* * Attending and presenting at the Virginia Festival of the Book

The Virginia Festival of the Book, held annually in Charlottesville, is the largest gathering of authors, writers, and readers in the Mid-Atlantic region. Writers are by invitation only, and this year I was invited!

I left town on Thursday afternoon and arrived to a complimentary room in the fabulous Omni Charlottesville Hotel. The hotel is at the west end of the downtown mall, the sole pedestrian-only downtown I know of in Virginia. I found dinner at an outdoor café on a mild, gorgeous evening.

My presentation was Friday morning in the upstairs of the Jefferson/Madison Library a block from the mall. Jon Lohman was the moderator for me and two other panelists. Jon is a folklorist and the director of the Virginia Folklife Program at the Virginia Foundation of the Humanities. Other panelists were cultural anthropologist and filmmaker Charles Thompson, who wrote Spirits of Just Men: Mountaineers, Liquor Bosses, and Lawmen in the Moonshine Capital of the World and Paddy Bowman, who wrote Through the Schoolhouse Door: Folklore, Community, and Curriculum. Our session was called, Moonshine, Mountaineers, and Motorcycles: On  the Crooked Road Then and Now. I half-expected to speak to an empty room, but was delighted to find almost every one of the 100+ chairs filled. The audience seemed delighted by our presentations and asked many keen questions. It was entirely enjoyable and I sold a surprising number of books afterwards.

In my audience was Kevin Donleavy, who several years ago wrote Strings of Life, published by Mary Holliman at Pocahontas Press before she died. He and I had lunch together and we discussed the next book he’s working on, about the early Irish migrations to America.

I attended another session at the UVA Bookstore, presented by two authors who have written books about the lives of other authors. Afterwards, I walked back to the downtown mall, seeking as much shade as I could find on a hot afternoon.

I then attended a session presented by three authors who wrote books about updated stories that were already legendary. One author was Sharyn McCrumb who spoke about her new book, The Ballad of Tom Dooley. Sharyn lives near Roanoke and I’ve known her for years. A woman in attendance told me she’d been to my presentation and really enjoyed it and wished she’d bought a book. When I told her I had more in my car, she followed me 5 blocks to buy it from me! She was attending the Festival from Maine.

I went to dinner with new friends, hosts I found through an internet hosting service called CouchSurfing. Delia and Tommy took me to their favorite Mexican restaurant.

Afterwards, Delia and I went back to the UVA Bookstore where we again waded through a sea of blue and orange to an event showcasing James (Bud) Robertson with his new book about the Civil War, The Untold Civil War: Exploring the Human Side of War.

I left early this morning and was home before noon. Bud and I are friends and he was a huge help to me with my first book, The Spine of the Virginias.

The Festival was an entirely positive experience. I saw several old friends, met several new ones, sold some books, ate some great food, and enjoyed my presentation. It is flattering to be mentioned in the same programs and listings as such accomplished people. Check this out:

http://www.vabook.org/site12/participants/view.php?names=A

Is this cool or what!!!???

I can’t wait until next year and hope to be invited back to present my upcoming book, Providence, VA.