LITERATURE + LECTURES

Brazos Bookstore is pleased to present Wyatt McSpadden.

Photographer Wyatt McSpadden has spent some twenty years documenting barbecue -- specifically, the authentic family-owned cafes that are small-town mainstays. Traveling tens of thousands of miles, McSpadden has crisscrossed the state of Texas to visit scores of barbecue purveyors, from fabled sites like Kreuz's in Lockhart to remote spots like the Lazy H Smokehouse in Kirbyville.

Color or black-and-white, wide angle or close up, his pictures convey the tradition and charm of barbecue. They allow the viewer to experience each place through all five senses. The shots of cooking meat and spiraling smoke make taste and smell almost tangible. McSpadden also captures the shabby appeal of the joints themselves, from huge, concrete-floored dining halls to tiny, un-air-conditioned shacks. Most of all, McSpadden conveys the primal physicality of barbecue -- the heat of fire, the heft of meat, the slickness of juices -- and also records ubiquitous touches such as ancient scarred carving blocks, torn screen doors and peeling linoleum, and toothpicks in a recycled pepper sauce jar.

Join us at Brazos for a presentation and signing and then take the half-a-block walk to Under the Volcano for the after-party. Bring a receipt for your purchase of Texas BBQ and get a free drink of your choice! (Offer lasts until 10 pm and is limited to one drink per customer.)