Las Vegas Book Briefs for June 12-18, 2014
RICK SPRINGFIELD TO SIGN DEBUT NOVEL
Grammy Award-winning musician Rick Springfield is set to sign copies of his debut novel “Magnificent Vibration” at noon June 14 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.
Wristbands to secure a spot in the signing line were to be distributed beginning June 10.
For details on the signing, visit barnesandnoble.com.
For more on Springfields’s new book, visit magnificentvibration.com.
EVENT SLATED FOR VEGAN VEGAS BOOK
Local author Paul Graham is scheduled to sign copies of his book “Eating Vegan in Vegas” at 6:30 p.m. June 13 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.
WEDNESDAY WARRIORS PLAN BOOK SIGNING
The Wednesday Warriors writing group plans to sign copies of its anthology, “I Pledge Allegiance: Stories of Valor, Heroism and Patriotism,” at 2 p.m. June 14 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble. For more on the book, visit tinyurl.com/litlvww.
EVENT TO LAUNCH SESQUICENTENNIAL BOOK
Celebrate Nevada’s 150th birthday with a free presentation by local writers who contributed to the sesquicentennial book “Nevada: 150 Years in the Silver State,” edited by Geoff Schumacher, at 7 p.m. June 12 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. Schumacher is slated to be joined by several of the books more than 70 contributors including Patty Cafferata, Scott Dickensheets, Dayvid Figler and Michael Green. For more information, visit lvccld.org.
AUTHOR TO SIGN ‘THE SWEET TALKERS’
Don Barnhart is set to sign copies of his books “The Sweet Talkers” and “Our Father’s Sons” at 1 p.m. June 21 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.
ANNIE MEADOWS PLANS BOOK SIGNING
Henderson singer/songwriter/author Annie Meadows is slated to read to children and sign copies of the first books in her new picture book series at 1 p.m. June 21 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.
ILLUSTRATOR TO LEAD WORKSHOP
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators plans to bring award-winning illustrator E.B. Lewis to Las Vegas for a one day workshop from 8:45 a.m. to noon June 28 at TAL Studio, 10801 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 440. Lewis has illustrated 65 books for children.
Stefanie Von Borstel of Full Circle Literary is slated to conduct a limited number of portfolio critiques for registered attendees and a limited number of mail-in manuscript critiques for novelists who do not need to attend the event.
The workshop is $50 for society members and $65 for nonmembers.
Portfolio/picture book critiques are $35 for attendees who want their work critiqued. Space is limited, and registration closes June 13. For more information, visit nevada.scbwi.org.
DISTRICT PREPARES FOR BIG LIBRARY READ
The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District invites children and their parents to take part in the Big Library Read, a program that gives library patrons worldwide access to one ebook title for a two-week period to create a global virtual book club. Through June 18, library cardholders can visit lvccld.org and download ebook or audio copies of “A Pedigree to Die For,” the first book in the Melanie Travis Mystery Series by Laurien Berenson. For more information, visit lvccld.org or call 702-507-6300.
ROMANCE AUTHOR TO SPEAK TO WRITERS GROUP
Las Vegas romance author Moriah Densley plans to discuss giving characters authentic voice during a meeting of the Las Vegas Writers Group scheduled at 7 p.m. June 19 at the Tap House, 5589 W. Charleston Blvd. A $5 meeting fee is charged. For more information, visit meetup.com/las-vegas-writers. For more on Densley, visit moriahdensley.com.
BANK OF AMERICA TO HOST SUMMER BOOK DRIVE
Throughout June, all 50-plus Bank of America banking locations across the valley are slated to collect new and gently used books for Spread the Word Nevada. The donations will support Spread the Word Nevada’s newly launched summer reading program. For bank location information, visit bankofamerica.com. For more on Spread the Word Nevada, visit spreadthewordnevada.org.
BAKERY TO HOST BOOK LAUNCH
Local author Renee Jean plans a launch party for her debut novel “Never Give Up” from 3 to 5 p.m. June 20 at Chocolate & Spice Bakery, 7293 West Sahara Ave. For more on the book, visit facebook.com/reneejean88.
ROMANCE AUTHORS PLAN SIGNING
Bestselling romance authors Sophie Jordan and Shana Galen are scheduled to discuss and sign their novels at 7 p.m. June 20 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble. For more on Jordan, visit sophiejordan.net. For more on Galen, visit shanagalen.com.
AUTHOR TO DISCUSS THRILLER ROMANCES
Authors Shana Galen and Sophie Jordan plan to present a program on chemistry and romantic tension during a meeting of the Las Vegas Romance Writers scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon June 21 in the Green Valley Library, 2797 N. Green Valley Parkway. For more information, visit lvrwa.org.
HENDERSON BOOKSTORE PLANS SEVERAL SIGNINGS
Several signings are slated at the 567 N. Barnes & Noble. Las Vegas author Crystal T. Moore plans to sign her children’s book “Moon Dust” at 2 p.m. June 22. Tony Montana is set to sign copies of “The Real Tony Montana” at 2 p.m. June 28. Lennox Nelson is schedueld to sign his book “Black Nancy” at 5 p.m. June 28. Crystal Clary is set to sign her book “Signs of a Serial Killer at 2 p.m. June 29.
LOCAL AUTHOR SERIES TO FEATURE ANDREW NIXON
Andrew Nixon, author of the non-fiction book “50 Shades of Grades My Journey Through Wacademia,” is slated to meet with readers from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. June 25 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.
AUTHOR TO SIGN B.B. KING BOOK
Author Eric Dahl plans to sign copies of his book “B.B. King’s Lucille and the Loves Before Her” at 1 p.m. June 28 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Barnes & Noble.
FIERCE READS TOUR TO VISIT LAS VEGAS
The Fierce Reads book tour featuring Leigh Bardugo, Jessica Brody, Mary Pearson, Josephine Angelini and Caragh O’Brien is scheduled to make a stop at 6 p.m. June 28 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Barnes & Noble. For more on the young adult book tour, visit fiercereads.com.
COMIC BOOK EVENT SCHEDULED
An author event for “Batman and Robin Vol. 4 Requiem for Damian” by Peter Tomasi, with illustrations by Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray, is scheduled at 7 p.m. June 28 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.
LUNCHEON TO FEATURE ‘THE CALLING’ AUTHOR
James Cannon, author, with Toi Moore, of “The Calling: How to Discover Your Calling in Three Days,” is set to be a featured speaker at eighth anniversary Visionary Awards and Luncheon scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 1 at the Suncoast, 9090 Alta Drive. For information on tickets, call 702-639-6964.
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 at the Clark County Library.
Keynote presenters planned include Sylvia Day in conversation with Tracy Wolff, and novelist and short-story writer Aimee Bender.
The festival is slated to offer programing 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 Tuesday of each month at the Aliante Library, 2400 W. Deer Springs Road. For more information, contact facilitator Glory Wade at glorywadewriter@gmail.com.
LIBRARY DISTRICT TO KICK OFF SUMMER READING PROGRAMS
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.
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 at 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.
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.”
