Director Maggie Smith, the daughter and granddaughter of Salisbury natives, is heading to South Main Book Company, 110 S. Main St., Friday at 7 p.m. to do a screening of the award-winning film Tucson Salvage.

Adapted from award-winning author Brian Jabas Smith’s book, “Tucson Salvage: Tales from La Frontera,” the documentary is a biographical anthology of humans living on the fringes in Tucson, Arizona.

Often poor, struggling with addiction, and even homeless, their tales of perseverance, grit and compassion in the face of loss paint a poignant portrait of life in in the margins of American life. The book and film have been racking up accolades, and even claimed prizes for best screenwriting at the Golden Gate Film Festival.

A powerful and emotional collection, the film resonates for all audiences — straight and LGBTQ, privileged and destitute. It brings voice to the voiceless.

Brian Smith is Maggie Smith’s husband.

Survey says …

According to research commissioned by Barnes & Noble, 80% of American readers plan to put away their cell phones and read this summer.

It’s not as significant as it sounds, though, with respondents saying they will not look at their phones for 30 minutes to two hours while reading.

Atomik Research’s results also showed 90 percent of parents with children 6- to 17-years-old plan to ask their children not to use electronic devices during certain periods of time over the summer. Of that number, 44% said they want their children device-free for more than 3 hours, while 21% said even one to two hours a day would be good.

The survey also found that 69% of parents said their families read together during the summer, with half of those parents planning to read the same book as their children.

The top genre for summer reading is mystery, then history, fantasy and science fiction. Sixty-nine percent said they will read a print book; 24% will read on an electronic device, with e-readers, phones and tablets split equally.

So, start reading!

Book festival

The 14th annual Carolina Mountains Literary Festival will be Sept. 5-7 in Burnsville in Yancey County.

The theme is “On the Move, stories of migration, immigration and travel.” Charles Frazier will be the Saturday keynote speaker. Frazier is the author of “Cold Mountain” and most recently, “Varina.”

Authors participating include Elaine Neil Orr, Jaki Shelton Green, Georgann Eubanks, and more, with workshops on fiction, memoir, poetry and nonfiction.

Andrew Lawler, author of “Secret Token — Myth, Obsession and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke,” will be the speaker for the Friday night banquet.

The festival is dedicated to the memory of Charles F. Price, author and festival co-founder.

For a complete schedule and more information, visit cmlitfest.org