Palm Springs Public Library - Discover, Enrich, Enjoy, Connect! 17 April 2008, Thursday 'Computer Comfort' classes Location: The Learning Center --Computer Basic Skills class is from 9:00-10:15 a.m. --Intermediate Computer Skills class will be from 10:30-11:30 a.m. These hands-on, free classes are offered twice a month but advanced registration is required as the class size is limited to 12 participants. To register, or for more information, call the Reference Desk at 760-323-8294. Arts & Letters Speaker series, Author Augusten Burroughs Time: 6:00pm Location: UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center The UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center and title sponsor, The Palm Springs Public Library are excited to present, as part of the Arts & Letters Speaker series, Author Augusten Burroughs. His works include 'Running With Scissors' and 'Dry.' The event will take place at the UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center campus and will begin at 6:00 p.m. For more information or to RSVP please call 760-834-0956. Augusten Burroughs has rapidly become one of America's most successful young writers, with multiple titles on the national and international bestseller lists. His legions of devoted fans devour every hilarious, stunning, thought-provoking and moving sentence in his rapidly growing body of work, and often line up for hours to see and hear him in his live performances. To say that Augusten Burroughs had an unusual childhood would be an understatement. Somehow, Augusten survived, and turned his experiences into two of the most successful memoirs ever published. These two books, 'Running With Scissors,' and 'Dry: A Memoir,' chronicle his life in his foster family, follow him to New York City, into adulthood, out of the closet, and through rehab for drug and alcohol addiction. 'Running With Scissors' has been on 'The New York Times' list for over 70 weeks, and was recently joined by his critical smash, 'Magical Thinking.' 'Entertainment Weekly' included Augusten in its definitive "It List" and named him one of the "Fifteen Funniest People in America." The film version of 'Running with Scissors' was released in late 2006, and garnered a Golden Globe nomination. A film version of his novel 'Sellevision' is also in the works. Augusten's new book of true stories, 'Possible Side Effects,' which 'The New York Times' called "(H)ilarious, wildly fanciful reminiscences," was released in May, 2006. Augusten Burroughs' lectures and readings are a tour de force performance, funny, moving, and inspiring, they draw sell-out audiences to theatres and lecture halls across the country. Not without reason did 'Entertainment Weekly' name Augusten Burroughs the '15th Funniest Person in America.' His live performances are hilarious and provocative, displaying the same dry wit and eye for the absurd that have made his books so wildly popular. A natural and gifted storyteller, Augusten delves into his own bizarre, disturbing, but ultimately life-affirming childhood and young adulthood in a tour de force performance that can only be described as amazing. Howlingly funny and devastatingly moving, Burroughs' lectures inspire audiences to embrace humor, accept difference, overcome challenges, and create the conditions for their own tremendous success. He is one of that rare breed: a world-class writer who can go from paper to podium without losing any of the force, vitality, and sophistication of the written word. For questions regarding this calendar, contact: The Webmatrix Licensed To: Palm Springs Public Library