Since the time of first European contact, when Texas was a geographic mystery, mission field, and disputed prize, writers have devoted their talents to the area. Their efforts embrace every genre of literature and every facet of Texas history and culture.
- Rick Riordan was born and raised in San Antonio Texas. He graduated from Alamo Heights, and first attended the music program at North Texas State University, wanting to be a guitarist. He transferred to the University of Texas at Austin and studied English and History. He taught English and Social Studies for eight years. Riordan has created several successful book series. Tres Navarre, an adult mystery series about a Texas private eye, won the Shamus, Anthony, and Edgar Awards. His big breakthrough was The Lightning Thief, the first novel in the five-volume Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which placed a group of modern-day adolescents in a Greco-Roman mythological setting. Since then, Riordan has written The Kane Chronicles trilogy and The Heroes of Olympus series. The Kane Chronicles, focused on Egyptian mythology. His most recent publications are three books in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series, based on Norse mythology. The first book of his The Trials of Apollo series, The Hidden Oracle, was released in May 2016. When was "The Lighting Thief" first published? Add 2 to the sum of the digits in the year for A.
- Katherine Anne Porter (May 15, 1890 – September 18, 1980) was born in Indian Creek, Texas. Was an American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel Ship of Fools was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her short stories received much more critical acclaim. Ship of Fools, was based on her reminiscences of a ocean cruise she had taken in 1931 from Vera Cruz, Mexico, to Germany. The novel was adapted for film by Abby Mann; producer and director Stanley Kramer featured Vivien Leigh in her final film performance. In 1966 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the U.S. National Book Award for The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter. In what year did she publish The Never-Ending Wrong, an account of the notorious trial and execution of Sacco and Vanzetti? Take the sum of the 4 digits in the year, then divide by 4 to get B.
- Albert Horton Foote Jr. (March 14, 1916 – March 4, 2009, born in Wharton, Texas, was an American playwright and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his screenplays for the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, which was adapted from the novel by the same name by Harper Lee, and his original screenplay for the film Tender Mercies (1983). In 1995, Foote was the inaugural recipient of the Austin Film Festival’s Distinguished Screenwriter Award. In 2000, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. In what year did Foote receive the Pulitzer Prize for drama, The Young Man from Atlanta? (He also won two Academy Awards, one for an original screenplay (Tender Mercies) and one for adapted screenplay (To Kill a Mockingbird)). You may add 2 to the 4th digit, or subtract 2 from the 3rd digit, to get C.
- Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995), born in Fort Worth, Texas was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley. She wrote 22 novels and numerous short stories throughout her career spanning nearly five decades, and her work has led to more than two dozen film adaptations. Her first novel, Strangers on a Train, has been adapted for stage and screen, the best known being the Alfred Hitchcock film released in 1951. Writing under the pseudonym Claire Morgan, Highsmith published the first lesbian novel with a happy ending, The Price of Salt, in 1952, republished 38 years later as Carol under her own name and later adapted into a 2015 film. In what year was her novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley, first published? Add the 3 first digits in the year and then divide by 5 to get D.
- Larry Jeff McMurtry (June 3, 1936 – March 25, 2021) born in Archer City, Texas, was an American novelist, essayist, bookseller, and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas. His novels included Horseman, Pass By (1962), The Last Picture Show (1966), and Terms of Endearment (1975), which were adapted into films. His 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Lonesome Dove, was adapted into a television miniseries that earned 18 Emmy Award nominations (seven wins). The subsequent three novels in his Lonesome Dove series were adapted as three more miniseries, earning eight more Emmy nominations. McMurtry and cowriter Diana Ossana adapted the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain (2005), which earned eight Academy Award nominations with three wins, including McMurtry and Ossana for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2014, McMurtry received the National Humanities Medal. How many movies adapted from McMurtry’s works earned Oscar nominations and how many were wins? Subtract the number of wins from the number of nominations and divide by 3 to get E.
- William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American short story writer. Born in North Carolina, Porter moved to Austin on a doctor’s orders seeking warmer weather for a health condition. He moved to Texas in 1882, where today you may see the O. Henry Museum in Austin. O. Henry is best known for his witty short stories that feature surprise endings and ingenuous wordplay. His works include “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf," and “The Ransom of Red Chief”. Porter worked as a bookkeeper for the First National Bank of Austin, where he kept sloppy records and may have imbezzeled funds. After a Federal investigation, he was found guilty on February 17, 1898, of embezzlement and was sentenced to five years in prison. He was released on July 24, 1901, for good behavior after serving three years. Porter was a heavy drinker, and by 1908, his markedly deteriorating health affected his writing. He was married twice; his first wife died of consumption in 1897, and his second wife left him in 1909. He died on June 5, 1910, of cirrhosis of the liver, complications of diabetes, and an enlarged heart. How much did he embezzle? Take the sum of all 5 digits, subtract 1 and then divide by 4 to get F.
CACHE IS AT:
N42 38.ABC, W75 06.DEF
Earn your diploma from the Texas School House by finding the 11 caches in the Texas School House State Forest. But first you'll have to learn the history and facts of the Lone Star State! Your day in the classroom includes a lovely streamside stroll, beaver lodges, and interperative signs provided by the Audobon Society. Find the caches and ride off into the sunset!
All the caches are winter-friendly preforms or bison tubes.
https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/maptexasschool.pdf