THE WRITE STUFF: The National Book Critics Circle has announced the finalists for this year’s awards. Readers of The Dallas Morning News might recognize a name on the list. Staff writer S.C. Gwynne’s book, Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in America, was nominated in the non-fiction category. (If you’re keeping score, Gwynne’s book already wins the award among the nominees for Longest Book Title.) The paper’s arts blog has more.

BUILDING HIS RESUME: Cal Walsh’s lucky day came on Sunday. The Grapevine native was in need of a job after graduating from the University of Texas with an engineering degree. So he entered a contest to become the master model builder at the new Legoland Discovery Center in Grapevine. And his design was deemed the best out of the 150 or so entries. “I have an engineering career fair next Friday,” Walsh tells dfw.com. “I guess I don’t have to go.”

A JAZZY SPRING: Today is a big day for local jazz heads. The UNT Jazz artist series kicks off at McDavid Studio in Fort Worth. For the event, UNT jazz professors invite world-class performers to give lectures at the school and then perform at night. Tonight’s performance is highlighted by trumpeter Marvin Stamm, a UNT grad. He’ll play with the UNT jazz faculty trio. For more info on tonight’s performance and the rest of the series lineup, see dentonrc.com.