Book Briefs, Feb. 21

BMI to host discussion
on 21st-Century female novelists

A Black Mountain Institute panel discussion titled "Female Novelists in the 21st Century: Not Your Grandmother's Sense and Sensibility" featuring Mary Gaitskill, Cheryl Strayed and Sarah Shun-lien Bynum is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Student Union Ballroom at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. The program is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit
blackmountaininstitute.org.

UNLV writers to read at Neon Lit

Neon Lit, a monthly literary event presented by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas MFA and Ph.D. programs, is set to feature readings by poet Andrew Merecicky and fiction writers Tim Moungey and Jean Ho at 7 p.m. Friday at Trifecta Gallery in The Arts Factory, 107 E. Charleston Blvd. Doors open at 6 p.m. The newest addition to the UNLV creative writing staff, Dr. Maile Chapman, author of "Your Presence is Requested at Suvanto," is scheduled to read new work.

For more information, visit neonlit.org.

'Nappily Ever After' author
thomas plans visit

Trisha R. Thomas plans to discuss and sign copies of the books in her Nappily series including "Nappily Ever After" and "Nappily About Us" at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

Ms. China plans poet interview

Ms. China plans to interview poet Keith Brantley from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the West Las Vegas Library, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd. Visit lvccld.org for details.

Detective/author to be featured on National Geographic documentary

Metropolitan Police Department detective and author Chris Baughman is scheduled to be featured in the National Geographic documentary "Sex for Sale: American Escort," airing at 9 p.m., Wednesday . In Las Vegas, the National Geographic Channel airs on Channel 68 for those with Cox, on Channel 276 for DirecTV and 186 on Dish Network. For more information about the author, visit chrisbaughman.com.

AUTHOR SLATED TO MEET READERS

The READ Local Author Series at Henderson Libraries is slated to feature local author Morgan St. James at 2:30 p.m. Monday at the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway.

St. James is the author of the nonfiction book "Writers Tricks of the Trade: 39 Things You Need to Know About the ABCs" and is half of the team behind the Silver Sisters mysteries. For more information, visit morganstjames-author.com.

Author plans to sign parenting book

Ron Mackey plans to sign copies of his book "Parenting: The Bottom Line" at 1 p.m. Sunday at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

Children's author to visit bookstore

Author Jillian Green DiGiacomo plans to read from her children's picture book "Off the Wall" at 11 a.m. today at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

Celebrate Seuss at book parties

Celebrate classic children's book author Dr. Seuss' birthday with activities all over Southern Nevada. Las Vegas-Clark County Library District parties include An Oobleck Day event for children 6 to 11 from 4 to 5 p.m. March 2 and a preschool storytime for chidren 5 or younger from 10:30 to 11 a.m. March 1 at the West Las Vegas Library, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd.; parties are also planned March 3 from 2 to
2:45 p.m. at the West Charleston Library, 6301 W. Charleston Blvd., from 11 a.m. to noon at the Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, and from 10:30 to
11:30 a.m. at the Enterprise Library, 25 E. Shelbourne Ave., the Sahara West Library, 9600 W. Sahara Ave., and the Whitney Library, 5175 E. Tropicana Ave. For a complete schedule, visit lvccld.org.

Henderson Public Libraries plans Read Across America storytimes to celebrate Seuss from 1:30 to 1:55 p.m. and from 2 to 2:25 p.m. March 3 at the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway. Space is limited. Check in at the children's desk. Visit www.mypubliclibrary.com for details.

Target stores across the country plan to celebrate early with readings of Seuss' book "The Lorax" scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday.

The 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble plans a celebration with a reading of "The Lorax" and crafts at 7 p.m. March 2. The bookstore also plans to host student readers from the Clark County READS program throughout March. Visit barnesandnoble.com for details.

Author to lead free career workshops at local libraries

The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District plans to offer free career workshops led by PJ Sheldon, local author of "Career Strategies for Success"

Workshops include:

"Resume Polishing" scheduled at 10:30 a.m. March 3 at the Centennial Hills Library, 6711 N. Buffalo Drive.

"Your Best Image" scheduled at 11 a.m. March 17 at the West Las Vegas Library, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd.

"Navigating Interviews" scheduled at 10:30 a.m. April 14 at the Spring Valley Library, 4280 S. Jones Blvd.

A book sale and signing is set to follow each workshop. For more information visit lvccld.org.

Library welcomes comic crime novelist

"An Evening with Tim Dorsey: Umbrella Drinks, Dictators & a Hilarious New Novel" is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 5 in the Jewel Box Theater at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. A book signing and reception are scheduled to follow Dorsey's presentation.

Dorsey's novels include "Hurricane Punch," "The Big Bamboo," "Orange Crush," Triggerfish Twist," "Cadillac Beach" and "Torpedo Juice."

For more information, visit lvccld.org.

Book Clubs invited to pre-festival mixer

Book clubs from around the Valley are welcome to the Vegas Valley Book Festival pre-festival book group mixer set for 10:30 a.m. March 6 at the Centennial Hills Library, 6711 N. Buffalo Drive. Members of the Centennial Hills Readers Circle and other groups are to gather as Las Vegas Metropolitan Police detective Christopher Baughman leads a discussion of his book "Off The Street." Discussion of other current favorite titles and authors and share their groups' success stories is to follow. No fee or registration required. Call 507-6107 or visit vegasvalleybookfestival.org.

EXHIBIT TO FEATURE HISTORICAL FIGURES

Bauman Rare Books plans to showcase "The American Experience" exhibit through March 1 inside The Shoppes at the Palazzo, 3339 Las Vegas Blvd. South. The exhibit is slated to feature rare first editions of "The Federalist" and "Lewis and Clark Expedition," and signed documents by Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. For more information, call 948-1617 or visit baumanrarebooks.com.

Author/Columnist Betty Bunch
to be featured at Brandeis luncheon

Brandeis University National Committee's Las Vegas chapter plans to feature Betty Bunch, Vintage Vegas columnist and author of "High Heels and Headdresses: Memoirs of a Vintage Vegas Showgirl," at its 15th annual Book and Author Luncheon, scheduled for March 11 at Spiedini Ristorante in the JW Marriott, 221 N. Rampart Blvd. The group also plans to present the Chapter Outstanding Service Award to Edith Einhorn. Tickets are $65. Proceeds benefit the chapter's scholarship fund.

To make a reservation, contact Denise Needleman at dfneedleman@gmail.com or Arlene Zonder at abzonder@embarqmail.com.

Las Vegas Writers Conference
scheduled for April 19-21

The Las Vegas Writers Conference is scheduled for April 19-21 at Sam's Town, 5111 Boulder Highway. Registration for the full conference is $450 or $500 at the door. One-day registration also is available.

For more information, visit
lasvegaswritersconference.com.

SHARE POEMS AT HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Polish up a poem or two and try them out at Human Experience, a free spoken word event, from 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays in The Beat coffee shop at 520 Fremont St. inside Emergency Arts.

For more information, visit lasvegaspoets.org.

Henderson Writers Group
meets Mondays

The Henderson Writers Group meets from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. Mondays. Meetings are at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at 4550 S. Maryland Parkway on the second and fourth Mondays and at Saxbys Coffee Lounge, 72 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway in Henderson, on the first, third and occasional fifth Mondays. Meetings are typically canceled on holidays. Visit henderson
writersgroup.com for more information. Meetings are open to the public.

Active Adult Center Book Club to discuss 'The Double Bind'

The Centennial Hills Active Adult Center book club plans to discuss "The Double Bind" by Bohjalian at 12:30 p.m. March 7 at the center, 6601 N. Buffalo Drive.

The book club meets the first Wednesday of the month and is free for center members.

Selections for future months are "Blood from a Stone" by Donna Leon for April 4 and "The Single Thread" by Marie Bostwick for May 2. A full listing of March events and regular programs is available at the center.

For more information, call 229-1702.

Novel writing workshop offered

Author Maxwell Alexander Drake plans a novel writers workshop series meeting from 3 to 5 p.m. March 4 at the Centennial Hills Library, 6711 N. Buffalo Drive.

FREE STORYCORPS TOOLKIT
HELPS COLLECT MEMORIES

The national StoryCorps' Memory Loss Initiative encourages people with memory loss to share their stories with loved ones and future generations. To make that task easier, a free step-by-step toolkit is available to download at storycorps.org/mli.

The Commemorate toolkit offers an individual reminiscence program that family members can initiate or memory loss care facilities can add to activities.

The initiative has collected more than 1,800 interviews with 180 partner organizations.

For more information, visit storycorps.org or call 646-723-7027.

SUNRISE COFFEE CO. ON SUNSET ROAD
HOSTS OPEN MIC NIGHT WEDNESDAYS

Sunrise Coffee Co. welcomes poets and poetry fans to participate in its open mic night starting at 7 p.m. every Wednesday at 3130 E. Sunset Road.

ACCESS RECORDED BOOK PROGRAMS ONLINE

Too busy to get out to book programs? The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District has started posting videocasts and podcasts of many of its programs online. Selections available so far include: "An Afternoon with Tony Curtis," John L. Smith's presentation "Amelia's Long Journey: The Challenge of Writing What You Know," "Batman" movie producer Michael Uslan's presentation at the 2009 Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival, Jami Carpenter's "ABCs of Editing" workshop and Brian Rouff's "Getting Published: A Long Strange Trip." To access the programs, visit lvccld.org, select "Books, Movies & More" and then "Video and Podcasts."

The Black Mountain Institute has offered recordings of its programming since 2006. To access recordings of a gamut of writers from E.L. Doctorow to Alissa Nutting, visit blackmountain
institute.org and select "multimedia."

FREE READ TO ME PROGRAM
OFFERS STORIES ONLINE AND BY PHONE

Celebrity storytellers Oscar Goodman, Rita Rudner, Clint Holmes, Terry Fator, Carrot Top, The Scintas and others have donated their talents to the Clark County Education Association Community Foundation's Read To Me program. Children can view more than 15 videos of celebrities reading books on the website at readtomelv.com. Stories also can be accessed by calling 240-2665.

Both databases are frequently updated with fresh stories. Parents and teachers can download lesson plans for each book on the website.

DOWNLOAD BOOKS and MORE
FROM YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY

Virtual Branch websites make it easy to browse, check out and download digital books and more to a home computer for free. All patrons need is a valid library card and an Internet-connected PC.

Virtual Branch download websites feature a digital catalog of downloadable audio books, e-books, music and video titles.

Each site is meant to look and feel like the library's main site, and it has many easy-to-use features similar to an online store.

Digital book downloads are borrowed just like print materials. Once patrons select the title or author they want, they follow the steps to check out and then download the title to their home computer.

Patrons can transfer most titles to portable media players, such as MP3 players, PDAs, Kindles or smart phones.

Each title that is downloaded has a designated lending period. When the title expires, it is automatically returned to the Virtual Branch, so there are no late fees.

For more information, visit
search.overdrive.com.

ZINE LIBRARY OPEN IN EMERGENCY ARTS

Grab a cup of coffee and check out the independently crafted magazines at the Las Vegas Zine Library inside the Beat Cafe in Emergency Arts, 520 Fremont St.

The library is still small, more of a collection on display for reference and on-site reading than a checkout repository. Contributions of zines are appreciated. For more information, visit lvzinelibrary.blogspot.com.

Teen Writing Club plans meetings

A Teen Writing Club meets at the Green Valley Library, 2797 N. Green Valley Parkway. The club schedules meetings every other month. For more information, call 207-4260.