Las Vegas book briefs for Sept. 29-Oct. 5, 2016

Violence in art: Joshua Wolf Shenk is set to moderate a discussion on the literature of violence featuring panelists William T. Vollmann, Kerry Howley and Jonathan Gottschall at 7 p.m. Sept. 29 in the Si Redd Room in Thomas & Mack Center, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. RSVP at blackmountaininstitute.org.

“First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare”: The exhibit, on tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library, is scheduled to be on display through Sept. 29 on the third floor of the Lied Library at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Admission is free, but space is limited. Visit library.unlv.edu to reserve tickets. As part of the tour, the library plans free events and lectures in the library’s Goldfield Room. A session on 16th and 17th century printing technologies is scheduled at 4 p.m. Sept. 29.

Library signups: The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District is teaming with Nevada Ballet Theatre to encourage library card signups. Through September, those who sign up for a card or like the district on Facebook will be entered into a drawing for four tickets to “The Sleeping Beauty” or “The Nutcracker.” Those who already have cards can save $10 on ballet tickets at nevadaballet.org. Use the code NBTLIB. Visit lvccld.org.

Conservation lecture: UNLV assistant professor and author Scott Abella is scheduled to talk about conserving America’s national parks from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 1 at Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. Visit lvccld.org.

Local author showcase: The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., is slated to feature fiction authors RJ Stastny, Cassandra Jefferson, Dave Wollert and Stephen Murray at a signing and meet-and-greet from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 1. Visit thewritersblock.org.

Paul Atreides: The local author plans to sign his novel “(Marvin’s) World of Deadheads” at 1 p.m. Oct. 1 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

Terror talk: Retired FBI special agent Scott Decker, author of the upcoming “Attribution: Anthrax, terror and the Evolution of Forensics,” is slated to speak at a meeting of the Henderson Writers’ Group at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at Community Lutheran Church, 3720 E. Tropicana Ave. Visit hendersonwritersgroup.com.

Writers Roundtable: The Writers of Southern Nevada plan an open discussion from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 4 inside the coffee shop at the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway. Visit nevadawriters.org.

Haunted Las Vegas: Local author Paul Papa plans to share spooky tales from Las Vegas at 7 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. Visit lvccld.org.

Star Wars Reads Day: Celebrate Star Wars Reads day with storytelling, games, vendor booths, costumes and more throughout the day Oct. 8 at BooksOrBooks, 3460 E. Sunset Road, Suite R. The store is set to donate 25 percent of all”Star Wars”-related sales to Make A Wish of Southern Nevada. Visit booksorbooks.com.

Diane Cameron: The author is set to talk about “Never Leave Your Dead: A True Story of War Trauma, Murder, and Madness,” a book about her stepfather, a former Marine who murdered his first wife and mother-in-law, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St. Visit thewritersblock.org.

Visual history: Photographer Joe Giron is set to sign his visual history book “A Vulgar Display of Pantera,” a look behind the scenes of a metal band, at 1 p.m. Oct. 8 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

Poetry competition: Clark County students in grades 9-12 are invited to submit original poems for the Spark! Poetry Writing & Recitation Competition. Modeled after the national Poetry Out Loud and the Scholastic Writing competitions, students who register by Sept. 30 will be invited to prepare three poems for performance before a panel of poets, authors and educators from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Vegas Valley Book Festival at the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St. The first prize is $300, second $200 and third $100. Visit vegasvalleybookfestival.org/spark.

Neon inspiration: Clark County writers and poets are invited to submit flash fiction, essays and poems inspired by three visual images from the Neon Museum in a competition sponsored by Helen: A Literary Magazine. Submissions do not have to include mention of all images, but ones that do will be given higher priority. Judges include Brett Salsbury of the Neon Museum and Heather Lang of Petite Hound Press and The Literary Review. The deadline to enter is Oct. 31. There is no entry fee. The winner gets a $25 cash prize and Neon Museum gift bag and tickets and goodie bag from The Writer’s Block. All entries will be considered for publication. Visit helenpresents.com.

Communication seminar: Jill Spiegel, local author of five books, including “How to Talk to Anyone About Anything,” is set to lead a communication seminar from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 8 at the College of Southern Nevada Charleston campus, 6375 W. Charleston Blvd. The course fee is $50. To register, visit csn.edu/workforce or call 702-651-4747. For more on the author, visit jillspiegel.com.

“Sticker Girl”: Janet Tashjian is slated to speak about and sign copies of her children’s book “Sticker Girl” at 7 p.m. Oct. 10 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

Linda Stiles Fox: The contemporary romance fiction author of “A Cabin in the Woods” and “Forever Again” is set to speak at 6 p.m. Oct. 11 at Atria Sutton, 3185 E Flamingo Road. She also plans to speak from 6 to 7 p.m. Oct. 26 at Atria Sunlake, 3250 S. Fort Apache Road. Call 702-628-5963.

Vegas Valley Book Festival: The 15th annual Vegas Valley Book Festival is slated to host panel discussions, author readings, workshops, signings and more for all ages from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St. This year’s book festival is set to host authors including Katherine Boo, Amy Rose Capetta, Don Calame, Mary Guinan, Nathan Hale, Amy Ignatow, Craig Johnson, Norm Kresge, Cori McCarthy, Megan McDonald, Jim Nisbet, Stephan Pastis, Thomas Perry, Sharon Schaaf, Stephen Savage, Stacy Schiff, Eliot Schrefer, Frank Shankwitz, Adam Silvera, Mister G, F. Andrew Taylor, Jodi Thomas, Randy Sutton, Alisa Valdes and Chuck Williams. School visits by some authors are planned on Oct. 14. The festival also plans a Spark! teen poetry writing and performance competition with entries due Sept. 30. Visit vegasvalleybookfestival.org.

Festival After Dark: Evening events to compliment the Vegas Valley Book Festival are scheduled at 7 p.m. Oct. 14 at The Writer’s Block, 1020 E. Fremont St., and starting at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at Inspire Theatre, 107 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Friday’s event is set to feature poet Joanne Kyger. Saturday’s events are set to feature Geoff Dyer at 5:30 p.m., Pulitzer Prize winner Adam Johnson at 6:30 p.m. and Pulitzer Prize-winner Katherine Boo at 7:30 p.m. followed by a book signing at 8:30 p.m. Visit vegasvalleybookfestival.org.

Heather Skyler: Las Vegas-born and raised author Heather Skyler is slated to talk about her novel “Vegas Girls” from 7 to 8 p.m. Oct. 13 at The Writer’s Block, at The Writer’s Block, 1020 E. Fremont St. Visit thewritersblock.org.

“Diary of a Father”: Trevor Murray is set to sign his children’s books at 1 p.m. Oct. 15 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

Pen & Palette: Authors Vicki-Ann Bush, Roger DeBlanck, S.D. Moore, Fred Rayworth, Mari Rose and Heather Silvio are set to give brief presentations on their books from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. followed by a signing from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 16 in the Corner Gallery inside The Arts Factory, 107 E. Charleston Blvd. Suite 220.

Book Drive: Drop off new or gently used books at Kidville, 440 S. Rampart Blvd., during September and in return, new members will receive 50 percent off the first month of membership with a three-month commitment . Spread the Word Nevada is a children’s lit­er­acy non­profit, dedicated to advancing early childhood literacy by placing books into the hands and homes of children within Southern Nevada’s at risk, low income communities. Call 702-277-3752.

Books for Louisiana: Nevada Oral and Facial Surgery, with offices at 6950 Smoke Ranch Road, Suite 200, and 1525 W. Warm Springs Road, Suite 125, is hosting a book drive to help restock school library shelves in flood-stricken Louisiana. Books can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Visit nevadaoralandfacialsurgery.com or call 702-360-8918. Lexus of Las Vegas, 6600 W. Sahara Ave., and Lexus of Henderson, 7736 Eastgate Road, are also collecting books for flood victims. Donations can be dropped off in the parts departments.

Writing and reflections: Local poet Lee Mallory plans to share writing and life lessons he learned working with poet Charles Bukowski during a free workshop scheduled at 6 p.m. Oct. 17 in the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. Visit lvccld.org.

YA authors: Young adult authors Bree Despain, J.R. Johansson, Gretchen McNeil and Kasie West are set to speak and sign books at 7 p.m. Oct. 18 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

Lindsey Leavitt: The local author plans to discuss and sign copies of her books, including the new “Commander in Cheese” books at 7 p.m. Oct. 19 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

Stillpoint Reader’s Series: Max Oliva, author of “Becoming A Person of Mercy:Personal Reflections and Practices on the Works of Mercy” is set to speak as part of the Stillpoint Reader’s Community Series from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at Stillpoint: Center for Spiritual Development, 8072 W. Sahara Avenue, Suite D. Admission is free, but donations are suggested. A coffee discussion of Oliva’s work is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 27. Visit stillpointcsd.org.

“Spy Ski School”: Stuart Gibbs is set to discuss and sign his books at 6 p.m. Oct. 20 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

Las Vegas Writers Group: Local science fiction author Maxwell Alexander Drake is scheduled to offer advice on showing, not telling, during a meeting of the Las Vegas Writers Group at 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Tap House, 5589 W. Charleston Blvd. The meeting fee is $5. Visit meetup.com/Las-Vegas-Writers.

Viva Vegas Lit: An evening of readings with contributors to The Literary Review and Helen: A Literary Magazine featuring Claudia Keelan, Donald Revell, Jocelyn Paige Kelly, Angela M. Brommel, Jennifer Battisti, Arika Elizenberry, Caroline Horwitz, Michael Kroesche, Ingrid Taylor and Sarah Vernetti is scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 22 at The Writer’s Block, 1020 E. Fremont St. Visit thewritersblock.org.

Deepak Chopra: The author of “Radical Beauty: How to Transform Yourself from the Inside Out” is scheduled to discuss the future of well-being and ways to enhance consciousness at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave. Tickets start at $35. Limited VIP packages with a meet and greet pre-show reception, refreshments and a signed copy of “Radical Beauty” are $175. Visit thesmithcenter.com.

Miriam Melton-Villanueva: The UNLV assistant professor of History and author of “The Aztecs at Independence” is slated to speak from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at The Writer’s Block, 1020 E. Fremont St. Visit thewritersblock.org.

Painted Stories: Duel in the Desert: A mixed media showcase with artists painting while writers read is scheduled at 2 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. Visit lvccld.org.

National Novel Writing Month: Each November, NaNoWriMo encourages writers to craft the first draft of a 50,000-word novel in a month. Visit nanowrimo.org. The Las Vegas Romance Writers plan a NaNoWriMo group writing celebration from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Sundance Grill in the Silverton, 3333 Blue Diamond Road. Visit lvrwa.org.

Bob Newhart: The comedian and best-selling author is set to speak at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave. Tickets start at $29. Visit thesmithcenter.com.

Author signing: Local author Roger DeBlanck plans to speak and sign copies of his book “The Destruction of Silence” from 6 to 7 p.m. Nov. 30 at Atria Sunlake, 3250 S. Fort Apache Road. Call 702-628-5963.

ONGOING EVENTS

Online fiction: Overton resident Elizabeth Trombley offers free short stories for readers 12 or older at her website, authorinwaiting.com.

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.