Las Vegas Book Briefs for Aug. 14-20, 2014

ROMANCE WRITERS TO EXPLORE SHORT FICTION FORMATS

Chris Marie Green is set to speak on short fiction formats from short short stories to novellas during a meeting of the Las Vegas Romance Writers scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 16 at the Green Valley Library, 2797 N. Green Valley Parkway. For more information, visit lvrwa.org.

SIGNING SET FOR ‘ZODACCIA REALMS OF CHAOS’

Local author Justin Hill is scheduled to sign “Zodaccia Realms of Chaos” at 1 p.m. Aug. 16 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

BLACK MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE NAMES NEW BATCH OF FELLOWS

Black Mountain Institute’s incoming 2014-15 Fellows have been announced. Iranian fiction writer Hossein M. Abkenar has been named the Kenneth Barlow City of Asylum Fellow. Waller R. Newell, author, Carleton University political science professor and member of Ronald Reagan’s presidential transition team, has been named Fellow in Humanistic Studies. Harriet A. Washington, author of “Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present,” is this year’s Bennett Fellow. Poet, novelist, playwright and journalist Peter Zilahy has been named the Kluge Fellow in cooperation with the Library of Congress. Fellows traditionally spend an academic year in residence at UNLV writing, speaking and, on occasion, participating as visitors in UNLV graduate classes. For more information, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.

SIGNING SET FOR CHILDREN’S BOOK

Boulder City resident Brenda Ewers plans to sign copies of her book “Hedy and Howie Planting a Garden” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 16 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

PROFESSOR TO DISCUSS SPREAD OF GAMING IN NEIGHBORHOODS

Local author and director of the Center For Gaming Research at UNLV David G. Schwartz is scheduled to present a lecture on gaming spread in metropolitan properties and unconventional establishments such as supermarkets, convenience stores, bars and restaurants from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. For more information, visit lvccld.org.

AUTHOR TO VISIT WITH BOOK CLUB MEMBERS

Teen Summer Book Club members are set to read the novel “Killing Ruby Rose” and meet its local author Jessie Humphries during a club session scheduled from 3 to 4 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Green Valley Library, 2797 N. Green Valley Parkway. The event is free and open to readers 12 to 17. Registration is required at mypubliclibrary.com.

LAS VEGAS WRITERS GROUP TO WELCOME ANN MCGINNIS

Ann McGinnis is scheduled to speak on building a fan base during a meeting of the Las Vegas Writers Group scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 21 at the Tap House, 5589 W. Charleston Blvd. A meeting fee of $5 is charged. For more information, visit meetup.com/las-vegas-writers.

HISTORIAN PLANS PROGRAM ON JEWISH MOB

Historian and author Michael Green is scheduled to present a program titled “How the Jewish Mob Built the Strip” at 11 a.m. Aug. 20 at the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 McLeod Drive. Visit clarkcountynv.gov.

‘THERE’S ALWAYS A BULLY’ AUTHOR TO MEET WITH READERS

Dee Dee Sutherland, author of “There’s Always a Bully,” is scheduled to meet with readers from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 20 in the lobby of the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway, as part of the READ Local Author Series. For more information, visit mypubliclibrary.com.

NEVADA WRITERS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR EXCHANGE

Poets & Writers magazine has selected Nevada as the state to draw entries for the 2015 Writers Exchange Award. Nevadan writers of fiction and poetry are invited to apply for the exchange — which includes a $500 honorarium, a trip to New York City and a one-month residency at the Jentel Artist Residency Program in Wyoming — by Dec. 1. For details, visit pw.org.

AUTHOR TO SIGN FANTASY BOOK

Hannah R. Smith is slated to sign “Heart and Soul of Srielrian” at 1 p.m. Aug. 17 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

SIGNING SET FOR MICHAEL JACKSON BOOK

A book event is scheduled for “Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days” by Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard with Tanner Colby at 2 p.m. Aug. 30 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble. Whitfield and Beard were on Jackson’s security team.

POETS CAN SEEK FEEDBACK AT 5/5+

Poets are invited to share original work for five minutes followed by attendees offering immediate candid comments for five minutes during 5/5+, a workshop series put on by Nick Marco, Lana Hanson and Lee Mallory, scheduled every two weeks at BooksorBooks, 3460 E. Sunset Road, Suite R. The next session is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Aug. 30. For details, search for 5/5+ on Facebook.

ADOPT A PET, GET A FREE BOOK

Through August, patrons who adopt a dog or cat through The Animal Foundation, 655 N. Mojave Road, will receive a complimentary copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul’s newest books, “Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dog Did What?” or “Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cat Did What?” For details, visit animalfoundation.com.

BLACK MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE PLANS LITERARY EVENTS

The Black Mountain Institute has announced three free upcoming literary events. “Blood, Sweat & Tears: Life on the Front Lines of the Human Rights Struggle in Russia, Nigeria and Iran” is set to feature Wole Soyinka, Azar Nafisi and Masha Gessen with Michelle Tusan as moderator at 7 p.m. Sept. 11 in the Philip J. Cohen Theatre in the UNLV Student Union, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Aimee Bender is slated to speak as the closing keynote for the Vegas Valley Book Festival at 4 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St. “To Swerve or Not to Swerve: How Literature Navigates the Past,” a conversation with Stephen Greenblatt and Geraldine Brooks, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Philip J. Cohen Theatre. For details, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.

B.J. NOVAK TO OPEN VEGAS VALLEY BOOK FESTIVAL

B.J. Novak is scheduled to speak at the opening keynote for the Vegas Valley Book Festival at 7 p.m. Oct. 16, at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. Novak is an actor, writer, director and executive producer, best known for his work on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning comedy series “The Office.” He is also known for his stand-up comedy performances and his roles in motion pictures such as Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” and Disney’s “Saving Mr. Banks.” From a stored box of ideas collected over a 10-year period, Novak wrote the book “One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories,” which debuted in February at No. 4 on the New York Times Best-Sellers List. It’s a collection of 64 comic short stories, all about the human inability to find perspective. “The Book With No Pictures,” his first endeavor into children’s books, is set to hit stores Sept. 30. Novak is a graduate of Harvard University with a degree in English and Spanish literature.

This year’s Vegas Valley Book Festival is slated for Oct. 16-18.

The festival is set to offer interaction with more than 165 authors at 100 events including panel discussions, readings, book signings, workshops, vendor exhibits, art exhibitions, spoken word performances and more. Most events are free and offered at the Historic Fifth Street School and the Clark County Library.

Other planned keynote presenters include Sylvia Day in conversation with Tracy Wolff at 9 a.m. Oct. 18 in the auditorium of the Historic Fifth Street School, and novelist and short-story writer Aimee Bender.

The festival is slated to offer programming for all ages with activities for children and 108 young adult authors — the largest free gathering of young adult authors in the United States — for panel discussions and book signings.

For more information, call 702-507-3459 or visit vegasvalleybookfestival.org.

VEGAS VALLEY COMIC BOOK FESTIVAL SET FOR NOV. 1

The seventh annual Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 1 inside and around the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road.

Comic book artist and writer Howard Chaykin is slated to be the featured guest at this year’s event, joined by numerous comic creators including Spencer Brinkerhoff III, Russell Lissau, Nick Mamatas, Brian and Kristy Miller and Chris Staros. The event is also set to include live music, face painting, food trucks, vendors and publishers and an artist alley. Admission is free.

For more information, visit vegasvalleycomicbookfestival.org.

BARNES & NOBLE TO HOST WRITING GROUP

The 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble plans to host 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.

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 and third Tuesday of each month at the Aliante Library, 2400 W. Deer Springs Road. For more information, email facilitator Glory Wade at glorywadewriter@gmail.com.

SHARE POEMS AT HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Polish up a poem or two and try them out at Human Experience, a free spoken word event scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays in The Beat Coffeehouse inside Emergency Arts, 520 Fremont St. For more information, visit lasvegaspoets.org.

ART CENTER TO HOST POETS CORNER

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

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.

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 plans to meet 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.

MEMOIR-WRITING WORKSHOPS SLATED

An ongoing series of free four-week memoir-writing workshops is scheduled at noon Wednesdays and 10 a.m. Fridays at the Las Vegas FamilySearch Library, 509 S. Ninth St. Four-week sessions are set to begin the first week of every month. For more information, call 702-382-9695.

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 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.”