As mentioned in a previous post, Texas does indeed have a poet laureate, and the man who held that title in 2008, Larry D. Thomas, will be at BookPeople today to read from a new collection of poems, The Skin of Light. Thomas is best known for poetry that starkly describes the American West, cowboy life, small-town West Texas, and our state’s natural landscape—subject matter that might be expected of a Texas poet laureate. But Larry Thomas isn’t that easy to label as just a cowboy poet; The Skin of Light—his twelfth collection out from Austin-based indie press Dalton Publishing last month—contains many of his non-Texas-centric poems and includes an entire section of ekphrastic poetry (to save you a trip to the dictionary, that would be poetry that describes a work of visual art, in this case painters like Renoir, van Gogh, and Picasso). more ›

The third-calendar-month-awesomeness of March can be celebrated in a variety of ways: NCAA brackets, SXSW and Truck Month will do for some, but others may need more convincing. Thanks to Peer Pressure: Indie Presses Unite, the unenthusiastic can find something to celebrate as March is also Small Press Month! This Saturday, March 27th at Club Deville, American Short Fiction will host a lively celebration of Austin's finest small presses featuring readings from Monofonus Press, Black Buzzard Press, Dalton Publishing and Effing Press . Come hear fiction, poetry, music and banter with the wordiest kids you know. more ›

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... more ›

Austin author, entertainer, and all-around Renaissance man Owen Egerton is finally receiving some formal recognition for all of his hard work and hijinks. He's one of this year's two Best of Austin "Best Authors," in no small part due to his darkly-comedic book of short stories, How To Best Avoid Dying, released earlier this year by Austin-based Dalton Publishing. Egerton tied for the prestigious award with journalist-turned-punk-rocker-Texas-Rollergirl Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan. Her bruiser of a memoir,... more ›

This Thursday, May 17th at 7pm, Austin fixture Owen Egerton will be celebrating the release of How Best to Avoid Dying, his brand new collection of short stories, at BookPeople. The book is also the latest release for local publisher Dalton Publishing. They're offering a free peep of the book's first story, "Spelling," here. While the book itself is worthy of celebration, so too is its author. Egerton is one of Austin's renaissance men.... more ›

The fun and lively improv show Plays Well With Others is being held over at the Zach Scott Theater and if you need to have your funny bone tickled, you should go. The show is directed by Owen Egerton and written by Les McGehee. Owen and Les also star, along with a cast of some of Austin's best improv actors like Megan Flynn, Jodi Egerton, Scott Chester, and Shannon McCormick. Also involved are videographer Ben... more ›