The Baltimore Chapter, co-sponsored by the CityLit Project and the Write Here, Write Now workshops, presents Baltimore Sun assistant managing editor and Sunday editor Dave Rosenthal, co-editor of the Sun's popular "Read Street" book blog, and blogger and book club coordinator Heather Johnson of Storie delle Sorelle, talking about how the Web is changing the way the media covers the literary arts.

Financial pressures have forced U. S. newspapers to shrink, and that has meant big changes in covering books. At some newspapers, full-time book editors have left and were not replaced. The Los Angeles Times eliminated its book review section and moved reviews into the lifestyle pages. Other papers, including The Baltimore Sun, have trimmed book coverage. As these changes unfold, the Sun and some other newspapers have started book blogs to supplement print coverage, and dozens (if not hundreds) of independent blogs have sprung up. Can the two co-exist? Do they have distinct roles? And how does that affect writers who are trying to get their works noticed?

Dave Rosenthal came to The Baltimore Sun as a business reporter in 1987 and now is Sunday editor, coordinating page-one stories and editing the Maryland Closeup section. He started the Read Street blog in May to supplement book coverage and help unite elements of Baltimore's literary community. Favorite books include A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, Dune by Frank Herbert, and anything by Calvin Trillin or John McPhee. He belongs to a book club with a Jewish theme.

Heather Johnson has been a read-a-holic for as long as she can remember. But after graduating from St. Mary's College of Maryland, getting married and having a child, Heather realized that she hadnt read a book for fun in years. In 2005 she started a book club called Storie delle Sorrelle. More recently, she created a blog titled Age30+ ... A Lifetime of Books through which she has "met" a world of book lovers, authors and publishers, and has become even more addicted to reading. In the "real world," Heather is the Sales/Marketing Coordinator for an IT company in Hanover, MD.

Monday, October 27 at 7:00, at Baltimore Chop Bookstore and Espresso Bar, 625 Washington Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21230, across from Camden Yards. For directions, visit Baltimore Chop's MySpace page or call (410) 752-4487.