The Bookmark is an interview program featuring authors published by the Texas A&M University Press and the Texas Book Consortium, produced and hosted each week by Christine Brown. The authors featured have written books in a variety of subjects, including history, nature, travel, art, and music. For more information about any of the books featured on The Bookmark, visit https://tamupress.com.

Austin to ATX

The Hippies, Pickers, Slackers, and Geeks Who Transformed the Capital of Texas

By Joe Nick Patoski

In this gonzo history of the “City of the Violet Crown,” author and journalist Joe Nick Patoski chronicles the modern evolution of the quirky, bustling, funky, self-contradictory place known as Austin, Texas. Patoski describes the series of cosmic accidents that tossed together a mashup of outsiders, free spirits, thinkers, educators, writers, musicians, entrepreneurs, artists, and politicians who would foster the atmosphere, the vibe, the slightly off-kilter zeitgeist that allowed Austin to become the home of both Armadillo World Headquarters and Dell Technologies.