LOCAL

LOCAL
Barnes & amp; Noble announcesupcoming store events
BOARDMAN -- On Thursday at 7 p.m., the Eclectic Book Group will meet at Barnes & amp; Noble in The Shops at Boardman Park to discuss J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
Also at that time, the store will feature author and motivational speaker Norma J. Rist. She will present her book "Small Business Savvy: A Woman's Guide to Building a Business."
Next Sunday at 2 p.m., former Valley resident Juilene Osborne-McKnight will read from and sign copies of her books "I Am Ireland" and "Daughter of Ireland."
All events are free and open to the public.
COMING SOON
Akron professor putsthe Bard in perspective
"Shakespeare's World," by Debra Johanyak (Prentice Hall, $21.33, coming in 2004)
AKRON -- Debra Johanyak, a professor at The University of Akron Wayne College, recently wrote a book that accents Shakespeare's humanness and his global interests. "Shakespeare's World" is being released by Prentice Hall in 2004. Johanyak compiled 16th- and 17th-century research, and charts more than 150 references to geographical regions in Shakespeare's works. The book, which places an emphasis on diversity, includes plot synopses of Shakespeare's plays and a chronology of key events. Johanyak also uses period art and excerpts of texts written by Shakespeare's contemporaries to give readers a better understanding of everyday life in Shakespeare's world.