West Virginia Book Festival Announces Full Schedule for 2024

The 2024 West Virginia Book Festival will be held at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center on Saturday, October 19th, featuring bestselling authors Gregg Hurwitz, Sadeqa Johnson, Gene Luen Yang, Joy Callaway, and Mia Manansala. Poet Percival Everett will be featured at the McCreight Lecture in the Humanities on October 17th in Charleston. All events and programs are free and open to the public.

In addition to its featured speakers, the West Virginia Book Festival will present a series of programs and workshops during the event. Two writing workshops, three additional author presentations, and two children’s programs are also scheduled on October 19th.

At 9 a.m. poet Clint Bowman will offer a poetry reading and the program, “The Importance of Poetry Communities”, while author Phil Oakley presents a workshop for aspiring writers, “How to Write a Novel in 50 Short Years.”

At 10 a.m., best-selling author Gregg Hurwitz will discuss his career and his popular Orphan X series in the Festival’s Main Ballroom. Critically acclaimed, his novels have been international bestsellers, graced top ten lists, and have been published in thirty-two languages.

Also at 10 a.m., children’s author Victoria Crall will offer a storytime of her children’s book, Jumpy Chunky Monkey and Your Very Best Day.

From 11 a.m. to noon, Appalachian authors Mark Hendricks and Erika Howsare team up for a panel discussion on Appalachian Creatures: The Human-Wildlife Connection, a program dealing with the richness of the natural world in Appalachia.

Featured author Joy Callaway discusses her books What the Mountains Remember and The Grand Design at 11:30 a.m. The Grand Design is set at The Greenbrier in 1908 and 1946.

Also at 11:30, the Bright Star Touring Theatre will present a children’s program in the Word Play area.

At 1 p.m., graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang will kick off the afternoon activities in the Convention Center Ballroom. His graphic novel American Born Chinese, a National Book Award finalist and Printz Award winner, has been adapted into an original series on Disney+.

Author Andrea Pitzer follows at 2:00 p.m. with her writing workshop, “Finding an Agent and Writing a Nonfiction Book.”

A pair of programs are scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. Headlining author Mia Manansala is a writer and book coach from Chicago. She is the winner of the 2022 Anthony Award for Best First Novel, 2022 Macavity Award for Best First Novel, 2022 RUSA Reading List for Mystery, 2021 Agatha Award for Best First Novel, and the 2018 Hugh Holton Award.

Also at 2:30, PBS Kids will present its children’s program in the Word Play area.

Novelist Sadeqa Johnson will close out the 2024 Book Festival with her presentation in the Main Ballroom at 4 p.m. Johnson is a New York Times bestselling author of five novels. Her most recent novel, The House of Eve, was an instant New York Times Best Seller, Target book club pick, Reese’s Book Club selection, and nominated for a NAACP Image Award.

On Thursday, October 17th, the West Virginia Humanities Council will present the 42nd annual McCreight Lecture in the Humanities (location to be announced). This year’s distinguished speaker is Percival Everett, the author of more than thirty books of fiction and poetry.

The Book Festival Marketplace, featuring authors, publishers, and literary-related vendors, will be open on Saturday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Festival’s annual Used Book Sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Children’s Word Play area will be open 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, The Kanawha County Public Library, The Library Foundation of Kanawha County, Inc., The West Virginia Humanities Council, and The Charleston Gazette-Mail. Sponsors for this year’s festival include West Virginia Public Broadcasting, The West Virginia Library Commission, The West Virginia Center for the Book, The Marshall University Foundation, The Friends of The Library, Truist West Virginia Foundation, H.B. Wehrle Foundation, and the Nelle Ratrie Chilton Charitable Trust.

For more information visit wvbookfestival.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 16, 2024

Media Contact:
Stan Howell, Festival Co-Chairperson
stan.howell@kcpls.org