{"id":141,"date":"2018-12-31T10:54:31","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T10:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=141"},"modified":"2018-12-31T10:54:31","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T10:54:31","slug":"5-10-15-news-briefs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=141","title":{"rendered":"5.10.15 News Briefs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Texas Poets Laureate named for 2015, 2016<\/h1>\n

Last week the 84th Texas State Legislature announced its appointments to the position of state poet laureate.<\/p>\n

Carmen Tafolla<\/span> of San Antonio, an associate professor at UT\u2013San Antonio, was named Texas Poet Laureate for 2015.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Tafolla is the author of more than twenty acclaimed poetry and prose books, including Curandera, Sonnets and Salsa,<\/span> and The Holy Tortilla and a Pot of Beans,<\/span> which won the Tom\u00e1s Rivera Children’s Book Award in 2009. She has published works for both children and adult readers in more than 200 anthologies, magazines, journals, textbooks, and readers. Her works have been published in English, German, French, and Bengali.<\/p>\n

San Antonio made quite an impressive showing in the poetry arena; Tafolla served as the city\u2019s first poet laureate from 2012 to 2014, appointed by then mayor Juli\u00e1n Castro. Another San Antonio poet, Laurie Ann Guerrero<\/span>, was named Texas Poet Laureate for 2016.<\/p>\n

In addition, the legislature designated a state musician, a state two-dimensional artist, and a state three-dimensional artist for each year, 2015 and 2016. All of the Texas State Artists were officially invested in a special resolution ceremony for the induction of all Texas State Artists at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on May 7.<\/p>\n

Any Texas resident is able to nominate an artist in any of the four categories and self-nominations\u00a0 are encouraged. The Texas Commission of the Arts reviewed all nominations and determined a list of finalists.<\/p>\n

(Sources: www.utsa.edu\/today\/2015\/05\/tafolla.html; Austin 360)<\/p>\n

Texas Rising, A&E\/History channel miniseries and book featuring work of Austinite David Marion Wilkinson, debuts Memorial Day 2015<\/h1>\n

Martha Louise Hunter, contributing writer<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/span>Austin novelist\/screenwriter David Marion Wilkinson<\/span> shared writing duties on Texas Rising,<\/span><\/a><\/span> the ten-hour television series that premieres Memorial Day on A&E\/History about the rise of the legendary Texas Rangers after the events at the Alamo. Wilkinson is author the of Not Between Brothers: An Epic Novel of Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Credited as a co-producer for Texas Rising,<\/span> Wilkinson came on board as a historical consultant and quickly began co-writing the script with Leslie Grief <\/span>and Darrell K. Fetty.<\/span> Wilkinson will also appear in the companion documentary, along with Texas historian H. W. Brands<\/span> and series stars Bill Paxton, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson. The all-star cast of Texas Rising<\/span> also includes Ray Liotta, Oliver Martinez, Brendan Fraser, and Kris Kristofferson.<\/p>\n

Texas Rising<\/span> comes from ThinkFactory Media, the same team responsible for the A&E\/History\u2019s blockbuster production Hatfield & McCoys. The soundtrack, which includes new music by George Strait, Kristofferson, and Jose Feliciano, will also be released as an album.<\/p>\n

The five-night program on A&E\/History begins Monday and Tuesday (May 25 and May 26) and continues the next three Mondays (June 1, 8, and 15).<\/p>\n

Austin contributor Martha Louise Hunter<\/span> is the author of Painting Juliana<\/span> (Goldminds, 2014).<\/p>\n

Romantic Times coming to Dallas May 11-17<\/h1>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span>The RT (formerly Romantic Times) Booklovers Convention<\/span> will be held Saturday, May 11-17, 2015, at the Hyatt Regency, Reunion Tower in Dallas. The event schedule includes:<\/p>\n