Secrets to a Majer transformation

Chris Majer, well-known Spokane entrepreneur, says he can turn you into a new, more effective person in three months.

But he can get you started in just an hour or so on Friday at 7 p.m. at Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave., as he reads from his new self-help book “The Power to Transform: 90 Days to a New You” (Rodale, $25.95).

Majer is the founder and CEO of Spokane-based The Human Potential Project, which has been teaching athletes, soldiers, Navy SEALs, bankers and corporate executives to be smarter, more flexible and more positive.

He believes strongly in “quieting the inner cynic,” that voice inside that resists change and fosters negativity. Let Majer teach you some strategies for quieting that voice.

Spokane’s Olmsted Legacy

Joan Hockaday’s fine book “Greenscapes: Olmsted’s Pacific Northwest” (WSU Press, $29.95) explores the lasting impact that the Olmsted landscape architecture firm made on the Northwest.

When she speaks at Auntie’s Bookstore today at 12:30 p.m., Hockaday will no doubt focus on the Spokane parts of this story. The Olmsted firm was responsible for shaping the public parks the city enjoys to this day, including Manito Park, Cannon Hill Park and many of our other open spaces.

The timing of this presentation is perfect: You’ll have plenty of time to take a nice Sunday walk in an Olmsted park afterward.

North Idaho critter books

Here’s some news about two books about North Idaho critters:

•Susan Nipp, the author of “Mudgy and Millie,” about a moose and a mouse wandering through Coeur d’Alene and environs, has been named the 2009 winner of Idaho Children’s Book Author of the Year award. This award is presented by the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children.

•“Raising Lucy: The True Story of Raising an Orphaned Wild Goose,” by Carol Muzik, is available as a children’s illustrated book.

This is the story of her family’s adventure in raising an orphaned Canada goose. It has been available for a while as a short video and as a coloring book, but this is its debut as full-fledged illustrated storybook.

Poet Laureate?

We should title the following item: “So You Think You Can Be Washington’s Poet Laureate?”

The Washington State Arts Commission and Humanities Washington are seeking applications for the recently created position of Washington’s poet laureate.

The two-year term of the state’s first poet laureate, Sam Green, is about to expire, and new applicants are being sought who have had at least one book of poetry published.

This opening has been widely publicized on the West Side, but we wanted to make sure our region’s many poets had a chance to apply. Go to www.arts.wa.gov/projects/poet- laureate-application.shtml to find an application. Hurry, the deadline is Friday.

Speaking of top local poets, D.S. Butterworth, an associate professor of English at Gonzaga University, was one of five finalists for the 2009 Washington State Book Award for Poetry for his book, “The Radium Watch Dial Painters.”