Beasts of the Earth is the upcoming and third novel from writer James Wade and like his previous books is a raw and riveting story cloaked in literary prose. Clouds in white painted banks sat motionless yet ever moving across a sky so blue the locals called it Texas blue, as if they refused to … Continue reading Beasts of the Earth by James Wade
Today’s episode is a little different and features short conversations with several authors about their most recent book and involvement with the 2021 Boerne Book & Arts Festival. For those that don’t know, Boerne is a beautiful bedroom community just north of San Antonio, Texas, and the book festival takes place each year on Main Plaza on the first Saturday in October. This year’s event featured authors such as John Erickson and James Wade, as well as author panels with topics such as Heroines of WWII, Texas Ranches and Texas Rangers, and Early Roads and the Old Spanish Trail.
A conversation with the novelist, James Wade. James lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country with his wife and daughter. His debut novel, All Things Left Wild, won the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best Historical Novel and the MPIBA’s Reading the West Award for Best Debut Fiction. His second novel, River, Sing Out, was released in the summer of 2021. James is also a winner of the Writers’ League of Texas Manuscript Contest, and a finalist of the Tethered by Letters Short Fiction Contest.
A conversation with John Phillip Santos; a writer, journalist, and documentary filmmaker from San Antonio, Texas. His two memoirs, Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation (a National Book Award Finalist) and The Farthest Home is in an Empire of Fire, together tell the ancestral stories of his mother and father’s families, an American origin story of the centuries-long migrations that emerged out of Spain, Mexico, and the lands that became South Texas. His book of poems is Songs Older Than Any Known Singer.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-dmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/I22KJG6KLUDE4PUEQE2JSGIXVI.jpg?resize=656%2C300&ssl=1&crop=1 "Rick Bass")
Rick Bass is a prolific writer of essays, short stories, and long form fiction, many of them about nature and his adopted home in the Yaak Valley. Rick is also an outspoken environmental activist. His most recent book is called, "The Traveling Feast: On the Road and at the Table with My Heroes."
BookPeople, Austin, TX On a recent trip to Austin, TX I had a chance to stop at BookPeople. For anyone who likes making pilgrimages to independent bookstores, BookPeople has to be high on the list. BookPeople has been the leading independent bookstore in Texas since 1970. Located in the heart of downtown, BookPeople has been … Continue reading BookPeople, Austin, Tx
For You to See the Stars by Radney Foster I love well written songs. Not songs that are just fun to sing in the car, but those that tell a story. I’m talking about songs that transport you somewhere else for a moment and have character, depth, and a plot. Songs where you look up … Continue reading For You to See the Stars: A Collection of Stories by Radney Foster
Becky Crouch Patterson from beckycrouchpatterson.com I'm so excited and grateful to present this interview with Becky Crouch Patterson. I spent an hour with her on a beautiful fall day and loved our wide ranging conversation. Becky is a true Texas original and I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. Matt – … Continue reading Author Interview: Becky Crouch Patterson
Luckenbach, Texas: The Center of the Universe by Becky Crouch Patterson Becky Crouch Patterson’s latest book, Luckenbach, TX – The Center of the Universe, will likely appeal to a wider audience than her others but is no less honest and rich. In it she tells the history of Luckenbach, TX as it was when her … Continue reading Luckenbach, Texas – The Center of the Universe by Becky Crouch Patterson
The Ranch That Was Us by Becky Crouch Patterson Most families have stories. Its one of the things that creates bonds across family members that aren’t really that close and strengthens the bonds of those that are. Cousins, aunts, uncles, great grandparents, that weird guy you don’t know how you’re related to but is always … Continue reading The Ranch That Was Us by Becky Crouch Patterson
