{"id":845,"date":"2018-12-31T14:17:37","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T14:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=845"},"modified":"2018-12-31T14:17:37","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T14:17:37","slug":"lone-star-reviewsmichelle-newby-nbcc-61","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=845","title":{"rendered":"Lone Star ReviewsMichelle Newby, NBCC,"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/span><\/span>Lone Star Reviews<\/span>Michelle Newby, NBCC,<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

Contributing Editor<\/span><\/h1>\n
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<\/span><\/span>TEXAS SPORTS<\/p>\n

Jeff\u00a0 Miller, with foreword by \u201cMean\u201d Joe Greene<\/span><\/p>\n

The Game Changers: Abner Haynes, Leon King, and the Fall of Major College Football\u2019s Color Barrier<\/span><\/p>\n

Sports Publishing<\/p>\n

Hardcover 978-1-61321-937-9, 241 pages, $24.99; also available as ebook; October 2016<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Carlton Stowers<\/p>\n

With all due respect to Charles Dickens, <\/span>it was the best of times and the worst of times.<\/p>\n

In the mid-1950s, the Texas education system was moving toward integration. The good news was that black students would finally be given places in the classrooms of formerly all-white public schools, colleges, and universities. The bad news was that integration was most often carried out in an atmosphere of political warfare, hateful racial slurs, and angry demonstrations. Even in academic outposts where things went \u201csmoothly,\u201d it was rarely pretty.<\/p>\n

Recapturing those unsettling times, in The Game Changers <\/span>Texas journalist Jeff Miller<\/span> follows the travels of two gifted young athletes, products of all-black Lincoln High in Dallas, who chose to continue their education and football careers at North Texas State College (now the University of North Texas). >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/span><\/span>Texas Reads<\/span>Glenn Dromgoole<\/span><\/h1>\n

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Sutherland Springs promoted its healing powers<\/h1>\n

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<\/span><\/span><\/span>Prolific author and historian Richard B. McCaslin<\/span> has compiled the history of a small Texas town that once held great promise as a health resort. Sutherland Springs, Texas: Saratoga on the Cibolo<\/span><\/a><\/span> (University of North Texas Press, $24.95 hardcover) details the rise and fall of the small town southeast of San Antonio, near Floresville.<\/p>\n

At one time, Sutherland Springs was a resort spa known for its healing waters. But as other towns developed along Cibolo Creek (pronounced \u201csee-willow\u201d by the locals, McCaslin writes) and the water tables declined, Sutherland Springs began to fade away in the early twentieth century. Today the community has about 300 residents.<\/p>\n

The book grew out of a college research paper McCaslin undertook at the University of Texas about thirty years ago. I was drawn to McCaslin\u2019s story because I grew up in a small town with a similar background\u2014Sour Lake, near Beaumont, known for its curative mineral waters in the late 1800s before it became one of the earlier Texas oil boom towns.<\/p>\n

Forever Menard:<\/span> Speaking of small towns, Menard has a new book it can take great pride in. Forever Menard<\/span> tells the story of the city and county of Menard in short, readable three- and four-page historical essays written by Menard High School students from 1979 to 1988 under the tutelage of English teacher Patty Miller.<\/p>\n

The book is divided into four sections\u2014 Menard History, Menard Places, Menard Stories, and Menard People. It was edited and published in a handsome $40 hardback edition by Gus Clemens with Mulberry Avenue Books of San Angelo. A deluxe leather edition also is available. Contact or call (325) 658-8008. Proceeds will benefit various Menard causes.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span>Hap and Leonard:<\/span> Rusty Puppy<\/span> is the new Hap and Leonard novel by Joe R. Lansdale<\/span> of Nacogdoches, the tenth in the series featuring detectives Hap Collins and Leonard Pine.<\/p>\n

Like all Hap and Leonard novels, Rusty Puppy<\/span> (Little, Brown, $26 hardcover) has plenty of action, violence, humor, weirdness, and justice. And strong language. If you\u2019re a fan, you kind of know what to expect, although I thought this one went a bit far in the language department.<\/p>\n

Hap and Leonard are hired to investigate the murder of a young black man who was a straight-A student until he began raising questions about police racism. As the investigation proceeds, the detectives suspect corrupt cops in a neighboring town. And Hap and Leonard end up having to fight each other to save innocent lives. Hap and Leonard also star in a TV series on the Sundance cable channel, with Michael K. Williams as Leonard and James Purefoy as Hap.<\/p>\n

Glenn Dromgoole\u2019s<\/span> latest book is West Texas Stories<\/span><\/a><\/span>Contact him at g.dromgoole@suddenlink.net.<\/p>\n

>> <\/span>Check out his previous Texas Reads columns in Lone Star Lit<\/a><\/span>erary Life<\/span><\/h1>\n

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Bookstore briefs<\/h1>\n

Absolutely Fiction welcomes readers in Lufkin<\/h1>\n

During our Lone Star Literary Bookish Tour of Texas, <\/span>we\u2019re always pleased to discover new bookstores along the trail. On a recommendation, we stopped in at Absolutely Fiction<\/span><\/a><\/span> in Lufkin, where owner Becky Jackson<\/span> (above, center) gave us the nickel tour. Jackson\u2019s store, which opened in July 2016, is the first bookstore to serve Lufkin, which lost its Waldenbooks six years ago. >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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LONE STAR LISTENS interviews\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>>> archive<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

Kay Ellington, Editor and Publisher<\/span><\/h1>\n

2.26.2017\u00a0 Houston’s Anita Bunkley on weaving fact into fiction<\/h1>\n

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Anita Bunkley is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters, an NAACP Image Award nominee, and recipient of a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times<\/span> magazine. The Houston area-writer was voted one of the fifty favorite African American authors of the twentieth century by the online African American Literature Book Club. She took time out of her schedule to talk with us today, as the closing segment in our 2017 Black History Month coverage.<\/p>\n

LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE:<\/span> I see that you were born in Ohio, and received your college degree in Ohio, Anita. What brought you to Texas?<\/span><\/p>\n

ANITA BUNKLEY:<\/span> My move to Houston was due to an employment opportunity. I arrived in the mid-1970s and have been here ever since. Moving to the Southwest was a big change for me, but I quickly adopted Texas as my home.<\/p>\n

I understand that you have been writing full-time for almost tweny-five years. But how did you get started?<\/p>\n

An avid reader all of my life, I was always searching for books with strong African American female characters. I love to read historical fiction with a romantic subplot, and there were not many books in that genre that featured African-American women. When I became aware of the story of Emily West, and learned that music historians referred to her as the possible inspiration for the song \u201cThe Yellow Rose of Texas,\u201d I began to look for a book about her. In my search, I found the original lyrics to the song, which indicated that a man of color had written the song to a woman of color, but I could not find much more. Curious, I started my journey to research and write my own version of the legend, which became my first work of historical fiction, Emily the Yellow Rose,<\/span> published in 1989. >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Texas’s only statewide, weekly calendar of book events<\/h1>\n

Bookish Texas<\/span> event highlights\u00a0 2.26.2017
<\/span>>><\/span><\/a><\/span> GO this week\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Michelle Newby, Contributing Editor<\/span><\/h1>\n
SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEK: Dallas, Odessa, Edinburg, Brownsville, Irving, Houston<\/span><\/span><\/span>AUSTIN\u00a0 Tues., Feb. 28\u00a0 LBJ Presidential Library, An evening with journalist and author Cokie Roberts (preceded by book signing of Capital Dames: The Civil War and the Women of Washington, 1848-1868 and Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies at 5PM), 6PM<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>DALLAS\u00a0 TUES., Feb. 28\u00a0 The Texas Theatre, screening of <\/span>High Noon<\/span> (1952), followed by a discussion with <\/span>Dallas Morning News<\/span> culture critic Chris Vognar and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Frankel, author of <\/span>High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic,<\/span><\/span>ALSO SIGNING HOUSTON Wed., Mar. 1 <\/span> Brazos Bookstore, Glenn Frankel discusses and signs HIGH NOON, 7PM<\/span>ALSO SIGNING\u00a0 AUSTIN Thurs., Mar. 2<\/span>\u00a0 BookPeople, GLENN FRANKEL speaking & signing HIGH NOON, 7PM<\/span><\/span><\/span>DALLAS\u00a0 Tues., Feb. 28\u00a0 The Wild Detectives, Sof\u00eda Segovia reads and signs Hur\u00e1can, 7:30PM [bilingual event]<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ALSO READING AND SIGNING IN SAN ANTONIO SAT., MAR. 4\u00a0 The Twig Book Shop, 6PM<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>HOUSTON Wed., Mar. 1, <\/span>University of Houston, Poetry & Prose presents UH Creative Writing Program Professors Tony Hoagland & Nick Flynn, 5:30PM<\/span><\/span><\/span>AUSTIN\u00a0 Wed., Mar. 1, The Twig Book Shop, Sabra Moore discusses and signs Openings: A Memoir from the Women’s Art Movement, New York City 1970-1992, 5PM<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>AUSTIN\u00a0 Thurs., Mar. 2\u00a0 Harry Ransom Center, Helen Shenton, Librarian and College Archivist of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, presents \u201cThe Library of the Future; the Future of the Library,\u201d 7PM<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>MIDLAND Thurs., Mar. 2 Midland Centennial Library, former First Lady Laura Bush will sign Our Great Big Backyard, 1:30PM<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ODESSA Thurs., Mar. 2 Odessa College, Writers’ League of Texas presents Celebrating Texas Independents: Our Great Literary State’s Independent Presses, Journals, Bookstores & More (panel discussion), 7PM<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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News Briefs 2.26.17<\/h1>\n

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<\/a><\/span><\/span>Writers\u2019 League Celebrates \u201cTexas Independents\u201d Mar. 2, Odessa College<\/span>In March 2017 the Writers’ League of Texas will partner with some of the state’s greatest Independents<\/span>\u2014in conjunction with Texas Independence Day\u2014to host a series of free and open events throughout the month of March in communities across the state.<\/span>These panel discussions (featuring authors and experts and including time for questions and networking) will focus on the great opportunities that Texas has to offer, from independent presses, to journals, to bookstores, and beyond, while also answering writers’ burning questions about the publishing process, submitting to agents, catching the eye of an editor, and more.<\/span>\u201cCelebrating Texas Independents: Our Great Literary State’s Independent Presses, Journals, Bookstores & More\u201d<\/span> will kick off in Odessa, Texas, moderated by WLT Executive Director Becka Oliver<\/span> and four great panelists (including Will Evans,<\/span> founder and president of Cinestate, and Kay Ellington, <\/span>publisher of Lone Star Literary Life; the full list of panelists will be available online soon.)<\/span>March 2, 2017, 7 p.m., free and open to the public
Odessa College – Saulsbury Campus Center<\/span>Zant Room (West)<\/span>201 W. University Blvd., Odessa, TX 79764<\/span>RSVPs are suggested, but not required. Light refreshments served.<\/span>(Information from organization\u2019s press release)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Bookstore briefs: Absolutely Fiction welcomes readers in Lufkin<\/span>During our Lone Star Literary Bookish Tour of Texas, <\/span>we\u2019re always pleased to discover new bookstores along the trail. On a recommendation, we stopped in at Absolutely Fiction<\/span><\/a><\/span> in Lufkin, where owner Becky Jackson<\/span> (above, center) gave us the nickel tour. Jackson\u2019s store, which opened in July 2016, is the first bookstore to serve Lufkin, which lost its Waldenbooks six years ago.<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n

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First Fort Wort BookFest set for four days and multiple venues in October<\/h1>\n

Organizers have announced the Fort Worth BookFest<\/span> for Oct. 12\u201315, 2017, in Fort Worth. Envisioned as a cross-cultural, community-driven, multi-genre literary event, Fort Worth BookFest will \u201cprovide a platform for raising awareness of the transformative power of literacy\u201d in Fort Worth and throughout the Southwest, according to the event\u2019s press release.<\/p>\n

Fort Worth BookFest is a strategic collaboration with Max Rodriguez, founder of the Harlem Book Fair and publisher of QBR\/The Black Book Review. A Founder\u2019s Day event in April 2016 kicked off the organizing and planning process.\u00a0 >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/span><\/span>WHERE IN TEXAS?<\/span><\/h1>\n

Don’t miss a reading or a good read! Sign up for our FREE weekly
e-newsletter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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COMING ON TOUR: FICTION<\/h1>\n

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FOY: ON THE ROAD TO LOST by Gordon Atkinson\u00a0 Visit with Gordon March 1\u201315<\/span><\/h1>\n

3\/1 Video Guest Post 1 Hall Ways Blog<\/p>\n

3\/2 Review Momma On The Rocks<\/p>\n

3\/3 Excerpt 1 CGB Blog Tours<\/p>\n

3\/4 Video Guest Post 2 Syd Savvy<\/p>\n

3\/5 Review StoreyBook Reviews<\/p>\n

3\/6 Author Interview 1\u00a0 Kara The Redhead<\/p>\n

3\/7 Review Forgotten Winds<\/p>\n

3\/8 Video Guest Post 3 The Page Unbound<\/p>\n

3\/9 Excerpt 2 My Book Fix Blog<\/p>\n

3\/10 Review Margie’s Must Reads<\/p>\n

3\/11 Video Guest Post 4 Chapter Break Book Blog<\/p>\n

3\/12 Author Interview 2 Missus Gonzo<\/p>\n

3\/13 Review Book Chase<\/p>\n

3\/14 Video Guest Post 5 Texas Book Lover<\/p>\n

3\/15 Review Reading By Moonlight<\/p>\n

CONTINUING ON TOUR: NONFICTION<\/h1>\n

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BULLETINS FROM DALLAS: REPORTING THE JFK ASSASSINATION by Bill Sanderson<\/h1>\n

Visit with Bill through March 2<\/p>\n

2\/26 Video Interview The Page Unbound<\/p>\n

2\/27 Review Blogging for the Love of Authors and Their Books<\/p>\n

2\/28 Guest Post\u00a0 Byers Editing Reviews & Blog<\/p>\n

3\/1 Excerpt Books and Broomsticks<\/p>\n

3\/2 Review Reading By Moonlight<\/p>\n

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Lone Star Literary Life Facts and FAQs<\/span><\/h1>\n

\u2022 Editorial policies<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Review policies<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Advertising policies<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Event and resource list policies<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Lone Star Literary Archives<\/span><\/h1>\n

\u2022 Weekly issues<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Lone Star Listens Interviews<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Lone Star Book Reviews<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Texas Reads<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Events<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Announcement: LSLL Launches<\/a><\/p>\n

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Lone Star Listens compilation available Aug. 1, for readers, fans, and writers everywhere<\/h1>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span>The present generation of Texas authors<\/span> is the most diverse ever in gender, age, and ethnicity, and in subject matter as well.<\/p>\n

Week in, week out, Lone Star Literary has interviewed a range of Texas-related authors with a cross-section of genre and geography. To capture this era in Texas letters, we’re pleased to bring you<\/p>\n

Lone Star Listens:<\/p>\n

Texas Authors on Writing and Publishing<\/p>\n

edited by Kay Ellington and Barbara Brannon; introduction by<\/p>\n

Clay Reynolds<\/p>\n

Available in trade paper, library hardcover, and ebook Fall 2017<\/p>\n

360 pages, with b\/w illustrations and index<\/p>\n

Featuring novelists, poets, memoirists, editors, and publishers, including:<\/p>\n

Rachel\u00a0 Caine \u2022 Chris\u00a0 Cander \u2022 Katherine\u00a0 Center \u2022 Chad S. Conine \u2022 Sarah\u00a0 Cortez \u2022 Elizabeth\u00a0 Crook \u2022 Nan\u00a0 Cuba \u2022 Carol\u00a0 Dawson \u2022 Patrick\u00a0 Dearen \u2022 Jim Donovan \u2022\u00a0Mac Engel \u2022 Sanderia\u00a0 Faye \u2022 Carlos Nicol\u00e1s Flores \u2022 Ben Fountain \u2022 Jeff\u00a0 Guinn \u2022 Stephen\u00a0 Harrigan \u2022 Cliff\u00a0 Hudder \u2022 Stephen Graham Jones \u2022 Kathleen Kent \u2022 Joe R. Lansdale \u2022 Melissa Lenhardt \u2022 Attica Locke \u2022 Nikki\u00a0 Loftin \u2022 Thomas\u00a0 McNeely \u2022 Leila\u00a0 Meacham \u2022 John\u00a0 Pipkin \u2022 Joyce Gibson Roach \u2022 Antonio\u00a0 Ruiz-Camacho \u2022 Lisa\u00a0 Sandlin \u2022 Donna\u00a0 Snyder \u2022 Mary Helen Specht \u2022 Jodi\u00a0 Thomas \u2022 Amanda Eyre Ward \u2022 Ann\u00a0 Weisgarber \u2022 Donald Mace Williams<\/p>\n

As a collection of insights into the writing and publishing life, the book will be useful in creative writing classes (not just in Texas alone) and other teaching settings, as well as for solo reading and study\u2014and a great Texas reference volume.<\/p>\n