Advocacy, Art, and More Recommended Events
What to do this week that isn't SXSW
By James Scott, Cat McCarrey, Kimberley Jones, Brant Bingamon, and James Renovitch, Fri., March 7, 2025
TENT Trans Advocacy Day
Monday 10, Texas Capitol
It’s hard not to feel powerless when combating the seemingly daily attacks on marginalized people from state and national entities (read: assholes). The Transgender Education Network of Texas helps local folks do some direct advocacy at this daylong event with the goal of schooling state politicians on the issues facing the trans community (and maybe prove to the more ignorant among them that trans people aren’t cruel witches). Training starts at 10am, there’s a rally at noon, and the office visits start at 1pm. Participants should register online beforehand. – James Renovitch
Lupin III: the Castle of Cagliostro
Monday 10, We Luv Video
Fans of certified cad, thief, and teal suit-jacket wearer Lupin III might’ve been surprised by this theatrical rendition of their beloved boob-enjoyer. Here, tamed by the pen of master animator Hayao Miyazaki in his first feature-length directing effort, the man is less interested in burying his face into fellow criminal Fujiko Mine’s chest and more invested in playing hero to a reluctant bride-to-be – although her evil husband’s hoarded treasure probably sweetens the deal. Of course, this still maintains the fun hijinks innate to a Lupin III piece: car chases, sword wielding, and shoot-outs in the pseudo-Italian countryside. In this humble writer’s opinion? This film rules. We Luv Video guesses the American rating as PG, so bring the youth along to see animated action-comedy done right. – James Scott
Free Tuesday at the Blanton
Tuesday 11, Blanton Museum of Art
Whether you’ve been in Austin 800 years or are just visiting because you heard about this wacky Fest that’s going on, Downtown hub of culture the Blanton offers its wonders to you this Tuesday, gratis. Granted by the generous Moody Family Free Day Endowment, admission on Tuesdays is totally free – so you can enjoy exhibitions like the partner-praising “In Creative Harmony,” the European artifacts of “A Family Affair,” or MAKEWild’s interactive furniture design without needing a big-budget badge. Plus, the Blanton’s recently renovated outdoor area is a perfect place to enjoy Austin’s two weeks of good weather. – James Scott
Books and Breweries Club: Cloud Atlas
Tuesday 11, Draught House
David Mitchell’s books feature an interconnected universe that rivals Stephen King’s Maine obsession, and it all stems from Cloud Atlas. Mitchell’s nesting-doll novel features six stories, each with a distinct style. Want a 1970s political thriller? You got it. Nineteenth-century sea epic with something vaguely amiss? Sure thing. Futuristic sci-fi? Absolutely. They all thread together somehow, but I won’t spoil it. Instead, grab a drink and dig into it yourself with fellow readers at the Draught House. Bonus points – there is a movie, so maybe you can all figure out if the Wachowski sisters’ work is a true triumph or a massive misstep. – Cat McCarrey
Texas House Hearing on Vouchers
Tuesday 11, John H. Reagan Bldg. #140
Don’t know what “vouchers” is? We don’t have time to explain here. [Editor’s Note: I suggest you read any one of Brant’s explainers written for our News section.] But if you do know, you’ll want to get your butt down to the first public hearing on House Bill 3, the Texas House’s voucher bill. The hearing starts early – 8am – and could go all day and night, considering how angry people are over the proposal, which would allow funding for public schools to be funneled into private schools instead. The bill will almost certainly pass out of the committee (the process is rigged, y’all) but opponents hope they can stop it on the House floor. – Brant Bingamon
Lawrence Wright: The Human Scale
Tuesday 11, BookPeople
Austin man of letters Lawrence Wright cannot be contained. His New Yorker essays beget books that beget films. His nonfiction works – like 2006’s Pulitzer Prize winner The Looming Tower – inform one-man shows. Now his new thriller The Human Scale shares a title and setting with his 2010 one-man show about a standoff between Israel and Hamas. The new book tracks a Palestinian-American FBI agent’s investigation in Gaza; in a starred review, Publishers Weekly called it “an uncomfortable and unforgettable plunge into the heart of a devastating conflict.” See Wright in conversation with KUT’s Rebecca McInroy at Tuesday’s pub-day event; it’s free, but if you want to get a book signed, you’ll need to purchase it from BookPeople. – Kimberley Jones
Guillermo’s Classical Music Trivia Night
Tuesday 11, the Brewtorium
Sometimes an event is just happening during South by Southwest weekend, and sometimes, like with this edition of KMFA’s classical music trivia night, a Fest-adjacent fun time captures this yearly occasions spirit. This week’s SXSW-inspired questions all focus on local musicians. While you don’t need to be Frasier Crane to play along, truth is you might walk away from the night’s fun featuring special guests Nathan Felix and Austin Classical Jams with a taste for instrumental tunes. Or maybe you’ll just become a fan of host and education & outreach manager Guillermo Delgado, which’ll get you to tune in to his weekend radio show. Winners get bragging rights and a photo with Beethoven... well, his bust, anyway. – James Scott
Crafternoon: Women’s History Month Edition
Tuesday 11, Southeast Branch Library
All are welcome to celebrate groundbreaking artists Georgia O’Keeffe and Yayoi Kusama with special thematic art projects suitable for ages 1 to 100. Together with the library’s helpful staff, attendees will dig into these women’s creative legacies in abstract expressionism, pop art, and big pictures of flowers that ONLY represent flowers and not anything else (winky winky). Supplies are provided to make paint dot art, which APL calls “a fun, meditative, and expressive technique that will bring out your inner artist.” To make a beautiful painting with your own hands, for no more than it costs you to take the bus or drive your car and for only an hour on a weekday: Truly, this is the beauty of our public libraries. – James Scott
Queer Poetry Open Mic
Wednesday 12, Birdhouse Books and Gifts
Hello gays: Have you written a poem recently? Do you want to speak that lyrical prose out loud, to other people even? Have I got the place for you. Burnet Road denizen Birdhouse brings their open mic back for another round of queer poet fun. They’ve got ATX-based authors on the roster, too: lit mag The Repositorium editor Plumalia Henson and traveling bookstore owner Martyna Dearing. Both are promoting current paperback projects, with Henson’s The Book of Venus and Dearing’s Love, Death, and In Between and No Title Yet available on Birdhouse shelves for interested buyers. – James Scott
Adaptations Book Club: In the Cut
Wednesday 12, We Luv Video
My favorite Jane Campion movie is usually the most recent one I’ve watched. But if forced to pick one overall, the erotic fever dream of In the Cut might win as the director’s best work. And now I know, thanks to We Luv Video’s incredible Adaptations book/movie club, that there’s a novel I can check out! Campion’s film shattered Meg Ryan’s American sweetheart persona and captured Mark Ruffalo at his scuzzy hot peak. With twists, turns, and an ominous color palette that gives David Fincher a run for his money, it fills a very specific, very sexy niche. – Cat McCarrey
SXS1st Street Festival
Wednesday 12, South First
Non-Austinites who’ve picked up this Chronicle, I am speaking directly to you. Maybe you’re here for the Fest, and maybe you’ve already enjoyed the mainstream delights of current year 2025 South Congress – where you can buy Warby Parker glasses and an Hermès scarf within five minutes of each other. However, if you’re looking for a more local experience, may I suggest trekking a single street over to South First? Quirky cultural artifacts abound, from jockstrap heaven Package Austin to vegan paradise Bouldin Creek Cafe, and this week they’re upping their game with live music offerings. On three different stages – Package, Once Over Coffee Bar, and Blue Suede – live music blares with vendor markets at Blue Suede, Glint Dental, and Devil’s Details Boutique offering boffo small-business scores. Stop in at Gully Cat for flash tattoos, or snag a taco at El Primo. Then take the memories back to wherever you came from as true local cred whenever someone mentions Austin. – James Scott
Want to see all of our listings broken down by day? Go to austinchronicle.com/calendar and see what's happening now or in the coming week.
