After decades as a thriving literary haven, Shepherdstown is slated to host its own book festival this September. Running from September 15 through 17, the festival will host three days of events, all revolving around the love of books and writing.
Seven nationally known authors will headline the festival. Affrilachian poet and journalist Crystal Good, memoirist and Lambda Literary Award finalist Neema Avashia, dark academia fiction writer M.L. Rio, New York Times Notable Books young adult author Jeff Zenter, and cookbook writer and YumUniverse creator Heather Crosby will participate in various festival events. New York Times bestselling agricultural writer Forrest Pritchard will arrive on September 15 and participate in a ticketed panel discussion that evening about their work and publishing process.
On Saturday, September 16 the headliners, joined by meteorologist and memoirist Matthew Cappucci, will officially open the Regional Author Fair, to be held at the Shepherdstown Community Club. This event will feature two floors of authors from West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The regional authors will discuss their books with attendees, as well as sign and sell copies. Book related vendors will also be present. Throughout the day the seven featured authors will each take part in a reading and book signing. All of these events will be free and open to the public.
September 17 will feature a mixture of free and ticketed events around Shepherdstown, including a teen literary trivia contest, a retro story hour for children, a book cover designing class for middle schoolers, and a lecture about literary figures who visited or lived in Jefferson County, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dr. Martin Delany, Danske Dandridge, and John Peale Bishop.
For festival details & schedule, tickets for limited space events, and volunteer opportunities, visit: ShepherdstownBookFestival.com.
By Staff Contributor