Reeve to Appear Live, Via Satellite

If you’re curious to hear what Christopher Reeve has to say about his new autobiography, “Still Me,” the Barnes & Noble in the Marketplace in Irvine is the place to be Monday.

Reeve, a quadriplegic since being thrown headfirst from his horse while jumping in a 1995 riding competition, won’t be making an appearance at the store.

But he’ll be there via satellite from a studio in New York, where he is to interviewed by PBS talk show host Charlie Rose at 4 p.m.

The bookstore, at 13712 Jamboree Road, is one of seven Barnes & Nobles around the country that will receive the exclusive live interview on a 6-foot screen.

Questions for Reeve from Barnes & Noble customers have been previously submitted to Rose. A portion of the 30- to 45-minute interview will air on Rose’s PBS show at a later date.

Philanthropist Joan Irvine Smith will be at the Irvine bookstore to talk about Reeve and provide an update on the ongoing campaign to raise money for the new Reeve-Irvine Research Center at UC Irvine.

Smith, a fellow equestrian, sought out Reeve after his accident and pledged $1 million to help create the research center for the study of trauma to the spinal cord and ailments of the central nervous system. Reeve joined Smith at the dedication of the center in September.

Reeve first gained fame by playing the title role in “Superman” in 1978. Since his accident, he has been active in raising public awareness of spinal cord injuries and in obtaining increased private and public funding for spinal cord research.

In “Still Me,” he describes the physical, emotional and spiritual journey he has made to rebuild his life.

Publishers Weekly calls the book a “true profile in courage. . . . Reeve has produced a memoir that’s outspoken, wise and tremendously moving.”

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Six authors whose books chronicle aspects of Orange County history will speak at the Orange County Historical Society meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana.

The speakers: Phil Brigandi, author of “Orange, the City ‘Round the Plaza”; Esther Cramer, author of “A Bell in Barranca”; Carol Jordan, author of “The Landmark Trees of Tustin”; Stephen Gould, author of “Walter Knott and His Ghost Town”; Phil Bryan Gray, author of “Forster vs. Pico: The Struggle for the Rancho Santa Margarita”; and Diann Marsh, photo editor of “The Colorful Coast: An Illustrated History of Newport Beach and Harbor.”

Admission is free.

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Science fiction author Gregory Benford will discuss his new Orange County-set novel, “Cosm,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave.

General admission: $8. For reservations, call (714) 717-3890. Benford, a UCI physics professor, will sign copies of his book after his lecture.

Also This Week

* USC professor George J. Sanchez, author of “Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-’45,” will speak at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Titan Student Union’s Portola Pavilion C at Cal State Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd.

* Poet Michael Paul will read at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Alta Coffee House & Roasting Co., 506 31st St., Newport Beach.

* Writer Barbara Demarco Barrett will conduct a writing workshop at 7 p.m. Thursday at Barnes & Noble in Metro Pointe, 901 South Coast Drive, Costa Mesa.

* Adeline Yen Mah, author of “Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter,” will speak at an author’s luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at the Huntington Beach Library & Cultural Center, 7111 Talbert Ave. Cost: $12. Reservations must be made by Monday. For reservations, call (714) 842-4481, Ext. 7.

* John Sanford, author of “Secret Prey,” will sign at 5 p.m. Thursday at Book Carnival, 348 S. Tustin Ave., Orange.

* A panel of artists and writers will discuss art, the press and perceived relationships at 7 p.m. Friday at Caged Chameleon Art Gallery, 1519 N. Main St., Santa Ana. Free.

* The National League of American Pen Women will raise scholarship money with a sale of paintings, sculpture, photography and books for all ages from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Neighborhood Congregational Church, Glenneyre and St. Ann streets, Laguna Beach.

* Earlene Fowler, author of “Dove in the Window,” will sign at noon Friday at Barnes & Noble in Fashion Island, 953 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach.

* Martin J. Smith, author of “Shadow Image,” will sign at 1 p.m. Saturday at Coffee, Tea & Mystery, 13232 Springdale St., Westminster.

* Elizabeth Borsting;, author of “Celebrity Weddings & Honeymoon Getaways,” will sign at 2 p.m. Saturday at Barnes & Noble, 13712 Jamboree Road, Irvine.

* Poets Gary Tomlinson and Thomas Rush will read at Steel and Ivy: Poetry at Chapman meeting at 8 p.m. Saturday in room 208 of Argyros Forum at Chapman University, 333 N. Glassell St., Orange. Admission: $4.

* A used-book sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Placentia Library, 411 E. Chapman Ave.

Send information about book-related events at least 10 days before event to Dennis McLellan, O.C. Books & Authors, Life & Style, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.