Tonight at Joe’s Coffee on South Congress next to the San Jose, Austinist favorite Owen Egerton and a likely Austinist soon-to-be-favorite Doug Dorst will be reading and other shenanigans to celebrate the Fall Issue of American Short Fiction. Their cahooting will be accompanied by the decidedly Austin tones of Blood Country (formerly Chili Cold Blood), who appear to have a swell sense of humor about their motherfuckin’ selves. Words, music, and the potential for public wrestling betwixt the two writers are all practically inevitable. This is a splendid trifecta display of Austin creativity, and the potential for the accidental production of a unified singularity of said creativity which would cause an implosion of all that we know is, well, actually that idea is completely absurd. And absurdity is the name of tonight’s game. ...

Guitarist for The Golden Boys, writer, illustrator, all-purpose Renaissance dude...between these lofty pursuits and the more menial tasks of working two jobs to pay rent, John Wesley Coleman manages to keep a lot of balls in the air. In partnership with local start-up Monofonus Press, he's releasing a poetry collections/CD compilation under the title American Trashcan. ...

The Utter Reading Series is back tomorrow, with more pathos than Hillary, more transcendance than Barack, more grit than McCain, and more exposure (for local writers) than a bead-strewn balcony on Bourbon Street. As always, the reading is free and open to the public, and the audience is invited to join the readers afterwards for drinks and conversation at Opal Divine's on 6th....

After four of their utility cabinets caught fire or exploded—two incidents in suburban Houston, and the most recent explosion on Christmas Day in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin—AT&T has finally moved to replace the defective batteries, made by now-bankrupt Avestor....

It’s been two weeks since Pimp C’s death. Last Thursday he was buried in Port Arthur. Reading through all of the eulogies and obituaries that have poured out of the local papers, the blogs, the national media, and the rap community since December 4th, you obviously will see trends. Everyone immediately identifies Pimp C by his drawl and how he rhymed through his vowels, and it seems as though this – his voice - will be a big part of his legacy, along with his production and his pioneer-status as an early and consistent member of the Texas rap scene....

Photo courtesy My Guerrilla on Flickr[another wristband for the collection] Austin’s C3 Presents now has three major festivals to go along with their trio of Charlies. The producers of Lollapalooza and the Austin City Limits Festival will put on the Vineland Music Festival in rural New Jersey Aug. 8 to 10, 2008. Vineland is a joint venture with Melvin Benn’s Festival Republic. The U.K. event producer’s portfolio includes the Reading, Leeds and Glastonbury festivals. Set......

Photo from Soundcheck Magazine Austin's 2nd Annual Green Holiday Festival, "The Sustainable Shopper's Ball!", returns to the Sunset Valley Farmers Market with over 60 local vendors and educators offering everything from bamboo homewares to luxury organic linens SXSW Film Festival Producer Matt Dentler shares some insider tips on what the film programming team is looking for - "Should you spend money on a fancy press kit? Should you check your DVD screener 4 different times......

Photo by johnkoetsier on flickr Utter Reading SeriesMonday, Nov 5BookPeople [map]7pm, Free[info]This month’s Utter Reading Series features two standouts from a couple hours south on I-35. Both teach at Trinity University in San Antonio, and both are long-overdue candidates for the Utter Series, which spotlights hot Texas-based writers. One has just won a national award for his short stories, and the other is an Austin-bred recent graduate of the Michener Center at UT. After the......

One of our own here at Austinist has a book out, in case you didn't know, and we are not above a little shameless self-promotion. We promise, however, to not shove it up your eyelids like Stephen Colbert and I Am America (and so can you!). Craig McCullough, who posts as the ever-irreverent Truecraig, is the author of the similarly parenthesized title, I Am An Idiot (but there is nothing wrong with you). McCullough’s debut......

The UTTER Reading Series presents two young, local writers who are finding national success and recognition. Poet D. Antwan Stewart will present selections from his two books, The Terribly Beautiful (2006) and Sotto Voce (forthcoming) . Fiction writer Brian Hart, the winner of the first-ever Keene Prize for Literature, may read from his forthcoming and already-awarded novel, The Dog With the Broken Teeth, the One That Fetches Rocks. Stewart has an MFA from the Michener......

The poets have arrived! For the second year in a row, the National Poetry Slam will be held in our highly literate, most-educated city. This five-day competition showcases slam poets from around the U.S. and comes to a head in a fierce battle for team and individual top nods, held at the Paramount Theatre on August 10 and 11. Last year's finals sold out, so consider getting your tickets early! Opening ceremonies are this afternoon......

TUESDAY [8] music • Bruce Springsteen Tribute with Southpaw Jones, Matt the Electrician, Scrappy Jud Newcomb, Nathan Hamilton, Abia Tapia, Graham Weber, JJ Barron, Nakia at Cactus Café (FREE, 8pm) music • Elf Power, AM Syndicate at Emo's music • Ryan Shaw at Stubb's music • Jimmy LaFave at Waterloo Records (5pm, Free) music • Cathar, Fire vs Extinguisher, Connie Ball at Beerland music • The Mohawk Residency with White Denim, Brazos at The Mohawk......

What do you give the dear leader who's already got it all? If you're a decorated war vet with medals to spare, one option is (evidently) a Purple Heart. At least that's what Round Rock resident Bill Thomas decided to do when he and his wife met with President Bush yesterday at the Oval Office, where they presented our commander in chief with one of the three Purple Hearts that Thomas received in Vietnam. To......

TUESDAY [3] awards •Texas Medal of Arts Awards Ceremony at The Paramount Theatre books •Martha Egan presents Clearing Customs at BookWoman (7:00pm) books •The Utter Reading Series with Darin Ciccotelli and Dominic Smith at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedy •Paul Varghese at Cap City Comedy Club debates/booze •Dionysium at Alamo South Lamar film •AFS Essential Series screens "The Seventh Continent" at Alamo Downtown film •2007 Austin Air Guitar Championships at Alamo Downtown food •Central Market Cooking Class:......

TUESDAY [6] books • Utter Reading Series with Frances Schenkkan and Lori Aurelia at BookPeople (7:00pm) books • Poetry Reading with Dana Gioia, Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts at Harry Ransom Center (7:00pm) books • Nate Blakeslee presents Tulia: Race, Concaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town at Austin History Center (7:00pm) film • For the Love of Dolly at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film • AFS Essential screens Turtles Can......

Citizens of Austin, the Mayor's Book Club has made its 6th annual selection and your compulsory reading assignment for Spring 2007 is Around the Bloc: My Life in Moscow, Beijing, and Havana by Stephanie Elizondo Griest. A part of the Austin Public Library's Keep Austin Reading program, the goal of the Mayor's Book Club is "to to develop a community experience through reading and discussion of a shared book." No need to mail book reports......

TUESDAY [6] film • AFS Essential: Last Life in the Universe at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar books • The Utter Reading Series presents Irwin Tang (How I Became a Black Man) and Abraham Burickson at BookPeople (7:00pm) art • Show & Tell : A digital slide jam featuring Justin Goldwater, Andrew Long, Deborah Roberts and Michael Sieben at Women and Their Work (7-9pm) books • Well-Read Women Book Club discusses Becoming Myself by Willa......

TUESDAY [5] benefit • Holiday Mix and Mingle for AIDS Services of Austin at Firehouse Lounge (6-8pm, $10 donation with complimentary drink tickets) books • Annual Day of the Ninja books • The Utter Reading Series with Carrie Fountain and Steve Moore at BookPeople (7:00pm) film • AFS Essential: Millennium Actress at Alamo Downtown (7pm) film • Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) film • Fuck: A Documentary at Alamo......

The folks at Worldchanging.com have taken their progressive message from blog form to book form. This could be the best blog to book transformation ever, at least until Austinist: The Book drops. Worldchanging fundamentally seeks to illuminate “the tools, models and ideas for building a better future [that] lie all around us.” Insisting “another world is not just possible, it's here. We only need to put the pieces together.” Worldchanging: A Users Guide for the......

It looks like this month's Dionysium could affect its very identity. The debate this month is to resolve whether or not the Dionysium should stop counting audience votes after each debate. As always, there will be other entertainment, and drinking (which is of course necessary for the resolution of any debate). The full program is as follows: A Debate Resolved: That the Dionysium should stop counting audience votes after each debate. Pro: Meredith Boyd. Con:......

TUESDAY [3] music • Viva Voce, Silversun Pickups, The Kingdom (Inside) at Emo's ® music • Sparta, Soundteam, Lola Ray (Outside) at Emo's ® music • Alice in Chains, Hurt at Stubb's music • HAAM Benefit Concert with Carolyn Wonderland at The Parish Room music • Citizen Cope at Waterloo Records music • HAAM Benefit Day - 5% of store proceeds go to the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians - at Waterloo Records music......

As mentioned in last week's TWIT, the Black Arts Movement Festival, presented by ProArts Collective, is Austinist's Pick of the Week this week. The Chronicle and the Statesman have also made good mention of the fest, but to catch up the few of you who've yet to get the skinny on this event, here's what's going on. For the next two weeks, BAM brings to Austin an awesome smorgasbord of performance art by African......

If you lost your ACL pass and – even after countless screaming matches with Front Gate Ticket employees and hours of scouring Craig’s List for scalpers – you’ve been left sans plans for the festival weekend (or maybe you’re just afraid of tourists/loathe sunshine/whatever), we’ve got an alternative suggestion. An air conditioned alternative suggestion. Go see a play. That’s right, don’t be a pussy about it. It’s just theatre. You might even like it......

TUESDAY [5] film • TerrorStorm with Alex Jones Live at Alamo South (7pm) ® film • AFS Essential: Eva at Alamo Downtown (7pm) ® film • Elevator to the Gallows at Paramount Theatre (7:15pm) film • Waking Life at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) ® film • Last House on the Left at Spider House (8pm, Free) film • Quai Des Ofevres at Paramount Theatre (9:05pm) ® film • Dark Side of the Rainbow :......

FRIDAY [11] [music] Sage Francis, Buddy Wakefield, Jared Paul, Grand Buffet, DJ Jester the Filipino Fist (outside), Those Peabodys, Horse+Donkey, The Carrots (inside) at Emo's [art/party] As Naked As You Wanna Be: Art Show and Celebration with Celesta Danger and Tamara Hoover at Pedernales Lofts Suite 2028 ($10 Suggested Donation, 6-11pm) ® [art/party] After-party for As Naked As You Wanna Be at The Peacock (11pm-2am) ® [film] The Sinus Show: Point Break at Alamo Downtown......

Tonight at BookPeople, the UTTER Reading Series presents local writers Elisabeth Sharp McKetta and Gary Cooke. McKetta is one of the founders of Farfelu, a literary magazine dedicated to writing and art from Austin. She’s contributed short stories and poetry to a variety of publications. Gary Cooke’s work has appeared in Farfelu and his chapbook, Butterfish & Other Poems, was published by The Heyeck Press. And while you’re at BookPeople, pick up the latest......

TUESDAY [11] [film] The Freshman at Paramount Theatre (9pm) (link) [volunteer] Caritas of Austin Volunteer Open House at 611 Neches Street (9am, 6pm) (link) [film] Safety Last at Paramount Theatre (7pm) (link) [film] AFS Essential: Woman is the Future of Man at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] The Grace Lee Project at Alamo Downtown (9:45pm) (link) [film/civil rights] "A Blinding Flash of the Obvious" at Arthouse (RSVP, 5:30pm) (link) [tao] Wudang Taoist priests and monks......

In her more than 60 years as Washington reporter---covering every president since JFK---Helen Thomas has earned respect, admiration, and a front-row seat in the press room. She’s also earned a reputation for her no-holds-barred questions---a reputation that got her booted to the back of the room and virtually ignored by the current administration. Now Thomas is directing her questions---and her barbs---at her fellow journalists. In her latest book, Watchdogs of Democracy?: The Waning Washington Press......

Our favorite local posts for the week: Wednesday was Livestrong Day. UrbanGrounds takes on people who illegally use handicapped parking placards. Scott at Grits for Breakfast enjoyed hearing Suzan Lori Parks. Reading his post reminds us to move The Topdog Diaries to the top of our Netflix list. In the Pink Texas posts on the idea that women should consider themselves "pre-pregnant." Richard Lawrence Cohen is in Oia watching the sunset. Random Favorite Blog......

MONDAY [1] [music] Islands, Why?, Cadence Weapon, Wilderneess, Year Future, Parts & Labor at Emo's (info) [art] Opening reception for hovel jumbles, with works by Paul Gigliotti at End of an Ear (Free, 6pm) (info) [music] Richard Buckner with Doug Gillard (Guided by Voices) at Cactus Café ($12, 8pm) (info) [film] The Boys of Baraka at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (info) [film] The Wild Angels at Alamo Downtown (9:45pm , $1) (info) [film] Anime Movie Monday......