The  Great Valley Bookfest — now in its 12th edition — is the latest chapter in the book being written to not just elevate literacy rates, but to also celebrate the power and joy of reading.

Some 50 authors with most heralding from the Northern San Joaquin Valley are participating in the Bookfest on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley near Bass Pro Shops in Manteca.

If you think this free event is a staid affair, guess again.

Organizers have done everything possible to drive home the point reading is fun and can open the door up to all sorts of endeavors.

There are four presentations involving various authors in the Writer’s Nook besides each author having their own table with their table to talk to attendees as well as sell their books.

 At the main stage at various times throughout the day there will be presentations from different authors who are attending the event, the awarding of a “Literacy Hero” of the year, the announcement of the Design-a-Bookmark contest winner, the announcement of the Chalk-the-Block competition winner, as well as a magician multiple times throughout the day.

The four Writer’s Nook presentations aimed at authors and aspiring authors to help them in various areas of writing are as follows:

*San Joaquin Valley Writers will be presenting “A.I.: What It Can Do For You” at 11 a.m.

*Capitol Crimes will be presenting “Setting As Character: Creating Atmospheric Mystery Locations” at 12:15 p.m.

*Gold Country Writers will be presenting “Topic: I Wrote A Book, Now What?” at 1:15 p.m.

*Participating Children’s Book Authors will be presenting “So You Think You Want To Write A Children’s Book” at 2:15 p.m.

The bookfest also includes a:

*massive used book sale with inexpensive books that appeal to all audiences being staged by the Friends of the Manteca Library,

*Poet’s Corner featuring various poets reading their poetry throughout the day.

* free kids Fun Zone with games, activities, and bounce houses.

*a scavenger hunt during the event with the chance to win an Amazon Kindle.

*many author and book vendors who will have booths that people can visit and support local authors/businesses.

*a chance to win one of four “Free Little Libraries” for installation in front of your home to enable free book exchanging in your neighborhood.

 The Bookfest not only speaks volumes about the commitment of organizers and participants to reading and literacy but it underscores the valley’s tremendous resources and commitment to elevate lives through the power of reading.

The bookfest is made possible with  the sponsorship of Lennar Homes, the Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation, Raymus Foundation, and the San Joaquin Community Foundation.

Manteca developer Toni Raymus was inspired to start a bookfest in the Northern San Joaquin Valley after attending one during a trip to Savannah, Georgia.

When Raymus first started circulating the idea of staging a bookfest, the nearly universal response was, “What, a bookfest in Manteca?” with more than a few silently wondering whether she was joking.

Her response: Why not?

There is little doubt much of the San Joaquin Valley has its challenges.

But that said, the valley is not a desert when it comes to literature or culture.

In fact you could argue that the Northern San Joaquin Valley is the perfect setting for not just a Bookfest but to strengthen the written word.

The Bookfest site is 30 minutes from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and an hour from the Silicon Valley that is populated with some of the world’s greatest tech minds with many of their collaborating colleagues residing this side of the Altamont Pass.

It is at the epicenter of a million people within a 30-mile radius who labor in a wide array of professions and can find inspiration in some of the most diverse landscape and communities of people in the world.

If the United States is the melting pot, and California the golden ingredient, then the Northern San Joaquin Valley is where you will find the biggest nugget. It’s not necessarily refined per se, but it is still gold.

The Saturday, Oct. 12, event in a sense is also a way to remind us that not only does the Northern San Joaquin Valley have a lot to offer but that the written world is alive and kicking here.

Stop by the Bookfest. Search for specks of gold along Author’s Alley and celebrate reading.

It’ll give you a chance to understand what is making Manteca and the rest of the Northern San Joaquin Valley a bestseller to the people who elect to move here every year.

There is a wealth of talented people living here and even more people committed to making lives better.

The Bookfest would be impossible to stage if that wasn’t the case.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com