It’s that “Back to School” season, where everyone gets back into the groove of things and says goodbye to flip flops and summer vacations. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to say goodbye to fun. Austin is a city filled with entertainment, no matter what month of the year, and the Austin literary community is no exception to that rule. Here are some cool events happening this week that you should check out!
Lit City:
August 26th – September 1st
Book People is thrilled to be hosting bestselling author, EDWARD CAREY on Thursday, August 27 at 7:00 pm as he speaks about and signs Foulsham: Iremonger No. 2 the second book in the Iremonger series.Edward Carey is the author and illustrator of two novels for adults, Observatory Mansions and Alva and Irva, which was longlisted for the IMPAC Literary Award. The Iremonger Trilogy is his first work for young readers so this is a perfect event to bring your kids too!
Book Woman is hosting its monthly Book Group Thursday the 27th as well, at 7:00 pm. This week they will be discussing Last Night at the Blue Angel by Rebecca Rotert, a look at Chicago in the early 1960’s.
To commemorate the anniversary oh Hurricane Katrina, Malvern Books will be hosting a conversation between NPR correspondent John Burnett, who was on the ground in New Orleans during the hurricane, and Tom Zigal, whose novel Many Rivers to Cross is set during Katrina. The event is on August 27th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. John and Tom will discuss Katrina and the aftermath, as well as answer any audience questions. And John will also put on his harmonica player’s hat and end the evening with a rousing blues session featuring Tom’s brother Frank Zigal on guitar.
Austin loves supporting its local talent, and if your do too then come out to Book People on Friday, August 28th at 7:00 pm for Lo
cal Author Night. Join us as Austin Locals, Patricia Ruth, Laura McCarty, and Penny Ingle Bagby share their new collection of poetry My Mother, My Daughter, My Sister, My Self: Three Generations of Poetry. D. K. Stanley will be discussing his newest book, Jesus H. da Vinci: An Adventure in Spirit, and Jamie Amelio will be reading from her new memoir, Graced With Orange: How Caring for Cambodia Changed Lives, Including My Own. Come out for a wonderful night of literary camaraderie & fun!
August 28th, 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, get your cones ready for the third edition of Malvern Books’ FREE summer reading series, I SCREAM SOCIAL, hosted by Malvern’s own Annar Veröld and Schandra Madha. Featuring young women poets and fiction writers from the Austin community, this month’s I Screamers are Griselda Castillo, Schandra Madha, and Annar Veröld. Following the reading, there will be a (mic-less) open mic. Bring old stuff, new stuff, silly stuff, whatever stuff. Just read stuff to us. And there will be ice cream!!
Saturday, August 29 at 3:00 pm at Book People, Journalist & Bestselling Author ANNA BADKHEN will be speaking about, & signing Walking with Abel: Journeys with the Nomads of the African Savannah. There will be a lively conversation, head up by National Book Critics Circle Award Winner, BEN FOUNTAIN. This book is about the adventure of a lifetime, so Nomads, vagabonds, and all who wander gloriously across the globe, come assemble with tonight’s author as she takes you on a journey across the Sahel desert with the Fulani, a group of nomads with ancient roots.
At Malvern Books on Sunday the 30th of August ,UT Austin Writing Faculty Reading will be reading from their works, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Readers include Elizabeth McCracken, Deb Olin Unferth, Lisa Olstein, and James Magnuson.
The Stand Up Sit Down Book Club meets the last Monday of every month at 7:00 pm to discuss comedic literature and the memoirs of funny people. In September, they are reading I Don’t Know What You Know Me From by Judy Greer. If you’re interested, you can attend Monday’s meeting. Book club books are 10% off for those who attend the meeting too.
Are you interested in rock music? Do you like tell-all memoirs written by celebrities? Well then maybe this event at Book People will interest you. Tuesday, September 1 at 7:00 pm, COREY TAYLOR of Slipknot & RANDY BLYTHE of Lamb of God will be signing You’re Making Me Hate You: A Cantankerous Look at the Common Misconception That Humans Have Any Common Sense Left AND Dark Days: A Memoir. This is a signing event only, so have copies of the books ready and buy tickets for the signing line.
Upcoming Classes and Events @ 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.