Austin Chronicle :: Let the People In

Let the People In: The Life and Times of Ann Richards

By Jan Reid

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The Austin Chronicle interviews Jan Reid, author of Let the People In.
 
Austin Chronicle: You were writing about someone whom you knew fairly well and admired – did that present special problems?

Jan Reid: I had to be as hard on her as I could, because if I didn't, it just wouldn't be honest – if I did some kind of fluff piece. So I just tried to be as thorough as I could be, and just got into the character – and oh, what a character she was.

When she died, Evan Smith at Texas Monthly called me and said, I want you to write the memorial – with some ridiculously short deadline like four days or something like that – so I couldn't get lost. People that liked her liked that piece, and I was pretty gratified by that. ... [Later] I found out that Richards had given this incredible archive to what's now called the Briscoe Center for American History. ...

She had opened it up, she stipulated, a year and half after she died. She had opened it up, all of it; the only exceptions were a few death penalty cases and some personnel things; everything else was open. ... I couldn't look at all of it – you kind of learn the art of cherry-picking, checking the index and finding things. ...

I think some of the distance came because, I didn't know anything about her Dallas experiences, or her unpleasant experiences coming face-to-face with LBJ or Jimmy Carter, or being so close to the Kennedy assassination. When I found all that, and found myself writing, I had 200 pages and I hadn't even gotten her out of Dallas yet. ...

That was like writing about a fictional character. ... So I thought [it was] a great opportunity, and also a challenge to get to be able to write about the life of a woman like that. But it was also daunting.

Read the full interview on austinchronicle.com >>

Click here for a schedule of UT Press authors at the 2012 Texas Book Festival.

Austin Chronicle :: The Salt Lick Cookbook

Scott Roberts

The Austin Chronicle profiles The Salt Lick Cookbook: A Story of Land, Family, and Love:

"In the book's title, Salt Lick BBQ restau­rant owner and pitmaster Scott Roberts and noted wordsmith Jessica Dupuy didn't mention the focus that's held four generations of the Roberts clan together: great, simple food. Roberts' combination memoir/cookbook is a loving homage to a remarkable culinary heritage, a special rural environment, and the family that is the foundation of the story. From a pristine 600-acre spread on the banks of Onion Creek, settled by the great grandparents in 1867, to the farm of the grandparents, to the barbecue restaurant started by the parents, Roberts weaves a fascinating and compelling tale of the history of the family, the land, and the restaurant. What started as a simple country roadside shack has grown into a smoked meat culinary complex (complete with a 50-acre vineyard and its own wine label) that feeds over 600,000 devotees a year.

The 100 easy-to-follow and well-written recipes are loaded with descriptive headnotes and backstory. They begin with the cherished country dishes of the old days, like Hisako Roberts' delicious chicken and dumplings, aromatic green onion and cheese soufflé, and her sinfully rich but light lemon chiffon pie. The recipes include all of the restaurant's menu items (except the famous barbecue sauce; that's one you don't get), and for the barbecue neophyte, Roberts details the entire process in amazing detail, complete with step-by-step photos. The recipes finish with some of the dishes from the catering operation, including such treasures as quail with grapefruit glaze and a delectable pulled pork and mushroom stew.

Roberts and Dupuy have put together a compelling historical document that makes for fine reading; the recipes are the delicious bonus. Kenny Braun's lavish photographs run throughout, aptly illustrating the land and the food. This is a cookbook that you'll find invaluable on the cutting board or the coffee table, and one that would make the family's ancestors very proud."

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Scott Roberts and Jessica Dupuy appear in the Cooking Tent from 3:30-4:30pm on Sunday, and at the Central Market Cooking School on Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 6:30pm.

See the Chronicle's full 'Culinary Dream Team' >>

 

Click here for a schedule of UT Press authors at the 2012 Texas Book Festival.

Austin Chronicle :: Ryan Adams: Losering, A Story of Whiskeytown

Ryan Adams: Losering, A Story of Whiskeytown

By David Menconi

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The Austin Chronicle reviews David Menconi's Ryan Adams: Losering, A Story of Whiskeytown:

"There's no one more qualified to write the story of Ryan Adams than David Menconi. A music critic at the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., he enjoyed a friendly relationship with the former Whiskeytown leader and "It Boy" that lasted until 2001. Drawing from interviews with the artist, as well as his former bandmates and infamous online postings, the author paints a portrait that can be insightful at times, mainly when discussing the attraction behind alt.country phenoms Whiskeytown. Mainly North Carolina-based, the band had an Austin component, one this writer got to witness firsthand, and Menconi captures it with precision. Yet the discussion of Adams' solo career, when Menconi lost direct contact with his subject, comes off less cogent. Meanwhile, his song-by-song analysis of certain works occasionally devolves into fan speak. Still the meat of the book, the story of Adams' beginnings, his uncontrolled songwriting gift, and the anarchy surrounding Whiskeytown is well told."

David Menconi takes part in TBF's Lit Crawl. His "And Rock & Roll" panel discussion weighs in Saturday, Oct. 27, 9-9:45pm, at Shangri-La, 1016 E. Sixth.

Read the review at austinchronicle.com >>

Click here for a schedule of UT Press authors at the 2012 Texas Book Festival.

Austin American Statesman :: The Salt Lick Cookbook

The Salt Lick Cookbook: A Story of Land, Family, and Love

By Scott Roberts and Jessica Dupuy

Coming November 2012

The Austin American-Statesman previews the food book authors appearing this weekend at the Texas Book Festival.

"In his new book The Salt Lick Cookbook, Scott Roberts finally got to tell the story of his family’s legendary Driftwood barbecue restaurant. He’ll be speaking with local food writer Jessica Dupuy, who co-authored the book, and showing off some of the dishes whose recipes you’ll find in the book." 

Read the full article at statesman.com >>

 

Click here for a schedule of UT Press authors at the 2012 Texas Book Festival.