Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the overused word "epic," but everything else about this event sounds great. "Epic Reads" breaks the audience up into small groups who then participate in a round-robin session of intimate readings and conversations with a collection of touring young adult writers. The cost of entry is the purchase of any one novel by the participating authors.

If you've ever wanted an up close and personal conversation with a writer, this is a pretty great gimmick for a reading. It's especially interesting for young readers who are interested in the writer's life but are maybe too shy to speak up and ask questions at a huge reading.

The epic authors in question are:

• Adam Silvera, the bestselling author of Infinity Son, a fantasy novel about two brothers who live in a world of magicians at war.
• Abigail Hing Wen, who wrote Loveboat, Taipei, a romantic novel about a young woman who takes part in an educational program that brings her to a new part of the world with a whole classroom of world-traveling, romance-minded teens.
• I Hope You Get This Message is Farah Naz Rishi's book about what three teenagers do when they believe the world is about to end in a week.

So that's apocalyptic humor, a romantic travel adventure comedy, and a high fantasy novel about destiny, legacy, and war. Best of all, you don't have to choose between the events — you'll get an opportunity to talk with every single one of the authors. Think of it as a Whitman's Chocolate sampler of a reading and you've got it all figured out. Sounds pretty...well, you know. University Book Store,  4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, http://www2.bookstore.washington.edu/, 6 pm.