The Library of Congress announced Friday that Kansas University alumna Cynthia Leitich Smith is among the 70 writers selected to participate in the seventh annual National Book Festival.

The festival “welcomes all Americans to the National Mall to celebrate reading and meet with some of America’s most-loved authors from across the country,” said first lady Laura Bush, a former librarian who founded the event. Scheduled for Sept. 29, the national book fair is modeled after the Texas Book Fair in Austin that Bush helped start.

Along with best-selling novelists such as Joyce Carol Oates and David Baldacci, this year’s list of authors includes Smith, a well-known member of Austin’s literary community.

An American Indian and member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Smith has written several acclaimed books for young readers. She began writing fiction after graduating from KU and University of Michigan Law School. However, her latest novel, “Tantalize,” is a dark adult fantasy.