Book Briefs for Dec. 31, 2013-Jan. 6, 2014

SIGNING SET FOR ‘THE POCKET MOMMY’

Author Rachel Eugster is set to sign copies of her book “The Pocket Mommy” at 1 p.m. Jan. 4 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble. BOOKSTORE 101 COURSE OFFERED at UNLV PARADISE CAMPUS

The UNLV division of Educational Outreach plans to offer Bookstore 101, a course in book values and identification featuring a roundtable discussion with “master bookmen from the Las Vegas Valley and a book buying expedition in the local area.” The course is scheduled from 7:15 to 9:15 p.m. Tuesdays Jan. 7-Feb. 4 at the UNLV Paradise campus, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. The enrollment fee for the course, to be taught by Phil DeFlumear of Greyhound’s Books, is $85. For more information, visit edoutreach.unlv.edu or call 702-895-3394.

BIBLICAL SCHOLARS TO DISCUSS JESUS

“Does it Matter if Jesus Was Married?” is the topic of a Black Mountain Institute-sponsored conversation scheduled with biblical scholars Karen King, Bart Ehrman and Mark Jordan at 7 p.m. Jan. 23 in the Doc Rando Hall of the Beam Music Center at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway.

In 2012, King, who is Harvard’s Hollis Professor of Divinity and the author of “The Gospel of Mary Magdala” and “Reading Judas,” announced an ancient papyrus text in which Jesus refers to his wife. Ehrman is a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of “Misquoting Jesus” and “Forged.” Jordan, a professor at Washington University, St. Louis, is the author of “Recruiting Young Love: How Christians Talk About Homosexuality.”

For more information, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.

SIGNING SET FOR ‘TREASURE OF THE SOUL’

Local author Chrystal Hallam is set to sign copies of her book “Treasure of the Soul” at 1 p.m. Jan. 8 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

NORM CLARKE TO SPEAK AT LIBRARY

Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist and author Norm Clarke is scheduled to talk about Las Vegas, celebrities and more at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 10 at the Gibson Library, 100 W. Lake Mead Parkway. For more information, visit mypubliclibrary.org.

Library to launch Mob Month

Local authors Morgan St. James and Dennis Griffin delve into the dark life of Bella Capo in the new Houdini Publishing book “La Bella Mafia.” The daughter of a drug-addicted mother and a father whose associates included politicians and members of organized crime, Capo spent much of her childhood in foster homes and rehabilitation centers. Capo is slated to speak alongside “My Father, My Don” author Tony Napoli, son of mob boss Jimmy “Nap” Napoli, from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 7 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, as part of the library’s Mob Month programs. Speakers are scheduled to participate in the free programs every Tuesday in January. For a full story, visit viewnews.com. 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.

BARNES & NOBLE TO HOST WRITING GROUP

The 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble hosts a writing critique group at 5:15 p.m. 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.

‘BAD KITTY’ AUTHOR PLANS LAS VEGAS VISIT

Nick Bruel, best known as author and illustrator of the tales of the cantankerous cat Bad Kitty, is scheduled to sign copies of his soon-to-be-released title “Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble” at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 15 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

ART CENTER HOSTS POETS CORNER

The West Las Vegas Arts Center, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd., hosts poets corner readings with Keith Brantley at 7 p.m. the first and third Friday of each month. For more information, contact the center at 702-229-4800.

CORRECTIONS OFFICER SHARES TIPS Tina Alexander is slated to meet with readers and sign copies of her book “Looking Into A Inmate’s World Through A C/O’s Eye” from noon to 4 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Dr. William U. Pearson Community Center, 1625 W. Carey Ave. The book taps Alexander’s experience as a prison corrections officer in an effort to turn kids’ lives around before they’re incarcerated.

‘ON TWO FRONTS’ AUTHORS PLAN SIGNING

Lance Taubold and Adam Fenner are set to sign copies of their book “On Two Fronts” at 1 p.m. Jan. 25 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble. Taubold is also slated to sign copies of the book he wrote with Richard Devin, “Ripper: A Love Story.”

EMERGING WRITES SERIES TO FEATURE LENI ZUMAS

Novelist Leni Zumas is scheduled to speak as part of the Black Mountain Institute’s Emerging Writers Series at 7 p.m. Feb. 11 at Greenspun Hall Auditorium at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway.

Zumas is the author of “Farewell Navigator” and “The Listeners,” a finalist for the Oregon Book Award.

For more information, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.

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. For more information, contact facilitator Glory Wade at glorywadewriter@gmail.com.

‘THE AVIATOR’S WIFE’ AUTHOR TO VISIT

Melanie Benjamin is set to discuss her novel “The Aviator’s Wife,” which follows the story of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, during a free program scheduled at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. For more information, 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 more information, visit lasvegaspoets.org.

FREE READ TO ME PROGRAM OFFERED

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.

CHEFS FEATURED IN DIGITAL COOKBOOK

Local celebrity chef Laura Augsburger has joined with chefs and food bloggers across the country in the digital cookbook “Spreading Cheer With Philadelphia,” a book benefiting Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign. The book includes Augsburger’s peanut butter mousse tart. Other submissions include Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger’s apple cream cheese bread pudding and key lime pie, and Izzy’s Red Velvet Curly Cake courtesy of Todd English. The book can be downloaded at cheesecakecheer.com.

LIBRARY TO MARK MOB MONTH

January is Mob Month at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, with presentations by authors and experts scheduled at 7 p.m. Tuesdays. For a complete schedule, visit lvccld.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.

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.

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 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.”

BLACK MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE TO HOST CONVERSATION WITH GERALDINE BROOKS AND STEPHEN GREENBLATT

“To Swerve or Not to Swerve: How Literature Navigates the Past” is the topic of a Black Mountain Institute-sponsored conversation scheduled with literary historian Stephen Greenblatt and historical novelist Geraldine Brooks at 7 p.m. March 13 in the UNLV Student Union Theatre at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway.

Greenblatt’s books include “How the World Became Modern,” winner of a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and the Shakespearean biography “Will in the World.”

Brooks won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel “March” that explores the life of the absent father of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women.” She is also the author of the novels “People of the Book” and “Caleb’s Crossing.”

For more information, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.

POET LYNN XU PLANS UNLV VISIT

Poet Lynn Xu is scheduled to speak as part of the Black Mountain Institute Emerging Writers Series at 7 p.m. April 8 in Greenspun Hall Auditorium at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway.

The Shanghai-born poet is the author of the collection “Debts & Lessons” and the chapbook “June.” She is an editor at Canarium Books.

For more information, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.

UNLV PROFESSOR’S VERSE DRAMA TO DEBUT

A debut performance of “O, Heart,” a verse drama by local poet Claudia Keelan, is scheduled for 7 p.m. April 24 in the UNLV Student Union Theatre, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Keelan, whose books include “Refinery” and “Utopic,” is a creative writing and English professor at UNLV and the editor of Interim magazine.

For more information, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.