The Local Author event Saturday in Moscow will feature ancient cave-dwellers, a soccer board game and the harrowing tale of rowing across the Atlantic Ocean.

“It’s always fun to see the authors, and the topics are often surprising,” said Carol Spurling, a co-owner and manager of Bookpeople of Moscow.

An independent and local bookstore for more than 30 years, Bookpeople of Moscow will host the event at its location on 521 South Main St.

The event provides an opportunity for local or visiting authors to talk directly to an audience about their stories.

“There was a lot of demand for this kind of event,” Spurling said, “but I couldn’t give everybody their own day. Dedicating one day for it makes everyone happy.”

WSU Professor Emeritus of archaeology William D. Lipe helped write a new book about the Ancestral Puebloan culture of southeastern Utah’s Cedar Mesa canyons and will present at 11 a.m. The book features richly detailed photographs by Donald J. Rommes of the cliff-dwellings, artifacts and art of the Ancestral Puebloans who lived in the region more than 800 years ago.

“It is a beautiful area,” Lipe said, “but the history is being destroyed by too much human traffic.”

Lipe said he wants the book to help people realize how important the area is. Lipe, Rommes and the publisher of the book, Canyonlands Natural History Association, are trying to get the Utah legislature to recognize the region as a national monument or national conservation area.

Jordan Hanssen is a visiting author from Seattle who will present his first book, “Rowing Into the Son,” at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Hanssen’s book details the tribulations he and three other young men faced as they rowed a 29-foot rowboat across the North Atlantic Ocean.  All manner of nautical hazards were encountered in the venture, including tempestuous weather and hungry sharks.

Literary enthusiasts can comfortably enjoy Hanssen’s true sea story, Lipe’s archaeological discussion and much more at Bookpeople Of Moscow’s Local Author Saturday event over the weekend.

G&G box:

What: Local Author Saturday

When: Sept. 21, 10 a.m.

Where: Bookpeople Of Moscow bookstore