It's never too early to plan, so mark this one on your calendar:

Once, there was a thriving Chinatown in Sacramento. To honor that (and Chinese culture in general), a dozen Chinese community groups have teamed with the city to present the admission-free Chinatown Mall Culture Fair, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 14. The Historic Chinatown Mall is between Third and Fifth streets, and I and J streets.

Among the many activities will be author appearances. The lineup is:

• William Wong for "Yellow Journalist: Dispatches From Asian America" (Temple University Press, $26.95, 272 pages): Bay Area journalist Wong's unflinching compilation of essays, columns and stories addresses such issues as media portrayal of Asians, racial exclusion and conflicts within Asian communities.

• Lora Jo Foo for "Earth Passages: Journey Through Childhood" (Lora Jo Foo, $32.95, 95 pages): Attorney-activist Foo recalls her early years in a family of eight children and an overworked mom living in San Francisco's Chinatown. Her vignettes are illustrated by evocative color photos of nature taken by her as an adult.

• Li Keng Wong for "Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain" (Peachtree, $8.95, 144 pages; grades four to six): As a child in China, Wong immigrated to California with her mother and sister, where they were processed at the Angel Island center before reuniting with her father in Oakland. At the time, "Gold Mountain" – that is, the United States – was in the midst of the Great Depression.

For more information: www.yeefow.org/ culturefair or Steve Yee at (916) 834-3421.

New on the shelves

Try these titles:

• "Marsbound" by Joe Haldeman (Ace, $24.95, 304 pages): A teenage girl and her family are among the first humans to colonize Mars. Things go wrong when she discovers Martians inhabiting a city under the planet's surface, and she learns their intentions aren't the best. What's a girl to do?

• "The Assassin" by Stephen Coonts (St. Martin's, $26.95, 352 pages): Special agent Tommy Carmellini is chosen to insinuate himself into an al-Qaida-led plot to assassinate key personnel in Western governments. To compound matters, there's a traitor on the loose.

• "Silks" by Dick and Felix Francis (Putnam, $25.95, 352 pages; on sale Aug. 26): Dick Francis brought British horse- racing to the world through 42 novels. Here, he teams with his son in this much-anticipated thriller about a murder, a frame-up and a barrister who moonlights as a jockey.

• "Kick the Balls" (Hudson Street, $23.95, 272 pages): The author grew up playing soccer in Scotland and holds strong opinions about the game. Now, as an irascible adult coaching the game to children in California, he has a few things to say. Very funny and true things, at that.

Miss Alcott will attend

The novel "Little Women" is a true American classic, based on the relationships between writer Louisa May Alcott and her sisters. Published in 1868, it's about the travails of the four March sisters and their mother living in Civil War-era New England while the father is away at war.

It was a smash, so Alcott wrote a sequel the next year, also titled "Little Women." The two books were combined into one and titled "Little Women: Or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy."

Though many film version have been made – starting with the first in 1917 – one of the best starred Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder (1994).

Which brings us to this: Wearing period costuming, Jan Turnquist will play Alcott at a free program tailored for families. This will be a living-history portrayal, and the audience is encouraged to interact with the character. Turnquist is the executive director of the Louisa May Alcott house in Concord, Mass.

The "play" will be at 3:30 p.m. today at the Belle Cooledge Library, 5600 South Land Park Drive, Sacramento.

Information: (916) 264-2920

Written on the calendar

Upcoming author events include:

• John M. Poswall for "The Altar Boys" (Jullundur, $14.95, 384 pages): Big-time litigation and backroom wheeling-and-dealing are at the forefront of this legal thriller, with corruption in the Catholic Church making for a tense backdrop. Poswall is an attorney who lives in the Sacramento area.

Event: 11 a.m. Sept. 6 at Borders, 2339 Fair Oaks Blvd., (916) 564-0168.

The Bee's Allen Pierleoni can be reached at (916) 321-1128 or apierleoni@sacbee.com. Contact him with news of coming literary events that are open to the public.