Treat yourself to an exhibition of local authors – The Sunflower

Readers gathered in the Advanced Learning Library to check out, not a book, but the local authors who wrote them on Saturday.

Local Authors Day has returned to the library after being absent for three years due to COVID-19.

Sara Dixon, head of adult programming, said the event was not just a meet-and-greet, but a networking event.

“[The event] isn’t just a chance for audiences to come in and meet local writers they probably didn’t even know existed… The other part is a mixing board for writers,” Dixon said. “You try to learn what other people’s stories are so maybe it inspires you in another area that you’re trying to understand.”

The event began with a panel featuring authors Amanda Wen, Dana McCall and Grant Snider. The authors discussed the writing process, inspiration, and the editing process, among other topics.

Wichita native Dana McCall started writing children’s stories because her middle child preferred her bedtime stories to others. She started publishing last year in May and now has six self-published stories.

McCall said she wanted to shine a light on underrepresented characters in children’s literature. “I realized at a young age that I could put myself in any position I wanted to be in, so whatever life I was living at that time, I wasn’t tied to that guy. of life, I could be and do whatever I wanted to,” McCall said.

Grant Snider is a cartoonist, author of children’s books and orthodontist. Originally, he thought the comics he wrote were for adults. However, after his friends’ children started reading them, he realized that his books could also be for children. His latest project, aimed at children from elementary to middle school, is a collection of poetic comics for children.

“It’s my first comic book that I’ve done from start to finish as a book, not just putting it together as an afterthought, so it was kind of terrifying,” Snider said.

Amanda Wen, a novelist, said her favorite part of writing is the first time she gets the idea.

“What I like least is where I am right now,” Wen said. “It’s no longer fresh and shiny and new and you get a little tired of the characters and they don’t cooperate with me, and I don’t really know how to solve their problems, and some of them have so many problems. ”

After the panel, there was a break before the start of the exhibition at 2 p.m. The exhibition consisted of 88 authors from various genres. Genres ranged from children’s books, to Christian, to paranormal and many more.

The Advanced learning library also organizes other events, including workshops for writers.