We Have an Issue: And Now for Some Good News: In this week’s issue, an optimistic story about Camp Esperanza and a heartfelt sendoff to retiring Music Editor Raoul Hernandez – Columns
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Photo by Jana Birchum
Contributor Brant Bingamon’s final cover story was about the city’s deplorable website. In this week’s cover story, another standout Brant, he tells the far more upbeat story of how a dedicated group of people took what the governor designated as a temporary homeless shelter in 2019 and turned the place into a thriving community called Camp Esperanza . I loved this story. Check it out here.
Stop music
End of an era, all of you. This is music editor Raoul Hernandez’s last week at work at the Chronicle, although we plan to keep his byline in the paper for a long time. In the fall, he goes full-time at the University of Texas School of Journalism. UT is lucky to have him, just as we were lucky enough to have him on the music stand at the Chronicle for 27 years.
We couldn’t let the opportunity slip by without a little pomp and circumstance, starting with Raoul’s own recap of his time here. Miraculously, he managed to reduce his term of office to 10 indelible moments; find this story here.
While I could go on and on about the incredible work Raoul did as an advocate of local music and how he subtly shaped the cultural dialogue in this city, I don’t need to go through his accomplishments and his origins, as contributor Rachel Rascoe did already done in her exit interview with Raoul in “Faster Than Sound” this week.
Raoul is a deeply hands-on editor, and he really puts the work into it, recruiting and nurturing developing young voices; This is one of the reasons why the teaching assignment is such a natural development for him. Numerous authors have benefited from his mentorship and attentive eye over the years. Some of these authors share their heartfelt thanks in a farewell feature that the new music editor Kevin Curtin has secretly organized.
As for me? Raoul has my professional respect – the man works hard, never misses deadlines, is sacred about the work we do but not valuable, an important honor – and my personal thanks. There’s a couch in the corner of my office that Raoul has sat on over the years for one of our long conversations – about stories he was working on, or exploding office politics, or our mutual love for screwball comedies. The couch is real, but it’s also a metaphor: Raoul was always in my corner and supported me, and I really appreciated that. Good luck on your next adventure, mate, and don’t be strangers and Agnes and Lazlo.
Online this week
Colson Whitehead (Photo by Chris Close / Courtesy of the Texas Book Festival)
Blues on the Green is Back: After a two-year absence from Zilker Park, the iconic free concert series returns on July 27th. Staff member Rachel Rascoe leads through the line-up, including a seven-act opening draft curated by Gary Clark Jr.
For the Books: Texas Book Festival announced 15 authors joining its weeklong hybrid festival in October, including Colson Whitehead (The Underground Railroad), Sandra Cisneros (The House on Mango Street) and Amor Towles (A Gentleman in Moscow).
Smaller Screen, Bigger View: Screens Editor Richard Whittaker talks to Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs about turning their film Blindspotting into a Starz TV series.
Never too early to start planning Halloween: Austin haunted houses are gearing up for a big return this fall, including open auditions for scare-mongers.
Unleash the Gator: Kevin Curtin talks to Rod Gator (née Melancon) about the name change and the new single “Chickenhawk”.
WAB LUV PB: Food Lieutenant Wayne Alan Brenner gets poetic again about the organic peanut butter brand.
Blindspotting creators Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal with star Jasmine Cephas Jones (Courtesy of Starz)
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