Back in the old days, when I still drank, I’d finish up a bartending shift on 6th Street, by which I mean throw back a few cocktails. Then I’d float, heavily buzzed, on down to the 311 Club to see CJ. The 311 was not really “my” kind of place. Except for CJ, a bartender so amazingly skilled I would go just to watch him. Okay, well that and get a little drunker. The thing about CJ was that he could make any customer—big, small, young, old, stupid, suave—feel like his one true love in the few moments it took him to mix a drink, run a charge card, and wink like he meant it. Maybe it was an act, all this showmanship, but I had the feeling that CJ genuinely liked people and wasn’t just shaking it for tips....

As the former deputy chief of the U.S Government’s counterterrorism division, he was in charge of keeping the world safe from pesky problems like nuclear war, large-scale attacks and the assassinations of high ranking officials—you know, the usual work stuff. His recently-published memoir, Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent, details his insomnia-inducing struggle to thwart the criminal plans of Libyan terrorist Abu Nidal, 1993 WTC bombing mastermind Ramzi Yousef, and various other evildoers. ...

Tonight, before award-winning author Kevin Brockmeier's scheduled 7pm reading from his latest effort, The View from the Seventh Layer, BookPeople will host its first-ever Literary Cocktail Hour on their third floor. Fancy wines, fine cheeses and an unforgettably brilliant author will be available to all those savvy enough to show up....

Two months ago, we let you know about the Austin Chronicle's annual Short Story contest, open to aspiring writers from Texas and the world. This Wednesday, the winners will be unveiled at a BookPeople gala, catered by Austin Java. ...

The Utter Reading Series is back tomorrow, with more pathos than Hillary, more transcendance than Barack, more grit than McCain, and more exposure (for local writers) than a bead-strewn balcony on Bourbon Street. As always, the reading is free and open to the public, and the audience is invited to join the readers afterwards for drinks and conversation at Opal Divine's on 6th....

Image from SOS Alliance SOS Holiday Party & Silent AuctionFriday, December 7Mercury Hall (615 Cardinal Lane)$10 Suggested Donation, 7pm - Midnight[info]Tonight, the Save Our Springs Alliance will be hosting their annual Holiday Party and Silent Auction at Mercury Hall. In addition to food, drinks and great people, the event will showcase music by two environmentally-conscience local bands, Bill Oliver's Otter Space Band and The Bouldin Creek Bobkats. The Silent Auction features items from over 300......

Some would rather vote for a yellow dog. Image from DemocraticStuff.com Lou Dubose presents Bill Of WrongsTuesday, November 27BookPeople (603 N. Lamar)Free, Starts at 7pm[info] Fiery Austin columnist Molly Ivins was once described to us as "equal parts sugar, spice, piss, and vinegar" by friend and fellow yellow-dog-democrat Bob Mann. To this day we still can't think of a better way to describe her. Her death last January left a deafening silence — gone was......

Roky Erickson of the 13th Floor Elevators. If you missed your chance at tickets to his ACL taping, you can catch him, along with bassist Benny Thurman, drummer John Ike Walton, and producer Walt Andrus at BookPeople this Saturday. Image from Southern Records Paul Drummond and Roky Erickson present Eye MindSaturday, November 10th BookPeople (603 N. Lamar)Free, at 7pm[info] There are plenty of routes to fame in the world of music, and talent certainly plays......

Photo from SpikeG.com Spike Gillespie presents Quilty As ChargedTuesday, November 6BookPeople (603 N. Lamar)7pm, Free[info]Local raconteur Spike Gillespie has been a favorite of ours for a long time. Easily the hardest writing writer in Austin, the moxie-mad Gillespie stole our hearts with the annual Kick Ass Awards ceremony she holds on her birthday. She isn't one to hold anything back or censor herself. Her "dot-novel", a completely free book, opens with the phrase "donkey-cock," and......

Photo by johnkoetsier on flickr Utter Reading SeriesMonday, Nov 5BookPeople [map]7pm, Free[info]This month’s Utter Reading Series features two standouts from a couple hours south on I-35. Both teach at Trinity University in San Antonio, and both are long-overdue candidates for the Utter Series, which spotlights hot Texas-based writers. One has just won a national award for his short stories, and the other is an Austin-bred recent graduate of the Michener Center at UT. After the......

Robert Stikmanz, AKA Jackanapes Plenty, AKA fully human Austin author Robert Lewis, will appear in one of his many guises to preview his new book, Nod’s Way, at BookPeople this Saturday. Nod’s Way is part fantasy, part I Ching manual from another dimension, so if you have any burning questions that Dr. Laura or George Noory can’t answer, here’s your chance to consult a real live ancient oracle. Nod’s Way is a follow-up to Stikmanz’s......

Normally we're wary of anything that hints of the pejorative chick-lit (or related single-twentysomething-hipster-trying-to- get-lucky-with-the-opposite-sex genre) as it's about as wispy-thin and over-played as emo haircuts. But Diane Vadino, whose debut novel is entitled Smart Girls Like Me, had credentials enough for us to take a closer look. Vadino was an original staff member of that magnetic bastion of literary cool, McSweeney's, who churn out more high-minded humor and literature than you could shake a......

Local author Sarah Bird (The Yokota Officers Club, Virgin of the Rodeo, The Mommy Club, The Boyfriend School, and Alamo House) doesn't know how to just sit down and write a book. For her, research for a novel—say, one about flamenco music and dance—means picking up and moving to New Mexico for a summer to take flamenco dance lessons at The University of New Mexico. This may sound a little extreme when she could've hacked......

One of our own here at Austinist has a book out, in case you didn't know, and we are not above a little shameless self-promotion. We promise, however, to not shove it up your eyelids like Stephen Colbert and I Am America (and so can you!). Craig McCullough, who posts as the ever-irreverent Truecraig, is the author of the similarly parenthesized title, I Am An Idiot (but there is nothing wrong with you). McCullough’s debut......

Jenna Bush presented her book, Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope, along with a short video about UNICEF to an audience of more than 300 this Wednesday. The book's photographer, Mia Baxter, was also present, but did not speak to the audience. By all accounts, Jenna Bush is not pregnant as Wonkette has been reporting; it's just her taste for baggy, sack-like clothing. Photos by Joel Nihlean and Thomas Smith If you can't view......

Jenna Bush, one of Austin's native daughters and progeny of our current president, wrote a book. We'll pause here for the knee-jerk snickering, eye-rolling, jokes, and so on. Ok. Now let's move on with an open mind and not judge her by the sins of the father, but instead by her own merits. Jenna's book, Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope, is based on her experiences interning for UNICEF. It's the true story of a......

Jerry Naylor would have been famous. He could have been and probably should have been. Jerry Naylor was there when rock 'n roll was born, sweating out those devil rhythms in Texas honky-tonks and rubbing shoulders with boys like Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly — all who would become men of legend. He saw a musical revolution fueled by youth and a fusion of country, blues,......

The UTTER Reading Series presents two young, local writers who are finding national success and recognition. Poet D. Antwan Stewart will present selections from his two books, The Terribly Beautiful (2006) and Sotto Voce (forthcoming) . Fiction writer Brian Hart, the winner of the first-ever Keene Prize for Literature, may read from his forthcoming and already-awarded novel, The Dog With the Broken Teeth, the One That Fetches Rocks. Stewart has an MFA from the Michener......

Best known as the frontman of alt-country group Richmond Fontaine, Willy Vlautin is now also an author. His debut novel, The Motel Life, takes the same bleak, resigned-to-fate look on life that fuels his music. The story centers around the relationship of brothers Frank and Jerry Lee, who flee town after one of them accidentally kills a boy in a drunken hit-and-run accident. They find a strange kind of freedom in their ensuing travels; it's......

Once the camera crews, exuberant (and nostalgia seeking) fans, and Illuminati-crying conspiracy theorists had retreated to their respective rocks last week, former President Clinton decided to do some shopping at BookPeople. In town to raise money for Hillary's campaign at the home of long time Clinton family friend Roy Spence of GSD&M, Bill made a stop at BookPeople where he signed over a thousand copies of his new book, Giving: How Each of Us Can......

The number of people injured by the (now extinguished) propane tank fire at ACL Fest has risen to 4, one of them seriously burned. Power is slowly being restored to the areas affected by Humberto. Tire slashings becoming more prevalent in Hyde Park area. Woman's body found in fountain of North Austin apartment complex. Bill Clinton was at BookPeople this morning. Texas high school football games shown on national television? UT hasn't been reporting......

After more than six years with our country hog-tied by George W. Bush and his Texas neo-con cronies, it is not hard to feel a nostalgic pull to the nineties. We may not be longing for rap-rock, JNCO jeans or Pauly Shore, but the roaring nineties and their dot-com excess did have some bright spots. Like a good president. (Though even Warren G. Harding looks pretty good right now.) If you are looking for......

Texas Death Row: Executions in the Modern Era is too small (and probably too grim) to make a good coffee table book. It is too stark and bare to be considered literature, or even a “true crime” book. The book is merely a distillation of the public domain information preserved by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. But none of this takes away from the creepy and bone chilling, if understated, weight of this book.......

Some 300 competitors in 75 teams are set to converge upon Austin next week for the 2007 National Poetry Slam, a five-day competition that will feature some of the country's most talented slam artistry. NPS officially runs from August 7 through August 11th, but event organizers are hosting a series of preview events starting today to showcase some of what you can expect to see at the performances. "We're fortunate to be able to again......

As we ease further into the dog days of summer we keep trying to find ways to make new connections. Unfortunately we keep failing, probably because we end up at the same place every time. Hopefully you're working a little harder than we have been. Luckily for us we have Missed Connections. Luckily for you we're here to sift through and find the best of last week's Missed Connections... Elvis impersonator spotted - Austin......

JK Rowling's final installment in the Harry Potter series comes out at midnight this Friday, and at least one local store has already sold out its entire pre-order. The 1,500th voucher for one of BookPeople's initial batch of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was picked up late Monday afternoon, making this series finale—which weighs in at a hefty two pounds—their biggest pre-order book of all time. "We have never sold this many book vouchers......

Friday, July 6artB Scene - Too Darn Hot! at Blanton Museum of Art, MLK at Congress ($5-$10) booksAlan Porter presents Before They Were Beatles, with Beatles cover band Daytripper at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedyJohn O’Connell with Jesse Pangelinian at Cap City Comedy Club comedyPunchline, open mic stand up comedy at ColdTowne Theater (10pm) comedyLovey and Lovey at ColdTowne Theater (8pm) comedyWeekly Improv Cage Match! at ColdTowne Theater (11:30) film"Bonnie & Clyde" and "White Heat" at The......

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you hit “reply” to those Nigerian e-mail scams to strike up a conversation with the sender? Have you ever thought about responding to a classified ad, just to harass the ad placer in an outlandish way? Does the idea of pushing people’s buttons via the anonymity of e-mail appeal to you? Do you just like laughing at stuff that’s funny? If so, David Earthman might be......

Thursday, June 28 artOpening Reception for Whitney Lee: Power Craft at Women and Their Work, 1710 Lavaca Street (6-8pm) artOpen House Work Viewing at Atelier 3-D, 2209 Pasadena Drive (4-10pm) artArtistic License: Josefina Guilisasti at The Blanton Museum of Art, MLK at Congress Ave (Free, 6-8pm) booksAmanda Eyre Ward presents Forgive Me at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedyPat Dixon with Brendon Walsh at Cap City Comedy Club comedyParallelogramophonograph with special guests Look Cookie at ColdTowne Theater (8pm)......

Best-selling author John Burdett will be at BookPeople tomorrow night to present the third installment in his "Bangkok Series," Bangkok Nights. When detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep receives a snuff film featuring a woman he was once obsessed with, he embarks on an investigation that takes him beyond the realm of the living, not your same old snuff film shenanigans. It's like Law and Order, but in book form, set in Thailand, and instead of Sam Waterston......