Postscripts

South by Southwest's music conference kicks off this week, and of course, there are authors making appearances. Today (Thursday, Mar. 13) at 1:45 at the Austin Convention Center, author Fred Goodman (The Mansion on the Hill) will appear with the Indigo Girls' Amy Ray and Epic Records' Andy Schwartz on the panel "Who Cares? (Politics & Music)." Jan Reid, author of The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock, will discuss "Still Cosmic After All These Years (The Great Progressive Country Scare of the 1970s)" with musician Steve Fromholz and poster artist Micael Priest. Also, on Saturday, Mar. 15, at 2:45pm, photographers Michael Lavine and Stephanie Chernikowski present "Photographer's Show & Tell."...Also, Red Meat cartoonist and SXSW bag designer Max Cannon will sign copies of his compilation book at Borders that day at 5pm.

Texas Bound

For the fourth year in a row, Austin short story writer Tom Doyal has been invited to participate in the Texas Bound program of the annual Arts & Letters Live series at the Dallas Museum of Art. Doyal's "Suppressing the Grief Response" will be read by Dallas actor Katherine Owens at 6:30 and 8:30pm on April 7. Doyal's story won second prize in The Austin Chronicle's 1993 short story contest. Call 214/922-1219 or 214/922-1220.

Events

* THU, MAR 13: Po Bronson (Bombardiers) is back with his second novel, The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest. Bronson will appear at Book People at 7pm.

* FRI, MAR 14: Retired Exxon consultant Shirley Peddy comes to Book People to promote her new book, Secrets of the Jungle: Lessons on Survival in Today's Organizations, at Book People at 7pm.

* SAT, MAR 15: Austin author Marian Barnes will discuss and sign copies of her new 12 Steps to Bringing Out the Best in Every Child, as well as Talk That Talk! and Talk That Talk Some More! at Barnes & Noble (Arboretum), 2-3pm... At Barnes & Noble (Westlake), Geyata Ajilvagi will promote Wildflowers of Texas, 2-3pm... Local psychologist Carl Pickhardt will discuss Keys to Successful Stepfathering, at Book People at 2pm.

* SUN, MAR 16: Well-known rock critic Ira Robbins will appear at Book People at 2pm with his The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock.

* THU, MAR 20: Fantasy writer Raymond Feist will read from and sign copies of his Rage of a Demon King at Book People at 7pm... Author Robert Stone will give a reading at 7:30pm in the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center's fourth-floor auditorium on the UT campus. Stone is the author of several novels, including Dog Soldiers, winner of the 1975 National Book Award.