October 26 & 27, 2018
Charleston Civic Center

Authors

We are excited to present the author lineup for the 2018 West Virginia Book Festival. Click on each author's photo to see their bio.

Visit us on Facebook.

Photo credits: Debbie Macomber by Timothy Archibald; Dennis Lehane by Gaby Gerster, Diogenes, Zurich; Jill Lepore by Dari Michele; John Scalzi by Athena Scalzi.

Debbie Macomber
 Debbie
 MACOMBER
Debbie Macomber
One of today’s most popular authors of contemporary women’s fiction, her novels, including the beloved Cedar Cove and Rose Harbor series have spent more than 1,000 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. She has also published bestselling cookbooks, several works of nonfiction, an adult coloring book and two acclaimed children’s books. Five of her Christmas novels have been made into original Hallmark Channel movies and Cedar Cove was made into a series which ran on the Hallmark Channel for three seasons.
×
Dennis Lehane
 Dennis
 LEHANE
Dennis Lehane
Award-winning and bestselling author of 13 novels including Mystic River; Gone, Baby, Gone; and Shutter Island, Lehane’s novels have been translated into more than 30 languages, becoming international bestsellers. He was a staff writer on the acclaimed HBO series The Wire and a writer-producer on the fourth season of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. He is currently a writer and producer for the television adaptation of Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes and has two dramatic series in development for DirecTV. Fox has ordered a pilot based on Gone, Baby, Gone. His latest novel is Since We Fell.
×
Jill Lepore
 Jill
 LEPORE
Jill Lepore
The David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and staff writer at The New Yorker, Lepore will present the 2018 West Virginia Humanities Council McCreight Lecture. A prize-winning professor, she teaches classes in evidence, historical methods, the humanities and American political history. Her book, The Secret History of Wonder Woman was a national bestseller and winner of the 2015 American History Book Prize. Her next book, These Truths: A History of the United States, will be published in September 2018.
×
John Scalzi
 John
 SCALZI
John Scalzi
One of the most popular and acclaimed science fiction authors to emerge in the last decade. His massively-successful debut Old Man's War won him science fiction's John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His New York Times bestsellers include The Last Colony, Fuzzy Nation, and Redshirts, which won 2013's Hugo Award for Best Novel. Material from his widely-read blog, Whatever, has also earned him two other Hugo Awards.
×
David Grann
 David
 GRANN
David Grann
New Yorker writer and bestselling author of The Lost City of Z and Killers of the Flower Moon, Grann immerses himself in his reporting to give his stories a pace and intensity unlike any other. Killers of the Flower Moon is a true crime tale that unravels one of the most sinister crimes and racial injustices in American history. Four of his New Yorker articles have been adapted for the screen, including Trial by Fire, The Old Man & The Gun and The White Darkness. Killers of the Flower Moon is currently in production with Martin Scorsese as director.
×
Kwame Alexander
 Kwame
 ALEXANDER
Kwame Alexander
Poet, educator, and the New York Times bestselling author of 25 books, including Rebound, the follow-up to his Newbery-medal winning middle grade novel, The Crossover. Some of his other works include The Playbook: 52 Rules to help You Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game of Life, the picture books, Animal Ark and Out of Wonder, and the novels, Solo and Booked. A regular contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, he leads an initiative called LEAP for Ghana that is building a library and health clinic in Ghana.
×
Nancy L. Abrams
 Nancy L.
 ABRAMS
Nancy L. Abrams
Nancy is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where she trained as a photojournalist. She spent a decade at The Preston County News in Terra Alta, West Virginia and then worked at the Morgantown Dominion Post as a photographer, a writer and, finally, editor of Panorama, the Sunday magazine. She spent her next decade as the manager of publications at West Virginia University’s Medical Center and earned an M.F.A. in creative writing - nonfiction from the New School. Nancy’s photographs have been exhibited in West Virginia, New Jersey and California, and she has had several pieces accepted in international juried shows. Her writing has appeared in books about West Virginia and Fragile X Syndrome. She is the recipient of over 40 awards from the West Virginia Press Association and received awards from the National Newspaper Assocation for in-depth reporting and feature writing. Her latest book is The Climb from Salt Lick: A Memoir of Appalachia.
×
Richard Armstrong
 Richard
 ARMSTRONG
Richard Armstrong
Author of fourteen books and veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Armstrong served in the Presidential Honor Guard in Washington D.C. and as a security policeman at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas. He is a native of Millboro, Bath County, Virginia where he retired from the Bath County Sheriff’s Office with 33 years of service. He is currently the president of the bath County Historical Society, and is author of historical Civil War books, such as The Battle of McDowell, The Battle of Bulltown and several books in the Virginia Regimental History series. His latest book is The Battle of Lewisburg.
×
Ginger Brookover
 Ginger
 BROOKOVER
Ginger Brookover
A graduate of West Virginia University with a B.A. and M.A. in communication studies and teacher of banking classes at Fairmont State University, Brookover served as the first woman board president of the West Virginia Board of Directors of the American Lung Association. She teaches Oscher Lifelong Learning classes at WVU on topics ranging from anger management to World War II, and has been a Fairmont State University faculty member for over twenty years. She is the author of Storm Path, and her latest novel is Capital Murder Imbroglio.
×
Kathy MacMillan
 Kathy
 MACMILLAN
Kathy MacMillan
Author of the teen fantasy novel, Sword and Verse, and the board book for parents and young children, Nita’s First Signs, MacMillan is an American Sign Language Interpreter and the Co-Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators - MD/DE/WV region. Her latest book is the teen fantasy novel Dagger and Coin.
×
Brad Stalnaker
 Brad
 STALNAKER
Brad Stalnaker
Illustrator of Musket’s Big Adventure: The Quest for the Gold and Blue Mountains, Stalnaker is a native of Elkins, West Virginia and a graduate of West Virginia University with a B.F.A. in Graphic Design. He worked for West Virginia Public Broadcasting as a senior in college and is currently a Motion Graphics Artist at WVU. He also teaches various multimedia courses, with subjects ranging from Photoshop to 3D animation, at the Douglas Educational Center in Monessen, Pennsylvania. He animated and co-produced the award-winning WVPBS special The Griffin and the Minor Canon. His is also a recipient of various Webby, PBS, WV Public Relations, CASE, MarCom and Telly awards.
×
Jake Stump
 Jake
 STUMP
Jake Stump
Author of Musket’s Big Adventure: The Quest for the Gold and Blue Mountains and native of Terra Alta, West Virginia, Stump is a graduate of West Virginia University with a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Sociology. He is a former reporter for the Charleston Daily Mail (now the Gazette-Mail). For the last seven years, Stump worked in the University Relations unit at WVU where he wrote for the alumni magazine which reaches 190,000 readers. He assists in the production of video stories and manages the WVU Magazine website and social media accounts.
×
Meredith Sue Willis
 Meredith Sue
 WILLIS
Meredith Sue Willis
Raised in Shinnston, West Virginia, Willis currently lives in New Jersey and serves as the Adjunct Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at New York University. Her novels and short fiction were published by Scribners’, HarperCollins, West Virginia University Press, Ohio University Press, Mercury House and other publishers. Her book of literary stories, In the Mountains of America, was praised in the New York Times Book Review as providing an “important lesson on the nature and function of literature, itself.” She is a popular lecturer, workshop presenter and writer-in-the-schools, both in the New York area and in her home region of Appalachia. Their Houses! is her latest book.
×

Charter Presenters and Sponsors

Many organizations and individuals work together to make the West Virginia Book Festival a reality. Our charter presenters and sponsors are listed below.

Charter Presenters

Sponsors


Schedule

This is where you can stay up-to-date on all the happenings of this year's Festival.

Thursday, Oct. 25

7:30 p.m. • Riggleman Hall, University of Charleston
Pre-Festival Event: Jill Lepore presents the McCreight Lecture in the Humanities.
Sponsored by The West Virginia Humanities Council.

Friday, Oct. 26

10 a.m. - Noon • Conference Rms 202-204
Writing Workshop by Meredith Sue Willis, Revising Your Novel: Making Your Book the Best It Can Be!

10 a.m. - Noon • Conference Room 205
Children's Writing Workshop by Jake Stump and Brad Stalnaker, Writing 'Musket's Big Adventure, A Quest to find the Gold and Blue Mountains

11:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. • Grand Hall
Festival Marketplace

11:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. • Grand Hall
Word Play - Children's Activities

1 - 3 p.m. • Conference Rooms 202-204
Writing Workshop by Ginger Brookover, How to Keep Readers in Suspense

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. • Conference Rooms 202-204
Writing Workshop by Kathy MacMillan, Storybuilding with Kathy MacMillan

7 p.m. • Grand Ballroom
An Evening with Debbie Macomber

Saturday, Oct. 27

8 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Grand Hall
Used Book Sale

8 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Grand Hall
Festival Marketplace

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Grand Hall
Word Play - Children's Activities

9 - 10:30 a.m. • Conference Rooms 202-205
Nancy L. Abrams, The Climb from Salt Lick: A Memoir of Appalachia (Mary Settle Session)

10 a.m. • Grand Hall
Word Play - Children's Storybook Costume Parade

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. • Conference Rooms 202-205
Richard Armstrong, The Battle of Lewisburg

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. • Little Theater
John Scalzi, Live Long and Prosper

1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. • Little Theater
David Grann, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Arc of Justice

1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. • Conference Rooms 202-205
Kwame Alexander and Randy Preston, A Literary Concert with Kwame Alexander and Randy Preston

3 p.m. • Grand Ballroom
An Afternoon with Dennis Lehane


Word Play

Activities for children. Don't miss the Storybook Costume Parade!

Friday, Oct. 26

11:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. • Grand Hall
Word Play - Children's Activities


Saturday, Oct. 27

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Grand Hall
Word Play - Children's Activities

10 a.m. • Grand Hall
Children's Storybook Costume Parade

11 a.m. & 3 p.m. • Grand Hall
Signing Storytimes with Kathy MacMillan


Storybook Costume Parade

Friday & Saturday
Children's Activities

• The Turtle Lady, Nancy Lockard •
• Fun Fitness Kids Club - Friday, Oct. 26, 1-5 p.m. •
• Kanawha County Public Library Craft Tables •
• Family STEM Kits from St. Albans Ready, Set, Create! •
• Step by Step, Inc. •
• Kanawha County Extension Master Gardener Program •
• YWCA Resolve Family Abuse Program •
• Newspapers in Education •
• West Virginia Public Broadcasting •
• REACH - A Program of The Counseling Connection •


 Saturday, Oct. 27

9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. • Grand Hall
Special Appearances by:
The Snow Queen, Ice Princess
& Enchanted Snowman

 


Used Book Sale

Great deals on thousands of books, movies, music CDs and more.

Saturday, Oct. 27 • Grand Hall
Saturday Only!

8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Regular Prices

3 - 3:30 p.m.
Closed for Setup
of Reduced Price Sale

3:30 - 5 p.m.
Sale Pricing


An image of a crowd of people looking through used items at the used book sale.
Don't miss this huge sale.

Get Free Books for Your Nonprofit

After the completion of the book sale, the remnants of the used book sale will be available, free of charge, to select nonprofit organizations. For your nonprofit organization to participate, please complete a registration form and submit it to the address below by Friday, Oct. 19, 2018.

Tim Hardway, Nonprofit Donations Coordinator
Kanawha County Public Library
123 Capitol St.
Charleston, WV 25301

Please note: we cannot guarantee quantity, type or variety of the leftover books. Collector’s Corner materials are not included in this offer.


Marketplace

The Marketplace is where you will find book sellers, publishers, individual authors and other literary vendors. Here, you can purchase books to be signed by Festival authors, meet local authors and find a variety of books and book-related items.

Grand Hall

Friday, October 26
11:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 27
8:00 a.m. - 5 p.m.


Marketplace Map


Writing Workshops

Interested in attending one of our writing workshops? All the details about this year's workshops are on this panel.

Friday, October 26

10 a.m. - Noon • Conference Rooms 202-204
Writing Workshop by Meredith Sue Willis
Revising Your Novel: Making Your Book the Best It Can Be!
Click here to register online.

10 a.m. - Noon • Conference Room 205
Children's Writing Workshop by Jake Stump and Brad Stalnaker
Writing "Musket's Big Adventure:
A Quest to Find the Gold and Blue Mountains"
Click here to register online.

1 - 3 p.m. • Conference Rooms 202-204
Writing Workshop by Ginger Brookover
How to Keep Readers in Suspense
Click here to register online.

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. • Conference Rooms 202-204
Writing Workshop by Kathy MacMillan
Storybuilding with Kathy MacMillan
Click here to register online.


Where to Stay and Dine

The annual West Virginia Book Festival is held at the Charleston Civic Center. If you plan to stay while visiting the city for the event, there are a number of local hotels and restaurants you may find convenient and appealing.

Hotels

Embassy Suites
300 Court St.
Charleston, WV 25301
Tel: +1-304-347-8700

 Charleston Marriott
200 Lee Street E
Charleston, WV 25301
Tel: +1-304-345-6500

 Holiday Inn Express
100 Civic Center Dr.
Charleston, WV 25301
Tel: +1-800-315-2621

 Click here for a more
complete list of local hotels.

Restaurants

Black Sheep Burrito and Brews

Charleston Town Center Mall

The Chop House Charleston

Panera Bread

Sahara Catering & Restaurant

Sitar of India

Tidewater Grill

Click here for a more
complete list of local eateries.

Locations

Charleston Civic Center
200 Lee Street E
Charleston, WV 25301
Tel: +1-304-345-1500
www.charlestonwvciviccenter.com

 West Virginia Culture Center
1900 Kanawha Boulevard East
Charleston, WV 25305
Tel: +1-304-558-0220
www.wvculture.org


Volunteer

Volunteers are needed to help in a variety of ways, including set-up, break-down, assisting authors and presenters and assisting with the used book sale, Festival Marketplace, children's programs, crafts and information tables.

Apply Now

If you would like to volunteer
at the 2018 West Virginia Book Festival, please complete the Volunteer Application form and submit it to the address below by Sept. 28, 2018.

April Wallace, Volunteer Coordinator
West Virginia Book Festival
123 Capitol Street
Charleston, WV 25301





In the News

This is where the lastest news of the West Virginia Book Festival can be found. Check back for news releases and other bits of important information.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail

- Sept. 9, 2017: WV Book Team: West Virginia Book Festival Announces 2017 Lineup

- Aug. 11, 2017: Goosebumps author, Stine, to headline WV Book Festival

- July 24, 2016: This year’s Book Festival to feature more authors

- Oct. 19, 2015: WV poet laureate looks forward to meeting Neil Gaiman at Book Festival

- Oct. 19, 2015: Jodi Picoult to unveil the facts behind her bestselling fiction

- Oct. 18, 2015: W.Va. Book Festival returns

- Oct. 18, 2015: Dawn Miller: Poetic memoir connects across race, time

- Oct. 18, 2015: Homer Hickam visits WV Book Festival to talk new book on family legend

- Oct. 17, 2015: Pulitzer-winning historian to discuss the march to civil rights from the Civil War

- Oct. 4, 2015: CoRAYline: Scare up some new reads at the book festival

- Oct. 4, 2015: WV Book Team: Must-reads before the West Virginia Book Festival


Images of Charleston provided by David T. Stephenson.