Meet the
Author Series at Paragraphs
Saturday
October 12th 2019 1-3 PM
and Saturday January 25th
2020 1-3 PM
Book
signing and conversation with author, W. F. Strong
WF Strong and his book have been so popular throughout Texas that
sales have required multiple printings. Paragraphs
has scheduled two signings just to insure everyone a chance to meet Mr. Strong
and get a copy of his book. This will be
his second (and third) appearance at Paragraphs. Because we ran out of books his first time
around, a call to reserve a copy will insure a book will be waiting for you.
You might call W.F. Strong a student of
all things Texas. In 2010, he began sharing his “Stories From Texas” vignettes
on public radio stations, most recently on the Texas Standard news show's 30
stations. For this book celebrating his home state, Strong has collected 75 of
his broadcasts. You'll hear his inimitably Texan voice in your mind's ear as he
weaves stories on subjects ranging from how to ''talk Texan'' to Texas bards
and troubadours; from tall Texas tales to Lone Star icons like Charles
Goodnight, Tom Landry and Blue Bell ice cream; from legends and unsung heroes
of the past to some heartfelt memories of his own. Strong agrees with John
Steinbeck that ''Texas is a state of mind . . . a mystique closely
approximating a religion,'' and every one of his stories embraces the Texas
state of mind.
W. F. Strong, PhD, is a Fulbright scholar and Professor of Communication
at the University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley. He grew up in Texas and holds
degrees in communication and literature from Abilene Christian University and
the University of North Texas, as well as a doctorate in Communication and
Rhetoric from the University of Arizona. His storytelling influences range from
Mark Twain, on whom he wrote his doctoral dissertation, to former public-radio
host Garrison Keillor.
Strong has pursued a lifelong
fascination with Texas literature, history and culture, having immersed himself
in the classic books of the great Texas novelists and historians, from Walter
Prescott Webb’s Indians of Texas to Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove series to
Philipp Meyer’s The Son.
He grew up working on farms and ranches in South Texas and so
has had a long connection with the Texas soil, as did his ancestors, who farmed
and ranched in North Texas for more than a century. Two of his distant
relatives signed the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico. This
familial history has nurtured his love for the vibrancy of Texas culture, both
historical and modern.
All these influences came together in the development of a
series of brief, often humorous, sometimes dramatic radio vignettes called
"Stories From Texas." Intended to teach and amuse and inspire, he
seeks to celebrate the Texas character in all its toughness; to showcase
poignant passages from the vast literature this land has produced; and to
provide a narrative for Texas pride, entrepreneurial success and Texas
mythology. Celebrating Texas' charismatic culture and revealing the diverse
forces that forged it, Stories From Texas airs biweekly on Texas Standard
Radio, a daily news program produced in Austin that is carried on 30 NPR
stations across Texas.
-AND-
Meet the
Author Series at Paragraphs
Friday,
October 18th 2019 4-6 PM
Book
signing and discussion with author, David Harry
Jimmy Redstone and
Angella Martinez, working as insurance investigators, are tasked to find a
valuable missing bronze sculpture known as the Pirate. The trail leads to the Three Rivers Arts
Festival in Pittsburg where they become embroiled in the dark underbelly of the
international art world where originals and fakes are routinely interchanged
and where terrorist money laundering is coordinated by a Mexican drug
lord. Wrapped into the mix is the
Israeli Mossad on the trail of Holocaust art rumored to contain the assumed
names of Nazi war criminals.
Join
us at Paragraphs for a special Friday afternoon with David Tannenbaum celebrating
the release of book #8 in the Padre series. He is looking forward to having a
discussion with his readers and telling behind the scenes stories on the writing
of Padre Pirate. Refreshments will be
served.
David
Harry and his wife Mary live in Florida but still have a home on South Padre
Island with their dog Franco. When he isn’t writing, David enjoys kayaking,
biking, and traveling. If David is off the island, he, Mary and Franco can
usually be found enjoying their old stomping ground of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
and more recently, Miromar Lakes, Florida.
This
event is free and open to the public.
Paragraphs On Padre Boulevard, 5505 Padre Blvd. South
Padre Island, TX
For information call us at 956-433-5057
