Read about the 2010 speakers... |
Read about these speakersJill Alexander
Stephanie Barko Brian Floca Kimberly Frost James L. Haley Heather Hepler Joe Lansdale Marian Martinello |
Jill S. Alexander
Growing up in rural East Texas with no public library and few books at home, Jill S. Alexander learned poetry from church hymnals and storytelling from eccentric relatives. Captivated by country music’s story-songs coming across her grandfather’s AM radio after the morning farm report, Jill began writing out the lyrics and creating her own as early as second grade. At age 12, she went to work bussing tables at the local truck stop on weekends and the all-you-can-eat catfish joint at night. With the restaurants located by the interstate, she met folks from all walks of life whose
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eccentricities color her work today. Jill has survived a tornado and being caught on fire. She hates whining but loves fancy shoes, muscle cars, and Johnny Cash--preferably all three at once. Having developed a love for reading fiction in high school, Jill combined that with her passion for storytelling and focused her college studies on literature and creative writing. She has taught AP English and Spanish. Alexander’s debut novel THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY has received a starred review from School Library Journal as well as being named to the 2010 Texas Library Association’s Lone Star Reading List and the 2010 Capitol Choices List. Jill’s second novel PARADISE AND HIS SMOKIN’ SQUEEZEBOX is set for release in Spring 2011. Visit Jill at www.jillsalexander.com or follow her twang on twitter http://twitter.com/jillsalexander
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Stephanie BarkoStephanie Barko is a literary publicist whose award-winning clients include traditional publishers and their authors, small presses, and independently published writers. Characterized by her authors as “tireless, meticulous, professional, friendly, effective, and impressive,” Barko was invited into the publishing industry after many years in high tech marketing. She has presented at national conferences sponsored by the Writers’ League of Texas and Women Writing the West, and her own writing has been published in Western American Literature, Roundup Magazine, Book Marketing Matters, and the Texas Book Marketing Directory.
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Barko’s education includes a BBA in Marketing from The University of Texas at Austin and a BA in Sociology from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. A native Texan, since 1990 Stephanie has been based in Austin, where she also moderates a book group and participates in several writing circles. Visit her at www.stephaniebarko.com.
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Brian Floca
Brian Floca, a native of Temple, Texas, has been interested in how things work and drawing since his early childhood. Encouragement from his supportive parents and teachers helped prepare him for success at BrownUniversity and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). The illustration department at the latter emphasized representation and narrative and led him to continue to tell stories through pictures just the way he had always enjoyed drawing. Floca credits a RISD class with David Macaulay as pointing him toward picture books for children and his first credit as an illustrator for books by Avi, one of the first serious graphic novelists for children. “What I love most about bookmaking is finding a way to share what I’ve learned with young readers,” he says. His aim in researching his books is first to find answers to questions to which he wants answers.
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His books thus share not only those answers, but also the process of discovery. This award-winning author now lives in New York and works from the Brian Floca Studio. He is the author and illustrator of MOONSHOT: The Flight of Apollo 11, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year, Sibert Honor book, and American Library Association Notable Book, among many other honors. He also wrote and illustrated LIGHTSHIP and THE RACECAR ALPHABET. Along with the Avi books, he also illustrated a new picture book by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, BALLET FOR MARTHA: Making Appalachian Spring, which has garnered rave reviews for the story and the illustrations. His web site is at brianfloca.com.
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Kimberly Frost
Kimberly Frost is the award-winning author of the national bestselling Southern Witch novels. The humorous paranormal series is set in Duvall, a small Texas town, and features an unlikely action heroine - novice witch Tammy Jo Trask. Titles in the series include WOULD-BE WITCH and BARELY BEWITCHED a national bestseller. She has accepted an offer for a third, tentatively to be titled HALFWAY HEXED. Frost was named 2010 Best New Author by PEARL (Paranormal Excellence Awards for Romantic Literature). Frost has wanted to be a published author since she was a child. For years, her best friend was an audience of one, and she was enough. As Frost grew up, however, she sought a wider audience. Frost has also always wanted to be a doctor,
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and she embarked on the education needed to earn her MD. Now she has fulfilled both ambitions. The preparation for and practice of each career has been at times all consuming, but she persevered and succeeded in both. As she says, “I became a slave to two masters.” As an author, Frost has not followed the common wisdom that one should only write-what-you-know. Instead, she writes about Tammy Jo Trask, a young witch who is just about as different from Frost it is possible to be and is more fun to write about than Frost ever expected. For more information, visit her website at http://www.frostfiction.com/
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James L. Haley
WOLF: The Lives of Jack London, published this year, is James Haley’s latest biography. It has earned widespread praise from critics for its multi-faceted depiction of one of America’s most popular 20th Century authors. Haley is an independent scholar, author, and historian living in Austin, Texas, who is perhaps best-known for his books on Texas history. Haley’s first book, THE BUFFALO WAR: The History of the Red River Indian Uprising of 1874 is considered the definitive account of the last resistance of the Comanche and Kiowa Indians. His second, APACHES: A History and Culture Portrait, broke new ground in illustrating the effect of native cultures on their history.
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More recent is PASSIONATE NATION, the first general history of Texas in four decades. He is the winner of numerous awards including the T.R. Fehrenbach Book Award from the Texas Historical Commission and the Coral Horton Tullis Memorial Prize from the Texas State Historical Association. His 2002 biography SAM HOUSTON won the Spur Award of the Western Writers of America and eight other historical and literary prizes. In addition, Haley collaborated in the production of a film Sam Houston: American Statesman, Soldier, and Pioneer, based on the popular biography. Haley grew up in Fort Worth and graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in political science. He attended the University of Texas School of Law before becoming a full-time writer. See his website jameslhaley.com
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Heather Hepler
In fourth grade, Heather was sent to the hall for reading instead of paying attention in class. She was almost kicked off her little league softball team for hiding a novel in her glove when she was supposed to be playing right field. And more than once she missed her bus stop because she was too engrossed in reading. But this didn’t detour her from her passion for books. She worked for a time as a librarian and then returned to school to obtain a second masters degree; this one in creative writing. She now teaches literature and writing courses for several universities, including The University of Texas at Tyler and The University of Maine. She is the author of THE CUPCAKE QUEEN (Dutton, 2009) and co-author of SCRAMBLED
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EGGS AT MIDNIGHT (Dutton, 2006), DREAM FACTORY (Dutton, 2007), and JARS OF GLASS (Dutton, 2008). She is working on two other novels that will be released in 2011 and 2012. She works as a reviewer for various publications, including Kirkus Reviews. Her writing has also appeared in the Southwest Review and the Cincinnati Review. Her website is www.heatherhepler.com/
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Joe R. Lansdale
Author of more than 30 novels and four hundred short pieces, fiction and non-fiction, Joe Lansdale has received the Edgar Award, Seven Bram Stokers, the British Fantasy Award, the Grinzani Cavour Prize for Literature, two New York Times Notable Book recognitions, the Herodotus Award for Historical Fiction, the Inkpot Award for lifetime achievement in fantasy and science fiction, and many others. Two of his stories have been filmed, the best known being Bubba Hotep.
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No one quite portrays East Texas and its residents as capably as Joe Lansdale—whether for its natural beauty, down-home dialog, and friendly people or for the bigotry, corruption, and ignorance that exist “behind the pine curtain.” Current books are SANCTIFIED AND CHICKEN FRIED, The Portable Lansdale, from The University of Texas Press, BEST OF JOE R. LANSDALE from Tachyon, and VANILLA RIDE from Knopf and Vintage Books. Lansdale is the writer in residence at Stephen F. Austin State University. He also teaches at his own Shen Chuan martial arts school and is a member of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Visit his website at www.joerlansdale.com/
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Marian MartinelloMarian Martinello grew up in New York City, attended public schools, completed her bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at QueensCollege, City University of New York (CUNY), and earned her doctorate at Teachers College, ColumbiaUniversity. She taught in New York and California schools and in teacher education programs at QueensCollege, CUNY, the University of Florida, and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). She joined the faculty at UTSA in 1975, where she helped to design and directed the Interdisciplinary Studies degree and teacher certification program. Her work on inquiry learning and museum education won federal funding over many years and influenced curriculum development in San Antonio area schools. She received university-wide teaching awards in Florida and Texas and was named a Minnie Stevens Piper Professor in 1982, the first at UTSA. Her publications include articles and books on inquiry learning and interdisciplinary curriculum and teaching. She has authored award-winning books for teachers and students on the history and cultures of Texas. Among them are her “search-for” books that detail the process of humanities detective
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work: THE SEARCH FOR EMMA’S STORY, about an early twentieth century German Texan woman of the Hill Country, received a San Antonio Conservation Society (SACS) Book Award in 1988. THE SEARCH FOR PEDRO’S STORY, about an eighteenth century presidial soldier in San Antonio, received a SACS award in 2009. THE SEARCH FOR A CHILI QUEEN, published in 2009, explores the life of a late nineteenth century chili vendor on San Antonio’s Military Plaza and is nominated for a 2011 award. Dr. Martinello retired from UTSA in May 2000 as Professor Emeritus; on invitation, she returned as Acting Associate Dean for Research from 2009-10. She continues to write, to consult on education projects, and to play with Ready, her retired thoroughbred racehorse.
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Search for the Chili Queen is just one of the interesting Martinello titles that bring history and culture to life.
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