• 10 a.m. — George and Elizabeth Ellison, author and illustrator couple of Blue Ridge Nature Journal. Elizabeth will have paintings from the book on display, and she and George will discuss their book and answer questions from the public.

• 10:30 a.m. — Helen Moore, author of Trek with Floyd, will tell the story of her pet llama named Floyd. This children’s event features Floyd (a real-live llama!) and the book’s illustrator, Kristen Jansen.

• 11:00 a.m. — Ron Rash — Western Carolina University professor, poet and author of The World Made Straight, Saints at the River, and One Foot in Eden, will read from his work.

• 11:30 a.m. — Poet and Smoky Mountain News writer Michael Beadle will perform classical, original and children’s poetry for children and adults.

• 12 noon — Poet doris davenport, poet and author Darnell Arnoult, and N.C. Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer will read from their books

• 1 p.m. — Asheville Citizen-Times columnist Susan Reinhardt will read from her latest book, Not Tonight Honey: Wait ‘Til I’m a Size 6.

• 2 p.m. — Mary Jane Queen, legendary ballad singer and author of The Life and Times of Mary Jane Queen, will perform some of the ballads she’s famous for and will autograph copies of her book.

Book-lovers unite! Here’s your chance to buy books from more than 50 of the region’s leading authors representing just about every genre.

Novelists. Poets. Travel writers. Authors of children’s books. Illustrators. Science fiction writers. Mystery and horror writers. Gardening experts and naturalists. Travel writers. Newspaper columnists. Authors of memoirs and cookbooks. Even a real-live llama!

The Third Annual Great Smoky Mountains Book Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, in the Christian Life Center at the Sylva First United Methodist Church. It’s the second straight year at the church location with plenty of room for authors to sell their books, meet with readers, and give readings throughout the day. There’s also plenty of free parking and a convenient location near downtown shops and restaurants.

“It’s a fantastic place for us,” said Joyce Moore, owner of City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

About half the authors at this year’s book fair did not appear last year, so it’s a chance to meet local and regional authors you might not otherwise get to see in person, Moore explained. Part of the bookstore’s mission is to introduce readers to new authors and to celebrate writers and books from the Southern Appalachian region.

Among the new faces this year will be Hawk Hageback, author of Motorcycle Adventures in the Southern Appalachians; many more children’s book authors, and best-selling science fiction author John Ringo, who was featured at this year’s Dragon Con in Atlanta. (In one of Ringo’s books, Hell’s Faire, the town of Sylva gets obliterated.) Other award-winning writers at the book fair will include poet and short story writer Darnell Arnoult, poet and novelist Joseph Bathanti, N.C. Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer, playwright Gary Carden, and poet and novelist Ron Rash.

The book fair gives readers a chance to meet and mingle with some of their favorite authors. It’s also an opportunity for authors themselves to network with each other and learn more about publishing outlets, writing programs, and the writing craft in general.

The book fair is jointly sponsored by City Lights Bookstore, the Friends of the Jackson County Library, and the Western Carolina University Honors College.

Throughout the day, there will be readings by selected authors and a silent auction to win various gift baskets full of books and assorted donated items. Each basket has a theme such as Italian cooking or early childhood. Twenty percent of the proceeds from the fair will go towards the building fund for the new Jackson County Public Library. The Friends of the Jackson County Library has already raised approximately $60,000 towards the fund, and a display has been set up in the library in downtown Sylva, so people can take a look at some of the books that will be available at the upcoming book fair.

In addition, the Jackson County Arts Council will debut a new book, The African Americans of Jackson County, a pictorial history from slavery to integration.

It’s all part of a goal to develop more partnerships with community groups, according to Mary Otto Selzer, president of the Friends of the Jackson County Library.

“Each year, we hope to get more and more people involved,” she said. “We had people throughout the summer asking about the book fair.”

Now entering its third year, the Great Smoky Mountains Book Fair is becoming more of a fixture on the region’s literary map, and with Christmas shopping season getting revved up, it’s also seen as a welcome economic boost. No wonder the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce has been extra helpful with publicity by including the event on its Web site and brochure.

For more information about this year’s Great Smoky Mountains Book Fair, go to the official Web site at www.gsmbookfair.org or call City Lights Bookstore at 828.293.9483.