Austin Black Expo Appeals to All Ages and Races

This afternoon at the the Austin Black Expo, people of Austin came together to eat, give and get information, and sell African products. I spoke with a lady about shea butter, which comes from the shea tree that is only grown in Africa. She was selling all kinds of shea products, even one called Obama Butter, which was a whipped version of the original shea she had. Others were selling Obama shirts and buttons along with toys, books, and jewelry. There were pictures of Dizzie Gillespie, Ray Charles, and other African American singers on one of the walls. Also each room had beads, decorated strings, and other things hanging from the ceiling as decorations.

Children were volunteering and playing in the jumping castle. A little girl painted a flower on my cheek and a boy was selling popcorn.

There were friendly businesses scattered throughout the event giving away free items and information. Everything from insurance to the YMCA and Chiropractors were there. We talked to a lawyer from the FCC who was there to inform the public about the digital transformation with television happening in February. We also spoke to a man from Africa who was raising money to build an African village in Cedar Park. This would be a great story to do and to see what others think about the idea.

There were all kinds of people there and today, when the media focuses on all the violence that is going on, this was something that was fun and is not seen very often on the news anymore.

Tantra Coffeehouse

"Tantra Coffeehouse is a melting pot of people from all walks of life that come in all shapes and all sizes," said Cassie, a Tantra employee. The best description given of the lively red coffeeshop located right off of Texas State's campus on Hopkins St. They only serve Organic Fair Trade Coffee and Espresso. All of the food and beverages available are organic and they dont serve meat of any kind.

Tantra is not only a coffee house it is a place where people can come and be comfortable and be themselves without being judgemental.

The coffee shop displays art all over the walls from local artists, as well as holding art shows and musical events. Upcoming events include a 30 artists art gallery that includes local artists that all have to paint a piece with the same theme. The show will be held on April 10th and the theme this year is "Dream."

Those who have already discovered this place come here to relax, to study, to wake up and to sleep. Judging by the playground out front there does not seem to be an age limit. There is such a difference in community life styles in every person who walks through the door. The staff at Tantra could not say if the majority of customers were students or were not students but they did say that everyone that come here finds something they needed.

The stories that this place holds are numerous. Every night a new event is hosted. Sundays are poetry night, Mondays are movie night, Tuesdays are jazz nights, Wednesdays are Tribal Nights , Thursdays are Open Mic Night, and Friday and Saturday have live music all day and night. Around the cafe is also free wi-fi. Outside the cafe they host a Unicycle Football League.

Upcoming this semester there is live music along with art showcases and many other exciting events that students, faculty and San Marcosians can get involved in.

There are so many stories to tell

about this wonderful place, the question is where to start.

Hello everyone!
It's Claudia Mickle, come bid on me in the "Be Mine '09" auction Feb. 2nd!

Monday, LBJ Multi-purpose room, 7PM :)

Bids start at $10

Thanks!

BE MINE '09 EVENT

The Art of Listening

All it takes is a little time to listen. The most amazing stories come from regular people who have done extraordinary things.

Sometimes the subjects themselves don't realize they have such interesting stories to tell because seldom has anyone taken the time to listen.

Who has an interesting story: What about folks who have been around a long, long time? How about immigrants who are new to this place? Whose story hasn't been told? Whose story has been overlooked?

Go someplace you've never been and discover a story you didn't know existed.

Listening Post: The Assignment

This assignment is about listening to the community and getting ideas for stories that will resonate. Too often journalists rely on the same old sources and same old places for stories. Let’s go some place new.
You will do this assignment with a partner from class. Each of you will participate and write your own, individual report to submit in class via our class blog.

Listening Post: Make your choice

Here’s the set of criteria for your choice of listening post:
1. It must be a place you are not likely to go otherwise.
2. It should include a group of people who are poorly understood and/or poorly covered by the media.

3. It should offer a window onto a “community” of people that might provide information on the group beyond the people who come there.

Listening Post: Answer these questions

You will write a report to submit to the class blog, so answer these questions while at the listening post:
1. Who comes here? How does this place and the people represent a segment of the community that receives little media attention.
2. What can I learn about the community from this place?

3. What stories might I do about this place, the people who come here, or the things I’ve learned from looking around?

4. How might the people I encounter here fit into my (and my organization’s – the media’s) everyday coverage of other beats?

Observe

While you are at your listening post, take note of what you see. Read the posters on the wall. Check the stack of reading materials. Capture a mental image of this place. (And take a few notes, too, so you don’t forget the good details.)

Images: Photos & Video

We are a visual people. We like to see the story as well as read about it and hear it. Take photos or a video at your listening post. Be respectful of the circumstance. For some listening posts, photography might be commonplace, such as a bingo parlor or a VFW hall, but other places may not be comfortable with photography or have prohibitions, such as a children’s shelter or the jail. Some places, it’s a matter of asking permission, explaining your purpose. Just about every place should at least permit an exterior shot, but most places will permit even more if you ask.

What to write?

Write a few paragraphs about your experience, incorporating the questions listed in the assignment. Include your observations. You may write it as more of a journal entry or more journalistic.

Images: Post your photos/video.

Links: You may add links to your blog entry if you think it would be appropriate and would help us better understand the subject.

Length: 200-300 words is plenty long. The Internet may be infinite, but we still prefer to read no more than a screenful of information.

Writing on the blog or Who the Heck Are You?

Bylines: If you signed up for the blog using a name not easily recognizable as your name, please type your name at the top or bottom of your post, as a byline would be typed. Otherwise, I won’t know who the post is from and won’t be able to give you credit.

Headlines: Each post should have a headline. The headline should catch the readers' attention (much like this one...or at least I tried.) It should be accurate and something you would expect to see published in the Austin American-Statesman or across the screen of a local TV channel.

Listening Post location: In your post, list the place you visited and when you visited as part of your post.

Blog URL is http://txstateinfogathering.blogspot.com/
(Yes that may seem obvious since you are actually on the blog now, but should you decide to print this, it may be handy to have it written down.)

How to Blog

You will be invited to the blog via an email sent to your Texas State email account.

Click on the link in the email and accept the invitation. You must create a Google account to access the blog. If you already have a Google account (gmail, etc.), you may use that account. If you don’t, then use your TX State email to begin the process to get a Google account, following the steps outlined on the screen.

NOTE: Once you have the account set up, Blogger sends you to a screen to create your own blog. You do not want to create your own blog for purposes of this assignment. For this assignment, you want to post to the class blog that is already established. Navigate around Blogger and the class blog using the links in the top right of the screen. Dashboard takes you to the class blog.

This blog will be open to the public for viewing (ie: not a private blog). You may consider that when building a profile and setting a screen name.