In Memoriam: William H. Goetzmann
We’re sorry to report that historian William H. Goetzmann died on September 7. Goetzmann won both the Pulitzer and Parkman prizes in 1967 for Exploration and Empire, his study of the 19th century scientific exploration of the American West. His iconic book The West of the Imagination, co-authored with son William N. Goetzmann, was reissued last year, when he also published Beyond the Revolution: A History of American Thought from Paine to Pragmatism. Goetzmann held the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Professorship in History and American Studies at the University of Texas until his retirement in 2005 and he also received the Festival’s Bookend Award, given to Texas writers for outstanding literary achievement. A memorial mass will be held Sunday September 12, 2010 at 2pm at St. Austin's Catholic Church, 2026 Guadalupe Street in Austin.
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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on Sunday, Oct. 17
"Buildings fall down, pensions aren't paid, politicians are murdered, riots are in the air ... and yet I love Nigeria," writes Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose first short story collection, The Thing Around Your Neck, explores both her exasperation with and her love of her native country. Adichie will be in conversation with Austin writer Mary Helen Specht on Sunday, October 17th; we’ll release the Festival schedule soon. The stories in the collection fluidly highlight the surface tension between African and Western cultures as felt through a host of affecting, resilient, often female characters. Adichie is also the author of Purple Hibiscus, which won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and Half of a Yellow Sun, which won the Orange Broadband Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
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T.A. Barron on Merlin's Magic
In Merlin's Dragon: Ultimate Magic, the final battle in T.A. Barron ’s Merlin’s Dragon trilogy, Merlin’s wondrous world of Avalon faces destruction: Invincible warriors invade by land, swarms of fire dragons blacken the sky, and a terrible plague kills rampantly. We’re releasing the Festival schedule soon, but Barron will talk about the series on Saturday, October 16th at the Family Life Center (1300 Lavaca St.) – all Festival sessions are open and free to the public. Voice of Youth Advocates raves that “this series contains everything that fantasy fans look for: action, adventure, humor, magical creatures, and noble heroes. As always, Barron proves he is the go-to author for fantasy about Merlin.” New York Times bestselling author Barron, whose work Book Sense calls “the best of the best in children’s literature,” lives in Colorado with his wife and children, who are his first readers.
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