit is a way to foster that renewed love of reading that so many of us have found.
[RL] A lot of the time, we see people who loved reading as a kid, and then life happened, and they didn’t make time for it. We want to show that reading is accessible again and can be just as fun as it was when we were kids! I also love that we are building a community of creatives and giving them space to share their craft with DFW locals.
[SRE] If Get Lit were a novel, what would the opening line be?
[RL] This is such a tough question, but I think the heart of Get Lit is about having a good time! I think it would be something along the lines of, “Get in bitches, we’re going to the book fair!” Hopefully I’m allowed to cuss – ha!
[SRE] What role do you think a book fair in a brewery plays in rewriting how we think about literature in everyday life?
[RL] I think it goes to show that we, humans, are multidimensional creatures. We can love books, and we can love beer, and we can love cute book stickers, and we can love watching sports. Society wants us to be put in little boxes because it helps to make sense of the world, but oftentimes, the world doesn’t make sense. So bring your book to the bar! Enjoy both things.
[SRE] What is your favorite book, and/or what are you reading right now?
[RL] You know, I don’t know that I have a favorite book. There have been so many books that have impacted me in different ways throughout the course of my life. But that’s a much longer story!
[RL] Right now, I’m reading Dire Bound by Sable Sorenson. It’s a romantic fantasy that raises a lot of interesting questions about wealth, status, and perception — and it’s a damn good time!
This was the first of many Get Lit fairs for StayRooted, and if you enjoy books at all, you’ll find your people—no doubt. So, let your inner child enjoy reading again, and check out the next Get Lit Book Fair.
Get Lit is gearing up for a busy Fall season with their next event taking place on October 24th at Reunion Tower. Tickets are on sale now.
Get Lit: Grown-up Book Fair
Taylor is the Editor-in-Chief of the Rooted Literary Magazine and works as a freelance editor and writer for Game Rant. Her fiction work has appeared in Neon Origami Literary Magazine, Wingless Dreamer, and more. Her background blends creative writing, digital content creation, and editorial work.
Rooted Literary Magazine is a literary platform dedicated to showcasing art, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, spoken word, music, and film that captures the full spectrum of human experience—from the beautiful to the devastating, and everything in between.
