ORANGE COUNTY BOOKS & AUTHORS

Poets are invited to compete in the eighth annual Performance Poetry Contest at 8 p.m. Friday at the Gypsy Den Grand Central Cafe in the Artists Village, 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana.

The first 15 poets who sign up, beginning at 6:30 p.m., will compete. Judging (by poets Lea Deschenese and Jana) will be based on poetic content, technique and timing (there’s a five-minute limit per poet).

Admission is free; competing poets pay a $5 entry fee. The top three winners will receive prize money ranging from $50 to $20.

Another prize, based on audience response, will also be awarded.

After drawing a crowd of more than 100 last year, contest producer Lee Mallory said, a decision was made to move the contest from the Gypsy Den in Costa Mesa to the new and larger Gypsy Den Grand Central Cafe.

But there’s another advantage to moving the contest, Mallory said: Beer and wine is served at the Santa Ana location.

Also Coming Up:

* Do you look like a celebrity? Bea Fogleman, author of “Copycats,� will discuss how to capitalize on having a face that resembles a star during a signing at 3 p.m. Saturday at Borders Books and Music, 1890 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. Joining Fogleman will be an agent and several celebrity look-alikes, including Carol Reed of Irvine, who resembles Elizabeth Taylor.

* Chrissy Yacoub will sign “Somewhere Out There� at 7 p.m. Friday at Borders Books and Music, 429 S. Associated Road, Brea.

* A used-book sale will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Fullerton Public Library, 353 W. Commonwealth Ave.

* Tatiana Elmanovich will discuss and sign “Death the Beginning� at 7 p.m. Friday at Barnes & Noble in Metro Point, 901 South Coast Drive, Costa Mesa.

* Kris Neri will sign “Revenge of the Gypsy Queen� and Dale Furutani will sign “Jade Palace Vendetta� at 1 p.m. Saturday at Bookman Too, 19111 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach.

* Julie Mammano will read and sign “Rhinos Who Skateboard� at 2 p.m. Saturday at Barnes & Noble in Fashion Island, 953 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach.

* Kara Oh will discuss and sign “Men Made Easy� at 7 p.m. Saturday at Borders Books and Music, 429 Associated Road, Brea. Oh also will speak and sign at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Borders Books and Music, 25222 El Paseo, Mission Viejo.

* Robert S. Levinson will sign “The Elvis and Marilyn Affair� at 1 p.m. Saturday and Jan Burke will sign “Bones� at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Book Carnival, 348 S. Tustin Ave., Orange.

* First-time authors Kris Neri (“Revenge of the Gypsy Queen�) and Sherri L. Board (“Angels of Anguish�) will discuss writing your first book at 3 p.m. Sunday at Borders Books and Music, 1890 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa.

Send information about book-related events at least 10 days before event to: Dennis McLellan, O.C. Books & Authors, Southern California Living, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Or e-mail to [email protected].