Featured artists include Logan Maxwell Hagege, Martin Grelle, Billy Schenck, Mark Maggiori, Kim Wiggins, George Hallmark, Michael Ome Untiedt, Teresa Elliott, Paul Rhymer, Stefan Savides, Mary Ross Ruchholz and C. Michael Dudash.
Open now, the Night of Artists Online Art Auction concludes during the event’s Grand Live Auction at 10p.m. on March 27, which will be livestreamed to registered bidders. Night of Artists then continues as a public exhibition and sale March 28 – May 9 at the Briscoe and online. Bid registration in the Online Art Auction and the Grand Live Auction is free. The Grand Live Auction includes online and in-person bidding, phone, mobile app and absentee bidding.
Night of Artists serves as the primary fundraiser for the museum, benefiting the Briscoe’s full array of exhibitions, engagement and educational programs throughout the year.
Opening March 28, the Fixed-Price Sale features works not previously sold through auction. Available at a price set by the artist, these limited remaining works may be purchased online or in person.
“Expanding the event online provides a larger platform to showcase the beauty and impact of the rich stories illustrated through Western art. We look forward to sharing it with everyone.” – Michael Duchemin, President and CEO of the Briscoe Western Art Museum.
La Panadería’s delicious empanadas are available for statewide shipping. Photo: La Panadería, used with permission.
The month of April is filled with several delicious national food days that you can spend celebrating at La Panadería. Founded by brothers David and Jose Cáceres in 2014 and known for their wonderful pan dulce, fresh breads and other delectable menu items, their bakeries have become a staple for San Antonians and visitors to the Alamo City. (La Panadería, 2021)
Kick off April with National Sourdough Bread Day on April 1 with La Panadería’s unique approach to breadmaking. The technique includes a 48-hour fermentation process and a double baking technique that results in artisan baked goods unlike any other. Loaves of La Panaderia’s delicious sourdough can be purchased in store, and Chef David even shared a tutorial for bread lovers to bake at home.
Shortly after comes National Empanada Day on April 8. La Panadería’s signature empanadas have layers of flaky pastry on the outside, fruit-filled insides, and an exterior dusted with sugar that is guaranteed to sweeten anyone’s day. The delicious empanadas are available in-store or can be shared with friends or family that live across Texas through La Panadería’s statewide shipping option.
Brothers José and David Cáceres opened bakery-cafe La Panadería in 2014 to share their Mexican heritage and love for baking with the people of their adopted hometown of San Antonio, Texas. The Cáceres’ passion for baking began when they were young boys selling loaves of their mother, Doña Josefina’s fresh baked bread on the streets of Mexico City. Eventually José and David took over their mother’s homegrown business and started baking on a large scale, supplying bread and pan dulce for businesses throughout Mexico. After finding financial success in Mexico, the brothers realized they wanted to get back to the basics, and they decided to bring their passion for bread cultura to Texas.
Arts Fishing Club’s new EP The Show will be out April 30. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
An alternative rock band with pop hooks, indie sensibilities, and indie-folk roots, Arts Fishing Club built its audience the old-school way; by piling its members into a van and hitting the road. As Arts Fishing Club’s touring schedule grew, so did the band’s sound. It was a natural evolution of a band whose members had begun to turn up their guitar amps, dig into their 90s’ rock influences, and create new songs that were every bit as electrifying as their shows. That live energy found a permanent home in the band’s music, turning their upcoming EP—appropriately titled The Show—into the band’s most representative work to date. The group brings these themes to life across five songs with raucous rock and roll, mid-tempo grooves, and folk balladeering all making an appearance. (IV-PR, 2021)
This week, Live for Live Music gave fans a glimpse into The Show with the video premiere for album-closer “With Us All,” a tune in which the band gives a nod to Bob Dylan with their modern twist on a classic protest song—with a decidedly non-holier-than-thou attitude. “It’s with that not-so-thinly veiled reference to Bob Dylan that “With Us All” gets its raw, understated power,” the article says. “A much-needed 21st-century update to the landmark 1964 folk song about the changing nature of society, Arts Fishing Club is now reminding their parents—who were the very children that Dylan sang about—that “your sons and your daughters are beyond your command,” as Dylan originally sang. Watch the video for “With Us All” here and pre-order or pre-save The Show ahead of its April 30 release at this link.
Produced by Wilco co-founder Ken Coomer and mixed by Grammy-winning icon Ryan Hewitt (Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Avett Brothers, and blink-182), The Show is an alt-rock record with a message, filled with songs that sandwich Kessenich’s social commentary between singalong choruses, cinematic melodies, and bursts of Stratocaster guitar. The fact that it was recorded in two days speaks loudly to the band’s strength as a hard-touring, well-oiled machine. It is an anthemic sound that targets the head, heart, and dancing shoes, designed not only to get a crowd moving, but to get them thinking, as well.
The Show Track list: Hollywood Horizon Eyes Tough Shit The Show With Us All
“We live in a world where everyone wants to be famous, whether you’re onstage, Tik Tok, or Instagram. I can’t even imagine what middle school must be like these days with social media. I don’t envy that kind of pressure. The Show is an album about fame culture, modern society, and self-reflection.” – Christopher Kessenich, Arts Fishing Club songwriting front man
Feral is a Mexican horror documentary. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Latin American Cinematica of Los Angeles will host a virtual presentation of the Mexican horror documentary Feral on March 26, 27, 28, 2021 – Friday through Sunday. Due to the current COVID pandemic, the Latin American Cinematic of Los Angeles is having a socially distanced screening of Cine Nepantla for the first time. The streaming will be available online for $5.00 starting Friday March 26 until Sunday the 28 and will be followed by a discussion in English And Spanish with director Andrew Kaiser and Guido Segal, Screenwriter and movie critic. (Vesper Public Relations, 2021)
Feral takes place in Oaxaca in the 1980s and begins with a news broadcast of the fire that destroyed a building. In interviews of the witnesses, they verify that a man lived there with three children. Later, an investigator confirms that the cause of the fire was undetermined and the identity of the children, age around 10, could not be established but the man was identified as Juan Felipe de Jesús González. The case was not investigated further. The bodies were claimed by Eustaquio Díaz Méndez, a close friend of Juan Felipe who helped him get settled in the area. To find out the truth, the documentary style film pieces together interviews with the native villagers, family members, and personal video journal entries.
Juan Felipe de Jesús González was a monk for five years but left when he and other monks, who were taking part in psychoanalysis, were excommunicated by the church. He settled in the mountains of Oaxaca and one day he and Eustaquio found a boy living alone in the wild. Juan Felipe decided to take the boy in to attempt rehabilitate him back to society and insisted on videotaping the sessions. Later, he took in another boy and girl who he found chained inside a nearby cage. After he baptized them he named them Cristobal, Antonia, and Juan, after religious martyrs. At first he seems to be making a difference, but when improvements stall, Juan Felipe becomes frustrated and blames himself. The neighbors become suspicious and he becomes known as the bizarre man who is kidnapping children. Not only was he an ex-monk, but he also had a difficult upbringing by a devoutly religious mother, so in the end, he feels like he has failed to save the young children’s souls. It is left to the audience to decide what happened, but the general feeling is that he killed the children, set the fire, and then killed himself.
Feral is labeled a horror movie but it is more like a mockumentary that sets out to investigate the actions that resulted in the tragic fire that killed four people. It also documents one man’s quick descent from confident ex-monk who believes in psychoanalysis to religious zealot plagued with self-doubt who ends up doing the unthinkable. Due to the film using found footage to tell the story, it has a voyeuristic feel and often creates a creepy vibe, but it is not scary. The character development is extraordinary and by the end of the movie, the audience comes to empathize with Juan Felipe. The shock value is high when it comes to seeing the savage children onscreen but it serves to make us examine what truly makes us human and what constitutes acceptable social behavior. It also explores the role religion plays in morality and ethics.
Director: Andrés Kaiser Year: 2018 Duration: 98 Minutes Spanish with English subtitles
Bestselling author Isabel Allende will be participating in this year’s San Antonio Book Festival. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
The San Antonio Book Festival is thrilled to announce a major addition to the 2021 Author Lineup. Bestselling author Isabel Allende, known for her 25 bestselling books, will be participating in this year’s festival. Some of her most recognizable works include “The House of Spirits,” “City of the Beasts,” and “A Long Petal of the Sea.” The author has had her novels translated into more than 42 languages and she has sold more than 74 million copies worldwide. Allende has been called “the world’s most widely read Spanish-language author.” In 2004, Allende was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 2010, she received Chile’s National Literature Prize. President Barack Obama awarded her the 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom. (San Antonio Book Festival, 2021)
In addition to her acclaim as a novelist, Allende is a proud feminist and is devoted to many human rights causes. The charity that she established in honor of her late daughter, Paula Frias, has awarded grants to more than 100 nonprofit organizations. Isabel Allende will be participating in the online edition of the San Antonio Book Festival to talk about her latest novel “The Soul of a Woman,” on Sunday, April 11 at 3:30p.m.
To register for the festival and Allende’s session visit San Antonio Book Festival online. Almost the entire festival is free and open to the public with a few exceptions. Ticket price for this session is $28 and includes a copy of Allende’s brand-new nonfiction book, “The Soul of a Woman,” and a flat processing fee for the Festival’s bookseller, Nowhere Bookshop. Books will be shipped after April 11.
Isabel’s session, SABF & Miami Book Fair Present Isabel Allende, will be moderated by esteemed writer and journalist, Anjanette Delgado. Some of Delgado’s works include the novels “The Heartbreak Pill” and “The Clairvoyant of Calle Ocho.” In addition to her work as a novelist, Delgado has also written for The New York Times, Vogue, NPR, HBO, and more. She is also the editor of the forthcoming “Home in Florida: Latinx Writers and the Literature of Uprootedness.” In conjunction with her latest book, the session will explore the question –“ what feeds the souls of feminists – and all women – in the modern age?” Allende’s novel and the session’s discussion will explore this question and more.
The San Antonio Book Festival unites readers and writers in a celebration of ideas, books, libraries, and literary culture. First presented in April 2013, the SABF is a free, open, and all-day event that currently features over 90 national, regional, local, and emerging authors and welcomes more than 18,000 visitors.
Isabel Allende’s ‘The Soul of a Woman.’ Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Since 2018, the marketplace has exploded with the sale of CBD products due to the passage of Farm Bills that changed the way hemp could be grown. Basically, they determined that cannabis can be labeled as hemp and not marijuana if it contains no more than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC ), the chemical that produces the high in marijuana. Nowadays, people can buy CBD in coffee, deodorant, chocolate bars, and many other products. Reader’s Digest has partnered with Project CBD, a California-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting and publicizing research into the medical uses of cannabidiol (CBD) and other cannabis plant components. The result is this extensive guide into CBD that is divided into three parts: Part I contains the basics of what it is and how it works, Part II contains details about how it may help alleviate more than 30 common health conditions and Part III contains information about how to pick the type of product that works best for everyone. It also tackles common misconceptions about CBD, how to find high-quality products and even includes special sections on CBD for pets and recipes for making CBD products at home.
Due to CBD becoming so mainstream in the last few years, there exists the potential for misinformation and unsafe products. Thankfully, Reader’s Digest has stepped in and as a reliable and trusted source, together with Project CBD, have done an outstanding job of educating the public about CBD. Before getting into how it helps with specific ailments; Part I describes what CBD is with Chapter 2: How CBD Works in Your Body and gets into the science behind it including the inner workings of the endocannabinoid system, so it is science-heavy. Chapter 5 dispels commonly held myths about CBD by presenting the facts. One of the most important parts is Part II: CBD For Your Health because it has sections dedicated to specific conditions including Dementia and Alzheimer’s, Heart Disease, and Anxiety and not only does it explain how CBD helps, but also has an “I Tried It” testimonial part where real people tell their story about how it helped them. In the case of anxiety, “CBD directly activates a serotonin receptor known as 5-HTIA, which causes an antianxiety effect.” The recipes are for conditions such as inflammation and pain, sleep aids, and stress relievers and contain visual aids. There is plenty of science involved in the explanation of how CBD works, but besides that, the information is presented in easy to understand language, typical of any Reader’s Digest material. Hopefully, this will help readers who have chronic conditions but are hesitant about using CBD because of the stigma attached to it. “The Essential Guide to CBD” is a thorough guide about CBD, how it works, and its benefits and is recommended for anyone who is genuinely interested in learning more about the subject or just needs more information about how to relieve a specific illness. It is a definite must-read.
“….CBD isn’t just a “supplement” like a vitamin C or calcium pill. It is a molecule that actually mimics and helps support the innate health and wellness regulating system within your body: the endocannabinoid system (ECS).”
*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.
Taking care of our planet is something that can be done any day of the year. Photo: google
Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, it now includes events coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network in more than 193 countries. While it is exciting to participate in Earth Day activities once a year, you can make a difference every day of the year by doing small things to help protect and preserve the environment.
Plant a tree. This is usually done around the world on Earth Day but the act of planting a tree any day of the year has a variety of benefits. By doing so, you are creating a new habitat for wildlife, helping to clean the air, and replacing resources that have been used.
Start a garden. Gardening not only benefits you, but it also helps give back to the earth by cleaning the air. Growing your own food helps you eat sustainably and organically and gardening is even proven to help reduce stress. You can even share your bounty with friends, family, and neighbors who are in need. Buy local and frequent your local farmers’ market to reduce the distance from farm to fork.
Join a clean-up. There are numerous Earth Day activities that involve cleaning up parks, beaches, river and stream banks, and more. One way to do this every day is by plogging – picking up trash while jogging.
Go on a hike/walk. Spending time outdoors is not only good exercise, but it is a constant reminder about why it is so important to celebrate Earth Day and protect our planet.
Go dark for a day. This is an excellent way to celebrate Earth Day: commit to unplugging from electronics and all non-essential appliances and devices for a day. Get back to basics and participate in Earth Day activities that are completely environmentally friendly. On any given day, save electricity and turn off the lights when you leave a room.
Build a home/office recycling center. At home, organize your garbage disposal area to easily sort recycling. For work, get permission to purchase the supplies needed to create a recycling station and encourage co-workers to participate.
Cut back on plastic. Most disposable plastics at home can be replaced with reusable options, including reusable water bottles, grocery bags, and other containers. If possible, buy products in glass or paper. Glass products are easily reused and paper is a much friendlier product to the environment. When I used to pack my lunch for work, I always carried a portable travel fork/spoon set in my bag as well as reusable straws. Remember the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle.
Educate yourself. Read a book, subscribe to a blog, watch a documentary, or attend a seminar to help you learn about environmental issues and why they are so important.
Practice sustainable fashion. We all have usable items lying around the house that have been forgotten. Clean out a closet and donate gently used items to local charities to give them a new life.
Get rid of unwanted junk. This is another excellent project for Earth Day. Get the family together to clear out the junk around the house and then go with professionals like Junk Queen TXto haul it away. They are a junk removal company serving the homes and businesses of the Collin County area. If you are looking for same day affordable junk removal to remove furniture, debris, trash, garbage or rubbish from your Texas home or business, they are one of the most experienced hauling companies in the area. If you need trash removed, furniture picked up, or rubbish cleared away from your home or business, check out, Junk Queen TX. They will remove single items as well, including beds, dressers, sofas, mattresses, couches, refrigerators, and even pianos.
If after all that clean up you need dumpster rental service, consider dumpster rental Collin County. They offer dumpster rentals for multiple days so you do not have to feel rushed and you can fill it up as much or as little as you want or need. Why hire a national company to do a local job? Junk Queen TX has been in the dumpster and trash removal industry for decades, and they put their reputation and customers first. You can rely on them for extremely low, fair pricing, on-time, reliable dumpsters, service, and friendliness. They follow Texas law and best practices with disposing of your trash. You can take your time, knowing you have multiple days to fill up your dumpster before they come pick it up, without ever having to stress or rush your process. Most importantly, they recycle because it is environmentally focused, locally responsible and financially wise because recycled products are worth more than a landfill. Junk Queen TX recycles and disposes of debris, waste, furniture, plastics, wood, metal and other materials common in dumpster trash disposal services.
Bakery Lorraine will be offering several Easter treats. Photo: Bakery Lorraine, used with permission.
Easter is right around the corner, and whether you are planning a socially distant picnic or a small gathering with family, these San Antonio favorites can help make your celebration memorable. (Bakery Lorraine, EVO Entertainment, Twang, 2021)
Bakery Lorraine – This year Bakery Lorraine will offer a festive Easter themed dessert box. This box is available for $28 and includes the following treats:
2 Egg shaped Moonpies
1 Chocolate Nest Tart
1 Bunny Tart
1 Lemon Blueberry Tart
Bakery Lorraine will also offer a delightfully decorated spring themed Carrot Cake for $65. Both items are only available by pre-ordering through Bakery Lorraine’s website under the “Custom Orders” tab. The last day to place an order is Wednesday, 3/31 by noon. Items are available for pickup on Saturday 4/3 and Sunday 4/4 starting at 9a.m. at all Bakery Lorraine locations. Bakery Lorraine will continue to offer its signature Easter treats for in-store or online pickup on Friday 4/2 through Sunday 4/4 at all locations until items sell out. Items include:
Egg shaped Moonpies $4
Chocolate Nest Tart $6
Bunny Tart $6
Lemon Blueberry Tart $6
EVO Entertainment – EVO will be hosting Easter-themed pajama pancake parties at the Schertz, Springtown, Belterra and Kyle locations on Saturday, April 3 at 9:30a.m. Kids can enjoy screenings of the festive movie, “Hop” while chowing down on a stack of pancakes from EVO’s specialty menu, which includes Classic, Cookies and Cream, Strawberry, and Birthday Cake pancakes. Tickets will be available online.
Wow your friends and family with these light and fresh appetizers/sides from Twang.
Cucumber Avocado Chili Lime Roll
Ingredients:
1 avocado
¼ of cream cheese block (4 oz.)
1 clove of garlic
2 tsp of lime juice
3 tbsp. of pine nuts
1 tbsp. of ZAS Chili Lime (and a dash for garnish)
1 cucumber
Mandolin or potato peeler
Preparation:
Toss all ingredients (except cucumber) in a blender or food processor. Or if you want to be traditional do it by hand, finely mince garlic and mash ingredients together with a fork until smooth and creamy. Let the mixture sit in a refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Use a mandolin or potato peeler to cut long thin strips from the cucumber. Be sure to leave the skin for pretty color.
Take a cucumber strip and spread a thin layer of the avocado mixture along the length of the strip. A little goes a long way so be mindful. Make sure the spread goes all the way to the end so that it sticks once rolled.
Roll it up! No toothpicks needed. Sprinkle on a dash of ZAS Chili Lime Seasoning to give it more presentation.
Tamarind Tomatillo Watermelon Salad
Ingredients:
3 cups of watermelon, chopped bite sized
8 strawberries, chopped bite sized
1 cup of tomatillos, chopped bite sized
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tbsp. of fresh lime juice
ZAS! Tamarind Super-Seasoning
Preparation:
Put watermelon, strawberries, tomatillo, and onions in a bowl and gently toss.
Drizzle olive oil and lime juice and gently toss once more.
Sprinkle on ZAS! Tamarind Super-Seasoning and serve immediately
Harlan Coben’s ‘The Stranger’ is now a Netflix original series. Photo: google
Harlan Coben is a #1 bestselling author and one of the world’s leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty-five languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries, with seventy-five million books in print worldwide. His Myron Bolitar series has earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, and many of his books have been developed into Netflix series, including his adaptation of “The Stranger,” headlined by Richard Armitage, and “The Woods.” “The Stranger” tells the story of a secret that destroys a man’s perfect life and sends him on a collision course with a deadly conspiracy. The television adaptation is available on Netflix and stars Richard Armitage, Siobhan Finneran, and Hannah John-Kamen. (amazon, 2021)
The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. Their identity is unknown. Their motives are unclear. Their information is undeniable. Then they whisper a few words in your ear and disappear, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world. Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life. Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne’s deception, and realizes that if he does not make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy he has stumbled into will not only ruin lives, but it will also end them.
Harlan Coben is a #1 bestselling author and one of the world’s leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty-five languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries, with seventy-five million books in print worldwide. His Myron Bolitar series has earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, and many of his books have been developed into Netflix series, including his adaptation of “The Stranger,” headlined by Richard Armitage, and “The Woods.” His new book “Win” is a thrilling story that shows what happens when a dead man’s secrets fall into the hands of a vigilante antihero—drawing him down a dangerous road. (amazon, 2021)
“Win” revolves around heiress Patricia Lockwood who over twenty years ago was abducted during a robbery of her family’s estate then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors and the items stolen from her family were never recovered. Until now. On the Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead — not only on Patricia’s kidnapping, but also on another FBI cold case — with the suitcase and painting both pointing them toward one man. Windsor Horne Lockwood III — or Win, as his few friends call him — does not know how his suitcase and his family’s stolen painting ended up with a dead man. But his interest is piqued, especially when the FBI tells him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an act of domestic terrorism — and that the conspirators may still be at large. The two cases have baffled the FBI for decades, but Win has three things the FBI does not: a personal connection to the case; an ungodly fortune; and his own unique brand of justice.
SA Examiner 