The primary mission of The Williamsburg Book Festival is to promote and support the art of literary composition in the Williamsburg area.
This virtual event is brought to you by Pale Horse Books.
Festival Founder Greg Lilly talks about the history of the Williamsburg Book Festival (click video above to view).
JURIED FESTIVAL
A once-a-year juried event held at the Stryker Center in partnership with An Occasion for the Arts features writers and publishers of various genres and includes workshops of interest to writers and the reading public.
Board member Shana Gist greets visitors.
Kathleen Jabs signs her popular book, Black Wings.
A young reader explores offerings to discover a new favorite book.
Some recent workshops have included “Genealogy Research for your Family History”, “What does it mean to be an African-American Writer?” and “Hints for writing Historical Fiction.”
A family is welcomed to the festival and given a chance to win a free book.
Publisher Blue Fortune displays their latest offerings.
Taking notes during a presentation.
POETS LAUREATE
Laureate Tom Seibles
Hear Laureate Tom Seibles read from his poem, Ode to Your Mother.
Video by permission of Bill Glose.
Virginia Laureate Henry Hart, Professor at the College of William & Mary, reads his poem, “Late Planting”.
MEET HEADLINER STEPHANIE STOREY
This year’s virtual headliner (hopefully in person in 2021) is Stephanie Storey.
Her debut novel Oil and Marble was hailed as “tremendously entertaining” by The New York Times, has been translated into six languages, and is currently in development as a feature film by Pioneer Pictures. Storey is also the author of Raphael, Painter in Rome, which came out in April 2020 in conjunction with the 500th anniversary of Raphael’s death.
Storey has a degree in Fine Arts from Vanderbilt University and attended a PhD program in Art History, before leaving to get an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College, and has studied art in Italy and been on a pilgrimage to see every Michelangelo on display in Europe.
Storey has also been a national television producer for nearly twenty years in Los Angeles for shows including Alec Baldwin on ABC, Arsenio Hall for CBS, and Emmy-nominated The Writers’ Room on the Sundance Channel. When not writing novels or producing television, Storey can usually be found with husband Mike Gandolfi — an actor and Emmy-winning comedy writer — traveling the world in search of their next stories.
WELCOME YOUTH HEADLINER SARAH GLENN MARSH
The 2020 virtual youth headliner Sarah Glenn Marsh writes young adult novels and children’s picture books. An avid fantasy reader from the day her dad handed her a copy of The Hobbit and promised it would change her life, she’s been making up words and worlds ever since.
When she’s not writing, Sarah frequents the pottery studio, volunteers her time to sighthound rescue, and raises awareness about her autoimmune disease, Type 1 diabetes. She often enjoys pursuits of the nerd variety, from video games to tabletop adventures. She’s never met an animal or a doughnut she didn’t like.
Sarah lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and their tiny zoo of four rescued sighthounds, two birds, and many fish. She is the author of Fear the Drowning Deep, the Reign of the Fallen series, and several books for younger readers.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Stuart Honenberger discovers an Art Drop present.
Dawn Brotherton interviews a community member.
Joan Ellen Casey’s poem for Rainlit.
A SAMPLING OF NEWLY RELEASED BOOKS BY FESTIVAL AUTHORS
John Conlee, professor emeritus at the College of William and Mary, taught English Medieval Literature, with an emphasis on Middle English poetry, Middle Scots poetry, the Arthurian legends, and Chaucer. He is the author of six novels for adults plus four books for young readers which feature King Arthur and his dog, Cabal.
In The Chaucer Codex, a young medieval scholar goes to Cornwall to investigate a mysterious manuscript. Does it contain a previously unknown Chaucer poem? As he and his Oxford mentor seek the answer, he is stalked in an eerie, moon-lit churchyard, victimized by determined car thieves, threatened in an alley behind a pub, and encounters beguiling women, one of whom teaches him that Cornish mermaids can pose serious threats to mortal men.
Mary Helen Sheriff is a teacher and professor who studied writing at the Hollins College MFA program.
Boop and Eve’s Road Trip: This American Fiction Award Winner is, according to Kirkus Reviews, “…a heartwarming trek through the South as grandmother and granddaughter uncover secrets held for generations as well as confront family issues, all while having a little fun…A touching intergenerational romp…”
Sally Stiles editor, teacher with an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, is the author of 7 books, poetry, short stories and hundreds of magazine articles.
Like a Mask Dancing, A Tanzanian Story, Author Kathleen Jabs writes: “This novel is a wonderfully, compassionate and rich story... written with the keen insight of an insider...exposes the complexity, the futility and ultimately, the hope, of living and accepting a community as they are.... A novel with a true sense of place and wonder, written with tenderness and grace.”
The Haiku Guide to Cruising / The Pacific Northwest, A celebration of aha! moments aboard a small trawler on a 1700 nautical-mile cruise from Puget Sound to Alaska. Photographs accompany the inspiring haiku. Author Dalia Pagani says: "The poems and the photos exalt each other..."
Peter Stipe earned a Bachelors degree in History from Boston University and a Masters in Education from Tufts. In addition to publishing four books, he is an accomplished artist, working with photography and in watercolor. A competitive long-distance runner for many years, Peter has completed numerous marathons with six finishes in the top fifty places in the Boston Marathon and participated in the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials. A New Englander for most of his life, he now lives and writes in Williamsburg, Virginia.
The Fairy Garden, Peter Stipe’s fourth book, is a fantasy told from the viewpoint of a thirty- year old woman going through a divorce. As a young girl, she discovered fairies in her grandfather's Williamsburg, VA garden. Her grandfather is an understanding man, but her parents are aloof and self-obsessed. Whenever she encounters a crisis in her life, she turns to the fairies for guidance. Imagine a fantasy wrapped around a coming-of-age story.
Writer and illustrator Caroline Ward, Assistant Dean of Admissions at the College of William & Mary, graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with degrees in English, Entrepreneurship and Painting.
Little Bit Goes to Williamsburg
Little Bit is a Morkie terrier that enjoys traveling in illustrated stories. Join Little Bit on his adventures around the world as he uses a hot air balloon, a plane, a carriage, and more to explore a new place. He has exciting adventures abroad and at home. In Book Three of "The Adventures of Little Bit" series, Little Bit stays home in Williamsburg and enjoys exploring the area he loves.
J. Stewart Willis, graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and the graduate school of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is a former professor of Physics at the Academy.
Three Degrees and Gone
In 2087, coastal flooding and extreme changes in the weather have turned the United States into a nation of migrants and tent-cities. In this environment, three family groups struggle with their plights and their dreams for the future. An engaging, thought-provoking story about immigration, the global environment, survival and greed, with twists that are as entertaining as they are alarming – especially when you consider the environmental issues currently facing the world.
RESOURCES FOR WRITERS
Williamsburg Regional Library
Books, DVDs, audio books, meeting rooms and theater presentations are just the beginning of help provided by WRL. Besides offering a wealth of research resources, you can find a large selection of on-line writing courses through Universal.
WILLIAMSBURG BOOK FESTIVAL SUPPORTERS INCLUDE
The Williamsburg Book Festival is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Williamsburg Book Festival, Inc. is formed exclusively for charitable and educational and literary purposes. Specifically, the organization hosts promotional and educational events, seminars and workshops that promote and support the craft of literary composure and the exposure of writers to the reading public.