Kim Riley is a book lover. Maya Angelou. Terry McMillan. Pearl Cleage. Those are just a few of her favorite authors.</p><p>And she doesn&rsquo;t just like to read. She likes to meet the authors, talk about the books and get to know other fans. She has traveled all over the country to book expos, and one thing she has noticed is the lack of attention Kansas City gets from the major black authors.</p><p>Their book tours regularly stop in Dallas, D.C. and Atlanta &mdash; places known for their large, black middle class.</p><p>&ldquo;I think those on the coasts think we in the Midwest are a bunch of backward hillbillies and aren&rsquo;t astute and sophisticated. The publishers look us over. They don&rsquo;t see us as a literary community,&rdquo; says Kim, 39, who writes a monthly book column for The Call.</p><p>After a trip to a book expo in New York, where she met aspiring writers and published authors, she decided it was time to bring that experience to her city. </p><p>&ldquo;I want to create an event that gives readers a chance to come together and talk about those devious villains, the twists and turns. I want them to meet the writers who through their vast imaginations created these stories.&rdquo;</p><p>She took her advertising savvy (she&rsquo;s marketing and community relations coordinator for Penn Valley Community College) and put together the Book Lovers and Book Clubs Conference (www.booklovers bookclubs.com).</p><p>Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, Kim is hosting a literary event that will feature best-selling authors Kimberla Lawson Roby and Lyah Beth LeFlore and author and publisher Trice Hickman. Tickets are $50 and include two books, continental breakfast, lunch and cocktails.</p><p>&ldquo;I think that it&rsquo;s important for readers to put our money where our mouths are,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;We have to come together, buy these books and send a message to publishers. And we have to support our authors. They are only as strong as their readership base.&rdquo;</p><p>Because black book expos are so scarce in the Midwest, Roby, the conference&rsquo;s star author, agreed to waive her fee if Kim could pull the event off. The support inspired Kim to try to make the conference annual.</p><p>Beyond bringing book lovers together, she wants people to realize the value of reading.</p><p> &ldquo;Literacy is important,&rdquo; she says. And most of our attendees are women. If Mom is reading or Grandma is reading, then the entire house is reading. We have to place an emphasis on reading. When you read, you learn something new and you share it. Reading is contagious.&rdquo; </p><p><hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> <strong><span class="infobox-head">BE THERE SATURDAY </span></strong><br /> The Book Lovers and Book Clubs Conference, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Saturday, Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, 3700 Blue Parkway.</p><p><strong>For information: </strong>816-923-1779 </p><p><strong>Register:</strong> www.bookloversbook clubs.com or at T-Shirt King, 1217 Brooklyn Ave., 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Friday.</p><p></div>