Carolyn Lamberson

Emily Ruskovich, Steve Almond among the literary highlights for Spokane area readers in the weeks ahead.

After 10 years away from Hollywood, Julia Sweeney decided to mount a comeback. So far, so good.

The show will bring to the Hagadone Event Center contestants who have advanced from the first round, along with judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

The newly renamed First Interstate Center for the Arts will sport new art, new access and new systems.

Live from the Spokane County Interstate Fair, it’s Jeff Foxworthy!

“There has to be a favorite toy at some point at your life. What did it mean to you? How important was it to you? Did you get it?” Ellen Travolta wants to hear about it.

As news of Burt Reynolds’ death circulated on Thursday, Hollywood turned to social media to express their sadness and share fond memories. Actor James Woods (“Salvador,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” “Casino”) was no different, tweeting out: “I finally got to work with one of my heroes in 2006. #BurtReynolds led a really fun cast in Spokane and we laughed all day, every day he was on the set. A wry humor and a warm heart defined this wonderful man. He will be sorely missed. #RIPBurtReynolds”

The longtime Spokesman-Review columnist, who retired in 2017, will debut “The Ballad of Rachel Dolezal” at Pig Out in the Park on Monday.

Art Spiegelman, whose landmark book “Maus” helped legitimize the graphic novel, will kick off the Visiting Writers Series at Gonzaga. He joins Amy Stewart, Eli Saslow, and a birthday party for Auntie’s in a great month for books.

Sophia Anne Caruso will play the goth teenager Lydia, the role performed in the 1988 film “Beetlejuice” by Winona Ryder.

Our weekly roundup of new shows going on sale in the next 7 days.

Only major difference: Leave the picnic baskets at home. Outside food will not be permitted at the theater, so eat before the show.

The music icon will play on Jan. 13 with his band, the Strangers. Tickets go on sale Friday.

Her second novel, “The Arsonist,” will compete in the category of Books for Young Adults (ages 13 and up).

“When I was diagnosed with ALS, I told our family and friends that I wanted to continue doing the things I love, with the people I love. Gleason Fest is a great example of how, with the help from family and friends, we’ve been able to keep doing things we love.”

“Sacred Lies,” a new drama series from Facebook Watch, will drop its first three episodes on Friday at 6 p.m., and Spokane author Stephanie Oakes couldn’t be happier.

Ten years ago, Julia Sweeney dropped out of Hollywood. After four seasons on “Saturday Night Live,” two acclaimed stage monologues, “God Said ‘Ha!’” and “Letting Go of God,” appearances on television and in movies, she and her daughter, Mulan, left Southern California and moved to Willmette, a suburb of Chicago, where her husband, a biophysicist, owns a business. The idea, she says in her latest one-woman show, “Older and Wider,” is that he would be the breadwinner. She could be the bread eater.

In 1993, Whitney Houston ruled the pop charts. The late diva’s iconic recording of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” was the year’s No. 1 song. It was also the year of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box,” Pearl Jam’s “Daughter” and Belly’s “Feed the Tree,” songs that all topped Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Come February every year, chances are good an old pal will unexpectedly pop up and say, “Tag, you’re it.”

Mark Steilen is a Spokane guy who has helped tell the movie story of 10 other Spokane guys.

Tweedy is touring behind last year’s acoustic solo release, “Together at Last.”

Spokane can relax. The movie is funny. “Tag,” the comedy inspired by the exploits of 10 Gonzaga Prep graduates and their decades-long game of tag, is also irreverent, inappropriate and even a little sweet.

Our weekly roundup of fun events to enjoy that won’t necessarily break the bank.

The R-rated comedy with Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Hannibal Buress and Jake Johnson, opens nationwide on June 15.