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I arrived in Los Angeles last evening and spent some time with my friend Brett Clouser, who is going to be hanging out with me as I do the various dates on my California tour. Currently, we are in a Coffee Bean in Santa Monica and I have been prepping some notes on a lecture I will be giving tonight at Chapman University. The lecture is framed around the pioneering work of Anne Lamott— one of my favorite writers— in the spiritual essay genre.
Tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday, I will be lecturing at Azusa Pacific University, and then Saturday I will be doing a reading/signing at Book Soup in West Hollywood.
Then it’s on to Saddleback church, where I will be speaking to the youth services, alongside my friend Doug Fields, on Saturday evening and Sunday.
As always, the weather out here is beautiful, and I’m enjoying the escape from the cold that dominated my southeast leg of the tour.
More to come soon…
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Posted 1 day, 4 hours ago. Add a comment
Sorry for the long delay in updating. Things have been crazy out here on the road.
Our next stop was in Oxford, MS, where I spoke at Ole Miss and read at Square Books. I still can’t believe that we were able to get these gigs on my schedule. Ole Miss is one of the most prestigious English writing and literature institutes in the country, and it was an absolute honor to get to lecture there. Meanwhile, Square Books is one of the most renowned independent bookstores in the world. Such a thrill seeing my books in the store’s window when we arrived!
Without question the best part of being in Oxford— and Oxford, by the way, has undoubtedly been the best stop on the whole tour— was getting to visit Papa Faulkner’s grave. Being a huge fan of Southern Lit, I’d been wanting to visit Faulkner’s grave for quite some time. Faulkner being a notorious Bourbon drinker, this is how his grave is memorialized:
In Tupelo we arrived just in time for my signing at Reed’s Gumtree Books— undoubtedly the coolest name of any bookstore in the country. And living up to its cool name, they have one of the coolest booksellers in the country handling their events. Her name is Emily Gatlin and trust me, homegirl is fu-nny. After our event, we ended up at Emily’s house, where I signed the store’s stock at her kitchen table.
Among the many highlights of my time in Tupelo was getting to meet my literary agent, Mary Beth’s, family, as Mary Beth is a Tupelo native. In Tupelo, I was able to speak to both the youth and the adult service at Calvary Baptist Church. Wonderful people and wonderful times. Many thanks to Greg Morgan for organizing the event for me.
After Tupelo, it was on to Jackson.
Jackson was a great stop because it allowed me to stay with my buddy Collin, one of my best friends in the world. I lectured at Mississippi College on Monday and spoke at their chapel service on Tuesday.
After Mississippi College, we quickly shot down to Fairhope, AL where I got to sign at another one of the most prestigious independent bookstores in the country: The Page and Palette. We were only able to stay in Fairhope for two hours, because we had to get on the road for Montgomery, where we stayed with another of my buddies: Survivor heartthrob Bobby Jon Drinkard. I was on both the CBS and NBC affiliates in Montgomery the next morning…
… and then spoke that evening at Troy State University. Bobby Jon introduced me at the event, which was a real treat for me.
This morning we leave for Snellville, GA, where I will read and sign at the Borders at 7PM. Then, it’s finally back to NC, where I will roll into Charlotte and read and sign at the Huntersville Barnes and Noble at 7PM on Friday. I’m looking very forward to seeing old friends from Lake Norman and very excited about meeting some new ones.
The California leg of my tour begins on Wednesday the 10th.
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Posted 1 week ago. 1 comment
We had a wonderful time in Nashville. Hung out with some old friends and met some new ones while reading at the Books-a-Million. After the event, we went and had dinner with NASCAR legend and certifiably hilarious story-teller, Kyle Petty, his wife Pattie, and daughter Montgomery Lee. Wonderful time hanging out with these old family friends.
From dinner it was on to Memphis for the next morning’s CBS-TV interview. The producers and co-hosts of the show were all wonderfully welcoming and gracious, one of the best interview experiences I’ve ever had.
That night we did a signing at Davis-Kidd booksellers: one of the most prestigious independent bookstores in the country. Had a fantastic evening, met some neat people, sold and signed some books, and spent the evening trying to stop marveling at how cool this banner was:
Later that night we went down and spent a little time on Beale street. We hit a couple spots and listened to some great music. The highlight was when the bouncer at one of the spots came onstage to sing “Change is Gonna Come” and straight blew it out of the BOX. I’m telling you, my man had some pipes.
So, all this to say, Memphis was treating us very well…. until we woke up the next morning to find our car had been robbed. A couple clowns jacked Ryan’s navigational system and dvd player, ripping the whole dash out in the process.
We were planning to stay one more night in Memphis, however, after getting a bad taste in our mouths, we kicked it on down to Oxford, where we watched Crazy Heart and I remembered all over again why Jeff Bridges has always been one of my favorite actors.
Today I lecture at Ole Miss and then sign at Off Square Books.
Thus far Oxford has been amazing… quite possibly the coolest college town I’ve ever been to.
Okay, enough for now… More to come soon…
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Posted 1 week, 6 days ago. 1 comment
Yesterday I began the heart of my book tour, a trip that sees me through the entire southeast over the next two weeks. The first stop was at Livingstone College (as seen above), where I lectured and read to a wonderful group of coeds.
It was then on to Nashville, where we spent the night last night with my good friend and soon-to-be country music star Randy Montana (look out for his first single which hits country radio 3/22) and his lovely wife, Montgomery Lee.
I have an event here in Nashville tonight at the Books-a-Million and we will leave straight from the event to head on for Memphis, where I am on the CBS morning news (Memphis affiliate) tomorrow morning to promote a reading/signing event at Davis-Kidd booksellers tomorrow night.
Having two of my good friends, Ryan and Jeff, along for the trip, has made this a blast thus far. (Ryan has a dvd player embedded in his dash and I finally saw Wall Street for the first time last night. No idea how I made it this long without seeing it…).
Anyway, that’s the scoop thus far. I’d love to see you at one of the upcoming events. For a list of places we’re coming, click here.
Hope to see you soon!
Austin
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Posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago. 1 comment
It never snows in central North Carolina. In the rare event when it does, it never snows more than 2 inches.
I grew up here.
I’ve spent nearly thirty years here.
Believe me when I say, it never snows here.
That said, last weekend we got 8 inches.
And it was last weekend I was slated to have my big release party for my new book.
I’d put two months into planning the event. Spent money I didn’t have.
I was expecting upwards of 400 people. Was hoping for at least 400 book sales.
But the blizzard had other ideas.
And while a nice crowd of around 75 people braved the conditions to come out and support me— and while I am profoundly grateful for their support— it was not the epic release party I’d been hoping for.
Truth be told, I was bummed about it. Real bummed.
But then, Monday morning, I remembered there was a much bigger event happening in central North Carolina, one that makes my little book seem puny in comparison:
Monday was the grand opening of the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro, NC.
You see, Greensboro is the home of the Woolworth’s store where the now famous Greensboro Four staged their revolutionary sit in. These four heroic young men— men who believed in honesty and integrity and equality, men who decided they would no longer accept the racist staus quo— walked into Woolworth’s and sat down at a segregated lunch counter… in a restaurant where only whites were allowed to sit.
Though they were not served that day, these four NC A&T students were allowed to remain sitting. And then the next day, 27 more students showed up to do the same. Within 4 days, 300 black students were participating in this peaceful protest.
This now famous moment helped catalyze the Civil Rights Movement, and this week, despite the epic blizzard that hit central NC, the International Civil Rights Museum opened its doors.
My heart often swells with pride at how far our nation has come, but then I grow sad at the thought that I am a member of a race that spent so many years holding its brothers and sisters back.
There is no excuse for the way we whites have treated blacks throughout the history of the United States. And to say that racism doesn’t still exist is both short sighted and wishful thinking.
But we have come a long way. There’s no denying that.
When the Greensboro News & Record ran a piece two weekends ago on the Greensboro Four and their heroic protest, I was reminded at how, though our history is certainly spotted, there is an undeniable capacity for love and empathy and understanding in our human spirits.
You see, the article ended by quoting Franklin McCain, one of the famous four, speaking of an elderly white woman who happened to be in Woolworth’s on that fateful first day of the sit-ins.
“I don’t know of anyone who made a bigger impression on me… perhaps in my lifetime,” McCain says of the woman, “She told me she was proud of me— and then asked what took so long.”
McCain then went on to finish: “That little old lady taught me a lesson for life— don’t you ever feel prejudice toward somebody because of race, station in life, or where they come from… I can see that little old lady right now. She won’t go away.”
Might that serve as a lesson for all of us.
The Bible say that God’s love makes our sins as white as snow.
Perhaps this is why He sent that epic blizzard to central North Carolina this weekend: His love was purifying the monument that now stands in tribute of a courageous people who rallied to overcome the most sinful stain in our nation’s history.
I, for one, welcome this purification.
Even if it did cost me some book sales.
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Upon seeing the post below of the cute babies holding copies of High Points and Lows, my literary agent, Mary Beth, asked, “Can it get more shameless than this?”
Yes it can, Mary Beth… yes it can.
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Babies are crazy for High Points and Lows!!
(oh, come on, who can resist this? Doesn’t it make you wanna run out to the local bookstore and join the craze??)
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Posted 1 month, 1 week ago. 2 comments
We want you to know we’re out there:
Christians who love Jesus but don’t use him as a crutch. Christians who prefer peace and social justice over political capital. Christians who don’t measure self-worth by whether we’re able to convince you to see things our way.
We’re out there.
And here’s what we want you to know:
We’re distraught by our current representation in the media. Heidi Montag. Ted Haggard. That silly little girl who was Miss California. I could go on for days.
You see, these people not only trivialize our faith, but they simplify it, too.
Because for us— for those of us out there feeling voiceless and unrepresented— Jesus is more than words. Jesus is more than a set of bullet points on Sunday. Jesus is more than a systematic theology. Jesus is more than a name we drop so others might think us pious and good.
For us, Jesus is a way: a way to practice love and peace and respect for others.
We want you to know that, just like you, we are three-dimensional. We can’t be lumped into one stereotypical category.
We didn’t all vote McCain simply because he was Republican. And those of us who did vote McCain can give an intelligent, reasoned argument why— one that doesn’t include, “Because I’m a Christian.”
Meanwhile, those of us who voted Obama can give an equally persuasive argument why— one that, among other things, is based on our Christian faith.
Whether we are for or against the Iraq war, or for or against sending troops into Afghanistan, none of us believe our mission to be a mandate from Jesus. For us, Jesus is never an excuse to drop bombs.
Nor is he ever an excuse to subjugate.
To profile.
To discriminate.
We believe whole-heartedly in the literal death and resurrection of Jesus, yet we don’t rush to anger if you think us simple-minded for it.
We believe in personal responsibility but also believe a person’s situation greatly affects his opportunities. And we want to help those who come from less fortunate situations overcome their circumstances.
We screw things up more than we get them right.
We give, we pray, we help, we hurt, we doubt, we want, we try, we fail. We try again.
In other words, we’re just like you.
And we want you to know we’re out there. We’re out there and we want to work with you. Laugh with you. Grow with you. Try with you.
We want to, together with you, better the collective whole.
So won’t you step forward with us?
With love and respect,
Austin
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Posted 1 month, 1 week ago. 4 comments
There is something magical about books.
Some people remember their formative years through school and teachers. Others, through friends and experiences (first kiss, first cigarette, first beer, first Widepread Panic show, etc.).
I, however, trace my own lifeline through books.
As I’ve said before, my love for reading began at age seven with C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. When curious little Lucy wandered into that wardrobe, only to be transported into a new world— a world of magic and beauty and meaning— so did I. And to this very day, with each new book I open, I am again hoping to stumble into a world as affecting as was that first trip to Narnia.
Soon after devouring all of the Chronicles of Narnia, it was off to the bookstore for books like The Trumpet of the Swan and Where the Red Fern Grows.
A couple years later, I was motoring through the entire Nancy Drew series (embarrassing: yes. Referenced in my book: yes).
At this point, I was shifting into middle school, where, suddenly, it became very cool to own and (at least pretend to) read Michael Crichton books. This was pre-Jurassic Park, so the titles we were fawning over included The Andromeda Strain and Congo and Sphere and Rising Sun (I also owned both The Terminal Man and The Great Train Robbery, simply to prove my superior love for books).
It wasn’t long before 9th grade and To Kill A Mockingbird, when I vowed to be like Atticus Finch when I grew up.
And it wasn’t long after that when one’s reading of his own volition became “uncool,” and I, certainly as insecure as the next guy, craved acceptance more than learning, and I abandoned my love of books in order to fit in.
Years then passed without my shadow darkening the doorway of a bookstore. And, ridiculous as it sounds— and though I’m sure I didnt realize it at the time— I think my soul missed it.
It’s as if my spirit knew, from a very young age, that when entering a house of books, it was entering a world that transcends time and prejudice and mortality. All of those books, all of those words— some written by men as far back as thousands of years— still as alive today as when they were first written.
To me, that’s the beauty of bookstores and libraries: with each new trip, there is the chance of stumbling into a world that can change the way you think, can let you know you’re not alone, can inspire you to take on the world.
It’s what happened when I first picked up Dave Eggers’ A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. It’s what happened when I stumbled upon Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead. Klosterman’s Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs. Kidd’s Secret Life of Bees. Lamott’s Traveling Mercies. Miller’s Blue Like Jazz.
And just this weekend, as I stumbled upon a book I’d never heard of, Collum McCann’s Let The Great World Spin, I felt it in my gut: another book had chosen me.
See, that’s my contention: we don’t choose books. They choose us.
So, with my book being released tomorrow, and consequently, available in bookstores everywhere, it is such a humbling, exciting, gratifying thought to consider that maybe, just maybe, somewhere out there, in this big world, some person who’s never met me, never heard of me, might stumble upon my book. And he/she might flip it open, read a few words, begin to put it back down… and then it may happen:
The book might choose them.
It is a magical thing, the way books choose us.
And, for someone who’s life has been measured by books, it is dizzying to consider that someday, my book might be a small part of the timeline that helps measure someone else’s.
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Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago. 5 comments
