Lit City:
What’s Going on in the Austin Book World July 28th — August 3rd
August is upon us. Luckily we got some rain earlier in the week. There are several opportunities for book club discussions, speaking & signings for new books, and also some wonderful opportunities for storytimes with the kids, and the long awaited release of Harry Potter & The Cursed Child. Here’s what’s going on this week in the Austin Book Community:
Thursday, July 28th (7 PM) @ BookPeople, enjoy MysteryPeople Presents: a speaking & signing of Good as Gone by local debut author and Writing Barn instructor Amy Genrty. If you are interested in learning more about writing suspense from Amy Gentry, please do not hesitate to take a look at her upcoming class at The Writing Barn here.
Thursday, July 28th (7 PM) @ BookPeople, join BookPeople for the New & Noteworthy Book Club. This month the book club will be reading Piece of Mind by Michelle Adelman
Thursday, July 28th (7 PM) @ Book Woman, join the BookWoman Book Group. This month the group will be reading Ruby by Cynthia Bond.
Thursday, July 28th (7 PM) @ Malvern Books, join Malvern for Fantastical Fictions with Rick Klaw. Fantastical Fiction is an odd-monthly event focusing on the literary fantastic across genres and cultures.
Saturday, July 30th (11:30 AM) @ BookPeople, bring the kids out for Austin Summer Musical Storytime! This storytime will feature The Big Bad Musical: A Howling Courtroom Comedy.
Saturday, July 30th (10 PM) @ BookPeople, don’t miss out on Harry Potter & The Cursed Child Midnight Release Party!
Saturday, July 30th (7 PM)
@ Malvern Books, join Malvern for The Lion & The Pirate Unplugged, an inclusive (mic-less) open mic for writers and musicians.
Sunday, July 31st (5 PM) @ BookPeople, join BookPeople for the Voyage Out Book Club, a book club which uses wonderful books to travel the world. This month the club will be reading The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach.
Tuesday, August 2nd (10:30 AM) @ BookPeople, bring the kids out for Arts are the best Storytime! There will be a reading from Drum Dream Girl.
Tuesday, August 2nd (7 PM) @ BookPeople, enjoy MysteryPeople Presents: Bestselling Authors Megan Abbott, Bill Loefelm, Alison Gaylin, and William Boyle.
Wednesday, August 3rd (10:30 AM) @ BookPeople, bring the kids out for Bliss Kid Storytime!
Upcoming Events and Classes at The Writing Barn:
Doodling for Writers & Those Who Aspire to Write with Carin Channing, LCSW
Join The Writing Barn in 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!
Using prompts from my forthcoming book, 365 Days of Doodling (Discovering the Joys of Being Creative Everyday), you are sure to come away from this class with more creative freedom and satisfaction than when you arrived.
Many times, what I’ve envisioned in a doodle has come forth, including my first book, How Dare You Make a Book? that was born right here at The Writing Barn! What will your doodles spark? Let’s find out!
Emotional Engagement: World Building with author Katherine Catmull (Fiction and Nonfiction)
Ever been told that your writing “feels generic”? Or that descriptive passages sit in your draft like indigestible lumps, ruining the flow of the story? Whatever genre you write in —from memoir to young adult, from hardcore noir to fantasy—you need to get the reader emotionally engaged in your world. And as every actor knows, your emotions won’t engage until your body believes it’s all real.
As one of the newest, largest, and most diverse genres in the industry, it is often difficult to define Young Adult Lit; through the examination and discussion of craft techniques, this class will explore successful tools used to create the unique tone and momentum found in YA.
This workshop will focus on the analysis of the elements of young adult fiction; structural elements such as character, plot, point of view, and conflict will be discussed in addition to stylistic elements such as voice, pacing, authenticity and writing with a sense of urgency. We’ll discuss essays and novel chapters written by published writers, which you will receive ahead of time; however, our primary focus will be the student workshop.