Chris Barton
Write what you know,' the saying goes. But in author Chris Barton's Write What You’d Love to Learn presentation, based on his experiences with both playful picture books (including bestseller Shark vs. Train) and rigorously researched nonfiction (including 2020-21 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List book What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan), he encourages young audiences to improve their own writing by giving the not-yet-known a try. Born and raised in Sulphur Springs and now a resident of Austin, Chris is the author of many other picture books, including both fiction (Fire Truck vs. Dragon, 88 Instruments, Mighty Truck) and nonfiction (The Day-Glo Brothers, Dazzle Ships, All of a Sudden and Forever, and Whoosh!). He's shared Write What You'd Love to Learn with first graders in just 30 minutes, he's delivered a full-day version to educators and librarians, and he's adapted it for many ages and lengths in between. It can include an emphasis on (and many examples of) the importance of research, revision, or collaboration. His 3 to 4 sessions per day can also include writing workshops for both fiction and nonfiction. Photo by Heather Gallagher Photography.
contact
Chris Barton
PO Box 66104
Austin, TX 78766
phone 512-827-8266
phone#2
e-mail chris@chrisbarton.info
public performance/concert $750 - $3,000
school performance $1,650 - $2,250
workshop fees $1,650 - $2,250
travel/per diem/lodging $200 - $500
website https://www.chrisbarton.info
State Artist Cyrus Cassells
A 2019 Guggenheim Fellow, Cyrus Cassells has won the National Poetry Series, a Lambda Literary Award, a Lannan Literary Award, two NEA grants, a Pushcart Prize, and the William Carlos Williams Award. He was named the 2021 Texas Poet Laureate. His 2018 volume The Gospel according to Wild Indigo was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award and the Balcones Prize. Still Life with Children: Selected Poems of Francesc Parcerisas, translated from the Catalan, was awarded the Texas Institute of Letters’ Soeurette Diehl Fraser Award for Best Translated Book of 2018 and 2019. His 7th book, More Than Watchmen at Daybreak, a lyric cycle about his stay in a Benedictine desert monastery in northern New Mexico, was published by Nine Mile Books in 2020. His eighth book, The World That the Shooter Left Us, was published by Four Way Books in February 2022. He is a tenured full professor of English at Texas State University. Photo: Rachel Eliza Griffiths
contact
Cyrus Cassells
Austin, TX
phone 512-245-3799
phone#2
e-mail cc37@txstate.edu
public performance/concert $1,750 - $3,250
school performance $2,000 - $3,500
workshop fees $3,500 - $5,000
website https://faculty.txstate.edu/profile/1921978
Chris Espinosa XYZ: Improvise! Write! Perform!
Your students take center stage to create exciting and unforgettable moments using nothing but their imaginations. Chris Espinosa XYZ, arts integrated teaching artist, improv-storyteller, and author, uses improv comedy to sharpen creativity, develop critical thinking skills, and inspire students to write a narrative or expository, and perform it! Espinosa's five-day residencies and workshops motivate students to write in class and for 'The Test.' Even reluctant writers will want to write! Chris has implemented over 100 residencies (2,000+ classroom hours) and helped thousands of elementary and middle school students write their stories and essays. Many of the schools that hosted his program experienced higher test scores. His Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills-based lessons focus on ideas, voice, and word choice; he adapts his program to support the writing methods in your classrooms. Chris is an author of two books; completed improv training from an original member of the Groundlings; founded two improv comedy groups; and traveled as an improv-storyteller for a live cotton-tail bunny and a robot dog. 'Chris Espinosa provided an engaging week of writing…His exuberant personality hooked the fourth-grade students...The connections we made with him and the artistry we experienced have left a lasting impression.' Kimberly Paul, Basswood Elementary (Keller, Texas). Photo provided by artist.
contact
Chris Espinosa
2104 Old York Dr.
Keller, TX 76248
phone 817-689-0973
phone#2
e-mail chrisespinosaxyz@gmail.com
public performance/concert $550 - $1,050
school performance $550 - $1,050
workshop fees $1,850 - $3,500
travel/per diem/lodging $100 - $300
website http://www.chrisespinosa.xyz
State Artist Carrie Fountain
Carrie Fountain’s poems have appeared in Tin House, Poetry, and The New Yorker, among others. Her debut collection, Burn Lake, was a National Poetry Series winner and was published in 2010 by Penguin. Her second collection, Instant Winner, was published by Penguin in 2014. Fountain’s debut novel, I’m Not Missing, was published in 2018 by Flatiron Books (Macmillan). Her forthcoming children’s book on the life and legacy of poet W.S. Merwin will be published by Candlewick Books. Born and raised in Mesilla, New Mexico, Fountain received her MFA as a fellow at the James A. Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas. Currently writer-in-residence at St. Edward’s University, she is the host of KUT’s This Is Just to Say, a radio show and podcast where she has intimate conversations with America’s most influential poets. Fountain lives in Austin with her husband, playwright and novelist Kirk Lynn, and their two children.
contact
Carrie Fountain
Austin, TX
phone
phone#2
e-mail carrief@stedwards.edu
public performance/concert $2,000 - $4,000
school performance $1,500 - $3,000
workshop fees $2,500 - $4,000
website http://www.carriefountain.com/
State Artist Laurie Ann Guerrero
Laurie Ann Guerrero, 2016 Texas State Poet Laureate, was born and raised in the Southside of San Antonio. She holds a B.A. in English Language & Literature from Smith College, where she received the Academy of American Poets Prize, and an MFA in poetry from Drew University. Her first full-length collection, A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying, received the 2012 Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize and an International Latino Book Award, and was listed as one of 14 must-read works of Chicano literature by Rigoberto Gonzalez. Guerrero’s work has also been honored with the Panhandler Chapbook Award, and grants from the Artist Foundation of San Antonio and the Alfredo Cisneros del Moral Foundation. In 2014, Guerrero and was appointed poet laureate of San Antonio by Mayor Julian Castro. Her latest collection, A Crown for Gumecindo, was released by Aztlan Libre Press in spring 2015.
contact
Laurie Ann Guerrero
San Antonio, TX 78223
phone 210-818-2147
phone#2
e-mail Lguerrero@alumnae.smith.edu
public performance/concert TBD
website http://www.laurieannguerrero.com
Jasminne Mendez
Jasminne Mendez is a poet, playwright, educator, community organizer, and award-winning author. Mendez has had poetry and essays published by or forthcoming in The New England Review, The Acentos Review, Kenyon Review, Gulf Coast, The Rumpus, and others. She is the author of two poetry/prose collections: Island of Dreams (Floricanto Press, 2013) which won an International Latino Book Award, and Night-Blooming Jasmin(n)e: Personal Essays and Poetry (Arte Publico Press, 2018). She is a Pushcart Prize nominee and has received fellowships from Canto Mundo and the Kenyon Review Writer's Workshop, among others. She is an MFA graduate of the creative writing program at the Rainier Writer's Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University, and a University of Houston alum. She offers workshops, readings, talks, and performances that center around the intersections of Afro-Latinx identity and culture, chronic illness and disability, motherhood as a woman of color, borderlands, immigration, and what it means to be 'from everywhere and nowhere' all at once. She appeals to audiences as young as middle school and can tailor poetry, performance, and creative nonfiction workshops and events to both large and small audiences. Photo by Michael Leonard.
contact
Jasminne Mendez
11742 N Michael Cir
Houston, TX 77071
phone 281-702-8235
phone#2
e-mail jasminnemendez@gmail.com
public performance/concert $500 - $3,000
school performance $300 - $2,000
workshop fees $300 - $1,500
travel/per diem/lodging $100 - $1,500
website http://www.jasminnemendez.com
State Artist Karla Morton
Karla K. Morton, 2010 Texas Poet Laureate, is an award-winning author and a celebrated poet and presenter. She has been described as “one of the more adventurous voices in American poetry,” but don’t let the title “poet” fool you– Karla is an outgoing, warm and energetic ball of fire that loves to promote poetry and the arts. She has spoken, offered workshops, and performed her poetry at venues and events across Texas. From small town classrooms to cancer support groups to large corporate conferences, Karla is comfortable in any crowd. Her poetry spans many subjects and forms and evokes laughter, tears, and inspiration. Karla is the author of Wee Cowrin' Timorous Beastie (a North Texas Book Festival Awards Finalist), Becoming Superman, Stirring Goldfish, Redefining Beauty (a 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Award Winner written during her journey through cancer), and 6 additional books. She has been featured on Good Morning Texas, NPR, ABC News and in newspapers across Texas. A Texas native and mother of two, Karla is a graduate of Texas A&M University and currently resides in Denton, Texas. Karla also offers presentations on her photography.
contact
Kelly Kirkendoll
236 River Bend Trail
Combine, TX 75159
phone 972-330-2882
phone#2 817-236-6075
e-mail kelly@thrivepublicrelations.com
public performance/concert $400 - $1,200
school performance $400 - $600
workshop fees $400 - $1,200
website http://www.kkmorton.com
Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton
Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton is an internationally known poet, educator, activist, Poet Laureate Emeritus of Houston, Texas, and author of Newsworthy (Bloomsday Literary). Formerly ranked the #2 Best Female Poet in the World, she was the founder of the longest-running poetry slam venue in Houston, Texas (Houston VIP Slam). Her work has appeared in Houston Noir by Akashic Press (2019), Black Girl Magic by Haymarket Books (2019), Fjords Journal, Crab Orchard Review, and on such platforms as NPR, BBC, ABC, Blavity, Upworthy, and TedX. A fellow with the Writer's Hotel and the Poetry Incubator, D.E.E.P.’s collaborations with the Houston Ballet, the Houston Rockets, and Houston Grand Opera have opened new doors for performance poetry. As a finalist for Texas Poet Laureate, a Kennedy Center Citizen fellowship, and the prestigious Breadloaf Retreat, her work has been highlighted and studied in Canada, England, New Zealand, and Germany. She had the pleasure of performing and leading a workshop at the Leipzig in Autumn literary festival in 2018, where she bridged the gap between the slam and international publishing communities. She offers workshops, performances, professional development, and dramaturgy services. Photo by Paula Lu.
contact
Deborah Mouton
19410 Clevera Walk Ln
Houston, TX 77084
phone 951-505-2874
phone#2
e-mail deep@livelifedeep.com
public performance/concert $2,000 - $10,000
school performance $1,500 - $7,000
workshop fees $1,000 - $5,000
travel/per diem/lodging $250 - $3,000
website https://www.livelifedeep.com
Amalia Ortiz
Amalia Ortiz appeared on three seasons of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry on HBO. NBC Latino named her book, Rant. Chant. Chisme., one of '10 Great Latino Books of 2015.' It won the 2015 Writers' League of Texas Poetry Discovery Prize. Amalia spoke at TEDx McAllen 2015. She was awarded an Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Grant and a writing residency at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. She is a CantoMundo Fellow, a Hedgebrook writer-in-residence alumna, and she was the inaugural performing-artist-in-residence at ArtPace in 2018. She was awarded a National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Fund for the Arts Grant to film music videos for her latest book, The Cancion Cannibal Cabaret (Aztlan Libre Press). Amalia received her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Amalia is available for spoken word performances, writing workshops, and the performances of her latest book/punk musical, The Cancion Cannibal Cabaret, with her band, Las Hijas de la Madre. Photo by Gladys Ornelas.
contact
Amalia Ortiz
127 East Drexel Avenue
San Antonio, TX 78210
phone 512-940-0228
phone#2
e-mail amiortiz@aol.com
public performance/concert $750 - $2,000
school performance $500 - $1,000
workshop fees $500 - $1,000
travel/per diem/lodging $500 - $3,000
website http://www.amaliaortiz.net
Outspoken Bean
2018 Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs Houston Resident Artist Program and 2017 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Idea Fund grant recipient, Emanuelee Outspoken Bean is a performance poet, writer, compassionate mentor, electric entertainer, and educator. He was a 2011 Texas Poet Laureate nominee, ranked 9th in the Individual World Poetry Slam 2013, ranked 2nd in collaborative poetry at Group Piece Finals 2013, and ranked 9th at National Poetry Slam 2014. He started performing spoken word in 2005. Bean also works with youth organizations from across the country such as Inside Out in Detroit, Youth Speaks in San Francisco, and Tigertail Productions' 2016 youth slam, WordSpeak, in Miami. While balancing a very busy touring schedule, in Houston Bean serves as the project coordinator/lead coach/mentor for Meta-Four Houston, a project of Writers in the Schools (WITS) that works with professional performance/slam poets and encourages self-expression/literacy among Houston's youth through creative writing and performance. He also has a one-man show, 'Converse,' which is an interactive theatrical story-telling based on Bean, a heartbroken, outspoken, comedic, military brat. The dramatic and provocative show lures the audience into joining a long-overdue conversation about mistakes, redemption, and the power of words. Photo by Tally Mark Photos.
contact
Emanuelee Bean
1127 Usener Street
Houston, TX 77009
phone 210-415-7148
phone#2
e-mail Outspokenbean210@gmail.com
public performance/concert $750 - $4,000
school performance $750 - $2,000
workshop fees $500 - $1,500
travel/per diem/lodging $100 - $1,500
website http://www.outspokenbean.com
State Artist David M. Parsons
David M. Parsons, 2011 Texas State Poet Laureate, poems are straightforward, vivid writing bringing settings alive, shaping intimate portrayals of everyday life. His poetry speaks from the past and the present, balancing ordinary and extraordinary experiences. Audiences and readers will find in his most celebrated work: award-winning poems found in as diverse locales as a romantic, historic house in England to another favorite about the poet running into President Lyndon Johnson in an iconic Austin restaurant. His latest works are also included with new revelations that will bring what has become a Parsons Poem trademark, the rewarding discovery of a transforming moment.
contact
David Parsons
414 Oakhill Dr.
Conroe, TX 77304
phone 936-524-6537
phone#2 936-760-2743
e-mail dmparsons@suddenlink.net
public performance/concert $500 - $1,000
school performance $300 - $500
workshop fees $300 - $500
website http://www.daveparsonspoetry.com
State Artist Emmy Perez
Emmy Perez, 2020 Texas Poet Laureate, moved to the Texas borderlands because of her mother's stories about their family history in El Paso and Chihuahua. Pérez is the author of With the River on Our Face and Solstice and her work is anthologized in numerous collections. She is a former recipient of poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, CantoMundo, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Southern California, Pérez has been a member, since 2008, of the Macondo Writers Workshop founded by Sandra Cisneros for socially engaged writers. Currently, she serves on the organizing committee for CantoMundo, a national literary organization for Latinx poets and is a member of the Poets Against Walls collective. Pérez is Professor of Creative Writing and Associate Director of the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Photo by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
contact
Emmy Perez
Edinburg, TX
phone 956-665-3435
phone#2
e-mail emmy.perez@utrgv.edu
public performance/concert TBD
school performance TBD
travel/per diem/lodging $500 - $800
website http://www.emmyperez.com
State Artist Jan Seale
Jan Epton Seale, 2012 Texas Poet Laureate, is a native Texan. She is familiar with much of Texas, having lived in north and central Texas as a youth, with summers spent in the Panhandle, and living in South Texas all of her adult life. Seale received her education at Baylor University, the University of Louisville, and the University of North Texas. She has taught English and creative writing at three Texas universities. Her life’s work includes eight books of poetry, two of short fiction, three of nonfiction, and several children’s books and dramas. Apparent in her writing is her interest in the people and places of Texas, as well as those of the Southwest and the wider world. Her short stories have been described as a “capable evocation of peculiar personalities” with a “sense of nostalgia and richly drawn places”…“all ending in epiphany.” Her poems are said to be “both beautifully witty and serious.” Seale is at home with many types of audiences. She particularly enjoys college groups, civic and writers’ organizations, nature lovers, elder learners, women, and church lay-groups. Comfortable on stage or in small gatherings, with sensitivity to and rapport with her audiences, her presentations are noted for their humor and accessibility. Seale is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters, the Texas Folklore Society, the Poetry Society of Texas, the Story Circle Network, and the Texas Writers’ League.
contact
Jan Seale
400 Sycamore Ave.
McAllen, TX 78501
phone 956-686-4033
phone#2
e-mail janseale@rgv.rr.com
public performance/concert $300 - $500
school performance $100 - $200
workshop fees TBD
website http://www.janseale.com
Ire'ne Lara Silva
Ire’ne Lara Silva is the author of three poetry collections, Furia, Blood Sugar Canto, and CUICACALLI/House of Song, and a short story collection, Flesh to Bone, which won the Premio Aztlán. She and poet Dan Vera are also the co-editors of Imaniman: Poets Writing in the Anzaldúan Borderlands, a collection of poetry and essays. Ire’ne is the recipient of a 2017 NALAC Fund for the Arts Grant, the final recipient of the Alfredo Cisneros del Moral Award, the Fiction Finalist for AROHO’s 2013 Gift of Freedom Award, and the 2008 recipient of the Gloria Anzaldúa Milagro Award. Ire'ne is currently working on her first novel, Naci, and a second collection of short stories titled The Light of Your Body. Tour offerings include keynote addresses, readings of all her published work, including poetry, essays, and short stories, and seven writing workshops of varying lengths open to writers of all skill levels and genres. Topics include Gritos as the Source of Our Voices, Writing the Difficult, Women Writing Graphic Sex, Dismantling Doubt, Forget Discipline: Wanting Your Way Through Writing, Telling the Truth, and Essentials of Fiction. Photo by Octavio Quintanilla.
contact
Ire'ne Lara Silva
409 E. William Cannon #107
Austin, TX 78745
phone 512-783-0994
phone#2
e-mail irenelarasilva@gmail.com
public performance/concert $500 - $2,500
school performance $500 - $2,500
workshop fees $500 - $2,500
travel/per diem/lodging $300 - $750
website https://irenelarasilva.wordpress.com/
State Artist Carmen Tafolla
Dr. Carmen Tafolla, 2015 Texas State Poet Laureate, is known internationally for her moving inspirational performances and heart-felt poetry readings. A poet, children’s writer, performance artist, storyteller, motivational speaker, and Associate Professor at UTSA, Tafolla was chosen in 2012 as the first Poet Laureate of the City of San Antonio. Her mission as State Poet Laureate is to plant seeds of poetry all over Texas through her “Poet Trees” initiative, sponsored by UTSA, in which twenty public schools with predominantly low-income student populations will be chosen to receive books and workshops free of charge between August 2015 and April 2016. Dr.Tafolla also conducts dramatic performances, keynotes, readings and workshops in English and Spanish to all age groups. The author of more than 20 books, her work appears internationally in five languages, in journals, magazines, newspapers, college textbooks, and elementary school readers, and she has won numerous awards including the Américas Award, the Charlotte Zolotow, the Art of Peace, two Tomas Rivera Book Awards, and five International Latino Book Awards.
contact
Dr. Carmen Tafolla
San Antonio, TX
phone
phone#2
e-mail CarmenTafollaSAbookings@yahoo.com
public performance/concert TBD
website https://www.carmentafolla.net/