THE BOOK ON FW: Albums by Fort Worth bands dominated the tops of recent year-end lists – Calhoun’s Heavy Suger and Burning Hotels’ self-titled album took the top two spots on most of them. But the city has been producing top-notch bands since pretty much the invention of rock ‘n’ roll. That history is the subject of Fort Worth’s Rock and Roll Roots, a book that tells lots of tales of bands gone by. Anthony Mariani plucks out some of the best stories in his review on fwweekly.com.

HOMEGROWN TALENT: Could this be the year of the local playwright? A recent post on theaterjones.com makes a strong case. More than a dozen works by writers with North Texas connections will be performed on area stages. And as Mark Lowry points out in the story, “Without active playwrights whose work is being produced—making an impact both in and outside of their geographic location—national recognization as a “theater town” can be hard to come by.”

LOCAL LENS: PDNB’S current show – “Keith Carter: From Uncertain to Blue” features Carter’s photos of small Texas towns. And in her glasstire.com review, our ol’ Art&Seek pal Betsy Lewis was less than impressed. “While Carter is certainly a respected name in the field, the exhibition lacks the improvisational spirit, potency, and range found in more recent projects I’ve seen on similar ground (work by Laura Wilson and Allison V. Smith respectively spring to mind, and that’s without even leaving Dallas city limits),” she writes. Well, that’s got feathers raised in the comments section of the post, both backing and trashing the assessement. The review (and subsequent debate) are worth your time if you’re interested in photography. And you can judge the show for yourself through Feb. 11.