BOOK BRIEFS

AUTHORS TO PRESENT POETRY AT GROUND ZERO WORKSHOP

Join authors Gregory Kompes, Leslie Hoffman and others from the Laudably Tarnished Writers Guild as they present a Poetry at Ground Zero workshop at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road.

LIFE COACH TO LAUNCH NEW BOOK AT ELEVENSPA

Life coach and author Loren Slocum plans to launch her new book "Life Tuneups" from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at ElevenSpa at Town Square, 6611 Las Vegas Blvd. South, No. 160. The free, public event will include complimentary samples of ElevenSkin products and services, refreshments from Whole Foods Market and fashion trends from image consultant Ginny DePaso.

"Life Tuneups," set for a May 5 release, encourages women of all ages and backgrounds to take time for themselves.

For more information, visit life-tuneups.com.

DAVID SEDARIS PLANS APPEARANCE AT UNLV

Following his release of the New York Times No. 1 bestselling book "When You Are Engulfed in Flames," author David Sedaris will speak at 8 p.m. Sunday at the Artemus Ham Concert Hall at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Sedaris also authored previous bestsellers "Naked," "Me Talk Pretty One Day" and "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim."

Tickets range from $34 to $59 and are available by calling 895-2787 or visiting pac.unlv.edu.

COLD WAR ESPIONAGE TO BE TOPIC AT TESTING MUSEUM

Jack Miller will speak about espionage during the Cold War at 6:30 p.m. May 5 at the Atomic Testing Museum, 755 E. Flamingo Road. Miller, a retired special agent of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, has authored two books about his experiences, "Cold War Warrior" and "Cold War Defector." A slide show will list the 128 known spies, their motivation and other information. This program is free to the public.

READING LAS VEGAS CONTINUES THROUGH THURSDAY

Reading Las Vegas, the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District's annual ages 18 and up reading incentive program, is going green with films, workshops and author workshops focused on environmental awareness.

Rather than pick one book to focus on, this year's program features a recommended reading list with selections such as Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and Edward Abbey's "The Monkey Wrench Gang."

Patrons who attend an event or read a book from the list will be entered in a prize drawing. The program continues through Thursday. For a complete calendar of events, visit www.lvccld.org.

LOCALS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN VEGAS VALLEY BOOK FESTIVAL

Local published authors are invited to reserve free table space to exhibit, sign and sell their books at the Local Author's Fair hosted by the Vegas Valley Book Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 7, and from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. on Nov. 8 in the fountain courtyard of the Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St.

Participating authors also can sign up to do a short reading at the podium in the courtyard during the hours of the event.

Table space will be provided on a first come first served basis. There are two three-hour time slots available on Saturday and the Sunday event will feature only cookbook authors. To reserve a table, call Bianca Cardenas at 229-3515. For more information about the festival, visit www.artslasvegas.org/vvbf.

SISTERS IN CRIME TO MEET ON MOTHER'S DAY

Sisters in Crime mystery writing group plans to host a special Mother's Day program at 1 p.m. May 10 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. Featured author Tami Cowden plans to talk about scenes as the basic building block for strong stories.

For information, e-mail Pamela@cheesecakeand crime.com.

AUTHOR TO SHARE CAREER TIPS

"How to Land a Job in Las Vegas: Don't Gamble with Your Career" author Scott Linklater is set to speak to the Henderson Rotary Club at noon on May 12 at the Fiesta Henderson.

For more information, visit Linklater's Web site at www.how-to-land-a-job.com or call 646-7904.

MAUI-WOWI TO HOST SIX-AUTHOR SIGNING

The Wednesday Warriors Writers Group, a group made up primarily of former law enforcement, government and military professionals, will hold a six-author signing from noon to 4 p.m. May 13 at the Maui-Wowi Hawaiian Coffee and Smoothie Shop, 4950 S. Rainbow Blvd.

Featured authors include Dennis Griffin, C.D. Williams, Merle Savage, Jack Miller, Keith Bettinger and Marshal Taylor.

The coffee shop has set up a shelf to sell the works of local authors and is planning more signing events for the future.

LUNCHEON TO FEATURE 'THE MIDDLE PLACE' AUTHOR

"The Middle Place" author Kelly Corrigan will be a guest speaker at the 10th annual Woman-to-Woman Luncheon, which begins with a cocktail reception at 10:30 a.m. May 8 at Wynn Las Vegas.

Tickets to the fundraising event are $150. For reservations or information, call 458-1123.

GROUP TO WELCOME SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC AUTHOR

Signs of the Zodiac series author Vicki Pettersson will discuss overcoming roadblocks to writing at this month's Las Vegas Writers Group Meetup set for 7 p.m. May 21 at the Tap House, 5589 W. Charleston Blvd. The event fee is $5. For more information, visit www.meetup.com/Las-Vegas-Writers.

POETRY SERVED UP ONCE WEEKLY AT REJAVANATE

The ReJAVAnate coffee house hosts live poetry performances from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays.

Some of the selections are intense and not intended for all ages. The shop is located at 3300 E. Flamingo Road, No. 23. Call 253-7721 for more information.

BOOKSTORE OFFERS WRITERS GROUP ON WEDNESDAYS

Borders bookstore has a writers group at 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 2190 N. Rainbow Blvd.

LEARN MORE ABOUT AREA AUTHORS

Authors are invited to share information with readers and other writers at the 18Q Web site, www.eighteenquestions. com.

Surveys are posted on the Web site and sent out as part of The Fabulist Flash, a weekly eZine.

AUTHOR IS REGULAR AT AIRPORT

Just about every Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., readers can catch William Slick Hanner, co-author of "Thief! The Gutsy, True Story of an Ex-con Artist," signing books at the McCarran International Airport Borders. For information about the book, visit Thieftruestory.com.

ALIANTE LIBRARY TO HOST WRITERS GROUP

Writers of all ages are invited to the Aliante Library's writers group from 6 to 8 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The group will be led by retired creative writing teacher Kathleen Shrader. For more information, call the 2400 W. Deer Springs Way library at 839-2980.

CALL FOR ESSAY ENTRIES

Las Vegas fine art curator Michael Todoran is accepting essays, poems and short fiction on the concept of a layers for a book project he hopes to feature at the 2009 Vegas Valley Book festival.

Todoran said there will be a $500 first-prize and two $250 runner-up prizes for the top essays in the book.

Essays and fiction should be from 500 to 2,000 words. Poetry may not exceed 500 words. There is a $15 entry fee. First-draft deadline for entries is May 1. Most entries are expected to be published on a Layers Web site, while the best will be printed in a book expected to be published by AuthorHouse.

For more information, visit http://www.michaeltodoran.com/layers.html.

LOCAL AUTHORS ARE FINALISTS IN FOREWORD AWARDS

"Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia & Palace Intrigue" by Las Vegas journalist Geoff Schumacher is a finalist in the biography category for Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year awards.

Lewis Kimberly's "Granny McFanny," illustrated by Jorge Betancourt Polanco, is a children's picture book finalist.

Gold, Silver and Bronze winners, as well as Editor's Choice Prizes for Fiction and Nonfiction will be announced at BookExpo America at the Javits Center in New York City on May 29. The winners of the two Editor's Choice Prizes will be awarded $1,500 each.

GROUPS INVITED TO GET EXCITED ABOUT BOOK FESTIVAL

The Vegas Valley Book Festival is inviting local book clubs to recommend local or national authors as featured speakers or panelists for this year's festival planned for Nov. 4 through 8.

Book club members are invited to read the works of invited authors and meet them during the event. To get a recommendation form, e-mail Connie Goodall at cgoodall@lasvegasnevada.gov or call 229-4611.

For more information about the festival, visit www.artslasvegas.org/vvbf/.

HENDERSON LIBRARIES SELL BOOKS IN-HOUSE AND ONLINE

Readers can support Henderson Libraries through in-library and online book sales. A store has been created through Amazon.com and can be reached by visiting www.mypubliclibrary.com and selecting "book sales."

In-library book sales are held at the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway, and the Gibson Library, 280 S. Water St. The sales also will be held at the Green Valley Library, 2797 N. Green Valley Parkway, once it reopens.