Joe Nick Patoski Speaks On, Signs ‘Austin To ATX’ Book At The Wittliff Collections And Waterloo Records

(AUSTIN, TEXAS) – Joe Nick Patoski, a renowned Texas writer, announces a series of book signings in celebration of his recently released tenth title, “Austin to ATX: The Hippies, Pickers, Slackers, and Geeks Who Transformed the Capital of Texas.”

First, Patoski will join The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. for a discussion about the book, followed by a book signing.

Patoski will then talk about and sign “Austin to ATX” at Waterloo Records on Friday, March 8 at 7 p.m., kicking off South By Southwest’s opening weekend, with complimentary Still Austin Whiskey served to guests 21 and over.

Patoski will also moderate the “Who and What Makes Austin Austin?” panel at South by Southwest (SXSW) on Sunday, March 10, from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. at Hilton Salon K.

Panelists will include Heather Brunner (CEO of WP-Engine), Aaron Franklin (owner-operator of Franklin Barbecue) and Sandra Adair (film editor for 17 Rick Linklater films and director of “The Secret Life of Lance Letscher,” which premiered at SXSW Film 2018).

Each will share their own startup story and discuss the impact and influence of Austin on their respective fields of interest, and what role place – this place called Austin – has had on their work and personal lives. Attendance is limited to SXSW attendees.

For more information on Patoski, check out www.joenickp.com.

In his book, Patoski delves into the city’s creative heart and traces Austin’s transition over the past 50 years from funky small city to the global metropolis of international importance it is today, keeping on institutions ranging from the Armadillo World Headquarters, Austin City Limits, Whole Foods Market, the Austin Film Society, Esther’s Follies, Antone’s, Liberty Lunch, Capital Factory and the Cathedral of Junk, and the people who created them.

“Austin to ATX” answers the questions: How did it get so weird? Why is it called the People’s Republic of Austin? Who declared Austin the Live Music Capital of the World? What’s the dang deal with moontowers and bats?

How did the worldwide phenomenon of women’s roller derby get hatched in a Sixth Street bar? And why do locals always tell you that you got here two years too late?

“‘Austin to ATX’ is a deep dive into alternative Austin through the lens of the outsiders, musicians, free thinkers, artists and entrepreneurs who shaped the city,” said Joe Nick Patoski. “Creatives, drawn by Austin’s counterculture and music scene in the 1970s, developed communities and institutions that have led to film, food and tech becoming cornerstones of the modern, forward-thinking city Austin is today.”

An eclectic mix of innovative outsiders are profiled in “Austin to ATX,” including Stephen Harrigan, Willie Nelson, Terry Lickona, Marcia Ball, Kenneth Threadgill, Eddie Wilson, Rick Linklater, Shannon Sedwick, Richard Garriott, Heather Brunner, Patty Lang Fair, John Mackey, Liz Lambert, Clifford Antone, Steve Wertheimer, Aaron Franklin, Merlin Tuttle, April Ritzenthaler, Roland Swenson, Louis Black, Daniel Johnston, Nick Barbaro, Dewey Winburne, Hugh Forrest, Nancy Schafer, Robert Rodriguez, Elizabeth Avellan, Vince Hannemann, Cecilia Balli, John Mueller and Joanna Wu.