BEND, OR -- Central Oregon teens have a chance to meet a dozen published authors in the Young Adult genre, this weekend. It’s billed as the first ever local Teen Literary Festival, by the Deschutes Public Library. Community Librarian April Witteveen tells KBND News they were looking for a way to make a bigger impact with local book-loving teens. “Instead of touring one author around, we thought we would bring multiple authors in for a one-day conference style event that will really attract those strong readers and writers, and really give them a chance to hear from a bunch of authors, and see what life might be like if they pursue their dreams of writing.”

Authors from Oregon, Washington, California and Nevada will be on hand. Witteveen says the event  “Gives the teens that really cool chance to meet authors in person. And for somebody who loves books and reading, authors are kind of like rock stars, so it’s a big deal.” The Teen Lit Festival is open to middle and high school students, along with adults interested in the genre.

There is no charge but online registration is required.