Tribute to black authors

Tribute to black authors
BOARDMAN -- February is National Black History Month. As a tribute to black authors, Barnes & amp; Noble, in conjuntion with the Youngstown Board of Education, school staff members and the student advisory board, will co-sponsor an event as part of the National African-American Read-In from 3 to 5 p.m. Feb. 4 at the bookstore, 381 Boardman-Poland Road. Admission is free.
Children's story time
BOARDMAN -- Ms. Laura will read, play music and conduct other creative activities for toddlers during Little Listeners Story Time on Wednesday and Thursday at Barnes & amp; Noble, 381 Boardman-Poland Road. Sessions are free and begin at 10:30 a.m.
First Poetry readings
WARREN -- Youngstown State University's Writers Guild presents its First Friday poetry reading at 7 p.m. Friday at the Mocha House, 467 High St. There will be poetry readings by:
Jessica Jewell, a student in the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts program and the Wick Poetry Center Fellow at Kent State University. She recently was nominated for a 2007 Pushcart Prize, and her poetry is forthcoming in Nimrod.
Amy Bracken Sparks, author of two books of poems, "serious red" and "queen of cups." She is the editor of Angle Magazine, a journal of arts and culture.
Jennifer Sullivan, a poet from Akron and a second-year NEOMFA student, who is working on a sequence of poetry about the life, paintings and writings of Vincent van Gogh. Sullivan won first place in poetry for the Best of Ohio Writers Contest 2005. Her poems are forthcoming in Main Street Rag and Timber Creek Review.
Barbara Petronelli of Cortland, a student who is completing a master's degree in English at YSU, where she teaches composition. Her poetry appears in Web Del Sol Review and Perihelion. She will be reading from her thesis, "Transgressions: A Catalogue of Mistresses, Wives, and Lovers."
Writing workshop
VILLA MARIA, Pa. -- Explore your creative side at a creative writing workshop with author and free-lance writer Nancy Christie from 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 10 at Villa Maria Community Center. The course, for experienced and nonwriters alike, will provide a series of writing exercises designed to stretch participants' imagination. The workshop fee is 20; an optional lunch is available for an additional 5.70. Registrations are required by Tuesday. Call (724) 964-8920 Ext. 3387.
Former resident co-authors IT book
GIRARD -- Former Girard resident Mark J. Lucas has co-authored the book, "Firewall Policies and VPN Configurations: The Essential Field Guide for Multitasking Security Professionals" (Syngress Publishing, 55o pages, 49.95 paperback).
"Firewall Policies" provides fundamental information necessary to configure firewalls and build VPNs and DMZs to survive the dangers of the Internet. It is Lucas' first contribution to a work for Syngress, an independent publisher of print and electronic reference materials for information technology professionals seeking skill enhancement and career advancement. It is available online from Barnes & amp; Noble, Borders, and Amazon.com.
Lucas, a son of William and Norma Lucas of Girard, has been in the IT industry for 10 years. A senior system administrator at the California Institute of Technology, he is responsible for the design, implementation, and security of high availability systems and various licensing servers and for the firewalls protecting them. A graduate of Girard High School (1980) and Texas A & amp; M University (1984), he is married and lives in Tujunga, Calif.
Wild and crazy book plan
NEW YORK -- Steve Martin would like you to know more about his years as a wild and crazy guy. The comedian, filmmaker, actor and author is writing a memoir, "Born Standing Up," billed by publisher Scribner as "his first work of narrative nonfiction," a "riveting chronicle of his early years as a stand-up comedian and a fascinating portrait of an era."
Scribner, an imprint of Simon & amp; Schuster, is hoping to have the book out by early 2008, but no publication date has been set.
Martin, 61, is a Waco, Texas, native who in 1967 began writing for "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" and later worked for other TV shows before becoming a superstar in the 1970s as a stand-up comic, releasing such best-selling albums as "Let's Get Small" and often serving as host of "Saturday Night Live."
Vindicator staff/wire reports