8 Great Virginia Festival of the Book Reads

Kalela Williams, Director of the Center of the Book

I just moved back to Virginia from Philadelphia, so any novel that’s set in Philly is going to pique my interest. The House of Eve is a story of two Black women in the 1950s, both with choices to make, ambitions to follow, and pasts to find their way out of; and author Sadeqa Johnson, as ever, keeps her readers turning the pages, just as she did in Yellow Wife. I can’t wait to catch her with novelist Jamila Minnicks, author of Moonrise Over New Jessup.

A beautiful coming of age novel, it’s a story of girls growing up—on the verge of the Soviet Union collapsing. Join Gorbechev-Newberry to hear her retelling of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard at a Coming of Age Fiction Panel with Jeffrey Dale Lofton and William Mark Habeeb.

If you’re a writer who has ever thought about trying your hand at horror, like me, Stephen Graham Jones’ new book is a masterclass. It’s a sequel to My Heart is a Chainsaw, and the story of a serial killer seeking revenge for the 38 Dakota men killed, in U.S. military sanctioned murders, in 1862. Get ready for goosebumps, because Stephen will read alongside other horror authors Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, Sarah Langan, and tarot diva Sasha Graham, at Camp Holiday Trails.

Frank, funny, and fierce, Kent dishes on anti-Blackness and food. She also digs into respectability politics, colorism, homophobia, and whatever “high self-esteem” even means anymore. But it’s all a journey into self-love. Join her and Psyche A. Williams Forson, author of Eating While Black, for program featuring real talk and—you guessed it—real food. And no apologies.

The world talked about George Floyd’s death. But what do we know about his life? Washington Post journalists Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa chronicle Floyd’s 46 years, in a biography born of hundreds of interviews of those who knew him, and of an unflinching view of history. As National Book Award Finalists, they’ll be in conversation with awardee John Keene, author of Punked.

Just because you’re not thirteen anymore doesn’t mean you can’t relieve the eighth grade when you’ve got all kinds of family drama and you’re trying to fit in with everyone else and you’re *fine* with not being popular, but when the cool kid talks to you then maybe, just maybe…I mean, isn’t LIFE a version of middle school? Or is that just me? Get this book by Meg Medina, the new National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, for a kid in your life. Or get it for yourself! See Meg Medina speak with Andrea Beatriz Arango at the Newberry Author's Panel on March 25th!

Who doesn’t love good storytelling? Rebecca Makkai, with her spot-on knack for a great fictional voice and a narrative that keeps the pages moving, has a brand-new book out, a story of a woman who just wants to keep her past out of her present, until she’s drawn back—and drawn into—the murder of a boarding school classmate. Rebecca will appear with Quan Barry and Jung Yun to discuss their novels of reinventions and returns.

I met author Matthew Quick on my very first day in grad school, and if a friend can be inspiration, he’s it. His books connect us to the most vulnerable parts of ourselves—the pieces that hold dormant hopes. If you enjoyed The Silver Linings Playbook, pick up his newest novel. And join me, with Matthew Quick, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, and Vaishnavi Patel at the Festival’s Bestsellers Panel (to be clear, I’m not a bestselling author—I’m just moderating—but a girl can dream).

We’ll have booksellers onsite at every Virginia Festival of the Book author event, and the Jefferson Madison Regional Libraries are waiting for your checkouts. So get ready, get set, and get reading! You can find a cozy reading spot at one of many lodging options in the Charlottesville area, from favorite chain hotels, cozy inns and B&Bs, plus a selection of vacation rentals, cabins, and cottages. Check the places to stay page for more options, and for more reasons to check out the Virginia Festival of the Book, click the blog post below!