Booked: Poems in Your Pockets, Author Signings and More

* If you work downtown, consider checking out the Nebraska Arts Council’s “Wednesday Words,” this Wednesday, April 13, in the Burlington Place Building at 10th and Farnam in the lower level. Author and screenwriter Richard Dooling ( White Man’s Grave , Stephen King’s Kingdom Hospital ) will be this week’s featured speaker. Attendees are encouraged to bring a sack lunch. The event is free and runs from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. * Thursday, April 14, is Poem in Your Pocket Day at the Joslyn Art Museum at 22nd and Dodge. Bring a poem and read it to the admissions desk staff to receive free admission that day. If you’re a Joslyn member, you’ll receive an additional 10 percent off your purchase in the gift shop if you offer up a poem (some exclusions apply). Later that day, emcee Matt Mason will host an open mic at 6:30 p.m., in which Pocket Poem People will be invited and encouraged to share their selection, even and especially if it’s their own. * Omaha World-Her ald columnist Rainbow Rowell will be at the Bookworm in Countryside Village at 87th and Pacific (a small town in the city!) at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 14, to sign copies of her newly-released book, Attachments , which has been called a “You’ve Got Mail–like tale of missed connections.” * Another local author (and former Reader editor-in-chief), Timothy Schaffert, will be at the Bookworm on Saturday, April 16 at 1 p.m. to sign copies of his new book, The Coffins of Little Hope . Described as a “feisty, energetic story of characters caught in the intricately woven webs of myth, legend and deception … Schaffert explores the fragility of childhood, the strength of family, the powerful rumor mills of rural America, and the sometimes dramatic effects of pop culture on the way we shape our world.” It received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which praised Schaffert’s “sublime” efforts, and said the book’s “piercing observations and sharp, subtle wit make this a standout.” * Beginning Friday, April 15, and running through Sunday, April 17, Brownville’s Lyceum bookstore will host the 2011 Wine, Writers & Song Festival in Brownville, Nebraska. See the schedule of readings, workshops, wine tastings and more at: Brownville-ne.com. * On Saturday, April 16, the Omaha Creative Institute will present Writing The Lyric Poem: To Dredge The Silt From Your Throat, a workshop that’s part of the Great Plains Poetry Pile-Up at Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture in the Tip Top building at 15th and Cuming. Poet Michael Mlekoday will discuss and demonstrate techniques and strategies used by contemporary lyric poets to share their private emotions and help students write their own. The event runs from 10 a.m. to noon. Poets of all stripes, from novices to experienced, published poets, are encouraged to attend. Cost is $35 per student; register at OmahaCreativeInstitute.org.