• Diana Wortham Theatre begins the new year with its Intersections Book Club. The group is reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay and meets on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 6:30 p.m. in the The Forum. Pre-registration is recommended by emailing rae@dwtheatre or by calling 210-9837.

About the book: "Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.

"Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life."


• The first of two session for young writers kicks off at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial on Tuesday, Jan. 22. The elementary-focused after school class, a collaboration between the Wolfe Memorial and True Ink ("a local program providing creative opportunities for young writers"), is a "Whodunnit Mystery Writing Workshop for fourth and fifth graders facilitated by local author and educator, Laura Boffa on Tuesdays. Poetry Menagerie, for second and third graders, will be facilitated by Janet Hurley, local author and educator, on Wednesdays. All classes are from 3-4:30 p.m."

The session runs through March 19 and costs $135. Complete information and registration can be found by visiting www.true-ink.org or by calling 215-9002.


• Digital magazines can now be downloaded from Buncombe County Public Libraries. "All you need to access this free service is a Buncombe County library card," says a press release. here's how: "From the library’s home page (at buncombecounty.org/library), use the digital magazines link to create a free account on Zinio. Once you’ve created your account, you can log in and read magazines online, or download digital copies to your computer, tablet, e-reader or phone using the app available on the site. Once you download a magazine to your device, the magazine will never expire and you can read it for as long as you like.