Book Notes: Betancourt will lecture at Gonzaga

Ingrid Betancourt, author and activist, will deliver Gonzaga University’s Presidential Speaker Series lecture on March 28.

Betancourt was a candidate for the presidency of Colombia when she was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in February 2002. She spent 2,321 days in captivity in the jungle before being rescued by the Colombian army in 2008 along with 14 other prisoners. She wrote about the ordeal in the 2010 bestseller “Even Silence Has an End.”

Betancourt’s talk will be in the McCarthy Athletic Center, and will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for the public, $7 for seniors and $5 for students and employees of any educational institution. Tickets are available through TicketsWest outlets, www.ticketswest.com or (800) 325-SEAT.

Jio at Auntie’s

Author Sarah Jio, whose Jan. 21 reading event at Auntie’s Bookstore was canceled because of a snowstorm, will be in the store at 2 p.m. March 24.

Jio, a health and fitness blogger on glamour.com, is reading from her new novel, “The Bungalow.” Set on Bora-Bora during World War II, it tells the story of an Army nurse who finds a painting done in the style of Paul Gaugin.

Auntie’s is located in downtown Spokane, at 402 W. Main Ave. For details, call (509) 838-0206 or visit www.auntiesbooks.com.

Get Lit! countdown

The countdown to Get Lit! has begun. The literary festival, April 10-15, is in need of volunteers. Shifts are flexible and locations are varied. Helpers are needed to transport authors, put up posters, take tickets, judge poetry slams, among other tasks. If you’re interested, send your name, phone number and email address to getlit@ewu.edu by March 31. Be sure to indicate if there are specific times you know you will be available.