Book Notes

UVa professor will speak at Crozet

University of Virginia English professor Lisa Woolfork will speak at Crozet Library at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Part of the Big Read program, Woolfork will discuss “The Place of ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ in the African American Literary Tradition.”

Also at the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library this week:

The Nelson Memorial Library will host a book group at noon Monday. The featured work is “On Chesil Beach” by Ian McEwan.

All events are free and open to the public.

Visit http://jmrl.org for more details.

‘Skeletons’ get out of closet in talk

Jack Trammel will be the speaker at the meeting of the Virginia Writers Club’s Blue Ridge Chapter at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities building.

He will speak about genealogical research in “Skeletons in the Closet: How to Succeed in Finding Out Who You’re Really Related To.”

The Blue Ridge Chapter of the VWC serves the cities of Charlottesville, Staunton, Lexington and Waynesboro and the counties of Albemarle, Augusta, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson and Orange. It welcomes and includes writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, songwriting and other genres.

Deborah Plum leads a fiction critique group, and Elizabeth Solomon leas a poets’ critique group each Friday.

Refreshments will be served. To learn more about the group and its programs, call Solomon at 973-3577.

Fresh Ink series spills latest works

The Visual Arts Center of Richmond, the New Virginia Review, the Library of Virginia and Chop Suey Books will launch Fresh Ink, a new literary series, with a poetry reading at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Visual Arts Center.

Poets Carol Ann Davis and James Hoch, finalists from Virginia Common-wealth University’s 2008 Levis Reading Prize, will read from their work.

Mark your calendars for “Fresh Ink: Chapbook Fest” on April 19 and “Fresh Ink: Novels” on Oct. 15.

Admission is free. For details, visit visarts.org or call (804) 353-0094.

Architecture talk precedes lunch

K. Edward Lay, author of the book and CD-ROM “The Architecture of Jefferson Country,” will speak at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in the large dining room at Michie Tavern.

Lay is the Cary D. Langhorne Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia School of Architecture. A university administrator as well as a practicing architectural consultant, he has received teaching and historic preservation awards. He maintains an architecture practice and teaches.

Visitors are encouraged to join the “speaker’s table” for lunch.

The lecture is free. Local seniors ages 60 and older get a $4 discount. Coupons are available at http://www.michietavern.com and in today’s and Tuesday’s Daily Progress editions. For details, e-mail to cconte @michietavern.com or call 977-1234.

Giffin is speaker for Literary Feast

Emily Giffin, the author of “Baby Proof,” “Some-thing Borrowed,” “Some-thing Blue” and “Love the One You’re With,” will be featured at the Junior League of Charlottesville’s fifth annual Literary Feast, a silent auction and dinner, on Friday at Farmington Country Club.

The Literary Feast raises funds for the Junior League’s community giving programs. Over the past decade, the group has awarded more than $150,000 in community grants to more than 50 area organizations.

All seats are $95. For information, visit http://www.jlcville.org or send e-mail to .

From staff and wire reports