In Context: Voices of Light
Airs: Sunday, December 20, at 6 p.m.; Wednesday, December 23, at 7 p.m.;
Monday, January 11 at 8 p.m.
KLRU celebrates the arts with this special focusing on Austin-area choirs.
In Context: Voices of Light features songs by Austin Chinese Choir and Capital City Men’s Chorus and the choirs from East Austin Baptist, Abiding Love Lutheran Church, The Lakeway Church and Barton Hills Elementary School. The diverse lineup illustrates that regardless of differences, the desire to express the experience of life through music is a common goal.
This special airs Sunday, December 20, at 6 p.m. and Wednesday, December 23, at 7 p.m. An encore presentation is also scheduled for Monday, January 11, at 8 p.m.
Chet Garner host ofThe Austin Daytripper will be at the REI in Round Rock on Saturday, Dec. 12, to talk about cool day trips in and around Central Texas. He’ll also be listing his top 10 mandatory day trips around Austin. The REI is located at 201 University Oaks Blvd, Suite 1100
Texas Monthly Talks with Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne
7 p.m. Thursday, October 8
also airs at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, October 11
For more than 15 years, E. J. Dionne has shared his opinions about politics, the media and the role of religion in public life with the The Washington Post’s readers. He also serves as a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, writes popular books about politics and frequently shares commentary with NPR, This Week and Meet the Press. Join us to learn more about the latest news from Washington, and the latest opinions from Dionne.
Austin Daytripper
Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. starting October 8
From the well-known landmarks to the completely obscure dives and hideaways, host Chet Garner takes viewers on an adventure throughout Central Texas on The Austin Daytripper. In the premiere episode, Chet travels to Waco; home of Baylor University, Dr. Pepper, and exceptional mountain biking right in the middle of the city. If you thought Waco wasn’t worth the trip, better think again.
Program: Juneteenth Jamboree 2008 and 2009 back-to-back
Date: Thursday, June 18
Time: starting at 8 p.m.
The first African slave arrived in Texas in 1528, but it took until June 19, 1865 to end slavery in Texas and the United States. The anniversary of that day is celebrated as a holiday– Juneteenth. And in celebration, 2008’s Juneteenth Jamboree at 8 p.m. explains the history of blacks in Texas, and commemorates the namesake of the annual Alvin Patterson Battle of the Bands.
2009’s Juneteenth Jamboree at 8:30 p.m. takes a moment to consider a song that is heard every year at this occasion, “The Negro National Anthem.” Also several young essay winners tell why Juneteenth is relevant today.
Program: Texas Monthly Talks
Time: 7 p.m.
Date: Thursday, Jan. 22
Also airs: Sunday, Jan. 25, at 12:30 p.m.
We all said it couldn’t be done — and by we, I mean the unwashed, unapologetic know-it-alls who make up the Capitol community: the collection of ink-stained wretches, amateur pundits, professional kibbitzers, and other self-anointed insiders who profess to understand the various moves on the chess board well before they occur. Well, my friends, what we have here is a new king, and the conventional wisdom has been checkmated. On January 13, the opening day of the 81st session, two-term Republican state representative Joe Straus of San Antonio emerged from near-obscurity to become the 75th Speaker of the Texas House. In doing so, he toppled the man who everyone said — was certain — would continue in that leadership post for as long as he desired: Tom Craddick of Midland, an immensely powerful, relentlessly partisan, impressively strategic and tactical pol whose eternal reign was assured, even many Democrats admitted, by legendary survival instincts. Feared more than loved, Craddick ruled his roost these last three sessions in ways that both enhanced and diminished his standing, along with that of his party, which saw its majority dwindle to only one seat following last November’s elections. His opponents — the so-called ABCS, for Anybody but Craddick — tried and failed to oust him in 2007, and they might have missed their change again if not for the remarkably synchronized efforts of elevent Republican insurgents, who improbably settled on 49-year-old Straus as their standard-bearer, and the overwhelming majority of Democrats, who got in line behind him. Who is Straus? What most people know is that he hails from a storied clan with deep ties to the business wing of the Republican party, that he himself is thought to be an ideological moderate, that he’s less opposed to abortion and more supportive of gambling — a family business interest — than most of his conservative brethren, and that he’s a consensus-builder and with a genial disposition that stands as a stark comparison to Craddick’s grim affect. More we’re sure to learn in the weeks and months ahead.
A conversation with the man of the hour, Joe Straus, on this edition of Texas Monthly Talks.
