Virginia Festival of the Book

Every year, Charlottesville plays host to the Virginia Festival of the Book.

According to the website,

The mission of the Virginia Festival of the Book is to bring together writers and readers and to promote and celebrate books, reading, literacy, and literary culture.

I've lived here for almost 8 years and have been to one event. (My dad and I went to see John McCutcheon and Barbara Kingsolver at the Paramount. David Baldacci was there too...?...do you remember, D-O?)

That being said, here are events I would go to if I could or will go to if I can:

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17TH

2 p.m.

• Poets Reading Poets: A Writer's Attention

Three contemporary poets introduce and read poems by poets of the past: Judy Longley (A Woman Divided) on Elizabeth Bishop, Susan Hull (Mountain Home) on T.S. Eliot, and Kristen Staby Rembold (Felicity) on James Wright.)

Moderator: Bill Sublette


4 p.m.

• Republic of Words: Words and Phrases that Shaped America

Arthur Schulman (Websterisms) and Paul Aron (We Hold These Truths...and Other Words That Made America) discuss how words create meaning and shape understanding.

Moderator: Wilson Brissett


8 p.m.

• Interludes and Latitudes: The Poetry of Kevin Hart and Paul Muldoon
  

Enjoy an evening with two poets of international renown, Kevin Hart (Flame Tree) and Paul Muldoon (Horse Latitudes).

Moderator: Kevin McFadden

• Lincoln: His Politics, His Times, His Assassins

With Gary Ecelbarger (The Great Comeback: How Lincoln Beat the Odds to Win the 1860 Republican Nomination), Andrew Jampoler (The Last Lincoln Conspirator), and K.M. Kostyal (Abraham Lincoln's Extraordinary Era).

Sponsored by Bryan Hagen at Merrill Lynch.
Moderator: William Freehling

THURSDAY, MARCH 19TH

12 p.m.

• Stories from the Civil Rights Movement

Derek Catsam (Freedom’s Main Line; The Journey of Reconciliation and the Freedom Rides), Peter Wallenstein (Higher Education and the Civil Rights Movement), Richard Bonnie and Mildred Wigfall Robinson (Law Touched Our Hearts: A Generation Remembers Brown v. Board of Education). Hosted by by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc – Charlottesville Alumnae Chapter. Refreshments provided.

Moderator: Abigail Turner


2 p.m.

• Demagogues and Change: A Discussion of the Current State of Our Democracy

John Whitehead (The Change Manifesto: Join the Block by Block Movement to Remake America) and Michael Signer (Demagogue: The Fight to Save Democracy from Its Worst Enemies)

Moderator: Bob Gibson


5 p.m.

• Political Asylum: Philip Schrag and David Ngaruri Kenney

Law professor Philip Schrag and David Ngaruri Kenney (Asylum Denied: A Refugee's Struggle for Safety in America) discuss Kenney's quest for political asylum in the USA.

Hosted by UVA School of Law. Sponsored by Amnesty International Chapter 157.
Moderator: Kerry Abrams


6 p.m.

• Behind the Lens with National Geographic Photographer Kenneth Garrett

Photographer Kenneth Garrett shares his work in Journey Through Hallowed Ground: Birthplace of the American Ideal. This presentation will change the lens through which we view the remarkable history of the region from Monticello to Gettysburg.

Hosted by Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership.
Moderator: Cate Wyatt


10 p.m.

• The Late-Night Story Slam

Charlottesville's first Story Slam is a story competition featuring true tales told by a host of talented raconteurs--authors, musicians, actors, performance artists, and more. You, the audience, will judge who wins the prize.

Hosted by WriterHouse and Live Arts.
Moderator: Browning Porter

FRIDAY, MARCH 20TH

2 p.m.

• Jack Kerouac's America

Hilary Holladay (co-editor, What's Your Road, Man? Critical Essays on Jack Kerouac's On the Road), Matt Theado (Understanding Jack Kerouac), and Gordon Ball (66 Frames) discuss the relevance of Kerouac and other Beat authors to contemporary American society.

Moderator: Hilary Holladay


4 p.m.

• Book Review Superstars

Book reviewers Michael Dirda (Washington Post), Alan Cheuse (NPR), Louis Bayard (freelance), and Bethanne Kelly Patrick (WETA.org), discuss the present and future of literary criticism.

Sponsored by UVa Peters Rushton Fund.
Moderator: Ron Hogan

• In Search of American Music

Adam Bradley (Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip-Hop), Amanda Petrusich (It Still Moves: Lost Songs, Lost Highways and the Search for the Next American Music) and Joe Tennis (Beach to Bluegrass: Places to Brake on Virginia's Longest Road).

Moderator: Elliot Majerczyk


6 p.m.

• Religion and Politics

Charles Mathewes and Chris Nichols (Prophesies of Godlessness: Prediction of America's Imminent Secularization, from the Puritans to the Present Day), Douglas A. Hicks (With God on All Sides) and Shaun Casey (The Making of a Catholic President: Kennedy vs. Nixon 1960)

Moderator: Charles Mathewes


8 p.m.

• Another Music: An Evening with Rita Dove and Boyd Tinsley

Join us as Rita Dove launches her new book, Sonata Mulattica, with violinist Boyd Tinsley of the Dave Matthews Band. Discover the life of 19th century Euro-African violinist George Bridgetower in poetry, music, and conversation.

Sponsored by University of Virginia Office for Diversity and Equity.
Moderator: Robert Vaughan

SATURDAY, MARCH 21ST

12 p.m.

• Connecting Kids with Nature

A StoryFest Event. Rick Van Noy, author of A Natural Sense of Wonder, describes how to get children involved in the outdoors in all seasons.

Moderator: John Holden


2 p.m.

• Covering the Court

Dahlia Lithwick, Adam Liptak and John Whitehead offer their views on the current and possible future members of the Supreme Court, the role it plays in today's society, and its future direction.

Moderator: Robert O'Neil


4 p.m.

• Baseball: The Storyteller's Game--with Talmage Boston

Talmage Boston (Baseball and the Baby Boomer) shares his love of baseball's most legendary post-war figures--Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Nolan Ryan, and others--along with his commentary and memoir as a lifelong fan.

Moderator: John Grisham

• The Flavor of Local

Fran McManus (editor, Cooking Fresh from the Mid-Atlantic) will moderate this panel featuring Gail Hobbs-Page (Caromont goat cheese), Kate Collier (Feast!), and Martha Stafford (Charlottesville Cooking School) discussing the pleasures of eating locally.

Hosted by The Charlottesville Cooking School.
Moderator: Martha Stafford

SUNDAY, MARCH 21ST

12 p.m.

• Immigration Stories: Reform

Margaret Orchowski (Immigration and the American Dream), Peter Orner (editor: Underground America: Narratives of Undocumented Lives) and Doug Ford, immigration lawyer, will discuss possibilities of immigration reform.

Moderator: Charlie Thompson


1:30 p.m.

• Women in the Public Eye: Speaking Truth to Power

Journalist Patricia Lynch (Thanks for Listening) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (Renegade for Peace and Justice) discuss their lives and work.

Hosted by League of Women Voters of Charlottesville/Albemarle.
Moderator: Marguerite Cox