Virginia Festival of the Book Turns a New Page

Callan Shore, assistant editor

Every March book lovers leave their screens behind to step into the world of their favorite stories. For the past 24 years, thousands have flocked to Albemarle County for the Virginia Festival of the Book. Each year, the attendance reaches around 20,000, and the attendees come from over 30 different states. This year, the festival will last from March 20 to 24.

The events of this year’s festival range from book signings to talks such as “Embracing Power: Women and the Supernatural” and “Contemporary Appalachia in Fiction.” Libraries, schools, bookstores, and theatres across Charlottesville will serve as venues for the events. Local partners include Over the Moon Bookstore, New Dominion Bookshop, PVCC Community Garden, and C’ville Coffee. Additionally, most of the people who work to put the events together are volunteers from the community. There will be more than 250 events, and the majority are free. Most events are first come, first serve, but there are a handful that require tickets.

“The Festival schedule features more than 130 public programs that are free to attend and focus on everything from award-winning nonfiction to poetry and graphic novels. So, you can explore the schedule in advance and build your dream itinerary or you can just wake up on one of the days of the Festival and decide to attend a program that’s nearby,” said Assistant Director of the Virginia Center for the Book Sarah Lawson.

Every year, the festival has a unique surprise. For example, in 2017, 100 authors visited local schools. “One of my favorite aspects of the Festival is the element of the unexpected available in each program. We plan and schedule books around particular topics, yet the authors often use the discussion to explore fascinating connections among the books. You can join that discussion in the moment by offering questions, and continue it by reading the books afterwards,” said Jane B. Kulow, director of the Virginia Center for the Book.

This year, the surprise is that actor and director Emilio Estevez will hold a screening of his movie The Public. The movie is about a group of homeless people in Cincinnati who clash with Police over a lack shelter in harsh weather. This event costs $15 and will be at the Paramount Theatre on March 22 at 7 p.m.

Published poet Libby Burton said, “I was really honored and excited to be asked to read at the Festival this year, as I remember being an undergraduate at the University [of Virginia] and watching amazing poets read there, like Lucie Brock-Broido, and thinking, ‘Wow, what if I could read my work as a published poet here someday.’ It took a while, but now I will finally have the chance.” Burton will be reading from her book of poems Soft Volcano on March 22 at the UVA bookstore. She said, “I am really excited to be reading alongside my friend, and an amazing poet, and UVA alumnus, Laura Eve Engel.”

According to the festival’s website, the best advice for attendees is to “say hello to that author whose work you admire, and be sure to let them know just how much you loved their most recent book.”

To find further information on the Virginia Festival of the Book, visit www.vabook.org.

If you are a professional and wish to submit work for consideration, submissions for 2020 will open in June 2019.