Tentative Schedule for the 2025 TIL Annual Conference
The host hotel will be the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott. Click here to reserve a room.
Friday, April 25th
5:30 pm New Member Reception
7:00 pm New Member Reading and Poetry Awards
Location:The eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization
Saturday, April 26th
9:30 am KidLit Awards and New Member Reading by KidLit Inductees
Location: The Children’s Museum of Brownsville
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm Tour of Borderlines Exhibit
Location: UTRGV Library, Brownsville Campus
4:00 pm to 5:15 pm Optional General Member Strategy Meeting
Location: The eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization
6 pm to 10 pm TIL Award Banquet
Location: Terras Urban Mexican Kitchen
Purchase tickets now to ensure a seat
Sunday, April 27th
9:00 am Walking Tour of Downtown Brownsville
Recipient of Jones Fellowship Announced
The Texas Institute of Letters has announced the recipient of the 2025 Jesse H. Jones Fellowship:
Rubén Degollado.
The Jesse H. Jones Fellowship from the Texas Institute of Letters is aimed at working writers who are at any stage in their careers: emerging, mid-level, or restarting. A writer must demonstrate a commitment to the craft with some record of prior publishing and/or cite specific examples of workshops, mentor programs, or master classes that they have attended. The fellowship consists of a $9,000 award to fund the completion of a literary work of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction for a general audience.
In order to make their decision, the five judges—Octavio Quintanilla, Sergio Troncoso, Diana López, Guadalupe García McCall, and Kip Stratton—reviewed seventy applications that included lengthy writing samples. The panel came away impressed by the “deep pool of talent, which speaks to the prestige of this award” and to the quality of letters in our state.
Rubén will be recognized and will receive the Jones Fellowship Award funds during the TIL Annual Awards Ceremony on April 26.
Literary Award Winners Announced
The Texas Institute of Letters has announced the winners of the twelve Annual TIL Literary Awards. This year, TIL will award these writers and two other recipients a total of $39,000 in prizes at the TIL Awards Ceremony in Brownsville, Texas, on April 26, 2025.
The Texas Institute of Letters is a nonprofit Honor Society founded in 1936 to celebrate Texas literature and recognize distinctive literary achievement. The TIL’s elected membership consists of the state’s most respected writers–including winners of the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, PEN/Faulkner Award, Man Booker Prize, Academy Award, International Latino Book Award, Americas Award, Lambda Literary Award, MacArthur Fellowship, and Guggenheim Fellowship.
From President David Bowles: “Each year, the TIL recognizes the best of Texas writing in a variety of genres that includes fiction, poetry, nonfiction, scholarly writing, translation, and short form works. Many thanks to our judges for carefully considering the entries. This year’s winners demonstrate the extraordinary talent and diversity of writers with Texas roots. Celebrating their achievements is a highlight of our annual conference, and we are so grateful for the opportunity to recognize and support the best of Texas literature.”
The winners of the 2025 TIL Literary Awards are Bret Anthony Johnston, Marcela Fuentes, James Aalan Bernsen, Sasha West, Eduardo Martínez-Leyva, David Ponton III, Jonny Garza Villa, Lyla Lee, Laekan Zea Kemp, Kristie Lee, Patrick Font, and Dylan Baddour. Alongside them twenty-six honor-winners were selected. All awards are for works published in 2024.
Thirty-two New Members Inducted into TIL
Members of the Texas Institute of Letters have overwhelmingly approved thirty-two new writers. The TIL’s elected membership consists of the state’s most recognized and serious writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, journalism, songwriting, and scholarship. The membership includes winners of the MacArthur Fellowship, Man Booker Prize, Pulitzer Prizes in drama, fiction, and nonfiction, as well as prizes awarded by PEN, and dozens of other regional and national award and grant-giving institutions.
The 2025 honorees are Philip Boehm, Sharon Bridgforth, e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, Sean Cotter, Rodney Crowell, Susan Fletcher, J. Bruce Fuller, Bryan A. Garner, Robert L. Girón, John Morán González, Jessica Goudeau, Babette Fraser Hale, Gerald Horne, Fady Joudah, Jennifer Lawson, Lyle Lovett, Lupe Méndez, Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, Laurence Musgrove, Rena Pederson, John Pipkin, Andrew Porter, Octavio Quintanilla, David Romo, Robert Schenkkan, Martha Serpas, Chris Tomlinson, Alexandra Vandekamp, Katy Vine, LaToya Watkins, Randall Watson, and Monica Youn.
Read more in the press release.
2025 Conference
TIL’s annual meeting and award ceremony will be held on April 25-26, 2025 in Brownsville, Texas. To register, simply buy your banquet ticket on the payments page.
The host hotel will be the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott and the banquet will be held at Terra’s.
Click here to reserve a room at the special conference rate by April 1, 2025.
2025 Lifetime Achievement Award
It is with great pleasure we announce that Elizabeth Crook has been named this year’s winner of the Texas Institute of Letters’ prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, the TIL’s highest honor. The award will be presented in Brownsville at TIL’s annual banquet on April 26, 2025, with a prize of $7,000.
Learn more in the official press release.
New TIL Fellow
The TIL council has named a new TIL Fellow: Celeste Bedford Walker. Her work in Texas letters has served as a model of literary leadership, and we are pleased to welcome her as a permanent ex-officio member of the council.
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ABOUT THE TIL
The Texas Institute of Letters is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Honor Society founded in 1936 to celebrate Texas literature and to recognize distinctive literary achievement. The TIL’s elected membership consists of the state’s most respected writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, journalism, and scholarship. Induction into the TIL is based on literary accomplishments. Application for membership is not accepted. The rules governing the selection of members and officers are contained in the TIL By-Laws. The TIL annually elects new members and gives awards to recognize outstanding literary works.
