Events

Author-illustrator Brooke Bessesen leads a hike and visual scavenger hunt for children eight years and up (with an adult companion) to introduce kids to a whole new world -- the great outdoors. Bessesen is a naturalist, certified veterinary technician, and wildlife rescue volunteer. Zachary Z. Packrat and His Amazing Collections is her second of three children's books published by Arizona Highways. COST: $35 for one child and one adult. $7 for each additional child or adult. Admission includes one copy of Zachary Z. Packrat and a supply of water. This simple hike will be on the Lost Dog Wash Trail Head in the McDowell Mountains, approximately 4 hours and 4 miles. Registration and pre-payment required at 480-730-0205.

Can you make animal sounds? Today, we explore the noises different animals make!

Dzanc Day is sponsored by Dzanc Press to generate income to allow the press to award the annual Dzanc Prize and to run Dzanc Writer-in-Residence Programs in schools across the country. Today we’ll discuss the craft of writing short stories and novels, the writing life, and the business of writing. Workshop facilitator Jennifer Spiegel, author of the forthcoming The Freak Chronicles, leads exercises, and Bhira Backhaus, author of Under the Lemon Trees, reads from her novel and discusses the publishing process. COST: $50. Registration and pre-payment at 480.730.0205. More info: www.dzancbooks.org.

Have a new book idea? Ready to do another printing of a present volume? Talk to our buyer and get expert advice about shelf appeal before it's too late to make changes. You can bring sample covers, an abstract, and questions regarding marketing or how to contact bookstores about carrying your work. COST: $25 for 15 minutes with either our Children's Buyer or our Adult buyer. More info: 480.730.0205.

Tarot reader James R. Betz offers advice on life, relationships, and career choices. COST: $20 for 15 minutes. Registration and pre-payment at 480.730.0205. More info: 602.840.2222.

A philosophical discussion group based on the book Socrates Café by Christopher Phillips. More info: Wendy at dish@cox.net.

Beginners: 3-4:15pm

Intermediate: 4:30-5:45pm

More info: martha@languagesynergy.com.

New Mexico State University professor Marsha Weisiger presents her book Dreaming of Sheep in Navajo Country, which tells the story of one of the most notorious events in Navajo history: the livestock reduction program of the 1930s. Hundreds of thousands of Navajo goats, sheep, and horses were killed in an attempt to eliminate overgrazing on the Navajo reservation, yet Weisiger argues that federal officials worsened matters, resulting in a collective memory of trauma, a rejection of range conservation policies, and a chronic wasteland.

Trisha Lucas, Education Director for Desert Sun Child Development Center, presents what she feels is the best answer to parents’ questions about discipline. Lucas has seen this method work both at her school and with her own children. Presented in coordination with MomsZone.org. More info: MomsZone.org.

Do your friendships, parenting skills, or love life need refreshing? Arizona substance abuse counselor Clint Stonebraker, author of Connected: The Art of Building Relationships, provides a path to creating lasting relationships based on a personal definition of success, not a script handed down by families or society. More info: clintstonebraker.com.

Pinna Joseph, chanter, sound artist and Yoga of the Voice™ instructor, presents an evening of creating sacred space by sounding your own voice. Tonight's workshop includes vocal meditation and call-and-response chants from the Buddhist, Hindu, Hebrew and Brazilian traditions. No previous singing experience necessary. COST: $20. Registration and pre-payment at 480.730.0205.

KIDS EVENT: STORYTIME 10:15 - 10:45AM
Kids Storytime

Stop misplacing your keys once and for all! In his new book, The Brain Training Revolution: A Proven Workout for Healthy Brain Aging, Paul E. Bendheim, MD, tackles age-associated memory loss with his unique three-part program for healthy brain life. From daily thinking games to a medically proven “brain healthy” diet, Bendheim gives readers everything they need to stay sharp, enhance memory and other cognitive functions, and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. Bendheim, an internationally recognized neurologist and leading authority on Alzheimer’s, is founder of the evidence-based brain-health firm BrainSavers LLC.

Capitalism: A Love Story. With a hand stamp you’ll receive at the screening, you’re entitled to post-show discounts from several merchants here in the Tempe Square shopping center: Baskin Robbins, Wildflower Bread Company, Mac’s Broiler & Tap, Hoodlums, and Changing Hands Bookstore.

The Arizona Science Center visits to lead some fun solar activities and read The Kids' Solar Energy Book by Tilly Spetgang.

Bret “Hitman” Hart signs his book The Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. Hart competed as both a villain and a fan-favorite during his professional wrestling career and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. The Hitman is, almost literally, a blow-by-blow account of that legendary career, with detailed descriptions of the choreography of many of his most prominent matches in the former World Wrestling Foundation. PLEASE NOTE: This is a signing only.

Lettered tickets (free with book purchase) will be called alphabetically to form the booksigning line. Bret Hart will pose for photographs and sign memorabilia excluding dolls and wresting belts.

CAN’T MAKE IT? If you’d like an autographed book from any of our author events, please call us at 480.730.0205 to pre-pay and we’ll have one or more copies signed and reserved for you.

Show your signing ticket next door at Hoodlums Music for your chance to win a Bret Hart Prize Pack. You can also purchase a copy of the DVD Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows at Hoodlums Music and get it signed at Changing Hands. 

Mystic Journeyz with Suzie Coggins. “Your Angels are Waiting.” COST: $20 for 15 minutes. Registration and pre-payment required at 480.730.0205. MysticJourneyz.com, 480.626.1077.

CHRISTOPHER MOORE: BITE ME!      7PM

Christopher Moore is the New York Times best-selling author of eleven novels, including Lamb, A Dirty Job, and Fool. Tonight, he returns with Bite Me!, the sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends and You Suck. This time, Abigail Von Normal — mysterious teen queen of the San Francisco night scene and backup mistress of Tommy, the unintentional vampire — is back to lead you through the third book in the San Francisco Vampire trilogy. Learn what happens to Tommy, Jody, the Vampire Flood, Chet the Enormous Cat, The Smurfette, the Animals, and all of your other favorite characters!

SEATING begins one hour before the event. Lettered tickets (free with book purchase) will be called alphabetically to fill seats and will also be used to form the booksigning line. Each ticket is good for two seats. Seating opens to the general public fifteen minutes before the event, so please arrive early, as space is limited.

CAN’T MAKE IT? If you’d like an autographed book from any of our author events, please call us at 480.730.0205 to pre-pay and we’ll have one or more copies signed and reserved for you.

SIGN LANGUAGE FOR ADULTS      1:30-3PM

Cindy Ashcraft teaches Signed English to parents and other interested adults. Meets every second and fourth Sunday. COST: $5 per class. Registration and pre-payment required at 480.730.0205. More info: 480.472.6203.

Why does the magic of ancient Egypt continue to enthrall us? Did an advanced predynastic culture build the pyramids and Sphinx? What was the true purpose of the Great Pyramid? Is mainstream archeology on the brink of a major change? In this workshop, Jeri Castronova, PhD, author of the independently published supernatural thriller Code of the King: A Deadly Search for Ancient Wisdom, explores alternate views of history based on new discoveries and her own research and personal experiences. Writers will explore the mystical writing techniques employed by the author. COST: $20. Registration and pre-payment at 480.730.0205. More info: www.jericastronova.com.

Volunteer opportunities with Hands-On Greater Phoenix. More info: 602.973.2212 x237.

Join us on an unforgettable trip to Spain with one of the most in-demand flamenco guitarists in America. Chris Burton Jácome, whose music is featured in the Emmy Award-winning PBS special Flamenco and on ABC’s Greek, celebrates the release of his new CD, Levanto, with flamenco dancers and singers presenting songs from the album live. Levanto captures the raw emotion of flamenco with its rhythmical footwork, passionate vocals and blistering guitar work. More info: www.chrisburtonjacome.com.

SEATING & ADMISSION begins one hour before the event. Lettered tickets (free with CD purchase) will be called alphabetically to fill seats and will also be used to form the signing line. Each ticket is good for two seats. Seating opens to the general public fifteen minutes before the event, so please arrive early, as space is limited.
CAN’T MAKE IT? If you’d like something autographed from any of our author events, please call us at 480.730.0205 to pre-pay and we’ll have one or more signed and reserved for you.

ASU MFA candidate Hugh Martin reads from his forthcoming chapbook So, How Was the War? Hugh served six years in the National Guard, one of which was in Iraq.  These poems come from that experience. Open reading follows.

Bring your cameras, because Corduroy the bear and B. G.Hennessey, author of Corduroy Lost and Found, are stopping by with Hennessy’s classic picture book Corduroy’s Easter.

This month we’re talking about The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone. Housed in the Children’s Galleries of the Chicago Art Institute is a collection of 68 exquisitely crafted miniature rooms. What if you found a key that allowed you to shrink yourself small enough to sneak inside and explore their secrets? What if you discovered that others had done so before you? And that someone had left  something important behind?

CLUB READ BADGE HOLDERS: Get 3 bonus points for attending, and 1 point when you purchase The Sixty-Eight Rooms at Changing Hands. Don’t have a free Club Read badge? Ask us how to get one!

Tarot reader James R. Betz offers advice on life, relationships, and career choices. COST: $20 for 15 minutes. Registration and pre-payment at 480.730.0205. More info: 602.840.2222.

Tarot reader James R. Betz offers advice on life, relationships, and career choices. COST: $20 for 15 minutes. Registration and pre-payment at 480.730.0205. More info: 602.840.2222.

More info: aaron@letutor.com.

Beginners: 3-4:15pm. Intermediate: 4:30-5:45pm. More info: martha@languagesynergy.com.

A six-week writing workshop for girls (grades 7-12) with former copy editor and New York Times freelancer Tricia Parker. PLEASE NOTE: This workshop meets six times on Mondays: April 5, 12, 19, 26 and May 3 and 10. COST: $60 for 6 sessions. Registration and pre-payment required at 480.730.0205.

David Delgado Shorter, an associate professor in the Department of World Arts and Cultures at the University of California, presents We Will Dance Our Truth: Yaqui History in Yoeme Performances. Based on fifteen years of research among the Yaqui (Yoeme) Indians of Arizona and Mexico, Shorter examines controversial anthropologist Carlos Castaneda’s claim that the Yaqui have “away of knowing” that is different from those in Western society. Through journal writing, personal narrative and interviews, Shorter reveals new meanings of the legend of the Talking Tree and the Testamento—a collection of narrative accounts of history and myth. More info: www.davidshorter.com.

2009 American Book Award-winner Stella Pope Duarte (If I Die in Juarez) presents a gathering of “Phoenix street society” as she reads from her new collection, Women Who Live in Coffee Shops and Other Stories. Dedicated to the invisible city-dwellers of the world, it details life amid the urban sprawl of Phoenix, where Duarte’s colorful characters uncover secrets, confront demons, tell heart-warming tales, and wreak hilarious havoc as they reinvent themselves on “Phoenix’s meanest streets.”

Barb Rogers visits with her memoir If I Die Before I Wake: A Memoir of Drinking and Recovery. Rogers begins with the tragic death of her teenage son, and delves into the horror that was her life to that point—substance abuse, emotional abuse, even homelessness. If Die Before I Wake is not about survival of the fittest but, according to Rogers, about “the weak, the hopeless, the helpless, the truly addicted, not only to substances but to drama, anger, excuses, and justifications.” Rogers became a professional costume designer after beginning her journey of recovery. She is the founder of Broadway Bazaar Costumes and author of Clutter Junkie No More, Keep it Simple and Sane, and three books about costuming.

Tonight, Gayle Forman visits with her new teen novel, If I Stay. In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen year-old Mia has no memory of the accident, she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family; then, in a blink of an eye, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck. If I Stay is a layered and emotionally moving story about the power of family and friends, the choices we make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands. Forman is an award-winning author and journalist who specializes in teen and social-justice issues. Her articles have been featured in magazines such as Seventeen, Elle, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour.

Enjoy a lunch of sandwiches and salads from the Wildflower Bread Company while Robert Goolrick presents his #1 New York Times bestseller, A Reliable Wife. In 1909, businessman Ralph Truitt stands alone on a train platform waiting for the woman who answered his newspaper advertisement for “a reliable wife.” But when Catherine Land steps off the train from Chicago, she’s not the simple, honest woman Ralph is expecting. Her plan is simple: win Ralph’s devotion, then poison him and leave Wisconsin a wealthy widow. But Ralph has some unexpected plans of his own. A Reliable Wife spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list in hardback, was selected as the #1 Indie Next Pick and the 2009 NAIBA Book of the Year.

PLEASE NOTE: free lunch coupons available with book purchase or reservation.

Non-profit comedy troupe Off The Cuff presents a free, family-friendly improv comedy show. OTC always gives a high-energy show, created from audience suggestions. If you enjoy improv comedy in the style of Whose Line Is It Anyway? you’ll love it!

In honor of National Poetry Month, Cynthia Giroux from Storybook Kitchen reads some fun poems from Jack Prelutsky’s A Pizza the Size of the Sun and shows kids how to make their own mini pizzas.

Lynn Reardon, founder of L.O.P.E. (LoneStar Outreach to Place Ex-Racers), presents her book Beyond the Homestretch: What I’ve Learned from Saving Racehorses. It’s a vivid inside look into the world of horse racing—complete with colorful horses, jockeys, trainers and gallop girls—that shows how a woman’s transformation from city-slicker to ranch-hand gave her new insights as she developed relationships with horses. More info: www.beyondthehomestretch.com.

Mystic Journeyz with Suzie Coggins. “Your Angels are Waiting.” COST: $20 for 15 minutes. Registration and pre-payment: 480.730.0205. Info: MysticJourneyz.com or 480.626.1077.

Volunteer opportunities with Hands-On Greater Phoenix. More info: 602.973.2212 x237.

Cindy Ashcraft teaches signed English to parents and other adults. Meets every second and fourth Sunday. Beginners: 1-1:45pm. Intermediate: 2-2:45pm.

Travel writer Christy Karras and photojournalist Stephen Zusy present Motorcycle Touring in the Southwest, a guidebook and slideshow that includes Arizona, Utah, southwestern Colorado, the Four Corners region, Las Vegas, and New Mexico. This is not your average travel guide, although the authors made sure it’s full of useful information, colorful photos, maps, and detailed ride descriptions. It’s spiced up with anecdotes from their journeys, personal observations, and other tidbits you won’t find anywhere else. Karras and Zusy will answer questions, tell stories, share photos, and give a sneak peek of their next book, Motorcycle Touring in the Pacific Northwest. More info: www.roadwriters.com.

Workshop one of your original poems once a month with a group of peers. More info: jedesign2004@yahoo.com.

Botanist and plant pathologist David Deardorff and photographer Kathryn Wadsworth present their book What’s Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?). Dealing with a sick plant is one of the most frustrating situations a gardener can face. More often than not, we have no idea what’s causing the problem, or how to fix it. What’s Wrong With My Plant? provides an easy system for diagnosing any problem and matching it to the right cure. Whether your garden consists of herbs on a kitchen windowsill, a vegetable garden, an elaborate backyard border, or a container on a patio, What’s Wrong With My Plant? is an indispensable resource.

Master Stephen Co, author of Your Hands Can Heal You, visits to discuss harnessing Prana (the “chi” or “life force") with crystals and gemstones. Master Co, senior disciple and student of Grandmaster Choa Kok Sui, the founder of Pranic Healing, demonstrates techniques with audience participation and refers to the teachings of Master Choa Kok Sui in Pranic Crystal Healing. More info: www.pranichealing.com.

PLEASE NOTE: Booksigning starts at 6:30pm, lecture follows at 7pm.

SEATING begins one hour before the event. Lettered tickets (free with book purchase) will be called alphabetically to fill seats and will also be used to form the booksigning line. Each ticket is good for two seats. Seating opens to the general public fifteen minutes before the event, so please arrive early, as space is limited.
CAN’T MAKE IT? If you’d like a book autographed from any of our author events, please call us at 480.730.0205 to pre-pay and we’ll have one or more copies signed and reserved for you.

Stephen Fried visits the Heard Museum and speaks about his newest book, Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West. A pivotal figure of the West in the 19th century, Fred Harvey was a businessman, entrepreneur, historic figure and collector of American Indian Art. Find out more about Fred Harvey, his family and his legacy today when Fried is interviewed by Heard curator Diana Pardue. Booksigning follows. More info: www.heard.org.

Frank Meeink, whom Edward Norton portrayed in the Academy Award-winning film American History X, visits with his book, Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead, a raw telling of his descent into America’s Nazi underground and his ultimate triumph over drugs and hatred. Frank’s violent childhood in South Philadelphia primed him to hate, while addiction made him easy prey for a small group of skinhead gang recruiters. By sixteen he had become one of the most notorious skinhead gang leaders on the East Coast, and by eighteen he was doing hard time. Teamed up with African-American players in a prison football league, Frank learned to question his hatred, and after being paroled he defected from the white supremacy movement and began speaking on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League. A story of fighting the demons of hatred and addiction, Frank's downfall and ultimate redemption has the power to open hearts and change lives.

SEATING begins one hour before the event. Lettered tickets (free with book purchase) will be called alphabetically to fill seats and will also be used to form the booksigning line. Each ticket is good for two seats. Seating opens to the general public fifteen minutes before the event, so please arrive early, as space is limited.
CAN’T MAKE IT? If you’d like a book autographed from any of our author events, please call us at 480.730.0205 to pre-pay and we’ll have one or more copies signed and reserved for you.

Local artists present ten musical acts representing a variety of styles. Co-sponsored by Hoodlums Music and Movies. Contact Pinna at pinna.joseph@changinghands.com if you are interested in performing.

The Rainforest is a beautiful place—but it’s disappearing! What can you do to help out our earth and the amazing animals that live here?

A philosophical discussion group based on the book Socrates Café by Christopher Phillips. More info: dish@cox.net.

Robert Schwartz, author of Your Soul's Plan: Discovering the Real Meaning of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born, discusses why our lives unfold as they do and how to direct them to a deeper place. Intuitives Staci Wells and Corbie Mitleid, two of the mediums featured in the book, will discuss karma and creating your best self now, lead the audience in guided meditations, and share with select members of the audience information from Spirit about their pre-birth plans and those past lives important to this incarnation.

Cost: $55.  Registration and pre-payment at 480.730.0205. More info: yoursoulsplan.com.

Beginners: 3-4:15pm. Intermediate: 4:30-5:45pm. More info: martha@languagesynergy.com.

Volunteer opportunities with Hands-On Greater Phoenix. More info: 602.973.2212 x237.

Newbery Medal winner Karen Cushman (The Midwife’s Apprentice and Catherine, Called Birdy) visits with her latest historical novel, Alchemy and Meggy Swann. Meggy has newly arrived in London with her only friend, a goose named Louise. Meggy’s mother was glad to be rid of her; and her father, who sent for her, doesn’t want her after all. Meggy is appalled by London, dirty and noisy, full of rogues and thieves, and difficult to get around in—not that getting around is ever easy for someone who walks with the help of two sticks. While her alchemist father pursues his Great Work of transforming base metal into gold, Meggy finds herself pursuing her own transformation.

Fitness blogger Jennifer Myers, owner of Stroller Strides, shows how busy moms can get moving, even while juggling children at the same time! More info: www.MomsZone.org.

Author Victoria Holmes, one of the four women known by the collective pseudonym “Erin Hunter,” visits with the second book in the Omen of the Stars series: Fading Echoes. Three ThunderClan cats, Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovepaw, are prophesied to hold the power of the stars in their paws. Now they must work together to unravel the meaning behind the ancient words of the prophecy. But the dark shadows that have preyed on the Clan for many moons still lurk just beyond the forest. Soon, a mysterious visitor will walk in one cat’s dreams, whispering promises of greatness, with results that will change the future of ThunderClan in ways that no cat could have foreseen.

SEATING begins one hour before the event. Lettered tickets (free with book purchase) will be called alphabetically to fill seats and will also be used to form the booksigning line. Each ticket is good for two seats. Seating opens to the general public fifteen minutes before the event, so please arrive early, as space is limited.
CAN’T MAKE IT? If you’d like a book autographed from any of our author events, please call us at 480.730.0205 to pre-pay and we’ll have one or more copies signed and reserved for you.

Local physician Ken Jackson visits to launch his independently-published Southwest suspense novel, Manifest West. When Dr. Michael Ganson makes a daring decision to save one life at the risk of another, he discovers that no good deed goes unpunished. While mounting his defense to a devastating malpractice suit and fighting his own demons, Ganson finds work on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. There, the recent disappearance of an Anglo boy and his link to Bronco Dazen, a once-revered medicine man turned local pariah, has made national news. Did Dazen, a man marginalized by his own people, commit murder? Together, Ganson and Dazen—two men accused of the unthinkable—must overcome their differences on a journey into the heart of the Apache people where they walk the thin line between guilt and innocence. More info: www.manifestwest.net.

April is National Autism Awareness Month. Tonight we present a panel of experts to discuss the ups and downs of raising children on the autism spectrum. Panelists include Lisa Masters, author of The Funny Side of Autism and a single mom of two boys with autism; speech and language pathologist Karen Habgood; and Erik M. Francis, MEd, MS, who has trained with the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center’s Jump Start Program. Each shares ideas for achieving goals, coping, and how to use the services made available to families of autistic individuals.

PLEASE NOTE: A portion of the proceeds from the sale of The Funny Side of Autism go to the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC).

Free screening of How to Draw a Bunny, about reclusive and enigmatic artist Ray Johnson, one of the seminal artists of the Pop Art movement. Johnson, who has been called “the most famous unknown artist in America,” took individuality to a new level with ar that infused pop-culture images, collages and rubber stamps.

With a hand stamp you’ll receive at the screening, you’re entitled to post-show discounts from several Tempe Square merchants: Baskin Robbins, Wildflower Bread Co., Mac’s Broiler & Tap, Hoodlums, and Changing Hands Bookstore.

The Arizona Science Center visits to lead hand-on activities for kids and read What’s So Special About Planet Earth? by Robert E. Wells.

Mystic Journeyz with Suzie Coggins. “Your Angels are Waiting.” COST: $20 for 15 minutes. Registration and pre-payment: 480.730.0205. Info: MysticJourneyz.com or 480.626.1077.

Chanter, sound artist and Yoga of the Voice™ instructor Pinna Joseph presen a time of approaching inner quietude and developing a more harmonious inne self through vocal meditation (connecting with the sound between the sounds) exploring the voice as an instrument, attention to listening, and call-and- response chanting from many world cultures. No previous singing experience necessary. COST: $20. Registration and pre-payment at 480.730.0205.

Cindy Ashcraft teaches signed English to parents and other adults. Meets every second and fourth Sunday. Beginners: 1-1:45pm. Intermediate: 2-2:45pm.

Patrick Carman, the New York Times bestselling author of the Land of Elyon series, returns to Changing Hands with his first teen novel, Thirteen Days to Midnight. “You are indestructible.” Three whispered words transfer an astonishing power to Jacob Fielding that changes everything. At first, Jacob is hesitant to use his power—but there’s something addictive about testing the limits of fear. Then Ophelia James, the beautiful and daring new girl in town, suggests that they use the power to do good, to save others. But with every heroic act, the power becomes more of an ominous curse.

SEATING begins one hour before the event. Lettered tickets (free with book purchase) will be called alphabetically to fill seats and will also be used to form the booksigning line. Each ticket is good for two seats. Seating opens to the general public fifteen minutes before the event, so please arrive early, as space is limited.
CAN’T MAKE IT? If you’d like a book autographed from any of our author events, please call us at 480.730.0205 to pre-pay and we’ll have one or more copies signed and reserved for you.

Volunteer opportunities with Hands-On Greater Phoenix. More info: 602.973.2212 x237.

Tom Leveen visits with his debut teen novel, Party. It’s Saturday night in Santa Barbara and school is done for the year. Everyone is headed to the same party. Or at least it seems that way. The place is packed. The beer is flowing. Simple, right? But for eleven people the motives are way more complicated. As each character takes a turn and tells his or her story, the individuals intersect, and reconnect, collide, and combine in ways that none of them ever saw coming. Leveen is the artistic director of Chyro Arts Venue in Scottsdale, an all-ages performance space hosting live music, theatre, visual art, and independent film. More info: chyro.org.

The always-hilarious Laurie Notaro (The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death, I Thought You’d Be Thinner) visits with her debut novel, Spooky Little Girl. Lucy Fisher comes home one day to find everything she owns on her front lawn, the locks changed, and her fiancé’s phone disconnected. Plus, she’s just lost her job. Then things take an even more dramatic turn: A fatal encounter with public transportation lands Lucy not in the hereafter but in the nearly hereafter. She’s back in school, learning the parameters of spooking and how to become a successful spirit in order to complete a ghostly assignment. Navigating the perilous channels of the paranormal, Lucy is determined to find out why her life crumbled and why, despite her ghastly death, no one seems to have noticed she’s gone. But urgency on the spectral plane—in the departed person of her feisty grandmother, who is risking both their eternal lives—requires attention, and Lucy realizes that you get only one chance to be spectacular in death.

SEATING begins one hour before the event. Lettered tickets (free with book purchase) will be called alphabetically to fill seats and will also be used to form the booksigning line. Each ticket is good for two seats. Seating opens to the general public fifteen minutes before the event, so please arrive early, as space is limited.
CAN’T MAKE IT? If you’d like a book autographed from any of our author events, please call us at 480.730.0205 to pre-pay and we’ll have one or more copies signed and reserved for you.

What if you could write as if you were someone else? Cynthia Hogue, Professor of English and Marshall Chair in Modern and Contemporary Poetry at ASU, explores ways to make a poem’s speaker new and strange: to write as “someone else who is also myself.” Exercises include a collaborative poem. Hogue has published six collections of poetry. Her awards include a Fulbright Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in poetry. Cost: $25. Registration and pre-payment at 480.730.0205.

Mark Ross and David Reesor present their book and slideshow, Predator: Life and Death in the African Bush. With phenomenal photographs of the five great African predators—lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, and crocodiles—the pair take readers on a wild safari and share in-depth insight into the morphology, behaviors, daily activities, and livelihoods of the large carnivores that prowl the plains, woodlands, and rivers of Africa. Compelling and sometimes violent, Predator captures the true life-and-death scenarios that play out every day against the backdrop of the magnificent African landscape. Reesor, a successful wildlife photographer, has been travelling with his wife to exotic locations for over 30 years. Ross, a renowned safari guide, aerobatic pilot, and photographer, has lived in Kenya since 1977 (also a guide and pilot), and is a collaborator for several nature films on Animal Planet, National Geographic and Dateline NBC. More info: www.reesorphotography.com.

Attendees are automatically entered to win a free copy of Predator or an original 13 x 19” photo by David Reesor to be given away at the event.

Rebecca Skloot visits with her acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb's effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the "colored" ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta's small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells. Henrietta's family did not learn of her "immortality" until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Skloot shows, the story of the Lacks family is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry visits Changing Hands with his latest, I’ll Mature When I’m Dead: Dave Barry’s Amazing Tales of Adulthood. In hilarious, brand-new pieces, Barry tackles everything from fatherhood, new fatherhood, self-image, the battle of the sexes, celebrity-hood, technology, parenting styles, certain unmentionable medical procedures ("There is absolutely no reason to be afraid of a vasectomy, except that: THEY CUT A HOLE IN YOUR SCROTUM."), and much more. Barry is a nationally syndicated humor writer for The Miami Herald, and the author of dozens of best-selling books, including Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys and Dave Barry’s Book of Bad Songs.

Lettered tickets (free with book purchase) will be called alphabetically to fill seats and will also be used to form the booksigning line. Seating opens to the general public fifteen minutes before the event, so please arrive early, as space is limited.

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