Ethan Hawke and H-Town Illustrator Debut Huntsville-set Graphic Novel, Join Book Fest Talk

Ethan Hawke and H-Town Illustrator Debut Huntsville-set Graphic Novel, Join Book Fest Talk

A part of the Meadowlark book cover

THE TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL, which is being presented this October as a hybrid event featuring both virtual and in-person sessions, will produce on Aug. 10 an exciting virtual book event with author and actor Ethan Hawk and Houston-reared illustrator Greg Ruth to promote the duo's new Huntsville, Texas-set graphic novel Meadowlark.


The conversation for the live-streamed event, which will take place on the same day as the book's release, will be moderated by Houston-born director Richard Linklater, who featured several Houston locales — including the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Miller Outdoor Theatre and Minute Maid Park — in his 2014 Academy Award-winning film Boyhood, which features the Austin-born Hawke in a starring role.

Indeh, Hawke's first graphic novel with Ruth, debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list in 2016, and the pair's latest graphic novel is already generating ample buzz. Set against the quiet backdrop of the sleepy and unassuming city of Huntsville, the graphic novel tells the story of a father and his teenage son who embark on an epic journey over the course of a single day that forces them to desperately navigate cascading threats of violence as they grapple with their own dysfunctional but loving relationship.

The captivating coming-of-age tale draws inspiration from the authors' childhoods in Texas and is inspired by the authors' relationships with their own sons. A contemporary crime noir, the graphic novel will likely appeal to fans of Terrence Malick's Badlands and Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men, which dealt with similar themes.

Tickets for the live virtual event, which will be held on Aug. 10 at 7:30pm, are $35 and include a signed copy of Meadowlark.

Art + Entertainment
Leadership in Action: Clothiers Murry and Karen Penner Celebrate Family Business’ 50-Year Anny

Murry & Karen Penner, Owners, M PENNER

How did you get where you are today? We’ve stayed true to the vision of the store’s founder, Morris Penner, who relentlessly sought out unique product, with exceptional quality being a key element. Morris always used to say, “The fastest way to lose a customer is to bore him” and we agree. A percentage of every season’s budget is allocated to something new and unique. While product is key, it’s not enough. Having an excellent staff and discipline in business practices is also critical.

Keep Reading Show less

The lobby of White Elephant Palm Beach

COVERED IN VERDANT vines and flanked by tall palm trees, the entrance to the White Elephant Palm Beach feels like passing into a stately home, rather than one of the island’s newest resorts. The building is 101 years old, and while the original footprint and façade remain, the interior has a decidedly updated, ultra-luxe beach vibe.

Keep Reading Show less

Photographer Jhane Hoang with two covers she photographed

ONE OF Houston CityBook’s most beloved photographers was recently diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer. Jhane Hoang has been behind the camera for some of the magazine’s most ambitious shoots — including an overnight shoot at the then-new Weiss Energy Hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and a cold rainy shoot at the Houston Zoo where the crew used a concessions stand as a staging area for hair and makeup.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment