Have you heard about the Texas Conference for Women?

http://www.txconferenceforwomen.org/





Sponsored by Governor Rick Perry and his wife, the Texas Conference for Women is a full day of motivation and empowerment for women of all ages. The Conference is a wonderful opportunity for three reasons:

1) Registration fee is only $100 ($50 if you're a student, and there are discounts for group tickets and early registration).
2) Its Houston location is easily accessible for women all across the great state of Texas.
3) A phenomenal lineup of speakers and panelists that includes:

Cherie Blair: mother, human rights lawyer, and wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Sarah Jones: Tony Award Winning playwright
Meg Whitman: former president and CEO of eBay from 1998 - 2008

Join me in Houston to meet new friends and create new opportunities!
I hope to see you there.

Have you attended the Texas Conference for Women in previous years? Leave a comment telling me how you liked it.

Looking For a Good Time? Maybe You Should Go Back To School.

Local colleges and universities don’t exist solely to advance their students. Colleges and universities offer a number of (low-cost) intellectual, artistic, and scientific pursuits for the general public as well. Dallas-Ft. Worth is fortunate in that it has a number of robust colleges and universities at its disposal: University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), Southern Methodist University (SMU), Dallas County Community College District, and Texas Christian University (TCU) to name a few.

Here is a quick glance at some of the goings on this week alone:

SMU – February 5, Tate Lecture Series presents actor and humanitarian, Martin Sheen, star of the TV series “The West Wing”

UTD – Every Tuesday in February, The Brain: An Owner’s Guide – 2008 Lecture Series

DCCCD – Eastfield Campus – February 7, Gallery 210 Exhibit 'Beau Comeaux: Recent Images' Reception and Gallery talk

TCU – February 7, TCU Symphony Orchestra Concert

UTA – February 9, Maverick Speaker Series presents a lecture and Q&A session with actor/director, Spike Lee

For more information about these specific events or to learn about other events on your local campus, see the websites below. Look for the section on each page devoted to “Upcoming Events.”

http://www.smu.edu/

http://www.utd.edu/

http://www.dcccd.edu/About+DCCCD/News+and+Events/Events/

http://www.uta.edu/

http://www.tcu.edu/

Something for the Kids

What: African-American Read-In
When: Saturday, February 2, 2-4pm
Where: Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm Street, Dallas, TX 75201
Cost: FREE

I have had a lifelong love affair with books and reading. I read for entertainment. I read to learn. I read for information. I read to relax and I read to escape, but mostly, I read for the sheer pleasure of it.

My parents read me bedtime stories as I was growing up and my mother took me to the library often; but the one thing that had the greatest impact on my love of reading was the book mobile that visited my elementary school. Each year the book mobile would come to my school with a treasure trove of age-appropriate books, bookmarks, pens, pencils, stickers, and notepads for sale. I wish you could have seen the excitement that it caused! We all raced to the cafeteria during our lunch breaks, money in hand, ready for the hunt to begin. My money was always limited so I had to be careful to choose wisely. I must select just the right book, the right bookmark, the right stickers, and the right pen.

The book mobile taught me that books are something to be valued, something to get excited about. Take your kids to the African-American Read-In and share that excitement with them.

From DallasNews.com:
"Read, Believe, Achieve!" is the theme of the Dallas County Community College District's 2008 African American Read-In, a celebration of children's literature by African-American authors. After a welcome from Lyndale the Literary Lion, families attending the free event can check out staged readings, performances, art and poetry. This year's special guest is author and artist Ashley Bryan, who just won a 2008 Coretta Scott King Book Award for his illustrations in Let It Shine. Mr. Bryan will read from his books and talk about the fun of reading. Also scheduled during the day is the unveiling of the 2008 Black Heritage postage stamp honoring writer Charles W. Chesnutt. Free T-shirts, canvas bags and books will be handed out to audience members.

For more info: http://www.readin.dcccd.edu/

Jazzy's Place

1701 S. Lamar Street, Dallas, TX 75215

As you know, I have a love-hate relationship with Brooklyn Jazz Café; however, I refuse to let this schizophrenic association keep me from embracing (and now reviewing) its new addition, “Jazzy’s Place.” Jazzy’s Place is not a free-standing building at a second location, but rather an extension of the existing Brooklyn Jazz Café venue. Jazzy’s Place is sort of like Brooklyn Jazz “Lite.” It advertises itself as a place to watch sporting events, play chess/checkers, and to play shuffleboard (I’m not making this up). The point is this: Jazzy’s Place is a place to relax and hang out without all of the pomp and circumstance that you sometimes see at Brooklyn Jazz Cafe. I also suspect that the more casual atmosphere is meant to attract a slightly younger demographic than the 40-ish patrons of Brooklyn Jazz Café.

I had the opportunity to watch one of the NFL Playoff games there a couple of weeks ago. Admittedly, the crowd was sparse, but that had much more to do with a lack of awareness than a lack of hospitable surroundings. Jazzy’s Place has plush red and black booths and traditional chair seating, several, wall-mounted flat screen TVs, a private banquet room, a private patio, and the same full bar and food menus as Brooklyn Jazz Cafe. Though Jazzy’s Place is more casual than Brooklyn Jazz Cafe, it maintains its ties to its older sibling with jazz-inspired artwork on the walls, and jazz music piped into the surround sound. The jazz music was somewhat offensive to patrons at Jazzy’s Place the day of the playoffs as it made it difficult to hear the commentary on the game. Yet management had no problem lowering the music upon request.

I never spotted the chess/checker tables or shuffleboard, but all in all, I would recommend Jazzy’s Place. The addition of Jazzy’s Place shows that
1) Brooklyn Jazz Café is doing well (always good to hear), and
2) they are listening to customer feedback and maybe even reading my blog.

Why do I say this? I say this because the single greatest selling point of Jazzy’s Place is that finally there is enough room for those on the hunt (and those hoping to be hunted) to truly go on the prowl.

Heads Up: Brooklyn Jazz Café is hosting a Superbowl viewing party on Superbowl Sunday sponsored by radio station KRNB. Doors open at 3pm. It’s a ticket-only event so listen to KRNB 105.7 for your chance to win (or you can keep calling obsessively).

Texas Black Film Festival 2008

What: Texas Black Film Festival
When: January 31 - February 2; 10am - Midnight
Where: Studio Movie Grill - Addison (5405 Beltline Road, Dallas, TX 75248)

It's not Sundance, Toronto, or the National Black Film Festival; it is something better - a film festival that showcases not just national talent, but homegrown Texas talent as well. In addition to documentaries, feature films, and film shorts, there are educational workshops and networking opportunities for actors and filmmakers.

I think we can all agree that small film festivals like this one are a vital platform for fledgling filmmakers to let their artistic voices be heard and to receive invaluable feedback from audience members and experts in the industry, but the only way to ensure that these festivals remain financially viable is to support them with our dollars. At the Texas Black Film Festival your $8 ticket will do more than just line the pockets of a big-budget studio in LA. It will open doors and possibilities for an entire generation of African-American filmmakers.

For more information about film schedule, ticket prices, and the history of the festival, check out
http://www.texasblackfilmfestival.com/.

Mardis Gras comes to Dallas!!!

Get ready for Mardi Gras 2008 in Victory Park! The city seems to be committed to making Dallas the "NYC" of the South. 1st it was New Year's in Victory Park and now this. I'll be there. What about you???

From the website: http://www.quickdfw.com/mystiqal/

MystiQal is all about the true New Orleans Mardi Gras with a Quick twist in Victory Park.

MystiQal will be a night parade with beads and baubles featuring pre- and post-parties along the parade route, live music and loads of fun activities with food and drink that celebrate everything that is Mardi Gras.

All activities will kick off at 5pm with the opening of the street festival, located on High Market between Victory and Houston Streets, in the heart of Victory Park. The Mardi Gras Run will begin at Houston Street and Continental. The Grand Parade will begin at 7:30pm, so pick your spot behind the barricades, anywhere along Victory and Houston Streets, and get ready to catch beads and baubles. Live entertainment on the stage and street festival activities will continue until 11pm.

We are not planning any children's activities as MystiQal will be an authentic Mardi Gras experience in Dallas on Saturday, February 2, 2008. Now is the time to book your babysitter and join us at MystiQal.

All content contained on this website is for informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice, so please check back for updates.

Cheap Date Alert #8: Arts District Walking Tour

Learn more about Dallas's Arts District.

From http://www.artsdistrict.org/stroll/ :

Take the Arts District Stroll! Join us for the Arts District Stroll, your private guided tour of the history and architecture of Dallas' Arts District. Bring your friends, family and coworkers on a leisurely walk through the largest downtown area (19 blocks and over 68.4 acres) dedicated to the arts in the United States. Trained docents lead the hour-long, easy walk pointing out the architecture, the tradition, and the history of this unique neighborhood. While at the same time, they will be sharing with you the latest on Arts District entertainment, dining possibilities, and nightlife.

For more information:



http://www.artsdistrict.org/stroll/index.asp