Thursday February 9, 2012: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Traverwood Branch: Program Room

Are you a writer or an aspiring author? Did you know that the theme for Ann Arbor Ypsilanti Reads 2012 is Language: How We Communicate - - and that you can discover tips on how to communicate YOUR work through eBooks and self-publishing at this event?

Local authors Lara Zielin and Margaret Yang will share their tips, tricks and successes with the brave new world of electronic self-publishing.

Lara Zielin is the author of two books for Young Adults, "Donut Days" and "The Implosion of Aggie Winchester" as well as the forthcoming "The Waiting Sky." Margaret Yang is the co-author (under the name M.H. Mead) of "Fate's Mirror," "Good Fences" and other short fiction.

This event is for adults and teens (grade 6 and up)

Wednesday February 15, 2012: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

The theme for Ann Arbor Ypsilanti Reads 2012 is Language: How We Communicate. Award-winning journalist Stephen G. Bloom, the UM Howard R. Marsh Visiting Professor of Journalism, will discuss how he communicates through non-fiction writing - including his December piece "Observations From 20 Years of Iowa Life" in The Atlantic which set off a firestorm of controversy placing him in the national spotlight. Bloom will also discuss the role of journalists today, touching on the future of journalism and nonfiction writing.

Since 1993, Bloom has been on the faculty of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Iowa, where he is Professor and the Bessie Dutton Murray Professional Scholar. Prior to joining the Iowa faculty, Bloom was a staff writer at the Sacramento Bee, San Jose Mercury News, Los Angeles Times, and Dallas Morning News. He was a Brazilian correspondent for the Field News Service and national news editor at the Latin America Daily Post.

He is the author of "Tears of Mermaids: The Secret Story of Pearls," "The Oxford Project" with photographer Peter Feldstein, "Inside the Writer's Mind" and "Postville: A Clash of Cultures In Heartland America." His work has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers, including The Atlantic, Smithsonian, The New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, Wilson Quarterly, Salon, Chronicle of Higher Education, American Journalism Review, International Herald Tribune, Chicago Tribune Magazine, Money, Journal of Health Communication, Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, American Editor, and National Public Radio's All Things Considered.

Sunday February 19, 2012: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Award-winning chef Brian Polcyn, nationally recognized for his creativity and culinary talents, is the visionary behind some of Detroit's most acclaimed restaurants (including Birmingham's Forest Grill and Milford's Cinco Lagos) and is the author of two books: "Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing" (nominated for a James Beard award) and the upcoming "Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing."

Join us as he prepares an incredibly delicious sample dish and discusses his life and his books. This event, cosponsored by the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor, includes a book signing and books will be on sale.

Chef Polcyn's numerous awards include three gold medals and a silver medal from The American Culinary Federation. The Hiram Walker Corporation recognized him as a Rising Star in American Cuisine. In 1990, he was first runner-up in the semi-annual American Culinary Gold Cup Bocuse d'Or, a competition that seeks America's top native-born chefs. He was also nominated for Best Chef Midwest in 2006 by the James Beard Foundation.

The Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor (CHAA) is an organization of scholars, cooks, food writers, nutritionists, collectors, students, and others interested in the study of culinary history and gastronomy. Their mission is to promote the study of culinary history through regular programs open to members and guests, through the quarterly newsletter Repast, and through exchanges of information with other such organizations.