WILLIAMSBURG — The Williamsburg Book Festival is slated for Saturday at the Stryker Center after being forced to reschedule last fall due to the possibility of severe weather from the remnants of Hurricane Ian.
The free event will feature various genres, speakers, illustrators, and publishers from Virginia and beyond. Its mission is to promote and support the art of literary composition in the Williamsburg area and expose writers to the reading public, according to the event website.
Despite the change of schedule, the event will include over 40 regional and nationally renowned authors, as well as workshops and panels designed to highlight library resources for book clubs. According to the organization, this nearly doubles the size of previous festivals.
The only major change due to holding the festival in February was to the layout, with the event compressed to an indoor-only format without outdoor pop-up tents.
Authors scheduled to attend include Bob Archibald, David Reid Brown, Carolyn Court, Tracy Gharbo, and Maryland second-grader Ariatna Claudio, who will share her children’s books about empathy and inclusivity.
“[Ariatna] has been taking creative writing since she was three years old,” Claudio’s mother said on behalf of her daughter in an interview with WYDaily. “It’s something for us that is a highlight because everything started through the pandemic. We were worried she was going to be a little behind in writing so we decided to enroll her in early out-school programs that help her with her vocabulary.”
Local publisher Pale Horse Books and some of its authors will also be in attendance. Featured speakers will include Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle and Sarah Glenn Marsh.
“Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle is our keynote speaker and a Cherokee native deeply involved in Cherokee history coming out of North Carolina to speak about her books and writing for a diverse audience,” Peter Stipe, chairman of the Williamsburg Book Festival, said.
A publishing ally will be on hand to speak for some of the publishing companies, display books, and host authors and editors. Publishing guidelines will be provided for aspiring authors interested in submitting manuscripts to a publishing house.
The event will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Stryker Center on Feb. 4. The event is open to the public and free to attend. For a full itinerary and list of attending authors, check out the official webpage.
