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Steamboat Springs — Acclaimed authors Karen Joy Fowler, Andrew Sean Greer, Nathaniel Philbrick, Elizabeth Strout, Manil Suri and Erin McKean will address local bookworms at the eagerly anticipated 16th annual Literary Sojourn on Saturday.

Tickets sold out in July for the event, which will present the minds behind works including "The Jane Austen Book Club," "The Story of a Marriage" and "The Death of Vishnu."

"It's just a magic day," Literary Sojourn committee member Karen Jimmerson said. "The fact that there's so many people who love books is just always great."

The Bud Werner Memorial Library began Literary Sojourn in the early 1990s as a way to bring big-name authors to the Yampa Valley to connect with local readers, Library Director Chris Painter said.

"The authors that attend are all nationally recognized, award-winning authors. Generally they may be on a book tour in a big city, but rarely if ever travel to small communities," Painter said.

"We've been able to attract an enormous caliber of authors - Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award winners - based on the reputation that Literary Sojourn has garnered in the publishing world," Painter said. "This year we have just a wonderful mix of literary authors, with very different writing styles that appeal to a variety of readers."

Each author will give a reading and presentation during Literary Sojourn, on Saturday at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort, speaking about their inspirations, motivation and their personal writing process.

"These are authors who love their audience," Jimmerson said. "They love to share."

Participating authors also will sign books while mingling with attendees at the end of the day.

"It's a labor of love for everyone on the committee," Jimmerson said. "I love reading all the books, finding authors that I think would be a good fit. I love planning the event and the energy around it from all of the attendees."