In its second year, the Williamsburg Book Festival is trying to reach a broad range of bibliophiles.
The festival, which will be held Saturday at the Bruton Parish Hall’s Lewis Building on Duke of Gloucester Street, debuted last year largely due to the efforts of Greg Lilly.
A published author with his own publishing company, Lilly had traveled the country attending book festivals but wondered why Williamsburg did not have one of its own.
He proposed the idea in connection with the area’s fall arts programming last year.
“I wanted to make sure literary arts were included,” Lilly said. “Lots of times, we as writers get left behind, because we’re not performing. It’s a very solitary pursuit.”
A book festival, with workshops and a book fair, gives authors a chance to connect with the readers who enjoy their work.
When the festival debuted last September, Lilly was not sure it would fill the Williamsburg Community Building. The guests exceeded his expectations, and this year the event moved to a larger, more central space.
“It was really just trying to get all the logistics down,” Lilly said of last year’s format.
In assessing what to change from the premiere festival, he wanted to ensure a wide variety of genres were represented.
Last year, writers were accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis and spots filled quickly. This year authors submitted their work for review by a panel, who worked to balance romance novels with how-to texts and non-fiction accounts with page-turning mysteries.
That meant some applicants had to be turned away, which the jury did largely based on quality and location of the author. Lilly said the caliber of both writing and book production were up for consideration, as in the era of self-publishing not all books are produced with the care he hoped to provide to guests. Writers from nearby were also given priority.
“Other places have book festivals, and I think when you go to that you want a taste of what is being written locally,” Lilly said, adding many authors choose area settings for their stories.
While he would like to see the event grow, he does not want to see it get so large as to lose the charm of a regional festival.
This year, Lilly is especially looking forward to a poetry mosaic that closes out the festivities at 3 p.m. It features multiple resident award-winning poets, including current Poet Laureate of Virginia Sofia M. Starnes.
Lilly hopes the program takes off and becomes a regular element, a special showcase for a sometimes-overlooked aspect of writing.
“It’s nice because I don’t think a lot of people get exposed to poetry, which is surprising given that this is a college town,” he said.
Another highlight for him is a workshop on how to start and maintain a book club. Unlike the offerings he usually sees at festivals, Lilly wanted to bring a topic that applies to more than just aspiring writers.
Often in an agenda of workshops, he said, the readers can get left behind. With information on what keeps a club operating and what clubs look for in good reading material, Lilly sees the session as beneficial to those who pen and those who peruse.
The Williamsburg Book Festival is free to visitors, with proceeds from author-rented tables and sponsorships benefitting Literacy for Life. All application books submitted by writers also go to the nonprofit which works to help residents learn.
The book fair starts at 9:30 a.m. with programs beginning at 10 a.m. For a full schedule of events and participating authors, visit the festival website.
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