Pump up the volumes

Third Vegas Valley Book Festival will feature African-American giants, mystery mainstays

Las Vegas may forever be known more for bookies than books, but that doesn't stop our town's faithful core of bibliophiles from gathering each year for the Vegas Valley Book Festival. This year's event is Oct. 21-23 at multiple locations in Henderson and Las Vegas, and will focus on mystery and crime writing, African-American literature and screenwriting. About 50 writers will be at the festival, spanning the worlds of fiction, poetry, journalism and screenplays, with featured talent including crime novelist Charles Perry, cartoonist Keith Knight and graphic designer Chip Kidd. And of course, there'll be more books than you can shake a dour librarian at. Highlights follow.

• Keynote speakers are novelists Walter Mosley and Charles Johnson. Mosley is the author of 18 books, and perhaps best known as the creator of streetwise detective Easy Rawlins (Devil in a Blue Dress) and other memorable characters such as Socrates Fotlow and Fearless Jones. But Mosley isn't just a whodunit author; the award-winning writer has also penned science fiction novel, short stories and essays on contemporary issues and current events. His latest novel is The Man in My Basement. Mosley speaks Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at Sam's Town Live.

• Charles Johnson won the National Book Award in 1990 for his novel Middle Passage, making him the first African-American man to garner the distinction since Ralph Ellison in 1953. Kicking off his career as a journalist and cartoonist gave Johnson a broad background from which to draw ideas, and besides fiction, he's also written more than 20 screenplays and essays on history and criticism. His short stories have appeared in the Best American Short Stories and O. Henry Prize Stories series. He teaches at the University of Washington. Johnson speaks Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Winchester Community Center.

• The two writers will be joined by screenwriter and novelist Michael Blake, whose historical novel Dances with Wolves was adapted into one of the best films of the '90s. Blake will open the keynote event with a presentation about adapting literature to film, taking the audience on an often wild ride from New York publishing to Hollywood backlots. The keynote kickoff is Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Winchester Community Center.

• Thomas Perry, a whodunit heavyweight in his own right with 13 novels under his belt, will talk about his work as well. Perry is the author of the popular Jane Whitfield thriller series, unique for its Native American heroine who is a modern-day master of disguise; that is, she helps people in trouble assume new identities. Also appearing are Gillian Roberts and Rhys Bowen. Roberts is known for the Amanda Pepper series, while Bowen authors the acclaimed Constable Evans series. Also joining the thriller-fest are April Henry, Cara Black, Charles Fleming, Lisa See, David Corbett, Sean Doolittle and local writer Jay MacLarty. From Karschrengl, Germany, special musical guest Scherzer will open this segment, fresh off its "Bloodwig" tour.

• A new feature this year is the opening poetry program, which takes place Oct. 14-16 in downtown Las Vegas. Co-sponsored by the city of Las Vegas, the inaugural event will have readings and music as well as a roundtable discussion of the state of poetry today.

• A host of other events rounds out the fun, with local true-crime writers Cathy Scott, Dennis Griffin, Charlotte Salyer and Randy Sutton; and novelists H. Lee Barnes, Douglas Unger, Lisa See, Al Martinez, Diana Wagman, Elizabeth Crane and Aimee Phan. Humorists include Peter Elbling and Keith Knight, and children's authors will see David Winkler, Lisa Kopelke, Mike Miller, Janie Shelon and Terri Farley.

For a complete schedule, visit www.vegasvalleybookfest.org.--Andrew Kiraly