Charlotte book club for the homeless to discuss "The Dry Grass of August"

The good people who organize the Turning Pages Book Club at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg library tell me they've had a nice run of local authors who've spoken at recent meetings.

On Tuesday, July 12, North Carolina's Anna Jean Mayhew, author of "The Dry Grass of August," will speak to the group. It meets at 10 a.m. on the first floor of the main library, 310 N. Tryon St. The discussion is open to the public.

Launched in late 2009, Turning Pages is the brainchild of Charlotte's Candace Curlin Vance. It was designed as an outreach to the homeless, but participants now include people from varied circumstances and backgrounds.

Mayhew got her publisher, Kensington Publishing, to donate 25 copies of her novel to the club. It should be a rich discussion. The book tells a coming-of-age story of a white girl in Charlotte in the 1950s.

If you'd like to learn more about the club, check out Kay McSpadden's recent column.

And if you'd like to donate to keep the club running, send your check to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, 310 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202 to the attention of John Zika. Write "Turning Pages Book Club" in on the memo line.