The Texas alt-country outfit has been spoofing politics, religion and romance for as long as most Austinites can remember.

Some hold the straight edge of the tortilla chip and dip the point; others do the opposite. But if you're willing to step out of the box, The Sporkful's Dan Pashman has a technique that could help boost the reputation of one controversial chip.

The humorist has made a name as a playwright, novelist, columnist and screenwriter. Now he's turned his attention to the Young Adult market with an update of the Cinderella story — starring a young girl from a trailer park.

The comedian's new book, Dad Is Fat, chronicles life in a two-bedroom Manhattan apartment with five little kids. Gaffigan says having children has made him a better comedian — and living in the city has helped him raise better kids.

The Brooklyn-based keyboardist and vocalist favors rhythms that are surprising and experimental. Her debut album is called Magic Trix.

For National Poetry Month, Bangladeshi-American poet Dilruba Ahmed talks about how her heritage and her experience of being an outsider in small rural towns pushed her toward writing poetry.

Poet Kazim Ali talks about poetry's importance in every day life for National Poetry Month. He is a contributing editor for AWP Writers Chronicle and founding editor of the small press, Nightboat Books.

Screenwriter, director and producer Chris Columbus has teamed up with young adult novelist Ned Vizzini to write a book about the adventures of Cordelia, Brendan and Eleanor Walker. In House of Secrets, the three siblings, ages 8 to 15, find themselves in a fantastic world after a family move.

Blues, jazz and gospel; a civil rights movement that began with the Emmett Till case; modern glass and steel buildings that dared the sky. In Third Coast, Thomas Dyja writes that "the most profound aspects of American Modernity grew up out of the flat, prairie land next to Lake Michigan."

The Irish writer scandalized audiences with her 1960 novel, The Country Girls. Half a century later, she looks back on her childhood in a small village, her fame and its accessories and above all, her ceaseless drive to write.