|
|
Archive of Monthly Programs Monthly
programs are free and open to the public. 2010
| August 19, 2010 |

Chris
Barton 
Marilyn
Carter 
Lisa
Lawrence | "Building
Your PR Team" with Chris Barton, Marilyn Carter & Lisa LawrenceLocation:
BookPeople, 603 North Lamar Boulevard,
AustinChris Barton is the author of the American Library Association
Sibert Honor-winning The Day-Glo Brothers (Charlesbridge, 2009; illustrated
by Tony Persiani), the biography of the inventors of those daylight-fluorescent
oranges, yellows, and greens you see every day. It was named one of the best children's
books of 2009 by Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Kirkus
Reviews, and The Washington Post. His second book is the Junior Library
Guild selection Shark vs. Train (Little, Brown; 2010; illustrated by Tom
Lichtenheld). It has received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers
Weekly, and School Library Journal. He will follow up these picture
books with the young adult title Can I See Your I.D.? True Stories of False
Identities, a collection of profiles of impostors and other masqueraders to
be published by Dial Books for Young Readers in 2011. For more information about
Chris, his books, and his presentations to young readers and professional groups,
visit him at http://www.chrisbarton.info.
Marilyn Carter is a marketing and communications consultant working
with clients on brand and program development, project management, and marketing
strategy. Most recently she served as executive director for client Rise Across
Texas Foundation and its event, the Rise Across Texas Challenge, which raises
awareness and funds for the Rise Schools of Texas. Prior to launching her own
venture in 2009 her career spanned 22 years at Texas Monthly, most recently
as vice president of marketing. She is on the board and executive committee of
the Texas Book Festival and is a member of the Texas State University McCoy College
of Business Advisory Board. She has served on the Texas Conference for Women Steering
and Scholarship Review Committee, the Texas Council for Family Violence Business
Alliance, and the Austin Film Societys Texas Film Hall of Fame Gala Committee.
Other volunteer work has included Recording for the Blind, Junior Achievement
of Central Texas, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Lisa
Lawrence has more than 16 years of media, public relations, and community
relations experience. She has successfully planned and executed numerous projects
and media campaigns on both national and local levels. She has worked both as
a journalist and in media relations for media corporations including CNN, The
Washington Times, and Texas Monthly. Lisa has also worked for a range
of high tech clients when she was with Springbok Technologies and MCI Communications. Her
areas of focus include helping companies define and refine their media relations
plans, cross-promotion development, and developing media/public relations materials
to support the various campaigns. Recent achievements include managing public
and media relations for The Texas Book Festival, where she increased the Festival's
media coverage by more than 100% in just one year. Lisa was also Co-Chair for
the 2010 St. Theresa's Catholic School Gala Committee, and was instrumental in
raising more than $110,000 for the school by organizing the charity gala, creating
eight innovative fundraising events, and developing a new corporate school sponsorship
program | | July
15, 2010 |

Phil
West 
Jennifer
Hill Robenalt 
Marika
Flatt | "Your
PR Campaign: Setting Your Goals and Expectations" with Phil West, Jennifer
Hill Robenalt, and Marika FlattLocation: BookPeople,
603 North Lamar Boulevard, AustinPhil
West runs Luminaria Media & Public Relations, a PR firm in Austin,
with a special emphasis on authors, entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations.
In addition to his PR work, Phil is a veteran arts organizer, most recently co-directing
the 2006 and 2007 National Poetry Slams in Austin. He is a graduate of the Michener
Center for Writers MFA program at the University of Texas at Austin. Jennifer
Hill Robenalt is a twenty-year communications pro and the principal of Hoopla
Media & Communications specializing in digital media strategy, media/presentation
training and professional writing. She graduated from Emerson College in Boston,
MA, with a degree in Writing, Literature and Publishing and currently produces
four blogs including www.currentliving.wordpress.com,
www.hooplamedia.wordpress.com,
www.jenniferhr.wordpress.com
and www.bisforblog.wordpress.com.
Marika Flatt, owner of PR by
the Book, LLC, has been in book publicity for 12+ years, after paying her
dues in the media with TV and print outlets. Marika spent 7 years as Director
of Publisher Services at an Austin literary publicity firm; then launched PR by
the Book in 2002. She now leads a team of twelve.
PR by the Book has
worked with bestselling authors, large publishing houses and also many independent
publishers. The firm recently wrapped up a successful five-city tour for the Berenstain
Bears imprint with Zonderkidz and Michael Berenstain.
Marika was awarded
a Gold Bulldog Award for a publicity campaign that generated exposure in over
700 media outlets. A past-president of the Association for Women in Communications,
she is the recipient of the 2005 Austin Public Relations Society of America Outstanding
Mentor Award, the 2002 Anne D. Robinson Creative Initiative Award and is a four-time
nominee for the "Profiles in Power" award. She lives in Austin, Texas
with her husband (co-owner) and three kids.
|
| June 17, 2010 |

Sheila
Allee 
Sylvia
Stern | "How
to Become an Expert: Getting Your Name Out There Through Freelance Writing, Speaking
Engagements, and Media Appearances" with Stephanie Barko and Sheila AlleeLocation:
Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress Ave, Suite 130, AustinSheila
Allee has been a speechwriter for almost 20 years and has produced speeches
for a wide variety of speakers. Sheila spent 12 years as a journalist and has
extensive experience writing for and editing magazines. She has written for Reader's
Digest, Business Week, Texas Business, and USA Today and
others. Her book, Texas Mutiny, a Texas crime novel, is now in its third
printing. She has also written Seven Steps to the Podium, A Handbook for Speakers
and Speechwriters. Sylvia
Stern is a communication and image strategist who helps professional men
and women maximize their full potential in moving from "where they are"
to "where they can be." She is skilled in assessing a situation and
laying out a creative, effective, and practical plan to achieve success. Sylvia
has worked with powerhouse corporations such as Dell, Radio Shack, and Lockheed
and with multiple universities including the University of Texas where she was
an adjunct professor. She has also worked with highly recognized non-profit organizations
such as the United Way as well as a vast array of private clients. Sylvia
is a popular keynote speaker and has given over 500 presentations. |
| May 20, 2010 |

Steve
Harper 
| Steve
Harper has become one of the most sought after speakers and business strategists
on the power of deepening and strengthening the power of connections through a
process he calls Rippling. Steves unique and refreshing approach
to how and why individuals, organizations and even our society can and must reach
outside the box to connect, is literally changing lives and impacting corporate
bottom line dollars. Steve is the author of the recently expanded and revised
second edition of The Ripple Effect: Maximizing the Power of Relationships
for Your Life and Business and owns a relationship strategy firm in Austin,
Texas appropriately called The Ripple Effect. Steve and his team work with individuals
and organizations to help identify, develop and grow the key relationships they
depend on for their success. Debra
Monroe is the author of four books of fiction: The Source of Trouble
(1990), A Wild, Cold State (1995), Newfangled (1998), and Shambles
(2004). Her forthcoming memoir, On the Outskirts of Normal, about being
the white mother of a black daughter in a small, rural Texas town, will appear
in June 2010. Her books have been widely reviewed and won many awards, including
the Flannery OConnor Award, the John Gardner Fellowship, The Violet Crown
Award, the Quarterly West Novella Competition, and more. They have appeared on
Best Ten lists in Elle and Vanity Fair magazines, and
in Borders Bookstores Original Voices series, and she has been
nominated for the National Book Award twice. She has published poems, stories,
and essays in many magazines and journals. Debra was born in North Dakota and
raised in Wisconsin. She has since lived in Kansas, Utah, North Carolina, and
Texas, where she lives now, and she teaches in the MFA program at Texas State
University. | | April
15, 2010 |
Omar
L. Gallaga 
Amanda
McGuckin Hager 
Talmadge
Boyd | "What
Social Media Can Do for You: Facebook, MySpace, and Other Emerging Online Media"
with Omar L. Gallaga, Amanda McGuckin Hager & Talmadge Boyd Omar
L. Gallaga is a technology culture reporter for the Austin American-Statesman
and a regular contributor to NPR's "All Things Considered." He is
also a blogger on NPR's "All Tech Considered" blog. He writes and produces
videos for the Statesman's Digital Savant blog, NBC/Universal's Television Without
Pity Web site and his own sites including Terribly-Happy.com, People Dancing At
Concerts and "Space Monkeys!" a Web comic he created with his brother,
Pablo. In addition to his tech journalism and Web writing, he's also worked as
a writer and performer with Austin's award-winning Latino Comedy Project and ME
TV's "The Almost Late Show With Bobby Bones" and has also written for
Hispanic magazine, the Tulsa World and the Wall Street Journal.
Amanda McGuckin Hager is high-tech marketing professional who focuses
on tactical intelligence for Marketing Programs. As an enthusiast of online tools,
services and vendors, Amanda is always testing new ways to drive to objectives
and increase ROI. Additionally, Amanda is a strong advocate of user experience,
community collaboration, and authentic brand development. Her experience spans
scrappy start-ups to Fortune 100 companies, includes B2B and B2C audiences, and
addresses industries such as Healthcare, Retail, Government and Education. In
2010, she was on SXSW Interactive's Advisory Board, was elected for a 2nd time
to the American Marketing Association - Austin Chapter Board of Directors, and
was a nominee for the Texas Social Media Award. Amanda invites you to follow her
on Twitter under her user name @shoogie
(its a nickname; shell tell you about it one day.) Talmadge
Boyd @Talmadge has been building
businesses around online communities since the late nineties. After running a
bumper sticker company with a small group of angry, suburban white kids, he attended
Acton Business School to learn how to bring his love of community involvement
to business and received an MBA in Entrepreneurship. Since graduating hes
used internet marketing to rapidly prototype and sell www.sweetping.com, a social
CRM application, in under three months. Most recently he used social bookmarking
tools to launch www.weightnags.com. The
site launched in 24 hours, and currently, over 1000 people are signed up to receive
snarky, electronic tough love. Weightnags.com was featured in www.springwise.com,
www.canada.com and BBC Radio and was in the
the April 09 issue of Inc. magazine. Currently,
he's a partner at Reel Social Media,
a web video production, search marketing, and content strategy company based in
Austin, Texas. | | March
18, 2010 | 
Nettie
Hartsock 
Jimmy
Flannigan 
Thomas
Umstattd Jr. | "Establishing
Your Online Identity: Building a Web Site and the Importance of Blogging"
Nettie Hartsock, Jimmy Flannigan and Thomas Umstattd Jr.Nettie
Hartsock is a digital strategist who helps artists, musicians, authors
and companies focus on creating, conveying and connecting their message to the
world. Her work as a "connector" is highly regarded, and she creates
successful programs that establish a powerful base for attracting both bloggers'
and journalists' attention. Jimmy Flannigan is the owner of Site
Street, Inc., a web design and hosting company in Austin. Founded in 1997,
it is one of the oldest web companies in Austin still locally owned and operated.
With a degree from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA in e-Business,
Mr. Flannigan brings enterprise-level consulting and expertise to small businesses
and independent publishers in Austin and across the country. Site Street's suite
of services includes web design, custom development, web hosting, search engine
optimization, and email marketing. Thomas Umstattd Jr. loves technology.
He built his first website at the age of 13 and taught his first web design class
at only 16 years old. He has been helping authors and small businesses use the
web ever since. His blend of youth and experience give him a unique perspective
that can help you use the web in a whole new way. As an award winning speaker,
Thomas teaches all over the world. His friendly speaking style blends multimedia
and audience participation. Thomas is the CEO of Umstattd Media, a company that
helps authors use the Web to sell books and win contracts. He also runs AuthorTechTips.com
a resource for authors timid about technology. |
| February 18, 2010 |

Karen
Frost 
Sheila
Scarborough Photo courtesy Korey Howell Photography 
Clay
Smith | "Who
Are You? Building Your Brand" Karen Frost, Sheila Scarborough,
and Clay SmithKaren Frost
handles all aspects of public relations, but her specialty is national media placements,
such as The New York Times, National Public Radio and The Oprah Winfrey
Show. Karen balances her publicity services for individuals, corporations
and non-profits, with clients ranging from Drumroll, Dr. Randy Fagin, to Turk
Pipkin and The Nobelity Project and Impact Austin. Recognized in PR and business,
she was named an Austin Business Journal Profile in Power in 2006 and was
the business/entrepreneurial winner of AustinUnder40 in 2008. Karen is
board president of I Live Here, I Give Here, a member of the executive committee
for CreateAustin, serves on the board of Leadership Austin and is the alumni president
of the Bob Schieffer School of Journalism at Texas Christian University. Previously,
she was a media consultant for Senator Ted Kennedy, a producer for CBS News, and
she managed the press room for the Perot '92 presidential campaign. Karen also
co-authored America, September 11th; The Courage to Give. She lives in
central Austin with her long red dog, Hogan.
Sheila
Scarborough served for almost 23 years as a Surface Warfare Officer in
the U.S. Navy aboard ships homeported in Hawaii, California, Virginia and Japan
plus shore duty in Washington D.C. and Rhode Island. She also lived overseas with
her family in the Netherlands during a tour with NATO. She began writing part-time
while on active duty, and is now enjoying a successful career as a full-time writer
and blogger specializing in travel/tourism, the social Web and NHRA drag racing.
A certified Navy Master Training Specialist and former Associate Professor at
the University of Florida, Sheila is also an enthusiastic and knowledgeable public
speaker and trainer/teacher. Clay
Smith is the literary director of the Texas Book Festival and a former
senior editor at the Austin Chronicle. A graduate of NYUs Cultural
Reporting and Criticism program, he also works for the Sundance Film Festival.
| | January 21,
2010 |

Bill
Crawford 
Rusty
Shelton | "What
the Heck Is a Platform? Ten Building Blocks Every Writer Needs" with Bill
Crawford and Rusty Shelton
Our first session of the New Year will focus
on defining that annoying, ever-present, and oh-so-hard to define buzz word of
the publishing industry: platform. What is it? Why do I need one? And how do I
build one? This session will be an overarching introduction to the world of buzz-building
and will touch on the ten topics, or building blocks, to be covered throughout
the year. Bill Crawford is the author or co-author of more than a
dozen books, including the best-selling Stevie Ray Vaughan: Caught in the Crossfire.
He is a development editor for the Greenleaf Book Group in Austin and is ghostwriting
a history of the HGTV network. Rusty
Shelton is the managing director of Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists,
an Austin-based literary publicity firm that is widely regarded as one of the
best in the nation. From social media campaigns to national publicity launches,
P&P represents books across every major genre, including three NY Times
bestsellers over the last six months.
|
2009 |
November 19, 2009 |

Tweed
Scott 
David
Marion Wilkinson | Blast
Off: The Book Launch & BeyondYou've written your book, landed at a
publisher, and now it's time to meet your public at book signings and events.
Authors who've been there will share their experience about how to prepare for
readings and signings; plus, we'll hear from a bookseller to see what works from
the store's perspective.
Panelists: Tweed
Scott is the President of the WLT Board of Directors and is a retired
broadcaster of 31 years. In 2001 he began writing for Countryline magazine
and the Austin Business Journal. In 2004 he opened Tejas Communications, a writing
& professional speaking company. Tweed has written the three-time national
award-winning book Texas In Her Own Words -- a peek into the Texas psyche
explaining why Texans are the way they are.
David
Marion Wilkinson is the author of four books, including Not Between
Brothers and One Ranger. He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Martha.
| | Thursday,
October 15, 2009 |

Robert
Bryce 
Varian
Johnson 
Stephanie
Klein 
Jennifer
Hill Robenalt |
|
| Thursday, September 17,
2009, 7:30 PM |

Colleen
Devine Ellis 
Deltina
Hay 
Gillian
Redfearn | |
| Thursday,
August 20, 2009 |

Andrew
Gajkowski |
Once you get an agent or a publisher
or even a deal to do freelance writing, youll want to be armed with advice
on how to interpret contracts and tips on what to look for to make sure youre
getting the best deal possible while protecting your rights. What better way to
start that hearing from an attorney and a CPA? Andrew
Gajkowski is an associate in the Austin and Atlanta offices of Fish &
Richardson. His practice involves representing clients in business and corporate
transactions and focuses on technology and intellectual property related deals.
He has advised public and private companies and has experience counseling clients
on licensing transactions and other intellectual property matters, mergers and
acquisitions, securities offerings, labor and employment and business litigation
issues. Additionally, he has worked as a legislative policy analyst and a radio
broadcaster. Joseph P. Sherfy is a certified public
accountant in Austin whose clientele includes authors, musicians, and others in
the entertainment field. | | Thursday,
July 16, 2009 | |
|
| | Thursday,
May 21, 2009 |

Steven
Saylor 
Kit
Frazier |
Steven
Saylor is the acclaimed author of the Gordianus mysteries set in Caesarean
Rome; his other books include A Twist at the End, Have You Seen Dawn?,
and Roma, a fictionalized history of ancient Rome. Kit
Frazier is a professional journalist and is certified in search and rescue.
Kits first novel, Scoop, was a Mystery Guild Pick of the Month and
took the #1 spot on the Austin bestseller list. She was chosen to represent her
publisher at Book Expo in Washington, D.C., and has since been the Barnes &
Noble Author of the Month for each of her releases. Her second book, Dead Copy,
hit the list one week after its June release date. Kit is the two-time, first-place
winner of the Writers League of Texas and Merritt awards. Her blog is at
kitfrazieroffleash.blogspot.com.
Belinda Acosta and James C. Moore have had to cancel their
appearance. | | Thursday,
April 16, 2009 |

Shaila
Abdullah 
Erin
Brown 
April
Lurie 
James
L. Haley |
Shaila
Abdullah is an award-winning author and designer Her creative work focuses
on the strengths and weaknesses of Pakistani women and their often unconventional
choices in life. Abdullah's new novel, Saffron Dreams, explores the tragedy
of 9/11 from the perspective of a Muslim widow. Her debut book, Beyond the
Cayenne Wall, is a collection of stories about Pakistani women struggling
to find their individualities despite the barriers imposed by society. The collection
won the Norumbega Jury Prize for Outstanding Fiction and the DIY Festival Award,
among other accolades. She lives in Austin. Erin
Brown is a professional editor who has worked at several large New York
publishing houses. She began her publishing career at HarperCollins Publishers,
where she worked for over six years in virtually every genre, including mystery,
romance, literary fiction, women's commercial fiction, and nonfiction. She was
privileged to work with numerous best-selling authors including J.A. Jance, Bruce
Feiler, Elizabeth Peters, Jerrilyn Farmer, Lawrence Block, Carolyn Hart, and Mary
Daheim. Most recently, she was an editor with the Thomas Dunne Books imprint at
St. Martin's Press, where she acquired debut novels and edited such bestselling
authors as Carole Matthews, Madeleine Wickham (a.k.a. Sophie Kinsella), Homer
Hickam, Robin Pilcher, and many more. After almost a decade in New York City,
Erin and her husband recently returned to their hometown of Austin, where Erin
has begun a thriving freelance editorial business. Although she often misses the
chaotic hustle and bustle of Manhattan, she is now free to concentrate on what
she loves the most: working directly with aspiring authors to get their work into
the best shape possible before submitting to agents and houses. April
Lurie was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and lives with her family
in Round Rock. She is the author of several young adult novels, including The
Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine (Delacorte 2008), Brothers, Boyfriends
& Other Criminal Minds (Delacorte 2007), and the forthcoming The Less-Dead,
which will be released by Delacorte in 2010. James
L. Haley grew up in Fort Worth, and graduated summa cum laude from the
University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in Political Science. After attending
Law School at the University of Texas at Austin for two years, he resigned to
pursue a literary career. He sold his first national piece at the age of 19, a
biography of Jumbo, the circus elephant, to American Heritage Magazine.
His first book, The Buffalo War: The History of the Red River Indian Uprising
of 1874-1875, is still considered the definitive account on the last resistance
of the Comanche and Kiowa Indians. His second book, Apaches: A History and
Culture Portrait, was a pioneer in considering the effect of native cultures
on their history. He has now written a dozen books, about half of them on the
history of Texas. His 2002 biography, Sam Houston, won the Spur Award of
the Western Writers of America and eight other historical and literary prizes.
His 2006 compendium Passionate Nation: The Epic History of Texas, was the
first general-audience account of the Lone Star State to appear in nearly forty
years. It won the T. R. Fehrenbach Book Award from the Texas Historical Commission.
Moderator: Author Paco Ahlgren |
| Thursday,
March 12, 2009 |

Elizabeth
Crook 
Lila
Guzmán 
Joe
Nick Patoski 
Jody
Edward Ginn |
Jody Edward Ginn is a
sixth-generation Texan who was raised in the Houston area. Before turning to the
field of public history, Jody spent fourteen years in criminal justice. He received
the Fred White, Jr. Research Fellowship in Texas History from the Texas State
Historical Association in 2001 and 2002 and a historical preservation grant from
the Nelda C. & H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation in 2002. Jody has presented scholarly
papers and multimedia slideshows on various topics to historical groups around
the state. He is currently co-authoring a photo-history book on the Texas Rangers
with award-winning historian James L. Haley, to be published by the University
of Oklahoma Press; this book is intended to be a companion book to a documentary
film series on the Texas Rangers that is currently in development. Jody lives
in Austin with his wife Lesli and son Spencer. Joe
Nick Patoski has authored and co-authored biographies on Selena and Stevie
Ray Vaughan, both published by Little, Brown and Company; his latest is Willie
Nelson. His other books include Texas Mountains, Texas Coast,
and Big Bend National Park all published by the University of Texas Press.
He spent 18 years as a staff writer for Texas Monthly and more recently
has written for the Texas Observer, National Geographic, No Depression,
People magazine, Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine, Field &
Stream, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and other
publications. He also contributed an essay to the photo book Conjunto by
John Dyer, also published by University of Texas Press. In 2003-2004, he recorded
the oral histories of B.B. King, Clarence Fountain of the Blind Boys of Alabama,
Memphis, Tejano superstar Little Joe Hernandez, and other subjects for the "Voice
of Civil Rights" oral history project, some of which appeared in the book
My Soul Looks Back in Wonder, by Juan Williams. He has completed writing
a book Generations on the Land, profiling eight American families recognized
for practicing sustainable farming, ranching, and forestry for the Sand County
Foundation, which will be published by Texas A&M University Press and is writing
a history of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, to be published in
2010. He lives outside Wimberley. Moderator: WLT Board Member
and Executive Director Cyndi Hughes |
| Thursday, February 19, 2009 |

Dr.
David F. Ciambrone
Cynthia & Greg Leitich Smith 
W.K.
(Kip) Stratton 
Evelyn
Palfrey |
Cynthia
Leitich Smith is the author of two young-adult Gothic fantasies (Tantalize
and the brand-new Eternal) and several books and short stories for younger
readers. Her Web site offers one of the largest youth literature sites on the
Web, including a large section of writer resources. Cynthia also is on the faculty
of the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College
of Fine Arts. Greg
Leitich Smith is the author of two middle-grade comedies as well as the
co-author of Santa Knows and "The Wrath of Dawn," a short story
to appear in Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd. Cynthia and Greg live
in Austin. W.K. (Kip)
Stratton is the author of Backyard Brawl (Crown, 2002) and the
memoir Chasing the Rodeo (Harcourt, 2005) as well as editor of Splendor
in the Short Grass: A Grover Lewis Reader (University of Texas Press, 2005).
Kip is also the author of the forthcoming Boxing Shadows (University of
Texas Press, Fall 2009), and he is completing The Black White Hope, a book
about the late heavyweight boxing champion and civil rights activist Floyd Patterson;
that book is under contract to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and is tentatively scheduled
for publication in 2010. Kip lives in Austin. Evelyn
Palfrey is a native Texan, a graduate of Southern Methodist University
and the University of Texas Law School. Besides working in the criminal justice
system, she is an avid motorhomer and gardener, and is active with the Writers'
League of Texas, the Austin Romance Writers of America, the Travis County Bar
Association, and the Links Inc. Evelyn is the author of four novels, Three
Perfect Men, The Price of Passion, Dangerous Dilemmas, and Everything
In Its Place. She lives in Austin. Moderator: WLT Executive
Director Cyndi Hughes Before the program, join us at
Doc's Motorworks Bar & Grill,
1123 S. Congress (two blocks south of the WLT office) for a "Mix
and Mingle Happy Hour." |
| Thursday, January 15, 2009 |

Greg
Garrett
Keith Graves 
Photo byNico Tucci
Liliana Valenzuela 
Khotan
Harmon |
Greg
Garrett is the author of the novels Free Bird (chosen by Publishers
Weekly and the Rocky Mountain News as one of the most notable fiction
debuts of 2002), Cycling, and the forthcoming Shame, as well as
the memoir Crossing Myself, and non-fiction books on story, religion, politics,
and culture, the most recent being September's Stories from the Edge. Greg
is Professor of English at Baylor University, where he teaches fiction- and screen-writing,
literature, and film classes. Greg's work has been widely reviewed, and he has
talked about his work on NPR's Morning Edition, BBC Radio, CBS Radio, and
The Bob Edwards Show. He lives in Austin, and has been appearing on Writers'
League programs and teaching workshops since 2001. Keith
Graves is the slightly renowned author and illustrator of children's books
Frank Was A Monster Who Wanted to Dance, Pet Boy, Uncle Blubbafink's
Seriously Ridiculous Stories, Loretta: Ace Pinky Scout, Three Nasty
Gnarlies, and The Unexpectedly Bad Hair Of Barcelona Smith. He's the
brains and artist behind Thunder Pig, an animated pilot for a series. Keith
lives in Austin with his lovely wife, Nancy, and twins Max and Emma who show no
signs of mutation so far. His Web site is www.keithgravesart.com. John
Taliaferro is a former senior editor at Newsweek and Texas Monthly
and the author of four acclaimed books, Great White Fathers: The Story of the
Obsessive Quest to Create Mount Rushmore; Charles M. Russell: The Life
and Legend of America's Cowboy Artist; Tarzan Forever: The Life of Edgar
Rice Burroughs; and In a Far Country: The True Story of a Mission, a Marriage,
a Murder, and the Remarkable Reindeer Rescue of 1898. He lives in Pray, Montana,
and Austin. Liliana Valenzuela is the acclaimed
Spanish language translator of works by Sandra Cisneros, Julia Alvarez, Denise
Chávez, Nina Marie Martínez, Ana Castillo, Dagoberto Gilb, Richard
Rodriguez, Rudolfo Anaya, Cristina García, Alex Espinoza, and many other
writers. An award-winning poet and essayist, her work has appeared in The Edinburgh
Review, Indiana Review, Tigertail, How I Learned English,
and other journals and anthologies. Born and raised in Mexico City, Liliana lives
in Austin. Moderator: Khotan Harmon Khotan is the
co-host of Idea Lounge and Writing on the Air on KOOP 91.7 F.M.
in Austin. Her professional life also includes extensive experience in community
development and micro-enterprise projects aimed at self-sufficiency for low-income
individuals; global education program design, delivery and evaluation; and high-level
entrepreneurship venture development and management. After traveling extensively
and living in places like Tehran, Washington, D.C., and Prague, Khotan lives in
Austin with her husband, Wade, and their cat, ZuZu. Before
the program, join us at Doc's
Motorworks Bar & Grill, 1123 S. Congress (two blocks south of the
WLT office) for a "Mix and Mingle Happy Hour."
|
2008 | | Thursday,
November 20 |

Jeff
Abbott 
Doug
Dorst 
Evelyn
Palfrey
Margo Rabb
|
Jeff Abbott
is the author of ten novels; his most recent thrillers center on ordinary people
who are caught in extraordinary danger. Published in 20 languages, his books have
been bestsellers in the U.S., U.K., France, and several other countries. Jeff
is a three-time nominee for the Edgar Award, given by Mystery Writers of America.
His novels Panic and Collision (his newest) have been optioned for
film by major studios and are in script development. His next novel, Trust
Me, will be out next summer. Doug
Dorst's first novel, Alive in Necropolis, was published in July
2008 by Riverhead Books and named as an Editor's Choice by the New York Times
Book Review and by Amazon. His first short-story collection, The Surf Guru,
is forthcoming in 2009, also from Riverhead. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop
and a former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford, Doug received a 2008 Literature
Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives in Austin, where
he teaches writing at St. Edward's University and serves on the Board of Directors
of Austin Bat Cave, a nonprofit writing center for kids. Evelyn
Palfrey is a native Texan, a graduate of Southern Methodist University
and the University of Texas Law School. Besides working in the criminal justice
system, she is an avid motorhomer and gardener, and is active with the Writers'
League of Texas, the Austin Romance Writers of America, the Travis County Bar
Association, and the Links Inc. Evelyn is the author of four novels, Three
Perfect Men, The Price of Passion, Dangerous Dilemmas, and Everything
In Its Place. She lives in Austin. Margo
Rabb's novel, Cures for Heartbreak, was published by Random House
and named one of the Best Books of 2007 by Kirkus and Booklist. Her short stories
and essays have been published in The Atlantic Monthly, The New York
Times, Zoetrope, Seventeen, Mademoiselle, One Story,
Best New American Voices, and broadcast on National Public Radio. Margo recently
moved to Austin. |
| Thursday, October 16 |

Jo
Virgil |
-
Anyone with a work
in progress - whether it's fiction, nonfiction, essays, poetry, etc. - who wants
feedback -
Writers
interested in meeting other writers to form a critique group
What to bring? 5 copies of 3-5 pages of a work in
progress What you'll get: Feedback on your work, critiquing
practice, new contacts, and just possibly a writing group of your own! |
| Thursday, September 18 |

Michael
Hurd 
Bill
Minutaglio 
Debi
Martin |
|
| August 21, 2008 |

Paul
Benjamin | 
Tony
Salvaggio |

Alan
Porter | 
Matt
Sturges |

Scott
Kolins | |
| |
| July 17, 2008 |
|
Bob & Margie Mahoney
|
|
| June 19, 2008 |
| 
Dr.
Dave Ciambrone |
Dr.
Dave Ciambrone is a retired scientist, Oceanographer, archaeologist, professor,
magician and author living in Georgetown, Texas, with his wife, Kathy. Dave has
published five Virginia Davies Mysteries, Laguna Treasure, Napa
Nights, Pelican Cove and Castle Finlaystroke. He has also published
three management books: Waste Minimization as a Strategic Weapon, Environmental
Life Cycle Analysis and Effective Transition from Design to Production.
| | May
15, 2008 |

Liz
Carmack | 
Carol
Dawson | 
Dave
McNeeley | 
Marsha
Moyer | 
Joe
O'Connell | 
Mary
Gordon Spence |
|
Mary Gordon
Spence emcees, and Jo Virgil of Barnes & Noble Westlake will sell
copies of the authors' books, which can be signed during the evening. Come enjoy
coffee and sweets and visit with these popular writers. Dawson,
author of four critically-acclaimed novels, made her non-fiction debut with the
2007 Violet Crown Nonfiction Prize winner House of Plenty, the story of
Luby's Cafeterias and the cafeteria industry as a social paradigm of Middle America.
Carmack, a freelance business and technical writer, writes
about Texas travel and traveled more than 17,000 miles around the Lone Star State
to research her book, Historic Hotels of Texas: A Traveler's Guide. McNeely,
co-author of Bob Bullock: God Bless Texas, recently retired from the Austin
American-Statesman. Moyer is the author of four critically-acclaimed
novels: The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch, The Last of the Honky-tonk
Angels, Heartbreak Town, and the recently released Return of the
Stardust Cowgirl. O'Connell is the author of Evacuation
Plan, a novel-in-stories based on his experiences at Hospice Austin's Christopher
House. Spence, author of Finding Magic in the Mundane,
is a popular speaker, Austin American-Statesman op-ed columnist, and KUT
public radio commentator. The event is free and nonmembers
are welcome. No need to RSVP. Parking is available in the lot directly behind
the Daugherty Center. | | April
17, 2008 | |

Gail
Folkins | |
| March 20, 2008 |
| 
Barbara
Trepagnier | |
| February 21, 2008 |
| 
Irene
Watson | |
| |
|