Book festival brings long list of events, activities to Las Vegas

The 11th annual Vegas Valley Book Festival will begin Thursday and continue all day Saturday.

Keynote speakers this year will be Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series of Southern vampire mysteries, which are, in turn, the basis for the HBO series "True Blood," and author and journalist Jennifer Egan, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction for her novel "A Visit From the Goon Squad."

All Vegas Valley Book Festival events are free and open to the public. A complete schedule of the festival's offerings, bios of speakers and participants, and general information about the event can be found at the Vegas Valley Book Festival website (www.vegasvalleybookfestival.org).

Event locations include: the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St.; the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road; Boulder Plaza Park, 1047 S. Main St. at Boulder Avenue and Main Street; and the Bunker Mortuary Chapel, 925 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

Here are a few of the highlights of this year's event. Note, however, that offerings and start times can change.

Thursday, Nov. 1

7 p.m.: Keynote address by author Charlaine Harris at the Clark County Library.

Friday, Nov. 2

6 p.m.: "First Friday Poetry Stage: Live from the Las Vegas Arts District" at Boulder Plaza Park.

Saturday, Nov. 3

9 a.m.: "Senior Moments: Caring for Alzheimer's Disease and Keeping Your Brain Healthy," a panel discussion with Dr. Gary Small, Lisa Radin and Rasheda Ali and moderated by Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, in the Historic Fifth Street School Auditorium.

9:45 a.m.: "Invitation to the Storytelling Tent" with the Rainbow Company Youth Theater at the Historic Fifth Street School Children's Festival Storytelling Tent.

10 a.m.: "Book Clubs Select: Discovering the Novelist Within," a panel discussion with Jamie Ford, Alan Lazar and Tupelo Hassman and moderated by Jessica Lucero, at the Historic Fifth Street School Readers Tent.

10 a.m.: "Telling Stories to Children through the Written, Spoken and Illustrated Word," a panel discussion with David Shannon, Monica Brown, Patrick Carman and Jon Agee and moderated by Charlotte Blake Alston, at the Historic Fifth Street School Auditorium.

10 a.m.: "Get Out of My Way," a writing workshop presented by Matt de la Pena, at the Historic Fifth Street School's NSA Recital Room, Suite 125.

10 a.m.: "The Rise and Fall and Rise of Las Vegas," a panel discussion with Geoff Schumacher and Sally Denton and moderated by Michael Green, at the Historic Fifth Street School, Room 160.

10 a.m.: "Poetry in the Courtyard" will feature readings all day, hosted by Las Vegas Poets Organization, at the Historic Fifth Street School Poetry Courtyard Stage.

11 a.m.: "The Anatomy of a Comic Book," presented by Dan Parsons at the Clark County Library Jewel Box Theater.

11 a.m.: A film, "Untold Tales of the Comic Industry," followed by a question-and-answer session with director Brandon Jerwa at the Clark County Library Main Theater.

11:15 a.m.: "Self Portrait, With Others: The Ethics of Writing Memoir," a panel discussion with Oksana Marafioti, Kelle Groom, Emily Rapp and Stephen Elliott and moderated by Maile Chapman, in the Historic Fifth Street School Auditorium.

11:15 a.m.: "Who Says There's Not Something for Everyone in Contemporary YA Fiction?" a panel discussion with Matt de la Pena, Sara Zarr, Simone Elkeles, Kirsten Hubbard, Abby McDonald and Stephanie Perkins and moderated by Lindsey Leavitt in the Historic Fifth Street School Reader Tent.

11:15 a.m.: "Nevada and Las Vegas Memory: Digital Treasures for Readers, Authors and the Literary Imagination," a workshop with Corey Lampert and Karen Wikander, in Room 160 of the Historic Fifth Street School.

11:45 a.m.: "Illustrated Word Public Art Presentation" with Markus Tracy at the Poetry Courtyard Stage at the Historic Fifth Street School.

Noon: "Flash! Short Fiction Contest" readings by winners and awards presentation, moderated by Brian Rouff, at the Poetry Courtyard Stage at the Historic Fifth Street School.

12:10 p.m.: Kevin Janison, author of the "Deputy Dorkface" children's book series, at the Historic Fifth Street School's Children's Festival Storytelling Tent.

12:30 p.m.: Children's book creator David Shannon at the Historic Fifth Street School Children's Festival Storytelling Tent.

12:30 p.m.: "Paranormal Lover's Paradise: Vampire Angel, Ghost or Zombie?" a panel discussion with Daniel Marks, Daniel Waters, Dan Haring, Sara Wilson Etienne, Lauren Kate, Emily McKay, Melissa de la Cruz and Suzanne Selfors and moderated by Kevin Emerson, at the Historic Fifth Street School Readers Tent.

12:30 p.m.: "A Conversation with P Moss and Scott Dickensheets" in Room 160 of the Historic Fifth Street School.

12:45 p.m.: "Self-publishing and e-books," a workshop with Ni'cola Mitchell, in the Historic Fifth Street School NSA Rehearsal Room 1, Suite 125

1 p.m.: "Webcomics 101," a panel discussion with Drew Rausch and Aaron Alexovich, at the Clark County Library's Jewel Box Theater.

1:30 p.m.: "Spark! The Student Poetry Contest" finalists' judging on recitation and awards presentation, moderated by Maryjane Dorofachuk, at the Historic Fifth Street School Poetry Courtyard Stage.

1:45 p.m.: "Stories and Songs in the Oral Tradition" with Charlotte Blake Alston in the Historic Fifth Street School's NSA Recital Room, Suite 125.

1:45 p.m.: "Girl Power: From Sweet to Spicy (And Sometimes Cyborg!)" a panel discussion with Jen Calonita, Kieran Scott, Elizabeth Eulberg, Kiera Cass, Ginger Rue, Kody Keplinger, Marissa Meyer and Rosemary Clement-Moore, and moderated by Suzanne Young, in the Historic Fifth Street School Readers Tent.

2 p.m.: "Closet Cosplay," a workshop with Very Awesome Girls Into Nerdy Activities, at the Clark County Library Jewel Box Theater.

3 p.m.: Crystal Bookmark Awards in the Historic Fifth Street School Auditorium.

3 p.m.: An authors' book signing with all YA panel authors and more (including Gretchen McNeil, Jennifer Bosworth, Angela Corbett, Lani Woodland , Patrick Carman, Brodi Ashton, Tracy Deebs, Laury Falter, Lisa Stasse and Stephanie Strohm) in the Historic Fifth Street School Readers Tent.

3:30 p.m.: Keynote address by author/journalist Jennifer Egan, in the Historic Fifth Street School Auditorium.

6 p.m.: "Nevada Humanities Salon: Nevada Voices" featuring Maile Chapman, Christopher Coake, Peter Goin, Shaun Griffin and Donald Revell, in the Historic Fifth Street School Auditorium.

7:30 p.m.: "Steampunk Spectacular: Clockworks, Corsets, Historical Adventure and a Little Bit of Paranormalcy!" with Kiersten White, Bethany Griffin and Suzanne Lazear, at the Bunker Mortuary Chapel, 925 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL