Community Should Get the Credit for Offering a Full Plate of Literary Events

On occasion I still hear Ventura County referred to as “That place where nothing cultural happens which is south of that other place where old people go to visit their parents!”

We know, of course, that our community includes local literary lions and attracts national celebrities. Just a few of the events occurring this week: a publishing panel, a fun day at the Reagan library and appearances by Deepak Chopra and Humphrey Bogart’s biographer.

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First-edition books are avidly collected and some of them become valuable investments. And so it is with early runs of Franciscan pottery. Delleen Enge, considered the leading authority on this dinnerware, will discuss and sign her illustrated book, “Franciscan: Plain and Fancy,” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Treasures of Ojai, North Signal St., Ojai. Call (805) 646-2852.

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Reminder: The “Editors and Agents” panel and luncheon, sponsored by Ventura County Writers Club, begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Four Points Hotel, 1050 Schooner Drive, Ventura. Fee for the all-day event is $60. Call (805) 986-3584.

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C.E. Poverman will sign “On the Edge” at 10 a.m. Saturday at Mysteries to Die For, 2940 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks.

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Local writer-storyteller Jim Woodard will spin Gold Rush tales for children and adults at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday during Rawhide Celebration Day at the Reagan Presidential Library, 40 Presidential Drive, near Simi Valley. For details about the free all-day event, call (805) 522-2977.

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The Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble, 160 S. Westlake Blvd., hosts two events Saturday: 85-year old local author Catherine Templeton will sign her historical novel, “The Righteous Rebel,” at 2:30 p.m., and Larry Flax and Rick Rosenfield, co-founders of California Pizza Kitchen, will sign their “California Pizza Kitchen Cookbook” at 8 p.m.

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Gunnar Lovelace and friends will read poetry at 1 p.m. Sunday at Local Hero Books & Cafe, 254 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai.

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The Simi Youth Ensemble Actors Repertory will perform scenes from Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at 2 p.m. Sunday at Borders Books, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks.

In Santa Barbara

Deepak Chopra will speak about and sign his new books, “The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents” and “The Path to Love,” at a benefit for the financially ailing Earthling Bookshop. The program will be at 7 p.m. Friday at the Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St. Tickets are $20, or $15 if a book is purchased. Call (805) 965-0926.

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Marianne Partridge, editor-in-chief of the Santa Barbara Independent and a founding editor of the Village Voice in New York, will describe the newspaper business at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at a Small Publishers, Artists & Writers Network free seminar at Karpeles Library, 21 W. Anapamu St. Call Andora Hodgin at (805) 962-4680.

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Eric Lax will be at Earthling Bookshop at 3 p.m. Saturday to sign “Bogart,” the biography of the film star that he completed after the untimely death of Ann Sperber, who spent six years, much of it in Santa Barbara, researching and writing the book.

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Following are events at Borders Books, 900 State St.: Jono Ohlgren will display his ceramic mask art and sign “Ritual of the Mask” at 3 p.m. Saturday, and Helen Wood will discuss her “Awakened Heart Parenting” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Frances Halpern and Jon O’Brien are co-hosts of “Beyond Words” at 10 a.m. Sundays on KCLU-FM (88.3).