WORDS & WINE is a cross-country series bringing together readers, writers and wine. The words come courtesy of memoirists Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life), Steven Sorrentino (Luncheonette), and Karen Spears Zacharias (Hero Mama) - the wine comes from grapes - via our friends at NewCity. This event is part of the Barbara's Bookstores / NewCity BOOKED series.

Porn-inspired imagery dominates our culture, and the business itself rakes in billions of dollars a year, but what do we really know about it? In THE OTHER HOLLYWOOD legendary writer Legs (Please Kill Me) McNeil, and co-author Jennifer Osborne, peel back the sheets and let the truth be told by those who have lived it-the stars, the moviemakers and the other industry players (whatever side of the law they may be on).

In the tradition of Studs Terkel, Truman College instructor Jeff Libman has collected oral histories and photos from recent immigrants from around the world who now make Chicago their home. The result is his honest, and strangely timeless, book AN IMMIGRANT CLASS. In these stories you will find hope and disappointment, success and setback, and learn about those who have come here for economic opportunity, to flee war or persecution, to find hope, or for love.

Andrew Winston's LOOPED is a sprawling debut novel that encompasses the lives of contemporary Chicago, just as the El encompasses the city physically. These are the separate stories of a diverse group - black, brown and white, gay, straight and bi, young and old - whose lives unfold and occasionally converge over the course of the year 2000. Though they are fictional, we can all recognize these characters as our friends, our neighbors, and ourselves.

Roxana (This is My Daughter) Robinson is one of our finest realist writers, gifted with a compassionate eye for the American family. In her new novel, SWEETWATER, she returns to the familiar terrain of New York state, but extends her gaze to the natural world as well as the domestic one. When a young widow remarries she is forced to face troubling memories of her first husband, and new family conflicts, set against a backdrop of great beauty and ominousness.

In the vast overgrown vineyard of food and dining-related books and magazines, Robert Scarola's MAKE MINE MEDIUM RARE: A DINER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE, stands apart as the first book to address restaurant-going from a diner's perspective. Whereas typical dining books, TV and radio shows talk about food and dining from the celebrity chef's, cooking expert's or critic's point of view, Make Mine is a view from the table top, written to help those of us paying the check to get the most for our dining entertainment dollar.

Barbara's Bookstore and Marshall Fields on State St. are pleased to welcome Deloris Jordan, mother of the man, the myth, the legend, Michael Jordan, signing her latest children's book (co-written with her daughter Roslyn) DID I TELL YOU THAT I LOVE YOU TODAY? A lovely picture book of all the ways a mother shows love through the day. Mrs. Jordan will be with us from 1 pm to 3 pm, and will only sign copies this and her other books, no memorabilia. For further information call Barbara's at Marshall Field's 312.781.3033.

ALL IN MY HEAD: An Epic Quest to Cure an Unrelenting, Totally Unreasonable, and Only Slightly Enlightening Headache is the story of Paula (Feminist Fatale) Kamen and of a headache that has lasted for ten years. At 24, Paula's life changed when putting in a contact set off a headache that has defied surgery, Botox injections and Lithuanian holy water. Beleaguered and frustrated by doctors, who periodically declared her pain to be psychosomatic, Kamen has a special understanding of the limits of modern medicine.

THE REAL LIVES OF STRONG BLACK WOMEN: Transcending Myths, Reclaiming Joy, by diversity consultant Toby Thompkins, is a breakthrough exploration of the role played by black women in our culture. In addition it is an essential guide to overcoming the stereotypes and expectations that accompany that role. As Toby explains, "Strength has always been a defining character trait for black women...many sisters have been taught that suffering and self-sacrifice are key ingredients of a strong or 'good' woman."

Oak Parker Dianne Costanzo knows something about balance. She has learned about it through aikido, which she teaches at One Point Center in Oak Park. She has learned about it through watching her father's patient gardening. And she has learned it through her personal, spiritual growth. She shares those lessons in SEEDING YOUR SOUL: Six Considerations for Spiritual Growth, a guide to nourishing your souls and tending to the weeds that come up in life.

THE PIED PIPER OF THE SOUTH SHORE: Toys and Tragedy in Chicago is a story of a store - the beloved Wee Folks Toys, of a place and time-the South Shore neighborhood in the 50s and 60s, and of a man-the author's father, Manny Lazar-all of whom fell victim to the brutality of gangs. This winner of the USA Today Best Books of the Year, True Crime category, is a perfect look at the past as it really was, both joyful and tragic.