View book briefs, Oct. 29-Nov. 4

JUSTIN TORRES TO BE FEATURED AT EMERGING WRITERS SERIES EVENT

Justin Torres, author of the coming-of-age novel “We The Animals,” is slated to speak as part of the Black Mountain Institute’s Emerging Writers Series from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 29 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. The University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate served as a 2010-12 Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University and as a 2012-13 fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard. For more information, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.

CARTOONIST TO SING NEW BOOK AT HENDERSON BARNES & NOBLE

“Pickles” cartoonist Brian Crane is scheduled to sign his new book of cartoons, “Oh, Sure! Blame It on the Dog!”, at 4 p.m. Nov. 1 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble. For more than 15 years, Crane’s comic strip has been syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group. For more information, call 702-434-1533.

AUTHOR A.G. HOWARD TO VISIT BARNES & NOBLE

Barnes & Noble, 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd., plans a reading and signing by “Splintered” author A.G. Howard at 4 p.m. Nov. 1. For more information, call 702-631-1775.

‘DIARY OF A WIMPY KID’ AUTHOR TO VISIT BARNES & NOBLE

Jeff Kinney, author of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series plans a signing event at 5 p.m. Nov. 4 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble. The bookstore is scheduled to open at 7 a.m. to sell copies of the eighth and newest book in the series, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck,” and distribute a limited number of wristbands on a first-come, first-served basis.

To participate in the book signing at 5 p.m., a wristband and copy of “Hard Luck” are required. Parents may accompany children into the store but may not enter the line without a wristband and copy of the book of their own. Kinney will also sign copies of other books in the series, according to the store.

For more information, call 702-631-1775.

TEEN LITERATURE BOOK CLUB MEETING PLANNED NOV. 8

The Adults Who Love YA Book Club is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble. The group made of mostly adults but is open to teens who meet monthly to read and discuss their favorite teen books. For more information, call 702-631-1775.

SUMMERLIN LIBRARY PLANS WRITING WORKSHOP

The Summerlin Library plans to offer Readers’ & Writers’ Corner at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays at 1771 Inner Circle Drive. The lineup is slated to include: Nov. 9 — Creating Memorable Characters in Fiction & Film. Create, explore or simply enjoy unforgettable characters in the novels you read (or write) and the movies you view. For more information, visit lvccld.org.

COMIC BOOK FESTIVAL TO OFFER VIP PACKAGE

Novelist and comic book writer Greg Rucka and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” artist Georges Jeanty are two of the many creators scheduled to participate in the annual Vegas Valley Comic Book Fest set for 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. The festival is free, but for $5 this year fans can register for a VIP package, which is to include a VIP badge, swag bag, preferred seating at panels, screenings and concerts and a limited-edition poster. For more information, visit vegasvalleycomicbookfestival.org.

MEMOIR-WRITING WORKSHOPS SLATED

An ongoing series of free four-week memoir-writing workshops is scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m. Fridays at the Las Vegas FamilySearch Library, 509 S. Ninth St. For more information, call 702-382-9695.

‘MESQUITE’ EXHIBIT SHOWCASES BOOKS AS ART

Clark County Parks and Recreation plans to host “Mesquite,” an exhibition of book art by artist and graphic designer M. Hill, through Nov. 22 at the Clark County Government Center’s Rotunda Gallery, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway. The exhibit is also part of the Vegas Valley Book Festival’s Illustrated Word program.

HENDERSON WRITERS GROUP MEETINGS SET

The Henderson Writers Group meets from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. Mondays in room C-2 at Community Lutheran Church, 3720 E. Tropicana Ave. Meetings are typically canceled on holidays. For more information, visit hendersonwritersgroup.

ALIANTE LIBRARY TO HOST WRITERS CLUB

The Aliante Library Writers Club is scheduled to meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the Aliante Library, 2400 W. Deer Springs Road, North Las Vegas. For more information, contact facilitator Glory Wade at glorywadewriter@gmail.com.

BARNES & NOBLE TO HOST WRITING GROUP

The 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble hosts a writing critique group the fourth Monday of each month. The group is limited to the first 20 participants per meeting. Sign up at meetup.com/las-vegas-creative-writing-class.

CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS TO BE DISPLAYED

An exhibit titled “Imaginings through Illustrations: Work by Children’s Book Illustrators” featuring artwork by illustrators Jorge Betancourt-Polanco, Elisha Cooper, Adam Gustavson, Bethanie Murguia, Kip Noschese and Joseph Watson is slated to be on display through Nov. 30 at the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St. The exhibit is scheduled to be open during Vegas Valley Book Festival events and by appointment. For more information, visit vegasvalleybookfestival.org.

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 Coffeehouse inside Emergency Arts, 520 Fremont St. For more information, visit lasvegaspoets.org.

CATHERINE COULTER TO BE BOOK FESTIVAL’S KEYNOTE SPEAKER

New York Times best-selling author Catherine Coulter is scheduled to make the opening keynote address of the Vegas Valley Book Festival at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. Coulter has written 71 books, including her lates in her FBI thriller series, “Bombshell.” Coulter is expected to sign books following the event, which is free and open to the public. Wristbands will be given out at 6 p.m. in the theater courtyard. For more information, visit lvccld.org or call 702-507-3459.

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 702-240-2665. 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 Coffeehouse in Emergency Arts, 520 Fremont St. The library is 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.

FREE STORYCORPS TOOLKITHELPS 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.

ACCESS RECORDED BOOK PROGRAMS ONLINE

Too busy to get out to book programs? The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District has started posting videos 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 blackmountaininstitute.org and select “multimedia.”