books

There's a great lineup in place for the spring Talk of the Stacks lecture series at the downtown library. David Lipsky, Anchee Min, Barbara Graham, Sandra Benitez, Judith Guest and Krista Tippett. (No, silly, not all at once. Mostly, one at a time.) Here's the schedule:

April 15: David Lipsky, who writes for Rolling Stone magazine, will talk about his new book, "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip With David Foster Wallace."

April 29: Novelist Anchee Min ("Becoming Madame Mao") will discuss "Pearl of China."

May 6: Barbara Graham, playwright and journalist, will be joined by local writers Sandra Benitez and Judith Guest to discuss "Eye of My Heart," a collection of pieces about being a grandmother.

May 18: Krista Tippett, host of the American Public Media radio show "Speaking of Faith," will discuss her book, "Einstein's God."

All lectures are free and begin at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6:15 p.m. (Getting there early is a good idea; these fill up.) They're at the Central Library on the Nicollet Mall.

Also ...

•The seventh annual Bloom- ington Writers' Festival will take place Feb. 27, with lectures and workshops from writers, publicists, agents and editors. Speakers include former Star Tribune writer Peg Meier, author of "Bring Warm Clothes," Jacqueline B. Fletcher of the Loft Literary Center and author of "A Career Girl's Guide to Becoming a Stepmom," and Cathy Wurzer, co-host of "Almanac" and author of "Tales of the Road: Highway 61." The festival will be at the Bloomington Art Center, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd., Bloomington. Register at www.bloomingtonart center.com

•Birchbark Books continues its monthly reading series with a reading by Wendy Brown-Baez, Margaret Hasse and Carter Meland at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The series features writers on the second Wednesday of each month from September through May. The bookstore is at 2115 W. 21st St., Mpls.

•Writer Greil Marcus will speak at the Weisman Art Museum at 6:30 p.m. Monday. The author of "Lipstick Traces" will discuss his new project, "A New Literary History of America." Also on the panel will be University of Minnesota professors David Treuer, Paula Rabinowitz and Michael Gaudio. The museum is at 333 East River Road, Mpls., and the event is free.