Area authors featured Saturday at library event

Nearly 40 authors will gather this weekend for the annual Author Fair at the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library, with a presentation by non-fiction author Paul Bass.

This is the sixth year for the event and Sue Crites-Szostak, director, said it continues to grow with nearly 200 in attendance last year.

“Authors will be present throughout the library,” she said. “The public can meet published authors who are publishing with publishers in print or electronically and/or those authors who are self-published. The public has an opportunity to meet authors and speak with the author.”

Listed authors come from all around Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas. They write for different age groups and in genres. Visitors can come to the library Saturday to talk with the authors and buy signed copies of their work.

“They can learn from authors how they might begin the journey of authorship and publishing,” Crites-Szostak said. “It becomes an opportunity for the attendees to learn from each other.”

To kick off the event, Bass will give the featured speaker presentation at 6 p.m. Friday about his work and journey to becoming an author.

Born in Independence, Bass graduated from William Chrisman High School, Southwest Baptist College and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served in full-time church staff positions for 19 years in Arkansas, Alabama and Missouri.

In 1990, he started teaching at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and served as the intercollegiate debate coach.

He began his writing career after he took an early retirement in 2007 and has published 11 books focused around religion, education and the history of the Midwest.

Crites-Szostak said she received recommendations from another librarian and a patron, who is also an author, to invite Bess as the featured speaker.

“As our featured speaker at the Author Fair we look for someone with Missouri roots and/or is speaking about a Missouri topic,” she said. “Mr. Bass fits both of those criteria.”