Woods:
This is KRCU’s Going Public. I'm Dan Woods, and we're talking today with Alora Bauer. She's Adult Services Librarian at the Poplar Bluff Library. Hi, Alora.
Bauer:
Hi. Thank you for having me.
Woods:
It's good to talk with you again. And you have your Author Fair coming up, your 8th Annual. Tell us what we can expect with this year's fair.
Bauer:
Of course. So, we have, like you said, our 8th Annual Author Fair coming up next Saturday, March 4. Doors open at 10 a.m., and it's just a great opportunity for readers to come in and meet local and regional authors, buy copies of their books. We’ll even have door prizes. So, lots of stuff going on that readers would really enjoy.
Woods:
And so, Alora, the authors that come to this are…they're not just local. You kind of broaden out a little bit, too, with the authors that come to visit, too. Right?
Bauer:
Yeah, it's really exciting. We have about 30 authors, and half of them are brand new, have never attended before. And so, they're not just local. We have people coming from St. Louis, Jefferson City, Columbia, Springfield, even down in Arkansas and Jonesboro. So, a wide range around the state and even into Arkansas, so that's really exciting.
Woods:
Now, last year, you had, I guess, one guest speaker and a panel. Now, this year, you have three guest speakers and…talk about what those folks will be discussing while they're with you.
Bauer:
Absolutely. So, we wanted to kind of find a guest speaker for everyone, sort of, in a way. So, this year, we have local children's author Michele Webb, who will be doing a story time, so we hope families will come in and listen to her. And then, we will have some “take and makes” afterwards that they can bring home with them. So, that's at 10:30 a.m. And then at 12:30 p.m., we have our second speaker. Her name is Gaëlle Freer, and she's a publishing consultant. She helps authors put their books together and helps them with publishing and marketing. So, she's going to talk about her experience and give some advice to aspiring writers out there. And then, finally at 2 p.m., we'll have our keynote speaker, Katherine Gilbert. She's an associate professor of English from Drury University, and she will be talking about 21st Century Missouri Gothic: The Novels and Films of Gillian Flynn.
Woods:
And when I saw the Gillian Flynn, I thought of Gone Girl, which some of that movie was shot here at Cape Girardeau, so that may be of interest to some of our some of our listeners. So, the fair is a good opportunity for those…we talked about this, I think, last year…that if they're curious about the world of publishing, they want to try to start writing their own books, this is a great opportunity to learn more and to find out how to do that, right?
Bauer:
Definitely. So, you'll get lots of great one-on-one time with published authors who can give you advice. They're always so excited to talk to readers and aspiring writers. And they, you know, have gone through the process of writing a book and getting it put out there, so they will be able to offer advice and help to those who want to do the same.
Woods:
What's the response been? This is your 8th Annual, so I'm guessing the response has been good every year. What does the community say about the Author Fair? Is this something they really look forward to?
Bauer:
Definitely. We always have people calling around the time, like, “When is the Author Fair going to start? When can we start signing up?” So, we get a lot of interest that way. They know it's coming. And so, they are prepared for it. It’s always exciting to see new and returning authors this year.
Woods:
It's always good to talk with you. Thanks for spending time with us today.
Bauer:
Thank you.
