The end of Summer is fast approaching, which means you only have a few more days to squeeze in as many fun activities as possible before the burden of school, work, and real life return. What better way to take advantage of those days, than by coming out to support local Austin writers around town. The Summer Fun doesn’t have to end just yet!
LitCity: What’s Happening in the Austin Book World
Thursday, August 20 – Wednesday, August 26th
by: Jessica Hincapie
Tom
orrow on Thursday, August 20, 2015, starting at 7:00pm, Book People will be hosting the Writers’ League of Texas: Third Thursday Panel. This month’s panel is entitled “Picture This: Creating Illustrated Children’s Books.” Some great Children’s book authors and illustrators, including Jeff Crosby and Liz Garton Scanlon, will be reading and discussing their own works and the pictures behind them. If you’re part of Austin’s picture book community, or have kids of your own, this would be a great even to attend.
Friday, August 21 at 7:00pm, Book People will be hosting Writer & Craft Beer Enthusiast Mike Cortez. He will be speaking about, and signing, his new book Beer Lover’s Texas: Best Breweries, Brewpubs & Beer Bars. Refreshments will be provided by Rahr & Sons Brewing Company and Infamous Brewing Company! Come out to support Austin Writers and Texas Breweries at the same time.
If you have kids, a great weekend event might be Book People’s Rockin’ Readers Book Club on Saturday, August 22 at 3pm. Rockin’ Readers Book Club is open to passionate readers between the ages of 8 and 14 who love to read and discuss books! Once a month, BookKids experts Thomas and Demi lead a discussion about a fantastic middle grade chapter book. Rockin’ Readers is more than just talk, though. Interested young readers are also invited to write reviews and make signs recommending their favorite books for other readers. This Saturday’s book will be The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy.
Monday, August 24, 2015 – 9:00am to 11:00pm Book People will be having a “Shopping Night” to support this year’s Texas Teen Book Festival. Book People will be donating a portion of all sales on Monday, August 24th to the Texas Teen Book Festival to keep the festival free and open to the public! Come by, pick up a book and support one of our favorite events of the year.
Tuesday, August 25 at 7:00 pm, Award Winning Novelist Jennifer Steil will be speaking about, & signing her new novel, The Ambassador’s Wife at Book People. Winner of Best Novel for the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition, this harrowing story of the kidnapping of an American woman in the Middle East and the heartbreaking choices she and her British ambassador husband face in the hopes of being reunited is both 
suspenseful and moving. Steil is an accomplished writer whose experience abroad lends a wide scope to this story of love, freedom, idealism and terror.
Wednesday, August 26th, 7:00 pm get your creativity on at Book Woman as they host “(The Joys of) Coloring” with Kristen Hannah. Coloring is a right brain activity that sparks imagination and engages our deep creative center, improves concentration, clears out interior clutter and also tends to bring peace to the mind. But mostly coloring is relaxing, easy and FUN! Go and discover the magical de-stressing effects of adult coloring and engage in a relaxing journey into your inner safe space.
Upcoming Events and Classes at The Writing Barn
Also on Wednesday the 26th from 7:30 pm – 9:00, The Writing Barn will be hosting it’s own FREE programming entitled “Words and Wine.” Join us as we hear Austin poet Carrie Fountain read from her latest work of poetry from Penguin, entitled Instant Winner. There will be a Q&A panel with children’s book author, Liz Garton Scanlon as guest moderator. There will be free wine and snacks served on the Party Porch. Come out and support some brilliant local writing.
Are you in the picture book submission trenches? Have you learned the basics of page-turns, word count, word play? Are you writing material you’d love feedback on from expert eyes? Are you ready to take your work to the next level? If so, join us this fall as master teacher Liz Garton Scanlon returns to The Writing Barn to facilitate a 6 Week Picture Book Workshop for Intermediate to Advanced picture book writers. Classes take place on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00p
m. Dates of the classes are: 10/7, 10/14,10/21, skipping 10/28, 11/4, 11/11, and 11/18.
Are you thinking about submitting to the 24th annual Austin Chronicle Short Story contest? What would happen if there was a class where you could work on your existing short story or compose something new, get feedback on your piece, fine tune your craft, experience community – all with the goal of working toward publication. Like a gymnast’s routine, crafting a short story requires a great opening, vivid details, escalating tension, a perfectly choreographed climax, and nailing the ending. In this six-week class, Lindsey Lane and Shelli Cornelison will help writers craft and polish a 2500-word piece ready to submit to the Austin Chronicle. The first class is on October 27, 2015 so sign up now to get those stories ready for Fall.