A podcast containing author interviews and audio from The Texas Book Festival. http://www.texasbookfestival.org en-us Copyright 2009 Thu, 28 May 2009 11:11:04 MDT Thu, 28 May 2009 11:11:04 MDT bookfest@texasbookfestival.org Texas Book Festival Author interviews and audio from the Texas Book Festival Annual book fair held in Austin that features popular authors and book awards. Site includes news, schedules, a list of authors, and volunteer information. Our podcast features interviews with authors appearing at the Festival. Texas Book Festival bookfest@texasbookfestival.org No Novelist Amanda Eyre Ward interviews Tom Perrotta from the KUT studios at the University of Texas about his upcoming novel The Abstinence Teacher, what it's like to adapt his own work for film, and his appearance at the Texas Book Festival. Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:37:32 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/perrotta_interview.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview Tom PerrottaTexas Book Festival Novelist Amanda Eyre Ward interviews Tom Perrotta from the KUT studios at the University of Texas about his upcoming novel The Abstinence Teacher, what it's like to adapt his own work for film, and his appearance at the Texas Book Festival. We asked writer Gregory Curtis, the former editor of Texas Monthly, to talk to humorist Roy Blount Jr. from the KUT studios about what it means to be a Southern writer, why he now lives in the North, and his opinion of the Texas writing scene. Blount will be at the Festival talking about his new collection of essays, Long Time Leaving: Dispatches From Up South. "People tend to write a neutral, unaccented prose, which seems to me a shame," Blount says in the interview. Tue, 25 Sep 2007 05:30:59 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/TBFCurtis-Blount.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview Roy Blount, Jr.Texas Book Festival We asked writer Gregory Curtis, the former editor of Texas Monthly, to talk to humorist Roy Blount Jr. from the KUT studios about what it means to be a Southern writer, why he now lives in the North, and his opinion of the Texas writing scene. Blount will be at the Festival talking about his new collection of essays, Long Time Leaving: Dispatches From Up South. "People tend to write a neutral, unaccented prose, which seems to me a shame," Blount says in the interview. Josh Dorfman is the author of one of the most fascinating guidebooks to be published in some time: The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living has categories from investing to babies to furniture that tell readers exactly how to help out the environment in classy ways (there's even a category for death - "it's never too late to start," Dorfman says). Dorfman will appear in the Festival's new Lifestyle Tent on Sunday, November 4th but in this interview, Tribeza magazine editor Helen Thompson talks to Dorfman from the KUT studios about the book. Thu, 04 Oct 2007 03:17:25 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/TBFThompdon-Dorfman.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview Josh DorfmanTexas Book Festival Josh Dorfman is the author of one of the most fascinating guidebooks to be published in some time: The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living has categories from investing to babies to furniture that tell readers exactly how to help out the environment in classy ways (there's even a category for death - "it's never too late to start," Dorfman says). Dorfman will appear in the Festival's new Lifestyle Tent on Sunday, November 4th but in this interview, Tribeza magazine editor Helen Thompson talks to Dorfman from the KUT studios about the book. Austin artist Melissa Miller's monumental, vibrant, and idiosyncratic paintings of wild animals are exhibited in galleries around the world but this year marks the first time her work has been collected in a coffeetable book retrospective of her work. Austin novelist and painter Carol Dawson talked to Miller from the KUT studios in Austin about her work, how Texas has influenced her, and what it's like to see her paintings reduced to coffeetable book size. Check out Miller's session at the Festival at the Austin Museum of Art on Saturday, November 3rd. Mon, 08 Oct 2007 09:18:38 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/TBFCarolDawson-MelissaMiller.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview Melissa MillerTexas Book Festival Austin artist Melissa Miller's monumental, vibrant, and idiosyncratic paintings of wild animals are exhibited in galleries around the world but this year marks the first time her work has been collected in a coffeetable book retrospective of her work. Austin novelist and painter Carol Dawson talked to Miller from the KUT studios in Austin about her work, how Texas has influenced her, and what it's like to see her paintings reduced to coffeetable book size. Check out Miller's session at the Festival at the Austin Museum of Art on Saturday, November 3rd. Chuck Bailey and Bill Crawford's Texas Political Memorabilia: Buttons, Bumper Stickers, and Broadsides is a fascinating collection of the state's definitive collection of political memorabilia, photographed in a new book from the University of Texas Press. Festival board member Dick Holland met the authors at the KUT studios to talk about the book, which he calls "nothing less than a capsule history of politics in our state and in the nation from William Jennings Bryan to George W. Bush." Bailey and Crawford will be talking about the book at the Austin Museum of Art on Saturday, November 3rd. Wed, 10 Oct 2007 02:53:15 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/TBFChuckBaileyedit.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview Chuck Bailey and Bill CrawfordTexas Book Festival Chuck Bailey and Bill Crawford's Texas Political Memorabilia: Buttons, Bumper Stickers, and Broadsides is a fascinating collection of the state's definitive collection of political memorabilia, photographed in a new book from the University of Texas Press. Festival board member Dick Holland met the authors at the KUT studios to talk about the book, which he calls "nothing less than a capsule history of politics in our state and in the nation from William Jennings Bryan to George W. Bush." Bailey and Crawford will be talking about the book at the Austin Museum of Art on Saturday, November 3rd. Michael Largo's two books, Final Exits and his new one, The Portable Obituary: How the Famous, Rich, and Powerful Really Died, have made him a noted expert on death and its many odd manifestations. Austin writer Bill Crawford talks to Largo from the KUT studios at the University of Texas at Austin about "death by garage door opener," among other topics. Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:34:50 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/TBFCrawford-Largo.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview Michael LargoTexas Book Festival Michael Largo's two books, Final Exits and his new one, The Portable Obituary: How the Famous, Rich, and Powerful Really Died, have made him a noted expert on death and its many odd manifestations. Austin writer Bill Crawford talks to Largo from the KUT studios at the University of Texas at Austin about "death by garage door opener," among other topics. George Saunders' "hilarious, shocking, and sometimes bizarre" writing, as novelist Amanda Eyre Ward calls it, has garnered him a MacArthur "Genius" Grant and made him one of the most exciting writers in contemporary fiction. Saunders' new book The Braindead Megaphone is his first collection of nonfiction. Ward talked to Saunders from the KUT studios at the University of Texas at Austin. Wed, 17 Oct 2007 09:39:19 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/TBFWard-Saundersedit.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview George SaundersTexas Book Festival George Saunders' "hilarious, shocking, and sometimes bizarre" writing, as novelist Amanda Eyre Ward calls it, has garnered him a MacArthur "Genius" Grant and made him one of the most exciting writers in contemporary fiction. Saunders' new book The Braindead Megaphone is his first collection of nonfiction. Ward talked to Saunders from the KUT studios at the University of Texas at Austin. Esquire editor at large A.J. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible is exactly what its title says it is, although it's a lot funnier than the title lets on. The Festival and the Austin Jewish Book Fair are co-hosting Jacobs at a free event at the Dell Jewish Community Center at 8pm on Saturday, November 3rd. The Festival asked Austin writer Paul Benjamin to talk to Jacobs from the KUT studios about his odd year trying to live Biblically. Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:49:48 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/TBFA.J.Jacobsinterview.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview A.J. JacobsTexas Book Festival Esquire editor at large A.J. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible is exactly what its title says it is, although it's a lot funnier than the title lets on. The Festival and the Austin Jewish Book Fair are co-hosting Jacobs at a free event at the Dell Jewish Community Center at 8pm on Saturday, November 3rd. The Festival asked Austin writer Paul Benjamin to talk to Jacobs from the KUT studios about his odd year trying to live Biblically. Food writer and Cowgirl Cuisine author Paula Disbrowe recently talked to Top Chef host and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi from the KUT studios about Lakshmi's new cookbook Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet. "I wanted to do a book that really reflects how my generation eats," Lakshmi says in the interview. Both Disbrowe and Lakshmi will be appearing in the Festival's Cooking Tent. Wed, 24 Oct 2007 02:55:24 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/TBFDisbrowe-Lakshmi.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview Padma LakshmiTexas Book Festival Food writer and Cowgirl Cuisine author Paula Disbrowe recently talked to Top Chef host and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi from the KUT studios about Lakshmi's new cookbook Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet. "I wanted to do a book that really reflects how my generation eats," Lakshmi says in the interview. Both Disbrowe and Lakshmi will be appearing in the Festival's Cooking Tent. Noted historian Joseph J. Ellis talked recently to another noted historian, H.W. Brands, for a Festival interview about Ellis' new book American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic, which Ellis will talk about on Saturday, November 3rd in the House Chamber of the Texas State Capitol. Listen to the interview to find out why Ellis says the tragedies about America's founding aren't just 21st-century, politically correct diagnoses. Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:12:38 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/TBFJosephEllisinterview.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview Joseph J. EllisTexas Book Festival Noted historian Joseph J. Ellis talked recently to another noted historian, H.W. Brands, for a Festival interview about Ellis' new book American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic, which Ellis will talk about on Saturday, November 3rd in the House Chamber of the Texas State Capitol. Listen to the interview to find out why Ellis says the tragedies about America's founding aren't just 21st-century, politically correct diagnoses. We asked novelist Sarah Bird to interview New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast about her wacky, neurotic, and lovable cartoon characters from the KUT studios in Austin. Chast's new book The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z! is co-written with Steve Martin; Chast will be talking about it at the Festival but Bird's interview provides some insight into one of the country’s most beloved cartoonists before she comes to Austin for the Festival. Tue, 30 Oct 2007 03:43:09 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/TBFSarahBird-RozChast.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview Roz ChastTexas Book Festival We asked novelist Sarah Bird to interview New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast about her wacky, neurotic, and lovable cartoon characters from the KUT studios in Austin. Chast's new book The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z! is co-written with Steve Martin; Chast will be talking about it at the Festival but Bird's interview provides some insight into one of the country’s most beloved cartoonists before she comes to Austin for the Festival. Austin writer Brian Yansky is a young adult novelist who recently talked to Sherman Alexie from the KUT studios about Alexie's new young adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which Yansky calls both "really funny and really tragic." ("I’m hard-wired that way," Alexie explains in the interview.) Alexie will be talking about the novel at the Festival on Saturday and on Saturday evening. Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:12:16 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/TBFShermanAlexieedit.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview Sherman AlexieTexas Book Festival Austin writer Brian Yansky is a young adult novelist who recently talked to Sherman Alexie from the KUT studios about Alexie's new young adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which Yansky calls both "really funny and really tragic." ("I’m hard-wired that way," Alexie explains in the interview.) Alexie will be talking about the novel at the Festival on Saturday and on Saturday evening. Every year, the Festival selects a work of art by a Texas artist and features it on the Festival poster. This year, we're honored to feature Dallas artist David Bates on the poster. In this interview, Austin Museum of Art executive director Dana Friis-Hansen talks to Bates about his artistic process, what it was like growing up in Texas, and why Van Gogh is one of his inspirations. Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:14:20 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/bates.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We interview David BatesTexas Book Festival Every year, the Festival selects a work of art by a Texas artist and features it on the Festival poster. This year, we're honored to feature Dallas artist David Bates on the poster. In this interview, Austin Museum of Art executive director Dana Friis-Hansen talks to Bates about his artistic process, what it was like growing up in Texas, and why Van Gogh is one of his inspirations. We asked Austin writer Paul Benjamin to interview Sex and the City actor and writer Evan Handler about his life and his book It's Only Temporary: The Good News and the Bad News of Being Alive. At 24, Evan Handler was a young actor with a thriving Broadway career when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. He spent the next five years battling what he'd been assured was an incurable illness, determined to prove that assessment wrong. And he did: He has been considered cured now for nearly twenty years. Handler's appearance is a collaboration between the Festival and the Austin Jewish Book Fair. Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:34:56 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/evanhandler.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview Evan HandlerTexas Book Festival We asked Austin writer Paul Benjamin to interview Sex and the City actor and writer Evan Handler about his life and his book It's Only Temporary: The Good News and the Bad News of Being Alive. At 24, Evan Handler was a young actor with a thriving Broadway career when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. He spent the next five years battling what he'd been assured was an incurable illness, determined to prove that assessment wrong. And he did: He has been considered cured now for nearly twenty years. Handler's appearance is a collaboration between the Festival and the Austin Jewish Book Fair. You may not know Bill Tancer, a columnist at Time.com, but he knows a lot about you -- or at least what you're probably doing online. As the general manager of Global Research at Hitwise, the leading online competitive intelligence service, he has the inside scoop. In Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters, Tancer collects this information but more importantly lets you in on how this information is anything but trivial. Austin media maven Khotan Shahbazi-Harmon interviews Tancer here about his insistence that he's not the big brother of the Inernet and why visits to adult websites are dropping, among other topics. You can check out Tancer's appearance at the Festival here. Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:14:17 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/tancer.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview Bill TancerTexas Book Festival You may not know Bill Tancer, a columnist at Time.com, but he knows a lot about you -- or at least what you're probably doing online. As the general manager of Global Research at Hitwise, the leading online competitive intelligence service, he has the inside scoop. In Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters, Tancer collects this information but more importantly lets you in on how this information is anything but trivial. Austin media maven Khotan Shahbazi-Harmon interviews Tancer here about his insistence that he's not the big brother of the Inernet and why visits to adult websites are dropping, among other topics. You can check out Tancer's appearance at the Festival here. Writer Amanda Eyre Ward interviews Ann Packer here about her novel , where her ideas come from, and why she doesn't write in a cozy "light-filled shed" as has been reported. Packer received the Great Lakes Book Award for , which was a national bestseller. She is also the author of . She is a past recipient of a James Michener award and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. Her fiction has appeared in , , and other magazines, as well as in . She lives in northern with her family. Check out her appearances at the Festival . Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:30:55 MDThttp://www.texasbookfestival.org/media/audio/packer.mp3Books, authors, author interviews, We Interview Ann PackerTexas Book Festival Writer Amanda Eyre Ward interviews Ann Packer here about her novel , where her ideas come from, and why she doesn't write in a cozy "light-filled shed" as has been reported. Packer received the Great Lakes Book Award for , which was a national bestseller. She is also the author of . She is a past recipient of a James Michener award and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. Her fiction has appeared in , , and other magazines, as well as in . She lives in northern with her family. Check out her appearances at the Festival .