ChannelAustin EXSE Spoken Word

Do you write poetry? Do you want to be on television? That desire plus $30 will get you on channelAustin’s EXSE Spoken Word 2010.

EXSE Spoken Word is a poetry showcase honoring National Poetry Month, hosted by channelAustin on Cable Channel 10 – April 30, 2010 – from 12pm-12am. For EXSE Spoken Word, poets and spoken word artists are invited to perform up to 10 minutes of original work. One acoustic musician may accompany you in your performance. To be considered for pre-recorded broadcast, please submit this form with a written copy of the text of the intended performance, plus a $10 submission fee to channelAustin by Friday, April 9, 2010 at 7:00 pm.

Find more information here and the application here.

Pictures! Events!

Check out photos from our January and March shows:

Fractured Fables

Photos by Mike Rose

A New Year

Photos by Spencer Stoner

Looking for some SXSW fun put on by an awesome Austin-based record label + multimedia organization? Look no further:

March with Monofonus Press

SXSW FRI 3.12/MON 3.15/TUE 3.16/WED 3.17/THU 3.18/FRI 3.19/SAT 3.20

FRI 3.12

Alamo Ritz, 10:15pm: SXSW Film’s Music Videos program, featuring the video for Diagonals “Clones.”

MON 3.15

11am, Paramount Theater: Bryan Poyser’s Lovers of Hate, a film co-produced by Monofonus. We’re happy to announce that IFC Films recently purchased the film and will be making it nationally available to watch at home on OnDemand the same day.

TUE 3.16

3pm-2am, The Independent @ 501 Studios: Awthumfetht, feat. 16 bands and videos by Monofonus, among others

WED 3.17

12-2pm, Convention Center: Visit us at SXSW’s Indie Village.

1pm, Alamo Ritz: Music Videos, featuring Diagonals’ “Clones.”

2-8pm, Hotel San Jose: Monofonus Day Party, co-sponsored by the SIMS Foundation and featuring Ralph White, Eternal Tapestry, Soft Healer, Expensive Shit, Zs, Follow That Bird!, the Coathangers, and Turbo Fruits.

7:30pm, Velveeta Room: Ralph White official SXSW showcase

THU 3.18

12-2pm, Convention Center: Visit us at SXSW’s Indie Village.

9:30pm, Alamo South Lamar: Lovers of Hate

FRI 3.19

12-2pm, Convention Center: Visit us at SXSW’s Indie Village.

12mid, Wave: Follow That Bird! official SXSW showcase

SAT 3.20

3pm, Alamo Ritz: Music Videos, featuring Diagonals’ “Clones.”

8pm, Continental Club: Diagonals official SXSW showcase

12mid, Encore Patio: Golden Boys official SXSW showcase

FRI 3.26

Unit B, San Antonio: Over the Hill’s video series & Okay Mountain

TUE 3.30

8pm, Hotel San Jose: Teleportal 3: McSweeney’s, featuring Bill Cotter and Annie La Ganga, a Teleportal reading by Dean Young, video from Wholphin, and a special musical guest

Thanks!

Our ears are still ringing and our feet hurt from dancing: it was another fine Five Things. Thanks to everyone who contributed, including The Gary, Aly Tadros, Emcee Eats, The Davis Levels, Greg Koehler, Giuseppe Taurino, Willy Razavi, Gretchen Phillips, and Evie Worsham.

Thanks also to the Art Seen Alliance, to volunteers Sarah and Mike and Jon, and to everyone who came out to hear good stories and music. Pictures will be up soon.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for more Austin lit events:

March 15: 20×2 at the Ghost Room

On the 15th, check out 20×2, featuring Owen Egerton, Southpaw Jones, Amanda Eyre Ward and more, delivering two-minute pieces at the Ghost Room. Kicking off SXSW week with a fine who-loves-ya. RSVP.

March 17: The Whiskey Rebellion at Hyde Park Bar & Grill @ West Gate

Music and Literature at the Hyde Park Bar and Grill! 6:00pm – 10:00pm, 4521 West Gate Blvd. RSVP.

Featuring:
6:00 Music by Southpaw Jones
6:30 Reading by Amelia Gray
6:45 Reading by Bill Cotter
7:00 Music by Jennifer Ellen Cook
7:45 Reading by P. Tyson Midkiff
8:00 Music by Alina Simone
8:45 Reading by Stephen Elliott
9:00 Music by The Shake
9:45 Reading by James Hannaham

March 20: Dzanc Day Workshop

Amelia Gray is hosting the Austin arm of Dzanc Day on March 20th. Dzanc Day is a nationwide workshop day with proceeds set up to fund creative writing programs for kids. Check it out.

Join I Like Five Things! on Facebook for invites to future shows, pictures, news from past contributors, and more.

March 5!

It’s the kind of night that would make Aesop twirl his toga in disgust!

Join us as five readers (Evie Worsham, Giuseppe Taurino, Gretchen Phillips, Greg Koehler, Willy Razavi) spin fractured tales and funny fables. Featuring music by The Gary, Aly Tadros, and Emcee Eats. Hosted by Amelia Gray and Stacy Muszynski.

Doors open at 7, come early for an acoustic set by Five Things fave Aly Tadros. Find the USAA next door to Spiderhouse, with parking in any of Spiderhouse lots or on the street nearby. Admission: $1.

Friday, March 5, 2010
7:00pm – 10:00pm
United States Art Authority
510 W. 29th St
Austin, TX

Another great reading….

This one’s a must-see. The Plan II Honors Program and the University Honors Center Present an evening with…

Salvador Plascencia

…author of The People of Paper, a San Francisco Chronicle Best book.

Reading starts at 7PM, Thurs., Feb 4 In the Joynes Reading Room, behind Carothers Residence Hall at 2501 Whitis Ave on the UT campus.

The reading is free and open to the public. Call 512-471-5787 or mvalentine@mail.utexas.edu for more information.

“The People of Paper is a novel like no other . . . Calvino, Borges, and García Márquez will come to mind, but Plascencia’s novel is a creature of its own, firmly grounded and soaring at the same time.” –T.C. Boyle

Holy crow, what a show!

VICTORY

We’re still reeling from the strong and varied talent that made an appearance Friday night. From the readers who moved us early to the music moving us late, we spent a lot of time on our feet.

Bear with us while we process our pictures (hop on the RSS feed and you won’t need to check back every day). In the meantime, check out other fun lit events in Austin:

The Awesome! and Great! Reading Show!

Date:
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Time:
7:00pm – 8:00pm
Location:
Momo’s Club, 618 W. 6th St

New Awesome Greatness! A week from Wednesday, February 3! 7:00 Sharp! Owen Egerton, Amanda Eyre Ward and Southpaw Jones! (Facebook invite!)

R.A.W. Theater

Date:
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Time:
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location:
The Vortex Theater
Street:
2307 Manor Rd

R.A.W. Theater, the Resident Artists’ Workshop at The Vortex, allows Vortex artists and their friends/colleagues/allies/people they think are talented to bring works in progress in front of an audience. (Facebook invite)

You can . . .
. . . bring in a play you’re writing.
. . . try out a performance piece you’re working on.
. . . get feedback on an audition monologue or song.
. . . play a song you’re working on.
. . . stage part of a show that you’re working on.

Drop us a line using the “contact” link above if you’d like us to feature your reading/literary event.

See you tonight!

Celebrate a new year with 2010’s first Five Things! Contest winners CJ Hallman, Jimmy Dawson, Jack Boettcher, Nancy Jane Moore, and Tyler Stoddard Smith read from their winning stories followed by music by Cartographers, Morris Orchids, and The Baker Family Band.

Join us January 29th at the United States Art Authority (510 West 29th Street). Doors open at 7:30 with music before the show by Bethany Bauman. Admission $1, hosted by Amelia Gray and Stacy Muszynski.

Looking for an intro to the show? Check out our interview over at the American Short Fiction blog.

“For our New Year celebration we’ll witness life! On an illegal dumping ground, in a garden with gnomes, under Congress Avenue Bridge, when your father wants you to believe he’s dead, and via the teachings of “I of the Tiger” about Chinese New Year!” –Stacy Muszynski

Five Things This Friday!

Thanks to everyone who submitted a story to A NEW YEAR, our first ever contest here at Five Things. Congratulations to the winners:

Jack Boettcher
Nancy Jane Moore
CJ Hallman
Tyler Stoddard Smith
Jimmy Dawson

And honorable mentions:

Lesley Clayton and Carrie Cook
Fred Pierce
Lisa Eisenbrey
Tyson Midkiff

We can’t wait to watch and hear our five winners at the show at 7:30pm on January 29th at the United States Art Authority (510 West 29th Street). Come celebrate great Austin fiction with us!

Contest Closed! Meanwhile…

Our contest is closed and we’re reading a parcel of wonderful entries. Add our page to your RSS feed and keep an eye out for updates in a few weeks. We can’t wait to reveal the winners at the show on January 29th.

Meanwhile, come see Five Things host Amelia Gray read at a BRAND NEW reading series in Austin, The Awesome and Great Reading Show! Details:

Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: Momo’s Club, 618 W. 6th St. Austin, TX

Reading Series, Jan 6, 7:00 PM
Featuring writers: Tod Goldberg, Jill Alexander Essbaum, and Amelia Gray
Musical guest: Kacy Crowley
Your host: Elizabeth Crane
Writers write stories based on songs! Songwriters write songs based on stories! It’s backwards and bizarro awesome and great fun!

A CONTEST.

contest ad web

YES INDEED.

Five Things is hosting its first-ever writing contest! We’re celebrating a new year of great writing in Austin at our show on January 29th with a showcase of winning stories.

Contest Rules:

  • Word Limit: 1,250 words (5 pages)–can be as short or as long as you like, up to 1,250.
  • Theme: A New Year
  • Put the text of the story in the email. No attachments please!
  • One submission per person
  • Austin-area residents only (so you can come read/party on January 29th)

Email your submissions to fivethingsaustin (at) gmail (dot) com between now and January 1. Submissions will be judged anonymously and five winners will be invited to read their work at Five Things on January 29. There is no reading fee, and all Austin-area residents are invited to submit. Tell your friends and start writing!