West Virginia Book Festival Announces Full Schedule for 2022

The 2022 West Virginia Book Festival will be held at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center on October 21 and 22, featuring bestselling authors Elin Hilderbrand, C.J. Box, V.E. Schwab, and Marc Brown.  Previously announced author Deesha Philyaw has canceled her appearance, and the local authors of Murder on Staunton Road, Charlie Ryan and Mitch Evans, will appear in her place.  Authors James and Deborah Fallows will be featured at the McCreight Lecture in the Humanities on October 20 at the University of Charleston.  All events and programs are free and open to the public.

In addition to its featured speakers, the West Virginia Book Festival will also present a series of programs and workshops during the two-day event. On Friday, October 21, three writing workshops and three Book Festival programs are scheduled.  

At 10 a.m. author Kevin Locke will hold a seminar, “Arising: Our Role in the Hoop of Life”, while author Lo Patrick will present a workshop for aspiring writers, “Becoming Your Narrator”.

Beginning at 1 p.m., A.S. Drayton offers a hands-on writing workshop, ”Inspiring Introspection Through Extrospection”. Also at 1 p.m., author Ashley Bloom’s program will center on Appalachian Magic.

A pair of programs are scheduled for Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Sarah Loudin Thomas presents the writing workshop, “Stitching Stories with History”, and John Billheimer’s program is devoted to legendary film director Alfred Hitchcock, “Hitchcock and the Censors”.

Headlining author Elin Hilderbrand follows at 6 p.m. on Friday with “An Evening with Elin Hilderbrand” in the Convention Center’s Ballroom. Hilderbrand is the author of twenty-eight novels, including her latest, The Hotel Nantucket.

A full schedule of workshops and programs is scheduled for Saturday, October 23.

Starting at 9:00 Saturday morning, Charlie Ryan and Mitch Evans will discuss their latest book, Murder on Staunton Road. The book tells the tale of the unsolved 1953 murder of Juliet Staunton Clark, then owner of Charleston’s Daily Mail newspaper. Also at 9 a.m., Ashley Belote presents her writing workshop, “Stories through Words & Pictures: How to Craft a Children’s Book”.

At 10:00 a.m. Bright Star Theatre will perform a literary performance, "A Tell-Tale Tale: The Stories and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe."

From 11 a.m. to noon, American fantasy author V.E. Schwab will discuss her writing career, which features over 20 published novels, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series. Also at 11:00, local historian Dr. Phillip Hatfield presents “The Other Feud: ‘Devil Anse’ Hatfield in the Civil War”.

At 1 p.m., American author and illustrator Marc Brown will kick off Saturday’s afternoon activities. Brown is one of the most prominent names in children’s literature. Author of the bestselling Arthur books and the creator of the award–winning animated Arthur series on PBS, Brown is a household name and has entertained generations of young readers with his relatable stories. Also at 1:00, author William “Bill” Bitner presents his unique program, “Wrestling with Appalachian Horror”.

American mystery novelist C.J. Box will close out Saturday’s presentation at 3 p.m. Box is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels including the Joe Pickett series.

On Thursday, October 20, the West Virginia Humanities Council will present award-winning journalists and bestselling authors James and Deborah Fallows for the 2022 McCreight Lecture in the Humanities at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Charleston’s Geary Auditorium. The Fallows are the creative minds behind the new HBO documentary “Our Towns”, based on their book – Our Towns: a 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America. Charleston, West Virginia is featured in both the book and the film.

The Marketplace featuring authors, publishers and literary-related vendors will be open on Friday from 11:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Used Book Sale will be held on Saturday only from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Children’s Word Play area will be open on Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Marketplace, Used Book Sale and Word Play will be located in the Convention Center’s Grand Hall.

The West Virginia Book Festival is made possible by its charter presenters – Kanawha County Public Library, The Library Foundation of Kanawha County, Inc., the West Virginia Humanities Council, and Charleston Gazette-Mail. Additional sponsors for this year’s festival include West Virginia Public Broadcasting, the West Virginia Library Commission, the Center for the Book, the Nelle Ratrie Chilton Charitable Trust, The Marshall University Foundation, TC Energy Corporation, Truist West Virginia Foundation, Encova Foundation of West Virginia, and Friends of the Library Foundation of Kanawha County, Inc.

All activities are free and open to the public. For more information visit www.wvbookfestival.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 9, 2022

Media Contact:

Stan Howell, Festival Co-Chairman

stan.howell@kcpls.org