Book Briefs

Extension program to teach free
memoir workshops for seniors

Life Stories Nevada, a University of Nevada Cooperative Extension program designed to help seniors 50 or older record their memoirs, is sponsoring free four-week memoir workshops.

The first is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to noon Tuesdays starting today at the Centennial Hills Active Adult Center, 6601 N. Buffalo Drive. The first session is set to start at 11 a.m. because the center is hosting another event at 10:30.

The second series is scheduled from 2 to 3:30 p.m. today through May 17 at the Howard Lieburn Senior Center, 6230 Garwood Ave.

The Heritage Park Senior Facility at 300 Racetrack Road in Henderson plans to host a Life Stories Nevada workshop from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays Sept. 6-27.

To register, call 940-5423. For more information about the program, visit lifestoriesnevada.org.

eleanor roosevelt’s biographer
to speak at unlv

Eleanor Roosevelt’s leading biographer, Blanche Wiesen Cook, is set to speak on the former first lady’s human rights legacy in a University Forum Lecture set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Barrick Museum Auditorium at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. For more information, visit liberalarts.unlv.edu.

Sherrilyn Kenyon to visit Henderson

Sherrilyn Kenyon, best known for her Dark-Hunter novels, is scheduled to sign “Born of Shadows,” book five in her League series, at 7 p.m. May 3 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

Author plans signing for e-book

Local author Vicki-Ann Bush plans to sign and hand out cards with information on her new e-book, “Through the Door to Dusk,” from 1 to 3 p.m. May 7 at R.E.M. Salon, 5665 E. Charleston Blvd. For more information, visitvickiannbush.blogspot.com.

‘Forbidden Archeologist’ author
to speak at Clark County library

Michael Cremo, author of “The Forbidden Archeologist: The Atlantis Rising Magazine Columns of Michael A. Cremo,” plans to present his research during an author event at 3 p.m. May 14 in the large conference room at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. Event admission is $15. For more information, visit govindascenter.com/seminars.html, or call 434-8332.

Marilyn Meredith to share tips
on idea generation with Sisters in Crime

Author Marilyn Meredith, who writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. series and the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, is scheduled to share her story idea generation tips with the Sisters in Crime/Southern Nevada writing group at 3 p.m. May 8 in the 3860 S. Maryland Parkway Barnes & Noble. For more information, visit sistersincrimesnv.com.

Northwest-area borders offers
writers group on Tuesdays

Borders bookstore hosts a free writers group at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays at 2190 N. Rainbow Blvd.

Share poems at Human Experience

Polish up a poem or two and try them out live at Human Experience, a free spoken word event, from 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays in The Beat coffee shop at 520 Fremont St. inside Emergency Arts. For more information or to view the events online as they happen, visit lasvegaspoets.org.

Library District on a paperless push

The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District wants your email address.

On July 1, the district will discontinue the mailing of hold and overdue notices. After that date, notifications will only be provided electronically. But patrons can elect to receive notices electronically now.

Advantages include: a courtesy notice via email three days before your items will be overdue, prompt notices when held items are available and a library newsletter and events notices via email.

Email addresses can be submitted online at lvccld.org, at any library customer service desk or by phone at 507-3595.

‘Final Journey: Buddy’s Book’
author to be featured at library

Elizabeth Parker, author of “Final Journey: Buddy’s Book,” is set to meet and greet readers from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. May 23 at the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway, as part of the library’s READ Local Author Series.

For more information, call 492-6580.

Sunrise Coffee Co. on sunset road
hosts open mic night Wednesdays

Sunrise Coffee Co. welcomes poets and poetry fans to participate in its open mic night starting at 7 p.m. every Wednesday at 3130 E. Sunset Road.

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 through library district

Too busy to get out to book programs? The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District has started posting videocasts and podcasts of many of its programs online. Selections available so far 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 blackmountain
institute.org and select “multimedia.”

Final book in Signs of the Zodiac
series to be launched in June

Las Vegas showgirl turned best-selling author Vicki Pettersson is scheduled to sign copies of her newest book, “The Neon Graveyard,” at 7 p.m. June 3 at the 6521 Las Vegas Blvd. South Borders in Town Square Las Vegas.

According to Pettersson’s website, vickipettersson.com, this will be the last in her Signs of the Zodiac series, set in Las Vegas.

Pettersson also hopes to meet with her Twitter followers to share coffee before the event. To learn more, follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/vickipettersson.

Free read to me program
offers stories online and by phone

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 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 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.

Henderson Writers Group
meets Mondays

The Henderson Writers Group meets from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. Mondays. Meetings are at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at 4550 S. Maryland Parkway on the second and fourth Mondays and at Saxby’s Coffee Lounge, 72 Horizon Ridge Parkway, on the first, third and occasional fifth Mondays.

Visit hendersonwritersgroup.com for more details.

Meetings are open to the public.

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 Cafe in Emergency Arts, 520 Fremont St.

The library is still small, 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.

Clubs invited to help plan Festival

The Vegas Valley Book Festival is inviting local book clubs to participate in the selection of authors to appear at the 2011 festival set for Nov. 3-6. To submit suggestions and book club information, contact Eileen Horn by email at eihorn@aol.com or by phone at 454-9746. Participating book clubs will be invited to special pre-festival events.

National Senior poets laureate
competition under way

Entries are being accepted for regional winners in the 19th annual National Senior Poets Laureate Poetry Competition for American poets 50 or older. The submission deadline is June 30. State senior poets laureate are expected to be named in July, and the National Senior Poet Laureate is set to be announced Sept. 1.

For more information, visit amykitchenerfdn.org.