Central Coast Book and Author Fair to be held in Pismo Beach

The Central Coast Book and Author Fair will return to the region after a two-year absence.

The free festival will be held Sept. 20 at SeaCrest OceanFront Hotel in Pismo Beach as part of the 31st annual Central Coast Writer’s Conference.

While the Central Coast Writer’s Conference — which takes place Sept. 18-20 at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo — has been traditionally aimed at authors, the Central Coast Book and Author Fair will cater toward readers, conference director Teri Bayus said.

“One of the things that has been missing is the connection between the readers and the writers,” said Bayus, who teaches creative writing, nonprofit fundraising and social media for businesses at Cuesta College as well as Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria.

Launched in 2000, the Central Coast Book and Author Festival, as the event was originally known, traditionally was held in downtown San Luis Obispo every September.

“I’ve met some of my favorite authors at the Central Coast Book and Author Festival,” Bayus said, including Cambria novelist Catherine Ryan Hyde and comic fantasy writer Christopher Moore, a former Cambria resident. “It’s one of my favorite events.”

In 2012, the Foundation for San Luis Obispo County Public Libraries announced it was canceling the Central Coast Book and Author Festival due to a lack of funds and volunteers. (The event had been canceled once before, in 2008.)

When Bayus took over as conference director, she made it her mission to bring back the festival.

As in the past, this year’s Central Coast Book and Author Fair will feature panel discussions, workshops and readings by authors, as well as a book fair and children’s activities.

Among the authors lined up to participate are young adult fantasy writer Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, historical fiction writer S.L. Gore and fantasy/science fiction author G. Lloyd Helm.

Also appearing are mystery writer Marilyn Meredith, novelist Mara Purl and children’s book illustrator Lee White.

For more information about the Central Coast Book and Author Fair, call 550-4819 or visit http://cuesta.edu/communityprograms/writers-conference/bookandauthor.html.

This story was originally published June 4, 2015 at 2:33 PM with the headline "Central Coast Book and Author Fair to be held in Pismo Beach."