The Allegheny Regional Festival of Books, a grass-roots nonprofit, is accepting applications from authors to appear at the annual festival in historic downtown Bedford, on Sept. 15. The festival will feature local and regional authors, highlighting their work and connecting them with readers.

The event will host 50 authors of a variety of genres. Activities for the day include book signings, storytelling, poetry readings and writing workshops. Children’s activities will take place under a separate tent.

To kick off the festival, a fundraiser will take place on the evening of Sept. 14 at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort. Ellen Prentiss Campbell, author of “The Bowl with Gold Seams,” will be the featured speaker.

Proceeds will support literacy projects in Bedford County

Attendance, which is free, provides readers access to established and emerging authors, giving them firsthand exposure to story creators, increasing awareness and developing excitement for books and the literary world.

For more information on the festival and to access the author application, visit http://alleghenyregionalfestivalofbooks.org/ or send email to arfbinfo@gmail.com.