North Texas Book Festival Awards

NORTH TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL AWARDS

Some appear to be Texas Connected


http://www.ntbf.org/NTBFBookAward.html



General TradeBook(Fiction)
THE BOYS IN BLUE WHITE DRESS by William F. Lee
Finalists:

Blissby Jeff Lyon
The Rose of York:Crown of Destinyby Sandra Worth

General TradeBook(Non-Fiction)
WHICH END OF ABUFFALO GETS UP FIRST? by George U. Hubbard
Finalists:

The ACU Century:100 Years of Faith and Excellence Ron Hadfield, editor
Tom P's Fiddle:A True Texas Taleby Sherri Knight

General TradeBook(Poetry)
DOWN TO EARTH POETRY by Jim Wilson
Finalists:

Wee Cowrin' Timorous Beastieby Karla K. Morton
Rhyme Timeby R. Wayne Edwards

Children's Book(Fiction and Non-Fiction)

GRANDPA FOR SALE by Dotti Enderle and Vicki Sansum, ill. T. Kyle Gentry

Finalists:

The Spaniel Family's Pen Pal Adventureby Sharon Ellsberry, ill. Amy Fox
Focus on Mineralsby Jerry Wermund, ill. Tony Sansevero

The Case of the Missing Coachby V. Gilbert Zabel

Next festival

April 17-18, 2009at the Center for Visual Arts · 400 E. Hickory · Denton, Texas

Early Texas Art and Jerry Bywaters and CASETA

The SMU Forum reports in a brief note:

http://blog.smu.edu/forum/2008/05/for_the_record_may_30_2008.html

"Ellen Buie Niewyk, Central University Libraries, has received a 2007 CASETA Publication Award from the Center for the Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art for her 2007 book, Jerry Bywaters: Lone Star Printmaker (SMU Press). The book was published in conjunction with the major Meadows Museum exhibition of the same name. CASETA awards the prize annually to the individual who has made "the most important contribution to the published literature on early Texas art" during the previous calendar year."

Hmmm, what's the CASETA?

"The mission of the Center for the Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art is to promote the preservation, study and appreciation of Texas visual arts and its history."

"Early Texas Art": art produced by artists who were born in and/or lived and worked in Texas during the time period beginning with Colonization (1820) until 40 years prior to the present date."

http://www.caseta.org/program/awards.html

2007 Award Winners
The Lifetime Achievement Award - Mr. Kelly Fearing

Distinguished Service Award Outside the Organization - Mr. A.C. Cook

The Distinguished Service Award Within the Organization - Mr. Morris Matson

The Publication Award - Ms. Ellen Buie Niewyk, Jerry Bywaters, Lone Star Printmaker. A Study of His Print Notebook, with a Catalogue of His Prints and a Checklist of His Illustrations and Ephemeral Works

The Exhibition Award - Martin Museum of Art at Baylor University for the exhibition, Texas Modern: The Rediscovery of Early Texas Abstraction (1935 – 1965), curated by Mark Smith

ARCHIVES TO BE ESTABLISHED

http://www.caseta.org/program/index.html

"Whose material is needed?
Archival material is sought for those artists born before 1955, who worked in Texas. There are more than 4,000 such individuals across the state.
What is archival material?
Letters, exhibition catalogs, newspaper articles, photographs, diaries and other documents pertaining to the life and work of an Early Texas artist."

SPRING SYMPOSIUM

May 1-3, 2009 in Austin at the new AT&T Hotel and Conference Center

Southwestern Library of Centennial Classics

Southwestern Library of Centennial Classics

http://walkingtogether.typepad.com/walking_together/2008/05/southwestern-library-of-centennial-classics.html

10 volumes of important writings from Southwesterners. It's $100 for the whole set with only 1,000 sets available.

Here are the titles:
Inspiration of the Bible by B.H. Carroll
With Christ after the Lost by L.R. Scarborough
Recruits for World Conquests by L.R.Scarborough
Lee Rutland Scarborough : a life of service by H.E. Dana
The Blossoming Desert : a Concise History of Texas Baptists by Robert Baker
The Bible and Race by T.B. Maston
Jesus the Teacher by J.M. Price
The Work of the Holy Spirit by W.T. Conner
A Manual of Church History (2 Volumes) by A.H. Newman.

Denise Bradley to Texas State History Museum Fdtn

Denise Bradley to head Texas State History Museum Foundation

Austin Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2008/05/26/daily20.html?ana=from_rss

"We feel that we have secured an executive director of the highest quality that will take the foundation to great levels of success in our effort to support and continually improve the quality of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum," says Truett Latimer, president of the foundation board."

"Founded in 1999, the nonprofit Texas State History Museum Foundation raises private funds to support the educational programs of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.
The museum is the only state history museum in the country that does not receive a direct state appropriation for its operations. The foundation raises private funds to enhance the museum's ability to remain a vibrant, state-of-the-art educational and historical institution. Since its opening in 2001, the museum has seen more than 3.5 million visitors."

Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum

http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/

Foundation

http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/get_involved/tshm_foundation.html

TSHM Foundation2008 Board of Trustees
Truett Latimer, Houston, President
Bill Jones, Austin, President-Elect
John W. Fainter, Jr., Austin, Vice-President
Kay Woodward Olson, Waco, Secretary
Molly Hasie Sherman, Austin,Treasurer
Julie Jones Oles, Austin, Dinner Chair

G. Hughes Abell, Austin Victor Alcorta III, Austin Jeff Bonham, Austin Jan Bullock, Austin Charla Borchers Leon, Victoria Michelle K. Brock, Midland Jose Cuevas, Midland Jim Duncan, Houston Dick Evans, San Antonio Karen Fortson, Fort Worth Patricia Hamilton, Houston Noe Hinojosa, Jr., Dallas James R. Huffines, Austin Gaylord Hughey, Tyler Hunter Hunt, Dallas Clay Johnson, Washington, D.C. Richard King IV, Austin Mike McKinney, Austin Brian McLaughlin, Midland Joan Williams McLeod, Galveston Therese Migala Moncrief, Fort Worth George E. Seay III, Dallas George W. Strake, Jr., Houston Margaret Temple, Austin Manny Vela, Harlingen

Ex-Officio Nashid MadyunDirectorBob Bullock Texas State History Museum

Gaye Polan Executive Director State Preservation Board

SLJ and Girl from Charnelle

The School Library Journal selects book for various lists.

In their "Best Books" for 2006 is one list of best adult books for high schoolers.

A Texas citation is

Cook, K. L. The Girl from Charnelle: A Novel. Morrow.

Tr $24.95. ISBN 0-06-082965-6.
The affair between a 16-year-old girl and her father’s poker buddy in a small Texas town, in 1960, is filled with suspense, tragedy, and heartache. An unforgettable coming-of-age story.

Melody's List of Gardening Books

Melody Fitzgerald is a McLennan County Master Gardener.

Here is a link to her list of the best books on gardening for the Central Texas area, on the front page of her website.

http://www.centraltexasgardening.net/

Texas Authors for Young Adults

Wired for Youth brings you

A Texas author booklist of about 3 dozen titles

http://www.wiredforyouth.com/books/index.cfm?booklist=texas

many of which carry Texas content

Serious Texana

For those serious about their Texana

http://bloodisthenewblack.com/osc/product_info.php?products_id=162

Sarah Interviews Author Rachel Hawthorne

Ms. Yingling has a blog that aids her students. Sarah finds that Rachel Hawthorne writes about Texas girls because that's what Rachel knows about.


http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2008/05/student-interview-with-rachel-hawthorne.html

Saving New Historical Buildings

Architectural preservationists in Dallas

have found a way to avoid all those icky old buildings that could fall down on you. They formed a committee to save the modern buildings. It's probably easier to quickly have a party in the new buildings too!

Let's pick a date before which we don't care. Let's say, well, uh, maybe, you tell me.

Anyway, check Preservation Dallas out at

http://www.preservationdallas.org/new_site/involved/moderncomm.php

Dallas Grand Hotel Statler Hilton

National Trust for Historic Preservation names Dallas Grand Hotel one of America’s most endangered places
Crown jewel of Hilton hotels vulnerable to encroaching development pressure
By Pegasus News wire

http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/may/20/national-trust-historic-preservation-names-statler/


See nation's other 11 endangered
http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/southwest-region/statler-hilton.html

Texas Almanac Moves to TSHA

ALMANAC TO TEXAS STATE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

The Dallas Morning News' Belo parent annouces that the vaunted 150 year old TEXAS ALMANAC is being moved, transferred, donated, given to the century old Texas State Historical Association which itself had recently moved to the University of North Texas. That includes its website at http://www.texasalmanac.com/

Recent award

http://uttylerlibrary.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/reference-book-of-the-week-texas-almanac/

Follow-up to news


http://www.dallasblog.com/200805021002575/dallas-blog/dmn-unloads-texas-almanac.html


http://backtalkeastdallas.typepad.com/back_talk/2008/05/has-ah-belo-sta.html

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/media/dallas-morning-news-donates-publication-texas-almanac-texas-state-historical/

http://www.forneypost.net/business/dmndonatesalmanacmay7.html

http://limblr.com/2008/05/08/author-the-dallas-morning-news/

The two items, the book and the website, will be interesting companions to TSHA's Handbook of Texas (and online), TSHA's website, and the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, among TSHA's other many on-going contributions.

Business History at Texas Instruments

Big Bucks at Texas Instruments

http://wiglafjournal.com/Articles/2008/08-05-TheMakingOfBillionDollarBusinessLow-PowerSchottky.html

Tim Smith at the Wigla Journal begins: "Mark Shepherd, Texas Instruments Chairman from “76 to ‘88, described Low Power Schottky as “the single most profitable product line in the history of Texas Instruments.” Yet the introduction of Low Power Schottky was never assured, nor was its future within the TI business. The drive behind Low Power Schottky was Tim B. Smith. Recently, he shared some of the keys elements that would yield a billion dollar line of business."

Historical Markers on the Border

Well, well, we have here a surprizing and interesting use of Texas State Historical markers.

http://tractioncontrol.well-regulatedmilitia.org/?p=1096

Scroll down.

Readers may find a variety of other uses of marker photography.

Bill Moyers on Texas Observer

Recollections of 50 years on the Texas Observer by Bill Moyers back in 2005

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-moyers/the-texas-observer-_b_10990.html

Bill Moyers' other Huffington Post postings

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-moyers/#blogger_bio

It's a little odd to accidentally find this 2005 posting today when Scott McLlellan's new book about his time as George Bush's aide and press secretary (same role as Moyers with LBJ) is immediately in the news. "The View" seemed to enjoy slapping Scott around despite his disturbingly honest assessment of the Bush administration's selling of the Iraqi war. One of the View's potshots dealt with loyalty. It was obvious one of the women was reading from somebody else's tipsheet. As for loyalty, Scott may be an independent sort of fella quite in line with his mother. Carole Keeton (maiden name from father at UT Law School etc) made her way up in Texas politics beginning with the Austin ISD, then Austin mayor, and subsequently to Texas Comptroller from which she, who had become a nominal Republican a few years earlier, ran as an independent for governor against reigning Rick Perry who ultimately won (alsos against independent Kinky Friedman and Democrat Chris Bell) but only by a small plurality. May want to watch Scott.

Bill Crider's Roots in Mexia

Bill Crider, a Texas author,

is quite successful with puzzling, mysterious stories and Sheriff Dan Rhodes, and he keeps his own professional website going, http://www.billcrider.com/ along with an occasional blog entry.

But what you may not have noticed is that he also maintains a blog for the Mexia Blackcats, originally for the 1959 class, but well, seems peer pressure has been successfully applied for stretching the years of inclusivity. It's a delight retrospect, especially the Dairy Queen.

http://mexiablackcats1959.blogspot.com/

Tulia

The small Panhandle town of Tulia was relatively unknown until the proportionally immense arrest of many of its citizens for drug dealing. The arrested were mostly black. The arrestors mostly white. The matter did not resolve itself neatly and tidily.

Therein rested a story to be told, with different interpretations.

PBS' Independent Lens series http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/ will be airing a documentary.

You be the judge.

See a clip at http://bavc.wordpress.com/2008/05/23/this-week-at-bavc-tulia-texas/

Kids, Quilts, History

KIDS, QUILTS, AND INSIGHTFUL HISTORY

http://blinkyblinkyblink.blogspot.com/2008/05/kids-crack-me-up.html

The kids made a quilt for Texas history. Notice how David Crockett seems to be oogling Susanna Dickinson.

Texas Civil Rights Historical Symposium

Texas Civil Rights Historical Lyceum

Last April 24

http://evoice.wordpress.com/2008/04/09/lone-star-college-north-harris-launches-lyceum-series/

The Lone Star College - North Harris County - launched a lyceum or symposium series.

Title:

“Black, White and Brown: The Tri-racial History of Texas’ Civil Rights Movement”

Woulda been nice to've been at the lyceum.

Joe R. Lansdale Interview

INTERVIEW WITH JOE R. LANSDALE

BY COREY REDECOP, POSTED BY MATT STAGGS

http://entertheoctopus.wordpress.com/2008/04/24/interview-with-joe-r-lansdale/


This prolific Texas author of light and dark is notable. The interview is preceded by a bio.

"Author Joe R. Lansdale has won six Bram Stoker horror awards, the American Mystery Award, The Booklist Editor’s Award, the Critic’s Choice award, the “Shot in the Dark” International Crime Writer’s Award, a British Fantasy Award, and a New York Times Notable Book Award. He has an enormous body of work including teleplays, novels, short story collections, comic books and more, including the novella “Bubba Ho-Tep”, later adapted by director Don Coscarelli into the movie of the same name starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. Lansdale also holds several black belts in a number of martial arts, and is the founder of his own martial arts style, Shen Chuan. A resident of Nacogdoches, Texas, he divides his time between his family, his writing career and running his own martial arts school."

One of the interesting questions:
"In your chapter in “On Writing Horror” you talk about the role of the writer’s environment in the development of his or her voice. East Texas has been a major “character” in your writing for a long while. Was there ever a time when you rebelled against letting it color your work? What brought you around to accepting and celebrating it?"

Apparently Lansdale has spent his time beyond visiting the Appleby watchtower.

His homepage is http://www.joerlansdale.com/

His bibliography includes these earliest works:

1980:
Act of Love: A thriller. Hardcover. Kensington Press (NY).
Act of Love: A thriller. Trade paperback. Kensington Press (NY).
1981:
Act of Love: A thriller. Mass-market paperback. Zebra (NY). ISBN 89083735
1983:
The Nightrunners: A dark suspense novel. Hardcover
Texas Night Riders: A Western novel. [Published under the pseudonym, Ray Slater] Mass-market paperback. Leisure Books (NY).
1986:
Dead in the West: A horror novel. Trade paperback. Space and Time (NY). ISBN 0917053044.
Magic Wagon: A Western novel with fantastic elements. Hardcover. Doubleday (NY). ISBN 0385232691.

The Rising of the Stark

The W.H. STARK MUSEUM

down Orange, Texas way

is getting good blog press these days. See

http://thedailymatters.com/2008/05/02/orange-texas-landmark/

http://savemoki.blogspot.com/2008/04/rattlesnakes-jesse-james-wh-stark.html

Is the Stark the new hip Texana or has the Stark's pr rep had their hip replaced and is busy on the wire?

I'll plug it here. The Stark is a delightful place to go.

History of Texas Wine

HISTORY OF TEXAS WINE

in 2 parts

http://wineenabler.com/history-of-texas-wine-part-1/

The Wine Enabler also visits these blogs

"Wine in Austin talks about just that!We also visit Wineries in Central Texas."

This Week in Texas Music History - Radio Show

THIS WEEK IN TEXAS MUSIC HISTORY

A RADIO SHOW

For the musically inclined and for those sliding toward a deaf ear, perk up.

Austin's KUT radio 90.5 FM is running a weekly Monday morning airing of "This Week in Texas Music History" during its NPR Morning Edition (about 6:30 to about 8:30 am).

Gary Hartman writes and hosts the show and he's an authority on the topic, having written a volume The History of Texas Music, available through the TAMU Consortium.

For you NPR listeners, lobby for your local to pick it up.,

Austin: Past and Present

http://austinpastandpresent.org/

Austin: Past and Present

An historical experience on DVD

"Welcome to the Austin Past and Present Website

Austin Past and Present is an interactive documentary that brings Austin’s history to life.
From its geologic formation to its current urban skyline, Austin Past and Present explores Austin’s past and present in more than 300 multimedia stories and over 2 hours of motion picture documentary.

Austin Past and Present will be exhibited in kiosks at the Austin City Hall, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the Austin Convention Center and the Austin History Center at 9th and Guadalupe Sts.

Students throughout the Austin Independent School District will learn new and fascinating things about their community while they use this project in combination with original curriculum that is aligned to state standards."

National Archives Southwest Region - Fort Worth

http://www.archives.gov/southwest/

National Archives Southwest Region - Fort Worth

"As a center for historical and genealogical research, we have both an Archival and Microfilm Research Room for researchers. Our historical records date from the 1800s to the late 1900s, and include letters, photographs, maps, architectural drawings, and other documents received from over 100 Federal agencies and courts in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas."

"You will need a valid driver's license and proof of insurance to enter the Federal Center.
Children under the age of 14 will be admitted to National Archives facilities only if they are accompanied by an adult who will supervise them at all times while on National Archives property."

Genealogy Research
Historical Research
Bankruptcy Case Files
Photocopying
Public Programs

Travelling Map Exhibition from TCU

http://www.texasstudies.org/MapExhibition/Maps.htm

Going to Texas: Five Centuries of Texas Maps

From Texas Christian University's Center for Texas Studies

Dallas Historical Society, Old Red Museum
November 2, 2007 to February 28, 2008
Panhandle Plains Museum, Canyon
March 13, 2007 to April 24, 2008
Museum of the Southwest, Midland
May 8, 2008 to June 19, 2008
Mayborn Museum, Baylor University, Waco
July 3, 2008 to August 14, 2008
Museum of South Texas History, Edinburgh
September 4, 2008 to October 16, 2008
Texas Tech Museum, Lubbock
November 6, 2008 to December 18, 2008
Museum of the Big Bend, Alpine
January 2, 2009 to February 21, 2009
Centennial Museum, UT El Paso
March 5, 2009 to April 16, 2009
Old Jail Art Museum, Albany
June 6, 2009 to September 6, 2009
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, Fort Worth
November 11, 2009 to January 15, 2010

HISD History Fair Guide

http://dept.houstonisd.org/curriculum/socialstudies/fair/historyguide.htm

Texas Book Festival Director Heidi Smith

Texas Book Festival Announces New Executive Director

The Texas Book Festival is pleased to announce the hiring of Heidi Marquez Smith as the new Executive Director.



She was hired from a national slate of candidates and will begin her tenure on March 3, 2008.

http://www.texasbookfestival.org/pdfs/new_ed.pdf

Houston Book Fair - Museum of Printing History

November 8, 2008 Houston TX

6th Annual Houston Book Fair10-5$5

Museum of Printing History, 713-522-4652, ext. 207

bookfair@printingmuseum.org

http://www.printingmuseum.org/

Houston Book, Postcard, & Paper Fair in Stafford

October 25-26, 2008

Houston Book, Postcard & Paper Fair
Stafford Center, 10505 Cash Road
Sat 10-5. Sun 10-4.40-

281-386-7998, 3107 Ann Arbor Ct, Sugar Land, TX 77478

DMPHouston@peoplepc.com

http://www.houstonshow.com/

North Texas Book & Paper Fair in Fort Worth

October 4-5, 2008, Fort Worth, TX

North Texas Book & Paper Fair
Sat 10-5. Sun 10-4
Will Rogers Complex, Round-up Inn,
3401 W. Lancaster Ave


texasbooksellers @ sbcglobal.net
http://www.texasbooksellers.org/

Fort Worth Book, Postcard & Paper Fair

May 31-June 1, 2008 Fort Worth, TX 4th Annual Fort Worth Book, Postcard & Paper Fair

Lockheed-Martin Recreation Center DM Promotions,
281-565-0771,
3107 Ann Arbor Ct,
Sugar Land, TX 77478

DMPHouston@peoplepc.com

http://www.houstonshow.com

What is Texana? Back across time. Barry Popik

http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/texana_or_texiana_or_texicana_all_things_texas/#When:23:37:01Z

Texas Institute of Letters 2008 Winners

http://texasinstituteofletters.org/TIL_winners_2008.htm

For the uncultured, unread, indeed, the unwashed, we have an institute to identify good book, good writing, and such. It's absolutely untrue that membership requires two levels of cousin in-breeding among the older members.

Longer commentary can be found in the Merschal's Dallas Morning News booksblog:
http://booksblog.guidelive.com/archives/2008/04/texas-institute-of-letters-win-1.html

Readers pleased with "Will's Texana Monthly" which last summer issued a "complete" list of winners from 1939 to present will be further pleased to find that list now generally replicated on the TIL web page. We thank TIL for taking up that responsibility.
http://texasinstituteofletters.org/TIL_Awards_Previous_Winners.htm

West Texas Book Festival Sept 23-27, 2008

West Texas Book and Music Festival, September 23-27, 2008

http://liswire.com/node/58

"Save the dates for the eighth annual West Texas Book and Music Festival, September 23-27, 2008 at the Abilene Civic Center in Abilene, Texas. Dr. Don B. Graham, a distinguished writer and teacher specializing in Texas and Southwest literature, will be the 2008 recipient of the A. C. Greene Award to be presented at the West Texas Book & Music Festival on Sept. 27."

"Other featured authors at this year’s festival will be: Elmer Kelton, Joaquin Jackson, and Mike Cox, who have all written books about the Texas Rangers; Kathy Patrick, author and organizer of The Pulpwood Queens reading club, featured on Good Morning America; and Amarillo novelist Jodi Thomas, whose new book Twisted Creek is being touted for community-wide reading programs."

Dobie's Paisano Fellows Awarded

J. Frank Dobie Paisano Fellowship are announced.


http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/Paisano/

Read more about it at:
http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/Paisano/features/pressrelease08-09.html

Johnston Fellow: "Michael Erard, holder of the Ralph A. Johnston Fellowship, was born in San Antonio, received a BA from Williams College in American Studies, and an MA in linguistics and a PhD in English, both from The University of Texas at Austin."
"The runners-up for the Ralph A. Johnston Fellowship are William Norris and H. L. Hix. Norris is a fiction writer and author of the critically acclaimed Snapshots. Hix is a distinguished poet whose latest book Chromatic was a National Book Award Finalist."

Jones Fellow: "Vanessa Ramos, holder of the Jesse Jones Fellowship, is a native of El Paso, Texas. She is a poet, playwright, and creative-nonfiction writer. As a McNair Scholar, she completed an ethnographic study (Women Between Earth and Sky) on curanderismo or folk-healing in the Southwest."
"The runners-up for the Jesse Jones Fellowship are William Norris (first runner-up for both fellowships) and Owen Egerton. Egerton is a fiction writer and author of the critically acclaimed short-story collection How Best to Avoid Dying."

Mark G. Mitchell - Texas Illustrator

http://www.markgmitchell.com/

Mark Mitchell is an excellent illustrator. His webpage gives you a partial introduction. E..G.

Raising La Belle

Seeing Stars: McDonald Observatory, Its Science and Astronomers

The Mustang Professor: The Story of J. Frank Dobie

Austin's Joe O'Connell is interviewed

http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com/2008/05/joe-oconnell-guest-author.html

Joe O'Connell is interviewed by in Straight from Hel

Will's Texana Monthly review his Evacuation Plan, a novel in stories, and found it quite insightful and worthwhile.

Al Dewlen's Bone Pickers - Review

Revival of Al Dewlen's 1958 "The Bone Pickers" novel.

A review in the blog "One Word, One Rung, One Day." It seems the Amarillo family of the Mungers are disparate.

http://traviserwin.blogspot.com/2008/05/bone-pickers-my-town-monday-book-review.html

The "BP" has long been cited as an excellent novel.

Genuine turmoil over the book and the apparent parallel to a certain living family brought near calamity to the novel. Conspiracies abound, the book went suddenly scarce. The next year, 1959, it re-appeared, altered and under a new title, "The Golden Spread."


The side panel has an interesting list of "literary" blogs.

1996 Discussion of Texana Books etc.

Beginning August 8, 1996 in a Google group - Newsgroups: austin.general, rec.arts.books - a request for recommended Texas books led to a lively and sometimes informed and civil discussion with over 40 replies

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.books/browse_thread/thread/c1649a2c9de10df/0b5d4b31869f99e9?lnk=st&q=teaching+texas+history#0b5d4b31869f99e9

Pulpwood Queens Book Club

If the phrase "Pulpwood Queens Book Club"

is news to you, be informed that it's a runaway sawmill of East Texas (and now world wide) women who read books and talk. One of my Jefferson-native mother's book recommendations was Hershey's "Hiroshima." Apparently the women folks there read with a voracious criticism, and speak up in public about it. Seems it all got started in a beauty parlor; wouldn't you know it. And you though "Steel Magnolias" was the highpoint of that cultural nexus!

http://www.pulpwoodqueen.com/

Texas Mystery Month in May

Kevin Tipple's blog, "Kevin's Corner," obliged the Sisters and posted news of Texas Mystery Month at
http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/2008/05/tenth-annual-2008-texas-mystery-month.html

"Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas Chapter is pleased to announce the Tenth Annual 2008 Texas Mystery Month in May. The purpose of Texas Mystery Month is to spotlight Texas Mystery Authors. Texas Mystery Month events include panel discussions, book signings, author presentations and more. Houston and San Antonio are joining Austin in celebrating Texas Mystery Month in May."

He carries the current calendar of events in major cities. Speakers include Laura Griffin, Earl Staggs, David Ciambrone, Ben Rehder, Marcia Spillers, Sylvia Dickey, Rick Riordan, and Barbara Burnett Smith.

Francine Richter on John Graves' Classicism

In the blog "The Way of the Goddess" she explores "A Siren Call: Fifty Years after John Graves’ Goodbye to a River

http://francinerichter.com/blog/2008/01/19/a-siren-call-fifty-years-after-john-graves-goodbye-to-a-river/

It's graceful retrospective and call to mix the Brazos with antiquarian waters. She concludes with 5 point to consider:

An examination of the novel; psychologically seductive
Feminist Environmentalism Naturalism
Classical literature origins for southwestern literature
Resurgence of the feminine; worship at the shrine of nature
Environmentalism
The Siren Call

Don Graham Observes Texas Literature

Don Graham, lead academician in Texas letters down at the University on the Colorado River, offers his corrective commentary, "Deathless Prose," in a recent Texas Observer, February 8, 2008 issue

http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2687

It's a good read. He ambles through John Graves, Elmer Kelton, Larry McMurtry, Dagoberto Gilb, glances at genderist writing and the rise of PETA values, connects with Betty Sue Flowers. Not to leave a sacred cow unshorn, along the way, he does mention UT's classless tuition and Texas Monthly's persistance in carrying some content between the advertisements. He rounds it out with mentions of international concerns of the French and Chinese.

Wikipedia: A Free Encyclopedia and Texas

WIKIPEDIA AND TEXAS

Broader searches

A search of Google for "Texas Wikipedia" brings almost 4,000,000 hits. This includes many entries from the various language variants of Wikipedia - Spanish to German to Indonesian. Spelling variation may explain why a Yahoo search is so different. Google's penchant to avoid showing page variations may also help this disparity.

However, a similar search of Yahoo bring almost 40,000,000 (yes 40) hits. You may prefer

Going directly to usual, English language Wikipedia where you'll find the following:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas
Using the typical search box at Wikipedia for the term "Texas" brings only 1 article - the usual long encyclopedia article on the topic (not the shorter one at Wiki's "Texas Portal." The search does not automatically bring you a list of all articles with that keyword.

Some of that main, long article's sections (littered with Wikipedia links) include
[A disambiguation link]
[Summary] and hot table of "Contents"
Etymology
History: Colonization, Independence, Statehood, Civil War, Reconstruction and disfranchisement, Modern Texas
Geography: Borders, Categorization, Geology
Demographics: Racial groups and ethnic origins, Religion, Cities and Towns, Colonias
Government and Politics: State government, Judicial System, Politics, Administrative Divisions
Economy
Culture: Arts, Sports
Transportation: Highways, Airports, Passenger Rail Transportation, Trans-Texas Corridor
Healthcare: Medical research
Education: Primary and secondary, Post-secondary
See Also
Footnotes
References
Further reading
External links


While this general enclopedic article is littered with links, there is a particular link that produces a list of about 500 "Texas-related topics" from Abilene to Renee Zellwenger:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Texas-related_topics

Further approaches to Wikipedia and Texas follow in other blog entries. Or retrieve them all by searching the Texas Parlor blog for "Wikipedia."

Wikipedia: WikiProject Texas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Texas

A WikiProject self-definition is
"This is a WikiProject, a collaboration area and open group of editors dedicated to improving Wikipedia's coverage of a particular topic, or to organizing some internal Wikipedia process."

The WikiProject Texas is defined as:
"Some Wikipedians have formed a project to better organize information in articles related to the U.S. state of Texas. This page and its subpages contain their suggestions; it is hoped that this project will help to focus the efforts of other Wikipedians. If you would like to help, please inquire on the talk page and see the to-do list there."
Scope: "This WikiProject aims primarily to expand Wikipedia's resources on Texas and present Texas in a fair and accurate manner."
Goals:
"To improve the quality and quantity of Texas related articles, as exemplified by the featured articles Galveston Hurricane of 1900; Ike Altgens; Texas Ranger Division; Marshall, Texas; Houston, Texas; 2005 Texas Longhorn football team; and Texas A&M University.
To present a holistic view of Texas rather than the view of one region of Texas.
To make Wikipedia one of the premier online resources on Texas.
Contribute to the Texas portal: WP:Texas "

A list of individual participants is available on the webpage.

One of the sub-projects is exemplified by Dallas-Fort Worth project
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Dallas-Fort_Worth

Wikipedias Texas Lists

A List of Two Options for Finding Texas lists in Wikipedia

1. Surfers can use the Wikipedia search box for "Texas list" and discover that it finds over 18,000 hits, 500 of which are presented to observe. Apparently, if there is a page on which Texas is mentioned and a list accompanies, the entry appears. Many are duplicative in nature, but many are truly a list of something Texan. Using particular words, e.g., "Austin list" can produce others wherein the word Texas may not appear, some of which are applicable. Most are not found in Wikipedia's Category of "Texas-related lists" as more broadly explored below in option 2. Searching this first option can be useful to add to the second option.

2. One of Wikipedia's conceptual options is the "Category" of "Lists" of other lists of topics under a subject. Yes, that sounds a bit convoluted. One such List is the "Texas-related lists." Go to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Texas-related_lists

As of today, May 2, 2008, "The following 57 pages are in this category, out of 57 total. Updates to this list can occasionally be delayed for a few days. "

They're usually arranged alphabetically by keyword but you'll notice that several are filed under L, apparently for the keyword "List of ...."

Two lists are actually "Timelines," under that entry below.

A
List of Texas amphibians List of Texas area codes
B
List of Texas butterflies
C
List of cities in Texas List of counties in Texas Current and former railroad companies operating in Dallas, Texas
F
List of Farm to Market Roads in Texas
G
List of German Texans List of Governors of Texas
H
List of high schools in Texas List of hospitals in Texas
I
List of Interstate Highways in Texas
L
List of Austin neighborhoods List of Dallas-Fort Worth area colleges and universities
List of Dallas-Fort Worth area freeways List of Houston neighborhoods List of Presidents of the Republic of Texas List of Registered Historic Places in Texas List of Texas Governors and Presidents List of Texas county name etymologies List of Texas county seat name etymologies
List of Texas sports teams List of Texas state symbols List of Texas-related topics
List of U.S. Highways in Texas List of colleges and universities in Houston List of colleges and universities in Texas List of individuals executed in Texas List of largest Texas universities by enrollment List of mayors of Austin, Texas List of mayors of Dallas, Texas List of mayors of Fort Worth, Texas List of mayors of Houston List of mayors of Plano, Texas List of mayors of San Antonio, Texas
M
List of mammals in Texas List of Texas metropolitan areas List of military installations in Texas
N
List of neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas List of newspapers in Texas List of all newspapers in the United States List of city nicknames in Texas
P
List of people from Texas
R
List of Texas railroads List of Texas reptiles List of rivers of Texas List of the ten longest Texas rivers
S
List of school districts in Texas List of schools in Harris County, Texas List of state highway spurs in Texas List of state highway loops in Texas List of state highways in Texas List of Texas state parks
T
Timeline of the Republic of Texas Timeline of the Texas Revolution
V
List of Vice Presidents of the Republic of Texas
u
List of unincorporated communities in Texas

Do you have a list to share?

Wikipedia's Texas Portal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Portal

A Wikipedia conceptual option is a "Portal." The self-definition is:

"The idea of a portal is to help readers and/or editors navigate their way through Wikipedia topic areas through pages similar to the Main Page. In essence, portals are useful entry-points to Wikipedia content.
Portals are subject to the five pillars of Wikipedia, and must comply with Wikipedia's core content policies like Wikipedia:Neutral point of view, Wikipedia:No original research and Wikipedia:Verifiability.
At present, there are 115 featured portals, of a total of 548 portals on Wikipedia."

So, there is a "Texas Portal" is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Texas
at which you'll find there are also Portal for Houston, Dallas, UT-Austin, and U of Houston.

At that Texas Portal you'll fine a variety of search options. One of those options is the Category of "Texas Lists."

Texas Wikipedia Encyclopedia Collaboration

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Texan_Collaboration_of_the_Month#Selecting_the_next_Collaboration_of_the_Month

Among Wikipedia's options is the creation of a groups who wish to collaborate toward creating or improving particular topics or categories. "One such is the Texan Collaboration of the Month."

The self-description is "Every month, a Texan Collaboration of the Month will be picked using this page. This is a specific topic which either has no article or a basic stub page that is directly related to Texas, the aim being to have a featured-standard article by the end of the period, from widespread cooperative editing."

This month's collaborative effort is described as:
"The current Texan Collaboration of the Month is Marshall, Texas. Every month, a different Texas-related topic, stub or non-existent article is picked. Please read the nomination text and improve the article any way you can."

Go to Wikipedia for further info.

Texas Writers, Authors in Wikipedia

Texas Writers Category
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Texas_writers

Here's a list of about 100 Texas writers with their own Pages in Wikipedia. The implicit task is, well, Texan in dimension - not to mention who qualifies. The "Texas Portal" link is displayed to link you to a general article on Texas; it is not that fine group of University of North Texas librarian smoothing the wrinkles in the sheet of Texas time through their "Portal to Texas History," itself a broad and admirable effort.

Wikipedia, the community based international encyclopedia, includes the option of clustering topics for users convenience. This clustering or categorizing is called a "Category." One such category is "Texas Writers" which offers an opportunity for enrichment. As with other Wikipedia efforts, its improvement rests with users, as occasionally supervised by another participant. The current list is a good beginning. It does properly include William Goyen who has been slighted by some current raining critics of Texana. It does not include Cormac McCarthy whose writing is also refined and literary.

The lists includes novelists, journalists, folklorists, playwrights, essayists, and other idlers travelling under the social approbation of wordsmithery. Who is Paco Ahlgren? He's just a click away.

A
Paco Ahlgren Susan Wittig Albert Aaron Allston Ellis Amburn Dr. Moe Anderson Mechelle Avey
B
Neal Barrett, Jr. Gordon Baxter Roy Bedichek Raymond Benson Sarah Bird Jayme Lynn Blaschke Timothy Braun Walter H. Breen Sandra Brown Paul Burka James Lee Burke
C
Rachel Caine Candace Camp Matt Clark (writer) Ernest Cline Madison Cooper Richard L. Cox
Deborah Crombie
D
J. Frank Dobie Allen Drury
E
Lars Eighner Linda Ellerbee P. N. Elrod
F
James L. Farmer, Sr. John Henry Faulk O. C. Fisher Brian Floca Robert Flynn (author) Horton Foote Kinky Friedman
G
Gail Giles Fred Gipson William Goyen John Gray (U.S. author)
H
Leon Hale Brett Halliday Charles L. Harness Vicki Hearne Allison Hedge Coke Kate Heyhoe
Donna Hogan Kimberly Willis Holt Robert E. Howard James Hynes
I
Molly Ivins
J
Bret Anthony Johnston Tom Jones (writer)
K
Elmer Kelton Rick Klaw
L
Woodrow Landfair Joe R. Lansdale Christopher Largen James Lavilla-Havelin
Thomas C. Lea, III Cara Lockwood
M
Ardath Mayhar Larry McMurtry Judith McNaught
N
Chris Nakashima-Brown Warren Carl Norwood
O
Joe M. O'Connell Chad Oliver Karen Olsson William O'Neil
P
Lawrence Person D. T. Pollard Katherine Anne Porter
R
Karen Ranney Nancy Taylor Rosenberg Ron Rozelle
S
Dorothy Scarborough Harvey Schmidt Duane Simolke Skeeter Skelton Jimmy Starr
Bruce Sterling Whitley Strieber Katherine Sutcliffe Shanna Swendson
T
Jodi Thomas John Thomason Frank X. Tolbert Sergio Troncoso Lisa Tuttle
U
Jim Underwood Steven Utley
W
Howard Waldrop Linda Warren Joanna Wayne Don Webb Walter Prescott Webb
Janice Woods Windle Gene Wolfe Ramsay Wood M. K. Wren
Y
J. Lanier Yeates