The first of what's hoped to be the annual Lancaster Book Festival: A Gathering of Writers and Readers is set for 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 12, in the East Building on the Lancaster Campus of HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College, 1641 Old Philadelphia Pike.

The festival, organized by the Lancaster Literary Guild, aims to bring together writers and readers of all ages for a day of readings, discussions, storytelling and book signing.

"To quote a nearly famous frog, 'What a party! What a day!' " said Sandy Asher, a guild member who's helping to organize the festival and who will present her children's books there. She took the words right out of the mouth of the party animal who stars in her picture book "Too Many Frogs."

Admission to the festival is free, with a donation of $5 per person suggested. Food, books and other items will be available for sale, and there will be a silent auction 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Community Room.

A noon-1:15 p.m. lecture and luncheon with "It's Only a Game" author and National Public Radio commentator Bill Littlefield must be reserved in advance at a cost of $25; call 431-4433. His presentation only is $10 at the door.

Here's the rest of the schedule, listing the featured writers and the titles of their best-known or most recent work:

Young Readers
10-10:25 a.m.— Barbara Robinson, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever"

10:30-10:55 a.m. —Marc Harshman, "Only One Neighborhood"

11-11:25 a.m. —Linda Oatman High, "The Cemetery Keepers of Gettysburg"

11:30-11:55 a.m. — Marty Crisp, "White Star: A Dog on the Titanic"

2-2:25 p.m. — Cathryn Clinton, "The Eyes of Van Gogh"

2:30- 2:55 p.m. —Sandy Asher, "Too Many Frogs!"

3-3:45 p.m. — Young Readers' panel with all of the above

Journalism
10-10:45 a.m. — Jo-Ann Greene, Sunday News Books editor

11-11:45 a.m. —Jack Brubaker, Lancaster New Era staff writer and columnist; author of "Down the Susquehanna to the Chesapeake"

2-2:45 p.m. —Lori Myers, freelance magazine writer

3-3:45 p.m. — Nonfiction panel with all of the above, plus Bill Gifford, adventure journalist

Stories
10-10:45 a.m. — Contributors to HACC journal Voices, including Kendra Schweitzer, Alex Egbert, editor-in-chief Julia Boyer and poetry editor Susan Peters

11-11:45 a.m. — Jeffrey Ihlenfeldt, "The Myth of Empty Rooms"

12:15-1:15 p.m. — Scholastic Writing Award winners Kelly Smith of Lancaster Catholic High School and Sarah Costello of Garden Spot High School

1:20-1:50 p.m. —Terri Mastrobuono, storyteller

2-2:45 p.m. — Anne Stameshkin, literary journal contributor

Novels
10-10:45 a.m. — Jill Althouse-Wood, "Summers at Blue Lake"

11-11:45 a.m. — Stephen Raleigh Byler, " Searching For Intruders"

2-2:45 p.m. — Bathsheba Monk, "Now You See It"

3-3:45 p.m. — Fiction panel with all of the above, plus Jeffrey Ihlenfeldt and Anne Stameshkin

Nonfiction
10-10:45 a.m. — Bill Gifford, "Ledyard: In Search of the First American Explorer"

11-11:45 a.m. — Beth Kephart, "Flow: The Life and Times of Philadephia's Schuylkill River"

Poetry
2-2:45 p.m. —Roger Dorsey and Bonnie Dorsey

Cookbooks
10-10:45 a.m. — Phoebe Bailey, "An African-American Cookbook"

11-11:45 a.m. —Eileen Talanian, "Chewy Cookies"

Children's Reading Circles
10-10:45 a.m.

11-11:45 a.m.

2-2:45 p.m.

Autographing Schedule
10:30 a.m. —Barbara Robinson

11 a.m. — Marc Harshman, Jill Althouse-Wood, Bill Gifford

11:30 a.m. — Linda Oatman High

1:30 p.m. — Sandy Asher, Bathsheba Monk, Stephen Raleigh Byler, Bill Littlefield

2 p.m. — Marty Crisp, Jack Brubaker, Beth Kephart, Phoebe Bailey

2:30 p.m. — Cathryn Clinton, Eileen Talanian, Jeffrey Ihlenfeldt

Book signing will continue Sunday, April 13, when Barnes & Noble Booksellers hosts some festival authors at the store, 1700-H Fruitville Pike.

Barbara Robinson and Sandy Asher will sign 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Bill Littlefield, Cathryn Clinton and Linda Oatman High, 11 a.m.- 1p.m.; and Jill Althouse-Wood, Phoebe Bailey and Marc Harshman, noon-2 p.m.

Festival exhibitors on hand throughout the day Saturday include: Reader's Café Books, Hanover; Lancaster Literary Guild; Library System of Lancaster County;Childcraft Educational Corp.; Aaron's Books, Lititz; DogStar Books; Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon; Community Action Program; Elizabeth Gates Handmade Books; Plant and Garden Display and Sale with Dr. Irwin Richman of Landis Valley Museum, author of "Pa. German Farms, Gardens and Seeds" and "Seed Art: The Package Made Me Buy It."

More information is available at www.litguild.org.