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The Albert Lea Public Library has put out a call for authors in preparation for its second annual Local Author Festival.

“We realize that we have quite a few authors in the area, and we wanted to highlight them,” said Annice Sevett, director at the library. 

After receiving requests from local authors to hold events at the library, Sevett decided it was better to host multiple authors  — with their multiple perspectives and experiences — at the same time and place.

“There’s quite a few writing groups that meet on their own and have been organized for years, and we have quite a few books by local authors in the library,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to highlight the talents and the work that local individuals have done in getting their books published or put out there.”

So based on the feedback from last year’s attendees, she decided to bring it back.

Authors have until June 15 to apply for the event, which will be at 6 p.m. Aug. 22 at Edgewater Bay Pavilion. Because of the limited number of spots, preferences will be given to authors residing within Freeborn County or within a 45-mile radius, as well as those who did not participate last year. Prospective authors also have to have published a book, whether by a company or self-published.

The festival is open to authors from any genre or age category, with a maximum of eight authors.

However, any published author can sign up, and Sevett said any open spots could be filled by authors who don’t match the specific distance requirement.

To register, fill out the Google Form linked on the library’s website at https://alplonline.org/local-author-festival/, or they can call 507-377-4350.

“Last year we had an author who writes young adult books, we had someone who had a memoir, we had nonfiction as well as fiction titles,” she said.

Last year’s Local Author Festival drew five authors, Juilie Bronson, Ben Green, Susan Joyce, Angela Sailor and Chance Stanton. 

“I think the authors got almost or as much out of the event as the attendees got out of it,” she said. “That was really cool to see.”