Members of the Yale and New Haven communities can learn about an opportunity to visit an Italian island in the Mediterranean (where they will be forbidden to speak English), listen to a tale about an 18th-century nobleman whose voyage on the high seas forever changed his life, or hear an account of an extended family's evolution from slavery to freedom during several events that will take place off campus in coming weeks. Book discussions and a concert to benefit a Yale child care program are also among the off-campus offerings.

Book discussions

On Thursday, Feb. 25, David E. Apter, the Henry J. Heinz II Professor of Comparative Political and Social Development, will discuss Barbara Kingsolver's book "The Poisonwood Bible" as part of "Books Sandwiched In," a series of free, lunch-time book discussions sponsored by the Friends of the New Haven Free Public Library. Apter, who is also chair of the department of sociology and the Council on African Studies, will begin his talk at 12:10 p.m. at the United Church on the Green, corner of Temple and Elm streets. Participants are invited to bring their own lunches; coffee, tea and cookies will be available for purchase in the basement of the church 11:20 a.m.-12:10 p.m. The discussion will end at 12:50 p.m.

Jonathan Spence, Sterling Professor of History, will present the "Books Sandwiched In" discussion on the following Thursday, March 4. He will talk about his own book, "The Chan's Great Continent: China in Western Minds" 12:10-12:50 p.m. at United Church on the Green. This event is also free and open to the public.

Peter Brooks, the Chester Tripp Professor of Humanities and director of the Whitney Humanities Center, will discuss and sign copies of his first novel, "World Elsewhere," on Thursday, Feb. 25, 5:30-7 p.m. at the Foundry Bookstore, 33 Whitney Ave. In the novel, which is based on actual historical events, Brooks weaves the tale of an 18th-century nobleman who experiences a "sea change" after undertaking an ocean voyage. The work is described on the book jacket as a "novel of adventure, longing and corruption."

Robert Stepto, a professor of African American studies, American studies and English, will read from and sign copies of his recently published memoir "Blue as the Lake" on Saturday, Feb. 27, at 10:30 a.m. at The Yale Bookstore, 77 Broadway. In his book, Stepto uses interconnected stories to trace the lives of his extended family from slavery to freedom. Described as a "personal geography," "Blue as Lake" takes readers through places that were significant in Stepto's life and have been special locales to many African-Americans: the Washington Park section of Chicago, and Idlewild, Woodlawn and Oak Bluffs.

Italian island

Graduate student Francesca Mattiussi-Seaman will describe her program of total immersion learning on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 3 p.m. at The Yale Bookstore. Mattiussi-Seaman, who is finishing her doctoral work in Italian at Yale, takes groups of people interested in learning the language to her childhood home of Grado, an island off the mainland near Venice. On this "Island of the Sun," as it is known, her "students" are allowed to speak nothing but Italian as they meet the local people and enjoy life on Grado. Her informational meeting about the total immersion program in Italy is free and open to the public.

Benefit concert

The Edith B. Jackson Child Care Program (EBJ) will host a family concert on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 4 p.m. in Thornton Wilder Hall in the Miller Memorial Library, 2901 Dixwell Ave., Hamden. The performance will feature the award-winning Conn Artists, a seven-member men's a cappella group, which will present selections to appeal to all ages. Tickets are $5.

Conn Artists perform a repertoire that explores a variety of musical styles that can be sung a cappella. While none of the group's members is a professional musician (the group is made up of lawyers, a financial planner and an orthodontist), they have all sung with top collegiate groups. All are from the local area.

EBJ has served Yale and the Greater New Haven communities for almost 28 years. Located on the corner of Canner and Prospect streets, EBJ offers care for children aged 3 months through 5 years. The center offers both winter and summer programs, vacation care, and early-morning and extended-day options. For further information about the concert or EBJ, call 764-9416.

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