Local libraries, a book store and the college are hosting talks and book signings by authors. The list includes a fantasy writer, a chronicler of local history and a public radio commentator.

Here's a listing of events.

Hull to discuss latest Coos County historical book

Historical Coos County lies somewhere between paradise and hard work. It is a place of gold and coal mines, river travel and dairies, lumbering, graceful sailing ships and steamers crossing the bar. Perseverance, backbreaking labor, and Saturday dances show through the historic photography assembled into the book “Coos County” by Lise Hull.

Hull will talk about her book at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 21, in the Coos Bay Public Library’s Myrtlewood Room.

This free program is sponsored by Friends of the Coos Bay Public Library. For more information, those interested can call 269-1101.

Fantasy writer to speak at Coos Bay library

Fantasy readers and writers alike are invited to a presentation by author Janna Nickerson at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Coos Bay Public Library. She is the author of “The Eyes of War” and “Faces of Sorrow,” the first two installments of the Fifth Battle Trilogy.

Set in the Northern Kingdom, these stories transport readers to a land of power, darkness and hope — where anyone can be a leader, a press release said.  Appealing to adult and young adult readers, the author blends hidden riddles, war, romance, betrayal, trust and magic, to arrive at a conclusion that depends on more than just the gods and the dragons.

Nickerson began writing “Eyes of War” at age 13 and finished the first draft at 15. She then spent two years editing. The second book in the trilogy “Faces of Sorrow” now is in print, and she’s working on the final book in the Fifth Battle Trilogy. Nickerson is an archaeology major at the University of Montana.

Radio commentator, author to talk about architecture

The Southwestern Oregon Community College Arts and Lectures Committee will host a free talk by Diana Coogle on “Reading Houses: What Architecture tells us about Ourselves” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22, in Eden Hall, room 1, on the Coos Bay campus, 1988 Newmark Ave.



Literature has been a lifelong passion for Coogle, an author, teacher, radio commentator, theater director and community volunteer. She studied literature and literary themes at Vanderbilt University and Cambridge University. For three years, Coogle was a guest lecturer at Goteborgs University in Goteborg, Sweden, where her love for literature found a new channel as she grew to appreciate the diverse landscapes of Sweden, a press release said.

Coogle, who lives on a remote mountainside, is a regular commentator on Jefferson Public Radio, and her first book “Fire from the Dragon’s Tongue: Essays about Living with Nature in the Siskiyou Mountains” was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award.

 The program is made possible by funding from the Oregon Council for the Humanities.