Las Vegas book briefs for Feb. 18-24, 2016

Book drive results: The City National Bank and Barnes & Noble holiday book drive results are in. The program reached a record with 85,000 new books to be donated to 43 schools and nonprofits in four states including Nevada exceeding last year's record by 33,000 books.

Children's publishing: Laurel Gale, author of the middle grade novel "Dead Boy," is scheduled to talk about children's publishing during a meeting of the Las Vegas Writers Group scheduled at 7 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Tap House, 5589 W. Charleston Blvd. The meeting fee is $5. Visit meetup.com/Las-Vegas-Writers. Visit laurelgale.com.

"Navigating Chaos — How to Find Certainty in Uncertain Solutions": Navy SEAL veteran Jeff Boss plans to read from and sign his book from 7 to 8 p.m. Feb. 19 at The Writer's Block, 1020 Fremont St. Visit thewritersblock.org.

Desert author series: College of Southern Nevada professor Earnest N. Bracey, author of "Daniel 'Chappie' James: The First African American Four Star General" and "The Moulin Rouge and Black Rights in Las Vegas," is slated to speak from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Sahara West Library, 9600 W. Sahara Ave. Visit lvccld.org.

Discussion and reading: College of Southern Nevada professor Laura McBride is scheduled to discuss and read from her novel "We Are Called to Rise" from 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Aliante Library, 2400 Deer Springs Way. Call 702-839-2980.

Literary Speed Dating: Singles 25 to 39 are invited to bring a favorite book as a conversation starter and mingle with other singles from 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Green Valley Library, 2797 N. Green Valley Parkway. Visit mypubliclibrary.com.

Conference in a day: The Las Vegas Romance Writers plan a Conference in a Day featuring presenters Shirley Kennedy, Shannon Albright, Kay Phoenix and Angela Forister from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 20 in the community room at Findlay Chevrolet, 6800 S. Torrey Pines. The conference is $25 or $10 for Las Vegas Romance Writers members. Coffee, soft drinks and lunch are included. Visit lvrwa.org.

Love story: Yetta Yvette plans to sign copies of her love story "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number" at 1 p.m. Feb. 20 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

Transforming Fear to Love: Karen Smith, author of "The 'I AM' Solution: Simple Practices to Transform Fear Back to Love," is set to speak about the healing power of love in African-American culture from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road; about the power of forgiveness from 1 to 2 p.m. March 5 at the Left of Center Gallery, 2207 Gowan Road; on how trauma is never wasted from 1 to 3 p.m. March 19 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble; and on the world's need for love from 1 to 3 p.m. May 7 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble. Visit drkarmen.com.

Storyteller: Children are invited to celebrate African-American Heritage month with Oba William King, the Poetic Storyteller, from 10 to 11 a.m. Feb. 23 at the West Las Vegas Library, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd.; from 4 to 5 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Spring Valley Library, 4280 S. Jones Blvd.; and from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Whitney Library, 5175 E. Tropicana Ave. Visit lvccld.org.

Hiking author: Branch Whitney, author of "Hiking Las Vegas," plans to talk about what to bring on hikes and how to be safe from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Rainbow Library, 3150 N. Buffalo Drive. Visit lvccld.org.

Poet visit: Sandra Lim, author of the poetry collections "Loveliest Grotesque" and "The Wilderness," is scheduled to speak during a Black Mountain Institute Emerging Writers Series presentation from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 25 in room 101 of the Rogers Literature & Law Building at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Admission is free, but RSVPs are requested at blackmountaininstitute.org.

SlotZilla Drive: Fremont Street Experience plans to donate SlotZilla zipline revenues from 1 to 7 p.m. Feb. 25 to Spread the Word Nevada, a nonprofit dedicated to giving kids books. Visit vegasexperience.com.

Mystery signing: Local author M.A.R. Unger is slated to sign copies of her latest mystery "Past Imperfections" from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 27 at BooksOrBooks, 3460 S. Sunset Road, Suite R. Visit booksorbooks.com.

"Room 629": Local author Vicki-Ann Bush is set to present her new book "Room 629" at 1 p.m. Feb. 27 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

Writer's retreat: The writer's retreat series with instruction on fiction, nonfiction, traditional and digital publishing offered by local writers Laurel Gale, Morgan St. James and Gregory Kompes, is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 27 and March 12 at Lake Las Vegas. Workshops are free but limited to 25 attendees, and registration is required. Visit mypubliclibrary.com.

Swing queen: Norma Miller, author of "Swingin' at the Savoy: The Memoir of a Jazz Dancer," is scheduled to share stories of her days dancing the Lindy Hop in Harlem from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 29 at the West Las Vegas Library, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd. Visit lvccld.org.

Nevada Naturalist Lecture Series: UNLV assistant professor Scott Abella, author of "Conserving America's National Parks 1916-2016: Celebrating 100 Years of Conservation, Commitment and Care," is set to present a public lecture at 7 p.m. Feb. 29 at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension's Lifelong Learning Center, 8050 Paradise Road. Visit unce.unr.edu.

Meghan O'Rourke: The Black Mountain Institute is set to host a visit from Meghan O'Rourke, who began her career as one of the youngest editors in the history of The New Yorker and has served as culture editor and literary critic for Slate as well as poetry editor and advisory editor for The Paris Review. O'Rourke is slated to speak at 7:15 p.m. March 2 in room 101 of the Rogers Literature & Law Building at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Admission is free, but RSVPs are requested at blackmountaininstitute.org.

Picture book exhibit: Local graphic novelist Kenneth Lamug plans to exhibit art from his new dark children's fantasy book "The Stumps of Flattop Hill" March 3 through May 3 at the Whitney Library, 5157 E. Tropicana Ave. A reception is scheduled from 5 to 6:30 p.m. March 3. Visit thestumpsbook.com.

Read Local. Eat Local.: Author presentations and food demonstrations are scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 5 at the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway. A family storytime and food demo led by Queen Green with the help of Whole Foods is set for 10:30 a.m. An author meet-and-greet is slated for noon. Food trucks are set to be on hand from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and a social media and marketing for authors discussion is scheduled to be led by Roger DeBlanck and Jonathan Sturak from 2 to 3 p.m. Visit mypubliclibrary.com.

Dave Hickey in Conversation: The Contemporary Arts Center is slated to host an evening of conversation with art and culture critic Dave Hickey and art historian and writer Julia Friedman at 5:30 p.m. March 5 at the Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Suite 150. The event is open only to CAC members, but memberships, staring at $20 for students and $40 for artists, can be purchased at the event for cash or check only. Discussion is set to be focused on Hickey's books "25 Women," "Dust Bunnies," and "Wasted Words." Seating is limited, and doors are set to open at 5 p.m. Visit lasvegascac.org.

School book: Jim Blockey plans to sign copies of his book "Public Schools: The Worst Case of Child Abuse in American History" at 1 p.m. March 5 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

Running health author class: Donald A. Ozello, author of "Running: Maximize Performance & Minimize Injuries," is scheduled to lead a free spinal health class on ergonomics at 6:30 p.m. March 9 at Championship Chiropractic, 8871 W. Flamingo Road. Ozello is also slated to make an appearance from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 3 at The Corner Gallery, Suite 220, inside The Arts Factory, 107 E. Charleston Blvd. Visit championshipchiropractic.com.

Fiction reading: Catherine Lacey, author of novel "Nobody Is Ever Missing," is scheduled to speak during a Black Mountain Institute Emerging Writers Series presentation from 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 10 in room 101 of the Rogers Literature & Law Building at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Admission is free, but RSVPs are requested at blackmountaininstitute.org.

Bechtel book signing: Investigative reporter Sally Denton plans to read from and sign her book "The Profiteers: Bechtel and the Men Who Built the World" from 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 11 at The Writer's Block, 1020 Fremont St. Visit thewritersblock.org.

Robert Lee Murphy: The local author plans to sign copies of "Bear Claws," the second book in his award-winning Iron Horse Chronicles historical fiction series, at 1 p.m. March 12 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble. Visit robertleemurphy.net.

"Fire Touched": Patricia Briggs is slated to sign copies of her newest Mercy Thompson urban fantasy book at 3 p.m. March 13 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

"The Irish Scam": JD McNamee is set to sign books at noon March 12 and 13 at the 8915 W. Charleston Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

Breaking Silence: A panel discussion on women writing on crime, conspiracy and cruelty featuring panelists Sally Denton, Maggie Nelson and Eliza Griswold and moderated by Carol C. Harter is scheduled at 7 p.m. March 14 in the Tam Alumni Center at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Visit blackmountaininstitute.org.

Leadership book: John Addison plans to sign his book "Real Leadership: 9 Simple Practices for Leading and Living with Purpose" at 6 p.m. March 16 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

RT Booklovers Convention: Authors, bloggers, librarians and romance fiction fans are invited to connect with more than 200 workshops, parties and a giant book fair at the RT (Romantic Times) Booklovers Convention scheduled April 12-17 at the Rio, 3700 W. Flamingo Road. Full registration through March 1 is $449 for readers, $489 for authors, $425 for industry professionals, and $375 for booksellers and librarians. Day passes start at $99. Saturday-only passes for teens are $20. Visit rtconvention.com.

Las Vegas Writer's Conference: Storyfix.com founder Larry Brooks is slated to give the keynote address at this year's Las Vegas Writer's Conference scheduled April 28-30 at Sam's Town. Other conference faculty at the Henderson Writers' Group-sponsored event include agents, acquisition editors and authors from a variety of genres. Registration is $475 or $300 for a Friday or Saturday pass. Clark County high school students and student chaperone Saturday-only passes are $100 per person. Registration at the door, if available, is set to be $525. The conference is limited to 150 participants. Visit lasvegaswritersconference.com.

Vegas Valley Book Festival: This year's book festival, an event that typically packs in 100 authors, workshops, panel discussions, readings and signings, is scheduled Oct. 13-15. To apply to be a participating author or vendor, visit vegasvalleybookfestival.org.

Ongoing events

Neon Lit: Neon Lit, a public reading featuring writers from UNLV's Master of Fine Arts and Ph.D. writing programs, is scheduled at 6 p.m. the fourth Friday of most months at The Writer's Block, 1020 Fremont St., No. 100. The next gathering is set for Feb. 26. Visit neonlit.org.

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 Way. Email facilitator Glory Wade at glorywadewriter@gmail.com.

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. Call 702-229-4800.

Science fiction and fantasy writing group: Readers, writers and editors of science fiction and fantasy are invited to check out a new group scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. Saturdays in meeting room two at the Green Valley Library, 2797 N. Green Valley Parkway. Call 702-334-0204.

Barnes & Noble 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.

Henderson Writers Group: 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. Visit hendersonwritersgroup.com.

Memoir-writing workshops: 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. Call 702-382-9695.