Now that Summer is officially over, it’s easy to feel bored with the humdrum of your everyday routines. That’s why it is important to add some fun and culture to your world by exploring the amazing city we live in and all that it has to offer. Austin is never lacking in exciting excursions for the whole family to enjoy. Here are a few happening this week in the Austin Literary Community. Most of them are free, and all of them are sure to be entertaining.
Lit City:
What’s Happening in the Austin Book World Sept. 3rd -9th.
Thursday, September 3 at 7PM @ BookPeople, Bestselling Author & Newbery Honoree, Ingrid Law, will be speaking on & signing her latest novel, Switch. Ingrid Law’s chapter books Savvy and Scumble are a top pic among young readers around the nation. This time she is bringing us another heartwarming story about the magic of friendship and the power of family, that is a companion to Savvy. Bring the whole family and get your kids excited about reading, just in time for the start of school.
Also on Thursday, September 3, 2015, the Manchaca Road Branch of the Austin Public Library will be hosting it’s Pajama Story Time for children six and under. It’s at 6:30 PM, so come dressed in your finest pjs and bring the kids out for a night of family storytime in the evening featuring stories, songs, rhymes, games, crafts, and other activities.
The North Village Branch of the Austin Public Library hosts a Graphic Novel Book Club, first Thursday of every month at 6:00 PM. This Thursday, September 3rd, the club will be discussing SANDMAN VOL. 1 by Neil Gaiman, who will be in the Austin area this month for a special performance. New members are always welcome.
Friday, September 4 at 7PM @ BookPeople, University of Texas Professor, Javier Auyero, and panelists speak about & sign Invisible in Austin: Life and Labor in an American City, a sociological look at our own city’s growing gap between the classes. The event will include a panel with five guests, including Pierette Hondagneu-Sotelo, USC Sociology Professor and Melissa del Bosque of The Texas Observer. Come out for what is sure to be a riveting and intellectual discussion about ‘the lives of those working and living at the bottom of the social order.
Tuesday, September 8 at 7PM, BookPeople will be hosting a panel featuring DEBORAH HARRIS & PATTI GIUFFRE, who will be speaking & signing, Taking the Heat: Women Chefs and Gender Inequality in the Professional Kitchen. Moderated by Austin American-Statesman Food Editor, ADDIE BROYLES with chef panelists (Jennifer Costello – The Bonneville/ Erica Beneke – Max’s Wine Dive/ Jodi Eliott – Bribery Bakery/ Erica Waksmunski – Red Star Southern).Together, they’ll examine how the world of professional chefs is gendered, what conditions have led to this gender segregation, and how women chefs feel about their work in relation to men.
Reading and signing a debut novel is an exciting time in every author’s career. So come out to BookPeople on Wednesday, September 9th at 7PM, to hear debut novelist, MELISSA DECARLO speak on & sign, The Art of Crash Landing, a book about family, and the choices we make that change our lives forever.
Upcoming Events and Classes at The Writing Barn
We are now offering a NEW day class entitled, Doodling for Writers and Those Who Aspire to Write with Carin Channing. It takes place September 20th, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Join this group session, where we’ll use our visual tools (NO art experience or skill necessary! We love stick figures!) to explore our writer archetypes, our ideal reader, our fears and creative blocks, and our visions for ourselves as we traverse the Hero’s Journey of 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 9:00pm. 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.