Book Briefs for Dec. 4-10

Library Tree Lane gala set for Friday

Local authors Kevin Janison and Kurt Divich are slated to be among the presenters at The Friends of Henderson Libraries' Library Tree Lane Gala & Auction. The event is scheduled to feature trees and wreaths on display and gift baskets for auction from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway. Tickets are $25. Proceeds from the event benefit the library's youth services programs. Call 702-492-6584 for reservations.

Launch set for 'Salsa: The Taste of Life'

Eva Santiago plans to launch her book "Salsa: The Taste of Life" from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at The Coffee House, 117 S. Water St.

Graphic novelist schedules event

Liesa Swejkoski plans to sign copies of her young adult graphic novels "Lizzie's Blue Ridge Memories" and "A Sideshow Journey" at 1 p.m. Saturday at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

Bank to help bookstore give gift of literacy during holidays

Barnes & Noble patrons can have their donation matched by City National Bank when they purchase a book for donation to local schools through Jan. 1 as part of the Gift of Literacy Holiday Book Drive.

'City of Champions' event slated

Brian Hurlburt plans to sign copies of the book "City of Champions: The History of Professional Golf in Las Vegas" at 1 p.m. Dec. 15 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

Kurt Divich scheduled signing event

Local writer Kurt Divich, author of the novel "Lords of Las Vegas" and the nonfiction book "The Smith Center for the Performing Arts: A Dream in the Desert," is scheduled to sign books at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 15 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

Children's Book Writers and Illustrators plan one-day workshop

The Nevada Region of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators plans a "The Write Resolution" workshop from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Las Vegas Day School, 3275 Red Rock St. Faculty scheduled to participate includes novelists Ellen Hopkins, Suzanne Morgan Williams, Susan Hart Lindquist, Terri Farley and agent Keren Grencik. Registration is for society members is $100 before Jan. 20 or $125 at the door. Nonmembers pay $125 or $135. Manuscript and portfolio reviews are available for an additional $40. For more information, visit nevadascbwi.org.

View outdoors columnist plans book events at REI locations

View outdoors columnist and author Deborah Wall plans to speak and sign copies of her book "Base Camp Las Vegas: Hiking the Southwestern States" from 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 19 at the 2220 Village Walk Drive REI in The District at Green Valley Ranch and from 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 20 in the 710 S. Rampart Blvd. REI in Boca Park. Visit basecamplasvegashikes.com for more information.

Radio station and historian honored with Crystal Bookmark Awards

Local author Michael Green and Nevada Public Radio were presented with the 2012 Crystal Bookmark Awards on the closing day of the Vegas Valley Book Festival at the Historic Fifth Street School, Nov. 3. The awards, presented annually by the book festival, are given to an individual and to an organization for advancing the cause of literature and literacy in the Vegas Valley.

Green, a professor of history at the College of Southern Nevada, is the author of several books on the Civil War era and has written or co-authored numerous books on Nevada, including "Las Vegas; A Centennial History" and "Las Vegas: A Pictorial Celebration."

For more information, visit vegasvalley bookfestival.org.

The Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, is signing up local published authors for the fifth annual Spring Fling Book Fair, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 6. Authors who have books to sell can sign up for signing table sessions from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 1:30 to 3 p.m. Space is limited. The main theater is expected to feature a Hollywood authors panel, a concert and more.

For more information, contact library scheduling specialist Julie Okabayashi at okabayashij@lvccld.org.

'The Child Whisperer' author plans visit

Carole Tuttle, author of "The Child Whisperer" is scheduled to sign books at 1 p.m. Jan. 5 at the 8915 W. Charleston Barnes & Noble.

NObel laureate Wole Soyinka to speak at BMI event

The Black Mountain Institute plans a presentation by Wole Soyinka, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize for Literature, at 7 p.m. Feb. 12 in the student union at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Additional Black Mountain programs scheduled include a Nevada Emerging Writers Series featuring Leslie Jamison at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 in the Greenspun Hall auditorium at UNLV; Mustapha Marrouchi at 7 p.m. March 6 in the UNLV student union; and a conversation with BMI Fellows Criselda Yabes and Oksana Marafioti, moderated by Richard Wiley, at 7 p.m. April 10 in the UNLV student union. For more information, visit black mountaininstitute.org.

Learn to write irresistible queries

LeeAnne Krusemark, author of "101 Ways to Make $Money$ as a Freelance Writer," is scheduled to talk about writing irresistible query letters during a meeting of the Las Vegas Writers Group scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Tap House, 5589 W. Charleston Blvd. The meeting fee is $5. For more information, visit meetup.com/las-vegas-writers/.

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. Visit hendersonwritersgroup.com for more information.

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 www.meetup.com/las-vegas-creative-writing-class.

Vegas Lit to publish fiction with covers by local artists

Las Vegas-based publisher Huntington Press has launched the new fiction imprint Vegas Lit with plans to specialize in works with a Las Vegas or gambling tie-in.

The imprint's first title is "Risk of Ruin," a debut novel by Las Vegas writer Arnold Snyder, who also serves as Vegas Lit's managing editor. On Dec. 15, Vegas Lit is set to release Michael Konik's satirical fantasy, "Becoming Bobby." David Kranes' thriller, "abracadabra," is slated for an early 2013 release.

Huntington Press is planning to feature original artwork commissioned from local artists on all Vegas Lit covers. Writers and artists can visit lasvegasadvisor.com for submission guidelines. Queries can be emailed to books@huntingtonpress.com.

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.

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 702-240-2665.

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

Author to discuss Pearl Harbor book

Author Bill McWilliams plans to discuss his book "Sunday in Hell: Pearl Harbor Minute by Minute" at 10:30 a.m. Friday in the Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive. Visit lvccld.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 details, visit lasvegaspoets.org.

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.