BookPeople Presents: Local Author Spotlight
About this Event
Format:
- This event is free and open to the public and will feature several local authors tabling at BookPeople and available for a meet & greet, photo op, and signing books.
- Location: The second floor of BookPeople.
- Run time: The authors will be available for a 2 hour window.
Signing Guidelines:
- To get a book signed, a copy of the author's book or an item of equal value must be purchased from BookPeople.
- The authors will be personalizing copies of the book.
General Info:
- If you have any accessibility concerns, please contact [email protected]
- If you have any other questions, please visit our Eventbrite FAQ. If your question isn't covered in the FAQ, feel free to email us at [email protected].
- BookPeople reserves the right to cancel or postpone this event if necessary.
- There will not be a live stream or recording available.
- All event guidelines are subject to change.
About the Authors
From playing the DM in Dungeons and Dragons to writing fantasy novels, Nikhil Prabala loves storytelling, delighting in fantasy fiction from the epic to the cozy and everywhere in between. His Love and War duology is a Queer Epic Fantasy Romance series beginning with the The Duchess of Kokora and concluding with Steel Empress.
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, he graduated from Stanford in 2019 and is currently based back in Texas, though he's often on the move these days for book events! In his free time he enjoys ballroom dancing, singing, playing the guitar, tabletop games, and spending time with friends and family.
To connect with him on social media, you can find him as @nprabala on both Instagram and TikTok.
Adam McCormick, PhD, is a Professor of Social Work at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, where he teaches in both the Social Work and Master of Counseling programs. His work focuses on childhood trauma, emotional survival adaptations, authenticity, burnout, masculinity, and the inner lives of helping professionals.
Dr. McCormick is the recipient of the 2026 Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award, Texas’s highest teaching honor for university faculty, and the 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award at St. Edward’s University. He was also the recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award.
He is the author of the NASW Press book Healing the Helping Professional: The Unfinished Business of Childhood, which explores how childhood trauma and emotional survival roles continue shaping the lives and work of therapists, social workers, counselors, and other helping professionals. He is the author of LGBTQ Youth in Foster Care: Empowering Approaches to Inclusive Care (Routledge) and is currently authoring a forthcoming book exploring the hidden emotional and developmental costs of boyhood and masculinity.
Over the course of his career, Dr. McCormick has delivered more than 250 lectures, keynote presentations, and workshops around the country on trauma, emotional wellbeing, masculinity, foster care, helping professionals, authenticity, burnout, and trauma-informed practice. His work is known for integrating relational, reflective, and trauma-informed perspectives in ways that help people better understand both themselves and the people they serve.
Lauren Oertel is a writer, editor, and community organizer based in Austin, Texas. She is a writing workshop facilitator certified in the Amherst Writers & Artists method. Her work has been published in Black Fox Literary, The Westchester Review, Gemini Magazine, The Sun Magazine, and more. Lauren is the coauthor of the book Inside Out: A Texas Prisons Poetry Story, and her debut full-length poetry collection, Scars & Other Luxuries, is forthcoming with Finishing Line Press in November.
Fazlur Rahman, M.D. was born and brought up in what is now Bangladesh. After his medical education in Dhaka, New York, and Houston, he practiced cancer medicine for thirty-five years in San Angelo, Texas. He is an adjunct professor of biology (medical humanities and ethics) at Angelo State University, a senior trustee of Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and an advisory council member of the Charles E. Cheever Jr. Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. His articles, essays, and stories have appeared in many publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Guardian Weekly, International Herald Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Newsweek, Harvard Review, Short Story International, Dallas Morning News, and Houston Chronicle. He is the author of Our Connected Lives: Caring for Cancer Patients in Rural Texas and The Temple Road: A Doctor’s Journey. He and his wife, Jahanara (Ara), have lived in West Texas for most of their lives and have raised four children. They love walking in nature and going on wildflower adventures.
Hi, I’m Imani Ogunro, a writer, creative spirit, and lifelong explorer. I wrote this book to inspire kids to feel confident in who they are, especially when it comes to growing up, asking questions, and learning about themselves.
As someone who struggled in school, I know what it’s like to feel left out or unsure. That’s why I’m passionate about creating tools that are fun, honest, and easy to connect with.
Outside of writing, I love traveling, trying new foods, meeting people from different cultures, and soaking up stories from around the world. Whether I’m journaling, designing, or learning something new, I’m always chasing creativity. Thanks for stopping by — I hope this book brings joy and confidence to the young people in your life!
Dr. Maria Luque is a fitness expert, menopause coach, Air Force veteran, former health science professor, and founder of Fitness in Menopause. With a PhD & MS in Health Sciences and over two decades of expertise, she's one of the most credentialed and trusted voices in women's midlife fitness—and the menopause coach to Halle Berry.
By purchasing a book from BookPeople, you are not only supporting a local, independent business – you’re showing publishers that they should continue sending authors to BookPeople.
Thank you for supporting these local authors and your local independent bookstore!
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