WEDNESDAY, January 31st, 7pm, Ana-Maurine Lara, Erzulie¹s Skirt, Bookwoman, 918 West 12th Street Set in the age of urbanization in the Dominican Republic over the course of several lifetimes, Erzulie¹s Skirt is a tale of how women and their families struggle with love, tragedy and destiny. Told from the perspectives of three women, this novel takes us from the rural villages & sugar cane plantations to the slums of Santo Domingo, and along the journey by yola across the sea … Continue reading →

Wednesday, January 31, 7:00 p.m., Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Downtown, 4th and Colorado. Third Coast Film Night at Alamo Drafthouse, “Little Birds” with director Watai Takeharu After the U.S. ground forces entered Baghdad in April 2003, Japanese director Watai Takeharu remained in Iraq to continue shooting portraits of Iraqi citizens in the war-ravaged country. In Baghdad, Samawa, Falluja, and at Abu Ghraib, Watai listened to the voices of the Iraqi people, and succeeded in catching glimpses of the truth about the … Continue reading →

January 30, 2007 (vigil across from Governor’s mansion 5:30) In April 2003, Christopher Swift killed his wife and later that day killed his mother-in-law. Swift represented himself at his trial. Texas should not execute Christopher Swift. Executing Swift would violate the right to life, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and would constitute the ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment. Ineffective assistance of counsel and mental illness are at issue in this case. Swift has stated that … Continue reading →

The Campaign to End the Death Penalty will be debating the Young Conservatives of Texas on the death penalty this coming Monday, at 7:30pm at Jester Auditorium (jester A121A). The debate will be in the Oxford style, with alternating speakers from each side debating a resolution that the death penalty be abolished. Each side also has a “questioner” who will get to ask one or two questions of the other side, designed to point to the weaknesses in the opposing … Continue reading →

January 28, 6 – 8 p.m., Saengerrunde Hall, 1607 San Jacinto, next door to Scholz Garten. After two Last Sunday events that looked at a broad array of issues, the January 28 gathering is going to focus on a specific social-political-economic problem in the United States: Race and racism/white supremacy and white privilege, with guest artist/analysts Sharon Bridgforth and Omi Osun Olomo. The event also will feature more great music by Austin singer/songwriter Slaid Cleaves, along with some of the … Continue reading →

Sunday, January 28, 12:30 p.m.; St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 14311 Wells Port Drive, west of I-35 off Wells Branch Parkway. Syed Akbar Hyder, “Religious Pluralism in Islamic Societies, Past and Present” At a time when words like martyrdom and jihad are being used and misused for political purposes, Hyder’s analysis of the rich traditions of pluralism in Islam is crucial for Americans to understand. Rather than offering a unified reading of the Islamic tradition, Hyder reveals multiple, sometimes conflicting, understandings … Continue reading →

A coalition of Austin activist groups called Stop The War Coalition – Austin has planned a statewide anti-war march in solidarity with national gatherings in major cities. The nonviolent action will be calling for the end of war and the immediate withdraw of United States military from Iraq. The march will convene at Austin City Hall at 3:00 pm on January 27, 2007 and the march to the Texas Capitol will commence at 3:30 pm. Music and speakers will greet … Continue reading →

The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penality (TCADP) Annual Conference will be on Saturday, January 27th at the Southpark Omni Hotel in Austin. Among the speakers at the conference will be Rob Owen of the UT Law School Capital Punishment Center. Rob will be arguing two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court in early January, and we can expect his keynote address at our conference to be most interesting. Other speakers include: Steve Hall of Project Standdown Texas , … Continue reading →

SUPPORT AUSTIN’S CITIZENSHIP DRIVE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 27TH, 2007 from 8:00am to 3:00 pm. On behalf of University Leadership Initiative (ULI), and myself we hope you had a restful and joyous holiday. State Representative Eddie Rodriguez, NALEO, and the University Leadership Initiative invite you to Austin’s Citizenship Drive on January 27, 2007. The goal of this workshop is to assist 300 eligible legal permanent residents with the U.S. Citizenship application process. WE NEED YOUR HELP! At the Drive, over 70 community … Continue reading →

Jan. 25, 5:30-6:30 pm, T. Don Hutto Prison Camp, 1400 Welch St., Taylor, Texas We have all recently learned that the Williamson County lease agreement with Correctional Corporation of America (CCA) expires in 11 days…on Jan. 31. We want to encourage the Williamson County Commissioners to champion the freedom of the children. They can be their heroes…on the local, statewide, national and even international levels. All they have to do is show the courage to say NO to the practice … Continue reading →

From Bob Van Steenburg, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP): “Robert Chambers, scheduled to be executed on Thursday, Jan 25, has received a stay. There will be no execution on Thursday.” Event Cancelled: Jan. 25, 2007, TX (vigil across from Governor’s mansion 5:30) On the evening of April 10, 1975, Ronald Chambers and one other codefendant carjacked Mike McMahan and Deia Sutton. They then drove them to an embankment, where they shot McMahan and Sutton in the head. … Continue reading →

WEDNESDAY, January 24th, 7pm, Sarah Katherine Lewis, Indecent: How I Make It and Fake It as a Girl for Hire, BookWoman, 918 West 12th Street Sarah Katherine Lewis, is a veteran sex worker whose cutting observations and dark humor about the nature of her work reflect the gritty realities of an industry she alternately loves and hates. For more than a decade, Lewis has done it all- from lingerie modeling and striptease shows to porn and illegal work. Indecent is … Continue reading →

Edward James Olmos Speaks at San Antonio College on January 24. With his presentation entitled “We’re all in the Same Gang”, Olmos will speak about discipline and determination in overcoming all obstacles. San Antonio College is located at 1300 San Pedro Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. Seating is limited. For more information, call Deborah Martin at 210-733-2147.

Note from Bob Van Steenburg of Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty: Larry Swearingen, who had been scheduled for execution Wed, Jan 24 has received a stay EVENT CANCELLED Jan. 24, 2007, TX (vigil across from Governor’s mansion 5:30) On Dec. 8, 1999, Melissa Trotter was last seen with Larry Swearingen in a school cafeteria. Her body was found in a Texas forest 25 days later, and Swearingen was convicted of the murder. Allegedly, Trotter rejected Swearingen’s sexual advances, … Continue reading →

January 23rd – 7-10pm, Calhoun 100 Theater; Water (India, 2005) Directed by Deepa Mehta In India during the 1930s, women are sent away to “widow houses” to live quiet lives of celibacy and discipline, among their own kind, after their husbands die. Against the backdrop of India’s struggle for independence from British colonial rule, “Water” tells the story three women forced into the poverty of a “widow house” and how they went against the Hindu traditions that bound them. Co-sponsors: … Continue reading →

Austin Against War calling for: TUESDAY, Jan. 23: Bush’s State of the Union Address 5-6:30pm: Congress Ave. bridge sidewalks — bring those signs and noisemakers! http://english.people.com.cn/200701/19/eng20070119_342681.html http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/16479321.htm (we’re to watch for when Pelosi applauds and when she doesn’t, it seems) NOW he wants to reduce the nation’s dependence on oil…while committing more troops to the mid east. Speech starts at 8pm…come watch at Opal Divine’s-6th St.-bar upstairs. Tears and beers. Source: Debbie Russell

The Texas Jail Project (TJP), a newly formed advocacy group made up of former women inmates and jail activists, will form a caravan in Austin and drive to Dallas, Texas on January 23rd, 2007. There they will join with women from the Dallas area in making short statements to the County Commissioners about conditions in the women’s unit of the Dallas County Jail. Reports of a dismal and deteriorating situation for the women in this jail have become increasingly frequent … Continue reading →

Monday Jan 22nd at 6pm, 10100 Burnet Road, Bldg. #137, The Commons Building, UT Pickle Research Campus-Austin. Read the latest report about the toller’s plan to take our freeways – show up to keep our freeways free!

Sunday, January 21, 3:00 p.m., BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar Blvd. “Enemy Nations, Emerging Voices” is a reading from two new anthologies that introduce the literature and culture of so-called enemy nations: Literature from the ‘Axis of Evil’, the first anthology of Words Without Borders, and Let Me Tell You Where I’ve Been: New Writing by Women of the Iranian Diaspora. The reading and discussion features anthology editors Persis Karim and Samantha Schnee, and contributors Zara Houshmand and Mohammad Ghanoonparvar. Information: … Continue reading →

A unified effort to stop the Trans-Texas Corridor/Toll schemes and to enact political reforms in the 2007 Legislative Session is coming together at this event: The Road To Texas Independence Confab, Sunday, January 21, 12:30 – 5 pm, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Austin (NE corner of I-35 & 290) Cost: FREE! (however, you must reserve a seat!) Guest Speakers: Paul Burka, Sr. Editor, Texas Monthly Magazine Sal Costello, TexasTollParty.com Hank Gilbert, former Ag Commission candidate Gina Parker, Eagle Forum Annalisa Peace, … Continue reading →

Saturday evening, Jan. 20 at 7 pm, Univ. Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 2203 San Antonio St. Free admission THE OTHER JEWISH VOICE: SPEAKING FOR PALESTINE AND A RETURN TO JEWISH VALUES PANEL AND DISCUSSION WITH JEWISH WRITERS & THINKERS AGAINST THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION OF PALESTINE The Interfaith Community for Palestinian Rights www.icpr-austin.org With Batya Hecker, PhD candidate at UT-Austin, member of the Interfaith Community for Palestinian Rights Paul Lewis, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of the Incarnate Word Charlotte McCann, … Continue reading →

MLK Keynote Address – Christopher Gardner with Sounds of Blackness Saturday, January 20, 2007 Riverbend Centre 4214 N. Capitol of Texas Hwy 6:30 p.m. (Doors open at 5:45 p.m.) Link to tickets via MLK Celebration web page Christopher Gardner is president and CEO of the Chicago-based brokerage firm Gardner Rich & Co., which he founded in 1987. Prior to launching his own firm, Mr. Gardner worked for several prestigious Wall Street firms. He has never forgotten his humble beginnings and … Continue reading →

Austin Center for Peace and Justice Monthly Peace & Justice Networking Brunch Next brunch on Saturday, JANUARY, 20, 2007 10am to Noon Central Presbyterian Church 8th and Brazos Streets ACPJ’s monthly brunches create a space for Austin peace and justice groups to network. Please send someone from your group prepared to speak for 3 minutes about your work. Each month we focus on one group or project with a 20 minute presentation.

January 18 – 8pm @ MonkeyWrench Books – Dismantling Monoculture: Tales of Ants and Economics in the Americas. A visual storytelling of the Beehive Collective’s Graphic Trilogy (www.beehivecollective.org) focused on corporate globalization in the Americas, and featuring an inspiring preview and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the long-anticipated “MESOAMERICA RESISTE” graphics campaign. It’s a picture-lecture to be understood by anyone – not just the experts and political analysts! For more information, call 407-6925 or email pollinators@beehivecollective.org.

Thursday, JAN 18, 7pm; Booksigning and reading: “Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace” edited by Maxine Hong Kingston is a harvest of creative, redemptive storytelling – nonfiction, fiction, and poetry – spanning five wars and written by those most profoundly affected by it. Contributors Doug Zachary (former Director of the Austin Peace and Justice Coalition) and Sharon Kufeldt (national Vice President of Veterans For Peace) will read their pieces and lead a discussion which will focus on misogyny, family violence … Continue reading →