Events

In the new book, She's Out There! 35 Women Under 35 Who Aspire to Lead: The Next Generation of Presidential Candidates, editors Amy Sewell and Heather L. Ogilvie feature 35 essays written by the young future female leaders of America. This collection of essays reveals what drives the political ambitions of a younger generation of American women - and reveals their vision for our future. At this event Farrah Green, a St. Louis graduate of Washington University and aspiring political leader, will discuss and sign her essay from the book. Co-sponsored by the Sue Shear Institutefor Women in the Public Life.

Crystal methamphetamine is widely considered to be the most dangerous drug in the world, and nowhere is that more true than the small towns of the American Heartland. Methland tells the story of Oelwein, Iowa (pop. 6,159), which, like thousands of other small towns across the country, has been left in the dust by the consolidation of the agricultural industry, a depressed local economy, and an out-migration of people. As if this weren't enough to deal with, an incredibly cheap, longlasting, and highly addictive drug has rolled into town. Nick Reding, author of The Last Cowboys at the End of the World, offers a vital and unique perspective on a pressing contemporary tragedy in Methland.

Thomas Glave “is a gifted stylist...blessed with ambition, his own voice and an impressive willingness to dissect how individuals actually think and behave,” according to The New York Times Book Review. Glave is the author of Whose Song? and Other Stories, the essay collection Words to Our Now: Imagination and Dissent (winner of the 2005 Lambda Literary Award), and a new book, The Torturer’s Wife, a collection of stories that focus--specifically and allegorically--on the horrors of despotic dictatorships, terror, anti-gay violence, the weight of memory, secret fetishes, erotic longing, desire and intimacy.

So, what happens when a self-obsessed citified gay man with a penchant for bronzer, he-capris, chokers, and Parker Posey movies strikes out for rural America? He discovers the simple life isn't so simple, especially while wearing high-fashion waders. In this hilarious new memoir, Wade Rouse (author of America's Boy and Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler) leaves the lattes and Lily Pulitzer behind and moves to the middle-of-nowhere Michigan to see if he can survive, much like Thoreau, by stripping away all superfluous luxuries, and living a plain, simple, writerly life.

St. Louis author and University of Missouri-St. Louis professor Dan Begley discusses and signs his debut semi-autobiographical novel Ms. Taken Identity. Iin the book, PhD candidate Mitch Samuel's life isn't going exactly according to plan: his girlfriend dumped him, his estranged father has landed in the hospital, and his literary masterpiece--one part Shakespeare, one part Steinbeck, and all parts lyrical epic--has been rejected for the umpteenth time. However, after a chance encounter at Starbucks with the queen of women's fiction, who seems to take a liking to him, he senses an opportunity for literary riches, if not reputation, which leads him to a double life and dance classes.

Bob Rubright's latest book, Breakfast, Lunch and Diner, is a look at the life and times of 84 restaurants in and around St. Louis. Rubright and six popular restaurant owners with restaurant commentator Johnny Rabbitt from KMOX Radio will read and banter about the book. Rubright, a cultural historian, has filled his book with anecdotes, humor, and little known historical facts about each restaurant. Guitarist Dan Rubright and singer Lydia Ruffin will provide music from their latest CD.

In the tradition of Dennis Lehane, Walter Mosley and Greg Iles, Attica Locke spins a tale of mystery and intriuge, set in Houston, Texas, during the oil-rich '80s in her debut literary thriller, Black Water Rising. And as it entertains, the book offers a powerful message about race, class, how the decisions you make can change the course of your life, and how the past influences the present. Locke is a writer in film and television who lives in Los Angeles, and her timely book opens up questions asked today about oil and the business practices of oil corporations.

Without a doubt, stencils are the fastest, easiest, and cheapest method for painting an image on a wall, a sidewalk, or practically anywhere. Stencil Nation focuses on the unexpected mix of this lively, accessible medium - from famous artists including Bansky to international street stencils and gallery shows - to reveal engaging aspects of an internationally secretive creative community. At this event, author Russell Howze will present a video slide presentation on the history of stencil art and then show photographs from the book. Peat Wollegar and Russel Howze will do live painting and sign books. Mad Art Gallery will provide a cash bar.

Amnesty International and Left Bank Books present Matthew Alexander, author of How to Break a Terrorist. Finding Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, had long been the U.S. military's top priority. No brutality was spared in trying to squeeze intelligence from Zarqawi's suspected associates. But in the wake of the torture scandal at Abu Ghraib, a new breed of interrogators emerged that used innovative interrogation techniques, rather than torture, to get information from prisoners. Matthew Alexander, a former criminal investigator for the Air Force and head of the new interrogation team, was sent to Iraq for that purpose. In his fast-paced and thrilling new book, Alexander reveals the methods they used and their astounding success rate.

According to Publishers Weekly, "Faith-based fiction doesn't get better than Billingsley's entertaining soaps, notable for their humor, wonderful characters, and challenging life situations that many readers, Christian or not, can identifywith." Essence best-selling author and reading group favorite ReShonda Tate Billingsley is the author of one nonfiction book, Help! I'veTurned into My Mother, six previous novels, and a new novel, The DevilIs a Lie.

Talmage Boston has been writing about baseball for 12 years and has published more than 65 articles,columns and reviews. He brings his expertise to his new book, Baseball and the Baby Boomer. Tapping into the nostalgic era of feel-good baseball inthe late 1940s and moving up to the Mitchell report, this collection documentsthe story of baseball as seen through the eyes and experiences of the post-wargeneration. From daytime games heard on the radio to players testifying before Congress on steroid usage, baseball has undergone a major transformation overthe past 60 years. This chronicling of such vast changes features stories involving famed players such as Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Roger Maris and Nolan Ryan.

It's another sucky year at Bathory High for Vladimir Tod. Now a sophomore, Vlad realizes that having a normal high-school year is the least of his concerns as he's finding it harder to resist feeding on the people around him. St. Louis author Heather Brewerreturns with another installation in her popular teenage vampire series, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, and she still doesn't believe in happy endings unless they involve blood.

Joseph O’Neill, the author of Blood-Dark Track, delivers a mesmerizing novel about a man trying to make his way in

an America of shattered hopes and values, and

the unlikely occurrences that pull him back to an

authentic, passionately engaged life in Netherland.

Complimentary light refreshments will

be served at this reading group meeting.