From March 22-26, Charlottesville, Va. will become every bibliophile's dream.
In its 12th year, the Virginia Festival of the Book will welcome hundreds of writers, publishers, and readers in a celebration of literacy, learning and the joy of reading.
The festival, which drew a record attendance of 22,874 visitors last year, successfully lured guests from Charlottesville, greater Virginia, America and the world with its enticing lineup of writers.
The 2005 Virginia Festival of the Book, which hailed revered authors such as David Baldacci, Jonathan Safran Foer and Valerie Tripp as well as late poet Robert Creeley, is a hard act to follow. This year's festival, however, promises an equally stellar lineup of writers.
As far as highlights of the 2006 festival are concerned, it's all subjective, Program Director Nancy Damon said.
"For some people, it will be Dr. John Hope Franklin, an African American historian ... for some it will be Judith Viorst's speaking at the festival luncheon, and for others it will be Michael Connelly," she said. "It depends on who you are."
Particularly noteworthy will be the appearance of Art Spiegelman, who Damon referred to as "the founding father of the graphic novel."
Sponsored by the Virginia Quarterly Review, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist will speak about his celebrated work, "Maus," at Culbreth Theatre Saturday night.
Lovers of poetry will recognize members of the University's own faculty in the festival schedule. Rita Dove, former U.S. Poet Laureate and current Virginia Poet Laureate and author of the recent work "American Smooth," shared her words last evening. Gregory Orr, also of the English department, will read his work alongside Jane Hirshfield, author of "After," on Saturday afternoon.
From political and cultural analysts such as Barbara Ehrenreich, author of best-selling "Nickle and Dimed" and the more recent "Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream," to renowned historians such as Irish author Fintan O'Toole ("White Savage: William Johnson and the Invention of America"), the festival showcases an eclectic cast of speakers.
The organizing committees of the Virginia Festival of the Book strive to welcome all kinds of writers and readers. The various genres represented, which range from mystery to politics, reflect this vision.
"We're always working to include more kinds of people ... and the different communities that we serve reflecting age, interest, young and old, men and women," Damon said.
The festival, she added, can affect and inspire its visitors in unexpected ways. Damon recalled how one of last year's visiting writers, a woman in her late 20s, had attended the festival years earlier as a student at Charlottesville High School and thought perhaps she, too, could be a writer.
"You hear amazing stories of book authors affecting people's lives," Damon said.
If the Virginia Festival of the Book affects individuals, it certainly impacts the greater Charlottesville community as well, shepherding in a large flock of out-of-town guests. According to the festival's Web site, about 33 percent of visitors hailed from outside the Albemarle area in 2005. Most of these guests heard about the festival from newspaper advertisements or word of mouth, and Damon expects the breakdown of the 2006 statistics to be about the same.
Although the Virginia Festival of the Book has grown and expanded since its inception 12 years ago, its goal and mission of celebrating reading and promoting literacy remain steadfast.
The festival, Damon noted, has a way of "drawing people together" in the greater Charlottesville community. The event, which receives local, state and national government funding as well as individual contributions, is supported by more than 20 local bookstores. The bookstores are "all in involved in one way or another, whether it's having programs in their stores" or contributing to publicity, Damon said.
In many ways, Charlottesville, a literary haven, is an ideal setting for the celebration of books.
"It's a great time of year -- people like to come here, there are many writers here and people who love to read," Damon observed.
But the festival offers events for those interested in professional advice concerning publishing as well. Programs such as "From Manuscript to Cash Register" and "Plotting Your Career" host literary agents and editors who will advise both aspiring and published authors.
While readers and visitors to the festival should bring inquiring minds and open ears, they can leave their wallets at home. One of the most delightful and appealing qualities of the five-day literary gala is that most events are free and open to the public.
Ironically, while the festival takes place in a college town, the smallest demographic of the festival's visitors are those in their "late teens and early 20s," according to Damon.
Thomas Jefferson once wrote that he could not live without books. If he were still alive, he certainly would attend such a gathering of literary minds. In his honor, students at the University should take advantage of the Virginia Festival of the Book.
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