Lisa Bintrim

Look on any electoral map, and you’ll see Texas colored in bright Republican Red. Mention Texas politics, and most people will think of W and Delay and the conservative far right. But it hasn’t always been that way. In Barn Burning, Barn Burning, former Lieutenant Governor and political prodigy... continue reading on Austinist

Just weeks after giving birth to her first child, Adrienne Martini stood red-eyed and rain-soaked at a gas station in an unsavory part of town: I am enough of a sight that I unnerve even those who spend their nights dealing with drug-induced shootings and drive-by vomitings. . . .... continue reading on Austinist

Think crafts are for Girl Scouts and grandmothers? Leah Kramer wants you to think again. Leah combined her computer programming skills with her love of off-beat crafts to create Craftster, an online community for those who like to dress their irony in glitter. Think crocheted pirates and pot-holder couture. Leah... continue reading on Austinist

Tonight at BookPeople, the UTTER Reading Series presents local writers Elisabeth Sharp McKetta and Gary Cooke. McKetta is one of the founders of Farfelu, a literary magazine dedicated to writing and art from Austin. She’s contributed short stories and poetry to a variety of publications. Gary Cooke’s work has... continue reading on Austinist

Peter Carey’s latest novel, Theft: A Love Story, is occasionally clever, often pretentious, and ultimately unsatisfying. A mish-mash of genres---Hitchcockian how-done-it, art-world satire, high-brow drama---the novel never lives up to its potential. Michael “Butcher” Boone seems pulled from a Vanity Fair profile: A once-great artist undone by the collapse of... continue reading on Austinist