So maybe that chemistry book is taking up too much of your time, and NBC’s Thursday night line-up is getting on your nerves. A nice change of pace — and a chance to absorb some culture — awaits at the Ames Public Library Auditorium.

The Auditorium, located at 515 Douglas Ave. in downtown Ames, is holding its first Local Author Night tonight at 7 p.m. The idea for the night stemmed from pure public demand. “We just formed an adult programming committee,” said Marianne Malinowski, head of technical services at the library. “We did some focus groups in the community and found that people want readings.”

Matching grants from Poets and Writers, Inc., in New York City and Friends of the Ames Public Library provided the necessary moolah, and now the Local Author Night is a reality.

Malinowski said that Ames is a good town for the showcasing of local talent, especially with the resources from the university and nearby Des Moines.

Some faces familiar to central Iowa residents will read from their own works. Gary Eller, a graduate of the University of Iowa and current Ames resident, will read from Thin Ice and Other Risks. Also, Rick Christman, who teaches creative writing at Des Moines Area Community College, will read from Falling in Love at the End of the World, a collection of short stories about his experiences in Vietnam.

One face that music and poetry connoisseurs will definitely recognize is Debra Marquart, assistant professor of English here at Iowa State. She plans to read from her collection, Everything’s a Verb, and also throw in a little new material based on past experiences.

“My book is a book of poetry,” Marquart explained. “I’ll read from that and some new stuff about being on the road as a musician. It’s from a new book called Playing for the Door: Stories from the Road.”

This new work’s title stems from bands gleaning their wages from the bar or club’s cover charges.

“It never really works that way; somewhere the money siphons off,” she laughed. While that might make experienced musicians smile knowingly, Marquart was taken with the idea of ‘the door’ as representative of certain aspects of the business. “But I got really interested in ‘the door,'” she said. “It became a big symbol. Characters are always moving in and out of buses and vans, lots of doors, and they’re in constant motion.”

Lest you fear that attending the reading will keep you from some much-needed studying (and “Beavis and Butt-head”), never fear! The evening should only last about an hour, with each author taking up around 20 minutes for his or her reading.

“It’s sorta like when people are nice enough to come to a reading, you don’t wanna overtax them,” Marquart explained.

Both women encourage ISU students to get out and attend the reading. Even though most students don’t venture downtown to take advantage of the library, Marquart said that more people should.

Malinowski agrees, and said that the evening will give students a chance to see their teachers in action (and indulge in a few sweets!). “Debra teaches at the university, so that might be a good reason,” she said. “And we’re gonna have cheesecake!”

This free event begins tonight at 7 p.m. at the Ames Public Library Auditorium.