As the weather gets colder and colder, why not stuff your winter reading collection to the brim with books by authors based in our area?

The 11th Annual Chippewa Valley Book Festival starts Monday Oct. 18 and hopes to spread a love for literature all across the valley.

Sponsored by the Literary Arts Committee of the Eau Claire Regional Arts Council, the festival includes activities for all ages and interests including poetry readings, book signings and contests.

According to the event’s website, many venues across the valley will host presentations including local public libraries, UW-Eau Claire buildings and the Eau Claire Children’s Museum.

The festival will also include workshops and discussions with authors on a regional, national and international level including local author Michael Perry, UW-Eau Claire Artist-in-Residence Kao Kalia Yang and many other talents with connections to the Midwest.

Although the week is filled to the brim with quality speakers and events, here are some of the festival’s highlights. Find this information and more on their website at www.cvbookfest.org.

NOTABLE EVENTS:

Michael Perry:
Brought up in a rural town on a small dairy farm in western Wisconsin, Michael Perry uses his life experiences and unique voice to attract and enthrall readers from all over. He has three best selling memoirs (Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs and Parenting; Truck: A Love Story; and Population 485-Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time)

Perry will speak in a presentation called “Writing from the Chippewa Valley and Beyond” on Oct. 22 in Schofield Hall on the UW-Eau Claire campus.

2010 Young Writer’s Contest and Reading:
Earlier this fall, young writers had the opportunity to submit entries of poetry, prose, fiction and nonfiction. Those chosen from each grade (3rd-8th) will read their selected works during the festival on Oct. 24 at the Grand Little Theater, 102 W. Grand Ave.

Dinners with the Authors:
During the festival there will be two dinners open for the public to come eat, chat and laugh with the featured authors from the festival.

On Oct. 22, dinner will be served at the Ramada Inn Convention Center in downtown Eau Claire. The meal will be catered by Eau Claire’s newest Indian restaurant, Jewel of India.

Then at 5 p.m. Oct. 23, there will be a reception followed by a fall dinner at the Eau Claire Golf and Country Club, 828 Clubview Lane. The dinner will prepared and introduced by Chef Casey Anderson. The dinner will be followed by a presentation by Erin Hart and Paddy O’Brien called “Irish Myth, Mystery and Music.”

So to get your fill of the best books, people, community and food, look no further!