Holiday tales chock-full of enchantment

Rio Rancho author Hank Bruce signs copies of his collection, “Enchanted by the Light — 15 Short Stories Celebrating Christmas in New Mexico,” from 1-3 p.m. today at Treasure House Books & Gifts, 2012 South Plaza NW and at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15 at the Esther Bone Memorial Library, 3200 Civic Center Circle NE, Rio Rancho. Among the 15 stories in the collection are one about a child seeking the healing earth of Chimayó for her grandfather, a former uranium miner; another about a New Mexico drifter who was filled with kindness; and a third one about a boy with attention problems learning a lesson from nature.

Bruce is a horticultural therapist who leads workshops and seminars on accessible gardening and the value of the people-plant connection.

Also at Treasure House, Albuquerque author Jonathan Miller signs his latest legal thriller “Lawyer Geisha Pink” from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15.

AT LIBRARY: Placitas author William Dunmire gives a slideshow talk on “New Mexico’s Living Landscapes” at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 15, at the Special Collections Library, 423 E. Central. The program focuses on the state’s eco-regions and some of the National and State Scenic Byways. The talk is based on Dunmire’s recent book, “New Mexico’s Living Landscapes: A Roadside View.” Copies will be for sale at the event, which is free.

AT KIMO: Historian Thomas E. Chávez speaks on “100 Years of Statehood” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12 at the KiMo Theatre, Fifth and Central NW. His talk, which is free and open to the public, will focus on the diverse nature of New Mexico’s history, cultures and heritage. It is part of the city-sponsored New Mexico Centennial Speaker Series.

IN SANTA FE: Collected Works, at 202 Galisteo, hosts these events. … The Collected Works Christmas Players — Ali McGraw, Jonathan Richards, Robert Martin and Carol McGiffin — read some of their favorite Christmas stories and poems at 4 p.m. today. … Hal Bolton of Santa Fe discusses his new book of business philosophy, “Transforming War Myths in the Workplace: Keys to Productivity, Profits and Peace,” at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10. … Albuquerque writer/activist Demetria Martinez talks about her new novel, “The Block Captain’s Daughter,” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11.

NEW BOOK: SOMOS has published the cookbook “Storied Recipes.” It’s filled with short, true, well-crafted stories, and the recipes that flavor them. The book, in its second printing, is a fundraiser for SOMOS, a Taos nonprofit literary organization. Order at www.somostaos.org or mail $18 (plus $3 postage) to SOMOS, P.O. Box 3225, Taos, NM 87571.

ANOTHER NEW BOOK: Oxford University Press has published Kathleen Holscher’s “Religious Lessons — Catholic Sisters and the Captured Schools Crisis in New Mexico.” It’s about Zellers v. Huff, a 1948 case in Santa Fe District Court concerning the separation of church and state.

The plaintiffs sought to eliminate the many hybrid “public-parochial” taxpayer-funded schools administered and taught by Catholic priests and sisters, providing education in some of the state’s poorest counties, Holscher writes. The judge ruled against religious instruction in public schools in all its forms, and permanently debarred from state employment 137 Catholic sisters.

Holscher is assistant professor of religious studies and American studies at the University of New Mexico, where she holds the endowed chair in Catholic Studies.