Today’s Forecast

69º | Rainy | 87% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:28 a.m. | Sunset 5:42 p.m.

You’re a poet and we know it

A stack of books on a wooden porch swing.

Think you’ve got what it takes to turn this newsletter into a poem? | Photo by Karolina Grabowska via Pexels

Calling all readers: In honor of National Poetry Month, you’re officially invited to enter ATXtoday’s first poetry contest.

This contest is open to all, and the rules couldn’t be more simple: Turn today’s newsletter into a poem.

We’ll clarify. Using only the words that appear in this newsletter, craft an original poem of up to 75 words. Unlike an erasure poem, the words do not have to appear in the order they’re found — mix and match how you please. Any English word appearing anywhere in today’s newsletter is fair game, including the ones you’re reading right now (we’ll throw some fun ones at you: Pink. Gusto. Enchilada.). If a word appears once, you can only use it once.

The rules:

Submit your poem here by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 16.
Include a title + author’s name in your submission. Titles are an exception to the rule, and do not need to pull words from the newsletter.
Poems, excluding title and author’s name, must be 75 words or less.

The fun stuff:

While we’ve placed a pretty big limitation on your poem’s words, the form + direction is up to you — and we can’t wait to see what you all come up with.
The Editorial team behind ATXtoday will narrow submissions down to a group of finalists based on style, originality, artistic quality, and creativity. Finalists will be announced in our Friday, April 21 newsletter and we’ll ask our readers to vote for their favorite poem. The winner’s poem will be featured in our Wednesday, April 26 newsletter.
Pro tip: To make the process easier on yourself, we recommend printing out today’s issue, highlighting the words you find most interesting, and crossing them out as you include them in your poem.
Don’t forget to keep track of your articles (words like “the” or “and”).

Happy writing, Austin!

Submit to our poetry contest

Asked

How often do you use food delivery apps?

A. Multiple times per week
B. Once per week
C. Once per month
D. A few times per year
E. Never or almost never

Let us know

Events

Wednesday, April 5

Casa de Spurs | Now-Saturday, April 8 | 1 p.m.-2 a.m. | Native Hostel, 807 E. 4th St., Austin | Free | As a part of the “Spurs Week” series, Native Hostel has photo ops, games, and exclusive giveaways for all fans to enjoy.

Thursday, April 6

San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers | Thursday, Apr. 6 | 7 p.m. | The Moody Center, 2001 Robert Dedman Dr., Austin | $35-$2,500 | Kick off the first ever I-35 series in style at the Moody Center.
Amos Lee: “Live From The Heart” | Thursday, Apr. 6 | 8:45 p.m. | ACL Live, 310 W. Willie Nelson Blvd., Austin | $54-$84 | This acoustic concert benefits JoyRx, an organization that brings music program services to kids hospitalized with cancer or other serious illnesses.

Friday, April 7

Jo’s Puppy Party with AHS | Friday, Apr. 7 | 9-11 a.m. | 1000 E. 41st St., Austin | Free | Pet adoptable puppies and drink for a cause — 10% of sales will benefit the Austin Humane Society.
Spring Native Plant Sale | Friday, April 7-Sunday, May 7 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 4801 La Crosse Ave., Austin | Free with admission | Peruse a variety of Texas natives, including perennial and annual flowers, grasses, vines, shrubs and trees for shady and sunny gardens.
Riverdance | Friday, Apr. 7-Sunday, Apr. 9 | Times vary | Bass Concert Hall, 2350 Robert Dedman Dr., Austin | $35-$89 | The Grammy Award-winning Irish dance performance will inspire you to get on your feet.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Civic

Austinites have until Thursday, April 6 to register to vote in the next election on Saturday, May 6. On the ballot are two propositions regarding police oversight, and early voting runs from Monday, April 24-Tuesday, May 2.

Biz

A Czechia-based government trade promotion agency, CzechTrade, now has a home in Austin. With the aim to foster international trade and business relations, this is the organization’s fourth US location after Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. (Austin Business Journal)

Opening

Houston-based mini-chain Dish Society will open its first-ever Austin location this fall in the Mueller neighborhood at 1900 Aldrich Blvd. The restaurant, founded by former Austinite Aaron Lyons, is known for its eggs and brisket, fruity cocktails + all-day brunch service. (Eater Austin)

Community

Applications are now open for the inaugural Live Music Fund Event Program — an initiative offering grants of $5,000 or $10,000 for local musicians to use on production or promotion costs. Apply by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16. (Austin Chronicle)
The Austin Fire Department created a system to alert the Austin Watershed Department if firefighting activities become hazardous to waterways. Prompted by the the Texas French Bread Bakery fire in January 2022, the change was enacted by a City Council resolution encouraging communication between the two organizations. (KXAN)

Tech

Guess who’s back? Waymo, an autonomous vehicle taxi service, will begin testing in Clarksville, Bouldin Creek, the Market District, Holly, Downtown, Rainey Street, and the Capitol. The company performed its initial tests in Austin’s Mueller district in 2015, before moving to Phoenix and San Francisco.

Holiday

Passover (or Pesach) begins at sundown today, starting with Passover Seder. The feast usually includes matzah, brisket or chicken, and potato kugel. Shop kosher at H-E-B’s Kosher Store.

Travel

Trying to talk someone into an April vacation? Just show them these hotel deals on Expedia. We love: The Surf And Sand Resort on Laguna Beach.

Food

🐣 Easter eats for every-bunny

A gif of Ralph from The Simpsons picking up an Easter egg, which then falls through his basket

Plus, an egg hunt for the kids. | Gif via Giphy

Easter is this Sunday, April 9, and we’re pretty egg-cited.

We’re celebrating with food — here are a few restaurant specials to celebrate with this weekend.

Saturday, April 8

Fareground | 12-3 p.m. | 111 Congress Ave., Austin | Fareground’s second-annual Egg-stravaganza will have an Easter egg hunt for the kids, face painting, and brunch specials.

Tiny Pies | Hours vary | Multiple locations | Place a pickup order for themed goodies like quiche Lorraine, mushroom quiche, and bunny-shaped hand pies.

Sunday, April 9

The Driskill Hotel | 4-6 p.m. | 604 Brazos St., Austin | Sit down for an afternoon tea party with loose leaf teas, petit fours, finger sandwiches, and sparkling wine for $90 per person. Make a reservation.

Walton’s Fancy and Staple | 8-4 p.m. | 609 W. 6th St., Austin | Grab some flowers, seasonal macarons, pastries, and “golden Easter Eggs” at this reservation-free restaurant.

Three more menus

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Figi

From the editor

Fun fact about me: I didn’t know what a kolache was until I was in high school, but now I’m a pretty big fan. I frequently miss visiting Dos Gatos while in college in San Marcos — where’s your favorite place to get a kolache? And give me the deep cuts.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? We’re exploring the history of Pedernales Falls.

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