Texas Book Festival to Host Reading Rock Stars at 10 Elementary Schools in Austin on October 26

Posted on October 18, 2018 by InFluential Magazine

Texas Book Festival Adds 5 Campuses to Program This Year and Will Donate 5,500 Books to Austin Students with Reading Rock Stars Author Presentations

Texas Book Festival is proud to bring its successful school literacy program, Reading Rock Stars, to Austin on Friday, October 26, serving 10 Austin elementary schools and the Helping Hand Home. The Texas Book Festival’s Reading Rock Stars presentations bring books to life for children in low-income schools by inviting authors and illustrators into classrooms with entertaining presentations that inspire students to read, write, and create. Texas Book Festival is excited to expand their Reading Rock Stars presentations this year with 4 more campuses than last year, featuring 27 participating authors and illustrators who are all taking part in the 2018 Festival Weekend and over 5,500 books that will be donated to students.

Thanks to support from sponsors, including H-E-B Tournament of Champions, the Wright Family Foundation and the ECG Foundation, the Texas Book Festival provides each student with an autographed copy of their author’s book and provides the school library with a new set of books by the visiting Reading Rock Stars authors.

The authors will present to classes and then personally hand out signed copies of their books to students.

With this latest round of Reading Rock Stars, the Texas Book Festival will have coordinated 433 author visits and provided more than 93,000 books to students in Title I schools across Texas since its inception.

Media are invited to cover the Reading Rock Stars program at KIPP Austin Comunidad Elementary School. Beginning at 8:15 a.m., the school will host three authors who are part of the 2018 TBF Weekend Lineup – Arree Chung, who will present his new picture book MIXED: A Colorful Story; Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce, who will present Hurricane Heroes in Texas, the latest installment in the award-winningand bestselling Magic Tree House series; and Ryan Calejo, author of the middle grade fantasy debut Charlie Hernández & the League of Shadows, which is inspired by Hispanic folklore, legends, and myths. Texas Book Festival will donate a total of 800 books to KIPP Austin Comunidad Elementary School students.

For more information on the Texas Book Festival and Reading Rock Stars literacy program, please visit www.texasbookfestival.org.

Arree Chung – MIXED: A Colorful Story

Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce – Hurricane Heroes

Ryan Calejo – Charlie Hernández & the League of Shadows

Friday, October 26

8:15 a.m-8:45 a.m. – Kindergarten and Grade 1 – Arree Chung

9:15 a.m.-10:00 a.m. – Grade 2 and 3 – Mary Pope Osborne, Natalie Pope Boyce

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m. – Grade 4 and 5 – Ryan Calejo

KIPP Austin Comunidad Elementary School

8004 Cameron Rd

Austin, TX 78754

About Texas Book Festival

With a vision to inspire Texans of all ages to love reading, the Texas Book Festival connects authors and readers through experiences that celebrate the culture of literacy, ideas, and imagination. Founded in 1995 by former First Lady Laura Bush, Mary Margaret Farabee, and a group of volunteers, the nonprofit Texas Book Festival promotes the joys of reading and writing through its annual Festival Weekend, the one-day Texas Teen Book Festival, the Reading Rock Stars program, grants to Texas libraries, the Fresh Ink Fiction Contest and year-round literary programming. The Festival is held on the grounds of the Texas Capitol each fall and features more than 250 renowned authors, panels, book signings, cooking demonstrations, and children’s activities. The 2018 Texas Book Festival Weekend will take place October 27 – 28. Thanks to generous donors, sponsors, and 1,000 volunteers, the Festival remains free and open to the public. Visit www.texasbookfestival.org for more information, and join the conversation using the hashtag #txbookfest on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @texasbookfest.

AIA Austin Homes Tour 2018

Posted on October 7, 2018 by InFluential Magazine

Chas Architects. Photography courtesy of Jake Holt Photography.

The 32nd annual AIA Austin Homes Tour features 14 unique homes spotlighting the collaboration between homeowner and architect. The homes highlight a range of techniques from overall design and craftsmanship to creative use of materials. This year’s tour features the work of award-winning architects such as A Parallel Architecture, A. Gruppo Architects, Chas Architects, Clayton & Little, Dick Clark + Associates, FAB Architecture, Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects, Jay Hargrave Architecture, Matt Fajkus Architecture, Restructure Studio, Side Angle Side, Tim Cuppett Architects, Webber + Studio Architects and Weiss Architecture.

A. Gruppo Architects. Photography courtesy of Jake Holt Photography.

Tickets available beginning September 1 on the AIA Austin website, or at participating locations: AIA Austin, Arete Kitchens, Nannie Inez and Urbanspace. See website for additional locations in September.

When: Saturday, October 27 through Sunday, October 28 from 10 AM – 6 PM

Where: 13 homes across Austin and one in San Marcos, Texas

For more information about the AIA Austin Homes Tour 2018, visit https://www.aiaaustin.org/homes-tour/2018. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AIAAustin/ Instagram and Twitter: @AIAAustin #AIAAustinHomesTour

About AIA Austin

The Austin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Austin) has more than 1,000 architect and associate members, and over 180 Allied companies working in fields related to architecture, design and construction in the greater Austin area. AIA Austin is dedicated to improving our community by advancing the value of architecture. The chapter advocates for members, the profession, career development, and design excellence. AIA Austin operates out of the Center for Architecture in downtown Austin, a gallery and gathering space, and works with its cheaper affiliate, the Austin Foundation for Architecture, to provide scholarship and educational opportunities.

Once at ZACH Theatre is a Must-See!

Posted on October 5, 2018 by InFluential Magazine

Photography courtesy of Kirk Tuck.

Based on the 2007 Academy Award®-winning film, Once is an enchanting, modern love story about the complexities of relationships and the power of music to connect us all. Once tells the story of an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant drawn together by their shared love of music. Their unexpected friendship and collaboration evolves into a powerful but complicated romance, heightened by the raw emotion of the songs they create together. Winner of 8 Tony Awards® including Best Musical, this unique theatrical experience, with breathtaking melodies by Glen Hansard of the Irish band The Frames, will have you falling in love from the very first note.

Speaking to Austin’s live music roots, ZACH’s Topfer lobby transforms into an Irish pub, creating an immersive experience from start to finish. Based on the 2007 Academy Award®-winning film with music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, and book by Enda Walsh, audiences will fall for this unexpected romance that features a talented ensemble of actor/musicians who play their own instruments on stage. Once will play The Topfer at ZACH Theatre, September 19 – October 28, 2018, under the direction of ZACH Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley with Musical Direction by Allen Robertson, Scenic Design by Donald Eastman, and Choreography by Cassie Abate.

Once at ZACH Theatre

When: September 19, 2018 – October 28, 2018
Where: The Topfer at ZACH | 202 S. Lamar Boulevard | Austin, TX 78704
Tickets: Start at $25 available at the ZACH box office - (512) 476-0541, x1

zachtheatre.org

Age Recommendation: 10 and up for language

According to William Jackson, Founder & Chief Business Officer InFluential Magazine, Spanish InFluential, and Teen InFluential, “Once is a perfect blend of theatre and music, warmly wrapped around a touching yet complicated love story. The emotional intensity of the unfolding story, a story perhaps experienced by many, is portrayed beautifully by the actors/musicians and leaves an indelible mark on the heart and soul. For anyone who has a heart, Once is a must-see!”