UKIAH – Rainy weather didn’t keep fans of the written word away from Mendocino College’s “LitFest 2009, a Celebration for Word Lovers,” Saturday, May 2.

The one-day festival in the Lowery Library Building on the Ukiah campus featured more than 20 writers and poets who presented readings, talks, and workshops focused on writing and publishing. The Mendocino College Foundation joined the Friends of the Library in sponsoring the event.

An estimated 40 people attended each workshop, and audiences for poetry readings and writers’ talks averaged about a dozen people per session. The event was well-received by presenters and attendees alike, according to Head Librarian John Koetzner.

Fiction writers at the event included Hal Zina Bennett, Marc Bojanowski, Molly Dwyer and Sheldon Siegel. Poets Dan Barth, James Bluewolf, Armand Brint, Armando Garcia-Davila, Carolyn Wing Greenlee, Mary Norbert Korte, Jim Lyle, Linda Noel, Mary McMillan, Richard Schmidt, David Smith-Ferri, Sandra Wade, and Theresa Whitehill shared their work. Aspiring writers filled a classroom for workshops presented by Kim Green, Rebecca Lawton, Jody Gehrman, Charlotte Gullick, Jean Hegland, and Amy Wachspress with Terena Scott.

Additional information about LitFest is available at the event website, www.mendocino.edu/litfest.