"It's all about books and the written word and keeping it alive," said Jerry Bilek of the St. Olaf Bookstore Author Series.

The Carleton and St. Olaf Bookstores co-sponsor two rounds of author readings and book-signings every year, one in the fall and one in the spring.

This fall all of the authors come from Minnesota, and last spring nearly all the books were memoirs. "We didn't plan it at all," Bilek laughed.

Getting authors to read is sometimes a challenge for the college. Publishers often need some convincing to send authors to a small town like Northfield. The bookstore tries to have authors work around big stops in the Twin Cities-- for instance, an author might go to The Hungry Mind bookstore in Minneapolis and stop in Northfield the next day.

With Bill Holm, an author to visit the United Church of Christ in town on November 13, the publisher was perturbed by the lack of an airport. Other times, publishers think that the college bookstores compete against independents in Minneapolis and St. Paul and are reluctant to send an author to both. "It's kind of a big juggling act," Bilek said.

Future plans include Bilek planning to team up with Jim Heynen, St. Olaf's writer in residence, to produce a series on poetry. The series will offer students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to read their poetry, as well as hearing published authors. "I hope between the two of us we can really create interest in doing these things," Bilek said.

Bilek believes that these readings are an opportunity to "bring some great cultural events to the college and community." People from town are welcome at all the events. For those interested in perusing the books before an author arrives, the bookstore carries all the books, usually with a discount. The remaining authors in the current series are Alison McGhee (Shadow Baby), who will read on October 26, Jim Lenfestey (The Urban Coyote) on November 8, and Bill Holm (Eccentric Islands, about how island life affects people) on November 13.