For immediate release — May 7, 2012
(DALLAS) — As the 21st season of Arts and Letters Live moves toward its conclusion in June, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Dallas County Community College District — a community partner — celebrate the works of authors who amuse, mystify and delight readers.
The month kicks off with Texas Bound III: Friday Night Lights, featuring actors Brad Leland and Steven Walters reading T.C. Boyle’s “56-0” and Sarah Vowell’s “Music Lessons,” respectively, on Monday, May 7, in Horchow Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Leland, whose film and television credits include “Dallas,” “In the Heat of the Night,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Born on the Fourth of July,” continues to produce shows and events in Texas as the owner of Turnkey Productions. He played Buddy Garrity in the film “Friday Night Lights” and in the series for five seasons.
Walters is a member of the Brierley Resident Acting Company at the Dallas Theater Center and also is co-founder of Second Thought Theatre. His theatrical credits at the DTC include “Henry IV,” “The Beauty Plays” and “The Good Negro.” He has garnered many other local theatrical credits, and he was featured in television programs that include “Chase,” “My Generation,” “Trauma” and “Prison Break.” He played Glenn Reed on “Friday Night Lights.”
Other May presentations are:
- Wednesday, May 9, 7:30 p.m., Horchow Auditorium —
H.W. Brands and Mark K. Updegrove — An evening of wit and wisdom will feature Pulitzer Prize finalist H.W. Brands, whose two books — “Traitor to His Class” and “The First American” — were nominated for that honor. His newest book, “The Heartbreak of Aaron Burr,” is the second in his American Portraits series. Brands currently teaches American history at the University of Texas at Austin. Updegrove, a native of Philadelphia, has loved presidential history since he attended the United States bicentennial celebration in 1976. A collector of presidential autographs, Updegrove is the author of “Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies After the White House” and “Baptism by Fire: Eight Presidents Who Took Office in Times of Crisis.” In 2009, he became director of the LBJ Library in Austin, and his new book is titled “Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency.”
- Tuesday, May 15, 7:30 p.m., Horchow Auditorium —
John Irving — Distinguished fiction writer John Irving moves comfortably from one realm to another in his work, going from romance to fairy tales to thrillers. His first bestseller, “The World According to Garp,” won the National Book Award and was made into a film starring Robin Williams. Irving’s other bestsellers include “A Prayer for Owen Meany,” “A Son of the Circus,” “A Widow for One Year” and “The Cider House Rules” (he won an Academy Award in 2000 for its screenplay adaptation). The author will participate in a moderated onstage conversation to share insights about his creative process, the body of his work and his newest novel, “In One Person.”
- Friday, May 18, 7 p.m., Horchow Auditorium —
Ben Fountain and Alexander Maksik — During an evening featuring “Fresh Ink,” Ben Fountain will discuss his new novel, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” a satire about a reluctant Iraq War hero who finds himself the guest of honor at a Dallas Cowboys football game. Fountain’s story collection, “Brief Encounters With Che Guevara,” received a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award. Alexander Maksik’s novel, “You Deserve Nothing,” was featured in Publishers Weekly as one of 10 promising debuts. Set in Paris at an international high school, the book tells a gripping story of power, idealism and morality.
- Sunday, May 20, 7:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church of Dallas —
Alan Lightman — Crossing the intersection of art and science, Alan Lightman’s work bridges the gap between two similar — yet different — worlds. A theoretical physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Lightman is an award-winning novelist. His bestseller, “Einstein’s Dreams,” envisions a series of fables that Einstein might have dreamed while he was putting the final touches on his theory of relativity. His forthcoming novel, “Mr. g,” is the story of creation, narrated by God; it celebrates the tragic and joyous nature of existence on a grand scale.
Prices vary by event; for tickets, register online at
http://www.tickets.dallasmuseumofart.org.
DCCCD also will serve as one of several co-sponsors for the second annual BooksmART Festival on Saturday, June 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The free, one-day BooksmART Festival will offer families and children of all ages a chance to celebrate literature and the arts. The day will feature authors, artists, illustrators, workshops, music, gallery tours, story time, games and other activities at the Dallas Museum of Art. For details, visit
http://DallasMuseumofArt.org/ALL.
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Press contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819;
ahatch@dcccd.edu