YAKIMA, Wash. – Encore Books hosted its third annual Author Fair and Market, gathering authors from across the Northwest to promote their stories and connect with the community.
The sun beamed down on the event, where local entrepreneurs set up canopies in the Encore Books parking lot. Partnering with Yakima Book Company, the event highlighted the importance of supporting local authors.
“A lot of our entrepreneurs are just local people that are trying to build their small business in any way they can,” said Kerstin Luisi, owner of Encore Books.
Luisi emphasized the significance of local authors.
“They’re the ones in our community. They write about our community in some instances. And it’s really nice that in Yakima, we have just quite a number of them,” she said.
Lucy Gilmore, a Spokane native and author, attended the event. She is currently working on a small-town, community-based book set in Yakima.
“We come to Yakima all the time because of the book community here. So enthusiastic and strong and the booksellers and you can’t beat,” Gilmore stated.
Gilmore, who writes women’s fiction novels under her name and cozy mysteries as Tamara Berry, praised the local book community.
Anne Zastrow, owner of Yakima Book Company, collaborates with Luisi to organize these events. She highlighted the opportunity it provides for the community.
“It is a wonderful thing because you bring people together that reads different things and that like different things,” she said.
The event showcased the vibrant literary talent in the area and offered attendees a chance to explore a diverse range of local works. The next chance to attend the Author Fair will be September 28th. More information can be found on Encore Books’ website.
