DuPage County in 60 seconds

Group welcomes authors

Author Sachin Waikar and poet Donna Pucciani will be featured when the Naperville Writers Group meets from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, at the Barnes and Noble at Promenade Center, 631 E. Boughton Road, Bolingbrook. The event is free and open to the public. Waikar is a freelance author writing both fiction and nonfiction. Pucciani has published about 300 poems in the United States and United Kingdom.

Group seeks award nominees

Nominations are being accepted for the 2009 Outstanding African-American Award sponsored by the City of Aurora's African-American Heritage Advisory Board. The group is asking agencies, organizations and the community to nominate an African-American in Aurora who exhibits leadership, volunteerism and service to the African-American community. The recipient will be honored at the board's annual heritage and awards dinner on Feb. 5. To make a nomination, contact the Mayor's Office of Special Events at (630) 844-4731. Nomination forms may be downloaded on the city's Web site at www.aurora-il.org, or picked up at 5 E. Downer Place, Suite A. The nomination deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21.

Library discusses 'Our Lady'

Aurora Public Library will sponsor a Spanish-language presentation, "Our Lady of Guadalupe: More than a Religious Symbol" at 6 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Main Library, 1 E. Benton St. Miguel Arias, theologian and author of the book "Saints of the Americas" will talk about the Lady of Guadalupe's apparition in Mexico, and Aztec and Christian beliefs and symbols to explain how her image has become, not just a religious symbol, but representative of a whole nation's identity. The event is free and open to the public. For details, call (630) 264-4100 or visit aurora.lib.il.us.