Are you a fan of all things literature? If so, don’t miss the 2017 Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville, Virginia! The largest community-based book event in the Mid-Atlantic region, this 23rd-Annual, world-class event has attracted audiences of more than 20,000 for each of the past thirteen years. Celebrating the written word while promoting reading, writing, literature and literacy, the 2017 Virginia Book Festival features a full roster of bestselling and emerging authors (including a conversation with Bryan Cranston), each representing different subjects and genres. This year’s festival is slated for March 22 – 26, 2017 and will be held at more than 70 venues throughout historic Charlottesville, Virginia. Here are a few things to know before you go:
2017 Virginia Book Festival
What You’ll See – 2017 VA Festival of the Book
The 2017 Virginia Book Festival is jam-packed with events… of which the vast majority are free and don’t require tickets (details here). Scroll to the bottom of this page for a detailed event schedule.
Food
Spread throughout Charlottesville and Albemarle County as it is, there is no official food of the Virginia Book Festival. The Charlottesville area has hundreds of unique dining options (check them here) and many offer discounts if you tell them you are attending the 2017 Virginia Book Festival. If you are in the mood for a memorable dinner at one of the best fine-dining experiences in central Virginia, may we recommend Prospect Hill’s own Manor House Restaurant (see our sample menu here).
Transportation
Public bus service is available throughout Charlottesville, including a free trolley offing rides between historic downtown, The Corner, and the University of Virginia Grounds.
Parking
Worried about parking in downtown Charlottesville? Don’t be! There are plenty of parking options just a short distance from most of the venues:Enjoy!
Parking Garages:
There are two parking garages bordering the pedestrian mall (Water Street Garage – $2 / hour and the Market Street Garage – $2.50 / hour).
Parking Lots:
- Water Street lot – $2.50 / hour
- Citizens Commonwealth Center – $5 / night
- Charlottesville Water Street lot – metered during day, free at night.
On-Street Parking (free for 2 hours)
Plenty of unrestricted free parking spots are available throughout downtown Charlottesville (look carefully for signs, as some spots are free only for the first two hours. Easiest parking is on East Water Street (about 50 spots); 6th Street (between Monitcello & Garrett) with nearly 70 spaces; Garrett Street (80 spots); Monticello Avenue (about 100 spaces); High Street (40 parking spaces).
Book Your Stay at Prospect Hill Plantation Inn!
Now that you know all about the 2017 Virginia Book Festival, it’s time to “book” your stay at our Charlottesville-area bed and breakfast! Our inn has everything you need for a memorable getaway. Enjoy comfortable accommodations, luxurious amenities, and beautiful views throughout your stay. We even offer a delicious gourmet breakfast-in-bed each morning, and simply delectable fine-dining! Hurry to our rooms & cottages page to see what’s available and contact us at 540-967-0844 to make your reservations. We look forward to welcoming you to the area!
2017 Virginia Book Festival
2017 Virginia Book Festival – Schedule of Events
Tuesday, March 21
Heanine Michna-Bales, Through Darkness to Light / Jefferson School Center
Poetry & Prose Celebration / Omni Hotel
Wednesday, March 22
Leadership Breakfast with Stuart Firestein / Omni Hotel
Opening Ceremony – UVA Dean of Libraries John Unsworth / Central JMRL Library
Photographs Along the Underground Railroad / Jefferson School Center
Strong Women, Artful Loves / New Dominion Bookshop
Betrayal & Virginian Heroes: 20th Century War Stories / City Council Chamberes
The Pacific Ecosystem: Exploring Man, Flora, and Fauna / UVA Harrison Institute
Deeply Human Stories: Fiction / Barnes & Noble
Fiction: In the Wake of History / Central JMRL Library
We Write Too: Celebrating Skyline 2017 / City Council Chambers
The Preschool Primer: A Guide for Parents / Piedmont Family YMCA
African Dance, Drum and Story Time / Carver Recreation Center
Challenge Into Change / Jefferson School Center
Meaning and Mindfulness / Central JMRL Library
Bus Lines Community Poetry Reading / Downtown Transit Center
In Pursuit of Story: Memoirs and Travelogues / City Council Chambers
Memoir Against Mass Incarceration / Northside JMRL Library
Building and Loving Where You Live / Crozet JMRL Library
Out of Wonder: Kwame Alexander & Ekua Holmes / UVA Culbreth Theatre
Thursday, March 23
Fresh Perspective on the Civil War / UVA Harrison Institute
Future Science: Humans and Earth / City Council Chambers
Adventures in Eating: Navigating the World for the Perfect Meal / Barnes & Noble
Unforgettable Fiction, Unexpected Directions / Central JMRL Library
Writing the Seductive First Sentence with Laurie Stone / WriterHouse
Terrific Fiction in Short Form / New Dominion Bookshop
Cooking Demos / Charlottesville Cooking School
Poetry: Threads of Identity / CitySpace
Devlin and Wolfe Talk Jazz / UVA Harrison Institute
Memoirs as Art, Place / City Council Chambers
From Page to Stage: True Story of the 3 Little Pigs / Worksource Enterprises
Women Making History: Who Gets to Write What? / UVA Harrison Institute
Irresistible Oddballs: New Voices in Fiction / Barnes & Noble
Heartbreaking (& Heartbreakingly Good) Fiction / Central JMRL Library
Literary Memoirs of Lost Worlds / CitySpace
Earth in Human Hands: Shaping Our Planet’s Future / UVA Clark Hall
A Conversation about (Re)reading Brontë in the 21st Century / Rotunda
Civil War: The Governors and the Commanders / City Council Chambers
Race and Class: A Necessary Dialogue / UVA Harrison Institute
Food Traditions and Women Chefs / Jefferson School Heritage Center
American Lives: Jackson, Wise-Brown & Black Elk / Central JMRL Library
Poetry: Finding Our Space / New Dominion Bookshop
Business Building, Life Giving / UVA Bookstore
Warhol and the First Ladies / CitySpace
Take It Personally: A Life in Art/ UVA Harrison Institute
A Piece of the World with Christina Baker Kline / Meade Hall
Voice of Adult Learners / Jefferson School Center
Crossing Boundaries in Young Adult Fiction / Crozet JMRL Library
Middlemarch in Spring / Paramount Theater
A Tribute to Joe Wilson: Reading & Concert / C’ville Coffee
My Little Star: Remembering Carmelita / Tea Bazaar
Frank Shorter – My Marathon: Reflections on Gold Medal Life / MLK Arts Center
Claudia Kalb: Andy Warhol was a Hoarder / Greene County JMRL Library
Night Moves: Poets Nystrom, Seibles, and Spaar / Meade Hall
Friday, March 24
Animal Lives – Genius, Feral, and Cannibal / City Council Chambers
Mother, Daughter, Family – Tangled Perspectives / CitySpace
It’s Complicated: US & USSR Relations / UVA Bookstore
Civil War: Southern Women, Black Regiments, and Night Visions / UVA Harrison
The Climate Change Generation / Barnes & Nobles
Emerging Voices: Critically Acclaimed Debut Novels / Central JMRL Library
UVA Creative Writing Alumni Reading . UVA Bookstore
Battles Worth Fighting: Civil Rights and Journalism / CitySpace
A Conversation with Elizabeth Nunez / Jefferson School Center
How We Choose What to Eat: Straight Talk and Science / City Council Chambers
Wild Fiction!! Attacks! Exorcism! Animation! / Barnes & Noble
Southern Writing – Rough & Rural / New Dominion Bookshop
Indian Wars, Firearms and the Early American Arms Race / UVA Harrison Institute
Writing Lives: Memoirs of Old and New Homes / Central JMRL Library
“Tiny Steps” by Rose Williams / Carver Recreation Center
Touching Land and Nature / UVA Harrison Institute
Navigating International Conflicts: Who Helps the Refugees? / City Council
Eyes on the City” Planning and Power / UVA Bookstore
Landscapes of the Heart: Appalachian Fiction / Central JMRL Library
Activism & Leadership: African Americans & Jim Crow / Jefferson School Center
Ashley Christensen: Recipes & Stories from a Modern Diner / New Dominion Books
Perspectives from Africa: Ndibe, Okupe, and Omotoso / CitySpace
Life (and Love) is Complicated: Fiction / Barnes & Noble
Spanish Language Poetry – La Poesia en Espanol / UVA Bookstore
Economic Inequality: Who Profits? What’s at Stake? / Jefferson School Center
Secrets and Adventures: The Dyslexic Spy and Hemingway / City Council Chambers
Things Are Not Always as They Seem (but Sometimes They Are) / UVA Harrison
Poetry: A Little Levity / New Dominion Bookshop
Fiction: Exploring Others and Ourselves / Central JMRL Library
Witches, Patriots, and Partisanship: Early American History / CitySpace
Book Signing with Roye Okupe / Telegraph Art & Comics
Historic Crime: Sherlock, Poison, and Music / Barnes & Noble
Race & Public Space: Commonwealth Practices in American South / Campbell Hall
Building (and Breaking) Worlds in Science Fiction & Fantasy / Central JMRL Library
Book Signing with Catherine Clinton / Barnes & Noble
An Evening with Joseph Stiglitz: Economic Inequality / MLK Center
Beams, Boggs, and Parker / the Bridge PAI
Crime Wave Bestsellers: Abbott, Beverly, and Hart / Jefferson School Center
Reading Under the Influence with Jack Hamilton / the Ante Room
Saturday, March 25
I Love It Here: Creative Placemaking / Omni Hotel
2017 Lit Fair / Omni Hotel
Clifford, We Love You / Paramount Theater
Word Salad or Word Solid? Malapropisms and New Coinages / City Council
Heroines of Destiny: Paranormal Romance / Omni Hotel
Story Time Fun with the Play Partners Program of Ready Kids / C’ville Coffee
22nd Annual Kids’ Book Swap / Central JMRL Library
Essential Fiction: Greenidge, Leavitt & Omotoso / Central JMRL Library
The Tragedy of Racism and Racial Violence / Jefferson School Center
Flying Lessons & Other Stories: We Need Diverse Books / Village School
Publishing Day: Keys to Success in Book Publishing and Promotion / Omni Hotel
Publishing Day: Literary Publishing / Omni Hotel
Wild About Reading / Virginia Discovery Museum
Adventures in Middle: Friendships and Mysteries in Middle School / Village School
The Men of Romance Audiobooks: Narrator Panel / Omni Hotel
Debut Fiction: Love, Loss, and Family / Central JMRL Library
Nuclear War: Survivors, Resistors, and Current Peril / City Council Chambers
Crime Wave: The Mysterious Worlds of Abbott, Dahl, Lin & Tran / Omni Hotel
Pop Life: Cultural Influences of Media / UVA Bookstore
Crime Wave: Techno Thrillers! / Omni Hotel
Stage-Serious Cancer: Responding with Humor and Faith / UVA McLeod Hall
The Supernatural Self: Fantasy and Intrigue in YA Fiction / Village School
How to Write Books Readers Can’t Put Down with Ann Garvin / WriterHouse
Poetry: Time and Memory / New Dominion Bookshop
True Stories of the Jim Crow South: Macy & Phillips / Jefferson School Center
SELC Environmental writing Award Program / SEL Center
Get Lit: Books That Inspire / Central JMRL Library
Backpacking Adventures for Kids / Albemarle Tourism & Adventure Center
Crime Wave: Dangerous Detections & Deceptions / Omni Hotel
Civil Protests, Bloody Responses: Kent State and Selma / City Council Chambers
Crime Wave: Great Stories, Caught Up in Crime / Omni Hotel
Publishing Day: How to Hook a Reader on the First Page / Omni Hotel
Storytime Marathon / Central JMRL Library
Modern Love, Contemporary Romance / Omni Hotel
Everywhere, Wonder: Bookmaking for Kids / Village School
Crime Wave: Private Eyes You’ll Want to Follow / Omni Hotel
From Killer Robots to Evil Emperors: Angleberger & Bemis / Central JMRL Library
Crime Wave: Gritty and Grabbin / Omni Hotel
Agents Roundtable / Omni Hotel
Questions, Expertise, and the President: Not Just for News Junkies / City Council
Drawing and Writing Libros” A Conversation on Children’s Publishing / Omni Hotel
An Inconvenient Love: Historical Romance / Omni Hotel
“If C. S. Lewis Met Stephen Colbert”: On Religious Satire / St. Paul’s Church
Sunday, March 26
Mental Health: Sue Klebold and the Family Aftermath / UVA Culbreth Theatre
A Revolution in Color: The World of John Singleton Copley / Monticello
How to Get Your Book Published with Jane Friedman / CitySpace
Best Food Writing / Central JMRL Library
Religion in America: Seeking Meaning, With or Without Faith / UVA Bookstore
A Conversation with Bryan Cranston / John Paul Jones Arena
Touching History: Richard Rabinowitz on Curating America / Highland
2017 Virginia Book Festival
Whew…we weren’t kidding, were we? That’s a lot of information, inspiration and education packed into the six days of the 2017 Virginia Book Festival. Enjoy!