GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

Learning from YOU to empower ME !

On The Road – The Texas Book Festival 2015 in Austin, Texas

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This past weekend I jumped on the highway to head west to my state’s capitol for the Texas Book Festival.    This was the 20th anniversary for this event at the Capitol Building and on the grounds surrounding it.   It was beautiful weather and lots of squirrels running around as we traipsed through grounds attending author speaker sessions and book signings.

I attended sessions of some famous people that are also authors, Attica Locke (Executive Producer of Empire), Wendell Pierce (Actor), Taye Diggs (Actor) and Leonard Pitts (Pulitzer Prize Columnist).   I also discovered some impressive authors for the first time, who are listed below:

Harry Hunsicker

Wendy S. Walters

Jason Sokol

James Hannaham

Saeed Jones

Margo Jefferson

Laila Lalami

Jeffery Renard Allen

Now, I am in the process of purchasing some new books from these authors that should keep me reading for the next year.   One of the most memorable terms I heard in one of the sessions was “historical erasure” which emphasized how the history we have been taught is in the one-sided perspective of the victor.

Also, while in Austin, I had the opportunity to have breakfast at Cisco’s Restaurant in the east end of Austin.   It is one of those historical places prevalent in Austin with an autographed picture of President Lyndon B. Johnson on the wall.    I had migas, sausuage, ranchero beans, picante sauce, tortillas, biscuits with butter/honey, and coffee.   It was a good traditional Tex-Mex breakfast and I loved it.

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Overall, I had a great time in Austin.  It is worth the 6-hours roundtrip to hang out there for the weekend – especially for the book festival.    I will definitely return next year.

QUESTION(s):

How is your reading life?

Do you attend book festivals?

If so, what do you like best about them?

Girlfriend Gathering Review – “A Soulful Christmas” at the Ensemble Theatre

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This past weekend my girlfriends and I kicked off the 2014 holiday season by attending our first event of the season at the Ensemble Theatre in Houston, Texas (http://www.ensemblehouston.com).   As a long-time subscriber, I can always count on the Ensemble Theatre to add a different spice, a different flavor, and a different flair to the traditional offerings on the Houston theatre scene during the holiday season.    Their production of “A Soulful Christmas” is a refreshing new addition for this season.

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When I heard the title I knew we would enjoy some great music and we were not disappointed.   The musical ensembles mesmerized us with their rendition of familiar Christmas songs from the 1940’s to the present and the story that was wrapped around the music was very original.   The talent of the singers, actors, and dancers was of stellar quality and it was difficult to keep still in our seats.

Since it is still early in the holiday season, I don’t want to be a “spoiler” about the production so this post about it will be short.   For those of you in or near Houston, I highly recommend that you get a ticket as soon as you can because I know all of the shows will sell out.

QUESTION(s):

How do you “kick-off” the holiday season in your town?

The Best Things in Life #6 – Texas Bluebonnet Trails

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There is a tradition here in Texas where in the spring we make a pilgrimage on one of the many bluebonnet trails to enjoy the beauty of nature.    For Houstonians, the best route is from Houston to Brenham.    We just find a back road and drive it until we find a field so full of bluebonnets that you can no longer see the grass.    Then we just lie in the midst of them surrounding ourselves with that wonderful color of blue from the flowers and from the sky above.   If you know Texas, then you will definitely understand.

My photographer friend, Veronica Owens, who was one of the Women Making History last month, made her way on the bluebonnet trail this past weekend.   She shot some beautiful photos and shared them which gave me the inspiration for this post.     In looking at her photos, I realize that our harsh weather over recent years has retarded the normal prolific growth of our state flower.    Hopefully, we will see rejuvenation soon.     Enjoy the photos!

 

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It’s Rodeo Time! Yee-Hah!

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If you are anywhere near Houston, Texas you will know that the cowboys and cowgirls have blazed in from their trail ride and it is RODEO time!   There will be three weeks of rodeo contests, world-class concerts, barbecue cook offs and rides on a Texas-sized Ferris wheel at the Rodeo Carnival.  For eighty years, we Houstonians have enjoyed what has become one of the largest rodeos in the world – Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  Visit http://www.hlsr.com and check it out.

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Another important rodeo venue during the same period is the Black Professional Cowboys and Cowgirls Association’s Heritage Day Rodeo which benefits high school students with scholarships to attend a four-year accredited college.    The BPCCA strive to present and preserve the image of the African-American cowboy and cowgirl who participated fully in settling the American West.   Please visit  http://www.bpcca.com to learn more about this organization.

Due to media depiction and partial teaching of American history in our schools, it is a little known fact that one-third of the American cowboys were African-American, one-third were Latin-American and one-third were Anglo-American.   However, on the trail they were all the same as they worked together to face life and death perils to drive the cattle across the West to market.   It was one of the first places in our history were racial barriers were willingly torn down.

This year was the first time that I attended the BPCCA rodeo even though this is their 14th year for this annual event.  It was really inspiring to see so many African-American families there to support the rodeo.   There were the familiar contests – steer wrestling, bull-riding, barrel racing – but there was one event that required unique bravery from the cowgirls.   This event is unique to African-American rodeos and is called “Steer Un-decorating”.   The cowgirls ride and chase a steer to remove the ribbon tied around it.   Watching those cowgirls made me feel very inadequate as a native Texan because I don’t even own a pair of cowgirl boots!

Even though the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo offers a “Black Heritage Day” as a part of their venue, I hope that more persons discover the Black Professional Cowboys and Cowgirls Association’s Heritage Day Rodeo and will consider attending next year during our rodeo season.   It is a great event.

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Girlfriends on the Road – In the City that Keeps it “Weird”

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If you are a book lover, then you should have joined me to attend the 17th Annual Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas.   I am a native Houstonian but I have fallen in love with Austin!  I have found that it is rich in cultural surprises and my visit to the Texas Book Festival has proven to be one of the most engaging events.

The 2012 festival sessions were held in tent locations on Congress Avenue and in various locations inside of the beautiful Texas State Capitol building – even inside of the House and Senate chambers.   The weather was beautiful on both days with just enough chill to warrant a quick stop at Starbuck’s in between sessions.

It was my first book festival and I had a great time discovering authors and books that I never would have encountered had I not attended the festival.   Some notable mentions are

Tony Danza – “I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High”

Damien Echols – “Life after Death: A Conversation with Death Row Survivor Damien Echols”

Naomi Wolf – “Vagina – A New Biography”

Henry Wiencek – “Master of His Mountain: Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves”

Ron Rozelle – “The Forgotten Texas Catastrophe: The School Explosion that Killed 300 Children”

Jodi Egerton – “Secret Sex Lives: A Year Spent on the Fringes of American Sexuality”

Jenna Hays McEachern and Edith Royal – “DKR-The Royal Scrapbook”

As you can see from the list above, the subject matter was very diverse and attractive to all types of readers.   There were also sessions for children books and Jewel was there to talk about her new book for kids.   So, the festival is a wonderful venue for family entertainment.

This was such a wonderful event for me and well worth the 3 hour drive from Houston to Austin.  I plan to make this an annual event and hope that all of you will consider it in your future plans.

QUESTION:

Are you a book lover?

If so, what types of books do you read?

Are you willing to expand your interests from your normal subject matter?

Would you consider attending the Texas Book Festival?