The Roanoke County and Salem public libraries are hosting three literary icons during Dead Authors Month:

Jane Austen  Saturday, October 20
Jane Austen (1775-1817) was a noted English novelist whose writings include such famous works as Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility. Miss Austen will be portrayed by Debra Ann Miller

Mark Twain  Tuesday, October 23
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist, perhaps best known for the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and its sequel, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mr. Twain will be portrayed by David Ehlert

Edgar Allan Poe  Wednesday, October 31
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American writer and poet whose dark, macabre works include The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher. Mr. Poe will be portrayed by Scott Craig Jones

All performances are free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come basis with the availability of limited overflow seating. Refreshments will be served after each program. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.; performances begin at 7:00 p.m.

People are invited to participate in a corresponding online altered art show. Altered art is a way to transform ordinary objects into decorative pieces using a variety of techniques and materials, such as rubber stamps, fabric, paper, paint, and fiber. An alternative is to make a digital collage using Glogster.  There are three categories for the show – Altered Edgar (Edgar Allan Poe), Not So Plain Jane (Jane Austen), and Re-MARK-able (Mark Twain). Find a picture of one the featured dead authors, create the artwork, and submit a photo of the creation or a link to the work on Glogster to Darlene Smithwick at dsmithwick@roanokecountyva.gov. Several samples are on the Library’s Pinterest page; the gallery of submitted work will be displayed there as well.

Submitted by Penny Lloyd