Dalton Poets Featured at Austin Poetry Society Fourth Thursday

July 14, 2009

On Thursday, July 23, at 7:00 p.m. in the NeWorlDeli (4101 Guadalupe) The Austin Poetry Society Fourth Thursday open microphone features poets of Dalton Publishing. Hear W. Joe Hoppe, Ric Williams, and maybe more, read original work. An open mic always follows the featured poets, so come out to the event and bring your own poems to read aloud. Eat, drink, and be poetic.

The Austin Poetry Society brings poets and poetry lovers together to meet, mingle, and support each other. APS also offers monthly programs and contests. Their monthly membership meetings resume in September.

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BookPeople Hosts Third Annual Dalton Gang Reading

July 10, 2009

The Dalton Gang is back again for the Third Annual Dalton Gang Reading hosted by BookPeople (603 N. Lamar). Escape the Austin heatwave and join us for a literary treat showcasing seven talented Austin authors on Wednesday, August 12 at 7 p.m..

The evening includes the poetry of Lyman Grant (The Road Home) and W. Joe Hoppe (Galvanized); the Grimm-inspired tales from Ric Williams (Woman in the Tower); the refreshing and incisive fiction crafted by Robert Stikmanz (Sleeper Awakes), Gary Kent’s unbelievable, yet all true, reminiscences of the indie film revolution (Shadows & Light); a jolt of inspiration and motivation from the SOAPBOX® Queen herself, Kimberlie Dykeman (Pure Soapbox); and the always hilarious and entertaining Les McGehee (Plays Well With Others).

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Celebrating First Novel by Ric Williams

June 8, 2009

Celebrating the May release of the first novel by Ric Williams, Woman in the Tower, Dalton Publishing and Cafe Caffeine (909 W. Mary St.) host a book reading on Tuesday, June 16 at 7 p.m. Please join us to honor this beautiful work written by an award-winning poet, editor, and prominent figure in the Austin literary community.

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Award-Winning Poet Delivers Metaphysical Novel

May 6, 2009

On Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m., Dalton Publishing and Book People (603 N. Lamar) host the official book release and signing for award-winning poet Richard Lance Williams’ debut novel Woman in the Tower: Stories for the Wounded Child. The musical stylings of Les McGehee will liven the celebration and Organic Iced Tea provided by Cafe Caffeine will be served.

Williams’ novel is a journey of fantasy, self-exploration, and renewal. An unnamed man is overtaken by confusion and uncertainty and finds himself on the brink of self-destruction when a knowing presence enters his life and guides him through the darkness with comfort of a most unexpected nature. Woman in the Tower celebrates the transformative powers of fables, exhibiting the effect these stories can have on all of us in times of crisis.

The arc of the tales not only displays a way into the recesses of the human psyche, but also explores the nature of fables, revealing them to be more than simple lessons for naive children in a dangerous world. They are scripts for how we live our interior and exterior lives and a lens through which we view the lives of others. We each have a tale we tell ourselves. Are you a princess or a scullery maid, the lost little girl or the enchanted queen? Are you willing to tell yourself another story? Are you willing to enter the world of the Woman in the Tower?

Who: Richard Lance Williams
What: Book release for Woman in the Tower
Where: BookPeople (603 N. Lamar)
When: Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m.

Advance Praise for Woman in the Tower:
“Richard Lance Williams has written a story sequence which bows to Grimm tales without imitating them. They have the same breadth of the Grimm’s great ‘household’ collection and are crammed with the best kind of Jungian imagery. Mr. Williams’ prose has all the sparkle of a fine fairy-tale and he has a sharp, original imagination.”
-Michael Moorcock, Nebula Award-Winning author of Behold the Man

“All we know comes from the stories we tell and the stories we are wise enough to hear. Ric Williams uses narrative as the most subtle of knives where a wise heart can peel away its own onion layers and moonlight words can stitch them up again. This novel is about Story herself, healing, erotic, sustaining.”
-Don Webb, author of When They Came

“This debut novel from accomplished poet Ric Williams channels his familiar voice-oracular, effusive, and playful as a fresh spring that’s come a long way underground. Ric dives into the darkness fearlessly, a shaman on a busman’s holiday, and it’s both a pleasure and an adventure to go along for the ride.”
-Zara Houshmand, author of A Mirror Garden

“Having the courage to choose a story over certainty becomes easier after reading Woman in the Tower. Stories are gestures to lift the veil of the apparent world so we might see the unadorned reality beneath it. With a prose style both punchy and profound, Williams is a master at lifting the veil.”
-Dennis Patrick Slattery, author of The Wounded Body

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Forrest Fest 2009 Expands to Austin

April 30, 2009

by Neil Kahn

This Saturday, May 2, Forrest Fest arrives in Austin where an all-day poetry and cultural celebration will be held at the Austin Baha’i Center (2215 E.M. Frankline Avenue). Our own award-winning poet Ric Williams is highlighted as a featured artist and will read his poetry aloud on Saturday night.

Founded in West Texas, and now in its ninth year, Forrest Fest is an annual poetry, music, and art festival held in the city of Lamesa each year, until now. The festivities begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday with an early bird Round Robin reading, followed by a half dozen featured poets sharing their work in a reading hosted by Robin Cravey. Everyone is invited to share in a potluck feast, then participate in poetry workshops and other ongoing activites, such as scrapbooking and creating an instant anthology. Saturday evening promises music from Chris Van Loan and at 7 p.m. popular Texas poets will perform their original work aloud. Sharing the bill with Ric Williams are well-knowns in the poetry community like Herman Nelson, Dr. Chuck Taylor of Texas A&M University, Connie Williams, John Levacy, Kathleen Romana, and Thom the World Poet, as well as less known, emerging poets. The day long event comes to a close with a Round Robin Open Mic session.

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Revisting a Celebration of Life, Loss, and Love

April 16, 2009

by Neil Kahn

Though a week stale, I want to recap the incredible evening hosted by Cafe Caffeine celebrating Stricken: The 5,000 Stages of Grief on Thursday, April 9.

Our wonderful co-editor Katherine Tanney emceed the event, introducing local Stricken writers and a staple of local creatives who read aloud from essays written by out-of-towners. Playwright C. Denby Swanson kick-started the emotional evening, reading from Los Angeles author Rachel Resnick’s essay “Touch Me.” To follow, our own Owen Egerton, diverging from his typically hilarious prose, shared an excerpt from “Holiest of Times,” a heartwarming account juxtaposing the recent birth of his daughter with the death of his grandfather — at the time, the youngest and the oldest in the family. Local actress Amanda Poston shared from Mylene Dressler’s “Flying Dutchman,” and Victoria Hendricks left the audience teary eyed and wet faced, sharing a letter written to her first husband who she lost to cancer twenty one years ago. And, true to expectations, performance artist and poet David Jewell entertained with his interpretation of author Jim Krusoe’s “Memorial - for L.H.”

Sandy Silver shifted the mood, speaking without a mic, sharing memories of her son Chris, to whom Stricken is dedicated, and offering bits of advice for helping others in grief. Leslie Belt, local filmmaker and funny person, read aloud from Amy Friedman’s essay of unconventional love, “New Year’s Day,” and to follow David Zuniga, the first westerner ordained a priest in the largest lineage of Korean Zen, spoke on life and death from a Buddhist perspective. Dalton senior editor, poet, and author Ric Williams shared the heart-wrenching epigraph he contributed to the book, and in closing, Katherine Tanney brought the audience to simultaneous bouts of laughter and tears as she read from her essay, “The End of Grief,” a re-telling of the last conversation she and her mother shared before her mother’s death.

Thank you to everyone who read and attended! You made this such a special and moving evening.

View photos of the event here

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Three Small Presses, One Big Read

March 2, 2009

by Neil Kahn

Showcasing the thriving literary and musical talents in Austin, Dalton Publishing, American Short Fiction, and Bat City Review come together to celebrate Small Press Month. Held annually in March, Small Press Month highlights the innovative and exciting work produced by small publishers.

Dalton author and humorist Owen Egerton (How Best to Avoid Dying) will emcee the evening featuring six writers reading both newly published and yet to be published works. The musical stylings of alt-country band Jenny and the Corn Ponies will kick off the evening, and Southpaw Jones, whose music is at once hilarious and heartbreaking, will bring the festivities to a close. From Dalton Publishing, Ric Williams shares tales from his forthcoming novel Woman in the Tower, and stuntman Gary Kent entertains with his insider’s view on revolutionary Hollywood, reading from the much-anticipated Shadows & Light. Smith Henderson and Amelia Gray, two writers featured in the Spring 2009 issue of American Short Fiction, offer a taste of delectable, unconventional short fiction. And, breathing poetic air into the evening, Josh Morison and Elyse Fenton of Bat City Review deliver lyrical and contemplative poetry.

Stacey Swann, editor of American Short Fiction, organized this brand new event to recognize the small presses, who she says “are motivated by a love of books and literature,” allowing them to “take greater risks” than big publishers. “In the current economic crisis,” Swann says, “support of these [small] presses is even more important.” While mainstream publishers are putting a freeze on acquisitions, small presses need to seize the opportunity and fill in the gap.

American Short Fiction is a literary journal that publishes short fiction written by some of the finest authors of contemporary literature. It is printed quarterly by the independent non-profit Badgerdog Literary Publishing, Inc. and distributed nationally. Bat City Review is the literary magazine of UT Austin’s Creative Writing graduate students. The nationally-circulated magazine publishes the best in contemporary short fiction and poetry.

This feast of words and music will transpire in the heart of south Austin at Cafe Caffeine (909 W. Mary) on Friday, March 6 at 7 p.m.

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Dalton Poets to Read Texas Poetry

November 12, 2008

Please join us at Barnes & Noble Sunset Valley on Sunday, November 23 at 4pm for a reading series, entitled “Texas Poets Reading Texas Poetry,” hosted by the Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review. Our own award-winning poet Ric Williams (the secret book of god) and long-time Austin poet W. Joe Hoppe (Galvanized) will be featured among a brilliant stable of Texas poets at this one-time event. Other poets on the bill include: Bob Ayres, Ken Fontenot, Ralph Hausser, David Meischen, Scott Wiggerman, Nancy Fierstien, Zara Houshmand, Cindy Huyser, Marcelle Kasprowicz, Judy Jensen, Christa Pandey, and Deb Akers.

What: Texas Poets Reading Texas Poetry
Where: Barnes & Noble Sunset Valley (5601 Brodie Lane)
When: Sunday, November 23 at 4pm

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Latest News: The Dalton Gang Readings are Back!

June 16, 2008

Dalton Publishing and BookPeople Present
The 2nd Annual Dalton Gang Readings

Brought to you by the bizarre amalgam that is The Dalton Gang— seven flagrant Austin authors! The Second Annual Dalton Gang Readings features the dangerous yet delicate poetics of W. Joe Hoppe (Galvanized); the poignant and riotous humor of Owen Egerton (How Best to Avoid Dying); Les McGehee’s improvisational genius (Plays Well With Others); and Joe O’Connell’s resilient wisdom of happenstance and finality (Evacuation Plan). As if that weren’t enough, readings ensue from authors of upcoming titles—the fantastical realities of Robert Stikmanz (Entranscing); the through-it-all brilliance of Ric Williams (Woman in the Tower); and the esteemed histories of Gary Kent (Shadows & Light / Journeys with Outlaws in Revolutionary Hollywood).

Who: The Dalton Gang
What: The Second Annual Dalton Gang Readings
Where: BookPeople (603 N. Lamar)
When: Tuesday, July 15 at 7pm

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Latest News: the secret book of god Wins 2007 Best Poetry in Texas Award

January 28, 2008

Robert Bonazzi, critically acclaimed author and Poetic Diversity Columnist for the San Antonio Express-News, announces Ric Williams’ the secret book of god as the best book of poetry by a poet living in Texas in his 2007 Poetic Diversity Awards. These awards intend to bring recognition to significant books that have been overlooked. Previous winners of the Poetry in Texas award are Paul Christensen (Hard Country, Thorp Springs Press) and Naomi Shihab Nye (You & Yours, BOA Editions, Ltd.).

Bonazzi praises Williams’ ability to take “the lyrics into intuitive depths” and the way that he “strokes colors with a vivid sensuality.” Bonazzi calls the poems “passionate,” and he finds in them both celebration and the author’s own self-critique.

Check out Ric Williams in the Austin American-Statesman

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