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Meet Chicago suburban authors at library's free event

The "read local" movement encourages bibliophiles to read books that are written by authors who live nearby. To connect readers with the writers working in their midst, Cook Memorial Public Library will host its inaugural Local Authors Open House from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16 at Cook Park Library, 413 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged.

The open house will feature 16 local writers including Libertyville resident Jane Steen, whose self-published novel, "The House of Closed Doors," made her a finalist in 2015's Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author project. Readers will have an opportunity to talk with each author, learn about their writing and purchase books directly from them.

Like Steen, many of the writers participating in the event are self-published, meaning they have independently typeset, printed and bound a few hundred copies of their work. Others, such as Jessica Null Vealitzek, have been picked up by smaller or independent publishing houses that distribute their work nationally.

In addition to Steen and Vealitzek, readers can meet and talk with local authors Shari A. Brady, Ruth Hull Chatlien, Mitch Davis, Mary Driver-Thiel, Maureen Lang, Martin Lessem, Gail Lukasik, Elizabeth Marx, Linda Mickey, Sue Myers, Dawn Napier, Bruce Portnoy, Kurt Schuett and Danielle Shipley. Works by these writers are included in a new Local Authors collection in Cook Park Library's Fiction Room, giving patrons a chance to read a variety of novels penned by locals.

Connecting readers with reading material has always been a core function of libraries, and featuring the creative work of local talent is a natural extension of that activity. Through projects like Soon to Be Famous Illinois Authors, now in its third year, and the American Library Association's National Novel Writing Month, known as NaNoWriMo, libraries are becoming involved sooner in the creative process, helping encourage the work of emerging voices. Saturday's event is a win-win for local writers and readers alike. For more information, call 847-362-2330 or visit www.cooklib.org.

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