Saturday, Nov. 8 from noon until 3 p.m. will see a gathering of almost 20 area writers converge on the Todd County Public Library (TCPL) for “AuthorFest,” an inaugural event planned to showcase the writings and illustrations of many local and area writers.

The event, a collaborative effort with the Todd County Public Library, Friends of the Todd County Public Library, Historic Todd County, Inc. (HTC), and the Green River Academy Preservation Society (GRA), will be held in the Community Room at the TCPL located at 507 South Main Street in Elkton.

Amanda Hayes, TCPL’s director, emailed, “At TCPL's first ‘AuthorFest,’ aspiring authors can converse with local published writers and poets. Children can envision their own success in storytelling, poetry, and illustration. Our patrons can celebrate the talent and diversity in literature unique to western Kentucky.”

Plans are for the invited writers and illustrators to have on-hand copies of their works to sell to the public. As typical of most author showcases, the writers will be available to sign their works, and several of the writers will be offering their books at lower prices.

As many Todd Countians are aware, the Green River Academy (GRA) has as one of its goals to promote arts in Todd County, and Historic Todd County, Inc. (HTC) also has as one of its objectives to educate and inform the public about our county’s history as well as to commemorate and promote the people of our community. Once someone delves more into the writers of our area, that person will soon discover Todd County and surrounding areas have been and continue to be blessed with a plethora of writers whose talents have led them to pen and illustrate a vast array of literature and art.

Those who have registered to attend on November 8 include

·        Charles Leavell, a 1972 TCCHS graduate, a former Navy communications electrician and a preacher in Suffolk, Via. Charles has penned two books focusing on Todd County Training and the integration occurring in the Todd County School District in 1963. (Because of a funeral at his home church in Virginia, Mr. Charles’ sister will be on hand to represent Mr. Charles.)

·        Deborah Beachy, a local writer who lives in the Penchem area. Her book entitled Bootprints traces the story of Jason Kauffman, one who feared his father and eventually found a new “Father.”

·        Emilie Gill, an Elkton resident who teaches illustration classes at APSU. Emilie describes herself as someone who “couldn’t decide whether she wanted to be a musician, a zookeeper, a secret agent, or a Professional Adventurer.”

·        Frances Strickler, who resides in Franklin, Ky. Frances has penned two books – A Long Way Home: A Soldier’s Story and Hardly A Lady. Her second book is “set in 1930s Kentucky, when women couldn't even open a bank account without a husband or father.”

·        Jeff Rogers, a retired English teacher and poet. Jeff, who loves the poetry of Robert Penn Warren, is a transplant to our area so that he and his wife can be close to grandchildren in Bowling Green. He serves on the Robert Penn Warren Birthplace Museum Committee.

·        Linda Stokes Fritz, a 1966 TCCHS graduate and a retired educator/guidance counselor. Linda has penned a book dubbed My Day in Infamy, one describing a traumatic time in her family’s life.

·        Lindsey Sisco, a special education teacher at South Todd who writes books celebrating kindness and diversity. Lindsey describes herself as “a small-town teacher who believes every day holds a story worth telling!”

·        Lisa Lewis Balboa, another TCCHS graduate and an area church elder and pastor. Lisa is a contributing author to Leading Ladies: Sharing Our Stories of Inspiration and Faith.

·        Michael and Storm Shultz, a husband-and-wife team who are members of Antioch Baptist Church. Michael, the preacher at Antioch, is currently working on a commentary on Revelation; his wife Storm is known for her Christian fiction including a recent story based on the Sermon on the Mount.

·        Mike Sears, a TCCHS graduate, a retired probation and parole officer, and a former MP. Mike is known for adventurous writings appealing to the younger generation.

·        Monica Jobe, a local writer who gained a love of books early in her life. Her mother-in-law, Judy Anderson Donnelly, completed the illustrations in Monica’s first children’s book entitled Christian and the Great Journey.

·        Phillip L. Suber, a local pastor at rrist Missionary Baptist Church in Elkton. He describes himself as one “who speaks with the authority of experience and the heart of a shepherd.” His book, released in 2025, is entitled Overcoming Faith Fatigue. 

·        Rosemarie Cowherd Wurth-Grice, a 1975 TCCHS graduate and a retired English teacher. Rosemarie has penned a poetry chapbook entitled Darkness Called Us Home. Rosemarie makes her home on her cut flower farm in Bowling Green.

·        Stephen Smith, a 2015 TCCHS graduate who teaches at Christian County High School and makes his home in Guthrie. Stephen’s writings include four novels at this time; he also has a passion for gardening.

·        Tammrow Carneal, a resident of Trenton. Tammrow’s book entitled Silence Me Not: Poems of Love, Hope, Faith, & Inspiration, is “a collection of poems that encourage strength, faith, and love.”

·        William Robey Harris, Jr., a retired Circuit Court Judge. In his two books, Mr. Harris shares stories from his childhood years in Franklin and Simpson County

·        CLW, a 1968 TCCHS graduate and a retired TCCHS English teacher. Carolyn has penned three coffee table books supporting local rehabilitation efforts for the 1835 Todd County Courthouse and the Green River Academy. She will have available copies of Notables of Todd County.