The cover story of the new Texas Monthly cites 35 Texans who “will shape the future” — beginning with Lance Armstrong. Quite a claim — the kind of claim magazines often make to get attention (what are we gonna do if they’re wrong? Cancel our subscription in 20 years?).

But the good news is that among the select is Dallas’ finest writer, Ben Fountain. Anything to get attention for his superb short-story collection, Brief Encounters with Che Guevara.

What’s in Ben’s future is his Dallas novel, The Texas Itch, which is due out next year. What’s in his immediate future is an appearance Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Park Barnes & Noble (across from NorthPark) with KERA commentator Tom Dodge and poet Isabel Nathaniel.