
Festival Preview Event in Staunton, VA: Even the Dog Knows
In Jason Wright’s “Even the Dog Knows,” a family’s old, beloved dog takes a final road trip to help his humans find forgiveness and healing.

Forbidden Dreams: Coming of Age Fiction
Join Jeffrey Dale Lofton, Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry, and William Mark Habeeb for a discussion of three compelling coming of age stories.

A Romance Salon: American Royalty
Meet Tracey Livesay during this informal salon and discuss her novel “American Royalty,” inspired by the love story of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

A Sci-Fi Salon: Flying the Coop
Distinguished Virginia Tech professor Lucinda Roy meets with writers and readers in this informal salon to discuss her latest book, “Flying the Coop.”

Finding the Light: Bestsellers Panel
Three NYT bestselling authors with new books—Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Meghan O’Rourke, and Matthew Quick—share what it means to find the light.

Reinvention and Return Breakfast and Authors Talk
Acclaimed authors Quan Barry, Rebecca Makkai, and Jung Yun gather to explore what happens when we return to our past and find ourselves changed.

No Ordinary Crimes: A Thriller Hour
Join authors E.A. Aymar, Gabino Iglesias, and Deanna Raybourn for an afternoon of thrillers.

Mid-Century Fiction Lunch
From Jamila Minnicks, winner of the 2021 Penn/Bellwether Prize for Socially-Engaged Fiction, and Sadeqa Johnson, the Library of Virginia People’s Choice award-winning author, come two novels set in the 1950s.

Horror at Holiday Trails
Join four acclaimed horror fiction writers for an immersive outdoor experience at Camp Holiday Trails.

Southern Landscapes: Real and Imagined
Authors Ralph Eubanks (A Place Like Mississippi), Jocelyn Nicole Johnson (My Monticello), and Imani Perry (South to America) take center stage at this Festival headliner event to discuss the storied …

Transformative Desire: Literary Fiction
Alex DiFrancesco (Transmutation), Lindsay Merbaum (The Gold Persimmon), and Morgan Thomas (Manywhere) discuss their genre-defying fiction, populated by characters who grapple with ideas of identity, desire, free will, transformation, and …

NBF Presents: An Afternoon with the National Book Awards
2021 National Book Award–honored authors Robert Jones, Jr. (The Prophets, Finalist, Fiction), Amber McBride (Me (Moth), Finalist, Young People’s Literature), and Jason Mott (Hell of a Book, Winner, Fiction) join us for …