This year’s festival will celebrate four decades of authors and readers connecting in Charlottesville. Kalela Williams is Director of the Virginia Center for the Book.
“Some of our high points include champagne and cake with bestsellers Emma Donoghue and Louis Bayard, and we also have an historical fiction breakfast with Chris Bohjalian and Kimberly Brock.”
A party is planned on Thursday – opening night -- around a collection of essays and interviews from NPR Music.
“It is featuring the book How Women Made Music," Williams explains. "We’ve got one of the contributors to the book, and we’ve got two musicians who will be performing."
Senator Tim Kaine will appear Saturday at 1 o’clock to talk about his memoir of outdoor adventures – Walk, Ride, Paddle, and at 7 the festival will honor the late Nikki Giovanni, with the help of Rita Dove and other poets of color.
“This isn’t just for people who knew Nikki Giovanni," Williams says. "If you like literature, it you like the arts, this is an event for you!”
That program, at the Paramount, is free, but those who want to attend must reserve seats. Find out more here.
