Hickory – Hickory Public Library will host the inaugural Hickory Literary Festival with featured performer Lucky Diaz on Saturday, April 12, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the SALT Block.

This free community event is open to all ages and designed to celebrate reading, writing, books, and creativity.

The festival will offer a variety of vendors as well as writing workshops and literacy-focused activities around the SALT Block throughout the day.

Those interested in honing their writing skills can participate in writing workshops hosted by Laura Hope-Gill, Mark Coltrain, and Molly Bass.

Tony Robles, host of syndicated radio show and podcast “Listen and Be Heard,” will lead poetry sessions throughout the day.

Several notable authors will speak at the event, promoting their books and offering insights into the writing and publishing process.

Joy Callaway, Charlotte-based historical fiction and contemporary romance author, will speak at 1 p.m. Callaway has written several international bestsellers, including “What the Mountains Remember,” “All the Pretty Places,” and more.

Marissa Eller, local Hickory resident and author of romantic comedy “Joined at the Joints,” will speak at 2 p.m.

Joyce Moyer Hostetter, a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne University and author of middle grade historical fiction, will speak at 3 p.m.

Musician and children’s author Lucky Diaz will perform at 4 p.m. Diaz is a multi-Latin Grammy Award-winning artist and author of “La Guitarrista,” this year’s featured title of Lenoir-Rhyne University’s The Little Read.

Attendees will also have free access to Catawba Science Center during the event.

The presenting sponsor for the Hickory Literary Festival is Corning. Additional sponsors include First Horizon Bank and APB Search, Inc.

Learn more about the upcoming Hickory Literacy Festival at www.hickorync.gov/hickoryliteraryfestival.

The SALT Block, a cultural arts complex bringing the Sciences, Arts, and Literature Together on one block, is located in front of Patrick Beaver Memorial Library at 375 Third Street NE in Hickory.

For more information, contact Library Director Sarah Greene at sgreene@hickorync.gov.