Las Vegas Book Briefs for July 24-30, 2014

WORKSHOP TO FOCUS ON FAMILY STORIES

A lunch-and-learn workshop titled “Keeping the Past Alive: How to Preserve Your Family Stories” is slated to share tips on interviewing family members and preserving stories in recordings or as memoir or fiction from noon to 2 p.m. July 29 at the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway. For more information, visit mypubliclibrary.com.

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 more information, visit animalfoundation.com.

SIGNING SET FOR ‘KING OF CASINOS’

Andy Martello is slated to sign his book “The King of Casinos: Willie Martello and the El Rey Club” at 11 a.m. July 26 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

FRANK CULLOTTA TO SIGN ‘HOLE IN THE WALL GANG’ MEMOIR

Frank Cullotta is set to sign “Hole in the Wall Gang: In My Own Words,” written with Dennis N. Griffin, at 4 p.m. July 26 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

AUTHOR TO PRESENT ‘SESSY’S JOURNEY’

Local author Shirley Sanders is set to sign “Sessy’s Journey,” an account of the life of an African-Native American woman born in Mississippi during the Great Depression, at 2 p.m. July 27 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

LIBRARY DISTRICT SUMMER READING PROGRAMS CONTINUE

Summer reading programs are set to run through Aug. 2 at all Las Vegas-Clark County Library District branches. Teens and children are invited to drop by any branch to sign up. Activities are planned throughout the program. For more information, visit lvccld.org.

STORYTELLER PLANS HENDERSON VISIT

A free presentation by storyteller Jim Cogan is scheduled from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. July 31 at the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway. For more information, visit mypubliclibrary.org.

POETS CAN SEEK FEEDBACK AT 5/5+

Poets are invited to share original work for five minutes and then listeners attending offer 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 Books or Books, 3460 E. Sunset Road, Suite R. The next session is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Aug. 2. For more information, search for 5/5+ on Facebook.

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 S. McLeod Drive. Visit clarkcountynv.gov.

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, has been rescheduled to 7 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Philip J. Cohen Theatre. For more information, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.

AUTHOR TO SHARE TIPS ON PREVENTING RUNNING INJURIES

Dr. Donald A. Ozello of Championship Chiropractic, the author of “Running: Maximize Performance & Minimize Injuries,” is scheduled to present strategies to lower the risk of running injuries during a free class at 7 p.m. Aug. 5 at the Boca Park REI, 710 S. Rampart Blvd.

TERRY GOODKIND TO SIGN NEW BOOK

Best-selling local author of the Sword of Truth series Terry Goodkind is scheduled to promote his new book “Severed Souls” at 5 p.m. Aug. 9 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble. For more on the book, visit terrygoodkind.com.

MOB EXPERT TO SPEAK AT MUSEUM

Author and mob expert Scott Deitche plans to present a program titled “The Havana Underworld: Mafia Influence from Tampa to Cuba” at 1 p.m. Aug. 9 at the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, the Mob Museum, 300 Stewart Ave. The presentation is free to museum members or with paid admission. A book signing is scheduled to follow. For more information, visit themobmuseum.org.

SIGNING SET FOR ‘DETOUR: FOSSIL CREEK ESTATES’

Linda A. Jarosz is set to sign copies of her novel “Detour: Fossil Creek Estates” at 1 p.m. Aug. 9 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

GAMING 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.

SAVE A DIFFERENT DATE FOR VEGAS VALLEY BOOK FESTIVAL

Readers accustomed to attending the Vegas Valley Book Festival the first weekend in November won’t have to wait as long this year. This year’s main festival and the Vegas Valley Children’s Book Festival are slated for Oct. 16-18.

The festival is set to offer interaction with more than 165 authors at 100 events including panel discussions, keynote lectures, 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.

Planned keynote presenters include Sylvia Day in conversation with Tracy Wolff, 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 or to apply to be a volunteer, visit vegasvalleybookfestival.org.

The Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival (vegasvalleycomicbookfestival.org) is scheduled to remain on the first weekend in November at the Clark County Library.

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.

NORTH LAS VEGAS READING CLUB UNDERWAY

Children and teens are invited to register for the summer reading club at the Aliante Library, 2400 W. Deer Springs Road, and the Alexander Library, 1755 W. Alexander Road. Participants may have a chance to earn prizes including a Kindle Fire HD to be awarded as a grand prize to a raffle winner from each reading group.

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.

LAS VEGAS WRITERS GROUP TO WELCOMEANN 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.

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, contact 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.”