John Holman, "Triangle Ray." 7 p.m. Jan. 19. Talk, signing. Free. A Cappella Books, 208 Haralson Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-681-5128, acappellabooks.com/event/john-holman-book-signing. In a new collection by local writer and Georgia State University professor Holman ("Squabble and Other Stories"), a young black man named Ray comes of age in the 1980s in a series of linked short stories that follow him from his high school days through middle age.
Ed Tarkington, "Only Love Can Break Your Heart." 7 p.m. Jan 19. Talk, signing. Free. RVSP recommended. Margaret Mitchell House, 979 Crescent Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-249-7015, atlantahistorycenter.com/program/mmh-lecture-new-voices-series-ed-tarkington-only-love-can-break-your-heart. Tarkington's debut novel, set in the 1970s and '80s, is a coming-of-age tale that explores the troubled bond between two half-brothers against a backdrop of love, jealousy and madness. A full review is in Sunday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Alexandra Fuller, "Leaving Before the Rains Come." 7:15 p.m. Jan. 20. Talk, signing. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-3070, Ext. 2285; georgiacenterforthebook.org/Events/show.php?id=840. A new memoir by the author of "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight" confronts the complicated family relationships of her childhood in Africa and the unraveling of her marriage to an American man after moving to Wyoming.
Poetry readings. 7 p.m. Jan. 21. $5. Tickets sold at the door; cash or check only. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-872-5338, Ext. 228; callanwolde.org/event/poetry-reading-with-two-guest-poets. Join two guest poets, to be announced.
