A library of books barred from Texas prisons

One thing prisoners have a lot of is time. One way to pass that time is to read. But prisoners in the Texas system have a short list to choose from, considering all the publications banned by the state's department of corrections.

From the Austin American-Statesmen:

Novels by National Book Award winners Pete Dexter, Joyce Carol Oates, Annie Proulx and William T. Vollmann have been banned in recent years. Award finalists Katherine Dunn and Barry Hannah are on the Texas no-read list, too, as are Pulitzer Prize winners Alice Walker, Robert Penn Warren and John Updike.

Prisoners can't peruse certain books by Pablo Neruda and Andre Gide, both Nobel laureates. "Krik? Krak!" by Haitian writer Edwidge Danticat, who last year won a MacArthur "genius" grant, is prohibited behind Lone Star bars. Books of paintings by some of the world's greatest artists — da Vinci, Picasso, Botticelli, Michelangelo — have been ordered out of state correctional facilities.

And just because a book is a best-seller in the free world doesn't mean it's available on the inside. Harold Robbins, Pat Conroy, Hunter S. Thompson, Dave Barry and James Patterson belong to the don't-read fraternity. Mystery writer Carl Hiaasen does, too, as do Kinky Friedman and Janet Fitch, whose "White Oleander" was an Oprah's Book Club selection.

John Grisham has had four blockbusters banned since 2005. And inmates will have to wait for parole before diving into "Precious," the book by Sapphire that last year was turned into a critically acclaimed movie.

Political connections don't seem to count for much, either. Her father may have been governor and president, but Jenna Bush's "Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope" made the banned list in November 2008.

Not for sale (anymore)

Cox Enterprises sent out a memo today alerting employees that the Austin American-Statesman is no longer for sale.

It sounds as if the company didn't so much want to keep the paper as no one offered the right price. From the memo:

I am pleased to announce that the Austin American-Statesman is no longer for sale and will remain part of Cox Enterprises. Since Cox announced its intent to sell the paper in August 2008, the Statesman received substantial interest from potential buyers. However, Cox did not feel that the offers reflected the true value of the Statesman.

The memo goes on to list 19 papers it has sold and two others that remain on the market.

(via Romenesko)

Cox sells N.C. papers

Cox Enterprises sold its 13 North Carolina newspapers to Cooke Communications, Editor and Publisher reports. Cox announced last December that it would sell off its holdings in N.C. and Colorado and put the Austin American Statesman on the auction block.

From the chopping block

Speaking in Davos, Rupert Murdoch called for "drastic action" to quell the credit crisis. Meantime, Portfolio reports that Murdoch's Wall Street Journal will trim 50 employees from the newsroom.

The Austin American-Statesman, owned by Cox Enterprises, will offer early retirement to anyone over age 55. The paper expects to shed about 45 employees from its 906 person staff. Cox has put the newspaper up for sale and bidders include the owner of the bankrupt Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News want a divorce.

Austin American-Statesman for sale

Cox Enterprises has put the Austin American-Statesman up for sale, along with newspapers in Colorado, North Carolina and Texas (via Romenesko).

The company will keep its flagship, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as well as papers in Ohio and Florida.

Related: The Palm Beach Post, another Cox Enterprises paper, is expected to layoff 36 people after offering buyouts to another 264.