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For more information please contact: Mike Miller | (512) 974-7436
October 6, 2009
Meet the Author, Lori Joan Swick
Meet the Author, Lori Joan Swick, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 25 at the Austin History Center, Austin Public Library, 810 Guadalupe St. Swick will discuss her new novel Comfort and Mirth, set in 1920s Austin. Swick relied heavily on the resources of the AHC to put herself in the “historical moment” as she wrote, and she will talk about her process and how she developed the story. This program is part of a series of programs exploring how archives, and the AHC in particular, are used by the public. A book signing will follow her presentation and light refreshments will be provided. This program is co-sponsored by the Austin History Center and the Austin History Center Association.
Comfort and Mirth offers a rare glimpse into the capital city of Texas during the early decades of the twentieth century and brings into play the formation of the Texas suffrage movement, Prohibition, the treatment of the mentally ill, and the first round of controversies over the Jim Crow laws. This novel traces a young woman’s journey of self-discovery and the struggle for empowerment. Camille’s story is told against the background of the growth of Austin from a frontier town to a cosmopolitan southwestern city including such events as the arrival of the first motorcars to the dusty streets, Congress Avenue, the opening of the Hancock Opera House, the formation of Elisabet Ney’s sculpture museum in Hyde Park, and the construction, flooding, and reconstruction of the great dam to form the Texas Hill Country lake system.
About the Author
Lori Joan Swick was born and raised in Austin where she teaches religion, mythology, and moral studies at St. Edward’s University. While she is a published poet, Comfort and Mirth is her first novel. The story was inspired by her research in Central Texas history - especially during the first “wave” of feminism when Texas women fought for the right to vote. It was developed through her love of the traditional women’s arts and her fascination with the natural powers of motherly instincts and womanly wisdom.
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Please direct press inquiries to:
| (512) 974-7379
Public Information Specialist
Austin Public Library
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