Looks like zombies and vampires are getting a lot of attention these days. Zombie popularity has recently increased with AMC's original show The Walking Dead along with an array of literature on the subject. Asheville, already home to the annual Zombie Walk, now welcomes author and self-proclaimed zombie expert Max Brooks, who will lead a creative writing workshop, followed by a talk and book signing, at UNC Asheville on Friday, February 4.

Max is the author of the New York Times best-seller World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, slated to be adapted as a major motion picture for release in 2012, starring Brad Pitt. Max is also the son of comedian, writer, actor, and filmmaker Mel Brooks, and his mother is the late Oscar-winning actress Ann Bancroft.

A former writer for Saturday Night Live, Max has led the interest in zombies of late as he has authored a continuous stream of books and articles about the walking dead. Max claims to be "the preeminent authority on dispatching the relentless, flesh-eating armies of Zombies that seem to be everywhere these days."

Two UNC Asheville student groups—Hillel and the Literature Club—are sponsoring these campus appearances. Max will lead a creative writing workshop at 4 p.m. in the Laurel Forum in Karpen Hall. He will then offer a talk, "10 Lessons for Surviving a Zombie Attack," at 6 p.m. in Lipinsky Auditorium, which will be followed by a reception and book signing. All events are free and open to the public.

For more information, call 513.290.4572.