News/Print

A something-for-very-
nearly-everyone week at BookPeople begins tonight, Thursday, July 1, with the Texas Monthly Author Series' presentation of John Graves reading from and signing Myself and Strangers: A Memoir of Apprenticeship (read playwright Steve Moore's interview with Graves). On Monday, July 5, Michael Patrick Welch brings the bizarrely excellent The Donkey Show (Equator Books, $13.95, paper) to town from New Orleans; reading and signing supplemented with the author's "stories and sketchy electronic R&B music under the name The White Bitch." Two days later, on Wednesday, July 7, it's the Horses show, sort of, starring author and Chronicle contributor Melanie Haupt as the music critic who dares dis the Patti Smith album. It's for the release of Kill Your Idols: A New Generation of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics (Barricade Books, $16, paper), and I have no other comment on it other than to advise the new generation to wear protective gloves as they near the bottom of the barrel, because I don't want to offend Melanie. Finally, in between the ass and the equus is the UTTER Reading series, Tuesday, July 6, with Steve Coyle and iréne lara silva. All times 7pm.

On Friday, July 9, 7pm, Resistencia will host Rememberin' June Jordan, a "spoken word birthday commemoration" led by activist poet Rajasvini Bhansali. Austin authors and artists will read from Jordan's work as part of a fundraiser for Red Salmon Arts. A $5 donation is suggested.

Deadbeats beware: Beginning today, the Austin Public Library is outsourcing its collection of outstanding fees and fines to Unique Management Services. A $10 charge will be added to all accounts referred to the agency. After all, everyone who wants to read The Da Vinci Code or Bill Clinton's autobiography should be able to. This is America!