On Wednesday, July 23, the 2008 Thurber House Literary Picnics series will present Heather Byer, a freelance writer, editor and, according to The New York Times, “a woman determined to play a man’s game. And win.” She will read from her most recent work, a memoir, Sweet: An Eight-Ball Odyssey.

When Byer moved to New York City in 1999, she quickly developed a fascination for the late-night world of the city’s pool halls, first as a diversion from the daily grind of her career but soon at a much deeper level. Her personal life was transformed by the subculture of the game and its players. Wins, losses, mentors, hustlers and lovers revolve around her as she is consumed by her passion for pool and the perfection it demands.

Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Byer currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and other publications. Sweet is her first book.

Byer’s reading is the fourth in the Thurber House Literary Picnics summer series, presented on the side lawn of Thurber House, at 77 Jefferson Ave., where picnickers listen to nationally known Ohio authors read from their latest work. The series is now in its 23rd season.

Guests can order a picnic dinner catered by Party Panache or bring their own. Each picnic offers a tour of James Thurber’s historic home given by the Thurber House pre-teen Young Docents. Tours begin at 5:20 p.m.; the picnics start at 6:15 p.m.; and the reading is at 7 p.m.

Guests will need to bring their own blankets or lawn chairs for seating. Parking is free after 6 p.m. at the meters on Jefferson Avenue. The neighboring rain site is State Auto Insurance, 518 E. Broad St. Ticket prices: Dinner/reading, $65; Individual dinner/reading tickets, $25; reading only, adults, $15; children 12 and under, $5. For more information, visit www.thurberhouse.org or 614-464-1032.