I'll be blunt.

The Central Valley is considered an agricultural giant. However, many consider this area a cultural wasteland. Some of those people with negative impressions don't live in Los Angeles or San Francisco. They live right here.

For a writer who believes there is a wealth of possibilities to write about in this region, the misconception hurts. William Saroyan renamed Fresno "Ithaca" for "The Human Comedy." He brought Armenians to literary attention with "My Name Is Aram." John Steinbeck mined the Dust Bowl experience and a grim time in Valley history in "The Grapes of Wrath," and walked away with a Pulitzer and Nobel Prize.

Another Valley-grown Pulitzer Prize winner is poet Philip Levine. He taught for many years at California State University Fresno. Flying under the radar is essayist Gerald Haslam. "The Other California: The Great Central Valley In Life and Letters," is a collection about growing up in Kern County. Sadly enough, when he did a book signing in Fresno, I was one of the few people who attended.

Love him or hate him, Mark Arax created controversy with "The King of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire." I was in college journalism with Mark and can only applaud his success, regardless of his subject matter.

Is that enough proof that we don't deserve the reputation for being culturally deprived? Yet, if you look at the major newspaper, The Fresno Bee, it would seem homegrown authors don't exist. Canned reviews of best selling authors show up in the Spotlight section, but little is mentioned of local authors. We're out there, and they don't care.

The Kings County Library has given me the unique opportunity to help put together a speaker program for 2008-2009. I'm contacting all of the authors I've connected with over the years, and some I hope to meet for the first time. I already know I have The Advance behind me for publicity, and I hope the Sentinel shows an interest.

The first program I've set up is scheduled for Sept. 18. Virginia Pilegard is the author of a children's picture book series which promotes geometry in a fun, unique way. I asked her as a tie-in with the Olympics because her books are set in ancient China.

My dilemma is how to entice grade school teachers to show up on a week night when there are papers to grade? How do I get the public curious enough to want to hear about her trips to China for research?

If you build it, they will come. Why can't Kings County be a Field of Dreams? Nobody else is stepping up to the plate. We don't need a half-million unmotivated people to support a cultural crusade. Fresno had its chance to get their literary on, and it turned its back. Maybe it's time for a small town to show what can be accomplished with motivation and community support.

I have a reason to invest in this endeavor. I'm a writer. I write about the Valley because it's what I know and love. What writers really want is an audience, a chance to show their stuff. The Write Stuff.

My artist-roommate, Che Gilson, is interested in explaining the Japanese graphic novel craze to teens and their parents. I've lured poet Lee Herrick, a Fresno City College teacher, to do a reading in November. Two Mafia hitmen have written autobiographies and are interested in speaking at West Hills and the library (don't worry, they're out of witness protection). Screenwriter Michael Mehas, a former Hanford boy, wants to talk about the movie "Alpha Dog" and the novel he wrote based on the murder. Astrologer Hazel Dixon-Cooper will assure you "You Were Born on a Rotten Day."

The list is long and I hope local interest will be high. These programs are free. Educational. Fun. If culture is not your thing, come for the cookies. But come.

Sunny Frazier is a resident of Lemoore and a writer of mystery novels and short stories. To learn more, visit her Web site at www.sunnyfrazier.com.

(Aug. 28, 2008)