The Deschutes Public Library and Second Sunday are pleased by present an afternoon with local western writer Rick Steber on Sunday, February 12^th at 2:00 p.m. in the Brooks Room of the Downtown Bend Public Library. An open mic will follow the reading and this event is free and open to the public.

Rick Steber has gained a well-deserved national reputation and is best known for writing honest stories about the strong people and the open landscapes of the Old West. His gift to all of us is saving the stories of people that otherwise would be lost and forgotten.

Rick is the author of 27 books. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his achievements in Western literature including the Favell Museum Western Heritage Award, Benjamin Franklin Award, Mid-America Publishers Book Award, Oregon Library Association Award and was a finalist for Oregon Literary Arts Book Award. He is a member of the Western Writers of America and has served as a panelist for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), helping set national educational standards and achievement levels in U.S. Department of Education.

Rick's work has made a significant contribution to preserving the heritage and spotlighting the great beauty of the West. Readers and reviewers have praised his unique writing style that demonstrates and empathy for his characters and a love for the land in which they live. His descriptive prose enlivens the senses and increases understanding of the human spirit.

Reluctant to label himself strictly as a historian, Rick says, "I'm a combination historian, biographer and storyteller. Most of all, I like to tell a good story that gives the reader a sense of time and place." Rick writes in a cabin tucked away in the timbered folds of the Ochoco Mountains of Central Oregon.

For more information about this or other library programs, please visit the library website at www.deschuteslibrary.org. People with disabilities needing accommodations should contact Lisa at 541/312-1034