Radio’s Dr. Laura to Talk About Latest Book

The sharp tongued, no-nonsense, syndicated radio talk show therapist and author Laura Schlessinger holds a black belt in hapkido karate, reads books about Jewish ethics, loves mysteries and collects tea pots. She is a licensed marriage and family counselor and earned a PhD in physiology from USC. Her “Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives” continues to be a huge bestseller.

Schlessinger will talk about personal responsibility and sign her new book, published by HarperCollins, “How Could You Do That?! The Abdication of Character, Courage and Conscience” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Ventura Bookstore, 522 E. Main St.

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Events at Barnes & Noble, 4360 E. Main St., Ventura: Kim Dozier will read to youngsters, ages 5 to 8, at 7 p.m. Friday. Tyler Cortland will sign her trilogy about doctors and nurses, “The Hospital Series,” at 1 p.m. Saturday. “Corker’s Freedom” by John Berger will be discussed at the fiction reading group at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. “Morning Stories” for preschoolers through first graders will begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday. The Writers Club continues to meet at 7 p.m. every Wednesday to exchange comments on works in progress.

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It’s a busy weekend at Mysteries to Die For, 2940 Thousand Oaks Blvd. in Thousand Oaks. Mercedes Lambert will sign her new mystery, “Soultown,” at noon Saturday. And the prolific Tony Gibbs, former New Yorker magazine editor, presently contributing editor at Islands Magazine, will sign his latest thriller set in Santa Barbara, “Shot in the Dark,” at noon Sunday.

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Local author Patricia Fry will discuss the events that led her to write “Quest for Truth,” about past life regression therapy, at 3 p.m. Saturday at Local Hero Bookstore, 254 E. Ojai Ave., in The Arcade in Ojai.

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Ron Reichick, publisher of the literary journal Verve, will teach a six-week creative writing class starting at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Learning Tree University’s Thousand Oaks campus. Call 497-2292 for details. Verve is also soliciting poetry and short fiction addressing the theme “Out of the Dark” for the fall 1996 issue. Submission deadline is Aug. 1. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope for guidelines to Verve, P.O. Box 3205, Simi Valley 93093.

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Gwendolyn Alley of Back Alley Productions is offering a series of “Write Your Way” workshops and tutoring, editing and consulting services. Call 648-1708 for details.

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Wordsmith, the newsletter published by Gold Coast Fiction Writers, contains helpful information for fiction and romance writers. The group meets at 6 p.m. the third Thursday of every month at Carrows, 2401 E. Harbor Blvd., Ventura. Call Eldene Norton at 985-2959 for membership details.

IN SANTA BARBARA

In anticipation of the French festival, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Oak Park, Earthling Bookshop will host “A Year in Provence Literary Tea” at 7 tonight in the store, 1137 State St. For details about festival events, call 564-PARIS.

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Winners of the 55-word writing contest will read their works Friday at 7 p.m. at Earthling Bookshop. Publisher John Daniel will introduce the winners of the contest, which was sponsored by the Santa Barbara Writers Conference.

Frances Halpern is co-host with Jon O’Brien of “Beyond Words” at 10 a.m. Sundays on KCLU 88.3 FM, a National Public Radio station.