Oct/Nov/Dec 2007
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The Texas Institute of Letters Oct., Nov., Dec. 2007 Newsletter Changes Made to Dobie-Paisano Fellowship Program By Michael Adams impressive list of published essays, The Dobie-Paisano Fellowship articles, poems, stories, etc. The Program has been changed. Beginning decision of the judges will be based on with the current application process, the quality of the writer’s past work and there will be two distinct fellowships: the potential for future excellence. Of the Jesse H. Jones Writing Fellowship— course, the writer’s suitability for ranch for a period of approximately six life is always taken into account. We months with a stipend of $3000 a will be asking this writer to give a month; and the Ralph A. Johnston reading or talk at The University of Memorial Fellowship—for a period of Texas at Austin during the residency. four months with a stipend of $5,500 a There will be separate judging panels month. The fellowships are available to for each award. If you have any both creative writers and writers of non- questions, feel free to contact Michael fiction. Non-fiction should be written Adams, Director of the Dobie-Paisano for the general audience. Program. The Jesse H. Jones Writing For the coming year, the Ralph A. Fellowship will be aimed at, though Johnston Fellowship will run from certainly not limited to, writers who are September 15 to January 15. The Jesse early in their career and who would Jones Fellowship will run from February benefit from at extended period at the 1 to July 15. Length of residency can ranch. Demonstration of prior always be changed due to maintenance publishing and critical success is not or programmatic needs. expected, though many applicants will The application fee for each award is have such a record. Any writer at any $20. If you are applying for both the level of success (including those with Jesse H. Jones and the Ralph A. strong publishing records) is eligible for Johnston Memorial Fellowship, the fee the Jesse Jones Fellowship. will be $30. If applying for both awards, The Ralph A. Johnston Memorial check the appropriate box at the top of Fellowship is aimed at writers who have the Ralph A. Johnston Memorial already demonstrated some publishing Fellowship application page, and and critical success. This may or may include only one check with the Ralph not be writers a little later along in their A. Johnston Fellowship materials. Each literary careers. The definition of application and its accompanying “publishing and critical success” will be materials must be mailed in separate determined by the judges each year, but, packets. There will be different judges in general, we’d expect at least one for each fellowship. critically well-received book, or an How Dobie’s Paisano Ranch emerged as a TIL writing center In 1959 J. Frank Dobie purchased a country retreat. He gave it a new name: 254-acre ranch known as Shady Creek Paisano, a Spanish name denoting Ranch outside of Austin to use as his roadrunner. (continued next page) Texas Institute of Letters Oct.Nov.Dec. 2007 Newsletter Page 2 Paisano, through which Barton added enough money to purchase the Creek meandered, proved to be a most ranch for the University of Texas. congenial setting. Dobie began Paisano would be operated as a summoning friends there who would sit permanent memorial to Dobie with a on the stone house’s long porch with its primary purpose of encouraging creative pleasant view of the cactus, wildflowers, artistic effort in all fields, particularly in bushes and tall live oaks trees. On a writing. corner of the land was a log cabin, a part Maintenance and administration of of which dated to the middle of the 19th Paisano was placed under the University century. of Texas at Austin, and the Texas A few months after Dobie’s death in Institute of Letters assumed 1964 the idea arose between Dobie’s responsibility for the fellowship widow Bertha and two of his close stipends. friends, Frank H. Wardlaw, director of The first Dobie-Paisano Fellow was the University of Texas Press, and Lon Bill Porterfield who took residence in Tinkle, a faculty member at SMU and June 1967. He was followed by A.C. book critic of the Dallas Morning News, Greene, then Eldon S. Branda, and the to use Paisano as a writer’s retreat. artist Jose Cisnéros. Through the years A steering committee arose to writers such as Stephen Harrigan, achieve that goal, and Houstonian Ralph Claude Stanush, Dagoberto Gilb, Gary A. Johnston bought Paisano to allow Cartwright, C.W. Smith, Laura Furman, time for fund-raising. Members of the Sandra Cisnéros, Rosemary Catacalos, Texas Institute of Letters were early and Allen Wier, and painters, supporters of the project. On May 11, photographers, and other artists have 1966, nearly 500 people attended a gala profited from their stays at Paisano. dinner and auction of paintings by As A.C. Greene wrote, being at twenty prominent southwestern artists Paisano offered “a time to find time, a (including Jerry Bywaters, Otis Dozier, period and a suspension beyond and Alexandre Hogue, Peter Hurd, Olin above the claws of care, beyond the Travis, Tom Lea, and many others) as a reach of daily drudgery and worry fund-raiser. Stanley Marcus was the which frustrates creativeness.” principal speaker. Nearly $40,000 was (Information from the Handbook of raised, and Johnston and a few others Texas Online entry on Paisano Ranch.) April 2008 annual meeting to return to Dallas President Fran Vick has announced that the April 18, 19, 2008, annual meeting will be held in Dallas at the same location as in April 2007, the Park Cities Hilton, which proved to be a most congenial setting. November 15 is deadline for nominating new members Nominations for membership in TIL Remember that the nominee should not are due to vice-president Paula Marks be aware of his or (continued next page) no later than November 15, 2007. Texas Institute of Letters Oct.Nov.Dec. 2007 Newsletter Page 3 her nomination, as problems have arisen front side only, as other photocopies will in the past when nominees were be made from what you send. Please do involved in the process. not send pages larger than 8 1/2 x 11 Please send the following materials inches. to Paula Marks at 104 Vireo Drive, Buda, TX 78610: You can include the seconding letter from another TIL member, or the other 1. Your letter nominating the person TIL member can send it directly to the and explaining why address above, or s/he can send it via e- 2. A vita or résumé for the person, if mail to Paula's work e-mail: one is available [email protected]. 3. Fifteen (15) pages of the person's Any questions? E-mail Paula or call work. These need to be quality copies, (512-312-1395). Identifying Our Past Winners’ Categories Thankfully, TIL has a list of all the Here’s Bob’s report on his progress: winners of our literary contests since the “It's slow going; I'm checking each first prize was awarded to J. Frank title for each year through Amazon and Dobie in 1939. As the years went by and whatever else I can find. May need our categories grew, more and more ome help later in determining whether awards were presented, and our present more than one prize was given in one list does not include what category our year -- for instance, awards for best winners represented. book of poetry and best first book of Enter now our recording secretary, poetry, etc. First steps are fairly easy, Bob Compton. Bob is attempting to since the early prizes were few, and the recreate history, determining just what Vann history of TIL is pretty detailed prize each individual won. It often is through 1963. It's sort of like the important to know, for instance, whether problems I had putting together awards an individual won. Carry on, Bob, and for children/young adult winners, more power to you! This, we know, is a multiplied several times.” rather massive effort. News of members and others Maybe you saw the article in the became a TIL member in 2001, turns October 22, 2008, edition of The New 100 in November, and he’s still Yorker about TIL member Jacques sprightly. Barzun under the “Annals of Letters” In the same issue of The New Yorker heading and the title, “Age of Reason.” we find the lead item in “The Talk of the No, many don’t often think of Barzun as Town” written by Lawrence Wright. a Texan, but that’s what he has been Larry reviews our situation in Iraq and since he moved to San Antonio a the attitudes of the Iraqis concerning our number of years ago with his wife presence. As he concludes his piece, Marguerite (herself a Texan with a PhD “The decision of when we leave, as in American Civilization from the inevitably we will, should be as much University of Texas). Jacques, who theirs as ours.” (continued next page) Texas Institute of Letters Oct.Nov.Dec. 2007 Newsletter Page 4 New TIL member Bill Sloan Award, which brings to him a $50,000 (inducted in 2006) has published the cash prize. Ben was one of ten third book in his trilogy about World “emerging writers of exceptional talent War II battles in the Pacific. This one, and promise” to receive the award. His The Ultimate Battle: Okinawa 1945— was based largely on his collection of The Last Epic Struggle of World War II, short stories, Brief Encounters With Che has been named the best book of 2007 Guevara.