Sandra Says

Follow my tweets on Twitter.

I admit that I just joined to figure out how to use it for PR purposes, but can see how addicting it could become.

The next Refresh Houston meeting will include a roundtable discussion on community, co-working and social media.

When:  Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 6:30 PM

Where: Buddha Lounge, 2670 Sage Road, Houston, Texas 77056

Found via Upcoming.org (which is now http://upcoming.yahoo.com).

Local PR pro Tom Overton passed away this week.

From the PRSA Houston site:

We are so sorry to inform you of the passing of  Thomas G. Overton late Thursday after a long battle with cancer.  Tom has been a member of PRSA Houston since April 1, 1990.  He has been the director of public affairs at the University of St. Thomas following many years with the former Panhandle Eastern system.   He is survived by his wife, Judy, and two sons who are students at Lamar University and University of St. Thomas.

The family will receive visitors from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Saturday, April 21, at Pace-Stancil Funeral Home in Cleveland, Texas.  They also will have a visitation from 4-9 p.m. Sunday, April 22, at Pace-Stancil Funeral Home with a rosary at 7 p.m.  If anyone could be interested in saying a few words about Tom, please contact Judy at 281-659-1373  to be included, and she will share this with the deacon in charge. There will be a funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Monday, April 23, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 702 E. Houston St. in Cleveland.  A Memorial Service also will be offered at 2 p.m. Friday, April 27, in the Chapel of St. Basil, 3802 Yoakum, on the campus of University of St. Thomas.

The University of St. Thomas has set up a special gift fund to help the family during this time. Any one who wants to contribute should send the check to Sue Bradford, Institutional Advancement, University of St. Thomas, 3800 Montrose Blvd., Houston, TX 77006. Make the check out to Judy Overton.  If you prefer to mail it directly to the family, please contact Paula Ruth for the address.   At this point, we have no directions about any other memorial designations.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and to Tom’s many friends at St. Thomas, in PRSA Houston and in the community.  He was not only a terrific writer, but a friend to many.  He will be missed.

I met Tom shortly before be became ill. I didn’t know him well, but he was a nice man and a good PR practitioner. He will, indeed, be missed.

Tonight is the Houston NetSquared April Meetup. It’s at the Stag’s Head Pub at 7 p.m.

Last tuesday’s edition of KHOU’s Great Day Houston included a wonderful live segment about the Houston Public Library. The “star” of the day was Edward Melton, acting manager of the McGovern-Stella Link Regional Library. Edward shared his TV debut with a kindergarten class from neighboring Mark Twain Elementary School, who very graciously agreed to join him for the segment.

If you didn’t see the show, don’t think you missed your chance to watch it. KHOU has it online (I love being able to point to online video clips). Just click on “Houston Public Library” to watch the video clip.

April 1st – May 31st
Julia Ideson Building
500 McKinney, 77002 * 832-393-1313

The Houston Public Library presents an exhibit of photographs from its powerhouse sister city Shenzhen. In this exhibit you will also find posters, lanterns, antique Chinese cameras and related photographic items, and hand-made kites and traditional costumes from the country’s diverse ethnic groups. The exhibit coincides with the Houston International Festival celebration of the Chinese nation. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

You Are Cordially Invited To
“An Evening With…”

Great Books
Well-known Authors
Inspiring & Entertaining Topics

The Houston Public Library invites you, your friends and your neighbors to an ongoing author series where you will meet well-known authors from several genres. Relationships, mysteries and faith are just a few of the topics to be presented in the first programs.

As part of the year-long series, monthly events will be held throughout the city at neighborhood libraries. Attend one, or attend them all. Authors will read from one (or several) of their books, answer audience questions and talk about what inspires their writing. All events are free and open to the public.

“An Evening With Omar Tyree”
Stimley-Blue Ridge Neighborhood Library
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Tyree is a bestselling author of contemporary fiction whose books include Flyy Girl, For The Love of Money, and Single Mom.

“An Evening With Karen Miller”
Heights Neighborhood Library
Monday, May 14, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Miller will read from her book, Momma Zen, in which she explores how the daily challenges of early parenthood can become a profound spiritual path. Her memoir takes readers on a transformative journey, distilling the common doubts and frustrations of parenting into vignettes of Zen wisdom.

“An Evening With Chitra Divakaruni”
Henington-Alief Regional Library
Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 7 p.m.

Divakaruni is an award-winning author and poet. She will read from three of her adult fiction books: Mistress Of Spices, Sister of My Heart, and Queen of Dreams.

“An Evening With Bill Crider”
Robinson-Westchase Neighborhood Library
Monday, June 11, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Crider is the author of 50 published novels and numerous short stories. He will read from his book, Murder Among the OWLS, the 14th installment in his Dan Rhodes mystery series, in which a member of the Old Women’s Literary Society (OWLS) is found dead.

For further details, please contact the Houston Public Library at www.houstonlibrary.org or call 832-393-1313.

Friends of the Houston Public Library To Hold 29th Annual Bargain Book Sale
More than 80,000 books featured in annual book sale bonanza

April 20-22, 2007

Friends of the Houston Public Library invite the community to the 29th Annual Bargain Book Sale scheduled for April 20 thru 22, 2007 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. More than 80,000 books will be available to the public at “bargain” prices, with proceeds benefiting the Houston Public Library.

A preview sale for members of the Friends of the Houston Public Library will be held Friday, April 20 from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Non-members may purchase a $20 tax-deductible membership at the door. Admission is free and open to the public on “Family Day,” Saturday, April 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, April 22 from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday’s event is “Bag Day,” a tradition where patrons pay $10 per booked-filled Fiesta Mart paper bag.

From paperbacks to collector finds, the Annual Bargain Book Sale has something for everyone. Kid’s books, cookbooks, gardening books, and books on history, art and science are but a few of the offerings. This sale features an exceptional selection of more than 3,000 adult and children’s books in foreign languages including Spanish, Russian, German, Vietnamese, and Chinese. Patrons will also find more than 2,000 books on African-American studies, books on religion, and more.

Regular Adult books are priced at $2 for hardcover editions and $1 for paperbacks. Better and Best Adult books are individually priced, usually between $3 and $10. Regular Children’s books are 50 cents, with the Better Children’s books starting at $1. Fiesta Mart bags are provided for those wishing to purchase a large quantity of books, and buyers are also encouraged to bring their own bags and wagons to make it easier for them to navigate the large collection of treasures.

Sponsors of the Friends of the Houston Public Library Annual Bargain Book Sale include Houston Family Magazine, H-E-B, The Greensheet, Chick-fil-A, George R. Brown Convention Center, and Fiesta Mart.

For more information on the 29th Annual Bargain Book Sale, visit www.friendsofhpl.org or call 832-393-1387.

Two lunch workshops you should check out:

Guilty Until Proven Innocent
April 4th
presented by PRSA Houston

If you are that public figure or individual, who do you call to protect or salvage your reputation? Meet Joe Householder, director for Public Strategies Inc. Householder has engaged in these battles for more than 15 years, most recently counseling City of Houston Councilwoman Carol Alvarado during the city employee pay bonus scandal. He will be the keynote speaker at the April 4 luncheon providing insight on how to manage clients in a hostile public environment that labels you “Guilty, until proven innocent.”

Networking Done Right
April 12th
presented by IABC Houston

If you’ve ever wondered what networking can do for your business . . . . If you’ve ever shied away from networking groups because they seemed too “in your face” . . . . If you’re interested in a discussion about whether or not and how ESIG can incorporate more networking into its monthly meetings . . . come to the April 12 ESIG meeting.

There, you’ll hear Steven Kay of Steven Kay Media, networker par excellence, disabuse you of your misconceptions, wow you with some unexpected benefits, and show you just how valuable business networking can be. He’ll offer advice on how you can be a better networker–not just at ESIG, but elsewhere, too. And he’ll lead a roundtable discussion on whether or not we want to add a networking component to ESIG–and, if yes, how.