50 authors slated to appear at Writers on River event

More literary luminaries drawn to book fair

Lori Karayianni and her husband, Tony, have written books together under the pen name Tori Carrington. They will be among 50 authors at the 13th annual Writers on the River this Sunday.

MONROE -- Authors will mingle, sign books, and read from their works during the 13th annual Writers on the River Book Fair 2011.

Sponsored by Friends of the Monroe County Library System, the popular event will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday in the Ellis Library & Reference Center, 3700 S. Custer Rd., Monroe.

About 300 to 400 people typically attend the event that, when it first started, featured a couple dozen authors. Now, that number has doubled.

With 50 authors this year, it is by far the largest selection at the Writers on the River, said event organizer Bernie Smith, a public relations officer with the library system. In the early years, staff called to find authors who would be available to participate in the Writers on the River.

Authors now have started to ask if they can take part, she said.

There is no admission fee, and the public is invited to attend. Tickets are required for a luncheon held as part of the activities, Ms. Smith said.

Writers on the River gives area residents a chance to meet with authors and talk with them about their books, Ms. Smith said. It's an informal affair, she said.

Books will be available for purchase. Authors will be signing copies of their books too, and readings will take place as well, she said.

The newly renovated Ellis Library & Reference Center will be a great venue for the event, Ms. Smith said.

Last year, the event was held at the Bedford Branch Library, Temperance, because of the Ellis Center's $2 million renovation project.

Writers on the River began in 1999 and has continued to grow but has been limited by space. This year all 50 authors, their guests, Friends of the Library, and the public will be able to enjoy the renovated Ellis center, she said.

Activities during the event include:

• 11 a.m. to noon, Friends' Author Luncheon sponsored by the Friends of the Monroe County Library System. Tickets are required and are available at branch libraries to members of Friends groups.
• Noon to 3 p.m., book purchases and author signings.
• 3 p.m., drawings for special basket raffles sponsored by branch Friends of the Library groups.

Southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio residents are among the authors at the event.

Well-known authors slated to attend include best-selling and multiaward-winning and husband-and-wife team Lori and Tony Karayianni, who write as Tori Carrington. This year marked their 50th published title in a career that stretches over two decades.

Other authors who are scheduled to take part in the event include:

Adam Schuitema, author of the short-story collection Freshwater Boys, which was named a Michigan Notable Book. He is an assistant professor at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids.

Doc Fletcher, who has written Weekend Canoeing in Michigan (2008), Michigan Rivers Less Paddled (2009), and Canoeing & Kayaking Wisconsin (2011). He lives with his bride, Maggie, in Northville.

D.E. Johnson, who grew up near Kalamazoo and has been a West Michigan resident all his life. He has published two books with St. Martin's, The Detroit Electric Scheme and Motor City Shakedown.

Leslie Korenko, who wrote The History of Kelleys Island after researching the history of the Kelleys Island's Town Hall.

Coach and author Jack Michael, whose novel Transfer Hero is a story of teamwork, the work ethic, friendship, and how young men should treat women, all told through the persona of a 16-year-old athlete. He is a graduate of Maumee High School and Bowling Green State University; he taught and coached swimming, football, cross country, and track.

Katie Macaro, a graphic artist with the Monroe County Library System. Author and illustrator, she has written more than 20 books for children that also appeal to adults. Her book on Poland received play on NBC News.

Jim Mollenkopf, Toledo author who has written five books of regional interest to northwest Ohio since 1999. In his new book, One Summer Day in America, he looks to his hometown of Cleveland and re-creates a day in that city and in the country, July 13, 1954, a day a record-setting baseball All-Star game was played in Cleveland.

Linda Reau, who lives in Manistee, Mich. She grew up in Temperance and taught in the Bedford district for five years. She's a reading coach and enjoys traveling to promote the positive message in her book, What Color is Your Heart.

Cindy Millen Roberts, who teaches seventh and eighth grade at Christ the King School in Toledo. The poetry in her fourth children's book, The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane, has earned her the 2011 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award and the annual award from the Pennsylvania School Librarians' Association Conference in State College.

Jane Bradley, director of the creative writing program at the University of Toledo. Her novel, You Believers, was inspired by a crime with a Toledo connection. It is her fifth and has received strong reviews. She has published a novella, a screenwriting text, and two collections of short fiction.

Ronnie Seals, a Monroe native who has published short stories published locally and contributed to Eastern Tennessee State University's Encyclopedia of Appalachia.