"Glass Castle," the memoir of her childhood in poverty by Jeannette Walls, an Internet gossip columnist, is this year's pick for One Book, One Community.

	Jeannette Walls Click photo for larger image.

Homelessness is the theme of the effort, a program of the Allegheny County Library Association. It sponsors a month of adult events at libraries in the county system based on Walls' book.

"Money Hungry," by Pittsburgh resident Sharon Flake, is the program's selection for young readers to discuss.

Walls will kick off the countywide reading program April 5. Her events include a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. to benefit the Homeless Children's Fund at Macy's Department Store, Downtown, and a book signing at 7 p.m. at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2705 E. Carson St., South Side.

For details, call 412-921-1123 or www.einetwork.net/onebook.

Poet at Point Park

Desmond Egan, author of 19 poetry collections and director of the Gerard Manley Hopkins International Literary Conference, speaks today at 11:30 a.m. at Point Park University, 214 Thayer Hall.

Call 412-392-8105 for details.

Book signings

Novelist Jody Picoult and right-wing radio show personality Neal Boortz will promote their books Thursday night in programs by Joseph-Beth Booksellers.

Boortz will plug "Somebody's Gotta Say It" at the nearby SouthSide Works Cinema at 7:30 p.m. Picoult's newest is "Nineteen Minutes." She'll appear at the store at 7 p.m. for a free reading and book signing.

Call 412-381-3600.