Registration for the upcoming “Lions in Winter,” an annual reading series, which features new and emerging authors is open.

“Lions in Winter,” will be Jan. 29 and 30 at 6 p.m. in the lecture hall of the Doudna Fine Arts Center and will feature a keynote reading by author Moira Crone.

The festival will feature craft talks, a book fair, an editor panel, author readings and more.

Crone is the author of six fiction works and received the Robert Penn Warren Award from the Southern Fellowship of Writers in 2009.

Following Crone’s keynote reading, there will be a book signing and this event is free and open to the public.

The literacy festival is co-sponsored by the English department and the College of Arts and Humanities.

Besides Crone, some other authors who will be attending “Lions in Winter,” include Wendy C. Ortiz, Bradford Tice, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, and Andrew Malan. Each of the these visiting authors will be leading craft talks relating to their own genre.

The literary festival will end with the opening of Gilchrist’s art exhibition titled “Dreams” and will take place in the Main Gallery in the Tarble Arts Center.

For most of the different festival events scheduled for “Lions in Winter,” registration is required. Those who register before the event will be charged $40 per person, which will include a continental breakfast and lunch in addition to the craft talks and the editor’s panel. Anyone who shows up on the day of the event for admission will be charged $50.

Eastern students, faculty and high school students may register for the event for free and members of the Coles County Art Council can contact the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office to receive a $30 discount.

Luis Martinez can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].