ADMISSION
Wittliff Collections events are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC and FREE, unless noted.

DIRECTIONS + PARKING
Click here for VISITOR INFORMATION

ACCOMMODATION + ACCESS
If you require accommodations due to a disability in order to participate,
please call 512.245.2313 at least 24 hours in advance of the event for assistance.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
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VIDEOS
For videos of some of our past events, see the EVENT VIDEOS page or watch on YouTube.
Videos of the Lindsey Literary Series readings can be viewed on the site for Texas State's literary journal, Front Porch.

FALL 2014 EVENTS

CHECK BACK OFTEN:  We are currently continuing to add to our fall calendar.
Call 512.245.2313, ext. 0 if you need immediate information about our events.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014, TUESDAY, 5:00 PM
MFA POETRY + FICTION READINGS
Texas State’s Master of Fine Art students read from their work in the creative writing program.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014, THURSDAY, 3:30 PM
BRIAN TURNER   Poetry Reading  |  Book Sale + Signing  |  Q&A
Brian Turner appears as part of the visiting writer series sponsored by the Burdine Johnson Foundation and Texas State University’s Department of English, the Wittliff Collections, the Therese Kayser Lindsey Endowment, and the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center. More information here.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2014, TUESDAY, 5:30 PM
LATINOS & SPORTS IN THE SOUTHWEST
Hosted by Texas State’s Center for the Study of the Southwest, this three-program series explores how Latino participation in sports in the southwestern borderlands develops community life and cultural pride, is a vital component of Latino life, and is an important part of integration into the mainstream culture.
(Program 1 of 3)
JORGE IBER: Sport as a Vehicle for Breaking Down Barriers
Presentation  |  Q&A  |  Book Sale + Signing 
Jorge Iber will provide a brief overview of the role of sports in the lives of Latinos in various parts of the American West and Southwest. He will examine individual and team stories that shed light upon the significant role of sports in the day-to-day existence of predominantly Mexican American communities throughout these regions. More information here.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014, THURSDAY 6:30 PM

THE WITTLIFF COLLECTIONS PRESENT:
PETER JOSYPH: Cormac McCarthy’s House  
Talk  |  Performance  |  Q&A  |  Book Sale + Signing
New York-based writer, artist, actor, and filmmaker Peter Josyph left audiences spellbound when he last performed at the Wittliff Collections in 2010 as the keynote speaker for the Cormac McCarthy Society. Since then, Josyph has authored a new book, Cormac McCarthy’s House: Reading McCarthy Without Walls, published in the Wittliff's literary series with the University of Texas Press. Josyph is returning to the Wittliff to dazzle and inform audiences seeking to understand the spirit of this Pulitzer Prize-winning American author.

This event also celebrates the Wittliff’s current exhibition from the literary archives,
Cormac McCarthy: Unveiling a Literary Legend.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2014, TUESDAY, 7:00 PM
DECOLONIZING NUESTRA LENGUA
with Laurie Ann Guerrero – Poet Laureate of San Antonio   
Reading  |  Q&A  |  Book Sale + Signing
San Antonio Poet Laureate Laurie Ann Guerrero will read from her book A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying. Poet Tim Z. Hernandez will also read selected poems, and the inaugural Poet Laureate of San Antonio, Carmen Tafolla, will emcee. More information here.

OCTOBER 1, 2014, WEDNESDAY, 11:00 AM — 1:30 PM
MAKING AN IMPACT WITH YOUR RESEARCH  
Reception  |  Presentation  |  Panel Discussion + Q&A
These two programs are part of a series of Texas State events called Trends in Scholarship and Research. In the first hour, Heather Joseph, Executive Director of the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), will show how to increase your research visibility. In the second hour, a panel of Texas State faculty members will discuss how they’ve increased the visibility and accessibility of their research using current technology and other methods. More information here.

OCTOBER 2, 2014, THURSDAY, 3:30 PM
KIM BARNES   Memoir Reading  |  Book Sale + Signing  |  Q&A
Kim Barnes appears as part of the visiting writer series sponsored by the Burdine Johnson Foundation and Texas State University’s Department of English, the Wittliff Collections, the Therese Kayser Lindsey Endowment, and the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center. More information here.

OCTOBER 7, 2014, TUESDAY, 5:00 PM
MFA POETRY + FICTION READINGS
Texas State’s Master of Fine Art students read from their work in the creative writing program.

OCTOBER 9, 2014, THURSDAY 6:30 PM

THE WITTLIFF COLLECTIONS PRESENT:
EAST TEXAS IN STORY AND SONG:
with Joe R. Lansdale, Wes Ferguson, and Kasey Lansdale  
Reading  |  Q&A  |  Musical Performance  |  Book Sale + Signing
Join internationally celebrated author and “Champion Mojo Storyteller” Joe R. Lansdale for a special event at the Wittliff Collections, which house his archive. The author of nearly 50 novels in a variety of genres, Lansdale has won an Edgar Award, nine Bram Stoker Awards, and in 2007 he received the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award. The New York Times describes Lansdale as having “a folklorist’s eye for telling detail and a front-porch raconteur’s sense of pace.” Author of the cult classic Bubba Ho-tep, Lansdale’s latest novel to be adapted into film is Cold in July, starring Don Johnson, Michael C. Hall, and fellow Wittliff donor Sam Shepard. An anthology of his work, Sanctified and Chicken Fried, is part of the Wittliff’s literary book series with the University of Texas Press.

Joining Lansdale will be journalist Wes Ferguson, whose book, Running the River: Secrets of the Sabine, with photographs by Jacob Croft Botter, is being compared favorably to John Graves’ Goodbye to a River.

Also on the bill is Joe’s daughter, singer-songwriter Kasey Lansdale, who will perform from her new album, Restless, produced by John Carter Cash. Her songs “Back of My Smile” and “Foolin’ Around” are featured in the film Cold in July, which was adapted from Joe Lansdale's novel.

Books and other items will be available for purchase. A signing will follow the event.

ATTENDEES are asked to RSVP to thewittliffcollections@txstate.edu to receive further information including parking instructions.

OCTOBER 14, 2014, TUESDAY, 3:30 PM
BEN FOUNTAIN  Fiction Reading  |  Book Sale + Signing
Ben Fountain is currently serving as the University Endowed Chair in Creative Writing at Texas State. This event is sponsored by the Department of English, the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center, the Wittliff Collections and Texas State University. More information here.

OCTOBER 19, 2014, SUNDAY, 2:00 – 6:00 PM

THE WITTLIFF COLLECTIONS PRESENT:
ARCHIVES MONTH ON THE ROAD:
Austin Archives Bazaar
At the Spider House Ballroom, Central Austin
This year, the Wittliff Collections will observe National Archives Month in October by participating in the Austin Archives Bazaar — a FREE event designed to bring the Austin community together to have fun and learn about archives, archivists, and all of the great resources available to the community in the Austin area.

The heart of the event will be tables and booths featuring over two dozen Central Texas archives showing off their amazing collections and services in one big room. Other planned attractions include an oral history storytelling station, an archival photobooth, an archival film showcase by the Texas Archive of the Moving Image, and a program of special guests and live performances.

OCTOBER 21, 2014, TUESDAY, 5:30 PM
LATINOS & SPORTS IN THE SOUTHWEST
Hosted by Texas State’s Center for the Study of the Southwest.
(Program 2 of 3)
IGNACIO M. GARCÍA:
Constructing a Mexican American Powerhouse While Remaining Colorblind
Presentation  |  Q&A  |  Book Sale + Signing 
Ignacio M. García will describe and analyze how William Carson "Nemo" Herrera built a strong basketball program at Sidney Lanier High School, winning two state championships and numerous regional ones with boys from the barrios of the West Side of San Antonio during the World War II years. While Herrera understood the difficulties under which his players labored, both on and off the basketball courts, he remained steadfast in teaching his players a colorblind approach to sports. Through his efforts, his boys came of age as Mexican Americans with an ethnic and racial pride that would spread out into the community and make them heroes to this day. More information here.

OCTOBER 23, 2014, THURSDAY, 3:30 PM
CAROLYN FORCHÉ   Poetry Reading  |  Book Sale + Signing  |  Q&A
Carolyn Forché appears as part of the visiting writer series sponsored by the Burdine Johnson Foundation and Texas State University’s Department of English, the Wittliff Collections, the Therese Kayser Lindsey Endowment, and the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center. More information here.

OCTOBER 25 + 26, 2014, SATURDAY + SUNDAY

JOIN US IN AUSTIN!
TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL
Visit the Wittliff Collections booth at this year’s Texas Book Festival in Austin for special deals on rare Encino Press books, totes, posters, and more... plus free stuff! We are in TENT #4 with the University of Texas Press, who will have hot prices on many of our literary and photography series books. See you there!

Can’t wait? Shop our online store at your convenience.

OCTOBER 31, 2014, FRIDAY, 12:30 & 3:00  PM
G. ALLEN POWER, M.D.
Facing the Future: Revolutionizing the Care of Persons with Dementia
Presentations  |  Q&A  |  Book Sale + Signing  
The new online M.S. in Dementia and Aging Studies program has invited Dr. G. Allen Power to the Texas State University campus.  The public is invited to attend two presentations by this internationally known geriatrician. 
12:30 to 2:30 PM:  “An Experiential Approach to Decoding Distress in Dementia”
  3:00 to 5:00 PM:  “Dementia beyond Disease: Enhancing Well-Being”
More information here.
ATTENDEES are asked to RSVP by October 28, 2014. Click here to RSVP now. Seating is limited to the first 220 attendees. RSVPs made after October 28 will be added to a wait list.

NOVEMBER 3, 2014, MONDAY, 3:30 PM
THE BEATLES:  Everything Fab Four with KENNETH WOMACK
Program  |  Q&A  |  Book Sale + Signing
Kenneth Womack, Penn State Scholar Laureate, multi award-winning fiction writer, and Beatles scholar, is hosted by fellow Beatles scholar, Katie Kapurch, assistant professor in Texas State’s English department. Womack’s newest Beatles-related work, The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four, is published in celebration of this year’s 50th anniversary of the band's legendary appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Contact: Katie Kapurch at 512.245.3822 or e-mail.

NOVEMBER 4, 2014, TUESDAY, 5:00 PM
MFA POETRY + FICTION READINGS
Texas State’s Master of Fine Art students read from their work in the creative writing program.

NOVEMBER 13, 2014, THURSDAY, 3:30 PM
PHILLIP LOPATE   Reading  |  Book Sale + Signing  |  Q&A
Phillip Lopate appears as part of the visiting writer series sponsored by the Burdine Johnson Foundation and Texas State University’s Department of English, the Wittliff Collections, the Therese Kayser Lindsey Endowment, and the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center. More information here.

NOVEMBER 18, 2014, TUESDAY, 5:30 PM
LATINOS & SPORTS IN THE SOUTHWEST
Hosted by Texas State’s Center for the Study of the Southwest.
(Program 3 of 3)
WILLIAM WINOKUR: 
The Perfect Game and Transcending Fairy Tales
Movie Screening  |  Discussion  |  Q&A  |  Book Sale + Signing  
William Winokur will talk about his novel and movie, The Perfect Game, which is based on a true story that began in Monterrey, Mexico. Watch the movie and see the story of a ragtag band of street urchins pursuing their dream—to dress up in actual uniforms and play just one “real game” in the United States. More information here.

DECEMBER 9, 2014, TUESDAY, 5:00 PM
MFA POETRY + FICTION READINGS
Texas State’s Master of Fine Art students read from their work in the creative writing program.

DECEMBER 7, 2014, SUNDAY, 2:00 PM

THE WITTLIFF COLLECTIONS PRESENT:
THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE by BILL WITTLIFF 

Reading/Discussion  |  Book Signing  |  Reception

THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, the first of a trilogy by BILL WITTLIFF published by the University of Texas Press, is an imaginatively layered narrative told by “Papa” recounting the spirited tale of himself as a runaway boy searching for his missing Momma—who has fled their homestead on her horse, Precious, to escape his vicious Daddy, Old Karl.

PAPA’S MISSION to find his Momma thrusts him and his scrappy dog, Fritz, into adventures across the wild hardscrabble of the 1880s Texas Hill Country, down to Mexico, and beyond... into the rumored realm of the ghostly “Shimmery People.” Papa’s twisting trail draws him ever nearer to a mysterious cave that haunts his dreams—an actual place he discovers at last in the canyons of the snaking ridge of the Devil’s Backbone—but will he find his Momma before Old Karl finds him?

WITTLIFF CONJURES a rogue's gallery to thwart and aid Papa on his journey, among them Old Karl, hell-bent on dragging his son back to servitude on his farm; Herman, Papa’s brother who’s got Old Karl’s horse-trading in­stincts and greed; Calley Pearsall, an enigmatic cowboy who may be an outlaw or a trust­worthy “o’Amigo”; a black seer called o’Jeffey, who talks to spirits but won’t tell Papa what she’s divined about his Momma; Old Crecencio, whose longing for his lost family is as strong as Papa’s; blind Bird, a miraculous “blue baby” who helps others see with their hearts; and Mister Pegleg, a three-legged coyote with whom Papa forms a nearly tragic friendship.

BILL WITTLIFF grew up listening to stories and memories like these told by his own family, and in this wooly yarn colored with a cast of lively charac­ters, sly humor, folk wit and wisdom, regional myth, and rock-hard truths, he weaves a story on the level of mythic quest. Add JACK UNRUH's equally wondrous illustrations, and the magical mix transports the reader to a time and place where the lyrically surreal wavers in and out of the chillingly real.

  JANE SUMNER will moderate the discussion.
  Unruh’s original drawings will be on view during the event.
  Books and other items will be available for purchase.
  Refreshments by THE ROOT CELLAR.

  ATTENDEES are asked to
  RSVP to thewittliffcollections@txstate.edu 
  to receive further information including parking instructions.

VISIT THE WITTLIFF

YOU’RE INVITED

Tim O'Brien reading to a full house as the Texas State Endowed Chair for Creative Writing, April 21, 2010