Postscripts

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UT vs. A&M

Kip Stratton didn't attend either of the universities he's going to cover in a nonfiction book coming out next fall from Crown, a division of Random House, so don't blame him on those grounds if you discern some partiality in it. Backyard Brawl is the working title of the history of the UT and A&M football rivalry, though Stratton says it's more about cultural clashes in Texas than about clashes that take place on the field. "You had UT viewed as the predominant university for years without much question as far as its association with the power structure of Texas," says Stratton, who directs tech writers at National Instruments here in Austin. "And then suddenly you've got an A&M that's really grown as a university in terms of both numbers and also academic reputation -- it's gotten on the U.S. News & World Report list of good universities. … Things are happening here in Texas like Texas Monthly doing the cover story four or five years ago about A&M as the best public university in the state -- Paul Burka's infamous or famous piece, deciding on which side you fall on -- and then you've got other interesting things happening, like we now have an Aggie Governor, and we have an Aggie U.S. Senator, so it's kind of interesting the inroads that A&M has made in the power structure of the state."

Stratton, who has written for The Dallas Morning News, Sports Illustrated, GQ, and Outside, is going to write about the "clash of values" being waged between the two schools. "These are generalizations," he acknowledges, "but UT's a little more of an urban university; it has a big international student population, so it's cosmopolitan. A&M has come to represent the Texas that small-town Texas and suburban Texas holds dear. And of course both schools still use football as a measuring stick once a year and put it on the line and see who does the best." Stratton's agent is David McCormick -- the same David McCormick who sold Mary Ladd Gavell's collection of short stories (see left).

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Resistencia Benefit

Resistencia Bookstore invites the public to "Back to S'kool Basix," a benefit bash for Austin's progressive Raza-political bookstore. Join them for "an evening of fierce and righteous music, dance, and poetics. The benefit features the local talents of: Oceanic (jazz/funk w/conscious lyrics), Eshta (Middle Eastern Dance), Peace Posse (Chicana/o rapoetry duo), and special appearance by Many Mundos featuring the streewize poetics of Native American human-rights activist and barrio bluesman, Raul Salinas." Resistencia bookstore has an 18-year history of literary, cultural, and political involvement within East and South Austin's indigenous and Chicano communities. $5 suggested donation. Sunday, Sept. 9, 2001, 7pm at the Empanada Parlour (707 E. 6th St.). For more info., call 416-8885.

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Inside Books Project

Austin's Inside Books Project, a nonprofit that distributes books free of charge directly to Texas prisoners, needs donations of books, time, and money. Prisoners write to Inside Books, requesting specific titles or genres and Inside Books sends them what they want. But there's always a backlog of requests to fill. Here's how to help: Drop off books, preferably paperback, at 12th Street Books (827 W. 12th) between 10am and 6pm Monday through Saturday. Especially needed are dictionaries (the most requested items), GED training books, books teaching English as a second language, books in Spanish, and trade/job skills manuals. Or donate supplies or your time by answering mail from inmates and filling their orders. Call 647-4803 for more info.