WILLIAMSBURG — Williamsburg Regional Library (WRL) is hosting the sixth year of One Book One Community, an initiative that encourages the community to have a shared reading experience related to a socially relevant book.
Support for the initiative comes from Friends of Williamsburg Regional Library Foundation and William & Mary Libraries.
The book selection for 2025 is “Where I Can’t Follow” by Ashley Blooms.
“Where I Can’t Follow” depicts a woman’s choice — either endure her struggles in her small Kentucky town, or escape through a door to never return. The doors have appeared to the people in the mountain town for as long as anyone can remember, though no one knows where they lead.
One Book One Community events throughout March will include book discussions, lectures, and other events related to the book’s theme, with a special visit from Blooms on March 27.
“’Where I Can’t Follow’ is a compelling and deeply moving story that sheds light on the struggles of addiction and poverty in Appalachian communities,” said Williamsburg Regional Library Director Sandy Towers. “By reading this book together, we hope that our community will engage in meaningful conversations about resilience and hope while gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges many individuals continue to face.”
In addition to “Where I Can’t Follow,” Blooms is the author of the critically acclaimed novel “Every Bone a Prayer.” She has been nominated for the Crook’s Corner Book Prize, Weatherford Award, and Judy Gaines Young Book Award, and has been named a South Arts State Literary Fellow for Kentucky.
The author’s’ fiction and nonfiction works have appeared in “The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror,” “Fantasy & Science Fiction,” “Strange Horizons,” “The Oxford American,” “Reactor,” and elsewhere. Blooms received a Master of Fine Arts as a John and Renee Grisham Fellow at the University of Mississippi and has been awarded residencies and scholarships from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, Clarion Writer’s Workshop, Appalachian Writer’s Workshop, and others.
The library said the event series will begin with several book discussions, and a presentation from Dementia Friendly Communities, which will educate library users about dementia myths and truths. Other notable events include a special film screening of “Inheritance,” a documentary that follows Curtis, a 12-year-old living with a family plagued by generations of addiction.
The full program announced by the library:
- Book Discussion: March 1 at 12:30 p.m. — Williamsburg Library
- Book Discussion: March 6 at 6:30 p.m. — James City County Library
- Book Discussion: March 10 at 10:30 a.m. — Williamsburg Library
- Dealing with Dementia: March 10 at 6:30 p.m. — Stryker Center
- Book Discussion: March 17 at 2 p.m. — James City County Library
- Inheritance Film Screening: March 17 at 7 p.m. — Williamsburg Library Theatre
- Turning Pages Book Group Discussion: March 18 at 6:45 p.m. — Williamsburg Library
- Author Visit with Ashley Blooms: March 27 at 6:30 p.m. — Williamsburg Library Theatre
Blooms will give the keynote presentation at 6:30 pm on March 27 in the Williamsburg Library Theatre. For more information about One Book One Community programs, visit wrl.org/onebook. The book is available for checkout in multiple formats at the library.
