Some things to consider

I should have my final take on Dowd-Vidal in a day or so. I recorded a bit of the presentation and I hope to give it the Barack Obama treatment. Also, look for the official Austinist wrap up in the coming days.

Austinist photographer Matt Wright took some brilliant shots at the festival that you can check out here. Check back as there's still more to come.

The return of Day 1. Act III or I heart the nightlife

I left the cocktail party to check out The Lolita Update at the Gallery at the Continental Club. I was kind of bummed as Marisha Pessl, the only author on the panel whose book I'd read, couldn't make it. But for serious: family emergency trumps silly literary sex panel. I wish her the best.

The discussion was pretty fun. At times it seemed as though it was just an excuse for authors to talk dirty into a microphone, best evidenced by Mark Z. Danielewski's repeated refrain of "I have an orgy." Heidi Julevits is ridiculous. Her allusion to The Happy Hooker's German shepherd scene was well-received.

Also noteworthy, Cristina Henríquez's admission that she really started writing at the behest of a boy she liked in middle school. Even more noteworthy, advice given to Henríquez by the greatest sex writer of our time, Steve Almond: "do not compare a woman's nipples to A.) cherry pits and B.) Frankenstein's bolts."

Julevits offered this advice on keeping sex scenes from being stale:

The way to avoid it being cliché is to always make every sexual situation extremely fucked up. So that it just seems totally misguided and wrong and nobody's attractive and you're rooting for nobody and it's just total degradation.

Heidi Julevits, ladies and gentlemen, is the greatest.

The sandman would not leave me alone last night so I took off before the Q&A session started. BTW: The Book Festival inspired one of the best nights of sleep in my life. Thank you Texas Book Festival.

Living in the past: Day 1 revisited part II

I was lucky enough to catch all of Amy Sedaris and David Rakoff’s presentation at the "Cooking Tent." After watching the two together, I regretted not catching Rakoff’s solo presentation. Pretty freaking funny. Did you know that, according to Rakoff, "the gays" can differentiate between whisks? Awesome.

Shortly before the Sedaris/Rakoff show, a friend tipped me off to a semi-super-secret Book Festival author cocktail party. You better believe I crashed. The place was packed and the downtown digs were very posh. I had to keep it classy and I was reluctant to snap too many shots, but I spied many an author chowing down and gabbing. I'm sure she didn't care, but Gail Caldwell looks like she wants to kick my face in this shot:

It was amazing to see Gore Vidal. He was confined to a wheel chair, but he seemed so huge. Stationed at the periphery of the crowd, he constantly had circles of people crouched around him that were at times three bodies deep.

Most everyone was friendly, but the scene as a whole was pretty intimidating. Big ups to author Héctor Tobar. He rapped with me for some time about parking cars and raising kids in Mexico City. He was also kind enough to endure some of my pointless anecdotes. Also, your friends from the Austin Public Library are very kind.

Since I wasn’t tethered to any particular group or people I decided to photograph the bathrooms in this lavish downtown abode. Here, for your consideration are two out of four of this party’s bathrooms:

More random fun stuff

Here's a pic of author Louis Sachar, Holes, sporting his avuncular Larry
David look:











It really is uncanny in person.

The Beats

Rob Johnson, not of Matchbox 20, is a specialist on William S. Burroughs' time in South East Texas. Bill Morgan worked with Allen Ginsberg in the 70's and is editing Ginsburg's notebooks for publication.

According to Morgan, the Ginsberg poem "Kiss Ass" was inspired by a phone conversation between Ginsberg and Amiri Baraka. During the conversation Baraka exclaimed "Kiss my ass!" when Ginsberg offered to fund Baraka's legal defense. So there.

Now Johnson is talking about Burroughs and farming. He emphasizes the absudity of applying a Harvard degree to the occupation of farming.

Fun quote:
"If anybody was a sexaholic it was Neal [Cassidy]" -Morgan

[note: Rob Thomas is the jerk from Matchbox 20, Rob Johnson was a washed up NFL quarterback. Regardless, this guy is neither of those things, sorry for any mix-up]

Random Fun Stuff...

What's up with this urinal? It's just awkward...

Why does that bit jut out so far? It's just begging for people to make distance attempts. The state of Texas chose poorly. Comments, as always, are welcome.

More surprises...

Pitchapalooza Panel (r to l): Will Clarke, Arielle Eckstut, David Sterry, and Amanda Eyre Ward

I just took off from Pitchapalooza. Some interesting book ideas and some brutal flashbacks from my days at BookPeople. Now I'm waiting for The Ransom Center and TBF Present: The Beats with Rob Johnson (I hope not the one from Matchbox 20) and Bill Morgan. Should be good. I must admit there have been no real disappointments yet.

Apparently that's not the case for everyone. Yesterday, when I used my press creds to get into the Obama event (late), there was an irate group of normal people, about 20 deep, that couldn't get in, acting as if Obama was the junk and they were dying to get well. Lots of yelling. Did you ever see The French Connection?

This egg shaped girl with fake "Chanel" shades verbally assaulted a guy who accidentally bumped into her right before Amy Sedaris's presentation. She then complained of the man's 6" height advantage and, when he made attempts to placate her, he was informed that he should "Shut up."

Also, Kevin Clash, the guy most strongly affiliated with Elmo, cancelled and festival organizers are anticipating the worst. Again, I'll document any riots thoroughly and accurately.

[Update: Bookfestival staff made some signs implicating Sesame Street in the KC Fiasco, if I can find signs or crying babies I'll try to get more details.]
BTW: This Rob Johnson has nothing to do with Matchbox 20.

As it happens... Pitchapalooza...

I just slipped into Pitchapalooza. I was late, but it was impossible to leave Thomas Cahill early when he was saying stuff like this:

• "Francis of Assisi, the world’s first hippy."


• "Petrarch is one of the gigantic bores of world literature."


• "I’m pretty sure I’m the only person at this festival that will sing to you in Medieval Latin." After singing a hymn in Latin and English. Awesome.

I've got to get into his stuff with a quickness.

Now back to Pitchapalooza. Three of the authors on this panel, Will Clarke, Arielle Eckstut, and David Sterry, I met while I was doing events at BookPeople. Since I'm late, I've gleaned that this discussion involves authors pitching their projects to the panel and receiving constructive criticism from the panelists. The fourth panelist, Amanda Eyre Ward, I'm not familiar with.

This is kind of like American Idol tryouts without venom or prizes. Seriously though, these people and their experiences are indispensible resources for folks trying to break into publishing.

Barack Attack! Highlights, Day 1, Part Ia

As promised here are some highlights from yesterday. I’ll start with a synopsis of Barack Obama’s speech with select quotes…

Texas Monthly editor Evan Smith’s intro was swift and shrewd. Despite his professional tone, Smith was able to inject a good amount of levity - he even dropped the “Yeah I inhaled, that was the point” and the “Osama – Yo Mama” bits.

It didn’t take long for the junior Senator from Illinois to lay down the titular line, and lay it repeatedly: “This country if, on nothing else, has been built on the audacity of hope…” He is, after all, speaking at a book festival. This whole event is motivated by the sale of books, oh, and the cultural enrichment of Texas.
He continued saying:

That audacity I think has sometimes been lost in the past decade or so, we’ve replaced it with a politics of cynicism. A politics that feeds on negative campaigns, sound bite solutions to complicated problems, a lot of sound and fury that doesn’t signify much… so much of politics in Washington now is sort of the intellectual equivalent of WWF wrestling. Everyone is acting tough and they’re smacking each other, throwing chairs and nothing really gets done.

The wrestling analogy provoked some laughter from the packed house chamber. Out of this analogy he drew the conclusion that “people,” even those who barely pay attention to politics, are fed up.
He really was stressing unity, or uniting qualities:

The reason I think I wrote this book was because in my travels, first in Illinois and then around the country, what I discovered is that the country is not as divided as our politics would suggest… you go into these so-called red states that are deeply conservative, I don’t know if you guys know any that come to mind, and it turns out that people are concerned about the poor, they’re concerned about the Constitution, they’re concerned about civil liberties, they’re concerned about the environment. You go to these liberal havens like Manhattan… Los Angeles, and, lo and behold, people are worried about morality and values… it turns out there are a set common values and common ideals that really do bind us together as people and the hunger… is to excavate those values and those ideals. To recognize them and… use those ideals and those values to make some common sense, practical, non-ideological decisions about some of the challenges we face in this country… if we don’t make some good decisions now, we may be locking them [our children and grandchildren] into a future that’s a little meaner and a little poorer than the one we inherited.

He addressed health care and education in terms that imply it’s affecting our competitiveness in the world. Simply put, somethings need changing:

It certainly doesn’t make sense for us to send 800,000,000 dollars a day to some of the most hostile nations on Earth. We are funding both sides of the war on terrorism. And, by the way, there are a couple of hold outs in the White House, but the other 10,000 scientists have concluded that this climate change thing… [roaring applause]

He mentioned the instance of Brazil’s sugar gas and then applied the "if we can put a man on the moon" logic to our energy situation. His use of the logic concluded that we can find a solution that is good for the economy and the environment.

He called for a consistent approach to diplomacy: "We cannot simply impose our will on the globe militarily."He likened an approach to the war on terror to the containment policies of Truman and Marshall.

He concluded that his book isn't a campaign strategy, but an illumination of American values and how he maintains his identity in the politcal sphere:

I like to hang onto that kernel of truth, that essence of myself, that expression of what’s best in me, how do I maintain that? I conclude that the best way for me to do that is to spend a lot of time listening to the American people and a lot of time listening to my wife

In sum he really played the "common ground" appeal effectively. Obama seems to be steeped in idealism and, in such a jaded, "WWF" political scene it is refreshing. The hope would be that in an intense race to become president he can remain audaciously idealistic.

Up to speed, or this morning, plans change, plots thin…

I decided to forsake the Art of Book Design. It was tucked away in the depths of the “complex.” I am now waiting for Thomas Cahill and his presentation Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe . It’s in the House Chamber where there is no wireless connection. This blog is anything but live it seems, sorry.

Anthony Bourdain look-alike just sauntered in. There have been a lot of author bizarros about. And then it happened, I looked under the desk only to find a magic green cord… lo, the intertron… I’m back. I’ll work to get some of yesterday’s highlights up during Cahill’s talk… Welcome to Day 2 of the Texas Book Festival. More, much much more, to come.

Clocking Out...

I am not a good liveblogger today. It's been more like livingdeadblogging. What did you expect? It's my first day and I learned some valuable lessons. I snapped some shots of Barack Obama (they're blurry because he's fast) and Amy Sedaris. Those will be up tomorrow. I am calling it a day. I promise much better coverage tomorrow and bonus pics from tonight's festivities.

And it keeps going like this...

I didn't stick around for the Q&A at the Literary Non-fiction discussion, but what I caught was great. Melissa Fay Greene is a hoot. I caught some of the O. Henry Short Story thing. I came in toward the end and most of the discussion was aimed over my head. I definitely suffered by showing up late to that.

This Capitol Complex is crazy. I was on an elevator and I ended up outside. How strange is that? I was also on an elevator with Victor Navasky after Obama. He was talking with his assistant and proclaimed Obama to be (I'm paraphrasing here) "an outsider, general on the issues and non-threatening... probably a good candidate."

I've been running late for everything today. It all started when I spilled egg and bean taco grease on my shirt this morning. Obama went long and I've been struggling ever since. I left the O. Henry discussion very early to play catch up. Now I am awaiting Memoir: Dealing With Dad. Early start.

This is an all-star lineup, there are quite a few of those at this thing: Gail Caldwell, Robin Chotzinoff, Maria Elena Salinas, and Rigoberto Gonzalez. The affable and hilarious Sarah Bird will be moderating. This topic should get an entertaining treatment.

Fit to be untied

I took off my tie, mostly because it was tied poorly, but also because I am now officially a Barack Obama fan. The 35 minute presentation was good. I have heard two senators speak live: John McCain and, now, Barack Obama.

Obama was definitely the better of the two. His eloquence was checked by a healthy amount of "um"s, but his message was simpler and much less aggressive. Where McCain was "We need nuclear energy! I support my President!", Obama was "Um, why do we have to politicize health care?"

Right now I'm listening to Lee Gutkind and Melissa Fay Greene. They are much funnier than I anticipated. Coming into this discussion I have mixed feelings about the label "creative non-fiction." Why not just call it "good writing" or "engaging journalism"?

The label seems more apt after hearing them discuss their work and projects. They are extremely creative with their approach to subjects. This is really enthralling. Greene especially: "They say even Mother Thereasa was no Mother Thereasa." Right now Gutkind is discussing the writer's decisions regarding their role in the "narrative" all in the context of his work mentoring a bi-polar teenager.

Festival Timeline (DAY 1 concluded and DAY 2)

I have included this map to give those unfamiliar with the Austin's Capitol Complex an idea of the geography I will be traversing. It's a nice place that smells consistently of rosemary and, like the University of Texas campus, it's dotted with too many confederate memorials. Yea Texas.






Here's my continued itinerary:

Day 1 Continued

• 5PM - Go home and eat another sandwich, nap.


• 8PM - Attend The Lolita Update: The Romantic Devastations of Youth in Fiction and play ping-pong during riveting panel discussion.


• 11PM - Discover the literary merits of the Chuggin[g] Monkey.


• All night - sleep in spot labeled "treasure," please consult map.

Day 2, October 30

• 11AM - Attend The Art of the Book.


• Noon - Wait for something to happen, maybe attend The Buzz About Bees to learn about beekeeping, locate a cupcake of some sort.


• 2PM - The Classiest Event: Gore Vidal in Conversation with Maureen Dowd.


• 3PM - Just for fun: Dating: What's it Good For?.

That's where it stands. With any luck invitations to exclusive after hours engagements and champagne baths will arise. Please check back tomorrow morning as the liveblogging commences.

My Book Festival Timeline (DAY I), or How I Will Become Best Friends With Barack Obama

This is a good time for me to acknowledge that I am in no way affiliated with the Texas Book Festival and that my intent is not to defame this lovely festival or its participants. Additionally, the Texas Book Festival and its sponsors are not responsible for or represented by the comments expressed on this blogotron. That said, I will calls 'em as I sees 'em. For instance, if I see any of the following...

• drunk authors vomiting in the streets


• the Texas Writers League looting and rioting


• Barnes and Noble employees eating babies


• Amy Sedaris and Tavis Smiley arm wrestling

...I'm going to take pictures and relay to you, in the most exquisite prose, my impressions. It is my belief that between events I will bear witness to things both remarkable and mundane.

Here is my plan...

DAY 1, Saturday, October 29


• 10AM - See Barack Obama. Try to become his friend.


• 11AM - Attend panel discussion Literary Nonfiction: Telling the Truth with Style, possibly lament not attending Go Girl: Hot Books For Cool Girls.


• 12Noon - Try to catch the conclusion of 2006 O. Henry Prize Short Stories thing.


• 12:15PM - Weep gently while watching discussion of Memoirs Dealing with Dad.


• 1PM - Roam the grounds of the Capitol suspiciously with sandwich.


• 2PM - Cooking Tent: Amy Sedaris.


• 3PM - Getting serious: State of the Union: Politics in America, two Dowds, a Lemann, and a Navasky = Trouble!

More to come...

This weekend Austin celebrates the book. It is time once again for the annual Texas Book Festival - it's like SXSW for book nerds. The Texas Book Festival has a long tradition of bringing notable literary figures to the Texan capital. This year kicks off with America's most darling senator - besides Conrad "Tube-er-um-net" Burns - Barack Obama presenting his The Audacity of Hope on Saturday (10/28/06 - 10AM the Capitol). The first day's festivities include appearances by Lee Gutkind, Tavis Smiley, and Amy Sedaris to name only a few.

Sunday (10/29/06) boasts an equally impressive lineup with presentations dealing with everything from beekeeping to death. The climax of the weekend will undoubtedly take place at the Paramount as Texas Monthly editor Evan Smith moderates a conversation between Gore Vidal and Maureen Dowd that will not be anything like this:


It's the one weekend a year that Austin can be considered a national literary hub. To be fair Austin actually has a very strong literary scene and if you don't know you would do extremely well to ask somebody.

As an exercise in intertron-based psuedo-journalism I will be liveblogging from the actual Texas Book Festival just in case you can't be there and are very concerned with what's going on and lead a life so unfulfilling that reading a liveblog of a book festival on a lovely autumnal weekend is acceptable behavior. I'll be taking pictures and the fruit of these exhaustive and potentially inane posts will inform a wrap up post on my home for real intertron-based journalism, Austinist. Please engage the following link for maximum exposition:

[Texas Book Festival Main Page]

I'll be posting my scheduled plan of attack within the coming days and then start up with the liveblogging very shortly before Senator Obama takes the stage.

Love,
Adam.