On Saturday, May 7, at 1 p.m., as part of the River Prairie Festival Celebration of Art in Altoona, come listen to authors S.Z. Putnam, Ken Szymanski, Elan Mccallum, Dawson Jollie, Gustavo Barahona-López, Geoff Carter, and Emily Kassera read their work as they express why the arts matter in our world. Their words will be a recognition of the power of the arts to convey feelings, to think about our world in different ways, to remember tough times while celebrating our lives. Hosted by Julian Emerson.