recap of the 2026 virginia festival of the book
Authors Nicole Glover, Katherine Scott Crawford, and Alix E. Harrow at the Virginia Festival of the Book
I was honored to have been a featured author at the 2026 Virginia Festival of the Book over the weekend, which had a broad theme of “Revolutions.” (Y’all know we’re coming up on America’s 250th anniversary, right?)
I’ve had the privilege of being an author presenter at many festivals over the years, but this one was special. Held in charming downtown Charlottesville, Virginia, the festival took place over the course of several days, at a variety of locations mostly along the Downtown Mall. And when I say “mall,” picture the coolest of brick-laid streets, all walkable (no cars allowed!), tree-lined and filled with local businesses, shops, bookstores, restaurants, theatres, galleries, and more.
One of my dearest friends joined me for the weekend, and we stayed in a Residence Inn by Marriot hotel within walking distance of all the events and panels. On Saturday, the most packed day of the festival, I was on the panel “Whirls of Time” with bestselling novelist Alix E. Harrow, author of The Everlasting, Starling House, and more—and our panel was moderated by the insightful and sharp Nicole Glover, author of The Starseekers, The Improvisers, and more.
Our panel was thoughtfully and deliberately arranged by festival Director Kalela Williams and other organizers, as each of us write historical fiction with speculative and fantasy twists. And we had a ball laughing and talking before a packed house at the elegant Old Metropolitan Hall. As always, readers are the smartest, coolest, BEST audiences in the world, asking detailed, interesting, and even funny questions.
Later that day, I moderated the panel “Textures of Women’s Lives” at the McGuffey Art Center, with fiction writer Cynthia Reeves (Falling Through the New World) and poet Laura-Gray Street (Just Labor). We were situated in a beautiful gallery with the powerful and colorful work of artist Eileen French on display. It was fascinating to hear Cynthia and Laura-Gray speak on the themes of family, work, gender, history, and more in each of their books.
Some highlights of the festival for me:
hearing Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson speak on her book Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free at the gorgeous art deco Paramount Theater
hearing UVA alum Libby Buck speak about her debut novel, Port Anna, at New Dominion Bookshop
hearing thriller authors John Gilstrap (No Mercy), Christina Kovac (Watch Us Fall), and moderator Victor Suthammanont (Hollow Spaces); I’m obsessed by the skill with which thriller and suspense authors create plot
traipsing in and out of so many great restaurants and stores along the Downtown Mall, including Blue Whale Books, Christian’s Pizza, Arsenic and Old Lace, Darling x Dashing, and Tilla
attending the Author Party on Saturday night with my friend Erin, and getting to hang out with fellow writers, including Tamar Shapiro (Restitution), Jeremy Jones (Cipher), and Cynthia Reeves
The Virginia Festival of the Books was an exceptional book festival: full of incredible authors broaching thoughtful topics, with exciting discussions and so much room for fun. If you have the chance to go next year, go!
It’s always a gift to be in the presence of book people. I’m grateful to Virginia Humanities and the Virginia Festival of the Book for inviting me to join their community!
